The Ugly Beautiful Garden

An Interesting Thought From our Leadership Retreat

Allen manages and leads within a local agricultural business.  He stated in our Elder retreat, (or leadership team) he has discovered younger people whom they hire are entering the job market with a different mindset.  “Younger people want the freedom to do what they want.”  They don’t want to do what we want them to do.  Maybe more appropriately they don’t want to do something to maintain an institution or organization to which they are not loyal, hold suspiciously and have no ownership.  Instead they want to do what is on their heart and in their imagination.  How do we allow for the younger members of our congregation who did not grow up with us to do what they want to do within the current organizational structure?  Or maybe how do we cultivate their imaginations around the Kingdom or what God is up to in our community/neighborhood rather than in our church?  In Allen’s business organization, they have adapted.  Rather than giving interviewees the job description they want them to do, they ask those being interviewed to discuss how they will impact the organization, what will they bring and given their abilities what do they want to do.  Once hired they have a stake and legitimate say in what they want to do.  In other words instead of giving them a job description, they ask them to write one.  Instead of telling new members what we expect of members and our description of appropriate member behavior could we ask them to write their own descriptions?  Could we immediately begin to stir and cultivate their imagination around God’s activity and call? 

Cultivating Missional Life is Like My Ugly Garden

I changed my blog title.   I think I may change its purpose.  It maybe  my  last ditch effort to blog a bit more regularly.  I even made it ugly looking to resemble my garden. 

Here is why I am calling my blog the Ugly Garden.  My executive Presbyter called me the other day.  He wanted to talk with me because he had heard of a church in my area growing their youth group from 4 to 22!  Well he thought that must have been me.  Nice ego stroke.  I told him no, not us.  Then I thought I would tell him about how God is at work amongst us and likened it to the garden.  I told him all the great ways we are cultivating our soil.  When I paused, he said these words, "Well I don't want to keep you."  And the phone call ended.  No fruit, no time.  He called searching for measurable results not to hear about my ugly garden!

Here is what I submit.  Leading a church towards a missional future is like my ugly garden.  Last fall I had a friend who does yard work, drop off two truck loads of leaves on top of my garden.  I then piled on the sand from my failed sandbox that succeeded as a cat liter box.  I worked the sand and leaves into my garden with my old, handed down in love roto-tiller that it took me several days to get working.  I only got it working after I cleaned it out and rebuilt parts of it.  Then my garden just sat there all winter.  I could not see the leaves decomposing.  I could not see the worms feasting away.  I could not see the rain cleaning stuff out.  But I trusted I had done a good job cultivating my soil so that it will grow good stuff in the summer.

Once spring came, I put some old dirt I have been slow composting for two years in my new expansion row where I intend to grow tomatoes this year.  I then forked two rows to open them up and added some new topsoil mixed with peat moss to form two early beds.  My neighbor then brought over his roto-tiller and worked the other two-fifths of my garden.  I shaped the beds just the way I planned them earlier this spring.  I planted potatoes on the right day.  I planted my onion sets.  I even have carrots, lettuce, spinach, beets and radishes planted.  Then it rained the next day and everything is great!  It still is an ugly garden though when you look at it from the outside.  One might think I have not been hard at work.

Of course this is where the ugly garden metaphor breaks all down.  My church is full of beautiful people who love Jesus and have hearts for his mission in the world.  It is when we impose our lens upon church whatever it is,  our view is distorted and obstructed.  If you are a measurable results person who needs to see the fruit then you don't see and lift up my ugly garden.  If you are a horizon missional church thinker and have these really well formed and pure visions of what missional church ought to be, then you drive my house and think man that is an ugly garden.  People want the produce section of Whole Foods (add you local organic, healthy grocery store).  Right.  There you find piled meticulously and creatively high gorgeous vegetables that have been grown by the latest in organic farming.  Can you see the orange and red peppers shining like a shrine?  Can you see the red tomatoes and the cucumbers in all their splendor?  Why an ugly garden when you can get vegetables in such a produce section? Shoot, even at our local Walmart, they have all the vegetables you could ever ask for, why an ugly garden? 

Hear is what I know to be true about missional church.  Missional church takes patience because it takes time to transform culture formed over many, many years.  Missional church requires cultivating the soil with scripture, prayer, discernment and a whole lot relationship building through listening.  The fruit comes when the fruit is ready.  Missional church is like my ugly garden in that I believe all my work and effort is going to lead to some great tasting tomatoes, awesome fresh out of the ground potatoes, and right of the vine squash, beans, and peas.  In Missional church a lot of things fail like in my garden.  My squash plants get eaten by vine borers and die.  My tomatoe plants get eaten by deer.  My plants get mold.  Some seed never germinate.  Weeds grow faster than most vegetable plants.  But I water, I weed, I fertilize and make my own compost to fertilize.  I mulch, pick off bugs, put up a fence and much more.  Missional church takes hard work and you are not always able to manage and control the future outcome.  But I love gardening.  Some days I don't want to do it. Some days I think I have no clue what I am doing. Then there are days I  think I am way to obsessed with it.  I love learning from my neighbors who have been gardening for 80 years.  I love reading books and blogs on gardening.  In it all I discover  God.  I discover the Kingdom.  I discover the deep power of life with God.  Ugly as it may be (at times and seasons) it is what I do.  I don't need some executive Presbytr to be excited about our growth.  I hope and trust my efforts to lead people towards being God' s sent people into the world as witness to his redemptive rule and reign are pleasing to God.  God loves my ugly garden and so do I.

Stirring Our Imagination

Alan Roxburgh is a mentor of missional leaders and church.  He often in many venues, talks about cultivating missional imagination within a community.  Of course behind this statement is his belief that the future of any church is already present within the people who are that church.  I think Jesus was a cultivator of missional imagination.  At least he seems to be here in the lectionary passage from Mark for this week.  http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=101994614

Okay so you read it (hopefully) and maybe you are thinking okay what is he talking about missional imagination.  They are coming down from the mountain from what sounds like a really weird event.  Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah (who is he right? )  or two folks from the Old Testament.  Then Jesus turns bright white or he transfigures as we like to say.   A cloud then envelopes them and a voice from within says, this is my son, the beloved, listen to him.  Weird right?  Then the cloud vanishes along with Moses, Elijah and the brightness of Jesus.  All that is left is Jesus.  What is the deal.  I mean seriously if this were to happen to me I wouldn't tell a soul.  If something like this happened, I may even try to explain it away.  I may even think someone put something into my drink.  It is weird.  But enough on that.  Jesus is on the way back down with the disciples who went with him and he says don't tell anyone about this weirdness until the Son of man has risen from the dead.  More weirdness.  Then they began wondering what did he mean by the rising of the dead. 

As I have read Mark I see him in many places, telling of an action of Jesus where there is a response of people immediately following.  Jesus casts out a demon, the people were amazed.  Jesus heals a woman from fever and she gets up and serve.  Jesus cleanses a leper and he goes and tells everyone.  (All from Chapter 1)  Now you have Jesus transfigured and tell the boys not to tell anyone until after the Son of Man is raised from the dead.  Their response is to question what he means by rising from the dead.  He stirs their missional imagination.  He does not explain the funky mountain top event.  He does not explain rising from the dead.  He lets them imagine.  Maybe he wants them to imagine.  When Jesus uses parables, it seems he wants the hearer to be engaged and to enter deeper into what is happening.  Jesus wants us to think and does not seem to have a problem with our questioning.  Maybe we in the Western world like neat and clean answers a bit much. 

How could a church help raise questioning and imagination within its people?  How can we get folks to think?  To dream?  To imagine life together as God intends it?  To wonder what Jesus meant by that?  Is the sermon the best way?  How could a sermon get a person to question, to ponder the deeper meaning? 

I really do believe my questions are what lead me deeper into life.  And if those questions are about God, they lead me deeper into life with God.  Maybe by stimulating questions, Jesus gets us to wonder, pursue and seek what God is doing in our midst?  Maybe this how we are formed and discover deeper faith.  Like many people have asked me, why does Jesus keep on telling people to keep a lid on things he is doing?  Maybe we could question that on Sunday. 

Let's Keep it Clean

I think I will be focusing mainly on Mark 1:40-45, click the link to read...http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=101554885

A leper comes to Jesus.  One outcast by God's own ordering through the law.  Read through Levitcus 13-14 for more detail.  Lepers were kept outside of town.  They had to wear dirty cloths, and cover the lower part of their face.  So that people would stay away they had to yell, "unclean, unclean!"  Their sickness marginalized them.  Leprosy steals away one's name, traded in for leper.  It takes occupation, family, friends, and worship in community.  I also read, they were referred to as "walking dead."  So the leper comes to Jesus.

And Jesus cleanses him.  Notice that he does not heal.  He cleanses.  Lepers are unclean.  Jesus touches what is unclean and his touch cleanses the person.  He has the leper go to he priest have the priest declare him clean.  Why?  Does Jesus want notoriety?  It's the opposite really.  Jesus tells him to keep quiet.  He sends him to the priest because that is how he will be fully restored to the community.  When that happens, he has a name, he becomes a person again and participate in the communal life. 

Notice at the end.  Jesus is the one being kept outside of town.  At the start it is th leper kept outside of town.  Jesus has so identified with the leper he is the marginal one, although the good news he spreads is spreading like crazy.  The cross will be the ultimate identification with us.  It will be where he is the ultimate outcast, as we yell "crucify, crucify."  There he is kept outside.  Jesus obedience leads him to touch what is unclean.  Cleansing us and restoring us physically, socially, emotionally and spirtually.  Kingdom boundaries are different.

Lectionary Conversation for January 31

I am commenting on Mark 1:21-28 http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=100151592 and 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (although I have more questions about this one than anything) http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=100151697 .

Let me start by saying "MY GOLLY!"  It has been a long time.  The strike lasted much longer than expected.  They just were not giving us bloggers a fair and just wage.  But good thing that is behind us.  It got pretty ugly let me tell you.

But anyhow, let me begin with Mark.  Jesus has announced the Kingdom of God is near, and is requiring folks to turn and believe the good news.  He then is summoning ordinary, common men to be his disciples.  They leave behind what is known, even work and family.  Now Jesus enters the synagogue and taught.  Remember the synagogue is the center of Jewish religious life.  It is the heart or brain.  He goes straight to the center and begins to teach.  It is bold.  Notice, "they" were astounded at his teaching because he taught as one having "authority."  Authority is a big word for Mark.  It is a major theme for his gospel.  Jesus has authority that is different from the scribes.  What is this authority and where does it come from?  Then a man with an unclean spirit cries out.  Jesus then rebukes the spirit and commands it out of the man.  It seems like the spirit knows who Jesus is and where he gets his authority.  The spirit came out of the man and "they were amazed."  Jesus' authority in how he teaches and how he exercises his authority over unclean spirits amazes and astounds them.  My guess is "they" are the Jewish religious leaders and those worshiping in the synagogue.  The result is his fame spreads throughout the region of Galilee.  What amazes and astounds us about Jesus these days?  Does Jesus have authority in our life?  What has authority in our life? 

The Corinthian passage is confusing.  In 1st century Corinth people sacrificed meat to idols.  They question was a heated one...can you eat this meat.  Obviously the idols did not eat it.  But could they eat it?  Some said yes.  Some yelled no.  In verse 8 Paul argues food does not determine our relationship with God.  The truth is idols are not real in anyway so meat sacrificed to them is not really being sacrificed.  Good logic really.  So the appropriateness of eating this meat is a non-issue.  What seems to be at issue is how it may effect your relationship with other Christian believers.  Does eating this meat cause other folks to stumble in their faith?  The way we live our lives does effect others both for good and bad.  It seems Paul is telling the folks of Corinth to consider how their behavior regarding this meat may effect others.  Of course this one gets quoted around drinking alcohol.  For a good reason.  How does consuming alcohol effect others.  How does our anger or anything else we do that is not really harmful to us, possibly have a negative effect on others?  I think it is challenging to my American sense of individual entitlement.  I am not too sure what it has to do with authority or with Mark's passage.  I am hoping my lectionary colleagues will help us out on this wintry, snowy day.  Speaking of which I need to go shovel the walk and drive before I get out.  Peace.

Worship Works Also

Worship is always a big one.  Many folks are passionate about worship.  Many want it a new way.  Many want it to remain the same.  Most have an opinion.  And it is the center piece of the church as it stands.  So what seems to work that does not become a so called war?  Again, who knows?  One advantage I had coming into this congregation was none other than ignorance.  Seriously, I never had a class on worship in seminary (what kind of seminary was that right) because I never intended on planning worship and leading a church in worship.  So I have learned and am learning and will always be learning especially when it comes to worship.  One of the most helpful teachers I have found is Tom Long, who wrote Beyond the Worship Wars.  I also heard him speak on the topic at a Calvin Worship Symposium.  He suggests 9 characteristics he found in churches with a vital and faithful worship.  He seeks to find a third way beyond reducing worship to either contemporary or traditional.  So our congregation has set off to work on these other characteristics, which I will not list here but you can find in the book.  This has meant things like finding artistically good banners and using them on our sanctuary walls and hanging them for liturgical seasons and festivals.  It helped move us towards a more celebratory feel with their color and words.  We have sought music that is excellent and eclectic in style and genre.  We have tried to connect our mission with worship.  We try to include people in worship and make it more participatory.  We try to have the congregation sing more.   We have brought more visual aspects into our worship that are artistic, creative and fresh.  We have tinkered with our paraments and worship space to make it more conducive to such worship. 
The second part of our worship that works is creating what is now being stated as alternative worship.  Or worship that is more contemplative, experiential and participatory.  It is the worship that would be found in emerging churches or even other communities like Iona, Northumbria and even Taize worship.  This worship has help expand our definition of worship.  Mainly it has provided other ways of worship for our folks to see there are other ways of doing that work.  So far the majority of this worship has been done on other worship times, like Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and a Blue Christmas service.   This forms and broadens our experience of worship that hopefully will continue to find its way into our main service.
 Lastly, we have created worship planning teams for the liturgical seasons.  So we have one for Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary.  This broadens the involvement in the creative process and planning.  It is still working itself out, but we have had success.
One of the best conversations I  have heard on the topic of missional church was through Allelon.  The conversation was with Michael Goheen who studied Leslie Newbigin in depth and worked to bring his missional thinking alive within a local church.  When asked what he would do if he were to do it over, Goheen stated he would strive for a worship that is both relevant but that remains within a tradition.  I think this is the road we are on.  It is slow but we are getting there.

What Works?

I pastor a small church.  Things that work in big, programmatic churches don't necessarily translate well, although some do.  I have been asked to consider presenting at a gathering of churches on what works for us, our church.  I often like to deflect that question with something like, "Who knows!!?"  There is truth to my answer.  I really do not know and think that is the right answer.  Not knowing seems to lead us towards God's answer anyhow.  So let me share a first thing and then maybe I will post on others.
 The first thing that has worked ( not with any perfection) is building a culture of "permission giving."  We of course borrowed this language and concept from an Easum and Bandy mission study our church underwent (endured?) before calling a new pastor.  The permission giving concept has worked well in that it has allowed those who do have a vision for the new, the innovation, and re-strengthening of the church to do, to plan and create.  It has given committees the ability to do their work without getting it all rubber stamped through the leadership team.  Even our money people have given us a pretty high number with which to move on without coordination.  That is significant for a congregation very used to running things by the pastor and leadership team.  I think one area where it could be expanded is giving permission to experiment and fail over and over again, even to the point where we celebrate failing.  The point being is that we all know how many times the average person will fail before getting it right.  Somehow though in the church, (especially conservative Midwestern Presbyterians) risking not getting it right is tough to chew.  We are also seeking ways to get this culture beyond the committee and leadership team level so that if someone has an idea, dream, prompting of the Spirit for ministry they would have permission to go for it.  (Greg Ogden in his book Transforming Disciples has a great set of parameters for such permission giving).  Less of the supposed to do stuff to maintain the church gets dropped and makes us feel uneasy at times, like we aren't doing a good job, but I think its worth it. 

Nation First?.....Hmmmm.

Now let me begin with stating very clearly, I am one of those independents who has not decided but is committed to really letting the issues speak for themselves.  Last night my wife and I listened to John McCain's nomination acceptance speech at the Republican Convention.  His campaign slogan, "Nation First" echoed out.  As it did we wondered, "are we as Christians supposed to put nation first?" It is an interesting question when many right wing conservative Christians, many of whom I am friends with, would tell me that you can not be Christian and vote Democrat.  It is this group of Christians who seem to most boldly insist the Republicans have the pro-Christian agenda.  Of course this is based upon their pro-life and anti-gay marriage stances.  But I wonder, if it is the logical Christian choice, should they also agree to put nation first?  Should we as Christians regardless of theological convictions put anything before our Lord and Savior.  Was not the earliest proclamation of the gospel, that Jesus is Lord of all and Caesar is not.  I think we need to be careful.  Because I wonder if there are things the nation would require of me that I would not do because of the Lordship of Christ over my life.  I believe Obama may have made a similar suggestion in his speech as well as he told us to put nation first.  It is ever clear to me that being a Christian does not mean one will be Republican or Democrat.  But like Jim Wallis of Sojourners continues to remind us, committed, dedicated Christians will be voting both Republican and Democrat this year.  The nation is not first for me, Jesus is first and central to me.  If that brings the accusation that I am not patriotic, I would say, being patriotic is not my first call, my first call in the words of Derek Webb, is to a King and a Kingdom.  Kingdom First.

Did Jesus Have to Cook

Tonight I threw together three pizzas for the family.  One might think three pizzas, no big deal.  But it felt like a lot to me.  The right amount of cheese is essential.  Not too much sauce and no pooling.  Properly spaced pepperoni is important.  Cutting it or at least cutting it the proper way for my six year old is of the utmost priority.  Not burning any of them especially the last one that is easy to forget.  In the midst of it I had to run out and rip off some basil from my garden plants.  That always smells so good.  It needs to be cleaned and then dried before going into the blender.  Once chopped it joined some fresh tomatoes into a pesto of sorts that found its home on top of the cheese pizza I didn't forget in the oven.  I generally like to cook.  I cook somewhat often.  It depends on the week, the season and schedule.  Cooking takes time though.  I always make a mess (more than the average person).  So maybe I am writing about time.  I wish I had more of it, and yet there are times when I  don't know what to do with it.  Jesus must have had a good bit of time.  It seemed like he traveled a good deal and taught.  He seemed to eat with other folks.  I never get the idea that he had to rush all that much.  I don't like cooking when I rush.  I rush more than I like.  I bet Jesus would like pizza don't you think?

Making a Return

I have not found my blog much lately.  This is primarily because I have not been preaching from the lectionary this summer.  Yet, I have a few things I want to write about.  One is worship.  Last night, while reading one of the regular blogs I peruse, (Confessions of a Small Church Pastor http://chuckwarnockblog.wordpress.com/), I came upon a really intelligent, thought provocative message on medi by Clay Shirkey (http://kk.org/ct2/2008/08/looking-for-the-mouse.php )  Now the blogger, Chuck Warnock used it to raise questions about the role and function of the traditional sermon, I want to raise questions about worship in general.  To me Shirkey contends that we have all this brain space that television has taken in average contemporary American.  He shares staggering statistics about how much we watch television.  Television for so long has asked us simply to consume the entertainment they were selling.  And yet, now as we able to process the change in culture more we find ourselves not only consuming it but rather longing to produce and share.  He tells this marvelous story of a four year old who goes behind the television looking for a mouse.  Shirkey makes the point, four year olds know that if a screen does not come with a mouse it must be broken.  We want in on the action.  I would say to relate with it, produce within and from and to share in it.  And on Sunday morning, people come to consume what I have been cooking up all week.  Now there is some participation in our worship on behalf of the parishioners.  People sing, join in the responsive readings, generously share the peace, actively receive the benediction, share the table, and I have regular liturgists who lead worship and folks who do a great job giving the children's message each week.  I would mention the choir, however we are on a sabbatical having our director retire and interest decrease over the years.  The point is we do participate.  But I still wonder how we give our folks a mouse on Sunday morning.  We still face forward as all audiences do.   My sermons are 15-20 minutes and monologues.  I recently gave a video presentation on "What is Your Picture of Jesus" and a fourth grader gave me my all time best compliment when he said, "I loved the sermon, I understood the whole thing, it was really good!"  Now apart from my ego being stroked by a ten year old, it told me younger generations engage much more easily with a visual component.  I believe our worship needs more and more visual enhancement, because it is a way of participating beyond simply listening.  How could I have given this fourth grader a mouse?  Would that have been questions?  Suggestions?  How do we make worship more experiential and participatory for all the generations?  Are the pews facing forwards conducive to the participatory, to authentic relationships, to community building and experiential?  Is it just about getting more people involved?  Is it getting more people actually involved in the planning and imagining of worship?  If Shirkey's argument holds, people will want to produce and share more of worship.  Is your congregation ready?  Is ours?