Who would you invite?

My family knows I will ask this question every year. I don't know when it started but long long ago I began asking anyone and everyone at our Thanksgiving dinner who they would have enjoyed having with us at the dinner. The person can be living or not... Over the years we have gotten some lively responses. And often we would have invited similar folks. Who would you invite? What three persons would you invite? I'll let you know my thoughts soon...

Hannah's Song

Today is Hannah's birthday. Many of you know she is my granddaughter and today marks her first birthday. What a year it has been. What joy she brings. How ironic that the old testament lectionary text for this week is what we call, "Hannah's Song." You may want to read 1 Samuel starting from the beginning. This particular text is chapter 2: 1-10.
Hannah was depressed and felt humiliated because she remained childless.
We could spend much time discussing that issue...the expectaions our culture still has for women to have children...by a certain age. And the many inappropriate comments made. But that's not where I am going.
Back to the song. Hannah has given birth to a son.
And her first response is to give thanks to God for what seemed impossible and was certainly unexpected. So, she sang in celebration.
When were you so delighted so happy with your good fortune,or the turn of events in your life that you "sang?"
Whenever I am with Hannah Marie my heart sings. Actually, just thinking about her brings a smile to my wrinkled face. Happy Day...happy, happy, joy, joy.

Forgiveness as Restoration

Yesterday our classes, "Forgiveness: Letting Go" had wonderful discussions about the difficulty of forgiving. The authors of the study suggest helpful steps to moving through forgiveness in a way patterned after Christ. They name the reality that it is an awkward dance.
Briefly here are the six steps...a process, a dance.
1 ...willingness to speak truthfully and patiently about the cause of the conflict.
2 ...acknowledge both the existence of anger and bitterness
and the desire to overcome them.
3 ...summon up concern for the other as a child of God.
4 ...recognize our role in the conflict and remember we have been forgiven
in the past.
5 ...make a commitment to sturggle to change the conditions that perpetuate
our conflicts.
6 ...confess our yearning for the possibility of reconciliation.

All of this is from a study I would highly recommend, "Forgiveness: Letting Go." Abingdon Press is the publisher. The authors are Susan Pendleton Jones and L. Gregory Jones.

I would welcome your comments and questions. Most of us named the hard work this requires...especially to view the other as a child of God...
And, we are able to name that doing so makes all the difference.

Communities of Forgiveness

Forgiveness as a personal issue is tough. Moving that on to something bigger is even more difficult. How do we become communities of forgiveness?
I cannot help but remember the Amish Community after the mass murder...
They were and are forgiving. They pulled together and literally rebuilt their lives and the sight of the horror. They went to the home of the shooter and offered the family love and food and most importantly...forgiveness.
One of the most helpful metaphors for forgiveness I have found was written by Tom Wright in his book, "Matthew for Everyone." Wright states, "Forgiveness is like the air in your lungs. There is only room for you to inhale the next lungful when you've just breathed out the previous one. If you insist on withholding it, refusing to give someone else the kiss of life they may desperately need, you won't be able to take any more in yourself and you will suffocate very quickly."
I wonder...are we as faith communities so desperately holding on to our forgiveness that we are suffocating. When will we let go and gasp for the life waiting for us?

Forgiveness: Starting Fresh

This week marks the beginning of a four week sermon series titled, "Forgiveness." Small group studies will meet both on Tuesday mornings and Tuesday evenings to parallell the sermons. Call the church office 785-242-1428 if you have not yet signed up so we can be sure to save you a book.
I suppose for much of our lives we know about forgiveness. As little people we are taught to say, "Sorry," whenever we do or say things we should not. The familiar scripture lesson of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32) is one with which we can readily identify. We all make poor choices and often return to those we betrayed, or disappointed hoping for their love and forgiveness.
This week I want to focus more on the forgiving father, rather than the repentent son. What can we learn from the actions of the father? His kid messed up and was rude and self-absorbed, and flat out stupid...and yet. What if each of us focused on responding more like the father did...with forgiveness and celebration rather than trying to even the score, or judge, or put conditions on the restoration?
Forgiveness is not easy...it is the work of a lifetime. We do have a powerful model of forgiveness in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
When have you struggled with forgiving?

Letting Go

I don't remember when I first received this image but it has been very helpful to me over the years....
It is likely not new to you. Here it is:
Clenched fists cannot receive. Angry clenched fists cannot and do not reach out to help others or to receive blessings from God or others.
On this day may we all open our fists to receive. May we reach out with open hands and minds to transform others...never intending harm.
Mark 8:27-35 reminds us of who we as followers of Jesus are to be.
We cannot take up a cross, literally or metaphorically, if our fists are clenched.
We cannot effectively resond to God's call and claim on our lives and do the work that needs to be done with clenched fists.
Each of us needs to remember that we all need each other and much more will be accomplished for God's good if no one...even those withwhom we do not agree...is discounted or marginalized.
Who knew letting go would be such hard work?
Who knew giving up control would create such anxiety?
I am comforted knowing how the disciples struggled with this very issue.

Favoritism and Faith

The James text this week is once again a challenge to love one another. We are not to honor some more than others. I wonder...how many of us have experienced discrimination? How often have we felt discounted or shut out because of our race, age, gender, sexuality, social status or other defining characteristics?
As Christians we are suppose to be different...not judge...not close doors.
I pray for a more welcoming spirit.
How have you lived through times of harsh judgment?