The back up to the back up

At the 2014 Central Texas Annual Conference, there were 22 people elected to serve as the "delegation" to difference conferences in the United Methodist Church. In the image below, the first eight people you see are those who are going to go to the General and Jurisdictional conferences. The next eight people you see are those who will join the previously mentioned eight people only for Jurisdictional conference. The last three people you see are those who were elected as alternates in the event they are need to fill a spot.  

It may be worth noting that the order of these elections matter and create a bit of a hierarchy. So if you are the first alternate, then you would of course be called to serve. If you are the second alternate, then two people would have to be unable to complete their duties in order for the second delegate to have full voting rights. And if there is ever a need for the third delegate to be called on to fill a role, then you would have to wonder, "oh man, this group is in trouble." There is a reason that so few football teams sign a backup to the backup-quarterback. When you have to use the third string quarterback that usually is not the best sign. 

If you can read quickly enough, you can see that I am the "third quarterback". 

This is a very humbling and exciting position and I could not be more aware of the task that lays before the Church. I am keenly grateful to the conference that they would entrust me to represent the conference on any level, even as the "third quarterback". (I would be lying if I said I was not excited by this opportunity and say that I don't pray about messing this up.)

The thing about being the last alternate is that my chances of being a full delegate are slim and this opens the door for me to be as much of a sponge as I can. I sort of feel like a kid who is putting on their parent's shoes and trying to walk in the house without falling over. You know the shoes are not yours and you cannot fill them, but you only hope that one day you will grow into them.

I am sure there will be future posts that speak about this role and some observations, so if this sort of stuff does not interest you, feel free to just overlook them and more on trying to be the change in the world.

In the meantime, here are a few observations from the back up to the back up:

• The back up to the back up is the best position to learn if you are new. It constantly feels like you are in dress rehearsal. And even as everyone knows this, the others still value your thoughts. In what ways am I listening to the voices of those in my life that are the backups to the backups? 
• As the back up to the back up it is a position of access. Can you imagine being in a two year process with people that you respect and can listen and learn from them? Can you imagine being given access to other resources and conversations that you would otherwise not be given? This is where I find myself as the back up to the back up. I begin to wonder how can I use this access gracefully and humbly? 

Finally, as I sat with the delegation in just a quick meeting, I could only think about how I desire to be like Father Agathon of who it was said lived for three years with a stone in his mouth, until he had learned to keep silence. I doubt that I can learn in two years what it took Father Agathon three, but I am going to try. 

Now if only I could find a stone.

This page is from a book on Christian monastics, Desert Wisdom, Sayings from the Desert Fathers

Worship as fishing school?

She said to me, "give them fish and they will eat for the day, teach them to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. This is why I am against government handouts." I politely began to listen more about what sort of ministry she felt would be good for our church to engage with the poor without just giving "handouts".

It is a difficult problem to be sure. Teaching people to fish takes longer and in many ways also strips the people who are giving fish away a sense of power and/or purpose. It also is easier in many ways to give fish away than to get bait, rods and find a good spot for fish. Oh, and the person who needs to learn to fish, needs to want to learn to fish. If there is no desire to want to learn to fish, then it is difficult to teach fishing much less cooking.

There is something to be said about teaching people to fish. And many people seem to agree that learning to fish is better than depending on others for fish. 

Except when it comes to Christianity, worship and preaching.

How many of us come to worship to "get fed"? This is fine and well and good. We all need to be fed at some point in our lives. I understand I may be talking my way out of a job as one who gives fish away, but at some point don't we need to teach those in the pew how to fish? Isn't it "better" for the people to learn to fish then rely on Sunday "handouts"? 

He said: Why not become fire?

A story from the desert fathers: Abba Lot came to Abba Joseph and said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and, according as I am able, I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not become fire?

It has been said by preacher types that preaching needs to be more "practical" and action oriented. Preachers are supposed to give people something to do when they leave the place of worship so they can put their "faith in action".

The intent behind this advice is well intended, we want to give people something to do in order to keep from people a people focused on personal holiness to the detriment of social holiness. However, there are a couple of unintended consequences that may come with giving people something to "do". 

First, it implies that the "doing" is the "real point" of the sermon. Put another way, it implies that "doing" is more important than "being". It is like when people tell a story and you check out while listening only to check back in when they tell you the moral of the story. It is the moral of the story that really matters, because it tells us what to do.

Secondly, and more of my concern, is that it diminishes the imagination of the gathered community. If the preacher is the one that comes up with the things to do that put your faith in action, then there is little reason for you to imagine what you could do to put your faith in action. It lessens the chance that someone in the community will come up with something new because they are focused on doing what the preacher said to do. Trust me when I say, preachers are not always the most imaginative people.

Preachers can teach you how to do your little fast, prayer, meditation and other "action" items, but worship may be one of the few places where we are "set on fire". The inspiration of the Spirit is what sets us on fire. People come to worship and are trying to do all that we can to grow closer to God, and perhaps what we need is less "here is what you can do" sermons and more "here is how you become fire" sermons. 

Pentecost, (The UMC splitting?) and the Holy Spirit

Pentecost Sunday, June 8th, was a time when Christians celebrate the birth of the Church by the receiving of the Holy Spirit. In many churches around the globe, the story was read about how the Holy Spirit came and rested like tongues of fire on those in the upper room. While reading this story and as a liturgical act, there may have been different people speaking different langues during worship. I have been in worship settings where French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, English, and Russian were spoken while the story was read or even during the saying of the Lord's Prayer. 

The church that I serve we decided to have a sermon that attempted to embody this "multi-language" expression of the Spirit by having two voices to deliver the sermon (beginning at minute mark 5:30 you might think you are hearing a little commentary on the UMC's conversation about splitting and I can neither confirm nor deny this to be the case.). 

I share this sermon as a way to submit some thoughts with anyone who might wonder more about the Holy Spirit. What it is, what it looks like, and why do you think there are so many images of the Holy Spirit? Why is the Holy Spirit spoken about like fire, water, dove/pigeon, wind, comforter and wild goose.