Blessing

May peace rain down from heaven
like little pieces of the sky
little keepers of the Promise
on these souls the drought has dried
In his blood and in his body
in this bread and in this wine
Peace to you
Peace of Christ to you.
- Rich Mullins

A few years ago, my friend Amy took several of us out for dinner. To celebrate her birthday, we drove all the way from Worcester to Providence to dine at The Cheesecake Factory. Once we sat down and ordered, she announced to us that she would be the one to foot the bill. We objected - it was her birthday after all - but she insisted. She explained that, while working in Thailand, she was introduced to the tradition of hosting and serving friends on one's birthday rather than being served. Despite the fact that, as college minister/missionaries, we all brought in meager earnings, we finally ceased our objections and later watched as Amy happily relinquished a chunk of her income for the large meal. Maybe I shouldn't have ordered that Dulche de Leche slice on top of my Crusted Chicken Romano...

Today on my birthday, I think of this and I realize that my friends make up a diaspora, scattered from Austin, San Marcos, Waco, Dallas, Boston, and beyond, and as much as it will save me some money, I am saddened I cannot offer such a gesture of blessing and thankfulness to those I love, those I have missed and am missing as I live here in Houston. Perhaps I am the one scattered.

So, above is a blessing written by Rich Mullins. I trust in ex opera operandi as I, a sinful not-so-young-anymore man, bestow this blessing upon all of you, my friends. May the words of this blessing find their way into the core of all your lives, changing you from the inside out, granting you peace, patience, and infusing your minds and hearts with unending grace and love. It's the best thing I can give. It's no free Crusted Chicken Romano, but may this blessing find all of you -

Stevie, Shane, Jenny, Kyle, Jason Z., Carl, Jill, Nathan, Austin, Sara, Lois, Kevin, Lauren, Sabrina, Lisa S., Josh, Chad, Chris M., Natalie, Kristen R., Ryan R., Meagan, Lisa W., Grayson, Drew, Matt, Maggie, John Y., Dave, Emily, Katie, Baxter, Janalee, Myles, Amy B., Jason H., Martha Kate, Cliff, Ken, Dr. Gloer, Burt, Bro. Terry, Paul, Taylor, Abe, Stephen, Jeff, Kelly, Amy G., Aaron, John R., Anna, Mark, Geoff, Stacey, Ryan S., Stephanie, Bonnie, Shirley, Jimmy, Kristen K., Seth, Charles, Katherine, Phil, Hazel, Martus, Jeanie, Amy S., Christopher, Gloria, Janice, my wonderful Leigh, and my mom and dad (and everyone else I forgot)-

and may it be my way of honoring you.

Wow, there's no way I could have footed that bill.

Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum

Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A newborn king to see, pa rum pum pum pum
You work so busily, pa rum pum pum pum
To-Do Lists aren't for kings, pa rum pum pum pum
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

How to honor him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When I come?

Little baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I've work so hard for you, pa rum pum pum pum
I've forgot my gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
Church work makes me so busy, pa rum pum pum pum
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Shall I throw out my lists, pa rum pum pum pum
'Till there're none...

Advent begins this week, Sunday marking the first new Sunday of the Christian year, and I am captured in dozens of little lists. I've got youth activities planned, volunteer meetings scheduled, mail-outs to make, and a dramatic Hanging of the Green service which looms over this week (I've still got to learn my lines! ... I've got to check if that girl can play Angel 1! ... Will everyone be able to make it to our one rehearsal?! ... Will everyone know their lines?!).

During this season of the year, stress can consume us before we even have a chance to remind ourselves (or be reminded) of the focus of season. Christ is coming! Christ is born! We begin the year again anew, and the mystery of the Incarnation is what must captivate us, not the hectic schedules and flurry of programs and events. But how do I practice such reflection while I sit here at my desk, surrounded by an army of to-do lists and little reminder Post-Its, besieged by calendars and staff meeting notes?

I suppose blogging is a bit of a release, and in these brief moments of typing I am able to reflect on this power struggle of the mind and heart. On one side, the requirements of a community plunging into the busiest time of year for services and events. On the other side, a tiny, shivering baby lain in a feeding trough in the darkness of a cramped barn.

Which will prevail? I sit at my desk, wondering and waiting with baited breath.

It Takes All Kinds

Thank you all for responding to the questions I posed in the previous entry. Please keep commenting if you would like, either on this entry or the one underneath. Every once in a while on this blog, I veer into an area of introspection or analysis that might run some people the wrong way, but I feel it's important to the greater theme of this, the search and continual discovery of the stuff of wonder, that we all take time to consider those things that detract from true faith or make an outright mockery of it.

To that end, before I give my (certainly misguided) two cents regarding the subject of the last post, I wanted to share something that initially seems funny but in reality is quite offensive and tragic, at least in my opinion. Yesterday I was driving down (or up, depending on where you are on it) San Felipe with Leigh on our way to an evening church activity when my eyes wandered to the right to read the latest marquee message of another church that I pass at least twice a day. In the past, this church has posted cutesy, mostly shallow messages, such as "What's missing from this ch ch?" However, on this week, the church sprinted past cutesy to downright offense. The latest marquee read:

Try Jesus. If you don't like him, the devil will always take you back.

My mouth fell agape immediately. In one simple statement, this church was purporting, to hundreds who would pass, a galling statement that is both poor theology and a perpetuation of an "us vs. them" mindset. I felt like calling the church and asking if they would tell all the insulted people that might call in to come to my church instead, where it seems we are slightly more careful in how we refer to those who have not professed a relationship with Christ.

I suspect that an us vs. them mindset pervades a majority of our thinking in churches today. This is not surprising, because, on the surface, Scripture itself often seems to read this way, whereas a deeper, more patient reading of Scripture gives us a more compassionate and gracious understanding of those "outside of Christ." I do not claim to always succeed in the latter kind of reading. However, I do think such a mindset affects many church decisions, from evangelistic strategies, to membership requirements, to church discipline.

I do not think this girl (introduced in the previous entry) is outside of Christ. Some may look at her lifestyle and suspect a Christian would not live the way she has, but then again, such an ideal Christian certainly wouldn't live the way I have either. The truth is, we all stand in need of great grace. And this is the one kink in my understanding that keeps me from agreeing whole-heartedly with those of you who commented in affirmation on the process of discipline described in the previous entry. I'm with Grayson in this respect. Where, then, is grace? It seems expulsion upholds a limited love, and though there is much Scripture that lays out somewhat specific disciplinary rules, I have trouble reconciling expulsion with being the body of Christ, which simply means to love as the Savior loves, unconditionally, unceasing...

If such a thing were to take place in my own church, I suspect I would find myself between a rock and a hard place, and therefore would have to make a decision, because, sadly, the above paragraph seems to be no real decision at all. But expulsion? I like Chris' and Natalie's comments (on this blog's Xanga doppelganger) regarding why this girl and her new husband should not be allowed to continue to attend regular worship and weekly bible studies, as long as they are no longer counted on to teach. We wouldn't keep out others with acute problems with sin, so why them? Is not separation of leadership enough?

I suppose bad company corrupts good character, but if there is any community that should remain unafraid of this, I think it should be the Church, of which Jesus once said, "the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)