Perhaps what we need is less activity and more inner stillness. We need time to worship and be still and know that God is. In his presence is singing, prayer, offering and reading and exposition of the Word. When the world is too much with us we should rediscover the church as a refuge, a place to go from the turmoil and anxieties of the world, and be quiet for a while and seek through the Spirit an affinity with God in Christ. Activists will label this escapism, but there are some things we need to escape. In the anxiety that always accompanies a change in administration, when good King Uzziah died, Isaiah went into the Temple, where he received the vision of a holy God, high and lifted up. In a large program-oriented church the only place where all gather at one time in one place and feel solidarity is in worship in the sanctuary. Here young and old, male and female, black and white can feel that emotional junction we call unity. When we need a refuge from the world with its trivial … [Read more...]

and on and on -- but that real name MERCY is what they endure airport security for wands waving to detect metal as they headlong homeward come this time or at distant borders where refugees encamp on the harm side of checkpoints lately closed MERCY -- rescuer rushing towards their own centers' fierce fires MERCY holding them or holding hands as their lives collapse beneath their own sheer weight or as ever-fragile peace falls like a tower or two of babel or a dry pearl from the mistletoe sprig at the door come still and ever come again and always Mercy Posted Dec. 22, 2001 William Leety is pastor of Overbrook church, Columbus, Ohio. … [Read more...]

The camouflage-Salvation-Army guy holds the door for me as I carry out my large bottle of Tangueray in a brown sack. I thank him for doing extra duty as a doorman, then stuff a dollar in his red kettle. In Belks, unable to find Christmas coffee mugs, I pick up an American flag coffee mug instead. Then at the checkout I add a magnetic American flag to my purchases. The Special Forces are hunting Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora at that moment. The TV tells us what's happening minute by minute. I will cheer if they get him, dead or alive. The man behind the cash register says, "This has been the worst Christmas I have ever experienced." "What makes it bad," I ask. "People," he says. "I've been working here 12 Christmases and I've never seen it so bad. We even had a minister's wife 'showing out.' I said to her, 'After all the things your husband has said, if anybody saw your behavior here, they'd be glad to meet a Muslim.' If I said her name, you'd know her." I don't tell him I'm a … [Read more...]

There are many in our society searching for a new lease on life. Some are desirous of recapturing the enthusiasm they had when their journey of faith began. Others harbor doubts as to whether their lives have made any meaningful difference as they confront the latest list of complaints. Others have lost their ambition somewhere along the way, no longer willing to break out of their routine boredom. There are also some who keep busy avoiding the embarrassing skeletons in the closet. In the midst of unrest, Advent reminds us that God has not abandoned us. The Christ event at Christmas offers the opportunity for the rebirth of our enthusiasm. God wants to save us from our wanderings and idolatries, embracing us in loving forgiveness in Christ, infusing new energy and excitement to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Whatever our circumstances, God's gift of enthusiasm will sustain and energize us to serve others. Countless stories can be told of dedicated pastors … [Read more...]

We have again seen deeply divided partisanship being set aside for the good of our nation in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. I am amazed by the way in which people have set aside big differences to respond to our nation's needs. The attacks unified deeply divided segments of our nation and it brought together the international community in a way that no one might have expected. The public looked to national and international institutions for leadership and direction, and have been by and large pleased by the response they have received. The public has also turned to the faith community following the attacks. My hope and prayer would be that the church would respond with spiritual leadership that measures up to the level of civil leadership that has been displayed by national and international leaders. My fear is that we will pass on giving such leadership because it might interfere with our own ecclesiastical conflicts that we consider to be far more important than … [Read more...]