The Lutheran Zephyr

A Dead Poet's Society of Church Readers

2011-12-15T23:32:35-05:00

A few times now, when talking with youth at church, I have shown them clips from Dead Poet's Society. Though I admit there is something old-manish about showing kids a film that was released years before they were born, the film taps into the power of poetry and of words.

The words we read in church have power. The Word of God is living and active. Not that I want our lectors on Sunday morning reading at a frenzied Robin Williams pitch, I do encourage readers to read clearly and with energy, and as if the words they were reading had the power to change lives ... because they do.

Enjoy these two clips from Dead Poet's Society, and may the reading of Holy Scripture in your church give life to words that have the power to give life.

Facebook quotes in a box: enough is enough

2011-10-10T11:36:05-04:00

Chris

2007 Mets fell harder, faster than 2011 Red Sox, Braves

2011-09-29T23:54:41-04:00

Wow. Looking at the headlines, you would think that nothing like the Red Sox AL Wild Card collapse has ever, ever happened. But it has. Recently.

Back on September 12, 2007 the New York Mets had a 7 game lead over the Phillies in the NL East, with 17 games left to play. With 17 games left to play on September 10, 2011, the Red Sox had a 4.5 game lead over the Rays in the AL Wild Card race. With 17 games left to play on September 09, 2011, the Atlanta Braves had a 6.5 game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card race. So, even though the leads of the Red Sox and Braves were larger earlier in the month than the lead the 2007 Mets had over the Phillies, the collapse of the 2007 Mets was more dramatic - more losses over a fewer number of games to end the season - than either of the 2011 collapses.

With 17 Games to Play in Season
Team	Games Ahead
2007 Mets (NL East race)	7
2011 Braves (NL Wild Card race)	6.5
2011 Red Sox (AL Wild Card race)	4.5

	Wins	Losses	Games Back
2007 Mets	83	62
2007 Phillies	76	69	7

	Wins	Losses	Games Back
2011 Braves	84	61
2011 Cardinals	77	67	6.5

	Wins	Losses	Games Back
2011 Red Sox	85	60
2011 Rays	80	64	4.5

Sorry for the crudeness of the charts. That's what you get when you copy and paste from Microsoft Word.

So, while the dual collapses of the Braves and Red Sox was indeed dramatic this year, it was not more dramatic - and not as steep - as the collapse of the 2007 Mets, who lost more games to close a season resulting in losing a playoff berth over a shorter period of time than did either the Red Sox or the Braves this year.

Looking Ahead: the Church as tenant in God's mission field

2011-09-26T16:03:42-04:00

Looking Ahead to Sunday's readings and the Good News of God I will strive to speak that day, I am wrestling with how we understand the relationship between of God's mission and the church's mission. Stewardship themes also come through strong, especially in the Gospel.

Appointed readings:

Isaiah 5:1–7
Psalm 80:7–15
Philippians 3:4b–14
Matthew 21:33–46

(full text of readings here)

In particular, I am struck by the words of Jesus in Matthew 21:43:

The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

Jesus speaks these words after telling the chief priests and the elders a parable about tenants of a vineyard who had been entrusted with tending the vineyard and producing a crop for the landowner. When the landowner sends servants to collect the produce, the servants are killed or beaten or otherwise rejected. The landowner sends more servants, to the same end. Finally, he sends his son, who is treated in the same manner. Jesus asks what will happen to the tenants when the owner comes, and the chief priests and elders replay that the owner will put them to death and lease the vineyard to others who will give the owner the produce at harvest time.

A few things to note here:
For one, it is clear that we are talking about tenants working in the owner's field. Are we willing to view ourselves as tenants working in God's field? We cling so tightly to notions of ownership - of our land, our homes, our clothing, our cars, our money, our gadgets - yet we can too easily forget that all that we have comes from God.

And if we are tenants, entrusted with land and work (as in the parable) or with goods and money and house and time and energy, how are we called to use these things? What does the owner - God - intend for us to use these resources?

And if we are not using these resources according to how God intends them to be used, today's Gospel reminds us that responsibility for their sacred use can be taken from us and given to another. "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." God's kingdom is not dependent upon us. It is God's work that extends beyond us and our churches, and God is glad to give the work of building his kingdom to whomever proves willing and able to carry out the work.

Another thing. In the parable Jesus does not imply that the grapes in the vineyard were neglected or in any manner unworthy. For all we know, the tenants might have done a good job growing the grapes, and for this reason would rather keep the valuable harvest for themselves rather than share with the owner. The problem is that those responsible for delivering the crop to its rightful owner have no interest in doing so. How do we seek to keep for ourselves what we rightly owe to offer to God?

In the Isaiah text, we see God's disappointment that his beloved vineyard is not yielding the intended fruit, and he withdraws his care for the field and allows it to go to waste. As in the above parable about tenants, it seems in this reading that no single field is indespensible to God's mission. God will sow seed and harvest fruit wherever there is good soil.

In the Psalm, the psalmist pleads with God to restore the vineyard ... a follow-up, of sorts, to the Isaiah reading, reminding God of what he has done in the vineyard, and asking him not to let it go to waste.

The Philippians reading is great, but isn't speaking with me in concert with the theme set up in the other readings.

In fact, as good as the Isaiah text is, if you wanted to go with the stewardship theme - in advance of the traditional November stewardship Sunday(s) - a text such as Deuteronomy 26 or Leviticus 2 could be helpful to set up a discussion of the proper use of that with which we have been entrusted by God. So too with the Psalm. Psalm 24 could be good for such a theme.

Blessings to all who are preparing and delivering sermons this week!

"That was fun. Are we doing it again next week?"

2011-09-13T11:53:58-04:00

This past Sunday the children of our congregation gathered toward the end of the worship service to bless the Sunday School teachers, who were being installed as part of our Rally Day celebrations. After the blessing, we gave the kids tambourines, shakers, and maracas, and they led us out of the church as the whole congregation sang, "We Are Marching in the Light of God." It was very nice way to start the Sunday School year, and a great way to celebrate the ministry of children in our congregation.

Later that evening, my 5 year-old daughter said to me, "Daddy, that was fun, playing with the maracas in church. Are we doing it again next week?" We were not planning on doing it again, of course, but her question got me thinking about consistency in worship. Kids get routine. In fact, they need routine. Preschool and elementary school teachers know that routine is essential in creating a learning and nurturing environment for children.

Many years ago I wrote about the importance of routine in worship, with a blogpost entited "Variable (or Vagarious?) Liturgical Texts." I do believe that we are formed in life and faith through repeated action. This is especially true for children. How can we offer a consistent, patterned, and participatory environment for children in worship? Children's sermons are good, but are often a passive experience for children. Assisting with communion might be appropriate for one or two children, as would be serving as a lay reader, but these are not ways to include most of the kids most of the time.

However it is done, I believe that weekly worship should include a regular element that actively includes children in doing something they are capable of doing, and which engages them in some sort of repeated, ritual action. It might be a song that is sung weekly, becoming familiar and allowing even non-reading children to fully participate. It might be a liturgical gesture or action, such as the procession we did this past Sunday, that kids can perform week after week. Whatever it is, a repeated action gives our kids something familiar to do, a chance to develop comfort and even expertise at performing an act of worship, and thus allows them to feel more "at home" and at ease with the worship life of the church.