"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells
in all of you?" --from Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth
"A
relationship with God is the true identity. After all, we are modeled
after him, and he's our Creator." --John Maurer of Social Distortion
***
Dear Friends,
I watched most of the Super Bowl this
year which is not something I typically do. But given that Pittsburgh
was playing in the big game and I am originally from the 'Burgh (and
grew up in Pittsburgh in the 70's when the Steelers were rackin' up the
Super Bowls), I just had to watch the game.
Except, at the end of it all, I kind of wished I hadn't. And not only because the Steelers lost this time around.
It
wasn't the game that depressed me as much as the advertising. Okay,
yes, a few of the commercials made me laugh. But with my two children in
the room (one is 2 1/2 and the other is 6), I found myself repeatedly
asking them to look away from the screen while guns blasted or
explosions roared or inappropriate sexual situations ran rampant--all
trying to sell a product. And then there were the commercials that
reinforced tired and infuriating gender and racial stereotypes as well
as twisted ideas of what "relationships" look like (this last comment
was prompted by this blog by Michel Martin).
If my kids saw these ads over and over again--and I never talked to
them about what they have seen--what on earth would they learn?
Okay, I will admit that we rarely watch commercial TV in our home.
We don't have cable. We get our TV from an old-fashioned antenna on the
roof. We are tuned into PBS 95% of the time. They rarely see scary
images of violence or steamy sexual situations. When it comes to TV,
it's all "Cat in the Hat" and "Super Why!" at our house. I know the day
will come when we can no longer shelter our kids from the sex and
violence of TV, but we aim to hold it off as long as we can.
In the midst of all this, I've been pondering something called
"right relationship". For me, "right relationships" are characterized by
respect, mutuality, patience, generosity, love--and never violence.
They are relationships where there is authenticity, honesty and, when
needed, forgiveness. I believe that these are the kinds of relationships
that God desires for us and that Jesus affirmed in his life and
teaching. These are the kinds of relationships that I hear Jesus
encouraging us to pursue in, say, the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5
of the Gospel of Matthew.
And so all of these advertisements that I encountered--with their
glorification of violence and objectification of bodies and twisted
messages about relationships and sexuality--collided with this idea of
"right relationship" that's been circling around my heart and head
lately. And I felt very sad that for so many people what they see on TV
has become the norm, instead of that more sacred norm of the blessing
and beauty of "right relationship."
As I think about my girls growing and learning, one of the things I
most desire for them is that they absorb at a deep level what a healthy,
mutually respectful, loving relationship looks like. I want them to
understand that violence is not something to glorify. I want them to
know, deep, deep down, that they are beautiful in every way.
I want them to know the blessing of "right relationship" because that is God's desire for them, and you, and me.
And we all know that they won't get that from watching anything on TV--especially the commercials.
Blessings on you,
Jeremy
PS By the way, I am not an overly puritanical person. I
am not categorically against more mature themed content on TV. I just
wish it wasn't broadcast when children are likely to see it. I think we
can only criticize to a point those who produce the trashy stuff on TV
because, let's face it, if people didn't watch it, they wouldn't produce
it. Most criticism of Hollywood points the finger right back at us (the
"us" being the American public).
16 February 2011
20 December 2010
Meditation: "WalMart, Bodies, and Rainbows"
"And the Word became flesh and lived among us..." --The Gospel of John 1:14
"...and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, 'God is with us.'" --The Gospel of Matthew 1:23
"...gather us in all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone." --From the song "Gather Us In" by Marty Haugen
***
Dear Friends,
A few days ago I spent an hour ringing a bell for the Salvation Army kettle drive. This is the red kettle seen outside of stores in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I was out in front of our local WalMart, ringing the bell, wishing passersby Merry Christmas--especially the children who shyly came up to drop coins in the bucket. A confession: I really do not enjoy standing for an hour and ringing the bell. It isn't hard or anything like that--it's just downright boring. This year was no different, but as I watched people come and go from WalMart, I began to marvel at something. I noticed all kinds of people going by--some old, some young. Everyone was dressed differently--some in clothes that were fashionable, some in mud-spattered work clothes, others in clothing that verged on being downright shabby. A man who was missing a leg went by in a wheel chair. I saw large bodies and thin bodies, tall bodies and short bodies. On faces, I saw strain and weariness and--in some cases--smiles. I saw tattoos and piercings and wild hair.
And then I began to "look" deeper, pondering what each person passing by must have done and experienced and felt in their life--joy, grief, anger, anxiety, love, desperation, triumph, abuse, failure, success, goodness, honesty, fear...and on and on.
As this river of humanity kept passing me by, all while ringing the little bell in my hand, I began to feel overwhelmed, but in a good way. In an awe-inspiring way. I was being moved to marvel at that incredible goodness of God. I was simply overwhelmed by the fact that at Christmas we celebrate God's embrace of all humanity in its infinite diversity and difference (and this after just one hour outside WalMart in little Dallas, Oregon!). The birth of Jesus is God's YES to humanity, God's "Yes, I DO choose to come to you--right where you are. And my promise is that in Jesus I will lead you out of the wilderness and back onto the path that is abundant life."
A couple of days later, I saw one of the most spectacular rainbows I have ever seen. It was blazing in the northwest sky, the colors almost shining brighter than the sun. And as I thought of all the ways human beings have gone so terribly astray over the eons, it occurred to me that this rainbow was an incredibly appropriate Christmas symbol. (Perhaps we should hang them as Christmas tree ornaments!) The rainbow is a sign of God's promise never to destroy the earth again (go back and read the Noah story in Genesis). Instead, what we celebrate at Christmas is that God comes not to destroy this muddled, messy, mixed-up world, but to enter into it and renew it through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Who is coming soon and very soon. Praise God!
Merry Christmas to you all,
Pastor Jeremy
"...and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, 'God is with us.'" --The Gospel of Matthew 1:23
"...gather us in all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone." --From the song "Gather Us In" by Marty Haugen
***
Dear Friends,
A few days ago I spent an hour ringing a bell for the Salvation Army kettle drive. This is the red kettle seen outside of stores in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I was out in front of our local WalMart, ringing the bell, wishing passersby Merry Christmas--especially the children who shyly came up to drop coins in the bucket. A confession: I really do not enjoy standing for an hour and ringing the bell. It isn't hard or anything like that--it's just downright boring. This year was no different, but as I watched people come and go from WalMart, I began to marvel at something. I noticed all kinds of people going by--some old, some young. Everyone was dressed differently--some in clothes that were fashionable, some in mud-spattered work clothes, others in clothing that verged on being downright shabby. A man who was missing a leg went by in a wheel chair. I saw large bodies and thin bodies, tall bodies and short bodies. On faces, I saw strain and weariness and--in some cases--smiles. I saw tattoos and piercings and wild hair.
And then I began to "look" deeper, pondering what each person passing by must have done and experienced and felt in their life--joy, grief, anger, anxiety, love, desperation, triumph, abuse, failure, success, goodness, honesty, fear...and on and on.
As this river of humanity kept passing me by, all while ringing the little bell in my hand, I began to feel overwhelmed, but in a good way. In an awe-inspiring way. I was being moved to marvel at that incredible goodness of God. I was simply overwhelmed by the fact that at Christmas we celebrate God's embrace of all humanity in its infinite diversity and difference (and this after just one hour outside WalMart in little Dallas, Oregon!). The birth of Jesus is God's YES to humanity, God's "Yes, I DO choose to come to you--right where you are. And my promise is that in Jesus I will lead you out of the wilderness and back onto the path that is abundant life."
A couple of days later, I saw one of the most spectacular rainbows I have ever seen. It was blazing in the northwest sky, the colors almost shining brighter than the sun. And as I thought of all the ways human beings have gone so terribly astray over the eons, it occurred to me that this rainbow was an incredibly appropriate Christmas symbol. (Perhaps we should hang them as Christmas tree ornaments!) The rainbow is a sign of God's promise never to destroy the earth again (go back and read the Noah story in Genesis). Instead, what we celebrate at Christmas is that God comes not to destroy this muddled, messy, mixed-up world, but to enter into it and renew it through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Who is coming soon and very soon. Praise God!
Merry Christmas to you all,
Pastor Jeremy
09 November 2010
Meditation: "You Love Me?"
"Do not be afraid, I am with you.
I have called you each by name.
Come and follow me, I will bring you home;
I love you and you are mine."
--Refrain from the song "You Are Mine" by David Haas quoting Isaiah 43 (see below)
"...you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you..."
--God speaking to God's people through the prophet Isaiah (43:4a)
"The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person’s suffering and bring that person joy."
--Thich Nhat Hanh
*****
Dear Friends,
A few days ago, my 2 1/2-year old daughter Margaret was having rough day. She was coming down with a cold and obviously didn't feel very good. Usually she has a sunny and mellow disposition, but on this day she was getting easily frustrated and would dissolve into tears quickly.
I was being as patient with her as I could, recognizing she was not her usual self. But at one point, as I held her and she cried and fussed over something that remained a mystery to me, my own impatience overcame me. I set her down, sat in a chair a few feet away from her, and said sharply with exasperation filling my tone of voice, "Margaret, I don't know what to do with you! For goodness sake!" And, though I could not see it, I'm sure my facial expression communicated my own frustration and displeasure.
And then the saddest thing happened.
Margaret, eyes filled with tears, body tense, obviously distraught, cried out in her little toddler voice, "You love me, Daddy? You love me, Daddy?!?"
Those words shot straight to my heart. In an instant, my own irritation and frustration disappeared. I scooped her up into my arms and said, "Oh yes, Margaret Anne, Daddy loves you! Daddy loves you very, very much. And Daddy will always love you."
That anxiety and fear so transparent in my 2 1/2-year old daughter still resides within many of us. "Am I loved? Am I loveable? Will I be rejected or embraced?" These questions--consciously or unconsciously--still tug at many of us throughout our lives.
And the great good news is this: the answer to those questions is a resounding "YES!" For the God who called us into being and came to be with us in the most intimate and vulnerable way possible--as a baby--will never forsake us. When we have our own grown-up versions of toddler meltdowns and during them or after them we ask ourselves, "Do you love me?" the voice of the Holy One whispers, "Yes, oh Yes! You are my beloved."
Henri Nouwen writes, "We are the Beloved. We are intimately loved long before our parents, teachers, spouses, children and friends loved us...That's the truth of our lives. That's the truth I want you to claim for yourself. That's the truth spoken by the voice [of God] that says, 'You are my Beloved.'"
May you claim that truth of your belovedness today and always.
Blessings on your week,
Jeremy
I have called you each by name.
Come and follow me, I will bring you home;
I love you and you are mine."
--Refrain from the song "You Are Mine" by David Haas quoting Isaiah 43 (see below)
"...you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you..."
--God speaking to God's people through the prophet Isaiah (43:4a)
"The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person’s suffering and bring that person joy."
--Thich Nhat Hanh
*****
Dear Friends,
A few days ago, my 2 1/2-year old daughter Margaret was having rough day. She was coming down with a cold and obviously didn't feel very good. Usually she has a sunny and mellow disposition, but on this day she was getting easily frustrated and would dissolve into tears quickly.
I was being as patient with her as I could, recognizing she was not her usual self. But at one point, as I held her and she cried and fussed over something that remained a mystery to me, my own impatience overcame me. I set her down, sat in a chair a few feet away from her, and said sharply with exasperation filling my tone of voice, "Margaret, I don't know what to do with you! For goodness sake!" And, though I could not see it, I'm sure my facial expression communicated my own frustration and displeasure.
And then the saddest thing happened.
Margaret, eyes filled with tears, body tense, obviously distraught, cried out in her little toddler voice, "You love me, Daddy? You love me, Daddy?!?"
Those words shot straight to my heart. In an instant, my own irritation and frustration disappeared. I scooped her up into my arms and said, "Oh yes, Margaret Anne, Daddy loves you! Daddy loves you very, very much. And Daddy will always love you."
That anxiety and fear so transparent in my 2 1/2-year old daughter still resides within many of us. "Am I loved? Am I loveable? Will I be rejected or embraced?" These questions--consciously or unconsciously--still tug at many of us throughout our lives.
And the great good news is this: the answer to those questions is a resounding "YES!" For the God who called us into being and came to be with us in the most intimate and vulnerable way possible--as a baby--will never forsake us. When we have our own grown-up versions of toddler meltdowns and during them or after them we ask ourselves, "Do you love me?" the voice of the Holy One whispers, "Yes, oh Yes! You are my beloved."
Henri Nouwen writes, "We are the Beloved. We are intimately loved long before our parents, teachers, spouses, children and friends loved us...That's the truth of our lives. That's the truth I want you to claim for yourself. That's the truth spoken by the voice [of God] that says, 'You are my Beloved.'"
May you claim that truth of your belovedness today and always.
Blessings on your week,
Jeremy
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