The "Reverend"

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance…  (Psalm 139:13, 15, 16a)

God does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart… (1 Samuel 16:7)

The universe is not all about any one of us, but only all of us together and with God.  (Richard Rohr)

Dear Friends,

In my new appointment as the pastor of Tigard UnitedMethodist Church people have been asking me how I wish to be addressed. Reverend and Pastor seem to be the two options even though I have suggested “Most Venerable, Honorable, Esteemed and Very Right Reverend.” No takers on that one yet.

All kidding aside, I feel ambivalent about titles. I was given a name plate several years ago that included the word “Reverend” engraved beneath my name. Every time I looked at it struck me as pompous and self-important so to tone it down I wrote “IR” on a piece of paper and taped it in front of “REVEREND.” That felt much better. When asked the question about how I wish to be addressed, I usually say something like, “Just call me Jeremy.” It is my name, after all.

I know that honorific titles like Rev and Pastor and Dr and Mr and Ms have a role to play in how people relate to one another. I don’t want my children to call their teacher or doctor or the President by their first name. I want to teach them proper respect for authority figures. (I also want them to learn how to challenge unjust authority…but that’s for another time.) And for adults who use honorific titles, I also acknowledge that it is meant to show respect for the leadership role that one inhabits which is distinct from the person in that role. By virtue of my ordination in the United Methodist Church, I am a clergyperson—a “Reverend”—just like a person with a medical degree and license is a “Doctor.” So while I don’t shun a title, I don’t particularly feel a need to broadcast a title, either.

For me, it comes down to that basic question of identity. Who am I, really? Beneath any titles I might be justified in using, underneath the roles I inhabit—pastor, father, husband, leader—who am I? Much of the spiritual life is about acknowledging and stepping beyond the ego. It’s about recognizing that all of the information we think makes us who we are is, in fact, peripheral to our true identity as a creature who has come into being through the creative impulse of God. Ultimately our true identity is not about our work, title, education, career, nationality or any other similar descriptors. Our true identity is rooted in the divine imprint upon our soul. I have seen how a strong attachment to one’s title or position of authority can wreak havoc on one’s spiritual life. I don’t want to go there, hence my ambivalence around titles.

So call me what you will—Rev Jeremy, Pastor Jeremy, Hey You, Jeremy, or Mister. Just keep it nice. I’m praying all the time that I will remember that my true identity is beloved child of God. May you remember that, too!

Meditation: "Justice and Family Friction"

For Dallas UMC folks, this is a re-print of my article in the September 2013 newsletter.
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“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I have come instead to bring division. From now on, a household of five will be divided—three against two and two against three. Father will square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law…” Luke 12:51-53 (CEB)

So much for so-called Christian family values.

These words of Jesus are confusing. He is, after all, the Prince of Peace, the one who calms storms, the holy child “meek and mild” born that silent night of long ago.

But they make sense to me when I think about a little piece of my own family’s past. The 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington (originally known as the “March for Jobs and Justice”) was August 28, 1963. My father, 22 years old at the time, was there. He’d graduated from college the spring before and was heading off to Yale Divinity School. Dad was deeply committed to civil rights (still is). And I know that his Christian convictions were one reason, maybe the reason, that he cared about civil rights. Unfortunately, my grandparents, his future in-laws, were not quite so enamored with Dr. King and the people in our country who were calling for an end to segregation and greater justice for minorities. To avoid telling private family stories, let’s just say that my father’s involvement in the civil rights movement—such as it was—caused a measure of friction within the family.

One common misunderstanding of Christianity is that it is a private religion that should only focus on individual salvation. But it’s very clear that Jesus wasn’t focused only on individuals. He came to usher in the “Kingdom of God” which was about building a community of people faithful to the love, grace, and justice of God. Dr. King called this “the Beloved community.” Sometimes a deep commitment to Jesus’ vision for the world causes tension, even conflict, with friends and family who cannot understand why someone’s commitment to Jesus might cause them to march or protest or get arrested.

One of the remarkable things about the March on Washington was how peaceful it was. There was an expectation of violence and chaos on the part of many who were suspicious of the motives of the organizers of the march. Afterwards, there was broad recognition—even among detractors—that the march had been peaceful and, therefore, powerful in promoting its message of economic justice and racial equality.

I have a deep respect for the Christians who—motivated by their commitment to the way of Jesus—put their lives on the line for justice and fairness in the world, even if it causes tension within their own family.

And I’m proud of my Dad, who marched on Washington 50 years ago for “jobs and justice” and heard with his own ears those famous words of Dr. King, “I have a dream…”

Grace and Peace,

Jeremy

Meditation: "Thankful For What?!"

What do we have, brothers and sisters, that has not been given to us? All is grace. All is given. Who gave me this hand? Who wiggles these fingers? Who created these eyes which I cannot explain or understand? I cannot even make this hair grow. It is all gift. From beginning to end, everything is grace, everything is given.

--Richard Rohr

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Dear Friends,

In honor of Thanksgiving, I share this short video (produced by the great folks at "The Work of the People"). It's a humorous parody of a tradition many families observe on Thanksgiving Day that goes something like this: "Let's go around the table and have everyone name something they are thankful for."

For me, this video is a reminder not to slip into superficiality as I consider that for which I am thankful. And, even more, it's a reminder that, ultimately, all my gratitude and thanks ought to find its way to God, the source of all goodness and blessing.

Happy Thanksgiving!



Blessings, Jeremy