Archive for category: Pastor Jim’s Blog

In our Wednesday Class we recently heard an interview of Kathleen Norris, spiritual writer and poet who became well known for her book, Dakota: a Spiritual Geography. She moved from New York City to live in her grandparent’s house in a small town in

South Dakota – can you imagine? She discusses the little Presbyterian Church she eventually joined and when I consider that church it feels like going back I time. Here in the suburbs of a big city we live in a more transitional, fast paced world. (I wonder if they have soccer in that small town… if so certainly not on Sundays!) In our world we have little time for Sabbath, as resistance or just as rest. And rather than being surrounded by vast open plains we have streets, cars, condos, fast food restaurants and Jiffy Lubes (just to name a few) – it is a highly commercialized environment. As a result people who first come to church likely have a consumerist mindset. Yet, Norris says that deep down (and I think she is including even New Yorkers in this) people yearn for connection – for community where a language is used that is different than they see in the media. I want to believe that.

I am jealous of the big churches that have a program for everything. How attractive in our world; groups for young parents and empty nesters, singles too. How can we compete? Our last module in Beta Vitality was on “Connecting: Helping People Participate in Your Church.” The first thing said is that connecting is not about programs but relationships. Programs may encourage relationships, but they also may not. If one is a consumer one may not be looking for relationships so that when the service changes one leaves. If people are really looking for a community of relationships, even if they don’t know it, then the important thing is to connect with people personally no matter the circumstance. I was asked at the meeting how people connect at Cedar Cross. We don’t have a specific program for connecting people – it’s more of a collection of possibilities. The Adult Sunday School connects people as does the Wednesday study. Saints and Sinners, potlucks, game nights, musical groups, the UMW and the Men’s Group, and even committees all serve as places to connect. It seems, according to the module that more important than the type of event or group it is the spirit of that group. The module says that one of the most important things in getting people to come back to our church is observing how we interact with each other. There are many strategies that a church can use – and we will be looking into those, but what really matters in getting people connected is being sincerely interested in the people who come to Church. And nothing works better in involving someone than personally inviting them.

We have been blessed with many new people at Cedar Cross recently. We have to remember how hard it is to come into a church where you don’t know anyone. It is our job on Sundays to be connectors – to understand our role and responsibility by being a part of this Church is to connect with people – ask about people, and maybe even invite them to one of these groups and events that make up our Church. That is the heart of the matter. That is who we are called to be. One of the definitions for “sin” that Kathleen Norris offered comes from a Benedictine monk she is acquainted with: “failure to do concrete acts of love.” One thing about a Church, there is ample opportunity for concrete acts of love. See you in worship, in Sunday School, and elsewhere. P.Jim

We have begun our annual Stewardship program.  Each year at this time we focus on our giving, and we ask all to fill out a pledge card (estimation of giving in the coming year) so we can formulate a budget and plan for the future.  That’s the practical side of it but it is much more than that.

This year we will be using a program entitled “Treasure” which is based on the sixth chapter of Matthew, the root verse being v.21: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  It is also a special time (kairos time) spiritually too.  In my sermons I will not talk about giving money; I will talk about money but in the context of our relationship to God.  Jesus talked about money, but always in the context of our relationship with God.  Asking about our “treasure” invokes mention of money but in a spiritual sense – what is ultimately important to us.  For stewardship to be meaningful and also successful it must connect to that question.  If we ask, why give to CCUMC it too must be asked as a spiritual question.

Being a part of a church is different than belonging to any other group or institution in our world.  Instead of simply participating, we belong.  As we belong the congregation becomes our spiritual home.  Ideally, in addition to the family, the church becomes a part of our identity and purpose.  As such, it is where we grow and develop our selves, ask the deepest questions of our lives, and nurture our souls.  John Wesley’s famous question given to the early leaders of bands and societies (small groups) was, “How is your heart today?”  I believe we do this in many ways at Cedar Cross UMC.  I also believe that there are many people in our surrounding community who need a place like this in their lives – and often they don’t know it.  A fundamental part of our mission is to reach out to people, not to convince them to believe as we do, but to invite them into this community of faithful people so that their lives may be transformed and as we come to know them our lives will be transformed as well.  As long as I have been involved in the church I cannot imagine life without it.

Being a part of a United Methodist Church means that we are connected with other UM churches all over the world.  We are known as a “connectional” church – at the opposite end would be an independent, non-denominational, sometimes called “community” churches.  Connection is at the heart of who we are – in our families, within the fellowship at Cedar Cross, and then with other churches.  It is as a connectional church that we are able to be in ministry all over the world.  Our aim is to be larger than ourselves – to be in mission in our immediate community, and then as we work together in communities outside our immediate area.  Locally, we participate in Teen Feed and the local VOA Food Bank.  Regionally, we are connected to the ministry of institutions like the Atlantic Street Center in the Rainier Valley area of Seattle which provides services to disadvantaged children and youth.  Through our Annual Conference, our youth are able to attend events (retreats, camps, Convocation) that become a valuable part of their spiritual development.  And we are connected to ministries all over the world.  We are in Haiti and Nepal, Congo and the Philippines.  And through the United Methodist Committee on Relief when a disaster occurs in the world we are there – sometimes faster than the government!  I feel proud of the missional focus of our denomination and Cedar Cross.

Finally, and more specifically regarding Cedar Cross, this is simply a great church!  It is full of amazing people who exude a spirit of acceptance and grace.  The Spirit is surely alive here!  We have become a Reconciling Congregation, fully accepting LGBT persons into the life of our Church, thus truly living out our denomination’s motto, Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors.  We are growing, both spiritually and numerically (the District Superintendent and Bishop are particularly happy about this).  Being a part of this Church nurtures our souls and our families, provides a platform for global ministry in the world, and it’s fun to be here.

What more could anyone want?  P.Jim

One of the questions for Questions Sunday was, “We’ve become a Reconciling Congregation, what’s next?” I love this question because it’s one I ask myself, and I want to ask all of you.

Becoming a Reconciling Congregation has energized our Church. It has honed our sense of identity and purpose, excited us about our ministry in the world and given us a message to share with others in our community. There are people who have come to our Church because of our becoming Reconciling. I am very proud of Cedar Cross UMC; special thanks to the members of the Open Hearts committee who helped us to be transformed. But that cannot be the end of it.

In the sermon I preached on the day we celebrated becoming Reconciling I said that I do not see this as an end, but as a beginning. It is about making sure a certain group of people are loved, accepted and invited to fully participate in the life of the church, but underneath that is the spirit of love and acceptance for all. Where does that spirit lead us now? What shall we do with the spiritual momentum we have acquired? We are growing in all ways – spiritually, as a community, with new faces and stories. What do we do with this energy? I really mean to ask everyone these questions and welcome feedback.

The Beta-Vitality Task Force is working on these questions – we have met now for one year and have one year to go. We have talked about small groups, hospitality and spiritual disciplines; our last module was on marketing. The motivation for my choosing the book I did for Adult Sunday School (Thirsty for God a Brief History of Christian Spirituality) is because of our focus on small groups and spiritual disciplines. (When we started this last fall we took a number of tests/surveys which indicated that this was an area in which we need to grow.) We have had at least 30 in class each Sunday and over 50 participating! This is one place where we must continue to give our spiritual energy. To continue to develop relationships and grow as a community is vital to our future.

And then I think about reaching out. Becoming Reconciling drew us together as a community but it also was reaching out – it was a political statement to our Church and to the culture at large. We have also been spiritually invigorated because we were doing something that was larger than ourselves, that we felt was a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need this too. Where will that underlying spirit, that value of love and acceptance take us outside of our community? Are there other issues in our society that we feel passionate about? The plight of the poor, healthcare, the environment, etc? At Fairwood UMC we became a Greening Congregation, a designation that is offered by Earth Ministry here in Seattle. In addition to highlighting environmental issues the Greening Committee took out all the ivy and blackberries from their small patch of wetland and planted native plants – they made bat houses, sold trees and worked on trails.

Another group that we could enter into relationship with is Faith Action Network which is doing the same kind of work that used to be done by the Washington Association of Churches – mostly political lobbying. Currently they are working for the passage of Initiative 594 which would close the loophole allowing for guns to be sold without a background check. Is this a path we would like to take?

I feel the Spirit alive at Cedar Cross UMC. But where will it take us now? I would love to hear from you. Pastor Jim

I have a memory of a seminary professor making a comment, after a long discussion about a book in the Bible, considering it’s context, literary style, form and structure he said, “well, in the end we have stories.”

We all have stories; I would also say that our lives are stories, stories that carry meaning. The lives of each of us tells a faith story, are a kind of “word of God.” And each time we are able to share some of our story the Holy Spirit is with us. I have often said that when a new person comes to our community we are blessed with a new story, and new “word of God.” An important part of being the church is sharing those stories. We create smaller groups for people to be able to share. Please think about joining Saints and Sinners, the Adult Sunday School class, the Wednesday study, the Men’s group, UMW, choir, even in committees we spend time sharing. We ask, “How is your heart today?” Each time we meet is an opportunity to share our stories.

The Church has a story too. In our Adult Sunday School class we will be using a book by Bradley Holt entitled, Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality. It tells the story of Christianity – in brief, as the title implies. I have found that most people don’t know this story. To be frank, not that many people are interested in history – who wants their child to be a history major? But much of who we are is inherited – and I’m not talking about genetics. I believe that in a spiritual sense, stories are also inherited. Family stories – think of how much of whom we are comes from our families! I think faith stories live in us too, and whether we are aware of it or not, the story of the Church is our story and it lives in us.

At first glance this book may seem academic. There are lists of famous theologians, church and spiritual leaders, and we may be reminded of high school history where we had to memorize the presidents (just kidding, I know they don’t do that anymore). But the point of becoming acquainted with historical figures is not to memorize but to imagine how they experienced God – and to further imagine how that way of experiencing God relates to how we experience God. The book is not the text, in the end, we are the text. Our understanding of the story of the Church is quite limited – we see only a narrow spectrum of it; what we see in the churches around us represents just a little of the story. To see the larger story of God’s work in the world provides an opportunity for us to see our own lives with God differently, more expansively.

In the end we have stories. Come and share with us on Sunday mornings.

Pastor Jim

I am in favor of becoming a Reconciling Congregation because of the Bible, not in spite of it. One of my father’s professors as Yale Divinity School, Roland Bainton used the distinction between precedence and principle in biblical interpretation. Precedence is any single event or verse which is lifted from its context and given unqualified authority. One could, for example use the words of Jesus to the rich man, “go and sell all you own and give it to the poor” as a definitive mandate for everyone to do just that. Looking at precedence the people who owned slaves had the Bible on their side. To look for principles in biblical interpretation is to see texts as imbedded in a larger story – in the Old Testament it is the story of the people of Israel and their covenant with God. In the New Testament it is the story of Jesus – let us not forget that biblically Jesus is the Word of God, not the Bible.

I have heard that at one of the meetings to watch the video The Bible Tells Me So sponsored by the Open Hearts Committee it was requested that I share about specific texts in the Bible that are often used to condemn homosexuality. (Confession: I have not seen the video so this may all be a repeat for those who saw it.) One of the things we will see is that these texts are used as precedence and not principle.

Leviticus 18:22: You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

This is the text from the Old Testament that is used most often. It seems direct and conclusive, but then so much of Leviticus does. The Law, the Holiness Code in Leviticus comprises the details of living in covenant with God – 613 of them, to be exact. An important part of that covenant was for the people of Israel to survive, multiply and prosper. To do this they needed offspring. Essentially, women were seen as incubators – men put there seed in them and women gave birth to children, male children, preferably. To use that seed outside of that purpose was seen as a violation of the covenant. Onan was condemned for “spilling his seed upon the ground.” Notice there is no mention of women lying with women – they may not have cared. Furthermore, to view this verse as authoritative and not the rest of Leviticus is problematic. Eating pork is also termed an abomination, as well as many other things. Women were considered unclean while menstruating – and they were segregated. When a woman gives birth to a boy she is considered unclean for seven days, if it is a girl it’s two weeks. One cannot pick and choose and when we do that is when we abuse the Bible.

Genesis 19: Sodom and Gomorrah

Because the story contains a threat for men to “know” other men it is viewed as a condemnation of all homosexual activity. But the story is not about homosexuality. It is much more about hospitality, and the lack of it. Two “angels” come into town and Lot shows them hospitality by inviting them into his home. The people of Sodom already don’t like Lot because he is an alien. They are angry and surround his house threatening to rape the visitors. Lot will not let them out. Instead he offers his two virgin daughters in their place (now there’s precedence for you!). More important than the gender of those to be harmed is the spirit of violence in the people – that spirit of violence is the reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Violence toward strangers is also a violation of the covenant, whoever they are.

Genesis 1:27: …male and female God created them.

“God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” goes the quip, witty and cute. That God created men and women is often seen as reason enough to support our understanding of marriage between a man and a woman. The truth is, the Bible doesn’t have a lot of good to say about marriage, at least as we envision it. In the Old Testament men had numerous wives and fathered children by slaves. In the New Testament Paul instructs the nascent followers of Jesus to marry only if they can’t control themselves but it is better to stay single like him. Procreating was the issue, not sexual orientation.

Romans 1:26-27: For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received their own persons the due penalty for their error.

This is the numero uno text for the condemnation of homosexuality. As precedence it is clear; in context is less so. It was the habit of men to visit temple prostitutes, many of whom were boys – this was the kind of homosexuality they knew. Speaking of precedence, there was none for a committed relationship between persons of the same gender. On the face of things, Paul likely did view homosexuality as perverse, but how he would have viewed a covenantal same sex relationship we just can’t say. “For this reason…” refers to the impurity of their hearts in general. The mention of homosexuality is an example of that impurity. If one reads on there is a longer list: They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventers of evil, rebellious towards parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Then at the beginning of chapter two Paul says this, ironically: Therefore you have not excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. When using precedence in the Bible one often doesn’t read on. What Paul is addressing is rebellion against God, in any form. One way in which to rebel against God is expressed sexually. But that sort of rebellion is not about homosexuality, it is about “hypersexuality.” It is when sexuality becomes a selfish act, outside of love or care, outside of any covenant, with little or no regard for others. I feel that the greater evil of visiting the temple prostitutes was not their gender but that they were likely children and it was not consensual. “Friends with benefits” is more dangerous to the fabric of our society that two women living in covenant with each other for 25 years!

Again, we must read the Bible looking for principle and not precedence. The word for “Word” in the Gospel according to John as in the “Word of God” is Logos, and it can be translated in numerous ways: mind, thought, spirit and also principle. One could as easily translate the first verse of John saying, “The Principle was with God and the Principle was God.” And that “principle” is, once again, Jesus. And if Jesus is about anything it is love.

An overarching principle of the OT is covenant: God’s covenant with the people of Israel. It is clear that it is in and through covenant that the Spirit of God works. I believe this about the covenants we make in our lives – covenants with our children, in our church and when we marry. To extend covenant to all people seems to me to be terribly biblical. In the NT love is an essential principle. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but do not have love…what am I? And who wrote that? The same person who wrote chapter one of Romans. To take the Bible seriously we have to think about that. This is a brief clarification of the texts used to condemn homosexuality, and an example of what I think it means to take the Bible seriously. There is much more to say and if anyone has questions I welcome them. P.Jim