The Questions We Ask About Church

Our church board is going on retreat for a few hours this Saturday.  When I say "board" I mean the Eliot Church Parish Committee, which is a much cooler name.  Lately we have been talking about our future.  We are--as congregations go--a healthy and dynamic group.  However, with that said, we have noticed what everyone else has noticed.  The world has changed and church...has not.  

Anyway, our retreat this year will be about what it means to be a congregation in this new world.  What does it mean for the institution?  What does this mean for our liberal faith? We don't really know.  What we do know is that the old things we have done aren't working well anymore.  We want to address these issues.  We want to have a conversation while we are still healthy that will prepare us for the future, whatever that may be.  the following is really a letter to them to get ready, but I thought I would share...

Dear Church Leaders,

We have a big weekend coming up and I am looking forward to it.  Our retreats in the past have inspired some of our most lasting ministries.  Things like the Garden, the Ukestra, Philosophers' Club, Pub Theology, Snow Posse, special services like Baseball Sunday, Blessing Sunday and so on. Family field trips,  Family Promise and cool Membership Committee events like the Jack O'Lantern competition have changed the way we do church. Music in the form of our expanded concert series has brought in people who would have never entered out doors otherwise.  Also, we began the building upgrade. We have a table at the Common.  You get the idea.  All of this has come from conversations at retreat.  Maybe not the exact ideas (which were worked out later), but the sentiment and the direction was begun and developed in that context.  Some things worked well and others didn't, but they are in a real and lasting sense the result of conversations refined at retreat.

One tool we are using for our conversation this time is a book by Rev. Dr. Jefferey Jones entitled "Facing Decline, Finding Hope: New Possibilities for Faithful Churches".  I will link to it at the end of this post.  It is a good read.  Jeff, himself will also be with us for our morning session.

His thesis is basically that not all churches will survive and that many of the ones that do will be transformed by the experience.  Phyllis Tickle, a respected expert on all things church, points out that religious institutions re-invent themselves every 500 years.  Jones accepts that idea and points out that we are due for another re-invention.  The world shifts over time.  Our culture, identities, and expectations shift, too.  Eventually the old institutions either adapt or make way for something new that works.  This is a time for adapting or for making way.  In a way it is a bummer.  In another way it is a blessing to be right where the action is.

However, what Jones points out (and I agree) is that we don't really have much consensus around what the "new thing" will be.  There are folks who are experimenting with a variety of models.  Some succeed and some fail but all give us information.  They all forge a path.  Most people and institutions, though, aren't doing this.  They are hoping to get by simply by tweaking here and there.  It is hard to adjust when you do not know what you are adjusting to, after all.  The problem is that tweaking doesn't cut it.  It is a decision for irrelevance.  The other problem is that tweaking is all we know how to do.

This doesn't mean that we need to run around like those metaphorical headless chickens!  In fact, we have some time.  The first step to entering into this new place is to ask some questions.  In fact, the questions themselves need to change from what we once asked, to what we now must ask in light of that massive societal shift that is happening around us.  Here are the questions that Jeff Jones asks in his book.  Again, I will link to it at the bottom if you would like to purchase a copy.  While the questions are Jeff's, the thoughts are mine...

Old Question: How do we bring them in?  New Question: How do we send them out?

You see the shift there right?  The first question is about maintaining that institution.  "How do we--short of kidnapping--get butts in the pews?  How do we make Sunday School more interesting than soccer or sleeping in?"  The second question is about how we empower our members and our community to interact with the world they live in.  There is a risk in asking this question over the old one.  But there are benefits as well if we take seriously the idea that the church is about sustaining people rather than sustaining itself.

Does the new question help answer the old one?  I think it does in this case.  People want to join a faith community that helps them to live authentic and fulfilling lives.  They will join congregations that are able to do this.

Let's try another shall we?

Old Question: What should the Pastor do?  New Question: What is our congregation's shared ministry?

There is that shift again!  The first is about staffing and assumes that the role of the staff (not just ministers) is to do the work of the church so everyone else can go about their business.  The second flips that.  The question is about how the church sees itself.  What does the community do to minister?

Is there a place for the staff in this new question?  Sure!  However we are on a loooong road trip and the driving needs to be at least shared.  Then the staff can take their turn at the wheel...and at the map...and leading the car games...singing the songs...picking the rest stop...changing the tires...you get the idea...

Old Question: What is our vision and how do we implement it?  New Question: What is God up to and how do we get on board?

This is one of those questions where perhaps as liberals we enjoy over-complicating.  We know that the word "God" means different things to different people but, really, it isn't so hard to grasp here is it?  The old question asks how we as a community want  to plan our future.  The new one asks where we are being led or taken.  The pre-socratic philosopher Heraclitus once said something to the effect that "you can never step in the same river twice".  The new question is simply "where is that river taking us"?  It is--no matter what theological language you prefer--a question of discernment.

Here is one that is common for many, many churches these days...

Old Question: How do we survive? (or in churches like Eliot that may be less desperate, "How do we restructure")  New Question: How do we serve?

I am not sure I even need to add much at this point.  There is the shift again.  We are hanging on to the old ways like a climber clinging to the cliff.  How do we let go?  How to we make the leap into the new?

OK, finally, one that has caused some confusion in these parts.  The fact is, our tradition has a particular way of talking that makes it hard sometimes to grasp points and concepts that are written or said in a way that comes from someone else's theological language.  Still, hopefully by this point--given the other examples--we can see the same shift here...

Old Question: What are we doing to save people?  New Question: What are we doing to make the reign of God present in this time and place?

At first in a liberal context the old question may not make much sense.  In our church there have generally been two responses to "saving" language.  There are those of us who do not believe people need saving and there are those of us who believe that "saving" people is something that the Great Whatever works out with individuals.  Both groups make a point of not "witnessing".  HOWEVER, guess what?  We do have strong opinions don't we?  We like to talk about them.  We like to bring folks around to our way of thinking.  Yes, we don't bring people to Jesus so they can get to heaven but we sure do stake out a position.

With that in mind, let's look at that second question in this final pair.  Again, we can let ourselves get hung up on the God language but we are better than that, people!  Our intern Shane points out that the idea of the "reign of God" is the same one that exists within one of our favorite hymns We'll Build a Land.  So the question is simply "Are we just talking or are we doing?"  "Are we trying to bring about the world we wish we lived in?" Or, perhaps more tellingly, "Are we just trying to change others or are we working to change ourselves?"

So there yah go.  The questions.  Maybe we need be asking both sets, maybe just one.  Either way, it is worth discussion.  One thing we do know is that the world is changing whether we like it or not...

I am looking forward to seeing you at retreat and then at our follow-up meetings.  thank you for being willing to take a look at these difficult questions.  You are great!

Yours in Faith and Hope,
Adam

Here (drum roll please) is a link to Jeff's book.

Think Broadly About Bi-Vocational

Busking in the church

It feels like this year the slow-burn of concern about the future of the institutional church has reached a new level of acceptance.  I find this interesting.  There is still a great deal of talk about revitalization and church growth and there should be.  At the same time, we are also recognizing that the world is changing and--for most congregations--what is coming will be very different than what has been.  Some churches will "die" and must choose whether to do so gracefully and authentically or whether to dissolve into a big hot mess.  Other congregations will change into something that none of us can quite anticipate or predict.

General Synod of just one of the "teams" I play for. (UCC)

Honestly, I am not worried long-term for the future of our deeply held faith traditions.  They will survive and flourish in whatever is to come.  Our institutions (things like denominations, traditional town-square church buildings, and full-time traditional ministries) will probably change quite a bit or cease to be relevant.  Is this a bad thing?  Not necessarily.  My faith is not a building.  Nor is it a job.  Nor is it centered on a particular "team" of buildings and jobs.  Like most people, my spiritual life is growing and shifting along its own lines.  Our faith is transcending old forms of identity (like denominations) and moving out into...something...

That said, I do have a very specific investment in the old institutions.  I am a full-time pastor and I love both my congregation and my job.  I like what I do.  The problem is that it isn't all that clear what the future will bring.  What if at some point I can no longer be full-time? Church budgets are pressed everywhere.  More immediately, what about the younger, newer ministers entering the profession now?  A few will truck right along, I know.  Others will discover that the "career track" in the ministry is in the process of exploding.

All of this means that you and I--ministers, congregations, seminaries, individual lay-people--need to start thinking creatively about bi-vocational ministry.  At the seminary level, it might make sense to partner with a community college or trade school.  At the congregational level, it might make sense to adjust to the fact that your pastor may not be a "suit" for much longer.  For individuals (ministers and seminarians) it would be a good idea to get down learning different skill sets.  People should take this up this early on before they get old like me.

So...we need to think broadly about what those skill sets might be.  Right now most seminaries can train you up to simultaneously be a minister and...work in another kind of non-profit.  These dual-degree programs work best when someone is in fact called to both disciplines.  Also they reflect a bias toward the old-school "professions" that isn't helpful.  The problem for many of us is that we aren't interested in other traditional professions. I looked at similar fields and chose the ministry because it fit my skill set and enabled me to do the things I like more than the things I didn't.  So why would I want my other job to be something that is kinda like the ministry but not as fulfilling (for me)?

What should happen instead is that we seek out this new vocation the way we sought out the old one.  What are we called to do?  Where can we continue to give to world while our spirit simultaneously gets filled?  If my church said they didn't need me full time, I would probably attempt being a busker/brewmaster/ukulele-maker/baker.  Then I would narrow it down.  None of these are taught in seminary. All of them take time to perfect.  All of them cost money to get started and a while to build up a customer base (yes, even buskers).  But I would love the work just like I love the ministry.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day.  The fact is, pretty much any minister born today will have to be part time at some point and probably for an extended time.  If we think of the ways this is a good thing then perhaps we will have more creative and energized ministries in the future.

Here are some links.

This one is to a recent Peacebang essay about some of the stresses on our congregation.

Here is a link to the book we are reading for our Parish committee retreat which discusses asking the right questions as we enter the unknown.

XMas Buyer's Guide: Making Things

There is an assumption I am making here.  It is part of my theme for this Sunday's sermonizing.  One of the great challenges we face when we try to re-claim the holiday for ourselves is the simple fact of an overblown gift culture.  Simply put, Christmas has become about getting stuff you want and giving people stuff they want.  As an economic engine this may have some merit.  As a spiritual one, however, it makes little sense.  It changes the conversation around what is important.  Both adults and children grade their holiday experience based on how much loot they received.  They are bothered when they don't get what they want.  The people doing the giving (and, yes we are both the giver and the receiver this time of year) are quite appropriately tense about the gifts they give being accepted.  This is not a healthy arrangement.

As it currently stands holiday gift giving is a test of our wealth and our love.  It creates a general anxiety that makes us feed the machine, spending a great deal and then demanding the same.  Instead of bringing families together, it can drive them apart. The dominant emotion on Christmas morning in many households is not joy but relief that it is over.  That is too bad don't you think?

I have written about this part of the holidays a few times and no doubt will again.  There are a variety of ways to get things under control.  Setting a budget is one way.  So is narrowing down who gets gifts in the first place.  Another adaptation used for many years by parents and spouses--one that gets a bad rap--is when people buy things that need to be purchased anyway and then wrap them. Think socks.   Similarly, buying your own gift (and letting him/her reciprocate) can be the perfect gift to a spouse.  You get what you want.  They get the satisfaction of knowing you got what you wanted without the threat of failure.  Yeah, these sound silly, but, really, it frees you up to celebrate in other ways.  It isn't your birthday, after all.  Presents shouldn't be central.

If I am on the ball, I will provide a few updates on gifting this Advent. However, I want to start with another time honored tradition that might just make life a whole lot easier for you.  Namely making gifts.  They cost less.  They show you thought about someone.  They also let you observe the holiday in a non-commercial way while taking care of some of those pesky obligations.  Here are some ideas...

Baking:
Baked goods have been the currency of the holidays since forever.  They are a casual-yet-not-casual  way to say that you are thinking about someone.  Baking takes time.  At least some of that time is spent thinking about the holiday and about the person on the receiving end of the gift.  It also makes the house smell nice.  You can turn on some music.  There are plenty of free resources online that you can grab to figure out a new thing. Alternatively, you can go with an old classic recipe that you try to perfect over the course of years and decades.  That makes it special.

Check out the previous post for that pseudo-fruitcake recipe.  Cookies are also great this time of year. Here is a link to today's New York Times to get you started on cookie making.  Bacon Gingersnaps anybody?

You can check out the link but don't forget to return.  After all, there are plenty of people for whom baking something would be inappropriate.  What will you do for them?  How about...

Parties:
No, really.  I am bad at throwing parties, but I love to go to them.  When I am invited (whether I manage to attend or not) I see it as a gift.  You can get your friends together and share the responsibilities, or you can dominate the planning yourself.  Either way, you have done something special and it should count.  Just let them know that is what they are getting.

Also, you can combine the party with some other low impact gift.  After all, that is what the time honored "cookie swap" really is...

Making a Book: Notice I didn't say "bookmaking".
When the kids were younger, my wife and I had them make books that we could give to family and friends.  The first was "A Christmahanakwanzakah Companion" (an alphabet book).  The next was "The Christmas Ride of Paul Revere" which told the story of Paul Revere and his apparently inebriated sidekick William Dawes rescuing Santa from himself by delivering presents to "every Middlesex village and farm".  Both involved photographs and drawings.  Plenty of tape was used.  Then we had it printed and bound at Staples or some similar place.  It.  Was. Awesome!  Just as with baking, there was plenty of time to think about the holiday.  Also, the kids got into it in a way that they don't when it comes to cookies.

Making a Plant Press: 
This is a plant press.  It got quite a bit of use during the year I was homeschooling Son #2.  I did not make it.  My brother's family did and gave it to us as a Christmas present.  It is the sort of thing you cannot pick up at the mall.  It is fun to talk about.  It makes me feel like I am a 19th Century intellectual.  Which is to say that it makes me feel at home.

I do not have mad skills in the making-stuff-with-wood-and-nails department.  However, if you do,  figure out a cool project like this.  It will be worth your while.  again, there are plenty of resources.  You can find a plan to make pretty much anything online and there are books as well.  Try something out!

Mix Tapes:
You remember mix tapes, right?  I realize that technology is super-cool and whatnot.  However, there was something great about the idea of somebody compiling a group of songs that they like and giving it to someone.  These days you could even add an original performance or composition to the collection.  I say "why the heck not?"  If you do this, though, try to use a concrete medium.  The web is fine and convenient.  However, the holidays are old-fashioned (see "Plant Press" above). Why not be old fashioned, too?

Art in General: 
Do you paint?  Do you sing?  Think about what other creative thing you can do.  There has to be something.  Use your imagination and come up with a unique gift that people will appreciate!

Final Notes:
There are two of these...

1) One note has to do with the giving.  You need to be clear with people what you are doing.  They need to adjust their expectations.  Also, you can start gradually.  Pick your hipster friends and family first.  They will get it.  They have probably been dying to make you a mix tape or a spinning wheel (out of tuna tins) for some time.  You will make them happy.  Save the difficult cases for another year when enough folks have said positive things in their presence. A good buzz like "I sure hope Adam will give us his fruitcake recipe this year.  I sooo look forward to it" will help break the ice.

2) This one has to do with receiving.  Son #3 asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I told him to make me something.  He said, "I would rather get you something you would like".  Heart. Broken.  I thought I was doing a great job of appreciating his crafts.

We as receivers need to be helpful about what sorts of crafty things we like.  We also need to be encouraging and supportive to the people who make us something.  If we are not, they will go back to buying expensive crap and we will miss out on  a profoundly spiritual way to address the gift giving this season.

That is all for now.  Be good givers and good receivers.  Like I said earlier, there are a variety of ways to go and I will try to hit a few others before we are through...

I Burned the Fruitcake...and a Recipe

I burned the fruitcake.  That is why there is this attractive picture of a snowy bush instead.  I had planned a victorious photo of the first fruitcake of the season.  The bush is gone thanks to re-landscaping at the parsonage but the picture remains to help console me after today's baking disaster.  I am not quite bereft.  But, still...

Actually  it isn't really a fruitcake at all but a fruit-nut bread because I see no reason to drown it in booze like you are supposed to.  Also, I use fruit found in nature.  Still, the bar is so low for fruitcake that when people try it they are sure it is the best fruitcake they ever tasted.  Who am I to correct them?

Whatever it is, I burned it pretty bad.  I make a lot of these every year.  It gets me in the Advent mood and then I can give them to people.  This year I had some challenges that I previously didn't need to deal with.  First, we have a new stove.  Second, I was running around doing too many things.  Third (and crucially) I misread the cooking time.  Things weren't turning out right.  The outside was OK but the inside was still goopy.   Instead of blaming myself,  I blamed the stove and turned up the heat...

Anyway, you can write your own conclusion about taking time for the holidays, mindfulness and whatnot.  I am too depressed.  I will freeze one of the poor things and have it for breakfast later in the season.  The other I will start munching tonight after I practice the Nutcracker on the ukulele for Sunday.  I am sure that it will get me back in the mood...

Every year when I churn these things out, some folks ask for the recipe.  When not burned they are quite yummy and worth the effort.  Just pay attention to those cooking times!

Fruit-Nut Bread of Advent Awesomeness

It should be noted that I am not a great baker.  This recipe is modified from a couple of cookbooks that I usually use.  One is the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that my parents bought me when I got an apartment in college.  The other is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.  If you know someone who does not have a copy.  Get them one for Christmas.  There is also a vegetarian one.

This is for two loaves because no one makes just one.  That is silliness.

1 stick of butter
2 cups white flour
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups sugar (a small amount (1/4-1/3 cup) of this can be brown sugar if you are a New Englander)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1.5 cups mulled (heated with cinnamon and cloves) apple cider
(other juices in a pinch but I actually will use a strong herbal tea first and it really should be cider)
2 eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 cup walnuts chopped

About the fruit:  Sure, you can use what you want, but if you asked for my recipe, the cider and the fruit are key.  I use a small amount (1/4 cup) of crystallized ginger.  Then I hit stuff that feels Biblical to me.  I use apricots, dates, figs, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries usually.  All in their dried form and then steeped in the hot cider (I also add the butter) for about 45 minutes.  The steeping gives them enough time to mingle and then cool before adding the eggs, which you do not want to cook too early.  The rest is easy, put the dries in the liquids.  Stir gently until it is a sticky mess.  You might need a teensy bit more cider.  Put it in the loaf pan and...

Cook it at 350 Fahrenheit for 1 hour!  Don't make the same mistake I did...

There ya go, my Advent gift to you.  By the way, I am now eating the pseudo fruitcake and the middles are fine...

The Liberal Church Needs Christmas

Hey Folks,

According to my FB feed I should already be getting myself into my annual state of XMas rage.  I should be mad at Fox News for their pretend "War on Christmas" (I am).  I should be angry at retailers being open on Thanksgiving (I am).  I should be annoyed about the general commercialism of "the Holidays" (of course I am).  I should also point out that it isn't really that important a holiday in the Christian calendar anyway (duh...obviously).  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday in the world. Ever.  Easter comes in second.  I so get it.  This run of holidays beginning with Halloween, reaching its peak with XMas and coasting to a stop around New Year's (for the unchurched) and Epiphany (for the rest of us) is a bit of a chore.  It's all about hype and money and whatnot.

However--ministers--could I just direct you to something important?  For many of the people in your community (not necessarily your congregation, but the community at large) this is the only time they think about all those things we think about the rest of the year. I mean in a focused way. This means while we are grinching our way along, we are getting killed by the secular culture and the religious right.  They speak the language that others speak rather than speaking thier own language slowly, expecting folks to understand.

The season starts (as I mentioned) on Halloween when we think about fear and death.  Then there is Thanksgiving which is about gratitude, family and so on.  Then there is XMas which is about presents (if you let it be) or about something so much more.  That "something" though, is hard to articulate if we don't think about it until it is upon us.  You know those fellow humans who aren't darkening your doors on Sunday; the ones at sports, the ones at work, the ones with the New York Times who think they are just a bit too cool for school?  Something happens to them this time of year.  They feel an urge that they cannot quite place.

Now, we might call this urge the "movement of the Spirit," or "God," or "The Divine," or "The Great Whatever".  They call it "Christmas Spirit".  That is their word. It is what they have and they want to know more.  That is why they suddenly show up around this time of year.  To reach them we have to speak the language they know, not beat them about the head and shoulders with our purity.  Then, if we can do speak in a way that respects their humanity, we can broaden their vocabulary.  We can talk about the Jesus of Faith, Hope, Peace, and Love.  We can talk about Justice and all those good things that they may think about, but don't get to think about systematically the rest of the year.  Maybe they might even like church and visit us again.

This is important, grouchy pastors.  We are being tuned out because we often speak a language of arrogance and exceptionalism.  We correct people.  We judge them.  They are trying to get some of what we say we have and instead of support or direction they are getting guff.  They aren't shopping the right way.  They like to listen to carols in November.  Their turkey isn't organically fed love maggots and tickled to death.  That is what they hear, anyway, and we are paying the price.  In our churches we pay.  In our nation we pay.  Since some of us woke up this morning to find a post-election disaster, I think it is clear that the message that we declare from our pulpits isn't getting too far out our doors.  If you do not meet people where they are, they won't listen to you.

What I am NOT suggesting here is that we join the throng at Wal-Mart on Thanksgiving night!  What I do suggest is that we take a moment to think about how we can--using the "pulpits" that are least ignored during this time--provide some counter-mojo that affirms those seekers we are turning off.  I am serious.  "God" to many people means getting to buy stuff and say "Merry Christmas" to whoever you darn well please.  It is a way to channel our anger into what should be a happy and glorious occasion.  Seems pretty shallow to me.  We offer a deeper God, one that calls us to serve something greater than ourselves.  How do we get that message through?  How do we get people to listen?  Probably not by yelling.

Anyway, I have already begun planning for the holidays.  Since I see it as a single piece with many "movements", I started October 1 getting ready for Halloween.  I will try to share stuff with you if I find something that makes sense.  Worship planning is a great place to start.  After all, this is the time when you never know who might go to church...

Here are my past "shopping tips".  One thing that might help (I have usually failed) is to clear the deck of this sort of obligation so you can focus on the spiritual work at hand during Advent.  Which to say, you can actually spend time being religious, yourself.

The Ukulele Buyers' Guide Part I and Part II

And the "Ethical Shopping" post of many years ago...  Part I and Part II

Preaching and Dry Spells

I have never had writer's block.  At least I have never had it in the stereotypical way.  My image of someone with writer's block is of a tormented, heavy-drinking genius tearing paper out of the typewriter, balling it up and inexplicably missing the waste basket next to the desk only to furiously start again.  That is how it is right?

I have never had this because, as a preacher, I work on a weekly deadline.  Journalists, I suspect, know what I am talking about.  The deadline--the risk of getting up in church and having nothing to say--clears the mind beautifully and means that something gets created in the time span given.  That said, there are times when sermon preparation is easy and it flows right along.  Then I am prompted to ask "where did that come from?"  However, there are times when the process takes forever, the weight of words is vastly heavy, and the result is never quite what I want.  When that happens I have a tendency to whine on Facebook and to my wife.  I am not proud.

Of course, environmental factors play a huge part in this.  Right now we are gearing up at church in a number of ways.  My job has changed, too.  We used to have an "Associate Minister for Religious Education."  Now we have a parish intern (and a good one, too).  This has meant different sorts of duties for me that need to be fit into an old job.  I have supervision, of course, which comes with various trainings.  I am much more involved in our Religious Education program for the kids.  As a long-term pastor I am now taking on more responsibility in areas of congregational life that I was previously less involved in.  We are adding programs--like Pub Theology--while trying to maintain old ones--like Philosophers' Club.   My kids are at particularly parent-heavy ages.

What this has meant is that the actual cycle has been been broken up a bit.  During dry spells, sermon writing becomes a task that is wedged in between administering the discretionary account, getting caught up in a spontaneous (but important) conversation, sending emails, running programs, and whatever else needs doing.  The problem is, however, that inspiration can't really be scheduled.

For a good preaching ministry there must be a steady pattern of "study...preach...study again...preach again" that runs in the background seven days a week.  When this stream is flowing steadily and well, worship is invested with the spirit and has spirit in the moment.  If not, then the process is more like a person looking for the car key.  There is a lot of wandering, swearing, self-doubt, and foolish relief at its final discovery.  To fix this problem there needs to be down time.  There needs to be tasks not of the "required" kind but of the kind that call to you.  Non-deadlined creativity helps.  It doesn't even need to be all that good.  I use music, photography, and writing in a weblog that no one reads unless I write the word "ukulele".

Anyway, these spells pass and the stream runs again.  I have enough faith to believe in that!  However, my thoughts go out to all those people--pastors and others--who use their creative gifts for the common good.  This is a difficult and busy period. On Sunday one of the "pillars" of the church said, "I do not envy those pho preach in times like this." Here's praying that your stream doesn't run dry, that you find a way to break up the jams, and that you are able--not matter how hard the task--to keep on creating what this world needs and requires.

Things We Should Talk About as Long-Term Ministers

One of my greatest weaknesses as a pastor is--quite simply--that I am not the most organized person to ever wear a Geneva gown.  It is a problem that members of my church are rather familiar with.  Over the 11-plus years we have been together we have learned to adapt and adjust.  Like any long-term relationship, we have found ways to bring out the best in each other...most of the time.

However, one of the problems that this creates is that I am suddenly feeling the need to learn more about long-term ministry.  Being in such a ministry will do that to you.  I have changed since I arrived in September of 2003.  My congregation has changed.  The landscape we now are moving through has also changed.  We are doing just fine, thank you, but I feel that I need to reflect a bit to be on my game.

The best way would be an ongoing group or a workshop.  That is the problem.  I am not good at planning.  However, I am good at thinking so I thought I would share with you some of the topics that I think such a workshop or group would have to address if someone more gifted in this way were willing and able to work with me on such a thing.

1) Big Famous Keynote: Yes, we can have one of these. I am affiliated with both the UUA and the UCC.  So is my church.  It isn't hard to think of a few former pastors of big churches who fit into this category and who love to talk. However, what I am looking for from him or her is something very specific.  I want theological and spiritual reinforcement for the value of long-term pastorates.  This is important stuff and plays right to the strength of "Reverend Biggs".  For applied and practical elements, I want to hear from other people who have experience in congregations that are a bit more typical.  

2) How Do You Advance Your Career?: ...and what constitutes a successful career if you have stepped away from a system where bigger is always better? 

We know why Reverend Biggs stayed at the big steeple right?  The pay was good.  Important people had heard of the good reverend's church and wanted to invite the pastor onto committees and such.  There was time off (thank you Associate Pastors!) to write that meditation manual.  This is all fine.  Rev. Biggs worked hard, spoke well, and got the brass ring young enough to also serve in one place for a while.

Most of the long-term pastors I know, however, do not serve "big pulpits".  We labor in relative anonymity.  It is an easy thing to get noticed in that one big congregation in your association.  What do the rest of us do to influence the direction of our various denominations?  How do you get your voice heard when you have stepped off the career ladder for something you find more fulfilling?

3) How Do You Grow Spiritually Together?: Or, if you prefer, "How do you keep from getting bored or being boring"?  A long-term pastorate, like any long-term relationship, can get dull if you don't work on it.  My wife and I go to a lot of concerts, date nights, couples nights, and so on.  We go for long walks to chat.  We have been together for twice as long as I have been at the church.  

Now I am not one of those "ministry is like a marriage" people because, well, it isn't like a marriage at all.  That said, it is still a relationship that needs work. What are the equivalents to these sorts of experiences in a long-term ministry?  I will say that I have had two rather distinct ministries at Eliot.  There was the one before my sabbatical and the one after it.  Both were quality ministries but they were different.  I wonder if some sabbatical planning would make a good workshop.

4) How Do You Grow On Your Own?:  Again, the same people all the time.  The same patterns.  What do you do away from the church to keep yourself sharp?

5) What About New People?: Some long-term ministers are pretty good about integrating new people.  Others not so much.  We have leaders we are comfortable with.  Often we have known them for what feels like FOREVER.  What sort of tricks and techniques would help facilitate lay-leadership growth?

6) How Do You Not Mess It Up For the Next Person (and here I mean Parson)?: This. Is. Important.  A Church isn't after all, about us.  In a long-term ministry it is inevitable (particularly in small and mid-sized churches) that the pastor becomes part of the architecture in some sense.  The church building...the old communion silver...the ancient pastor who baptized both you and your kids...all are permanent and timeless after a while.  What happens to the new person when they show up?  How hard have we made it for them if we have over a decade of service in one place?  I would like to hear from a really good Interim and find out what drives them crazy about us.  I even have someone in mind.

7) God:  This is the most important question.  Where is God in our ministries?  Are we in the same place because we don't want to (or cannot) move?  Is there still life and spirit in the pastoring? These are important questions.  Certainly there are always practical considerations that make us choose to stay.  At the same time we are ministers.  If God says "go" we go.  If God says "stay" we stay.  Perhaps this is where we end with small group discussion inspired by Reverend Biggs' sermon. We cannot let our relationship with God get old.


Anyway, this is my non-exhaustive list.  Can anyone think of other items?  My years at Eliot easily rest among the very best things that have ever happened to me.  I know that every long-term minister would agree about their settlements.  That is why we are still around.  That is why we do the work we do.  The challenge is to keep doing that work and to do it well...

The First Week of September is the Loneliest Time in Church

So I haven't gotten tired of waving at people yet.  This past week as folks have returned from various points there has been a rush of friendly greetings from cars and sidewalks.  In the coffee shop I run in to neighbors and congregants.  The whole neighborhood converges at the school pick up line.  I am a small church pastor.  I am not famous.  Yet most of the people I know and who know me live in a very small geographic space.  Life is noisy and  even joyous right now, like a middle-aged version of college move-in day.  We are back from our epic seasonal adventures.  We are out and about.

I am returning from what may have been the best summer of my life.  I will do my best to write about parts of it when I can.  Now, though, the kids are in school. My wife and I are at work.  I have been sending emails, going to meetings, preaching and picking on Sundays and making phone calls so much that my voice is rough and my fingers hurt.  We are building (or re-building) the community we depend on to keep us grounded in a sometimes impersonal world.  However, the sanctuary is still silent.  It is still clean.  It is static and waiting for the party to begin.  When I get off the sidewalk and walk into the office I share with our Church Administrator, Felicia and our new Ministerial Intern, Shane. I am suddenly alone.

Such is the way with church this time of year.  We are busy, but not for what is "right now".  Instead we are preparing for "not yet".  It is my least favorite part of the church cycle.  Every year I wonder if this will be the one when no one bothers to show up the Sunday after Labor Day. 

Yes, we have summer services.  Yes, the leadership and the staff are prepared and ready.  At the very least that great and vibrant core group will be around.  Still, I have at various times in my life thrown parties where no one ever arrives.  Also, there was that one year some eight ago when it took many members the vast bulk of September to remember that there was a church and they should be in it.  In the silence I wonder.  I wonder if people will remember to bring their kids back on September 7 when Sunday School begins.  Will the Middle School Youth Groupers gather at 9am on the 14th right before our Ingathering and water service?  I sure hope so.  I would miss them if they don't.

 

My prayers these days are for all those people who staff our small and mid-sized congregations.  It is a little surreal running about from task to task in the quiet of an empty church.  We really do know that eventually the folk will return.  It is just strange, that's all.  And it isn't anything we want to get used to....

Does Burbania = Middle School?

A long, long time ago, I moved to Burbania with my wife and (back then) two children.  I had--with the exception of a 9 month internship in Grosse Pointe, Michigan--never lived in the 'burbs.  I am a country boy and have inhabited a number of small towns in Maine both growing up and as an adult.  When I wasn't part of the rural landscape (like parts of college and grad school), I lived in cities (Montreal, Chicago). I was, therefore, a bit unprepared for the basic social dynamics that come with settling in to this kind of place.

You see, our arrival had clearly created something of a ripple in the social fabric.  I don't think this has anything existentially to do with us.  I believe every new arrival in these parts creates ripples.  Everyone, it seemed, was trying to figure out what to do with us both as individuals and as small, tightly knit social groups.

Things sorted themselves out, of course, but there was this confusing phase.  We would be invited to an event at one person's house...and then not invited to another event at another house that had the same people attending.  Our kids would get to go to certain childrens' birthday parties...but not others.  Book Clubs were like that, too.  Really, anything one might describe as a "club" was. Sports teams--ostensibly randomly assigned--would end up with all my sons' friends on the same one...and my son on another.  I spent hours on the sidelines essentially by myself, or talking to another person who was essentially by him/herself.  They, too, were usually new to town.

Like I said, things worked out, rather painlessly.  Both my wife and I have jobs.  Some of my closest colleagues and their families live in the area.  The fact is, we have a broad range of affiliations and friendships.  We also have each other, which is the very best thing.  Also, I now know to bring a book to youth sporting events.  My kids, too, have found places for themselves and seem to be fine.  That said, in the midst of all the confusion around "finding a place", I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, this is just like middle school".  Knowing this is good.  After all,  anyone who has actually been to real middle school should have low expectations for the adult version.

In the very small towns you hang out with whomever there is to hang out with.  There aren't enough people to be picky.  In the city there is so much to do, why would you want to limit yourself to one group? Middle and high school (and college for some) seemed to me to be where you get to worry about who is "in" and "out".  That is when you gossip and have comically serious conversations about who to exclude (or include).  That is where the social standing of your friends (and spouse) still matters.  Then we grow up and move on...right?

Um...right?

 Turns out, in Burbania there is still a strong streak of tribalism and "clubiness" that I don't understand.  I am including a link below to an article from Boston Magazine that examines one--rather extreme--slice of the suburban social scene.  I think it is a worthwhile read for everyone.  The reason that it rises to the level of brief blog post, however, is that if you read the article looking for "institutions of exclusion" (my term) that help to define these small social groups, one of the ones you will find is the church.  It is a heartbreaking story, actually.

The fact is, the church must work hard to keep itself off this list.   It is easy for a congregation to end up becoming--or appearing to become--an exclusive social club.  This is a bad thing.

Sure!  People are allowed to hang out with who they want.  However, a church, regardless of its size or theology, is there to serve the broader community.  It must be open to as many people as possible.   The liberal church--at least in theory--throws its doors and arms wide open to create a diverse and loving community.  It should not be reduced to being defined as "the place where those people go" unless those people are then defined as "open, welcoming, spiritual, accepting, and loving".

Anyway, here is the article.  If it appears to be about folks aspiring to be rich socialites, that's because it is.  It isn't really my experience and it may not be yours. However, in the socially stratified world we Burbanians get to move in, many of the same principles still hold.  People shouldn't be reduced to burying their noses in a book and hoping no one notices how alone they look.  Pastors and other church leaders need to remind themselves of this.  Every. Single. Day.

The Survival of the Liberal Church

Recently my Assistant/Intern Jerrod Oltmann asked me who I meant when I said things like "liberal religion".  The answer, of course, is that I use the term broadly.  I mean the liberal Christianity of the United Church of Christ as well as the more amorphous liberalism of the Unitarian Universalist Association.  I also see liberals in a diverse number of traditions not my own.  Basically, if you see the conversation between "secular" (I use quotes here because life is sacred no matter what compartment you choose) and "sacred" (or the church, or theology, or merely seeking deeper meaning) as a two-way thing, then I think you are at least open to the idea of the liberal religious tradition.  The goal, I think, for all of us, is to integrate all our sources into one understanding.

Of course, there is more to this than reading or reflecting on one's own.  For me, truly formative religion happens in the context of a faith community--formal or informal.  There needs to be intention and accountability.  There needs to be a real and living language that forms the foundation for our thoughts and conversations.  Otherwise that ubiquitous pretty sunset is just oddly moving.  The moment passes and we go back to the same Habitrail we left.  Religion--liberal and otherwise--is a building.  You need a crew. You also need to work at it or it will collapse (or never get built) and then you will be standing like a confused idiot in the rain...talking only to yourself if you even bother to listen.

I have made my life in the context of the church.  I just have.  I work for a church and have for a long time.  Before that I worked for other congregations and attended others.  I have sat in many seminary classrooms.  A large portion of my friends do the same kind of work.  Many non-clergy folks I know and love spend a great deal of time and effort keeping their particular faith community running and healthy for free.  Others just attend when they can and that's fine, too.  For all of us in these categories there is something that makes us come back and connect to the larger community and--yes--to the Divine (however you want to parse that word).

Of course, I also have friends who don't belong to any community of faith.  That's OK.  I don't judge.  I really don't. In fact, if you are one of those people, I like hanging out with you because we get to talk about music and politics and beer and kids which is awesome!  Most of these sorts of people I know have found communities elsewhere.  However, I have never met a person who wouldn't have had their lives enriched or improved by belonging to some kind of congregation.  Most of the people I know would be best fit into a liberal one.

Why don't they all go run off and join a church?  The answer isn't as simple as busy lives and youth sports.  There is other stuff going on.  Much of it the church brought upon itself over the centuries.  If you watched the first episode of Cosmos, for example, you know that religion hasn't always been that tolerant or, you know...liberal.  People remember this.  They remember their own experiences, too.  Sometimes the biggest enemy of liberal church growth is other churches.  We are not the same, but how would people who don't go to church know that?

Others just go on what they see in the media.  News reports love the fundamentalist.  It is so clear and easy to say "all churches believe X".  Why bother with subtlety?  Sitcoms, movies, books and TV dramas throw in a minister or dedicated layperson whenever they need some shorthand for intolerance or prudishness.  Sometimes we are lovably uptight.  Sometimes we are evil.  Rarely are we depicted as the hero.  Almost universally we are depicted at least as "squares".  Perhaps shockingly, the hippest and coolest people I know are clergy and other church people.  This isn't just because I am a minister, either.  Believe me.

All this is just to lead up to one of the challenges we face.  By "we" here I mean the liberal religious.  It is a challenge that I face as a leader and pastor to a particular congregation.  How do we welcome people who don't even know we exist?  How to we bring people in not for the sake of the institution but for the sake of those very people?  It is a struggle with no one answer.  After all, what makes us strong is our diversity as well as our depth.

I read this article this morning.  There are literally thousands like it on the web but for some reason it stuck with me.  You should check it out.  What do you think?  If you go to a church, or synagogue or mosque (obviously the article is written from a Christian perspective, but many of the ideas have parallels in other faiths), does this approach make sense to you ?  If you are not part of a faith community, does this look like the problem?  Have you thought about joining a liberal congregation?

I would love to know what you think.  If you have no thoughts to share, I would love for you to keep thinking about this issue.  We are, after all, talking about the health and survival of the liberal voice in contemporary conversation.

Happy RefHallowHainOrmationSox Day!

Yup,

It is that time of year again!  Which is to say the time when all the Christmas music starts in elevators and other public places.  Still...quite a blowout today, isn't it?  I haven't posted lately because I have injured my wrists and I like playing music when they aren't hurting.  Typing...not so much...

Still, it is a special day, so here is my Newsletter Column for the Church Newsletter:

Dear Eliot Members and Friends,

Happy Halloween...or Samhain...or Reformation Day!  This is one of my favorite holiday mash-ups and it happens every year.  It is Halloween (the one you all know about), a fantastic folk holiday on the eve of All Saint's Day.  All Saints Day is also called All Hallow's Day so this is...Hallow's Eve.  It is also Samhain, the holiday celebrated by Druids both ancient and modern.  Samhain traditions found their way into Halloween so in a real sense when you celebrate one, you are celebrating at least part of the other.  Finally, it is Reformation Day, when Martin Luther (presumably dressed as an angry soon-to-be-former Catholic Priest) nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg church to begin the Protestant Reformation.  Needless to say, I like to observe all three.

It is also the day when retailers start to put up their Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.  I understand the urge.  At church we have already begun planning for “the Holidays”, too.  From the staff perspective ,the time between November 24 (Thanksgiving Sunday) and January 5 (Epiphany Sunday) is one long celebration made of interlocking readings and rituals.  Planning for it is fun, but it is a lot of work!  It is always a good idea to get a jump on things.  However you don't have to.  It will come soon enough.  There is plenty of fall to enjoy before we dig in so take your time!  One of the challenges we face as a people is finding ways to be in the place and time we currently occupy.  This is a good time for measured activity and contemplation.  Actually Advent will be, too...

This Sunday we will be thinking about the efforts we go through to maintain that sense of the spirit in our lives.  It takes effort and intention to keep our feet under us is the hustle of every day.  I hope you can make it.  Either way, I wish you a blessed beginning to a time of great festivity.  Let us know if you need anything!  We will see you around...

Faith and Hope,
Adam

I didn't note the World Series in the newsletter, mostly because I (like many people in these parts) am tired.  However, I should say that my favorite moment in the series was the broken pickle play last night.  Now, sadly, Fenway must be put to bed for the winter.

Whatever holiday you are celebrating today, enjoy!  Stay safe and sober...

and eat well.

The Loneliest Day

Yesterday was Children's Sunday and--as usual--it was fantastic.  The kids were great.  the picnic afterward was fun.  We even tolerated the inconveniences of the current building project (full strip and paint) with good humor.  When I got home, however, all I wanted to do was sleep...for a week or so. 

While not officially the case, yesterday's service is viewed by a majority of the congregation as the end of the regular "church year".  Sunday School is over until September, after all, and people are preparing for their summer plans.  The old joke about God going to the Cape around this time of year still has some currency in our church, with many people either travelling or staying put somewhere else for long periods of time.  Still, even the folks who stay around aren't always able to see their way to the church doors until after Labor Day.  I am conscious that over the past few weeks (some church members didn't make it to the picnic), I have said goodbye to a part of my community that I will not see for a relatively long time.  I know they will be back but it is hard on a guy who likes to have people around and misses them when they are not. 

It is the end of a great year with great memories.  It is one for the books.  However, the "new thing" hasn't started and I am recovering from the old thing that ended.

 I am very aware of how my job changes in those hours immediately following clean up.  Now we are in planning mode.  Yesterday's service--as it always does--marked significant changes for our community.  Our DRE/Assistant/Associate Minister for Religious Education is moving on.  So, too, is the person who ran our Confirmation Class.  Our K-2 teacher is helping with a different ministry among us (one you will hear about on the blog I assure you).  We have interviewed a potential Ministerial Intern.  The office is being re-organized.  The church is a construction zone.  Ultimately it falls to me and to the tireless lay leaders to put everything together.  Not everyone goes away for the summer and we have a dedicated group keeping things going while looking toward the future.

 I won't say we put things "back together" because each year is different.  In a small congregation with a seasonal schedule, every summer feels like a new church start.  There are some great things about this, but it is a quick gear change.  It makes me moody.  Normally I try to be all studious and "Sabbath-like" today, but I think I am going to work through it.  Otherwise I will spend it staring out the window and sighing deeply, which is not terribly healthy, is it? There is a whole lot to do...

1) Summer Services: I am preaching this upcoming Sunday.  The next few weeks are a sort of transitional phase with regular-length worship that slowly changes as the summer takes hold.  On July 7, however, we officially go to our summer format.  I will preach most of these services as well.  They are shorter and more casual.  They are also more experimental.  They are all designed to be intergenerational.  I love planning them.  They have been a recurring topic on this blog.  I will include some links for you below...

2) Ukulele Orchestra: Yeah, this is where the K-2 teacher went.  I am looking for a way to diversify the music and worship options at Eliot while also trying to find ways for adults and kids to interact in non-stuffy ways.  This is what I came up with.  The vision is to get a pilot going for adults and high school kids, then to expand it.  Since music in the summer is mostly played on stringed instruments, it seemed like a good idea to start thinking about it now.

3) Fall Planning: Actually, #1 and #2 fall into this category as well.  Things we try in the summer often find their way into the regular services, too.  However, there are other issues.  Volunteers need to be recruited, Interns oriented, ministries altered.  I have Youth Groups to think about.  There is a lot in the air right now.

However...I am not panicking. The church has managed to muddle through somehow since 1828 and it will do so now.  By September I do not doubt that there will still be some hanging chads.  Still, mostly we will have a plan and will hit the ground running.  This is my 13th summer planning for church.  It is my 10th at Eliot.  We will be fine even if it seems a bit chaotic in June.

Today--on the loneliest day of the year--I will make some calls and send some emails.  I will start getting some balls rolling and I know that there are other church leaders--at Eliot and elsewhere--doing the same.  Then I will drive the kids around...and at some point, I have to tune all my cheap ukes.  We have plans, after all, and they will not wait....


Ok so here are some Burbania Posts links about...

Summer Services at Eliot: "Ukulele Hymns and Summer Worship" was written two summer ago and fairly accurately describes the philosophy behind our summer series.

"Summer Worship and Summer Music" is from last summer and talks about what I have learned about leading music during these more free-flowing services.

Marathon Day

I was planning to post this afternoon about the Boston Marathon.  I usually do since it gives me the chance to pretend to be a sports reporter and post pictures of the race.  I may still post those pictures but not today.  Today I am posting the letter I wrote to the congregation this evening while keeping the church open for drop ins.  It has been quite a day.  Blessings and prayers to you all...

 

 

Dear Members and Friends,

I watched the Boston Marathon, as I always do, from the steps of First Congregational Church in Natick. As most of you know, it was a beautiful day. I marveled at the number of people both running and watching. As the athletes went by I couldn’t help but be impressed by the strength of the human body and the human spirit.

As you know, the Marathon didn’t end the way it began and now we are all left to grapple with the act of violence that has marred such a great and peaceful event. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you, with the runners, the victims, and the many volunteers and emergency workers who have now been called into service. Right now we do not know who did this or why. Right now, for many of us, the feeling of shock and grief are just about all we can handle.

When events like this happen, I try to reach out to the people I love. I try to find people to talk to. I try to listen and I try to pray. I urge you to do the same. When a tragedy occurs it draws us closer and we find strength in that. If I can be any help—or if the church can be of any help—let me know. I would love to hear from you. Also, tomorrow the church will be open from 9am-11:30am if you want to sit and think or pray in the silence of our sanctuary. I will be in the office if you would rather chat. We can even talk about everything but the Marathon if you want to. Whatever helps.

So hang in there. Hug each other. Reach out to those you can. Accept the fact that others will reach out you. Show that our human race is capable of beautiful things. I and the church are around if you need us. Remember—wherever you are—that you are not alone.

Yours in Faith and Hope,

Adam

Advent is Upon Us

We are really moving along now.  This past Sunday we lit the candles in the windows as we always do and shared the readings we will use for the next three weeks.  This year I gave some of the more grand, poetic readings a rest.  The Benedictus and the Magnificat will have to wait, possible until Christmas Eve.  Smaller moments, more intimate ones, I think, have taken precedence.  The actual birth of Jesus as told in Luke 2:1-7, for example, did make the cut.  So did Luke 1:39-45, the moment when Mary visits Elizabeth right before all the singing starts.  Fewer angels touching their harps and more amazed humans reacting to miracles.  Non-Biblical readings included Theodore Parker, Anne Weems, and Kenneth Patton.

I am always amazed when I read the actual Christmas/Advent story and realize how short it is. Really...every single year it catches me off guard.  No doubt part of this is a result of my job.  I certainly think about the story longer than it takes to read it.  Partly, though, it is cultural.  We have filled in a whole lot of spaces haven't we?  The books and specials have helped with this.  There is so much more one can do by setting the holiday in Whoville instead of Bethlehem, after all.  Of course, that Arius-punching Saint Nick has his own franchise going... 

Yeah, that's the Arius v. Santa...er...incident.  The liberal theologian is on your left.  Jolly Old Elf on your right.

I like the simple story best.  I like it that we are working up to JC's B-Day and that we are supposed to prepare for the event.  I am enjoying the way things are unfolding both at church and at home.  In both places we ease into the decorations, both to reflect the passing of time and, frankly, to keep us from going crazy.  Decorations are important, after all.  It adds to the special feeling.  The normal and average begins to change, becoming greener as everything else turns brown and (hopefully...eventually) white.  It also keeps us from shopping.  It makes us focus on either the holiday itself or one of its pagan predecessors.  It slows us down...at least a little bit.

What doesn't seem to be getting a hold on me right now is the answer to the "what to you want for Christmas" question.  I don't mean to sound either virtuous or pedantic.  I love presents but I am at a loss for what, exactly, they might be.  I guess I am not so into specifics right now.  Still, something wrapped up under the tree with my name on it would be nice...

Here are some links to Advent posts of the past...

Here is a link about shopping this time of year.  I wrote it some time ago but there may still be some helpful hints in there...

This is about hanging out with the steampunks at a Holiday event in Waltham...

And another holiday-themed post about music in church...

Oh...Arius...  I got the picture off the web and will try to figure out where it is located...

Advent Worship Plans...and the Joy of Music

Winter--when cold nights make everything pretty--is on its way.  I am sitting at my computer at home trying to get it together enough to figure out the general outlines of the Advent series of worship services.  It is snowing, which helps.  I have one of the Sufjan Stevens Christmas albums playing the background.  Various anthologies and essays--by Theodore Parker and Eleanor Roosevelt among others--are strewn about the living room/office.  However, it is tough getting going.  There are other things going on, after all, that need attention.  Of course...When is it not like that?

I  try to have things line up a little differently in worship as we get closer to Christmas Eve.  The first Sunday always features a ritual in which we read the passages we will be using for the rest of the season as we light the candles--one for each window for a total of six.  It is (or can be) a lovely process.  It does require some planning, though.

We try to change up the music as well.  Last Sunday marked the third anniversary of my locally-famous "White Christmas" sermon which ended with me playing the uke and leading everyone in singing the song.  That year the first Sunday in Advent was right after Thanksgiving, so we had the candles as well.   It was the first time I had brought the ukulele out at a time other than summer services.  I have since gotten a couple of better ones and--I hope--I have since learned to play better.  However, for the sheer fun of the moment, it has been very hard to beat. 

This year we sang Bob Dylan's Forever Young.  It was fun, too.  I played Mandolin and did the loudest singing (though my voice quit on me shortly thereafter).  Matt and Conor played guitars.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely.  In a way, it was a perfect fit.  In church, when we put aside the piano and organ for a few minutes, we tend to play three different types of songs.  The first--and most common thanks to the summer series--are traditional hymns reinterpreted.  Another type is the explicitly religious song.  Things like chants and modern or "Contemporary Christian"  hymns fall into this category.  Finally, there are popular or folk tunes. 

I like this last category best.  Sometimes these pieces are familiar songs indeed.  However, we get to see them differently.  Through them our religious experience changes as well.  White Christmas and Forever Young certainly fall into this category, so does Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.  In the summer we sang songs like O Freedom and Michael Row the Boat Ashore.  As "Special Music" (non-hymns) our youth have played things like Elephant Gun by Beirut, Rise by Eddie Vedder and I Still Believe by Frank Turner.  Each time they are moved from their secular settings, they grow in meaning if only for us.  In a congregation of doubters and seekers, these songs add to the language we use to talk about the transcendent.  Also...they are very cool songs.

Anyway, that is what I am thinking about these days.  The question with a time like this is how to interpret the holiday in ways that speak to us right now.  How do we keep from sounding the same every year?  The story--both the one with Jesus in it and the one where everyone wants us to buy stuff--stays the same.  What changes is us.

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Here is Forever Young  from this Sunday.  There is no uke in it, but that's OK....

 

 

Here also is the link to that "White Christmas" sermon.