Preparing for the Season of Lent

The sign of the cross deepens
its impact when we
add a spiritual discipline.

As we move into the season of Lent, this is the forty days (not including Sundays) prior to Easter Sunday.  It always begins on Ash Wednesday but because Easter is tied to the lunar cycle, the calendar date moves around each year. 

Many Christians give up something during the season of Lent as a spiritual discipline.  It might be a fasting from soda, desserts, or television.  One year I tried fasting from food on Fridays during Lent.  Lately, I’ve seen people give up certain entertainment apps on their phones. 

Rather than give something up, some people prefer to adopt a new spiritual discipline during Lent.  In the latter part of my life, I’ve discovered the discipline of journaling through a book or section of the Bible.  Last year, I took the Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew) and the Sermon on the Plain (in Luke) and looked at parts of these each day and wrote about them.

This year, I’m going to be working through the book of Job from the Hebrew Bible.  Since it contains 42 chapters, it is fairly easy to divide for daily reading (I don’t post on Sundays).  The book will be helpful during Lent as we examine the overarching theme of suffering and how our faith intersects with it.  This corresponds nicely with the journey of Jesus to the cross during these forty days.

I will post these to my blog (precedinggrace.blogspot.com) and each day’s piece will hit the web at 3 am in case there are some really early risers out there!  I will also post these to my Facebook and X accounts at a more reasonable hour of the morning each day.    Boston Avenue UMC will feature these as their Daily Devotions and you can signup for a daily email if you prefer.

Each post will include a link to the day’s reading.  At the end of Lent, you will have read through the entire book of Job.  Some people include as a part of their discipline to comment on something that relates specifically to them.  This also has the added advantage of circulating the post to a wider audience.

As we look toward Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, what might you consider for your spiritual discipline this year?

Photo by Ahna Ziegler on Unsplash

Dilution or Prioritization?

“There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

                                 Paul of Tarsus, Galatians 3:28 (NRSVUE)

As the United States and Canada celebrate Black History Month in February, I believe it is important for the church to look at racial reconciliation within our history as we seek a better vision for our larger culture.  

When Paul makes the above statement to the church at Galatia, it was a radical idea for his time and still seems to be today.  The categories that he lifts up were definitive.  It was easy to see that you had more rights as a man in that time just as you had more rights as a free person.  Culture privileged free males over female slaves.  "Jew or Greek" had religious connotations for Paul’s audience.  Jews were understood as preferred by God over Gentiles in the early church which initially emerged as a sect of Judaism.  

Paul is not erasing these categories in Christ so that we might dilute or diffuse our individual identities within our culture.  Rather, Paul is saying that God does not prioritize one over the other with regards to the grace offered.

The church has struggled with this for years and many branches still regard feminine calls to ministry as illegitimate.  And racially, our church has often mirrored the culture at large rather than lived out an example of who we could be.    

When United Methodism formed from the merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1968, we moved to end a formal system of segregation in our denomination.  The Central Conference of the Methodist Church in the United States was a segregated body where African American congregations had their own pastors and their own bishops.  White pastors were not considered for appointments to these churches and black pastors were certainly not allowed to oversee white congregations.  

Once the Central Conference was dismantled, black churches and black pastors merged into the annual conference where they were located geographically.  As cross-cultural appointments (very slowly) began to be made, the pioneers often paid a steep price.

Four years after the dissolution of the Central Conference, The United Methodist Church began to apportion the Black College Fund.  As we have long recognized education to be an equalizer for social standing and economics, we began to fund the eleven historically black colleges and universities that were now United Methodist.  In a world where tuition has risen over the years at a faster rate than the minimum wage, this apportionment has helped keep higher education affordable at these institutions. 

Just as there would have been more tension for United Methodists located in southern states following the integration of the black churches, clergy and laity into the annual conferences, the payment of this new apportioned item likely received initial resistance.  

Many local congregants would have pushed back against paying this line item, just as Paul’s original letter to the Galatians would have been criticized as unbiblical.

As we celebrate Black History Month in February, we highlight our participation within African American culture, and we confess our sins where we've fallen short.  Certainly, our confession would include the Central Conference.  We are seeking to rename the remaining Central Conferences (which are geographical and located overseas but named at a time when they were seen as different from how we operated within the United States) as Regional Conferences in amendments to our Book of Discipline’s constitution at annual conferences across the connection.  The United States will also be named as a Regional Conference.  But we also honor where we've done well in following Paul's original prophetic letter to the church. 

If there's no preference from God for those in Christ in heaven, how do we lift up that same egalitarian ideal here on earth?

Our support for the Black College Fund has served us well for 53 years.  It is a prioritization that reminds us of who we can be and who we seek to be in Christ.

Photo by Felipe Gregate on Unsplash

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Remain in Light

 

This Sunday marks the beginning of a series on Epiphany entitled, "Remain in Light."  This disarming picture above is actually a mock-up from the 1980 Talking Heads album cover also titled, "Remain in Light" and uses our four appointed clergy in place of the band members.

I've read various things about this artwork.  It was one of the first computer-generated art pieces used in mass media production.  Some have claimed that the masks or the suffusion of the red blurring out the faces represent the difficulty of showing our true selves.  It is often hard for us to remain in light.

And yet, we seek to lift the bar high as the people of God.

Our faith reminds us that "Christ is the world's light" as Jesus declares in John's Gospel, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (8:12b, NRSVUE).

Of course, this statement is an exaggeration - a kind of wishful thinking.  It would be nice if following Jesus meant we would never face darkness in our lives but in reality, we face difficult tests every day.  This is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation."

And of course, Jesus showed us how to be vulnerable.  Jesus was comfortable in his own skin and was comfortable around all kinds of people.  His dinner partners often confounded those in high status. 

Maybe this was because they were unable to take off their masks.

As we seek to find ourselves walking in the light during the Epiphany season, we will begin on Sunday with the Baptism of the Lord as we remember the baptism of Jesus.  We will move through the Gospel stories from the Lectionary and end with Transfiguration Sunday.  All of these will help us to recognize our own masks and remain in light.

What Does God Expect Me to Give?

Recently, we had a gathering of college interns, and this took me back to the late 80's as we remembered going to late night dinners after we were done with the evening activities.  We would usually go to Denny's because they had a Grand Slam breakfast for $1.99.  

The tipping standard back then was 10% and so if you ordered a water, the poor wait person might receive two dimes for their trouble that evening.

Since then, American society has recognized that our wait staff should be compensated more since their wages may dip below minimum wage.  The standard for tipping has moved from 10 to 15 to 20% or more.  During Covid, when they were risking more to serve us, we started doing better collectively as a society.  Now many options on card readers start with 20 and include 22 and 25 percent as possibilities.

While some still stiff our wait staff, there has been more pressure from society to be generous.

As we think about what we give back to God, the church's standard has long been the tithe or 10%.  While this has been a goal or high bar for our church members, the average gift calculated on an annual basis for church-going Americans has been closer to 2.5%.

What is interesting is that the average has fallen through the years.  And while some blame inflation or the economy on their lack of giving, it's been reported that during the Great Depression, the average gift was 3.3%!  

The tithe comes from biblical expression as an expectation for supporting the Levitical tribe which were responsible for worship and didn't inherit land.  There are several mentions of it in Mosaic law.  This likely originates from the earlier example of Jacob when he makes a covenant with God and vows to give one-tenth.

Within the early church, there were examples of people that gave all they had to the congregation which far exceeded the tithe!  This has fallen out of vogue.    

While Sheryl and I have tithed as our starting place for giving since we began in ministry as a married couple, we know that this is not adopted across the board.  Some calculate their annual income and see what they gave the previous year and recognize that because it is not even close to a tithe, they do not even try.  But for the faithful, despair is not a good baseline for behavior.

One practice that has been helpful for many is to figure what percentage they are currently giving.  If it does look to be on average at 2%, the question becomes not can I give a tithe or 10% next year, but can I move toward a tithe.  Could I give 3% in the coming year?  What would I have to adjust in my budget to do so? Are there things I wouldn't purchase for myself in order to do so?

Now we are beginning to understand sacrificial giving.  

Since I started this with the example of tipping, I wanted to be clear that giving back to God through the church is not the same thing at all.  A tip is historically thought-of as appreciation for a service well-done.  One could even look at the language that Jacob uses in the referenced scripture above as almost the same thing.  

But to tip God as if God were working for us gives the wrong impression of our place in the universe.  We give because God is asking us to support work that is larger than ourselves.  We are seeking to support and give voice to the grace of God in the world today.  

That is surely worth a second look at what percentage we give.  That is surely worth a bit of sacrifice on our part.  That's my tip for the day! 

Photo by Joits via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Wesleyan Theology of Giving

We are in the midst of our pledge campaign for our 2025 budget at Boston Avenue and I recognize there are many other churches moving through the same season.  From our United Methodist tradition, I wanted to emphasize what a Wesleyan theology of giving looks like.

In the history of giving back to God, offerings were often made as a kind of restoration of relationship.  Sacrificial offerings were given to atone for sins (both known and unknown), ritual impurity, but also for thanksgiving.  One might think of the majority of these as appeasement so that we might find ourselves on God's good side once more. 

Within Christianity, monetary offerings have sometimes fallen into this same theological rationale.  The indulgences that Martin Luther wrote against seemed at their basest as a kind of sale on salvation.  The Protestant Reformation stood against these, and the Roman Catholic Church later reformed their stance on them as well.  But in some Christian circles, our theology on giving reverts back to this same logic.

In Contrast, Wesleyans emphasize God's Prevenient or Preceding Grace which starts with God's love for human beings.  The divide between God and person lies with the person's ignorance or unwillingness to accept the love of God in their lives.  The would be instead of starting with a place where we need to somehow work to get into right relationship with God.  In this understanding, we believe that we start with a state of blessedness.  Within our idea of giving to God, it begins with the stance that God has given to us first.  As Christians, we see this gift coming through the incarnation (Christmas), the cross (Lent) and the resurrection (Easter).  It also comes through all the teachings of Jesus (Ordinary Time).   

All of these things preceded us before we were born.

So, as we give, we give in response to what we have received.

As persons recognize and accept God's great love for us in Jesus Christ, we come to an acceptance of the love, forgiveness and mercy we receive.  We don't bargain or pay for atonement but receive it as a gracious gift.  We repent of our sins within this great Justifying Grace.  As we think about our generosity through this grace, we would begin to count our many blessings (and name them one by one) as the song goes.  

The counting of our blessings may include a review of our lives.  Where can we see God's hand at work?

We may have to train ourselves to examine with faith as a glass-half-full view when partaking in this look back!  We give out of thankfulness for all that has shaped us and allowed us to be in this state of blessedness.

Finally, as we accept this relationship in Christ, we seek to become more like Jesus in our identities.  This is how God partners with us in Sanctifying Grace.  In order for us to become more Christ-like, we must engage in the various spiritual disciplines regularly.  One of these would be to methodically give out of our resources to God through the Body of Christ where we are connected in the faith.  We live out this connection through our local church.

It is in through these gifts that we recognize that we are seeking to influence the world around us for the better.  We pray each week in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  Giving to God through the church is literally putting our money where our mouth is!

Within United Methodist tradition, our mission is "To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."  As we give, we trust that God is working through our offerings in order to bring good works to all the world.  We are transforming the world!

So, as we give, we don't do so out of guilt or duty, but we do so because we believe that we are making our world a better place.  It is out of our strong sense of mission that we give.  We believe that God multiplies our gifts to share grace with every person.  

Giving in this sense for me is joyous to do.  It feels good to put my check in the offering plate (symbolically for me as I'm always near the pulpit) as I know these dollars are spent on things that abide.

As you make your pledge or gift, may you do so with a sense of gratitude and purpose!

Photo by Money via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Entrusted with Your Gifts

When I was appointed to Boston Avenue, my son’s girlfriend commented wryly, “So, you’re going to be a TV preacher?”

My response was, “kind of.”

Technically, I am a TV Preacher, but I have trouble associating myself with this crowd because of all the connotations I have with the term from my youth.  In the 80’s, televangelists went through a succession of scandals.  

I remember a lot of problematic behavior such as prayer concerns (minus the checks) discovered in the trash bin outside one particular megachurch.  

I also remember air-conditioned dog houses and private jets.

And so, I was reluctant to associate myself with this kind of excess in ministry.  One reluctancy that many people have when giving to a large church is that their money will be spent frivolously by the pastor as a "bonus".

Fortunately, as a pastor in The United Methodist Church, I work in a system that engages in multiple checks and balances.  

For our clergy appointed to our churches, their salary is set by the charge conference as per paragraph 247.13 of The Book of Discipline.  The voting membership of a charge conference is the entire administrative board and includes any retired United Methodist pastors that are related to the charge.  This includes consultation with the district superintendent.

In order for the charge conference to receive this salary recommendation, it must first go through the Staff Parish Relations Committee (our human resource department) which includes annual reviews that are shared with the district superintendent.  Their recommendation is then sent to the church’s Finance Committee which determines if the proposed salary is in line with the budget.  Then their recommendation goes to the Administrative Board which needs an initial approval before it can even get to the charge conference.  

The compensation form with the approved salary is then signed by the pastor and the chairpersons of the staff parish relations, finance and administrative board.  Charge Conference meetings are open meetings, and all are welcome to observe the proceedings.

The salary may be adjusted throughout the year, but any raises or bonuses must go through the process outlined above.  

So, gifts that are given to a United Methodist Church are well-looked after through healthy stewardship practices.

United Methodist Churches also go through an annual audit practice that is approved and required by the conference.  Boston Avenue goes an extra mile in having their books audited from an outside source so that we are secure in our financial practices.

In light of all these steps and oversight, your gifts are secure and not abused by our clergy or other staff.  

I was recently introduced to an Instagram account entitled, “preachersnsneakers”.  It highlights expensive clothing tastes of pastors by showing what their shoes and other items cost.  Fortunately, I have never been featured on this account.

And while my current sneakers are Adidas Bounce (and quite comfortable), I think they cost less than fifty dollars at Academy.  They are made out of recycled plastic which I appreciate, but the front flap of the sole of my right shoe recently started coming loose.  Fortunately, I fixed it with some super glue!  I share this anecdote to assure you that while I appreciate the generous salary given by the church, I would never be confused with a jet-setter!

But I am a tv preacher – kind of.

Moving Forward as a People

This presidential election was a surprise for some but not for all.  

It certainly calls into question relying on the polls which showed a much tighter race in the so-called "battleground states".  In many ways, this was a return to 2016.

Those who were the most surprised were those who supported Kamala Harris and this may be due in part to the algorithms used to give us our news feeds these days.  Those who supported Harris likely didn't see a lot of links to negative stories about her emerge as possibilities for reading.  Conversely, those who supported Donald Trump likely did see more negative stories around Harris pop up.  Hence, they were not as surprised (in spite of the poll numbers) to see America put their candidate back into office.

This bubble effect is disturbing in that it is creating alternate narratives of reality for people living in the same neighborhoods.

As a pastor, I am praying for healing for those who are disappointed and temperance for those who are delighted.  I do believe that in spite of our divergent realities, we can move forward as a people in many ways.

But for those who find the outcome not to their liking, it may be that many will experience all the symptoms of grief.  They are grieving the loss of their expected future.  

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross lined out the five stages as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.  A grieving person may not experience these in this order, and they may revisit them after their initial touch.  Some may also find themselves stuck in one particular stage.   

For those who claim the Christian faith, especially of the Wesleyan variety as I do, we are called to comfort people in their grief.  When someone loses a spouse, we know how to respond with compassion.  In this instance where the sides have been drastically opposed to one another, it may be harder to initially show any kindness.  A victory lap may be more satisfying in the short term.

That didn't work so well for the Democrats in 2020.  Supporters of Donald Trump stayed fixated in their denial and anger.  They tried to bargain with the vice-president to prevent the certification of the election.  Could there have been a different result on January 6th if their opponents had offered less smugness?   

The temptation in the moment for conservative voters is to "feast on liberal tears".  This would not be a surprising response and is very much in line with human nature.  But when we revel in another's loss, we can recognize that this is not a Christian stance.  We are reminded in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

This is certainly a counter-cultural stance. 

But maybe if we were to do so, those on both sides of the aisle, we could forge our own reality that would be shared by all.

Wouldn't that be a nice surprise?

That's my prayer for our country today.

Photo by liz west via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.