Every year our neighborhood holds a massive Fourth of July celebration — it’s got a theme, at least three days of events and a lot of community spirit. This year our theme was summer camp, and we had an afternoon with a whole bunch of camp activities: tie-dye, crafts, archery and aerial acrobatics. That last one was led by our congregation. Yup, you read that right. We’ve had an aerial arts troupe (known as RAPT) for the last few years, started by a professional trapeze artist. Yes, we bring it into worship – think amateur Cirque du Soleil interpreting song and Scripture. (Read my Outlook blog about it here.) An important note here: We’ve shared our aerial arts ministry with the community on numerous occasions. We did a Fourth of July showcase one year. We’ve held workshops. We’ve invited them to see it in worship. So, it was something of a shock to me when one of our long-time neighbors came up to me later in the day and said: “I wish I could have been there. I didn’t … [Read more...]
Making space: A reflection on Lent, family and the resurrection
This year, Ash Wednesday was spent in the hospital talking with doctors and undergoing tests. Neither my wife nor I were ill — we were trying to get pregnant. And it just so happened that Ash Wednesday was the day when everything would begin. Of course, the timing wasn’t ideal. I was part of a service with three other churches that evening, and I had more than enough work to fill a 12-hour-day (I always do in Lent). It really wasn’tthe perfect time to spend most of the day with medical professionals. But we made the time because we had to, because having a family was the most important thing to us. I thought it would get better after the first time-consuming day. I thought that the rest of Lent would basically be a breeze (at least personal-life-wise), with perhaps only a couple of interruptions. I was wrong. For two women like us, the process of trying to get pregnant is very similar to that of couples who are having fertility challenges. There are regular diagnostic … [Read more...]
Dissent and depravity
We asked our bloggers to share why they are Presbyterian. These are their responses. I was predestined to be Presbyterian. I’m not a cradle PC(USA) member; I wasn’t raised in the church, period. I didn’t start attending anywhere until I was 14, and I knew nothing about denominations. But there was a congregation down the street from my house, so I could walk to service anytime I wanted, which was most Sundays. Not long after my first visit, one of the co-pastors said that confirmation class was starting soon. Did I want to become a member? I said yes. Maybe this was my rebellion against parents that were uninterested in religion. Maybe I wanted to belong somewhere. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit. (OK, it was probably the Holy Spirit). Whatever the reason, I sat with the other confirmand as we learned about being Christian adults. I remember three things about that class. First, I learned that my church was awesome. Through my mentor, I experienced God’s radical love. She … [Read more...]
Ministry upside down
My heart is pounding its way up my throat. My hands are sweaty enough that I’m glad we still have communion to celebrate before the end of the service and the inevitable line of people waiting for a vigorous handshake. My knees are trembling so badly that I’m positive everyone can see it. When I first started preaching, this was a familiar feeling – it happened every week just before the end of our second Scripture reading. But today there is no sermon in my hands. Today the pulpit will remain empty. A couple of minutes later, I’m hanging upside down over the congregation. One foot is locked in the fabric of the aerial silks, the other is hooked at the knee to keep me from plummeting down to the aisle below. After a couple of moments, I’m spinning my way out of the pose and climbing back down to the floor as another aerialist steps into another fabric at the front of the sanctuary. By the end of this act of proclamation, six of us have taken to the silks – and just a few months … [Read more...]
Edgy improv groups
The Monday before last as I was driving home from one of my church’s Bible studies, I heard a comedienne interviewed on NPR. Her name is Aparna Nancherla, and on her newly released album she tackles some pretty heavy stuff – like mental illness. They played an excerpt of her work, and her piece on anxiety really resonated with me. She said, “Having anxiety is like having an edgy improv group in your brain, and it just needs a one word suggestion to spin countless scenarios that no one’s comfortable with. And the whole time you’re just like, ‘when will this show be over. I just came to be supportive!’ None of these thoughts have a future.” Alone in my car I burst out laughing because it’s true! Of course, if you’ve never been to an improv show, this might not make sense. So let me give you a little context. If you watch an improv troupe, they often ask for a one word input from the audience to get a scene started. And then they take that word in some of the wildest directions … [Read more...]
A good death
When I was doing my summer of Clinical Pastoral Education (that’s a chaplaincy internship with a lot of group processing and reflection), we spent an entire week talking about good deaths and good goodbyes. I remember sitting around a faux-wood conference table and swiveling slightly in the black ergonomic chairs that populated the hospital like mushrooms on a damp log, as our supervisor, Marc, spoke to us about the holy process of death and dying. The concepts made sense; my Nana had died just six months earlier, and the fact that it had been peaceful – in her sleep just like she wanted – was a sacred comfort to all of us who were left behind. Since that week in 2009 I’ve found myself returning to that conference room from time to time as death and endings arise in my ministry. I have frequently heeded Marc’s wisdom when it comes to saying goodbye (tell the person you love them; tell them you forgive them; ask for their forgiveness; thank them). I’ve even spoken with … [Read more...]
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