Faith & Coffee http://www.faithandcoffee.com Theology | Faith | Culture Mon, 06 May 2013 19:27:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Copyright © 2011 by The Rev. Eric O. Ledcermann (San Bernardino, California) faithandcoffeepastor@gmail.com (The Rev. Eric O. Ledermann) faithandcoffeepastor@gmail.com (The Rev. Eric O. Ledermann) Sermons 1440 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/iTunesLogo.jpg Faith & Coffee http://www.faithandcoffee.com 144 144 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/feed/ Faith & Coffee - Sermons Sermons preached by the Rev. Eric O. Ledermann, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in San Bernardino, California. The Rev. Eric O. Ledermann The Rev. Eric O. Ledermann faithandcoffeepastor@gmail.com no clean faithandcoffee/kcRmhttp://feedburner.google.com The values that hold us together? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/X0gPlgPrxYM/the-values-that-hold-us-together.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/05/the-values-that-hold-us-together.html#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 19:26:09 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=658 A new/old journey has begun/continued, not unlike the modernist/orthodox journey of the early 20th century with Reinhold Niebuhr’s realist orthodoxy (shedding the utopian vision of earlier evangelicals but clinging to the pillars of evangelical fundamentals). In my D.Min. studies I am taking a class with the snarky title: “Why Church Matters in an Age of Narcissism”, taught by the equally sarcastic but profound Rev. Lillian Daniels. I am scrambling to finish the readings before our [...]]]> A new/old journey has begun/continued, not unlike the modernist/orthodox journey of the early 20th century with Reinhold Niebuhr’s realist orthodoxy (shedding the utopian vision of earlier evangelicals but clinging to the pillars of evangelical fundamentals). In my D.Min. studies I am taking a class with the snarky title: “Why Church Matters in an Age of Narcissism”, taught by the equally sarcastic but profound Rev. Lillian Daniels. I am scrambling to finish the readings before our class meets at the end of May, and being met by all the questions that have swirled in my mind for years but have been unable to articulate well (thank you writers more efficient and articulate than me!).

I am fascinated by the questions and doubts that have peppered the 20th century American Christian journey, and now the 21st century continuation. With recent postmodern movements like “Emergent” Christianity (basically a group of disenfranchised evangelical conservatives that felt the evangelical voice no longer spoke to their lived experience), we Christians are trying once again to envision a new/old world infused with our experience of presence of God without kidding ourselves about the realities of what has been called “the human condition”—namely, that we are prone to selfish advances of egotism and self-righteousness that put us at odds with what God is trying to do here.

Those of us still formally connected to worshiping faith communities (less than 30% of Americans I last read) we cling to the truths of our faith (though variously understood) and the reality that in so many ways the world (e.g., people) has changed very little in thousands of years when it comes to human behavior and desire.

So how to shape a faith life that at once lifts up the values we hold near and dear (that is, the values Jesus held for faithfulness to God, reaching out to the marginalized, standing with the poor and seeking to recognize the value of every human being as a child of God…at least how I understand it), without having to shed the realities of our arrogance.

President Obama was slammed by many Wall Streeters and many evangelical Christians when he said last year that none of us made it on our own, primarily, it seems, speaking to his fellow 1-percenters (the god of self-sufficiency defends herself against the ever challenging reality that we are dependent on one another more than we would care to admit—who made your clothes or built your house or works on your car or harvests your food?). Can we use our perceived self-sufficiency of which we cannot seem to rid ourselves (despite it’s fallacy at the base of our mutual existence) to grow further in our understanding and exhibition of a mutually beneficial way of life? And how to invite others, even athiests, along this journey of lifting up the values that bind us together without getting caught up in the doctrine and dogma that divides us?

Am I even asking the right questions? I’m sure there are deeper questions to be asking. As our country spins itself into ever more disparate factions, is there nothing that still binds us together, liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican, progressive and traditional? I confess my own arrogance and ignorance in even asking these questions.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/05/the-values-that-hold-us-together.html/feed 2 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/05/the-values-that-hold-us-together.html Losing Our Way for God http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/drRy7vLvC2s/losing-our-way-for-god.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/03/losing-our-way-for-god.html#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:00:01 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=643 I’ve read a number of articles and blog posts over the last several years about the Church losing it’s way (Landon Whitsitt and John Vest among others). I used to think we were finding our way again, but I think Landon is on to something. Have we succumbed too deeply to the temptations of “bigger is better”? As I read the gospels I understand Jesus had the inner twelve, but often [...]]]> I’ve read a number of articles and blog posts over the last several years about the Church losing it’s way (Landon Whitsitt and John Vest among others). I used to think we were finding our way again, but I think Landon is on to something. Have we succumbed too deeply to the temptations of “bigger is better”? As I read the gospels I understand Jesus had the inner twelve, but often the texts allude to hundreds that followed him or came out to hear him as he traveled, if not nearly 5,000. He had no building, he had no Christian Education program, no order of worship, no committees. He wasn’t building a Church in the modern sense, but a community in the ancient sense.

I wonder if what we need to be looking toward is seeking to rediscover our sense of connection with and reliance upon one another. Early in my time as a youth director and pastor I relied heavily on programs and spent much of my energy trying to create a “moment” for people to experience. The one major factor I failed to consider more often than not was the people themselves. Our base desires are not for more programs and flashy lights, though we might comment first on these superficial dressings. Our base desires as relational beings have more to do with making connections with others that will feed and sustain us emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. In fact, don’t we learn about ourselves first and mostly through our reflection and deflection of other people (parents, siblings, friends, etc.)? I learn my hot temperedness by observing people who are both hot and even tempered. I watch and I realize what I might look like when I fly off the handle and realize I don’t want to look like that. I see even tempered folks and wonder what is happening inside them—are they raging and just not showing it, or are they really able to stay that calm in a situation that to me is outrageous? I also observe people’s reaction to me at different times. In the process, I learn about myself.

We are relational beings from the very start. A baby comes out of the womb and immediately forms a bond with her mother. Have you seen the videos where the newborn is placed on the mother’s tummy and instinctively seeks out nourishment from the mother’s breast? Of course, this instant connection is often troublesome for fathers because we aren’t sure how we fit into the equation beyond observing (though I believe the bond between child and father does come, it is different). My point is that we form bonds early in life and those bonds form us and reform us: I remember all my teachers, whether or not they are able to remember me among the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of children they have taught; I remember my youth group leaders when I was a teenager, though I really don’t remember much of what they said during Bible study.

In my faith tradition (Presbyterian) we get pretty caught up in words. In fact our whole form of worship is shaped around “The Word”—namely the reading of scripture and sermons—understanding that through these things the Word of God can be revealed to us. It’s easy for us to lose sight of the relational center of what we’re doing and who we are being called to be. As our churches shrink we get distracted by things we believe will “sell” our church to others: programs, nice facilities, projection screens (because that’s what the big churches do), etc. But is this what Jesus asked his disciples to do?

Yes, he said share the gospel (the good news of God’s love and redemption). But he talked a lot more about how we do that in terms of how we live every day in relation to the people with whom we live and work. Others far greater than I have said that this faith thing we’re doing is a journey wherein along the way we may experience the presence of God in so many awe-inspiring ways. In fact, the early Christians were called “followers of the Way of Jesus.” As I consider what is happening with the Church today, I can’t help but consider how many layers we have put on Jesus’ ministry. I think what is happening now is that all those layers are worn out. The ]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/03/losing-our-way-for-god.html/feed 0 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/03/losing-our-way-for-god.html Economics, Gun Control, and HB 2455 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/swg5qthiT04/economics-gun-control-and-hb-2455.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/03/economics-gun-control-and-hb-2455.html#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:00:56 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=636 Somehow the Dow Jones Industrial Average trading at a new high feels like a new low for our nation and world. It seems we have learned nothing from the Great Recession of the past few years as it relates to the concentration of wealth at the top of the economic ladder and the devastation such concentration has on the other 99%, particularly those living (sustaining? surviving?) at the bottom of that ladder.

The more [...]]]> Somehow the Dow Jones Industrial Average trading at a new high feels like a new low for our nation and world. It seems we have learned nothing from the Great Recession of the past few years as it relates to the concentration of wealth at the top of the economic ladder and the devastation such concentration has on the other 99%, particularly those living (sustaining? surviving?) at the bottom of that ladder.

The more we allow our social wealth to be focused at the top, the less mobile we are on that ladder and the less effective we are at being able to help those who are at the bottom, thus the less motivated we will be to try to improve our (or anyone else’s) quality of life. This has been proven time and again throughout history—just look at the major empires that have ruled this world over the past several millennia, they all collapsed as the social wealth concentrated narrower and narrower at the top of the social ladder, and the wellbeing of those who supported the economy on the rest of that ladder grew less and less able to do so.

Both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures preach harshly against this kind of economic system. I truly believe capitalism is not intrinsically bad, but it needs controls and regulations to prevent it from going hog wild and becoming an oligarchy or spiraling out of control into something worse. When the system allows the rich to simply get richer at the expense of the poor or even when it causes those in the middle to become poorer, we are no longer a civil society and we are no longer a democracy. It is already happening in the U.S. with the increasing power and influence of large, very wealthy special-interests in the forms of corporations (which are, according to the SCOTUS, legal “persons”) and Political Action Committees (PACs) and their relatively new and improved evolution into Super PACs. These special interests control our legislatures at all levels and the voice of the people is lost.

Let’s use the National Rifle Association (the NRA) as an example. A super majority of it’s members agree that some sort of background check should be required for all gun sales, and, if what I have read is accurate, most want to promote responsible gun ownership with accountability. But the leaders at the top (the ones who are under the control of those corporations and wealthy individuals who give the most to the NRA) refuse to support such actions, saying they are really looking out for the people. Meanwhile, people are getting killed by those who are ill or simply bent on doing evil. A background check is not going to suddenly stop violence or even stop criminals and mentally ill people from getting guns, but it will be a deterrent and at least slow the flow of guns to those who should not have them out of the best interests of society. Meanwhile, the NRA pours billions into campaign coffers for candidates who support their (the leadership’s) perspective regardless of what their membership says. This is another example of how wealthy special interests (often a minority in opinion) are really running the country.

I am not against owning guns, or even the NRA. I am against killing people, with the exception of self-defense (which is statistically rare). The Arizona State Senate is considering a bill that has already passed our State House of Reps (HB 2455) which would require ALL police departments in Arizona to sell guns confiscated or acquired by the department, including those voluntarily surrendered through buy-back programs, to gun dealers rather than destroy them, thus simply recycling that which is causing so many problems. The move, it seems, is to stop the buy-back programs which often result in guns being destroyed by the police departments in an effort to keep them off the streets and out of the hands of those who might use them maliciously. I can’t imagine anyone besides the gun lobbies are behind such an outrageous law. Those supporting the bill seem distraught over the thought of firearms being destroyed—which seems to be more of a travesty to them than the people who are often killed by them.

Again, I’m not against guns and can appreciate the fascination with them, though I do not own any. I have received lessons on gun safety and have enjoyed a firing range at times in my life. I am merely in favor of sensible laws and regulations that protect the public interest and our right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” by minimizing the threat of my family or me getting killed at random with a gun in the hand of someone who should not have had one to begin with. Why do we need more guns in this country? At last count, the U.S. has more guns than any other country in the world (see this article on wikipedia).

I hope we may regain the art of civil dialogue about what is best for most people, rearrange our priorities away from the wealthy but small minority, and re-engage in seeking that delicate balance between liberty and public interests. Mind you, when the second amendment was passed it took a bit of time to load a rifle of that era. And, if I’m reading it correctly, it is referring to a “well regulated militia” and not the right of each individual to own an arsenal without any interference from the government.

My point here is that we are being led down a dangerous path by allowing these self-serving corporations and super PACs to rule our country. We need to find a way to pull back the reins on these “legal persons”, first by redefining the definition of a “person,” then limiting the power and influence corporations and special-interests (including many that I support) can have on our legislatures, and then engaging in some civil discourse about what it means to live in “civil society” with guns and cars and other things that can cause great harm (notice the connection I’m making there?).

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/03/economics-gun-control-and-hb-2455.html/feed 1 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/03/economics-gun-control-and-hb-2455.html Lent 14 – Trust http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/Xt-1uKiWLac/lent-14-trust.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-14-trust.html#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:00:42 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=623 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!       Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;       he blesses your children within you. 14 He grants peace within your borders;       he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth;       his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool;       he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs —       who can [...]]]> 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
      Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
      he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders;
      he fills you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
      his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
      he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs —
      who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
      he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
      his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
      they do not know his ordinances.
   Praise the Lord!

~Psalm 147:12-20 (NRSV)

TRUST. I struggle with trust. I hear in this psalm a call to trust, and it frightens me. It makes me vulnerable. To trust means to admit that I cannot do it myself, that I need help. It forces me to consider what God has done through the nation of Israel (not to be confused with the modern state of Israel), into which I have been welcomed by God through Jesus Christ.

The gates of hope and freedom have been flung open, but it is too much and I see how I and so many are trying hard to close them back up. But what God offers is good and healing and hope-filled. Why can’t I trust it? Why am I so beholden to self-reliance, when I know it is a false god that I was brought up to worship. Self-reliance is a myth in that we are all interconnected in ways that none of us can fully fathom. I do not grow my own food or make my own clothes, nor am I experienced enough to work on my own car or fix the street lamp that flickers on and off next to our house. I am dependent on others who know things I don’t—not to say they know more than I do, nor do I know more then them, we just know different things. Our differences—from preferences and tendencies to attractions and desires—is what makes us a community, and that is one of God’s greatest gifts because we cannot do it all on our own. We need one another.

But what if my trust is violated. It hurts so much. I am afraid of being hurt again. I build the wall around my backyard to keep others out and protect me and my family. The scars around my heart have become a wall and so many of the wounds I have experienced have not yet healed, and I am afraid. Being in community with God and others is hard and scary work. And yet, as God invites us to live wholly by living holy, we are called to live in relationship and to be guided by values of mutual care, compassion, and love; to see the “other” as my neighbor and seek to be a friend.

I am scared. Are you?

God of hope and wholeness,
   you call us to a new way of life,
   but we are frightened.
We have been hurt before,
   and we struggle to trust you,
   let alone one another.
You offer good things,
   in ignorance we ignore them.
You offer hope,
   and we cannot trust it.
You offer sustenance,
   but we would prefer to find our own.

Heal us. Heal me.
Make me a channel of your peace,
   so that others may find the strength
   to learn to trust again
   and not be afraid.
Make me a channel of your love,
   so that the wounds of others may be healed,
   and the scars may flake away,
   so that we might be able to receive again,
      your love,
      one another’s love,
      your care,
      one another’s care,
      your compassion,
      one another’s compassion.
Make me a channel of your healing,
   so that we can live again,
   trusting the promises you have made,
   trusting that it will be alright,
   trusting that I am not alone,
   trusting that we are not alone.

Lord,
   give us hope,
   give us healing.
Amen.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-14-trust.html/feed 0 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-14-trust.html Lent 13 – Give ear to my words… http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/TOIFTKbH1qA/lent-13-give-ear-to-my-words.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-13-give-ear-to-my-words.html#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:00:09 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=599 1 Praise the Lord!       How good it is to sing praises to our God;       for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. 2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;       he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted,       and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars;       he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;       his understanding is [...]]]> GhandiQuote1 Praise the Lord!
      How good it is to sing praises to our God;
      for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
      he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted,
      and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
      he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
      his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
      he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
      make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
      prepares rain for the earth,
      makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food,
      and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
      nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
      in those who hope in his steadfast love.

~Psalm 147:1-11 (NRSV)

I had great hopes and high expectations to blog reflections through Lent based on the Daily Common Lectionary. As you might imagine, that has not gone according to plan. But I offer Psalm 147 and the powerful and encouraging language of giving thanks and praising God. I posted on Twitter the other day that it was challenging to encourage those with whom I minister to pray every day and offer constant praises to God when I, as their pastor, struggle to do the same. And so, I take great solace in the third phrase of verse 1: “for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.”

In November I told my spiritual director about my struggle to just sit in the presence of God for any length of time and feeling like I was always rushing from one thing to the next and that I could seem to keep up with all that had to be done and that the piles on my desk were growing and the to-do list was getting longer and I was behind in phone calls and pastoral visits and notes of encouragement and…oh yeah…I have to preach on Sunday! She breathed in deeply, let it out long and slow and loud—a great sigh of both exhaustion and relief on my behalf. She suggested setting several alarms on my iPhone, invitations to spend even just a few seconds breathing deeply and remembering God’s presence in the fractiousness. I set my alarms to start at 8am and chime every 2 hours throughout the day (skipping 8pm because I am often in meetings), concluding with Compline at 10pm when I would try to spend some time in examen looking at the day and reflecting on God’s presence throughout.

In January I told my spiritual director of my journey thus far and how it seemed the chimes were just an annoyance, that when my phone chimed I found myself just turning it off and going about my business like nothing happened (not all the time, but enough to notice). Then she said something that challenged me, surprised me, and relieved me: “Don’t be afraid to just take the time, sit in the anxiety and stress and say to God, ‘Well, God, I’m here. I’m distracted and frazzled and exhausted, but I’m here. This moment is yours, even in all my anxiety.’” Wow! What a reality check!

Being in relationship with God is not always to be sitting silently, but to be present to God even in the midst of the chaos. Our God, according to Psalm 147, is a gracious, gathering, binding, giving, abundant, powerful, uplifting, awesome God whose hope is found in steadfast and abiding love. So in my hurriedness (a totally unsustainable tone and speed for my life), I can pause, even if just for a moment, and merely breathe in the love of God, exhaling and entrust my anxieties to God, and move forward leaning heavily into my experiential relationship with God allowing my body to listen to all it already knows about how God works.

God of steadfast love,
   help me to trust
            in your goodness,
            in your wholeness,
            in your strength,
   that I might learn to praise you with
            my whole being,
            my whole life,
            my whole self.

God of gathering power and binding graciousness,
   help me to lean
            into your love
               when I am weary,
            into your steadfastness
               when I am weak,
            into your breath
               when I cannot catch mine.
Amen and amen.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-13-give-ear-to-my-words.html/feed 0 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-13-give-ear-to-my-words.html Lent 7 – Give Ear to My Words! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/KOBrGsCFR8s/lent-7-give-ear-to-my-words.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-7-give-ear-to-my-words.html#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:00:54 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=587 1Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. 2Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. 4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. 5The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate [...]]]> GhandiQuote
1Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
2Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
~Psalm 5

This is one of my favorite psalms. It speaks of my desire for a deep and lasting relationship with God, my desire to be heard, and my trust that God is with me all the time. It is a deeply uplifting remembrance of God’s grace, mercy, wisdom, and strength. It is also a reminder of all my tendencies to ignore God, to ignore the pain and sorrow of others, to lift up my own righteousness in arrogance (and often times in error), and even my desire to watch others fail in order to boost my own fragile self esteem.

It is a difficult psalm at the same time it is hope-filled.

Humble me, Lord.
Help me to embody
    your Word
    and your Ways,
not for my own sake,
    but for the sake of the world.
Help me to live into your kingdom
    here and now,
    where ever I am.
Humble me, Lord.
Humble me.
Amen.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-7-give-ear-to-my-words.html/feed 1 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-7-give-ear-to-my-words.html And the Sun shines through… http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/2NbRA8ZiaN8/and-the-sun-shines-through.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/and-the-sun-shines-through.html#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:38:35 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=580 ©2013 E. O. Ledermann, Chandler, Arizona.

An image as I was walking back to the office from ASU. I looked up, and there in the trees the warm, spring-like sun was shining through the budding trees, and I was reminded: even in the most challenging moments, God’s light shines through and reveals life anew. Just a thought for today.

[...]]]> And the Sun shines through...©2013 E. O. Ledermann, Chandler, Arizona.

An image as I was walking back to the office from ASU. I looked up, and there in the trees the warm, spring-like sun was shining through the budding trees, and I was reminded: even in the most challenging moments, God’s light shines through and reveals life anew. Just a thought for today.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/and-the-sun-shines-through.html/feed 0 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/and-the-sun-shines-through.html Lent 6 – Thanks! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/GCki2UJs-xU/lent-6-thanks.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-6-thanks.html#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:00:08 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=568 1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. ~Psalm 34.1-4 (NRSV)

A friend of mine has started [...]]]>

1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
~Psalm 34.1-4 (NRSV)

thanksA friend of mine has started on his blog a Lenten practice he is calling “40 Days of Lenten Thanks.” The morning psalm for today got me thinking about how easy it is for me to go through my day without giving thanks for the many blessings God provides for us. How often do I get caught up in the day-to-day without recognizing the little things that God invites me to appreciate.

Thanks to the wisdom and insights of a colleague a few years ago, I have been engaging off and on the practice of simply trying to be aware of God’s presence in any given moment. I regularly invite the congregation I serve to do the same. What I have realized in the seasons when I am more attentive is that, though I may run into some ugliness, my level anxiety and fear is so much less. It’s often the same recurring ugliness, but I am able to handle it and respond to it better at certain times than at others. More often than not, the times I am able to respond most faithfully and with the least amount of anxiety is when I have been in the practice of simply trying to be aware of God’s presence and active in finding ways to participate in what God is doing.

It is not an easy practice, and, as I said, my ability to fully engage it comes and goes with the seasons. In this season of Lent I am trying to become aware again (especially as I just rounded the corner of my first year with my current congregation). I think my friend’s practice of giving thanks may be a good place to start (thanks, Bruce!).

Thank you, God, for all the ways you reveal you reveal yourself,
     in both the spectacular and the mundane.
Thank you, God, for the amazing people who fill my life,
     and through whom you call me forward to a life of faith and fullness.
Thank you, God, for welcoming me into your love every day,
     even when I keep refusing you or ignoring you.
Thank you, God, for being present,
     and may I continue to grow in my awareness of you
     so I can invite others to do the same.
Amen.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-6-thanks.html/feed 0 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-6-thanks.html Lent 5 – Humility and Ego http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/dq4tUfXRjtM/lent-5-humility-and-ego.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-5-humility-and-ego.html#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:00:19 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=553 73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. 74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. 75 I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have humbled me. 76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort according to your promise to your servant. 77 Let your mercy come to me, [...]]]>
73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
because I have hoped in your word.
75 I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right,
and that in faithfulness you have humbled me.
76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my delight.
78 Let the arrogant be put to shame,
because they have subverted me with guile;
as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
79 Let those who fear you turn to me,
so that they may know your decrees.
80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
so that I may not be put to shame.
~Psalm 119:73-80 (NRSV)

Humility is a tough lesson to learn. I grew up being told I could do anything so long as I put my mind to it. I was pushed and prodded to do well in school. I was told I was smart (and, subsequently, that I could always do better). This Psalm speaks to me directly, not only as a pastor but as a Christian, a follower of the Way of Jesus. In the presence of God I am being called to humble my arrogance (my trust in my own “smartness” and my own means), and lean further into God’s wisdom and grace. I feel like I am the one to whom people might look to learn God’s decrees (wisdom) and at the same time one of the all-too-often arrogant that needs to be knocked down a notch.

I plead with God to not put me to shame but at the same time to humble me. I pray that I might be a good messenger at the same time I wrestle with my own ways of doing things. Even in asking for humility while at the same time wishing to be the one to whom the people turn, the psalmist is admitting his own struggle with ego. Though the author acknowledges that it is ultimately the love of God that will cure an arrogant mind and heart. And so I pray.

God of humility and grace,
Guide my heart and my mind to help me walk by your Word, your Truth, your Grace. Guide me on the path that you have set me on, and humble my arrogance when I get ahead of myself, believing I know better than you. How can I possibly know better than you? In these days, Lord, strengthen my trust in you and all that you seek for me and for all of humanity. May my joy be found where only true joy can: in you. By your grace and mercy…may it be so.

]]> http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-5-humility-and-ego.html/feed 0 http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lent-5-humility-and-ego.html Lenten Reflection – 1st Sunday http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/faithandcoffee/kcRm/~3/urcPlBD9Nkk/lenten-reflection-1st-sunday.html http://www.faithandcoffee.com/2013/02/lenten-reflection-1st-sunday.html#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:00:39 +0000 ericledermann http://www.faithandcoffee.com/?p=539 1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise [...]]]>

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
~Psalm 150 (NRSV)

The season of Lent includes 40 days starting with Ash Wednesday through the Saturday before Easter, not including Sundays. On Sundays we sabbath from our Lenten practices in order to worship God, celebrate Jesus, and give thanks for the resurrection. All of this is in preparation for our Easter celebration, giving hope to those who suffer. And so today we celebrate. Today we break our fasts, remembering God’s goodness, the Lord’s provision, the constant presence of the Holy One of Israel.

But it is still Lent. So, we must ask ourselves some difficult questions even in the midst of our worship—especially in the midst of our worship. I honor God with my lips as I sing praises and offer prayers, but do the words I use in worship match my behavior and my life choices? Have hurt, intentionally or unintentionally? Do I need to seek reconciliation, knowing it will take time? Am I willing to invest the time, not to win God’s graces but because that is the kind of relationship God seeks for me and through me? As I enter the sanctuary this morning, and as I gather with my community of faith to share in breaking our fasts together, is my heart in tune with God? If not, is there something I need to do? Is there something that has been gnawing at my heart for a long time but that I have tried hard to avoid or ignore? What must I do, Lord? What must I do to be free of these chains of deceit and truly praise you honestly?

Lord, make my praises to you true. Continue to transform me by your love, helping me become the person you want me to be for the good of this world. Help me seek the things your heart seeks, to see the things you see as possible, to envision your hope for humanity and all creation. Guide me in my fast this week as I seek to be faithful to you for the benefit of my community the world over. Blessed be the name of Jesus and may I strive to follow in his Way, the Way you revealed through him. Amen.

Today, we rest. Tomorrow we work for the reconciliation of the world. Thanks be to God.

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