Remembering . . .

Memorial Day is past.  Summer is here.   There were no visits to family burial plots this year.  No services for me in the church cemetery.  No honor guard appearing before worship to salute the dead with a firing of guns.  No, my Memorial Day was rather calm and quiet, reflective in a different way.

Sunday, in worship, our Pastor invited us to name those soldiers who had been killed in service to the United States of America.  The list was not long, but the mention of names that were carried in hearts was a poignant and powerful moment.  One by one those names were again lifted before God in the pastoral prayer.

As I prepared for prayer, I remembered my four uncles who served in the military in World War II and Korea--Elmer, Ollie, Alan, and Harold.  They all returned from the war, but a neighbor and friend, Kenneth Emil Hoehne, did not.   He died in Germany while serving with General Patton's 3rd Army Infantry. 

I also remembered  L.Cpl. Leon Deraps, who died May 6, 2006, while serving in the Iraq.  His was the first war casualty that I remember from Moniteau County, Missouri.  His death left a family and community in deep grief.  I remembered as I prayed on Sunday.

And I think about how many of these young people did make a tremendous sacrifice--whether they died or whether they lived through the battles of war.  Many served because they were sent away from families and farms to fight.  They gave a significant time to serve.  Many came home in silence.  Something changed in them while they were away.  Many are still ill with the effects of what they experienced.

And so, I prayed on Sunday and pledged that I would do all I can to remember the names and know what I could to honor their sacrifices.  But I also prayed and pledged that I would do all I could to serve for peace in the world, so that others would not have lives interrupted by fighting and death.  That, it seems to me, is one of the best ways to cherish the memories of those who have given their all.

O God, in your tender mercy, enfold in your arms all who were lost in the fighting and their families who still remember in ways that we cannot.   Heal those broken spirits that have returned in silence with no voice to plead their cause.  Let justice roll down and let your peace prevail, now and forever.  In the name of the One who is the Prince of Peace.  Amen. 

Please Stay!

I remember a congregant named "Sam," who was a member of a church I served as a student a very long time ago.  Sam grew simultaneously dissatisfied with his church and with my ministry.  One Sunday he just disappeared and never came back.  We let him go.  I let him go.  We decided that life would be better without Sam's negativity spreading around to infect others.  Now, I'm not so sure we really did the right thing.  I was in my early twenties then; I'm sixty now.  The years and the experiences of ministry have helped me to see things very differently.  I wish I had said to Sam, "Please stay.  We really need you."  But I didn't do that.  The church didn't do that.

I often wonder what became of Sam.  Did he join some other church that appeared to be a better fit for him?  Did he turn his back on "organized religion" and never go to worship again?  I wonder if his experience started him on a lifetime of drifting from congregation to congregation, never satisfied and always easily ignored and quickly dismissed.  Confession time:  I not only remember Sam; I still miss him.  It was not right that we let him go without a blessing, a word of encouragement, or a conversation that communicated, "Please stay.  We need you to help us be a better church."

In the Gospel of John, the verb menw (meno) occurs about 40 times.  It means to abide, remain, or dwell.  Many of these occurrences are clustered in John 15, where Jesus identifies himself as the "True Vine."  Jesus says, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love" (John 15:9-10, NRSV).  Jesus comes to connect and stay with us--even when we are difficult and disloyal disciples.  He puts up with us even as he works to transform, heal, and forgive us.  He loves us no matter what, as is evident in Good Friday's cross. 

That's also how I understand the word "covenant" in our heritage as members in the United Church of Christ.  Covenant is a relationship that includes a foundational promise to abide with another no matter what.  It's not easy to keep others close--especially those who challenge and criticize us.  Like Sam, they can make life difficult for pastors and everyone else; but it might just be possible that God is speaking through them too.  Covenant requires a commitment to remain connected with Christ and one another no matter what.

So Sam:  If you are reading this blog.  Please stay in the relationship.  Please be true to your own spirit and the Spirit of the Living God.  Engage me.  Engage us.  Don't go easily away.  We need you now and into God's future.  There is a place at the table for you and for all of us.  Please stay!

O God, it's your Church.  When we are tempted to reform it by encouraging others to leave and just disappear, change our minds and hearts.  Lord Jesus, please stay with us!  And teach us to say that to members of our faith communities who are disagreeable, discouraged, and disregarded:  "Please stay with us!  We need you."  Amen.