Sarcastic Lutheran

Good Dirt. Bad Dirt. House's liturgy for the Parable of the Sower

Sunday House's liturgy was based on the lectionary readings of Isaiah 55: 1-13 and Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23.

Here's my sermon:

It’s been a difficult few weeks for us at House talking about this parable.  We almost called this service: Good dirt bad dirt a liturgy based  on a parable we don’t like.  It just seems so…unfair. Like what about that part “when anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches it away”.  Which sounds like its somehow our fault for not understanding. 
 For those of us raised in super duper religious homes, the question of what kind of soil we are still looms in our spiritual imaginations…calling out for us to give the obvious Sunday School answer like Rod and Todd Flanders:  “I’m good soil”.  Even if we don’t understand what “I’m good soil” means or we think we know what it means and we suspect that we might be the rocky kind or at least prone to thorns, we answer “good soil…we’re definitely the good kind” all the while harboring the notion that God seems to judge our soil without having the decency to give us the ability to really decide what kind of soil we’re going to be .  If soil is stuck with what it is: rocky, thorny, good, whatever -- then why can’t God’s word change it into what it should be?  It’s like an unfunded spiritual mandate.    Even if I start to think that maybe God’s word has born fruit in me I’m then being prideful and certainly God’s word can’t do a whole lot in prideful soil.  So even if we are good soil we can’t say that or else by doing so we become the bad soil so when asked “what kind of soil are you?” I really just want to hide under the covers, or maybe convert to a religion a little less crazy, like branch davidianism.  All that is to say, we decided that we don’t like this lousy parable of the soil.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer wrote once that original sin is choosing the knowledge of good and evil over the knowledge of God.  What we want is what the disciples wanted – the knowledge of good and evil.  We want to be judgers of soil for ourselves and others.  Like in the passage that immediately follows this gospel text we want to be able to above all else know for sure what is weed and what is wheat rather than know that God is merciful and just, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  And because of this,  we heard this reading today as the parable of the soil.

Until, that is, we realized that this isn’t actually the parable of the soil at all.  It’s the parable of the Sower.  Shockingly this parable isn’t about me after all.  Here, instead of a standard by which we must judge our worthiness to receive God’s word we are offered a lush image of how God extravagantly, wastefully, wantonly sows the Word of the Kingdom.  Isaiah reminds us that God’s Word does not return empty but fulfills its purpose.  So maybe the fact that the evil one snatches the seed from those who don’t understand it is a good thing considering the role of birds in the whole process of reseeding.  They might snatch up seed but only to replant it somewhere else now perfectly encapsulated in it’s own fertilizer. 
Again and again in the midst of a thorny and rocky and good world, God sows the life-giving Word.  All we do is show up.  We hear the story again and again as it works in us, interprets us,  and despite ourselves even bears fruit and yields a hundred fold not because we’ve managed to make ourselves good soil through piety and being really really good.  No.  That would be the parable of the soil.  God’s Word lavishly scattered around us bears fruit because God’s ways are not our ways and God’s word does what it intends without even the slightest amount of soil management on our part because this is the parable of the Sower.

In my tradition, the Word – God’s Word - is first and foremost the Christ principle – the logos- God’s own self made flesh – Emmanual, God-with-us-and-for-us  - The Word, as one of my favorite theologians says- is the God who would rather die than be in the sin accounting business anymore. This is the Word to whom the scriptures bear witness.  The one who always comes to us again and again.  This God who pursues you beyond time and beyond rock and beyond soil and angst and confusion and pride.  This pursuing God, while we seek only knowledge of good soil and bad soil, in the cross this God proclaims, arms wide to the suffering of this beautiful creation, this is who I am.   Making all things new.  Making all things new.  Extravagantly sowing Christ in with and under all things, even the things we least suspect: rock, thorn, weed – us, them, you, me, good, bad….God’s inverted first shall be last, last shall be first kingdom defies our attempts to domesticate the agency of God’s Word. This is the God spoken of in Isaiah.  A God who establishes an inverted economy of free wine and milk.  A God who is continually redeeming the world and even us. God’s word does not return empty, but comes to earth enfleshed in the Christ dies and returns, scattered and sown for the good of the world endlessly pursuing you even in the midst of all the forces that would defy it. 

------------------------------------------------------

  For the interactive piece, we had set the chairs in a semi circle around a green cloth on which sat an empty, very large bowl in the middle - surrounded on 4 sides by somewhat smaller bowls filled with -1.  "soil" 2. "seed" 3. "thorn" and 4. "rock" Around the whole circle sat cushions.  Following the sermon ambient techno played while people were encouraged to sit and feel each of these things in their hands and reflect on what they represent in their lives, after which they were to toss what was in their hands into the large bowl at the center.  All of the soil, rock, thorn and seed then ended up together in the large center bowl.  This then housed the candles for our the prayers of the people which followed.

Ian Mobsby Tour

Ian Mobsby of the Moot community in London is coming to the states and Canada on a speaking tour.  If he's going to be anywhere close to you, check him out - it'll be well worth it!

Find out locations and dates here.

The House for All Sinners and Saints is hosting a forum on Neo-monasticism with Ian on June 14th at 1:30pm, St Paul's church at 1600 Grant in Downtown Denver.

Our first worship in the new space

This past Sunday House for All Sinners and Saints experienced the first of our monthly worship services.  The space we get to use is absolutely perfect: a hundred year old Lutheran church building minus the pews.  The congregation disbanded over 2 decades ago and for almost as long it has been (and continues to be) the 4 Wind Cultural Survival Project - a Native American community center.  They have allowed us to use the space on Sunday nights.  We are grateful for the relationship that is forming between the two communities but are fully aware that historically when white folks have entered Indian space things haven't gone too well.  Being guests of another cultural group in our own town is not an experience many of us as people of privilege have had and as difficult as it potentially may be for us, we see it as an opportunity to be challenged in some really beautiful and important ways.

The service was curated by the entire core crew (there are 9 of us, with 2 more joining this week).  Jason put together some ambient techno for the 10 minutes before and after the service and during the stations of the resurrection.  We sat in a semi-circle facing the West wall, above the stained glass was projected the words "I am the resurrection and the life".  The service was a traditional Eucharistic liturgy including remembrance of baptism complete with aspersion (sprinkling water from the baptismal font on folks).  The music was simple Taize chant led by a cello, a guitar and an angelic voice (Andie!).  The leader's portion of the liturgy and the gospel reading was shared by 13 different people from where we sat.  Only for the remembrance of baptism (at the font) and the Eucharist liturgy (from the altar) were the leaders standing.  In place of the sermon were the stations of the resurrection; each of the core crew creating a way for folks to experience different resurrection accounts.  Here are a few examples:

* triptych board - on the left the fist half of the John 20 account where Mary Magdalene  doesn't recognize Christ until he speaks her name....middle board ... in large print "Mary" under which are empty quotes for everyone to put their own name which Christ also speaks, on the right the continuation of the passage - in front of which is an icon of Mary Magdalene.

*Another triptych only smaller with rounded tops like an icon.  On the left, the Apostles Creed, with the "I Believe" in larger type.  On the right, the Apostle's Creed, only with "I Don't Believe" in large type beginning each article.  In the middle a question inspired by Thomas - what do we both believe and not believe at the same time?  A paper was provided for people to answer this.

*Recalling the account where Christ meets his friends on the beach - friends who were depressed about having to go back to "normal life", 2 trays of sand with small rocks and shells and a forks to move the sand around offered people a tactile meditation on how Christ calls us both into and out of life as normal which changes the contours of our lives.

37 people attended including 5 children and several people over 50.  A young woman who "hates church" (raised Missouri  Synod) sat and wept.  She told her girlfriend (one of our core crew) that it was beautiful and she'll come back.

I couldn't have been more pleased and the "success" of the service proves that I am not the one making this whole thing happen.

House For All Sinners and Saints

House For All has a facebook group now...join up!

We will start our monthly worship services next week.
Sunday April 13th 4pm at 5th and Bannock (old church on corner)
Eucharist and stations of the resurrection.

Fellowship Denver

Today as I was waiting for one of the House far All members to join me for coffee, I saw a postcard/flier with Jesus wearing gothic wings, a tongue of fire on his head.  His arms opened to 3 gothic looking skulls  below a script saying "Any Questions"  It looked really stinkin cool, so I picked it up.  It was advertising a conversation group called "discussion" about issues of spirituality and God. The values behind it are listed as Inclusivity, Honesty, Respectful Conversation and Pursuit of Truth.   Sounds cool, so I look up the church sponsoring it  Fellowship Denver I wanted to know more!

I couldn't find it on their page directly but linking to their sponsoring group, Acts 29 network, I discover that they are part of the whole Mark Driscol Mars Hill thing.  Acts 29 church plants are guided (among other things) by the following principle (this is from their website):

We are not egalitarians and do believe that men should head their homes and male elders should lead their churches with masculine love like Jesus Christ.

O.K. then.  Now I know. 

"So, are you ready for Christmas?"

People keep asking me this question: "So, are you ready for Christmas?".  What does this mean exactly?  It could mean

"So, have you exchanged bits of paper and metal and plastic for other bits of paper and metal and plastic and then wrapped the new paper and metal and plastic in colored paper, marked them with the names of your family members and put them under a tree which has been cut down from where it grows  but now stands in your home (or is also comprised of metal and plastic and lives the rest of the year in  a box in a room under which it now stands)? And have you also combined food stuffs so that they have no nutritional value but make those who eat them magically become bigger each day that they are 'getting ready for Christmas'?". 

Or does the question "So, are you ready for Christmas?" mean,

"So, are you fully prepared to receive the one who brings God to humans and humans to God by being both human and God?"

The answer to the first is "No. I haven't had time" the answer to the second is "I'm not sure I really can be"

Am I prepared for the coming of the Christ into the world? no.  Am I ready? Absolutley.
Some things we are never prepared for.  They happen anyway.
Am I ready to start a new worshipping community? yep.  Am I prepared? Not at all.  Oh yeah, I've read all the books and have completed my course work and have spent endless hours in emerging church communities, I have an amazing group of people who are committed to do this thing together etc, but I'm not prepared because I think prepared implies that I am aware of what will happen and know how to deal with it all.  Seriously, I have no idea what will happen, which is as exciting as it is terrifying.

I'm ready for Christmas because after this season of Advent I really need to hear the story of Christ's birth again.  I need to hear about how God enters fully into the muck of our existence and brings new life.  I'm ready for that because I know that I need it.

Am I prepared for Christmas?  No.  There is no way for me to know how God will bring new life into this existence - here in this place, in this life, at this time.  One thing I know is that, like the birth of Christ, it's won't be what I expect or what I think I'm prepared for.

Merry Christmas.

Finally!

There is finally a book about emerging church that is a)about EC in the mainline liturgical traditions and b) written by a woman!
Becky Garrison (senior editor for the Wittenburg Door) has written Rising From the Ashes: Rethinking Church (seabury press) which is a compilation of interviews with the likes of NT Wright, Phyllis Tickle, Pete Rollins (ikon, Belfast), Jonny Baker (Grace, London), Karen Ward (Church of the Apostles, Seattle), Ian Mobsby (Moot, London) and (for some reason) myself.

This is well worth checking out.

Solomon's Porch and emerging church stewardship

I went to worship last night at Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis with my friend Rachael.  Their space was spectacular.  I kept having the opinion that our burgeoning community should never have it's own building... that is until I walked into that one last night.  There was art everywhere, including an enormous goose flying overhead (which I believe in Celtic Christianity is a symbol of the Holy Spirit).  The sanctuary, which is sizable, was filled with sofas and easy chairs in the round.  I am in love.  Being able to sit in a comfy sofa for worship was a big plus for me (especially as it was over 2 hours long!)  Folks were friendly. The music, while not terribly conducive to congregational singing (which I am partial to), was well done and not at all vapid like in so many other churches. 
Their pastor, Doug spoke about the finances of their community.  Apparently they had been relying on a few major givers who "had the gift of giving" while others "had the gift of music, or art, or other stuff"...a system which they are now having to rethink.  This community had decided at its inception that they would plan each year's budget based on the actual giving from the previous year, rather than basing it on pledges as many churches do.   It seems as though that worked for 8 years, each year the giving having increased form the previous year... until now.  Several major givers are no longer part of the community and the church is now in a major financial crunch.  After Doug's talk a member got up to talk about tithing and rather than the "joy of giving" talk of a congregational tither, this guys gets up and basically says, "I'm here to tell you that I'm a lousy tither, seriously, it's really hard for me to give, but I want to get better at it, so let's do it together." I thought it was brilliant.

I left there thinking about the financial reality of the emerging church.  House of Mercy, another Twin Cities emerging church which must be around 10 years old now, is also in a financial crisis.

There are a few issues.  One is that the postmodern urban young adult population is not rolling in money.  But the other is the fact that we in our culture have this pernicious reality of being profoundly affluent while having a mentality of scarcity.   I include myself in this.  So a lot of folks in the emerging church think that putting $5 or $10 dollars a week in the plate is sacrificial.  But we'll buy $100 jeans and $5 coffee and $50 concert tickets.  I wonder if it will be possible in our new community just getting off the ground in Denver if we can establish a DNA of radical stewardship: environmental, physical, financial, spiritual.  It kind of has to be a whole-life thing of joy and defiance in the face of our culture of consumption and selfishness.  Giving away 10% of our family's income is a small step toward realizing that none of it is ours in the first place, so we release a small portion into the world believing that it will help  accomplish something better than if we spent it on ourselves.  We free ourselves form the bondage of that money each month and it can feel like an act of defiance, but it never feels like on obligation.  The question is how can this be shared with a new community?  Any ideas???

Pain and carnival

Wednesday night I got a half dozen friends together to begin having a conversation about the emerging church start here in Denver.  The project won't start officially until I get back from Luther Seminary in St. Paul in December (those denominational hoops must be jumped through), but I wanted to start the conversation now.  What better way to start a postmodern, urban, nu-monastic, Christian community that with dahl and beer?  So with a plate full of curried lentils, overcooked rice and just cooked tortillas, we sat down to what ended up being a really amazing conversation. Here's what I read ( pertaining to a vision of  being church in the city) from Kester Brewin's Signs of Emergence: A Vision For Church that is Organic/ Networked/ Decentralized/ Bottom-up/ Communal/ Flexible/ Always Evolving: "We are the community of the Creator, so we must create.  We are the community that looks forward to the city where divinity and humanity will live side by side, so we must give birth to an emergent, conjunctive, self-renewing, adaptable church that can model this in inclusivity, generosity,creativity and flexibility, welcoming the Other, providing true space for pain, and real time for carnival."  (143)

The idea of providing true space for pain and real time for carnival really sparked some beautiful, rich, thoughtful, hysterical ideas from the group. 

In the end I think that we all agreed that it's possible, needed and timely.

I'm so excited I can hardly sit still.

Dear God,
Make your presence known in this weird little project.  Without your guidance we're sunk.  But with the Holy Spirit in our midst things can be so crazy beautiful and more real that we can imagine.  If our pride and hurt and fear and selfishness and insecurity hinder us, as they will, be a big old carpet thrown over our brokenness over which we can scurry.  That stuff is there, but in You there is a way over.  Thanks for those spaces for pain and those times for carnival in both of which you are to be found.
In Jesus' name,
AMEN

2 am

It can be great being a gal who can get shit done.  Seriously, I can be a force.  It also sucks to be a gal who can get stuff done because then I start to believe my own press so to speak and  forget that whatever I get done is  through the grace of God and that any gifts I may have are given me to glorify God and not myself.  So I'm, "starting an emerging church" this coming January in Denver, which is thrilling and terrifying simultaneously.  Here's the idea for the community:

Basically I envision a community of exiles, agnostics and new-monastics: those who have been burned but are willing to dip their toes back in, those who struggle with belief, and those who are drawn to a whole-life faith.  These are folks who simply are not going to make the cultural commute to the traditional church.  This is a place where the experience of the Holy  takes precedence over intellectual assent to a set of unbelievable propositions - where there is a spiritual reconnoitering of the tradition, mining it for gold (liturgy, the Hours, the mystics, contemplative prayer, Thomas Merton, Bach, Dorothy Day) while being willing to consider that there is much that is tailings (I'll be generous here and refrain from listing these).  This community is deeply rooted in tradition so that it can innovate with integrity.  Radical and loving hospitality is practiced even amidst the damaged, the needy and the thoroughly annoying.  Failure, or more accurately, the inability to do these things perfectly is expected and not hidden.  Scripture is respected so deeply that it is questioned and struggled with, perhaps leaving us limping from the process, but not without us first having demanded a blessing from it. While admitting our complicity in social and environmental injustices, we strive to actively proclaim the Gospel of release to the captives and freedom to the oppressed.  We seek to be followers of the man God Jesus - where we are and as who we are...fully expecting that by dong so the who,the here and now will be transformed.  Despite the death-dealing forces of our time and in our culture, we believe that a light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not, shall not, will not, can not overcome it.

So here's the question, is this something I can do?  Like from sheer force of will? Of course not.  Is this something God can do? yes and I hope like hell that s/he shows up.  So I need to constantly remind myself of this especially on nights like this when I wake up and think "what  if I throw a church and no one shows up?".  It's not about me, I've just been given some of the gifts for being a part of the creation of a new community.  Still, I hope that folks show up.  I'll just feel like a bit of an ass if they don't, but who knows maybe that's "part of God's plan" (I hate that expression, it's as though God has everything mapquested out on some cosmic level or something, and that just seems silly to me not to mention ethically dubious on the part of God), yeah, yeah I know...God's ways are not our ways and all that...let go and let God...yada yada yada.