Entertaining Angels

Hebrews 13:1-3

August 29, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

It happened one day as our Nursing Home Light Team was leading worship at Rosewood Nursing Home in Joliet. Jane Kiedaisch was playing the piano and Nancee Pennington and Darlene Frink were helping the residents find the correct pages in the songbooks and then sing the hymns we had chosen for the day. One resident was sitting in her wheelchair directly in front of me. The songbook was lying open on the table to her side, even though she was no longer able to read the words. In fact, due to her advanced mental decline, this particular resident was no longer able to communicate in any meaningful way. But the song we were singing, I believe it was What a Friend We Have in Jesus, was evidently one she knew deep in the recesses of her soul, because I noticed that she seemed to be singing. But more than that I noticed her eyes; she was looking at me -staring really- with a clarity and depth that drew me in. I simply could not look away. It was a holy moment as I felt the brush of angels' wings and saw the glory and light of Divine Love radiating from her face.

As the once popular Alabama song says so profoundly:

I believe there are angels among us

Sent down to us from somewhere up above

They come to you and me in our darkest hours

To show us how to live

To teach us how to give

To guide us with a light of love

I have always loved the portion of the Epistle to the Hebrews that Pat read for us today.  I think it is because the concept of entertaining angels without knowing it and encountering the holy in the ordinary, especially when we show hospitality to strangers and reach out to others in loving caring ways, is a powerful and mysterious gift of God's love and grace. These could be literal angels; I do believe they are among us. They could also be folks just like you and me whose presence opens the veil and communicates a message from the heart of God. 

When I was serving the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Chicago Heights, I was blessed to serve once a month as one of the volunteers in the PADS program. Each Monday, from mid-October to mid-April, we opened our Fellowship Hall to approximately 60 homeless men, women and children. The doors opened at 7pm, mattresses and bedding were assigned and dinner was served at about 7:30pm. The guests then played cards or watched TV until it was time to bed down for the night. After an early breakfast everyone left with a sack lunch for the day and the building was cleared by 7am.

At our November Planning Council meeting someone mentioned that Christmas Eve fell on a Monday that year. They went on to tell me that members of the Jewish Synagogue came in to staff the shelter that night so that all the Christian volunteers could attend worship. They also told me that the guests would be allowed to stay all day on Christmas Day; that gifts would be given and Christmas dinner would be served. Then someone mentioned that the normal start time for our Christmas Eve worship was the exact time when the guests would be checking in. Now I expected them to go on to say how this would be a problem and would interfere with people coming for worship. But I was surprised and delighted to hear that there concern was that perhaps some of the guests might want to attend a Christmas Eve worship and the time of our service would interfere with them having their evening meal. So the decision was made to change the time of our Christmas Eve service to accommodate our homeless guests.

As we gathered for worship on December 24, 2001 about 30 of the shelter guests walked tentatively into the sanctuary and took their seats among the congregation. Standing in front and looking out at the people -some clean and well dressed, some in clothes that had not seen a washing machine for weeks or perhaps even months- I was overwhelmed by the power of God's love. And then he caught my eye, the bearded man sitting to my right. His eyes were clear and radiant pools of love and as I watched him during the service I couldn't help but notice how much like Jesus he looked. And I wondered if Jesus was pleased with our worship. Then as we received communion, formed a circle around the sanctuary, each person holding a candle and singing Silent Night, I could see and feel and hear the angels singing "Peace on earth, Good will to all."

I believe there are angels among us

Sent down to us from somewhere up above

They come to you and me in our darkest hours

To show us how to live

To teach us how to give

To guide us with a light of love

Thursday morning, as I was just beginning to think about these verses from Hebrews and what I might say, Tom came downstairs with part of the Chicago Tribune and he said, "Plainfield is on the front page of the Trib today. There are some stories about the 20^th anniversary of the Plainfield-Crest Hill Tornado." As I read the articles I began to think of all the angels that were in this community 20 years ago this week. I talked with a few of our members who were in Plainfield at the time and read several articles all of which affirmed my belief that there definitely were angels among us, thousands of them. They could be seen in the way residents pulled together to help one another, bringing comfort and support. They could be seen in the ordinary people who helped families find one another or helped others out of the wreckage. They could be seen in the more than 5,000 people from outside the community came to help with recovery and clean-up. They could be seen in the rescue workers and those who opened their doors to provide shelter for others whose homes were damaged or destroyed. They could be seen in the way churches became temporary shelters, supply depots or sites for food distribution. They could be seen those who helped the survivors piece their lives back together again.

Such angels, I believe, are God's way of reminding us that we are not alone. I remember a TV show I was watching recently when the main character rescued a little girl from her kidnappers and the child asked "are you my angel?" Most of the time, we never know who the angels are who are among us. Likewise, we have no idea that our hospitality, our kindness, our generosity, our forgiveness, our words of comfort or challenge or hope just might be the brush of angels' wings for a sister or a brother who needs to know God's love.

In the next few minutes as we listen to Angels among us, I invite you to remember and give thanks for the angels God sent to this community 20 years ago. I also invite you to give thanks for the angels in your life -whether or not you have always recognized them. And most of all I invite you to open your heart and your life to the ways in which you might become an angel to a sister or a brother who needs God's love and grace.

Play Angels Among Us.

Angels Among Us

I was walking home from school on a cold winter's day
Took a shortcut through the woods and I lost my way
It was getting late and I was scared and alone
Then a kind old man took my hand and led me home
Mama couldn't see him, but he was standing there
But I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers

Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love

When life dealt troubled times and had me down on my knees
There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me
A kind word from a stranger to lend a helping hand
A phone call from a friend just to say I understand
Ain't it kind of funny at the dark end of the road
Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope

Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love

They wear so many faces
Show up in the strangest places
Grace us with thier mercy
In our time of need

Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love

Ready to Be Blessed? !

Luke 12:32-40 (CEV)

August 8, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

As most of you know I have spent the last eight days at Pilgrim Park Camp with seven of our youth, thirty-two other seventh and eighth graders from Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as thirteen other adults who served as counselors, teachers and our camp directors. It was a great week; exhausting, but great! Each day the adults guided the campers through a variety of classes, games and worship experiences. Tuesday night was the Exodus Experience where we got a taste of what the Israelites experienced as they wandered in the desert for forty years. Like our ancestors in the faith, there was a considerable amount of whining and complaining before we reached the Promised Land. On Thursday we had our own version of a passion play. In this experience, the adults portrayed many of the people Jesus encountered from the time of his baptism until his crucifixion while the campers became the crowds who followed Jesus.

Friday night we shared an experience called The Hunt. For those of you familiar with Geo-caching it worked much the same way. Hidden around camp were ten different caches, each with a stamp that was a symbol used in the life of the church. For example one was a dove, another was a chalice and loaf of bread, another a crown of thorns and so on. Each tribe (that's what we called the groups at camp) was given two GPS units in which the locations of the caches had been stored. As in Geo-caching these stamps were placed in various size containers which were covered in camouflage tape and hidden around the camp. When a tribe successfully located a stamp they were to stamp their notebook, identify the symbol and write a few sentences about the meaning of the symbol.

As we started out, Jer, the leader of this activity, told us that he had hidden the caches on Sunday before the campers had arrived; so we had literally been walking by them all week. That did not, however, make them easier to spot. 2½ hours later 2 tribes had found 9 caches and the other two had found only 7. As Jer debriefed with us he pointed out that in all the tribes there was only one young man who was able to easily spot the cache once they got within the parameters of its hiding place. He went on to talk about the story of Moses and the burning bush and God's command to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. "I wonder how many others might have passed by this burning bush and not even noticed it," he said "or even how many burning bushes Moses walked by before he learned how to see and recognize the presence of God."

Jer then went on to talk about the GPS and how the game would have been impossible without the directions it offered. "Like the GPS," he said, "things like the Bible, attending worship, praying and talking with others helps guide us in the right direction and the Spirit can help us look with new eyes."

As we pick up today's story in Luke's gospel we hear Jesus say to the followers, "My little group of disciples, don't be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom." [Luke 12:32 CEV] Now if we were reading Luke from start to finish we would see that Jesus has just finished reminding the disciples, not to anxiously worry about food or clothing or having enough of anything, but to seek God's kingdom and everything needed will be given. The disciples don't need to worry, Jesus seems to be saying, because God wants to give them -us- the kingdom!

Now that word kingdom is a difficult one for us to understand, because there have been far too few places in which countries have been ruled by kings or queens who do what kings or queens are supposed to do; that is govern so that all in their realm are blessed. But when Jesus talks about the kingdom or the domain where God reigns, what he is pointing to is a realm where all who enter in are blessed. It is a realm characterized by the word Shalom in Hebrew or Shalma in Aramaic. It is a community where all people have whatever is needed to grow into the fullness of who they are created to be. It is a place where every man, woman and child has food enough to eat and opportunities develop and grow the abilities they have been given. It is a society characterized by mutual respect, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, patience, peace, generosity, and most of all love. It is an environment where blessing abounds and joy fills every heart. So I believe that what Jesus is saying here is that God wants to bless us! It is God's deepest desire to bless each and every one of us! This assertion is given shape as Jesus tells the parable about the servants who are awake and ready when the Master returns from the wedding feast. What happens? The Master serves the servants and they are blessed.

But the question is "Are we ready to be blessed?" Sounds like a silly question doesn't it? Who doesn't want to be blessed? Yet as the parables of the Master and the servants and the thief in the night point out, the kingdom comes, the blessings happen at times and in ways where we least expect them. We cannot force them or predict when they will come. All we can do is trust that in God's own time blessings will come. In God's own time we will know moments of the peace that passes understanding and the joy of living.

As we played The Hunt game it became clear that Jer really wanted the tribes to find the caches. He did everything he could to help them. He made sure they knew how to use the GPS units. He encouraged them to look in unusual places once they got near the place where the cache was hidden. He even walked around with the various tribes asking them questions that might help them look in new places or see with a different set of eyes. So, it seems to me, does God. Yes, God wants to bless us!

So how do we get ready to be blessed? Well, if we take the next few verses seriously we sell what we have and give the money to the poor. Now I don't think this is a path most of us are ready to follow, but that doesn't necessarily mean we are excluded from God's blessings. We can, I think, develop the kind of generosity of spirit, trust in God and simple life-style which seem to open the door to God's blessings.

Because I gave myself away this week, offering who I am and what God has given me to a whole bunch of seventh and eight grade youth I was blessed in surprising and unexpected ways. One blessing came through one of the campers - a girl with some learning disabilities- who came up to me during breakfast and said "I really like your sermons and the worship you do with us. I look forward to them every night." Then there was the loner camper who just happened to sit next to me at supper just moments after I had heard she was having trouble with camp because of something I said in worship and she was having difficulty with this "religion stuff." As we talked I had a chance to ask her some questions and share with her in a deeper way what I meant by what I said and some of what I believe about God. Whether it had any impact, only God knows; but I was blessed in the coming our coming together and I pray she was as well.

Like caches hidden in plain sight the blessings of God are all around us. And God wants us to find them.

'The man whispered,

"God, speak to me"

and a meadowlark sang.

But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled

"God, speak to me"

And the thunder and lightening rolled across the sky.

But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said

"God, let me see you"

and a star shone brightly.

But the man did not see.

Then the man shouted,

"God, show me a miracle"

and a new life was born.

But the man did not notice.

So the man cried out in despair,

"Touch me God, and let me know you are here"

Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man,

But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.'

Are you ready to be blessed?

Amen.

Shaped by Prayer

Luke 11-1-13

July 25, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

I have never been all that excited by exercise. I know some people find it exhilarating and well worth the effort. Not me! But, over the last five months I have discovered something about exercise. In February I started seeing a Chiropractor who believes that in addition to adjusting what might be out of place, it is important to build muscle strength and tone so that the adjustments hold. So at each visit a physical therapist takes each client through an exercise regime. My discovery? With regular consistent exercise I have begun to develop core strength. I have muscles that work and when I engage those muscles I experience less pain and more physical endurance. In short, regular exercise has begun to shape my muscles and my body in ways that are more life-giving and life-enhancing.

Jesus and his disciples are on the way to Jerusalem. Along the way the disciples have been learning many lessons about life and what it means to be a disciple of this Rabbi, Jesus. They have begun to recognize that Jesus is a person of prayer. They have begun to suspect that it is through prayer that he draws the wisdom, the strength and the power of divine love into his being and becomes a channel for that love as it heals the sick, opens the eyes of the blind and sets free those who are oppressed. More than likely prayer is not a new concept for these disciples. They had no doubt learned the prayers of the torah, and they might have even practiced some of them. But they see something in Jesus that they have yet to experience for themselves. So one day, when Jesus finishes his time of prayer one of his disciples asks him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray." [Luke 11:1]

Now it's not that these disciples want to be like John the Baptist, it's that they want to be like Jesus and they know that it is the practice of most rabbis to give their disciples a distinctive prayer, one that will help them to grow more and more like the rabbi. In fact it was true that you would be known by the prayer that was distinctive to your group, gathered around the teacher you followed.  So Jesus says to them:

"Pray in this way:  

`Father, help us to honor your name.

Come and set up your kingdom.

³Give us each day the food we need.

⁴Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us.

And keep us from being tempted.'" [Luke 11:2-4]

You might recognize this prayer as a shortened version of what has come to be called The Lord's Prayer. The longer more familiar version being found in Matthew 6:9-13. In one version or another it has most certainly become a prayer that is distinctive to Christian communities wherever they gather and whatever language they speak. And if this prayer is more than just words we have memorized it does indeed have the power to shape us and transform us into the fullness of all it means to be a disciple of Jesus, a follower of Christ, a Christian. Like exercises build our physical muscles, this prayer can help us build our spiritual ones. Let's take a closer look in the hopes that both Luke's shorter version and some fresh translations might awaken us in new ways to the power of the prayer Jesus gave his disciples.

First, as Kate Huey reminds us: "It is not a prayer of private piety, although we can say it alone, in our room.  It is a "we" and "us" prayer, and it gives voice to our human longings for bread, forgiveness, and escape from the time of trials we cannot bear."[1]

But it begins where all prayer must begin with taking time and making room. To pray the words most often translated as "hallowed be Thy name" and here rendered "help us to honor your name," in the original Aramaic was to acknowledge our need to create space and clean out the clutter within our lives so that the light of the Holy One shines through us.

Then once there is space, emptiness, openness, to say "come and set up you kingdom" is to pray a prayer of surrender; it is allowing God's will to become our will, asking that God's way becomes our way and not the other way around.

 To pray "Give us our daily bread" reminds us to pray not for everything we want but for what we truly need. In Jesus' time having enough food to sustain life was no small matter. Today, hunger is still no small matter."[2] What does it mean to pray not just for my daily bread, but for our daily bread -in other words to ask that all our sisters and brothers will have enough food to sustain life? But the word translated "bread" goes far beyond just food. It also means wisdom, insight or understanding. So in truth this line calls us to trust that whatever we need will be provided in each sacred moment.

Open to the Spirit and trusting God's goodness we encounter the need for forgiveness -both receiving it and offering it. For most of us these words about forgiveness are perhaps the most difficult ones in the prayer. It calls for honesty with ourselves and with God -facing our mistakes and failures and trusting that God's mercy and forgiveness will erase all of them. But it is so hard for us to forgive others, isn't it? That little word as frightens us. We hope God is more forgiving than we are. We hope God's forgiveness is not conditional on our forgiveness of others. So how do we understand this line of the prayer? Again in Aramaic this petition has to do with letting go of what keeps us tied up in knots and accepting, really accepting, God's forgiveness. Knowing that when we truly let go of all the stuff we have done or failed to do, when we stop beating ourselves us and accept God's unconditional love, we are empowered, little by little to let go of blaming others for what they have done and allowing the spirit to heal the hurt and the pain of living.

Finally we come to the words about being tempted which in Aramaic really point to forgetfulness. Don't let us forget the Source of Life. Don't let us get so busy with life that we forget to live. Keep us awake and aware, open and in tune with the rhythms of grace and the heartbeat of Love.

It's not that there is magic in these particular words. Yet when we learn them by heart and take them to heart, when we don't just say them, but honestly pray them, they become a doorway into a relationship with God that leads to LIFE, TRUE LIFE!

I think that's why Jesus goes on to add a curious little parable about an annoyingly persistent neighbor and the reluctant householder who relents, not out of kindness or friendship, but simply for the sake of a good night's sleep. Jesus then concludes this teaching about prayer with a brief comment about parents who know how to give good gifts to their children and the promise that God "is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks."[Luke 11:13] 

Between the two we find those incredible promises, "...ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks." [Luke 11:9-10]

Jesus seems to be saying that when we pray persistently and without ceasing we do we can count on the fact that we will indeed be shaped by our prayers into the very people God has created us to be. I believe Jesus is inviting us to trust that it is God's deepest desire to lead us into the fullness of life. So let us ask and keep on asking, search and keep on searching, knock and know that doors will open to a life more amazing than all we could ever hope for or imagine. May it be so. Amen.

Reading of the Word               Luke 11:1-13 (CEV)

 ¹When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray."

    ²So Jesus told them, "Pray in this way:

   `Father, help us

   to honor your name.

   Come and set up

   your kingdom.

    ³Give us each day

   the food we need. ⁴Forgive our sins,

   as we forgive everyone

   who has done wrong to us.

   And keep us

   from being tempted.' "

    ⁵Then Jesus went on to say:

   Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, "Let me borrow three loaves of bread. ⁶A friend of mine has dropped in, and I don't have a thing for him to eat." ⁷And suppose your friend answers, "Don't bother me! The door is bolted, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you something."

    ⁸He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, simply because you are not ashamed to keep on asking.

    ⁹So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. ¹¹Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish? ¹²Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg? ¹³As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks. 

Worship and Work

Luke 10:38-42 (MSG)

July 18, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Martha and Mary! Can you get the picture? Martha invites Jesus and his disciples (and there were considerably more than twelve of them) to her home. Luke says she "welcomed him and made him feel quite at home." In other words Martha had the gift of hospitality. She probably loved having people in her home, feeding them and tending to their needs. But on this particular occasion she is feeling just a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to do and she seems to be the only one doing it! She might even be able to hear what's going on, listen to bits and pieces of what Jesus is saying. She probably wishes she could take the time to just sit and listen, but, Luke says, she is "pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen."

Boy, can I relate! Whether it's hosting parties at my home or getting ready for some function at church there have been times when I've felt swamped, overwhelmed, distracted and pulled away by all that had to be accomplished. It's even worse on those occasions where I feel like I'm doing it all alone. There's something about having companions to share the load that makes it all seem easier somehow. But Martha was stuck doing it all herself!

Meanwhile Mary is sitting in rapt attention, hanging on every word that Jesus is saying, filled with wonder and perhaps even joy, because she seems to be just as welcome to receive the teachings of this rabbi as any of the men. Mary might even be aware that she should be in the kitchen helping her sister, after all that's where women belonged, but she just can't tear herself away.

I've been there too, and I know some of you have as well. Needing so much to be fed, filled, nurtured, cared for that we don't have anything to give. I've heard some of you say that you hear the call to help teach kid's quest, assist in the nursery, serve as liturgist or some other job that needs doing, but you really want or need to be in worship.

Yes, if we're honest I think we can relate to both Mary and Martha, although we may feel more kinship with one or the other. But the tension between these two sisters is familiar ground for most of us.   

Finally, when Martha is at the end of her rope, she barges into the room where Jesus and the others are gathered and says, "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." Now I have to give Martha a lot of credit here. Me, I'd probably just fuss and fume and bang cupboard doors, hoping that Mary would catch my irritation by all the noise and get herself out to the kitchen where she belonged. I know for sure that if I had risked saying anything it would have been directly to Mary, not to Jesus. But Martha took her concern, her irritation, her need to Jesus. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? And I can well imagine that she was more than just a little put off by his response; at least I know that I would be. It seems uncharacteristically harsh and uncaring.

"Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it--it's the main course, and won't be taken from her."

Mary and Martha; what are we to make of this story? What is Jesus saying here? What had Martha missed that Mary got? And most importantly, what wisdom might we glean for our own lives?

This story, it seems to me, points to an age old tension in the church. Are disciples called to piety or service, prayer or action, worship or work? And, on the surface of this story, it would seem that Jesus would have his followers choose piety, prayer and worship over service, work and action. However, if we read the gospel of Luke from beginning to end, we would see that just before this story of Mary and Martha is the story of the encounter of Jesus and a lawyer and what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan -a parable that is all about serving. In fact, it was the priest and the Levi who put worship ahead of responding to one in need that seem to fall short. And Jesus last words to the lawyer were "go and do likewise." Then, immediately following today's story, we find the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Whereupon he shares with them the prayer we have come to call the Lord's Prayer -which, as we will see next week, is a prayer that deals with both worship and work.

By his positioning of these stories, Luke seems to point to his understanding that those who seek to follow Jesus must balance piety and service, prayer and action, worship and work! But balance is a tenuous thing isn't it? We can be balanced at one moment and then all too easily out of balance in the next. Yet Jesus says what Mary has chosen will not be taken from her. So perhaps there is something more than just balance that we need to understand.

As I was thinking about this I thought of Jesus' instructions to his disciples to "seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness..." Then I thought of the definition of "righteousness" as "doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason."

This past week I spent two days at an Interplay retreat called Praying the Body: Interplay as Soulwork and Deepening Our Body Wisdom. Cynthia Winton-Henry, one of the co-founders of Interplay, was our retreat leader. We danced and played and talked and sang. We listened and moved to the rhythms of beautiful music and the rhythms of our hearts.  We talked a lot about noticing -one of the core elements of Interplay: noticing our body data; noticing the things that give life and energy, joy and ease; noticing, paying attention, being aware of the deep movements of the spirit in the movements of our life. At one point Cynthia gave each of us a card that said something about one of the core elements of Interplay. Then she invited us to reflect on what it might have to say to us. My card had the element known as leading and following. As I listened to the wisdom pulsing up from my deepest self, I began to think about my need to move back and forth between the two -sometimes being a courageous, insightful leader and sometimes being an ecstatic and joyful follower. Then I began thinking about Mary and Martha, and the Spirit seemed to be saying to me that the one thing that Mary had chosen was to listen to her own deepest, truest wisdom -that part of herself that danced in partnership with the Divine Dancer; to pay attention to what she needed in that moment; to trust that her deepest wisdom was life-giving and then to act on that wisdom. So despite her duty to help her sister in the kitchen, Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and learn. In another moment her choice might have led her into some act of caring, compassionate serving. Martha, on the other hand was distracted, pulled away from her deepest knowing, so caught up in "shoulds" and "oughts" that she missed the joy that could have been hers.

Worship and work, it seems to me, are part and parcel of the divine dance of life. Like Mary we are invited to listen deeply to the music of our soul and move with the rhythms of grace, ready to respond to the nudges of the Spirit with the right action at the right time and for the right reason. Amen.

Luke 10:1-11 & 17

June 27, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

It happened during my second year of seminary on the second day of my unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Children's Hospital in Columbus Ohio. Having been oriented to the hospital on the first day, we were scheduled to be in class the entire day learning the basics of what a chaplain did. Sometime during the middle of the morning our teacher -the Chaplain of the hospital- received word from the emergency room that a 10 year old boy had been brought in. The boy was dead, but the family had not been told and they needed a Chaplain right away. As he was telling us this, I thought, "I guess we're going to get a break while he goes to deal with this."

Then I heard him say, "OK, whoever is on call for today will handle this one while we continue class. Who is on call for today?"

With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I checked the schedule and my worst fear was realized, it was me. So I tentatively raised my hand and said, "It's me."

"Do you know how to get to the Emergency Room?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, thinking, but what in the world am I supposed to do when I get there?

"Good," he answered. "Head on down there as quickly as you can. They're waiting on you."

Now even though I had been an emergency room nurse, I had no idea what a chaplain was supposed to do in this situation. I had been called to be a follower of Christ; called to allow the Spirit to mend the broken places in my life; called to grow in faith; called to work in the church; called to seminary to learn how to be a pastor; called to life. And in that terrifying moment I was being sent; sent to embody God's love and grace; sent to offer comfort and support; sent to proclaim God's ever-present care; sent! I felt completely inadequate and totally unprepared to do what I was being asked to do. I was terrified! "God, please help me," I prayed as I walked.

I wonder if the seventy-two disciples Jesus sent out felt as unprepared and uncertain as I felt. No matter how long they had been traveling with Jesus, no matter how much they had learned from him, I suspect that they too didn't feel quite ready or totally prepared for the task. I mean really, Jesus had just said to them, "I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves."[Luke 10:3] And "Oh by the way, don't take any provisions with you, not even the basic necessities for survival. Just trust that when you offer God's peace, you will find peace in return."

At least I was just going to the emergency room!

Augustine was tutoring young clerics to go into the world to start churches and preach the gospel. At their ordination and commissioning ceremony, he reminded them of the importance of their mission. Then he said, "Preach the gospel with all your heart. If necessary, use words."

So too, those first missionaries sent by Jesus were called to practice what they preached, to live God's gracious love, to be a healing presence in the midst of each community. For sure they had words to say that would help people recognize that there was a power beyond them that gave them the wisdom and the strength to do what they did. But the most important thing they had to offer was their presence. As they dared to step out in faith, as they risked trusting that with God who they were and what they had to offer was enough, they became channels of grace, beacons of hope, instruments of healing and agents of transformation.

One day a group of teenagers went out to the abandoned railroad tracks near the edge of town near to challenge each other to walk the length of the rail. Despite their best efforts none of them could do it. Now as it happened the younger brother and sister of a couple of the teens had followed them to the tracks. After watching the older kids try for some time, the little girl, named Lucy, said, "I bet Steve and I can walk the tracks." Well, of course the older kids laughed and heckled these little ones. But finally, feeling pretty safe in their judgment of the kids ability, they said, "OK, if you can do it, we'll take you for ice cream"

Looking at each other and smiling a secret smile, Steve and Lucy got up on the tracks at the same time and reaching out and taking each other's hand for balance and support they proceeded to walk the entire length of the tracks!

I think it is a vitally important detail of this story that Jesus sent these first missionaries two by two; for balance, for support, for encouragement. They needed each other. That's the power of a spiritual friend; that's the power of a caring community; that's the power of small groups formed to study or pray or minister together.

Linda Graham, along with her friends Kellee, Lisa and Julie, went to Haiti on what they thought was a routine mission trip to deliver blankets, clothing, and medical supplies to an orphanage. The women had no idea that they were walking into one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

As their taxi was leaving the airport the earthquake hit. Unable to drive to the orphanage they were dropped off at a church where about 2,000 people were singing and praying. "I've never felt the presence of God in such a tangible way as I did that night," Linda said.

The next morning wounded people lined up in front of the four women assuming they were nurses. Linda admits feeling inadequate knowing that she had no idea how to help the injured. Then she remembered that they had medical supplies in their luggage. The women sprung into action doing whatever they could do.

The biggest test of their faith came later that morning when two Haitian women went into labor. Linda was asked to deliver the babies in an abandoned hospital without electricity or running water. Linda prayed seeking the Lord's guidance. A healthy baby girl was born followed by a baby boy. The overjoyed father of the baby boy asked Linda to name his son. "I told him to name the boy Judah which means 'praise,' " Linda replied.

Each and every one of us is here because we too have been called; called by Christ to receive God's extravagant love, God's unfathomable grace, God's immeasurable healing, God's restorative justice, and God's life-renewing hope. Each of us is also sent to share with others what we have received, because it is in that sharing that we grow into the fullness of who we were created to be. Now it seems to me, that if we were only sent to do the things we already know we can do, that there would be no growth in faith in ourselves or in God. It is only when we find ourselves just a little beyond what is easy, comfortable or secure that we discover who God is and who in God's love we can become.

As I walked into the emergency room to meet that young boy's family, the nurse introduced me and then promptly disappeared. For the next several hours I sat with them, mostly just listening and trying to be present in whatever way seemed best at the moment, all the while wondering what in the world I was supposed to be doing and silently praying for wisdom and guidance. Then as they were leaving the grandmother said to me, "Thank you so much, I don't know how we could have gotten through this without you. You were a true blessing in this horrible nightmare."  As I walked back to class I wondered what I had done. In answer to my quandary the Chaplain said simply, "you were there!"

Whether we find ourselves in the middle of a natural disaster, in an emergency room with a grieving family with a friend, a co-worker, or even a stranger in times of pain, grief, challenge or fear, whether we are sent to bring comfort or hope, justice or peace, we are simply sent to be there; to embody God's love and live Christ's compassion, with open hands and open hearts, trusting that with God we are enough. Amen.

Walking Side by Side

John 16:5-7 & 12-15 (CEV)

May 30, 2010 - Memorial Day Weekend

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

One Sunday a pastor was standing outside the sanctuary looking at pictures that had been hung on the wall, when a little girl stopped and asked, "Pastor, what are you doing and who are these people."

"Well," the pastor replied, "tomorrow is Memorial Day and these are the pictures of all of the people in our congregation who have died in the service."

Before the pastor could say another word the little girl cried out in alarm, "Which service the 8:00 or the 10:30?"

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and despite the little girl's confusion, we know that it is a day that was begun to honor those who had lost their lives in military service. Originally called Decoration Day, this custom of putting flags and flowers on the graves of the war dead began in this country during or just after our Civil War in many different places. As one historian puts it: "Each ... and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead and each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen. Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868."[1]

Perhaps that need to honor our dead, whether their death occurred in war or by some other means is one of the reasons that Memorial Day came to be a time when people went to the cemetery and placed flowers or wreaths on the graves of all their loved ones. At least that's what I grew up doing. Around our house the Peonies were generally in bloom by Memorial Day and we cut buckets full of them and made the trek to several different cemeteries. I can remember pulling weeds and cutting the grass around my grandparents graves. Next my parents and my brother set up mayonnaise jars filled with water and secured them with cut wire coat hangers. Then I got to put the Peonies in the jars. I had known some of my grandparents but others died before my birth. So this was also a time for sharing stories about what we remembered and loved about those who had died; and it helped me know the grandparents I had never met.

So today, I want to invite us into that story telling mode as we engage in an interactive time of reflection. To begin please get the blank half sheet of paper in your bulletin and grab a pencil or pen. If you need something to write with hold up the sheet of paper and we'll bring you something. ...

OK everybody set? Call to mind one or two people in your life -they can be living or dead- who have been a positive influence in your life; people who have helped you grow into the person you are today....

Now write one or two sentences telling something specific that person did for you. Let me give you some examples of what I mean:

©   The pastor of my church in Ohio, Kerry, saw gifts in me that I couldn't see in myself, he called me to use those gifts and nurtured and supported me as I risked stepping out in new directions.

©   My dad, Herb, delighted in my being. Each night he would give me his undivided attention as he listened to stories of my day and shared his wisdom with me.

©   Tom knows all about me, the good stuff and the not so good stuff and loves me anyway. His love brought me back to life after a painful and difficult time in my life.

OK, got the idea? You can either have two or three sentences about one person or one sentence about two or three people. Of course what you write is only part of who this person was to you, but it is an important part. [pause for reflection & writing]

Now I hope some of you will share with us the sentences you wrote. All you have to do is stand or wave at me and then you can read right from where you are. [pause for sharing]

Thank you for sharing.

In our passage of scripture today we hear Jesus promise to send what the CEV translates as "the Holy Spirit" or simply "the Spirit". But according to one of my seminary professors the Greek word used here is Paraklētos. "It is a word that has always challenged translators. In English, it has been read as Comforter (KJV), Helper (NKJV), Counselor (RSV, NIV, New Living Bible), Advocate (NRSV), or simply transliterated as Paraclete (NJB). The Greek word is made up of the participial form of the verb "to call" and the preposition "beside" and thus means one who has been summoned or called to the side of another."[2]

So try something with me: how would it be to substitute Jesus, God or Holy Spirit for the name of the person in the sentences you wrote?

Let's try mine and see:

©   Jesus saw gifts in me that I couldn't see in myself, he called me to use those gifts and nurtured and supported me as I risked stepping out in new directions.

©   God delighted in my being and loved me unconditionally. Each night God would give me his undivided attention as he listened to stories of my day and shared his wisdom with me.

©   Jesus knows all about me, the good stuff and the not so good stuff and loves me anyway. His love brought me back to life after a painful and difficult time in my life.

Let's hear some of yours [pause for sharing]

It has been my experience that God has always sent the right person at the right time to walk beside me, to comfort me, challenge me, love me, teach me, empower me, or simply be with me in whatever way I needed. And there have been times when, whether or not I knew it, God sent me to walk beside another who needed to feel God's presence and know God's love.

Just a little while before Jesus spoke the words in today's scripture, he said to his disciples "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever." [John 14:16 NRSV] So today as we remember and celebrate those Advocates, Helpers, Counselors, Comforters and Friends that have walked beside us, let us thank God for promises fulfilled and love given and received!

We are going to sing a familiar song We Are Marching in the Light of God, but this time we are going to add verses which substitute singing, dancing or praying for marching. As we sing, you are invited to walk, march or dance your way to the front, pick up a candle and light it in celebration of the people you remembered in writing today and also for all of the people God has sent to walk beside you and for the opportunities God has given to you, to walk beside another.

[pause for people to come forward]

Prayer of Thanksgiving

God, whose love and compassion are beyond anything we can imagine, we thank you for all the people who have sent to walk beside us as advocates, counselors, comforters, helpers, teachers, companions and friends. We thank you that the fire of your love has burned brightly through them. Thank you also for the times when your fire has burned in us to light the way and smooth the path of those you send us to walk beside. In times when we feel frightened or alone and think that you are far away, help us remember again the ones you have sent to us and trust that in many and various ways you will always walk beside us. Alive in Christ and open to your love, we pray. Amen.

Part 3

Philippians 4:1-9(MSG)

May 16, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

On May 6^th I opened the Upper Room[1] to begin my daily meditation and I read this reflection written by Ted De Hass:

The pastor was gone today, and our local high-school music teacher preached. He spoke about "the fifth voice," an idea I had never heard of. He drew the concept from the singing of barbershop quartets. "The fifth voice" refers to the one harmony created by the four voices as they join together in song. The unified sound becomes like a fifth voice.

Just as a group of singers can be more than each of them is alone, Christians living in love create something more than they could on their own. The day before Jesus was crucified, he told his disciples that the world would know that they were his followers by the way they related to one another, that they were to cherish and care for one another.

First Corinthians 13 describes the characteristics of this Christian love. Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be patient and kind, to turn aside from jealousy, boastfulness, pride, rudeness, selfishness, and irritability. Love forgives and lets go of hurts and offenses of the past. When Christians live together in love, the world hears a voice it needs to hear: the fifth voice that reveals the presence of the Savior.

As I thought about Ted's words and that famous "love chapter" from 1 Corinthians, I thought about the fact that Paul wrote these words to a group of Christians who were in the midst of a heated conflict on the subject of spiritual gifts. I also thought that it is perhaps in the midst of conflicts and disagreements that we have the greatest opportunity to witness to the kind of love that allows the light of God to be revealed in us and through us. Then I thought -"that is easier said than done!"

To agree and disagree in love takes prayer; it takes humility; it takes commitment; it takes learning and making an effort to use the best practices in communication; it takes a belief that God walks with us in the midst of our conflicts and disagreements; it takes the belief that such conflicts and disagreements are opportunities that God can use to grow all of us more fully into the people God knows we can become; and it takes a deep desire not only for one's own wholeness, but for the wholeness of all people. It is because we sensed God's call to grow in each of these areas that one of our 2008 Vision Goals was to "maintain and promote healthy communications and implement a formal conflict resolution process." To help us live into that goal the members of our Governing Board have been exploring a document called Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love.[2] It is also why this is the third of three sermons that explore various aspects of what it might mean to agree and disagree in love.

Part of our exploration over the past two weeks has pointed us to an acknowledgement that a large portion of what we call the New Testament either recalls a time of conflict for Jesus and/or the disciples or it was written in direct response to a conflict among believers in an effort to help the followers of Jesus learn how to live in love even as they dealt with differing ideas, points of view and understandings of the gospel message. Even though I have known this since my earliest days in seminary, I was nevertheless surprised when I discovered that Paul's injunction to the Philippians to fill their minds with "things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse," were written because two leaders in the church, two women who had labored for the gospel were in conflict with one another! I have known and loved these verses for years, but I had never seen their connection to conflict transformation. Yet as I read them a few weeks ago that is what began to surface.

Then this week as I was meditating about how to deal with some current day conflicts it hit me like a bolt of lightening. What I often do -and I don't think I am alone- is when someone has verbally hurt me by engaging in name calling or bullying or any of the other unhealthy and unhelpful communication patterns or by giving me the cold shoulder or ignoring me and my ideas then I stew about it; that is I go over and over the offense and the more I do, the more hurt I am and the more anything else they say or do just gets added to the pile of dirt their words or actions have laid at my feet. What might happen, I wondered, if I took Paul's counsel to heart and began looking for the best in the other person, focusing on appreciating what is good about them and our relationship, assuming the best intentions for their words rather than assuming they were out to hurt me? What might happen if I focused on what I want the relationship to be and, taking a page from Paul's wisdom, instead of fretting and worrying began to pray; not for the other person to change, but for God to give me wisdom and insight, humility and understanding, a heart open and ready to forgive and a mind free and willing to be changed? Perhaps Paul is saying that the attitude we carry into any attempt to resolve a conflict is a key factor in whether or not healing and reconciliation will happen.

But then I noticed something else about this passage. It is part of a letter written to the whole community of faith in Philippe. In a sermon on this passage Richard C. Brand makes these observations:

There was a deep tear in the Body of Christ and Paul mentions it. ... We know it is a significant issue because Paul chose to mention it in the letter to be read publicly before the whole church. ... Paul mentions the conflict publicly because it is the public work of the people of God to work to make peace. ... It is not that the people of God will never have conflicts or quarrels (why should we think anything so absurd?), but it is that the people of God, the Church, ought to be the place where it acknowledges those quarrels and resolves them. Paul believes that is how the church makes visible the reality of the love and grace of God.[3]

It is true isn't it, that we sometimes need others who will stand in loving communion with all parties in a disagreement to help them work through the issues and find their way to reconciliation. One of the most destructive things in any community is when other people begin to take sides, adding fuel to the fires of dissension. Rather, we need each other to pray, when prayer is too difficult for us to do alone. We need we each other to remind us of the good, when hurt seems to obscure every other reality. We need we each other to help us listen with head and heart as each person seeks to speak their particular truth. We need each other to call us on our blind spots and to remind us that we see and know only in part. We need each other to remind us to speak in love and call us to account when we do not. We need each other to remind us of the best that we are and the best we can be.

Paul often uses the image of the body of Christ for the community of faith. Now we know it is true that when one part of our body suffers, not only does our whole body suffer, but all of the resources of our body get to work to bring healing and the relief of pain. So it is that as we learn more and more about healthy communication, as we allow kindness, compassion, humility, patience and peace to guide our way, we will be equipped to get to work to bring reconciliation and healing to the whole body. As we do we will become a healthier, stronger, more vibrant community of faith, through whom the world will hear that fifth voice -the voice that reveals the power of God's love. May it be so. Amen.

 ¹ My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don't waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

 ²I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn't want his children holding grudges.

 ³And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you're right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans--worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.

 ^4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

 ^6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Matthew 18:15-22

May 9, 2010 - Mother's Day

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Lynn was the chairperson of the personnel department of a large company. It was her responsibility to see that the employees were able to communicate openly and honestly with one another so that they could work together efficiently and co-operatively.

Lynn worked proactively. Whenever she saw a conflict in the making she stepped in to help the protagonists come to an understanding before their differences interfered with their job. In her experience, differences of opinion that weren't talked about candidly often festered under the surface until they erupted in a full-fledged argument. When that happened, words that should have been left unsaid were frequently spoken in anger. This often resulted in hurt feelings or misunderstandings that were hard to forgive and even harder to forget. That's why it was so much better to talk openly about a situation. Even if protagonists had to agree to disagree, it was still better than talking about it behind someone's back. All too often that resulted in groups of people taking sides against each other. Then no one won and everyone lost.

Lynn was also the chairperson of her congregation's church council. In many ways her position on the church council was like her job because part of her job description involved helping the congregational members to communicate openly and honestly with one another. Lynn had thought that that part of her role would be easy. But it wasn't. The church's members were more reluctant to talk with one another about their differences than the people at work were. Somewhere along the line they had learned that Christians shouldn't disagree with one another.

Where did that idea come from? Why is it that conflict in the church seems so wrong? As we began to explore this issue last week I said that, part of the problem was the fact that "we often label as conflict only those situations which include such negative elements as bitterness, hurt and division."[1] If we successfully negotiate our differences without such negative components we tend to call them either arguments or disagreements. But Lynn's story seems to indicate that at least some of us even shy away from disagreements, thinking they are somehow unchristian. But nothing could be further from the truth. So why is it that we are so afraid of disagreements, arguments and conflicts?

On more than one occasion when his children and their friends were playing and the inevitable squabbles broke out, Lawrence Ressler,[2] a professional mediator and family therapist, would sit the children down and engage them in what he understood to be a good conflict resolution process. He would invite each person to tell their version of what happened, with no interruptions allowed. He then asked each of them to say what they heard the others saying in an effort to make sure that they had really listened and heard one another. Then after all had expressed their views, he worked to help them clarify the issues and then taking each issue in turn to come up with a number of ways to resolve it. They would then explore which solution seemed best for all involved and come to an agreement about what they would do. When he was satisfied that all were feeling good about the decision he would send them off to play.

On one such occasion, after their friends had left his kids said to him, "Dad, we hate it when you make us sit down and talk like that. It embarrasses us. Nobody else does it that way. We just want to be normal."

Healthy resolution of our disagreements is, in fact, not "normal" because the vast majority of us have never learned the steps, the attitudes and the actions which allow such results. When we look at the world around us what seems to be normal are the unhealthy processes folks engage in when they disagree; blaming, labeling, name calling, scapegoating, bullying, backstabbing and threats -both overt and subtle- and finally out and out violence, if nothing else works to silence the enemy. Now to be sure that is not the kind of "normal" to which Jesus calls his disciples. But neither is avoiding disagreements and pretending they don't exist, sweeping them under the carpet and hoping they will just go away.

If we seek to be disciples of Jesus, that is if we seek to take to heart what Jesus taught and model our life after his; if we seek to follow his command to pick up our own cross and follow him; if we seek to live Christ's compassion and promote justice, healing and wholeness of life then we need to listen to his instructions about what to do when we disagree. In today's scripture from Matthew 18 we find such instruction:

Ø   Go directly to the one who has hurt you or with whom you disagree.

Ø   Go in a spirit of gentleness, patience and humility.

Ø   Be quick to listen, slow to judge, and willing to negotiate.

Ø   If that does not work, bring a trusted third party to help you resolve your differences.

Ø   If that does not work be willing to submit to the wisdom of the community, gathered in prayer and seeking to embody God's forgiving, reconciling love.

What I find interesting about this teaching of Jesus is where Matthew puts it in the preaching of his gospel. Matthew 18 begins with a conflict about who is greatest in the realm of God, moves to a discourse about how disciples are to treat the littlest and the least among them and then moves to the story of leaving ninety-nine sheep to go in search of one who is lost. It ends with Peter asking, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?" [Matt 18:21] And Jesus responds: "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven." [Matt 18:22]  With Jesus' instructions embedded within a context of the extravagant graciousness of God, Matthew seems to say that honest love and genuine forgiveness, born out of facing our differences with care, are to be the marks of those who seek to follow Jesus.

Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis, puts it this way: "Jesus did not avoid conflict. He confronted people all over the place, but he didn't violate them or seek to annihilate them; he simply invited them into a new way of being." As we seek to listen, really listen to each other with respect for ourselves and each other; as we learn to speak our partial and limited truth with compassion and care; as we commit to make our experiences unconditionally constructive we are all invited into a new way of seeing, a new way of being.

 In our 2008 Visioning Process we discerned goals to guide our life together through 2011. One of our goals was to "maintain and promote healthy communications and implement a formal conflict resolution process." As part of that goal the Governing Board has been exploring a document called Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love.[3] Either last week or today, I hope you picked up a copy of the first two pages of that document. As I said last week, I hope you will read it, pray about it and discuss it.

But more than that, I hope that, using it as a starting place, we can all learn and grow our capacity for healthy communication and our conflict transformation skills. Just imagine what our congregation, your family, our community, our nation or the world would be like if we learned, practiced and taught our children how to agree and disagree in love. Just imagine the way life could be if we honored the piece of the truth planted in each heart and mind and allowed the pieces and parts to come together to make a more beautiful whole. After all, a painting needs more than one color, a song needs more than one note and our world needs more than one voice.

With God's help and the Spirit's guidance may we be part of creating a new "normal" for the world. Amen.

^15-17"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him--work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

 ^18-20"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." ²¹At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?" ²²Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.

Colossians 3:8-17

May 2, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

"A conflict was starting to boil over in the new little congregation. Members of the minority group -who spoke a different language than the majority group that controlled the leadership of the congregation-, were starting to complain about how some among them were being treated. Specifically, the minority members were angry because the needs of some of their group were being neglected by the congregation."[1]

Now, I don't know about you, but I grew up believing conflict was bad, especially when it happened in the church! I don't know if anyone actually said it, but I most certainly got the idea that God was displeased when we argued; after all we called Jesus the Prince of Peace and Jesus did say "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God."

Now that doesn't mean conflicts didn't happen. I remember several people who left the congregation when a conflict did arise because "conflict does not belong in church; we're supposed to love one another!" Somehow conflict and love were seen to be mutually exclusive.

Even so, conflict has been in the church since before the church was the church. Remember the conflict between the disciples about who was the greatest. Remember that Jesus, himself was often in conflict with the religious officials about various interpretations of the law. And there is that troubling announcement recorded both in Matthew and Luke when Jesus says, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!"[Luke 12:51] Most of the books of the Bible we call the Epistles  were written in response to conflicts about things such as which spiritual gifts were most important; whether women needed to keep their heads covered; or whether men needed to be circumcised, to name just a few. And that newly formed church where there was a conflict between two groups who spoke different languages -well it was the very first Christian congregation formed in Jerusalem after the dramatic events of Pentecost.

Yet, despite seminary courses in Church history where I learned about all the evidence of conflict in the early church, I still believed it was bad, inevitable maybe, but something to be avoided whenever possible. So I was surprised indeed when I began to encounter another way of looking at conflict. As I did, I came to understand that part of the problem was the fact that "we often label as conflict only those situations which include such negative elements as bitterness, hurt and division."[1] If we successfully negotiate our differences without such negative components we tend to call them either arguments or disagreements.

In an article written for the book Making Peace with Conflict, Carolyn Schrock-Shenk writes:

Differences are to be expected, acknowledged and affirmed. Conflict opens the door to new truth and understanding. Try taking all the conflicts out of the Bible, ... What remains is a skinny volume indeed. If we truly believe this we can begin to understand conflict settings as holy ground, as places where God is present in powerful ways, as opportunities to gain new insight and understanding. Imagine how different our conflicts could be if we could move from an "Oh dear, how terrible" to "what is God trying to say to us?"[2]

Conflicts, disagreements, differing ways to view the world- these are part and parcel of who we are, built into the very fabric of creation. Imagine a world where everything looked alike and everyone thought alike. There would be no new ideas, no creativity, no adventure, no excitement. It is the variety of ideas, attitudes and experiences that keeps life interesting. But it is this same variety that leads us into conflict. So rather than avoiding it, denying it's potential, calling it evil or a sin, we need to learn how to both agree and disagree in love! If we approach conflicts with care, compassion, honesty, humility, curiosity and a deep commitment to be "unconditionally constructive," then conflicts will be opportunities to learn and grow and give birth to a world that is even better because of the effort we have expended on the conflict.

Not only is it important to learn healthy, life-renewing ways of being in conflict so that we can resolve conflicts without destructive words or actions, but also so that we can become a place where we can each share our ideas, thoughts and opinions without fear; a place where we speak our truth in love, knowing that although we never have the whole truth, our part of the truth will be heard and received with love.  In his book A Different Drum: Peacemaking and Community, Scott Peck calls this True Community as opposed to the kind of Pseudo-community that characterized the church of my childhood.

This is the truth Paul points to in his letter to the Colossians. When the believers learn to wear the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and most of all love in the midst of their conflicts, they will indeed become a life-giving body through whom God's love, justice, compassion and grace are known and experienced.

One Sunday a few weeks ago I had an experience with just how powerful it can be to take some steps toward true community. After worship had ended and everyone else had left the building, I was talking with three members of the congregation when the conversation turned toward politics. I knew before we got very far into the conversation that the four of us held very divergent views, so I was nervous and at first very quiet. But as the conversation went on I risked asking two of the people some questions about their political affiliation. As I listened, really listened to what they said I had one of those ah-ha moments. I told them that their political affiliation had puzzled me because it seemed so vastly different from what I thought they believed about some significant issues. But as I heard them talk I realized that the problem had been my stereotypical image of what it meant to have that affiliation. It was a conversation filled with great care, love, mutual respect and humility. And all four of us left knowing we had experienced something sacred as we moved a little deeper in our understanding of and care for one another.

In your bulletins there is a handout titled Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love which the Governing Board has been discussing. My decision to preach this week and the next two weeks this theme grew from those discussions. I invite each of us to take this sheet home, read it and the scripture references that are listed. Think and pray; ask God to open you to whatever wisdom may be contained there for your life and for our congregation. Share what you think and feel about these guidelines with others. Listen to their thoughts and feelings with an attitude of curiosity.

We live in a world where conflict so easily leads to hatred, violence and war. We, as followers of the Prince of Peace, are not called to avoid conflict, but rather to trust God to be with us as we seek to find the holy ground between us. Who knows but maybe what we learn in this community about agreeing and disagreeing in love might open doors toward a more loving world not only for us, but for the generations yet to be. May it be so! Amen.

Acts 9:36-43

April 25, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Many years ago, Martha felt the Spirit's call to help homeless people in her community, so she called together a group of women who began sewing small bags and then collecting personal items to donate to one of the downtown churches that housed homeless people. The women enjoyed each other's company and felt they were making a difference in the lives of some of God's children.

These women, I suspect, were moved by the same spirit of mercy and compassion that led a woman named Tabitha to care for the widows and orphans in her community. There are some commentators who even suggest that Tabitha (referred to in some translations by her Greek name, Dorcas) not only made clothing for these women, but actually organized them into a kind of sewing guild and empowered them to help one another. It is no wonder that these women were distraught when their friend and mentor died. So, hearing that Peter was in a nearby town, they sent for him.

Whatever their motive, we know what happened. Peter came. Peter prayed. Peter said, "Tabitha, get up." And she did.

What an amazing story. What a powerful witness to the words of Jesus to his disciples: "The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing." [John 14:12 MSG]

Now, I have absolutely no doubt that this miracle actually happened. I have no doubt that whenever we pray deeply, listen to the Spirit's voice and follow in trust miracles happen. But I also believe that this story is about more than the physical resurrection of one woman. I believe it is yet another testimony to the resurrecting, life-giving power of God that seeks to bring us into the fullness of God's dream for us and for our world.

As I thought about this story I began to think about all the things that deny the life God dreams for us, all the things that weigh us down and seem to rob us of life. Job-loss, a sagging economy, worries about whether or not we will have enough to pay our bills, worries about our children, our parents, chronic or life-threatening illness, the death of a loved one, divorce, broken relationships, loneliness, isolation, fear, too much to do and too little time to do it, expectations that don't quit fit who we are, a sense of our own inadequacy, the nagging stress of life, the demands of family and sometimes even of church, all of these can sap our strength, our energy, our stamina, and even our hope. Sometimes we wonder, "Isn't there more to life than just eating, drinking, working, sleeping, and trying to stay healthy? Isn't life more than just survival? Is this really all there is?"

As I reflected on the loss experienced by the community of faith in Joppa and heard Peter speak, I also thought about the words of Jesus: "I came that you might have LIFE and have it in all abundance!" and I wondered in the midst of all that sucks us dry, where do we go to find life, true life, abundant life? Or put another way, how do we recognize and embrace those words and actions, those attitudes and habits that are life-giving; things that restore vitality, energy, life? In short, how can we have more of what is life-giving and reduce, let go of, release that which is life-denying?

If we look again at the story of Tabitha, I think we just might get some clues.  First, I think it is important to notice that it was not just Peter, but also the women who honored Tabitha's labor and the men who went in search of Peter who made this miracle possible. Together they created a life-giving community as each of them did what they could do. Together they became agents of life, instruments of hope and channels of grace.

Second, I think it is vital to recognize the role of prayer -not words we speak to God, but an openness to listen for God's word- that becomes the vehicle for life. Peter listened and then acted in faith, trusting that no matter how ridiculous or impossible it seemed, the Spirit would act through him.

Then Peter spoke, he called Tabitha by name and called her to life. Now the early hearers of this story would have understood the importance of calling her by name. For you see in the understanding of our ancestors in the faith to be called by name is to be recognized, to be understood, to have someone see into your heart and sense the meaning and power of your life.

At Martha's funeral during the sharing time a well-dressed stranger stood to speak. He talked of the time when he was unemployed, lost his family and his home and found shelter in the basement of the downtown church. He remembered receiving one of the bags Martha and her fellow disciples sewed and filled with much needed items. Inside his bag was a hand-written note of encouragement, along with a Bible verse. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he shared how that simple act of kindness filled him with hope for the future and gave him the courage to go on. He was thankful for Martha and the other women in her group their gift to him and for all the lives they touched over the years.

Surrounded by a community of faith-filled disciples, Peter called Tabitha by name and called her to life! Could it be that we, as a community of God's people, working together, are invited to become life-giving communities, calling one another by name, recognizing the gifts each person has to share, affirming the value and worth of each person's presence and helping each one live into the fullness of God's dream for their life? Could it be that the resurrecting, life-giving power of God is available to us and through us if we, like Peter, open our hearts to God and trust the promptings of the Spirit?

At the Appreciative Way workshop I attended in January, Rob Voyle posed this question: "What would happen to the church if it stopped doing everything it should and supported people in doing what they love?" In that workshop we began to see that what we love to do can be, and often is, a metaphor for our unique God-given purpose and we were challenged to write a personal purpose statement.  For me my passion, that which I truly love to do is dance. Dance is something that is truly life-giving for me. Yet, it took me some time to find the words that seemed to fit dance into my sense of call. But after much prayer and listening, it finally took shape: "I lead with love, follow with trust and dance in joy as I invite others to awaken to their own life-giving rhythms of grace." In the months since that workshop these words have been like a constant stream of energy, calling me back to the heart of who I truly am and what God is calling me to be and do.

What is your passion? What brings you life? What fills you with joy? As each of us dares to answer those questions, it is my prayer that we might grow more and more fully into a life-giving community where each and every person experiences the rhythms of grace and is empowered to live into the fullness of their God given purpose!  May it be so. Amen.

John 21:1-17

April 18, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

"Simon son of John, do you love me" ... "Yes, Lord, you know I do!" ..."Then feed my lambs,".... "Simon son of John, do you love me?" ... "Yes, Lord, you know I love you!" ..."Then take care of my sheep," ... "Simon son of John, do you love me?" ...."Lord, you know everything. You know I love you." ...  "Feed my sheep."

Every time I hear the Gospel of John's account of this encounter between Simon Peter and Jesus on more than a week following the discovery of the empty tomb, I think of the old adage my mother used to quote all the time. "Nancy," she would say, "remember, actions speak louder than words." Over the years I have come to understand the truth of my mother's wisdom. I think that's a bit of what Jesus wanted his disciples to understand as well.

How right she was! Jesus came to demonstrate how God's love looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels. As a matter of fact, I think it is safe to say that if Jesus had just gone to a mountain every day to sit and pray and feel love for the whole human race, no matter how deeply he felt it, we would not be gathered in his name! It is because Jesus acted in love, with love, through love, because of love that we are here.

As Jesus fed the disciples and confronted Peter on the beach that day, he wanted them to experience again the power and depth of God's love and to understand that living in love feeds the spirit every bit as much as fish and bread feed the body. Peter was loved so that he could love. He was fed so that he could feed others. It is not as much what we receive as what we give away that leads to life, true life, abundant life, joyful life!

Today we are celebrating seven years of loving, feeding and caring for God's children through our participation in the Foods Resource Bank as we make the commitment to do it again in year number eight. As we do, I want you to hear the story of one family from Bolivia that we helped through our giving to FRB last year:

"My name is Luciano and I am 49 years old. I am married to Jorgia who is 40 years old. We have five sons between two and 20 years of age.

My family was very distressed because my four year old son had moderate malnutrition, and the youngest had severe malnutrition at birth. My family did not know how to deal with this situation, but we learned by attending trainings on how to prepare food, purify our water, and combat illnesses so that we can care for our children.

Now with all the training we have received about food security and agriculture, my children have improved. My four year old is a normal weight and height, and the youngest's malnutrition is now only mild. We prepared our meals as we were taught, mixing our food with crushed eggshells and incorporating fried potato peels in our diet. And my wife is still breastfeeding the youngest.

Our oldest son has also learned many new things from Fundación Arado, such as land preparation, seed selection, poultry raising, and basic nutrition. He will participate in educational fairs along with the family. We are so thankful for the technical assistance and support given to us by Fundación Arado."

This year's giving to our FRB Growing Project will again fund the Fundación Arado in Bolivia so that more people like Luciano and Jorgia and their children will be helped. In fact our giving will impact some 225 households in 11 communities improving the lives of 1,125 of God's children in Bolivia.

But that's not all; our giving will also reach communities in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. The program we support in Haiti is not in the area damaged by the recent hurricanes, so they can continue to look toward the future, hoping to help themselves and others in their country. Through our loving response to God's love in our lives we will help to provide not only food security, but hope for 1,483 households in 13 communities touching the lives of 7,415 men, women and children.

But that's not all; our giving will also reach communities in Uganda where farmers are being empowered to grow specialty coffees, so that they will have funds to provide food, shelter and education for their families. In Uganda our giving will make life more secure for 33,712 people in 4,816 households in 92 communities.

But that's not all; our giving will also reach communities in India where water is the primary concern. Through the construction of farm ponds and irrigation systems along with education about improved farming techniques we will care for 2,500 of God's children in 500 households in 7 communities.

Through our partnership with congregations in River Forest, Forrest, and Wheaton and Foods Resource Bank International we have the opportunity to feed, tend, and care for 44,752 of God's sheep. Because of what we can accomplish together in God's love

o  Families will have enough to eat to prevent malnutrition

o  Children will be able to go to school because their parents can afford to send them

o  Communities will be stronger

o  Women will be empowered

o  Men will have their sense of dignity restored

o  Hope and Joy and Love will abound

I don't have figures as to the number of lives our giving has impacted through the past seven years of our participation in FRB. But did you catch the figures? Because of our willingness to love as we have been loved; to feed others as we have been fed, $494,499.24 has been raised to feed God's people physically, emotionally and spiritually. When I looked at that figure a few weeks ago, it registered that's almost $500,000; almost ½ a million dollars! We could not have done this alone, to be sure. But it would not have happened if we had not done our part. It is amazing what God's people can do, when they step out in love, respond to Christ's call and dare to join Peter in feeding, tending and caring for God's people.

Thank you for all you have done! I can hear Christ saying "Well done, good and faithful stewards." But there are more sheep to be tended, more hungers to be satisfied and more love to give. You can do that by sponsoring acres or portions of acres and by giving over and above dollars to our blessing bucket for all church acres. You can do it by telling your friends and neighbors about FRB and inviting them to join you in sponsoring acres. You can do it in ways that I can't even imagine, but that, if you open your heart to God, the Spirit will show you.

So get out the sponsor form and during these next few minutes listen for the voice of Christ and then if you are ready, please indicate on that sheet what your sponsorship will be this year. Then place your commitment in the offering tray as it is passed. Remember today you are simply asked to make the commitment. You will have until September to give what you have decided to give.

Do you love me? Then grow in my love as you feed, tend and care for my sheep!  Amen.