Week 8: A Full Page Ad Worked!

Ad in Observer for Services Featuring Dr. Mark Achtemeier

READERS:  I enjoy your critiques and comments.  There is a comment section at the bottom of the post or if you are reading me on email, you can shoot me an email at dcp@carolina.rr.com.  It is really fun to know who is reading!

WHERE I WENT AND WHY:  

My original plans changed when this full page ad appeared in Saturday's Observer.  I have been a supporter of same sex marriage and to hear a theologian speak on the matter, especially an Evangelical was intriguing.  Also, 1st Methodist is in easy walking distance of my house, and they had a service which would easily end before the Panther game: a no brainer!

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:

1st Methodist is located at 501 North Tryon Street.  I obviously walked, but free parking is in a deck for the 525 Building (formerly Odell).  Enter on 9th St.  I went to the 9 am Service which is their Connection Service held on the 3rd Floor (this wasn't in the ad and I was a little late, but found Ann serving a meal in the social hall and she personally walked me there!).  The 11 am service (which I had attended several years ago before Dr. Rosenquist came) is held in their large Gothic  sanctuary.  Dress at 9 was very casual.  They are a member of the "Reconciling Ministries Network" which means they are a very progressive congregation, welcoming LGBT folk, the divorced, homeless, and have a diversity of parishioners.

REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP 

MOOD:

I came in just as announcements were over and a series of songs were beginning.  The first thing I noticed was a small group of children in a corner quietly playing on a quilt.  At some point during the service, they "disappeared", I assume to the nursery, but that seemed very inclusive and welcoming to me.  There were also two "ten year olds" (guessing) on a couch where I sat playing on a phone or "game boy".  They remained engaged with their device, but silent during the entire service.  The room was a hodgepodge of sofas and chairs and according to their website was supposed to resemble a coffee shop.  The mood was definitely that casual.  Surprisingly it was not dominated by twenty-thirty-somethings, but was a mix of ages.  About 25 people were there.  Instead of the passing of the peace, folks were asked to greet their neighbors and answer the question "Where have you seen God this week?"  Several elderly ladies just greeted me and one of the musicians came over and actively engaged me and we exchanged answers to the question.  I've written here that I'm not a big fan of "passing the peace", but I liked this format and it came in a place in the service where it didn't interrupt the flow.

MUSIC:

The musicians, 2 female singers, 2 guitarists, a drummer and a keyboardist, were on a stage and while the music was contemporary and very folksy, it did carry a performance factor that did not engage me.  Nothing was ostentatious, but I think having them elevated and especially the first song during which no one sung, felt too much like a performance (vs. worship) to me.  Later when folks sang along, especially during Dylan's The Times They are A Changing, it felt more participatory and worshipful.   I've hummed along to this song for most of my life, but had not really paid attention to the words past the refrain.  Go to http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/thetimestheyareachangin.html to see them all.  But 2 verses really spoke to me:

Words to the song were displayed on 2 screens and kudos go to whoever put the powerpoint together.  The pictures behind the words and the quotes displayed at various times contributed to the mood and message of the day.

 

MESSAGE:
The message was primarily delivered by Dr. Mark Achtemeier but began with a reading of Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the workers in the vineyard where those who worked all day got the same wage as those hired in the last hour.

Next came a 5 minute or so video of Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, a ELCA Lutheran pastor,

discussing how she has experienced grace through the LGBT members of her congregation. Because they are often seen as outsiders and have raw experiences of having been treated as such, she now has a new lens through which to  view Christ's Gospel of love and Grace. She also cited the text of the "last shall be first".  She said that we often try to view the world through dual lenses:  black/white; right/wrong; good/bad.  But Christ did not see the world that way, but embraced everyone with his love and Grace.  I tried to find a link on You Tube to the video, but couldn't.  I encourage you to put "Nadia Bolz Weber" into You Tube's search engine and watch a few of her other clips (most are 5-10 minutes).  She will be speaking in Davidson in November and I would love to go, but know I already have a conflict.

Then Dr. Achtemeier spoke on the text and entitled his sermon, "A Strange New World."  He asked, "Do you really want a God who is fair?  Do I want to get what I deserve?"  Obviously if grace is "doled out" by our good works or by our living up to our potential, we will all fall short.  

He talked about the conflict he has with giving money to the homeless as he knows 9 times out of 10 that they will use it on alcohol or drugs and not on food or "good things".  But he justifies it by saying, "I'm giving them an opportunity to choose; a chance to do right."    Just as God give us a chance every day through forgiveness to start over.  While I got his point, I'm not quite "there" with the homeless.  Living uptown I encounter them daily and cannot (and will not) give them money every time they ask.  But I have a  recognition of their plight and their humanity and try to always treat them with the same respect I give to everyone, especially not ignoring their eye contact or their existence.  And when asked for money, I will buy them food or gas (if I'm at a station), but will not just give them money. Am I being prudent, or condescending by deciding what is "right"?  Does my food or gas also give them a chance to "do what is right"?

He ended his message with saying we need to create a "strange new world", by extending the Kingdom of God to those who society says "don't deserve it" through sharing God's love and generosity.  He ended with "The next time you find yourself getting angry, thank God for irritating people."

The senior pastor, Dr. Val Rosenquist, then presided over Communion.  It felt really good to have Communion included in the worship.  It has not been a part of my worship since Week 2 at Caldwell.  I loved the way "Pastor Val" did the preamble.  It was very conversational, but had all of the liturgical elements included.

OBSERVATIONS AND OUTREACH:

• I was able to get "nuggets" out of the mood, music and message today!
• I felt very ecumenical today:  I was at a Methodist church, hearing a evangelical Presbyterian preacher, and seeing a video of a Lutheran pastor!
• The bulletin highlighted a volunteer reading coach program they are organizing at First Ward Elementary, and a partnership with The Refugee Network, helping refugees set up basic households.
• The other opportunities to hear Dr. Achtemeier were highlighted, later that evening in the social hall (I went back for that.  See below), and Monday with Myers Park Methodist and Dr. Howell.
• Above the door was a great sign.  It said " Go Out and Serve:  Great things never come from Comfort Zones".
• As I was writing this blog, I got an email  invitation from a church administrator to "Join Rev. Joe Brown for dinner and learn more about Northside."  I was just thinking about how he also used the "false prophet" scenario (see below) in his teachings with a completely different outcome.  I politely declined.
• The order for the service was on a chalkboard at the front, very coffee-house-menu style.

THE 6:30 PRESENTATION ON THE BIBLE'S YES TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: AN EVANGELICAL'S CHANGE OF HEART:

• Dr. Achtemeier spoke about how he stills sees himself theologically an evangelical (vs. a progressive) in most contexts.  However he has come 180 degrees from his previously held view of homosexuality and same sex marriage, through both personal experience with parishioners and people he has met (he is personally heterosexual, married with children) AND through scholarly Biblical study. In discussing "evangelical" vs. "progressive" theology, he says, that he now sees himself as a translator!
• He came to question his beliefs after struggling with folks in a pastoral role, as they struggled with their homosexuality and their Christianity.  He began to wonder if this needed to be mutually exclusive.
• This led him to Jesus' teaching in Matthew to "look out for false prophets.  You will know them by their fruits."  He was seeing the fruits of Evangelical teachings on homosexuality as the cause for the folks he was counseling rejecting and being rejected by Christianity. Knowing the dangers of "cherry-picking" scriptures without examining their historical and intentional contexts, he began a scholarly Biblical study of the issue. (note:  this is also a text Rev. Brown used at Northside Baptist.  Somehow, I don't think he would view this passage in the same way.)
• He used the analogy of a mosaic.  You could have a beautiful mosaic picturing a king done by an accomplished artist.  Those tiles could be taken apart, sorted, and reassembled by an unaccomplished artist (false prophet?) and a completely different representation of the king would emerge.
• So he went to the source:  what does Jesus say about marriage?  He likens marriage as one of the ways we humans can emulate the relationship God wants to have with us by giving ourselves completely to another person in love and mutual servanthood. (As Christ gave himself both spiritually and physically to us.)  Then he asked himself, can this be accomplished through same sex marriage?   
• He addressed the argument that marriage is for procreation this way:  We do not withhold marriage from older folks past child bearing age or from folks who learn they are infertile.
• He also said that he felt that God does not reserve his mercy and grace from those who are outside the "majority norms".
• His book also addresses in detail the 7 or 8 verses that Evangelicals quote (cherry-pick?) to support their condemnation of same sex marriage.  He gave 2 examples which I had heard before.  The first is the verses in Leviticus which warn about men lying with men.  The historical context for that is that the Jews are being warned not to use sex, prostitution, and rape either by same or different sex to subdue conquered peoples.  In the New Testament he portrays Paul's teachings as teaching against violent or exploitative sex.
• This part was new to me:  when explaining some of Paul's teachings, he said that it was a common practice especially in the Greek community for young boys to ingratiate themselves to their teachers sexually and for the teachers (philosophers) to demand it.  I couldn't help but think of the exploitation of young boys by Priests (both Catholic and non Catholic) today.
• During the Q & A one woman made an interesting comment about Baptism with ramifications for the trans community.  She pointed out that we baptize children (not males or females) and we become children of God.  I do believe that in the Lutheran Sacrament of Baptism, one of the prayers refers to sons and daughters, but I get the meaning of what she was saying.  Words can really trip us up and we always need to look for the intention of their meaning.

For the past 3 weeks  I've rewarded you for reading this far with something funny from Ship of Fools.  When I went to look for something about same sex marriage this "forum starter" jumped out at me.  It is a little humorous, but thinking about my perceived differences with Rev. Brown, and Dr. Achtemeier's discussion of evangelicals vs. progressives, I take it more as an admonishment not to criticize either.  The title is  "Ditching the Adjectives".  Go to:

http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=019939

But children usually really know the score and will tell it to you straight.  Here is "Kids Explain Gay Marriage" on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcY68HE0bQc

BULLETIN: