Icons

The death of Kenny Rogers made me sad. He was one of my childhood memories right along with Elvis. I made my kids learn the refrain to The Gambler because I'm sure it is on the citizenship test to be an American. 

Kenny Rogers was an American icon, but I've never quite forgiven him for all the plastic surgeries. I'm a firm believer that country musicians should have deep wrinkles if they have lived half their songs.

Like John Prine. 

He is not as well known in America as Kenny, but wears his wrinkles well. Yesterday I was anxious when he was in critical care with that virus that shall not be named. John Prine is like an icon in the traditional sense; he is a window into what is eternal. He's written over 120 songs, including my favorite love song In Spite of Ourselves. 

Prine is more than a poet; he is master of puns, parables, wit and stories that capture the messiness of being human. He is able to weave words in such a way that they are an experience. Like most great art, when I listen to many of Prine's songs, I feel revealed in my brokenness and offered some grace to live in love instead of regret. 

I have no idea what his faith is, but I wish him a swift recovery. His songs are part of my faith journey. We need prophets like him; we need icons that give us a glimpse of the story God is telling in this world. 

End Times

You have to love Juneau. I hiked out to touch the glacier today (not on the ice so don't scold me). There is something seductive about her on a beautiful day like today. I wasn't going to hike that far, but she seemed so close and tempting with the strange cold and dry touch she has. 

I also love Juneau because this weekend we had a couple of dinosaurs dancing in the roundabout at one intersection and two guys with "The End is Near" signs at another.  I was fascinated by the fellows on Sunday morning warning us that the end is near and to read Isiah 24. 

I nearly lost it. I would have rolled down my window and yelled the correct spelling of Isaiah but I had three teens in my car. Even if the end is near, spell things correctly. Mrs. Mackey, my second grade teacher, would not be happy with such sloppy spelling especially when it is flaunted at an intersection.

It made me think of the quote attributed to Martin Luther, "Even if I knew tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." Even in the end times, pay attention to details and live as if one has hope. 

Live as if one has hope, but hope in what?



How we view the end times influences how we live in the present and how we hope.

If I view the end as a pissed off god destroying all the non-believers and the earth, then there's a good chance I will kind of be a jerk not cherishing the gift of the earth or honoring the perspectives of those who do not believe as I do.

If I view the end as all about having the most stuff and lasting as long as I can before it all gets destroyed, then there's a good chance I will kind of be a jerk.

If I view the end as all creation called into communion with the God of love, then there's a good chance I'll still be a jerk, but at least I will recognize that is not consistent with the end as witnessed to in our faith. 

But that is why I would plant an apple tree, or kale in our case, and that is why I would spell check Isaiah before putting it on a sign. My hope is in the calling of all creation into the communion of love. There are all kinds of violent and destructive images in the book of Revelation, but it ends by saying, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen." 

Yeti

Today is not Monday, but I feel like in our new Twilight Zone it is. I'm not normally stressed, but I have to admit these last two weeks have made me anxious and edgy. Today was supposed to be the beginning of a vacation, but like many, my plans  changed and now I'm cleaning every corner in my house that's been neglected for 12 years. 
Not really. 
Even with a quarantine cleaning is no fun.

Cassie and I went hiking out to a cabin instead. We lay on the dock and bathed in the sun and snow. 

Until we heard Chewbacca scream from the woods. Then I realized it couldn't be Chewbacca, that's ridiculous, it must be a Yeti. And then I went through all the possible Yeti encounters and what I would do. None of them turned out well. The facade of power and control shattered again.

I want to have calming words to share that aren't dismissive of the seriousness of this pandemic and that don't turn God into a magic genie who can fix everything if we trust enough. 

I'm a firm believer in the trinity, what is eternal is the mutual outpouring of love in relationship, and I'm not a believer in the puppet master in the sky who manipulates things so good people are healed and unfaithful people die. 

God is my shield and strength not as a hamster ball to keep me safe, but as a vision of what eternity looks like. 

It will be okay - love does have the last word. 

So, love and be loved, follow the rules that help you do that, make sacrifices, ask for help, release the control we never really had, and go for walks. And say your prayers. 

And find more recipes with arugula. I love arugula and we have way more of that in Juneau than toilet paper or milk right now so we're good.

Review

I was trying to find the church website and came across the Google reviews. I hadn’t really noticed that people review churches, I find that kind of weird, but a guy gave us one star with the following review:

“It’s a church, something unnecessary in the modern world.” 

There was a part of me that wanted to respond to him with all the reasons why we are so necessary. Think about all the children we feed, the food pantry, and the hospitality to those who are homeless. Look how necessary we are! 

And that’s when the brilliance of his critique was revealed. 

The church is unnecessary in the modern world, yet a vital witness for life. That’s the tension where we live, especially as we approach the mystery of death and resurrection.

It’s easy to be scandalized by the decline, the abuses, and the unneeded role of the church. It’s tempting to start jockeying for a position in the modern world that is necessary and will keep us from going extinct. The church has never been at her most faithful when she is trying to prove how powerful and needed she is. 

I live as someone who is passionately in love with the triune God revealed in the person of Jesus. This puts me in a weird place because I am embarrassed by the popular message of Christianity with the angry Dad who demands a blood sacrifice as payment for our sins and I am weary of the self-righteous desire to fill in for God and set the world right. I feel like these two camps of Christianity pull people into a place where the church is needed either to save souls or to save bodies. I think both those places stroke our egos and miss the point.

The church is not necessary. It’s like being a chaplain in a hospital room full of necessary people. Everyone has a job to help the person, but the chaplain is simply a space for the patient to be human, body and soul. It can be awkward and it’s so tempting to be helpful, but our mission is to provide space and community where the abundant life of the triune God is made visible.

I know I won’t convince people to abandon seeing the church as the ticket to heaven or the church as a social service. We like to feel necessary, but I believe we would be more faithful if we lived as a witness to the abundant life of the triune God. It is a life that gathers, feeds, loves, forgives, speaks truth, rejoices, grieves, listens, and sometimes simply sits with those who are hurting. We are not necessary, but we are a vital witness to life. I’ll give that five stars.

(This is a repeat from our newsletter - I had to work on a speech today)