Too Much Happy Jesus?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

Could it be that we’ve gotten Palm Sunday all wrong?  Not the day itself as a commemoration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, but rather the mood of that remembrance.

The Gospels describe quite a cinematic scene: Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey colt, the way it had been prophesied that the Messianic King would enter the city;  the bursting-at-the-seams crowd in Jerusalem for the Passover lining the streets and shouting out “Hosanna!(save us!);” all that palm-waving and laying down of coats as Jesus and His disciples passed by;  and finally the Jesus’ stare-down with the religious leaders at the temple, those leaders telling Jesus to quiet down his followers, Jesus responding that if they were quiet even the rocks would cry out.

Palm Sunday is an epic spectacle, with its colorful parade, hyped up crowds, and confrontation with power.  Is it any wonder that churches (including mine) mark Palm Sunday with celebration and pageantry?  We hand out palm branches to everyone.  Children process happily around the congregation waving their greenery while we sing festive songs.  The church resounds with shouts of “hosanna!.”   (Or maybe something else . . . when I asked a group of children yesterday what the crowd was yelling on Palm Sunday, one young man responded, “Johanna!” Maybe he’s a “Sweeney Todd” fan.)

Of course the center of Palm Sunday is Jesus, and it’s easy to imagine him like a Super-bowl winning quarterback in the midst of a ticker-tape parade, waving at the adoring masses as he rides in his convertible (donkey) down Jerusalem’s equivalent of Fifth Avenue.  We can even picture him high-fiving the occasional fan (giving a whole new meaning to “palm” Sunday) as he grins for the cameras and says, “I’m going to Disney World.”

But Jesus wasn’t going to Disney World.  He was on the way to the cross.

And he knew it.

A few years back I played Jesus in our church’s Passion Play (and I still have the wig to prove it.  I may post more about that later this week.)  It was disconcerting to soak up the cheers of the crowd in the first, Palm Sunday scene, and then just minutes later listen to those same folks yelling, “Crucify Him!” at ME in the Pilate scene.

What must it have been like for Jesus who was on the way to his death for REAL?  The only hint of Jesus’ emotions on that first Palm Sunday in the Gospel accounts is not that he was triumphant or exultant or jubilant or proud.  No – Luke tells us that Jesus looked over Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and . . . wept.

Why?  Because those folks waving the palm branches and laying down their coats and yelling “Save us” missed the point.  They were looking to be saved  from Roman occupation.  They were looking for a conquering king.

What they got was a suffering savior.

From what do we want Jesus to save us?  What are we looking for him to conquer in our lives?  Are we, like the crowds in Jerusalem, aiming too low, looking for happiness and health and prosperity right now, without considering the implication in our lives of a suffering savior who calls on us to carry our crosses if we desire to follow him?

Truthfully, I don’t think I’ll be changing Palm Sunday worship too much.  I too love a parade, and there is comfort and assurance in traditions.  I’m glad  we now end Palm Sunday worship with the reading of the Passion narrative.  It might help us, as we’re waving our palm branches in our churches and yelling “hosanna,” to consider not just what Jesus died to save us from (sin, death, etc.) but what he died to save us FOR.Too

Certainly for freedom, but not selfish freedom to do what we want.  Jesus died so that we could be free to serve him, to serve each other, to love as he loved us . . . all the way to the cross.

Hosanna!  Save me . . . from myself.

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Worship | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Are We All Atheists?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

In reply to Monday’s “How to Chase Away an Atheist” post, Benjamin Robb wrote:

I am wondering what you think of author Richard Dawkins’ observation: “We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”

Richard Dawkins is a formidable apologist for atheism.  His statement here sounds quite reasonable . . . but is it accurate when applied to Christianity?  Are Christians “atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in?”

No.  An atheist is someone who categorically denies the existence of a deity. Most other religions are based upon belief in one or more supreme beings.  Christianity has specific things to say about God, but finds commonality in asserting the existence of a supreme being.  More broadly Christians and other religions posit a spiritual reality in addition to (or along with) what is physical.

Let me quote from my well-worn copy of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis:

I have been asked to tell you what Christians believe, and I am going to begin by telling you one thing that Christians do not need to believe.  If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that other religions are simply wrong all through.  If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake.  If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all these religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth.  When I was an atheist I had to try to persuade myself that most of the human race have always been wrong about the question that mattered to them most; when I became a Christian I was able to take a more liberal view.  (Book II, Chapter 1)

Christians need not be “atheists” about  other belief systems.  I would disagree with much of what Islam teaches, but certainly can agree with Muslims about the monotheistic reality of the God of Abraham and Moses who created everything that exists.  That is not an atheistic response to Islam, but rather disagreement about the nature of God, whom we agree exists.  Even a pantheist or “pagan” and I could affirm together a spiritual reality which transcends the material.

When I was in India a few years ago, I was still an unChristian.  I had the chance to explore  Hinduism during the month I spent there.  A devout Hindu told me, “We do not believe in many different gods, but in many manifestations of the one god.  Similar to Christians who believe in One God but in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as manifestations of that God.”

Certainly there are critical differences between the nature of Hindu “manifestations” and the Christian Trinity, but there is an element – Lewis would call it a “hint” – of what Christians would identify as the truth.  There are these hints in most religions of the world, especially in ancient systems of belief.

Later in the same chapter, Lewis writes:

The first big division of humanity is into the majority, who believe in some kind of God or gods, and the minority who do not.  On this point, Christianity lines up with the majority – lines up with ancient Greeks and Romans, modern savages, Stoics, Platonists, Hindus, Mohammedans, etc., against the modern Western European materialism.

Lewis answers (or pre-answers) Dawkins quite well.  Lewis, and I, would disagree with Dawkins that “we are all atheists about most of the gods societies have ever believed in.” Not when you include Christians in the “all.”

Please note that I did not address the truth or falsity of Christianity or of other religions in this post.  I intentionally narrowed my focus to respond to Dawkins’ statement as it applies to Christians.

Thanks Benjamin for the query.  I invite all readers to join the conversation.

Posted in Atheism, Christianity | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

How NOT To Chase Away an Atheist

Posted on March 28, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

In Monday’s post, “How To Chase Away an Atheist,” I listed “Ten Ways To Repel Non-Christians.”  It was by far the biggest day the blog’s had so far.  Which is great; maybe Christians will be less repellent when dealing with unChristians.  Apparently some atheist/agnostic folks read it, too.  Which is also great, because I hope this blog can be a dialogue involving all sorts of viewpoints.

But The Blog’s Big Day created some pressure – I got asked when (not if) I was going to post a companion list, the yin to the first list’s yang.  So here it is . . .  but keep in mind that I am speaking from my personal experience when I wasn’t a Christian; your mileage may vary:

10 1 WAYS NOT TO REPEL NON-CHRISTIANS

1. Relationship

In the sage words of Tony Kornheiser, “That’s it!  That’s the list.”

Christians, we’re not recruiting people up for Amway.  I remember when I was growing up my parents had some good friends who joined or pledged or whatever you do to hook up with the multi-level marketing giant that is Amway.  Every time they saw my parents, those people were pressuring them to start selling soap and vitamins and whatever else Amway distributes.  After a while, we didn’t see too much of that couple.  My parents never said anything (they were too politely southern to let anything negative surface overtly), but I’m pretty sure they got tired of the constant arm-twisting.

If non-Christian folks think we only see them as marks for our Jesus Salesmanship Techniques, then they aren’t going to hang with us very long.

Certainly not long enough to find out what this Christianity-thing is all about.

Relax!  Get to know folks, regardless of their religion, or lack of it.  Everyone has experiences we can learn from, strengths we can emulate, opinions that can add to our understanding of the world whether we come to accept them or reject them (important – the antecedent for “them” is the opinions, not the people).

Relax!  We don’t, we won’t, we haven’t, we can’t convert anyone.  We don’t “bring people to Christ.”  That’s the Holy Spirit’s job.  To think if we just press hard enough or say the right thing or push the right buttons then someone will “come to Christ” isn’t just ineffective, it’s bad theology (see I Corinthians 3:6-7).

Relax!  Trust the Truth enough to believe that it is powerful enough to “work” without our shoving it down folks’ souls.  

Sure, we lay what we believe out there, mostly by the way we live, especially by the way we treat other folks.  But we don’t have to sell it.  What we’re hopefully about is dialogue. We listen as much as we talk.  Not as a technique, but because we’re called to love folks.

There were plenty of Christians who locked me in the vise of the hard-sell during my time away from the church.  But there were others who I remember as seed-planters (to use Paul’s analogy in the I Corinthians verses).  I knew where they stood spiritually, and they knew – and cared – where I was coming from.  My relationships with them opened up dialogue, and even though it was in most cases years later before I realized I was a Christian, I can look back and could see how God used those seed-sowers.

Listen to the wise words of my college friend Michael Rich.  Mike was studying to be a pastor, but he wasn’t afraid to have a good time .  . . even with an unChristian.  Mike and I were part of a group who published an underground newspaper ( I’ll blog about that sometime) and it was also with him I had a disastrous experience trying to do comedy at a bar’s open mike night (I won’t be blogging about that – it’s still too painful).  Anyway, this what Mike posted in a discussion on Facebook after Monday’s blog entry:

I have always been one to break stereotypes…I think that many church folks think that faith should come instantly to everybody–say a prayer, get it done. What I’ve discovered is that many folks need someone to walk alongside them for years, offering companionship and an authentic life.*

1. Relationship.

I ultimately ended up in church through a potential relationship I wanted to have – Karen told me that to date her I had to go to church with her.  But she never nagged me about faith; she realized that wasn’t up to her.  She trusted the Holy Spirit.  The people who really walked with me, planting seeds both before and after I set foot in a church were crucial to my eventual realization of faith.

Now I know there are atheists/agnostics and other unChristians reading this who will say, “It won’t work with me.”  But you see, that’s the cool part.  It’s not about what “works.”  It’s about relationship – about getting to know folks, learning from them, enjoying their company, even loving them.  Finding out who they are and sharing who we are.  Kind of like what Jesus did.

I’ll have more to say about this on Friday, but that’s enough for now.

* Hopefully it’s okay with Michael that I quoted him.  Here’s a link to his excellent blog: In-formatio. 

Posted in Christian Living, Christianity | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

How To Chase Away an Atheist

Posted on March 26, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

When I was an unChristian (i.e. atheist/agnostic), lots of well-meaning believers turned me right off with their misguided attempts at evangelizing.  Or maybe they really were trying to get rid of me.  Either way, here are .  . .

10 WAYS  TO REPEL NON-CHRISTIANS

1. Say this: “You’re not really an atheist, are you?  I mean, deep down you really believe, right?”  Here’s what that sounded like to me: “So, you’re a liar.”  Awesome way to lead into a conversation about Jesus.  Not.

2. Or say this, “You know you’re going to hell, don’t you?”  Think about this logically – if I didn’t believe in God, I didn’t believe in hell.  In fact, the whole idea of hell was one of the reasons I rejected God in the first place.

3. Tell an atheist they “Have a God-shaped hole.”  I’m a Christian now, and I’m not even sure what that means.  Using Christian bumper-sticker slogans like that one is a great way to repel atheists.

4. Accuse them of rejecting God because they just want to do what they want to do.  This one’s really just an insult.  “You’re a selfish, arrogant libertine.”  It is a great thing to say if you want to denigrate a person and block any hope of a mutually respectful conversation.

5. Debate evolution.  That’s actually just what I wanted when I was away from God.  If I could turn the conversation into an argument about science, then I didn’t have to deal with Jesus.

6. Insist that an atheist prove there is no God.  First, you can’t prove a negative.  Second, if a Christian was trying to get me to their point of view, why was there a burden on me to prove anything?

7. Accuse atheists and agnostics of being hypocritical because they celebrate Christmas.  The equally repellent corollary is “So who do you thank at Thanksgiving?”  They’re national holidays, dude.  Besides, I liked the presents at Christmas, and the turkey at Thanksgiving whether I believed in God or not.

8. Ask, “Why are you so angry at God?”  If there’s no God, then no one to be angry at. It’s the old “When are you going to stop beating your wife” attempted-trap-of-a-question.  If you hit me with a question I couldn’t answer, I wasn’t going to talk to you long.

9.  Hitler.  As in, “You know Hitler/Stalin/Mao was an atheist.”  You didn’t want to get into a debate with me about who has caused more misery, atheists or Christians.  Trust me on this.  It’s another great way to make sure that Jesus never comes up in the conversation.  And, although Godwin’s Law is specifically applicable to online arguments, it works in person too – once you bring up Hitler you’ve lost the argument and the discussion is over.

10. And finally, something that is absolutely positively guaranteed to elicit laughter and stifle meaningful conversation, answer someone who says, “I don’t believe in God” by saying, “Well God believes in you.”  The more sincere, the better.

You’re invited to add your own examples in the reply section.

Posted in Atheism, Christianity | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

“The Hunger Games” at Midnight

Posted on March 23, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

All I asked of “The Hunger Games” was that it keep me awake.  I’ve not read any of the books and probably would have waited for the DVD if my daughter hadn’t so wanted to be among the first to see the film.  I had taken my son to “Avatar” at midnight, after all, so to be a fair parent I found myself sitting in a movie theater in the middle of last night / early this morning.

It kept me awake.

Confession – I have not been a fan of megaselling young adult series made into movies.  I never got into Harry Potter although the rest of my family devoured the books and adored the films. I got through about 15 minutes of the first Twilight movie before I realized I was on neither Team Jacob nor Team Edward, but rather Team Meh.

(Quick digression – isn’t “meh” an absolutely awesome word suitable for so many occasions?)

My reaction to “The Hunger Games” was decidedly not “Meh.”  I am hooked.  I want to find out RIGHT NOW what is going to happen to Katniss and Peeta and Haymitch in the next two installments.  Even in my sleep-deprived lethargy this morning, I got agitated when I found out part two won’t be coming out until November.

November 2013.

So I’ll have to read the books.  Book one is now on my Kindle, ready to go.

What is it about “The Hunger Games” that drew me in?  First, Katniss Everdeen.  As I got to know Katniss in the film, I was elated that my teen daughter was into a series with a strong teen female lead, a character brave enough both to fight and to cry, to assert herself and to sacrifice.   Katniss is played by Jennifer Lawrence; her portrayal is as brave as the character.  That should be no surprise, though, as she embodied those same qualities in her Academy Award nominated performance in “Winter’s Bone” (which you should see if you haven’t, although it’s a gritty and at times difficult to watch R-rated depiction of the crystal meth culture in the rural south).

The older actors are compelling, all seemingly having a grand time.  Woody Harrelson is appropriately jaded as Katniss’ mentor, a past Hunger Games champion.  Stanley Tucci raises smarminess to a new level as Caesar, the overly unctuous (on-camera anyway)  host of the televised spectacle that is The Hunger Games.  And Donald Sutherland exudes a cool malevolence as the President.

The plot (which I will not divulge here) has enough twists and turns to keep even the most sleep-deprived dad conscious at a midnight show.  Sure it’s derivative – The Running Man, The Lottery, and even Romeo and Juliet are all obvious influences – but aren’t all great stories really mashed-up retellings of other great stories?

I do have a fondness for well-made dystopic films.  Children of Men is in my top ten or so, and Brazil is another favorite.  Movies like these that give a nightmare version of a possible future provide warnings about the excesses of our present.  Jennifer Lawrence said the trilogy holds up ” a terrible kind of mirror: this is what our society could be like if we become desensitized to trauma and to each other’s pain.”

That quote actually points to my biggest worry about “The Hunger Games.”  Couldn’t a story about a game in which children kill children feed that same desensitization?  It was here that I was most profoundly surprised.  It is indeed a violent movie (the PG-13 rating should be taken seriously by parents with children younger than 13 or 14).  Lots of under-18’s die.  But never is a death regarded as triumphant or as something to be celebrated.  While the camera does not linger on the moments of death, there are many heart-wrenching shots of children lying lifeless, often with eyes accusingly open.

In its violence, “The Hunger Games” is somehow a condemnation of the glorification of violence.  The books’ editor has been quoted as saying that the author, Suzanne Collins, created “a critique of violence . . . that’s a fine line.”  Indeed it is, and Collins, who wrote the screenplay, and director Gary Ross tread that line brilliantly.

I discussed the violence with my daughter on the way home last evening.  The gift of something like going to a midnight movie are those moments you have with your children at 3am.  She said she understood why I might have been worried, but that it was even more clear in the book that the killing was a bad thing.  She didn’t feel she had received any “mixed messages,” and for that I am grateful.  Perhaps these stories can help her to internalize that there are no meaningless deaths – or lives.

And finally, as a pastor I would be neglectful of my collar if I did not mention the theme of sacrifice that runs through the story.  Katniss’ very presence in the games is the result of her willingness to sacrifice, and other competitors sacrifice opportunities or even themselves even in the midst of their struggle-to-the-death.  As sacrifice is at the very heart of the Christian faith, this film can be the catalyst for both individual reflection and discussion about the nature of living sacrificially.

That, and it’s a ripping roller coaster of a film.

Posted in Arts and Culture, Christian Living, Christianity, Movies | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fear Kills

Posted on March 21, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

What would cause a man packing a handgun to pursue another, younger man armed only with a pack of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea?  And what would be at the root of the confrontation that took place that resulted in the death of the younger man?

Fear.

We don’t know exactly what happened last month in Florida when George Zimmerman shot 17-year old Trayvon Martin.   In the past few days, there has been a national media frenzy, and an outcry for Zimmerman’s prosecution including the fastest growing internet petition in history, now at over 800,000 signatures.

But it seems safe to say that someone does not pack a gun (in violation of the Neighborhood Watch policy) and follow a young man doing nothing but walking without a simmering core of fear.

It is a fear bubbling beneath the surface in all of us.  It is fear of “The Other.”  In George Zimmerman, it is fear that apparently boiled over into deadly action.

George Zimmerman has not spoken so we can’t say for sure what “otherness” in Trayvon Martin scared him; perhaps it was, as many have assumed, that Trayvon was African-American.  But maybe it was just that Trayvon did not “belong” in that gated community, or he was dressed differently (in the rain that day he wore a hoodie pulled up over his head).

Fear kills.

“Perfect love drives out fear” we’re told in I John 4:18.

Could it be that the reverse is true?  Does fear drive out love?

I believe so.  It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to love our neighbors when we’re scared of them.  Fear is at the root of not just violent confrontations like the one that killed Trayvon Martin, but also of more subtle forms of prejudice and segregation.  Whether based on race, class, religion, economics or whatever else we use to classify humanity, fear of “The Other” dams God’s love that is meant to overflow us out into the world.

“Don’t be afraid.”  This is the command given to God’s people over and over in the stories of the Bible.  It’s a command not just for our own good, but for the sake of the world.  God’s people can’t minister to the world – can’t love the world – if fear is allowed dominion.

The unfortunate truth is that we imperfect humans living in this fallen world are fearful creatures.  I acknowledge that I am often afraid.  Being a pastor is scary. The day being entrusted to preach God’s Word does not make me on some level tremble in fear is the day I give up preaching.  The responsibility of being invited into families that are experiencing challenges of life, death, and/or faith scares me.

Even more than being a pastor, parenting is without question the most terrifying thing I have ever done.

And yes, there are times when I am fearful of the “otherness” of people I encounter.  But just like with pastoring or parenting, the key is to surrender that fear to God’s perfect love.  Of course I’m not always successful in that surrender. But learning to surrender fear is part of the journey.

What we need from God is courage.  But courage is not the absence of fear.  As Mufasa explains to Simba in “The Lion King,” courage is doing what is right in spite of being afraid.

If we weren’t scared, we wouldn’t need courage, would we?

So we should most definitely pray for Trayvon’s family.  We should pray for a just legal outcome in the case (while trusting that God knows what that is), and also for George Zimmerman and his family.

But we should also pray for courage, for ourselves and for all people.  Pray for the courage to love in spite of our fearful nature.  Pray for the courage to love “The Other.”

Posted in Bible, Christian Living, Christianity | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

“The Only Friend I Have Left Is Darkness”

Posted on March 19, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

What a difference one number can make!  There’s a big difference between Psalm 88 (from which the title of this post comes) and Psalm 89.

During Lent, we’re having morning prayer at the  church each day at 7am.  This is something new this year, and I wasn’t sure if anyone would show up or if I would be alone each morning.  As a non-morning person, I wasn’t even sure if I would get up and get there on time each day.  But we’ve had 7-10 folks faithfully gather each morning for Scripture and prayer.  It takes only about 20 minutes, but it has been a wonderful way to start each day during this season of turning back to God.

According to the daily lectionary I used to select readings, this morning’s first reading should have been Psalm 89, a beautiful hymn of praise that begins, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever.”  That would have been a positive start to the week.

But I mistyped and we read Psalm 88 instead.  There is nothing positive about Psalm 88.  Here is an excerpt:

For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave . . . I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in  the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.  You have put me in the lowest pit, the darkest depths.  Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.  You have taken me from my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape (verses 3, 5-8 NIV).

And “Good Morning” to you too!

Sounds like lyrics to a song by The Cure, doesn’t it? (Entertainment Weekly once called them “The Godfathers of Gloom.”)

Now, there are lots of Psalms that are laments, crying out to God in times of trouble.  But Psalm 88 is unique in that there is no hint that God hears the lament, no sign of hope that God is going to come through for the lamenter.  It doesn’t get any brighter than the excerpt. If anything, it gets worse.

This is how the Psalm ends in the Message translation:

You made lover and neighbor alike dump me; the only friend I have left is darkness (verse 18).

Wow.

What is Psalm 88 doing in the Bible?  Where’s the love?  Where’s the hope?

Psalm 88 is actually a great example and expression of faith.  Being a Christian is not all happiness and “yay God!”  I’ll speak for myself here, but bad stuff happens in my life just like it did when I was an atheist.  There are times when God feels very far away, very hard to see through the haze of my own weaknesses and limitations, through the sometimes dim realities of life in an imperfect, fallen world.

But I cry to you for hope, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you.  Why, O Lord do you reject me and hide your face from me? (verses 13-14, NIV).

The Psalmist is lamenting what Luther called “The Hidden God” or “God in a Mask.”  But the writer of Psalm 88 never stops crying out to God.  Although he (or she) can’t hear or see God’s response, even if it feels like just shouting at the air, the Psalmist keeps on emptying his/her heart in prayer.

Sometimes it does seem like God has wandered out of cell phone coverage and we can’t get an answer.  (Or God didn’t recharge the holy smartphone.  Pick your strained 21st century metaphor.)  But Psalm 88 reminds us to keep on calling, to stay on our knees not because we’re sure God will answer and give us just what we want, but because the very act of crying out is cathartic.  It’s faith in action.  It’s a gift.

Psalm 88 lets us know that doubt and difficulty are not signs of a lack of faith.  “I’ve been there,” the psalmist assures us.  “It’s part of the journey.”

So maybe Psalm 88 wasn’t a bad way to start the week, after all.

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Prayer | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our . . . Hate (?)

Posted on March 16, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

On Tuesday, our county received an unwelcome visit from members of Westboro Baptist “Church.”  You may know them better as the “God Hates F-gs” church (they are apparently happy with that nickname – it’s the address of their website).  That slogan adorns their protest signs, along with other catchy phrases like, “Thank God for 9/11” and “Pray for More Dead Soldiers.”

They are best known for picketing military funerals of men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country . . . ironically  servicepeople who made that sacrifice while defending rights like freedom of speech, even speech from entities like Westboro Baptist “Church.”

There wasn’t a lot of advance notice about the local protest.  I didn’t find out until Sunday when someone mentioned it to me in church.

The next day I got an e-mail from an area pastor who wanted to join with other clergypeople holding signs demonstrating the love of Christ; I guess in essence saying, “That’s not really what Christians are like.”  Then I got a reply-all to that e-mail from another pastor urging everyone to stay away; his point was that the best way to respond to this “church” in desperate need of attention was to deny any attention.  Kind of like you do with a toddler having a tantrum (my analogy, not his).

Circumstances made the decision for me – I had other commitments that afternoon.  But what would have been the right choice if I had been free?

Apparently only three protesters from Westboro Baptist “Church” showed up outside Glen Burnie High School, the site of the demonstration.  But their appearance caused quite a ruckus and made the six o’clock news and the newspaper.  From their perspective, I guess it was “Mission Accomplished.”  They got their message out about whom God hates, and they got themselves noticed (which seems to be their primary motivation).

There were hundreds of other folks who counter-protested or just showed up to see what was going on.  The big turnout helped  the Westboro Baptist “Church” folks get some airtime.  I’m not sure the media would have turned out if there had  been just the trio of lonely protesters marching up and down the square with their hateful signs.

(Anybody catch the Monty Python reference in that sentence?  If not, check out the video in the link.)

So maybe staying away was the thing to do.

On the other hand, in anecdotal accounts shared with me and in the news reports there is a hopeful phenomenon.  The distaste (dare I say hatred?) of the vitriol spewed by the Westboro Baptist “Church” protesters seems to have united folks who normally wouldn’t have much in common.  That afternoon, liberals and conservatives, evangelicals and Catholics, Ravens fans and Steelers fans (amazing!) all joined together.

I love the quotes from Glen Burnie High School students in an article on the Capital News Service website:

Student Colleen White said the Westboro protest actually brought students closer together, as they discussed tolerance and anti-bullying in the days leading up to the protest.

“It’s really cool to see our school come together and unify together for one common cause,” she said.

That is really cool.  Kind of reminds me of something Joseph is quoted saying in Genesis: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20a, ESV).  So thank you, Westboro Baptist “Church,” for giving God the opportunity to bring folks together against hate.

Oh, and speaking of God, let’s close with these responses from His Word to the claims of Westboro Baptist “Church” that God’s happy with hating on, well, anyone:

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. (I John 2:9, NIV)

But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. (I John 2:11, NIV)

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. (I John 3:15, NIV)

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (I John 4:20, NIV)

Seems pretty clear to me.  But those are just Bible verses, unfortunately not as catchy or as media-baiting as “God Hates” whomever.   Too bad.

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Because I Love Him

Posted on March 14, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

The Adoption Blessing I described in Monday’s post got me thinking about how much I have been blessed by adoption.  Especially since the kid I was blessed to adopt turned 21 this week.

Twenty -one!

He was only three when I met him, and when I married Karen a year later, Philip was part of the package.  When he was ten, I got to adopt him.

At the adoption hearing, the judge put me on the witness stand.  After I was sworn in, His Honor only had one question: “Why do you want to adopt Philip?”

I didn’t know then that the judge had talked with Karen before the hearing.  He had told her that he would ask me that question.  He wanted her to prep me – to tell me the “right” answer.

“Because I love him.”

But Karen told the judge that prepping was unnecessary.  She was sure I would say the right thing, and she wanted me to have the opportunity to say it – and for Philip to hear it – from my heart.

So, as I sat there on the witness stand pondering the judge’s question, there was more riding on my answer than I knew.

I preach – and write in this blog – pretty openly about the times I don’t get things right in my walk with Christ.  I want to be straight about the forgiven sinner that I am , not some put-on paragon of perfection that I am not.

But this was a time when I got it right.

“Because I love him.”

He may be 21, taller than me, and able to easily beat me in store parking lots when we race to the car (even when I cheat and start running before I say, “Let’s see who gets to the car first”), but I still do.

That love is a reflection of the perfect love my “adoptive Father” has for me.  God adopted me in the waters of baptism.  Jesus surrendered everything so that I could be a child of God.

And I know what Jesus would say if someone asked, “Why?”  Because Jesus always gets it right.

Jesus would most certainly answer, “Because I love him.”

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An Adoption Blessing

Posted on March 12, 2012 by pastordavesimpson

(If you’re looking for the actual Adoption Blessing, it’s about halfway down the page.  You are welcome to use or adapt it for your congregation.)

Although I am still surprised to be a pastor, most of the time I am glad that God called me to ordained ministry.  There are times, though, when I  am just in awe of the privilege it is to serve in this way.

Yesterday was one of those occasions.  One of our parishioners has completed the long and bureaucratically arduous road to becoming a mom through adoption.  Several months ago, her 8-year old soon-to-be-son became part of her family.  They have lived together as mother and son, waiting for a judge’s imprimatur of their new relationship.  That finally happened last week.

She asked me if we could do something in church to bless and celebrate the adoption.  What a great idea!  After all, shouldn’t the church do everything it can to support and encourage folks to adopt kids who need homes? And what an opportunity to celebrate and proclaim God’s adoption of all of God’s children in the waters of baptism.

So yesterday at our second service I had the privilege of presiding at the adoption blessing.  We lit the paschal candle and placed the baptismal font front and center, just like we would at a baptism.  We involved the new grandparents as well as the congregation in promising to support this new family.  I caught a glimpse of tears in the eyes of some folks in the pews as we walked through this little rite . . . I felt a lump in my own throat.

It was a great day to be an unexpected pastor!

—

Here’s the blessing we used.  I was very surprised to have difficulty finding an adoption blessing in any of our worship resources or online.  I hope this might help give pastors a start if they have the opportunity to do something like this in their congregations.   The candle ceremony at the end I adapted (adopted?) from something I did find online, at the adoptions.com website.  The rest I did my best to write; as I told folks yesterday the good stuff is from the Holy Spirit, anything else is mine.  (FYI, I’ve changed the names.)

BLESSING OF ADOPTION

In baptism, our gracious God brings us to new life in Jesus Christ, and we become children of God, adopted into God’s very name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Today we join together to celebrate as Kathy gives her family name to Greg and as Greg receives it, to rejoice in God’s plan that has brought them together as a family,  and to ask God’s blessing on their new relationship as mother and son.

In God’s Word, we hear that Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel, Peter became Simon, and Saul became Paul.  They took on new names as God brought them into new lives.  We now pray for Greg and Kathy as Greg takes on a new name.

Let us pray . . . .

God, we thank you for your great love for each of us.  We thank you for that love poured out in baptism, and for that love as it binds us together and is reflected in families.  We pray for Kathy and for Greg in their relationship as mother and son, that you will strengthen and uphold them as they grow in their lives in You.  We pray for our congregation, that you will give us the loving wisdom to support Kathy and Greg in their new lives together.  We hold before you Greg as he takes on a new name.  We pray for your blessing upon his adoption into Kathy’s family, and upon his new name. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN

To Kathy: What will be his name?

Kathy: His name will be Greg Michael Paul Martin

To Greg: What is your name?

Greg: My name is Greg Michael Paul Martin

Kathy and Greg, do you intend to live out your faith, the faith in which you were baptized, faithfully following, forgiving, and loving together in the name of Jesus?  If so, please answer “We will, and we ask God to help and guide us.”

Kathy and Greg: We will, and we ask God to help and guide us.

Martha and John, as Greg’s grandparents will you love, guide, and share the wisdom of your experience with Kathy and Greg, and will you help Kathy to show and teach Greg that he is a child of God, and that God has promised to love Greg and be with him always no matter what?  If so, please answer, “We will, and we ask God to help and guide us.”

Martha and John: We will and we ask God to help and guide us.

Members of the congregation, do you promise to love, pray for, and support Kathy and Greg in their new relationship as mother and son?  If so, please answer, “We will, and we ask God to help and guide us.”

Congregation: We will, and we ask God to help and guide us.

CANDLE CEREMONY

(Introductory remarks by Pastor)

Greg lights the first candle – The first candle is to honor and remember Greg’s birth family.  We give God thanks for that family, and for their gift of life.  We pray for them together.

Greg and Kathy light the second candle – The second candle honors Kathy and Greg as mother and son.  We celebrate and thank God with them as they have become a family through adoption.

Greg lights the third candle – This candle honors Kathy.  We remember the path through which God has brought you to your new life as Greg’s mother.  Together, we encourage, support, and pray for her in the joys . . . and challenges . . . of committed parenting.

Kathy lights the fourth candle – The fourth candle is in honor of those waiting to become parents.  We pray for them as they await their child to come and as they experience the excitement and frustration of the adoption process.

Greg lights the fifth candle – This last candle is in honor of and concern for children awaiting adoption.  We remember those who wait.  We remember those children in foster care.  We remember those children who are in temporary homes, in orphanages, or on the street.  We pray and hope for a permanent loving home for each child.

(Greg and Kathy face the congregation.  Pastor Dave invites the congregation to congratulate, congregation congratulates through applause, and we share the peace.)


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