Churches in Bloom

Yesterday I had the privilege of being in worship with Northwood Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, as the congregation dedicated its restored building.  It was exciting to experience the hope and joy that are alive in this community of ministry and mission.  Friends and former members came "home" to testify to the role the church played in their lives.  While we do not worship our buildings, this place is made holy by its use--a place in which God gathers us, where walls are lowered and broken down, where friendships are constructed in Christ.  Northwood Congregational Church is a church in bloom.  God is doing great things here!

In the afternoon, I traveled to First Congregational Church of Croydon, United Church of Christ for the creation of a new covenant between the Grafton Orange Sullivan Association, First Congregational Church, and the Rev. Donna Lee Muise as the congregation's Pastor and Teacher.  It was a moving service of commitment that contained both laughter and tears.  The depth of relationship was evident in words of affection and appreciation, in promises made, in the new pastoral relationship that has begun.  This is a congregation that is building well on the foundation that others have constructed over many years.  There is anticipation and joy. First Congregational Church of Croydon is a church in bloom.  God is doing great things here!

The ministry to which I am called as the Conference Minister of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ leads me to rejoice in God who still creates and calls the church to new life.  Many today lament the state of the church.  I hear the Risen Christ calling us forth to new life and new ministries.  Today I rejoice in the buds and blossoms that are all around us in the 135 local churches of the New Hampshire Conference.  God is indeed doing great things here!

O God, it's another Monday morning.  Today my heart sings for joy, for I have seen your Spirit stirring in the congregations of this Conference.  I see the gift of your future emerging.  I see the beautiful ways you renew and resurrect your people--your joyful, hopeful servant Church--in this new day.  Thank you!  Amen.

Lessons from Orlando

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved. 
(Psalm 80:3, 7,10 NRSV)

This is the refrain of a congregation in crisis.  The people sing out from their brokenness, praying that God will fix that which they cannot.  In the midst of the darkness, there is a longing for the light of God's face.

When Omar Mateen entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in the early hours of a Sunday morning, another terrible and tragic episode in US history began.  One hundred and two precious people were shot by one man.  Forty-nine people were killed in that massacre.  Orlando--a place of sunshine, resorts, and theme parks--is now marred by hatred, violence, and death.  

It has been a hard week for me.  I attended vigils during the past week and read aloud the names of the dead.  I've listened to sermons, read devotions, and reflected on the massacre.  I feel the need to write to add my own voice to those of courageous and compassionate pastors and teachers of the church who have spoken out about what has occurred in light of our Christian faith.  So these are my reflections on Orlando.  These are my emerging lessons from this tragedy:

While I was grateful to be in the crowds that gathered in New Hampshire to lament and grieve what had happened at Pulse, I kept thinking:  What do I need to do to make sure something like this never happens again?  Vigils are certainly important as we gather to witness to the Light that continues to shine in the darkness and to steady and encourage our broken hearts.  But, I am convinced, now is the time for people of faith, hope, and love to find their voice and change the world.

The church needs to say Open and Affirming (ONA) is more than a label; it is a commitment that this congregation is a safe sanctuary for all LGBTQ people.  ONA means that those who gather here promise to value you as a child of God, disciple of Christ, and member of the church.  This is a community where your voice matters--where your life and the life of those you love matter.  A lesson from Orlando:  We cannot be silent or passive about ONA and pretend that we don't need to discuss or discern what it means to welcome, affirm, and embrace all God's children.  The church needs to become a more safe sanctuary where God's light shines and love abounds to heal the brokenness and to bridge the differences.

I continue to be amazed at role of guns in our society.  It is as though weapons of war are our ultimate security.  When the Bill of Rights was drafted and adopted, the framers of the Second Amendment could not have anticipated the sophisticated weaponry that is now so prevalent in our nation.  That one individual could kill or maim over one hundred others in so short a time would have been inconceivable to the founders of this country.  It is time for lawmakers to find the conviction and courage to act--or we need to elect others who will.  Guns are not our salvation or our security. 

It is time that we moved from rhetoric that views the faithful in Islam with suspicion and fear.  Our Muslim neighbors are part of the same faith family from which we ourselves have come.  In every religious tradition--including our own--there are movements and voices that have done great harm.  A religion should be judged not by threats and violence of a few but by deeds of love and mercy that build up lives and lead to greater understanding and peace.  It is time to embrace others in our common humanity with acceptance and love.

In the beginning, God created from the dust.  In the end, God will be present to restore, redeem, and resurrect.  In the middle, may we pray and act to shape the world in ways that reflect God's own intent and hope for it.

O God, who restores the brokenness of hearts and lives, help us to change and to be changed.  Be with all who grapple with the massacre that has occurred in Orlando.  Stand with your precious LGBTQ people.   Bless our Muslim neighbors that they may be accepted and valued.  Strengthen our voices and our resolve to work for your justice and peace, and to live forward in your hope.   Amen.

On My Way Rejoicing!

I woke up in Jefferson City, Missouri this morning.  My time away has been rich with connections.  Yesterday, I was present for the 150th Anniversary of the United Church of Christ of California, Missouri--a church where I served as Pastor and Teacher during a formative time in our family's life.  It was humbling to return to people and a place that had been home.

What I found in California was a vital and lively congregation, as I had imaged that it would be.  There were children--almost thirty of them gathered at the Pastor's feet for the children's time.  The choirs sang for joy with words of harmony and hope.  The names of the saints flooded my memory and stirred my soul.  I am grateful to Pastor Andrew Lovins for his generous welcome and hospitality.    I offered the sermon for the day and will link to it here for those who might like to read what I said:  A Homily of the 150th Anniversary of the UCC of California

And now, it is time to leave for home.  I start the journey in a few minutes and will be home in Concord and back to my ministry with the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ later this week.  This has been a renewing time.  I leave this place that once was home with a joyful heart and a thankful spirit.  The God who calls us into communities of deep faith continues to support and sustain the Church and calls it to be an agent of resurrection hope now and in all the times yet to come.

Thanks be to God!