DallasLutheran

January: Not an End to Wellness

2012-01-01T11:12:00.002-06:00

During 2011, I considered the topic of Wellness on a monthly basis. Now that we are moving into 2012, that does NOT mean we are moving out of Wellness. Rather, we will trust that the Lord will move us forward as persons of faith, persons challenged to be well in body and spirit. I am reminded of an old Christian song with the refrain “It is well, It is well, with my soul.”

In January, several Christian holidays reinforce our wellness: the year starts out with … New Year’s Day, but the 1st is also the Festival of the Name of Jesus. What a great way to start a new year – in the name of Jesus! We remember that Jesus’ earthly parents brought him to the temple for his naming ceremony. May we all head to worship on the 1st to call out to God so that we might be known by name as one of the Lord’s own throughout the new year.

On January 6th (the actual 12th Day of Christmas), the Church commemorates the Epiphany of Our Lord – “epiphany” meaning a “showing” or “revelation.” Jesus is revealed to the whole world (not just tiny Bethlehem) at Epiphany as the globe-hopping Magi finally arrive at the manger, and so we are too can be dazzled by the light of Christ!
The following season of Epiphany containing seven Sundays this year encourages Wellness to flow, Wellness for the entire Earth! Wellness continues to challenge us to rest in the Lord’s healing, and witness to the Lord’s deliverance.

Beginning January 18 with the Confession of Peter and closing on January 25 with the Conversion of Paul, many mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Prayers arise for healing the divisions within the Christian Church, for wholeness and wellness among God’s own.

December: Emotional Wellness II

2011-12-01T11:06:00.000-06:00

This is definitely the most emotional time of the year for a great number of us – the gathering of family around the Thanksgiving table, Advent observations, celebration of at least two birthdays at our house, and then the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worship services. We are soaked in the warmth of family, the anticipation of Advent, the sense of birthday greetings, and the joys of Christmas.
Yes, there can be momentary reminders of emotions like sadness or regret – seeing who may be missing around the table this year compared to the past, a sense of aging and loss of youth, the frantic pace that can overtake one in keeping up with invitations and shopping excursions, the built up expectations for Christmas with family and friends that can disappoint because how often do we anticipate almost more than reality can provide?
But then, then there is the quiet peace of family and friends’ love no matter how many or how few, the satisfaction of the sheer blessing of more life from God’s hand, the comfort of the Advent hymns of expectation and fulfillment, and the absolute joy of the boisterous Christmas Carols!

December may be a roller coaster of emotions for us all, but as so often happens on a roller coaster you feel like you barely survive the ride and then what do you do? You want to get back in line for another go around. The Lord who comes at Christmas invites into the ride of life – the lows and highs. (I like that order better, don’t you?) Jesus, who went from the low of Good Friday to Easter, from the abandonment by friends to their embrace of his love and vision, from the flight to Egypt to the Ascension for earthly mission and heavenly reign, this Jesus accompanies us as we make our own pilgrimage through life. And all our emotions – raw and reserved, planned and surprising – can be blessed as we embrace the Good News of God’s love for the world and for each one of us.

Advent: Sublime and Mundane

2011-11-27T11:20:00.000-06:00

Advent

What a season; what a sensation.

Advent and its theme of preparation can get lost in the haste and noise of the month ahead. At the same time, the beauty of the subject of our reflection almost immediately leads to an encouragement: Jesus may be coming as judge at the end of time, but the beginning of our time as people of faith can be found in the infant promise, the promise that would grow and mature and do everything needed for our salvation. The beauty of the infant, leads to the harshness of the cross, and then forward to the blazing beauty of the Easter morning resurrection revelation!

We could start right in Luke 1: 26-38 to see where this is going. On the surface it is a straightforward story of the revelation of the choice of Mary to bring forth the child of promise.
And this story comes complete with heavenly visions of angelic visitors. What a sublime greeting – “O Favored one” and what a mundane response from Mary – pondering what it could mean.
What a demonstration of the importance of this coming child; what a sublime promise for this Jesus – Son of the Most High (that’s God!), throne of David (that’s the Messiah promise!), house of Jacob (more Messiah!). And mundane Mary: “How can this be since I am a virgin?”
So, once more the sublime comes with a full explanation: Holy Spirit, power of the Most High, child will be holy, and a reminder “nothing will be impossible with God.” Finally the mundane fades as Mary responds in the only appropriate way: “let it be to me according to your word.” Mary who worried about what was next when she received God’s favor, Mary who worried about human limitations when God delivered so much promise, Mary finally comes up with what a statement of resignation to the Lord’s promise.

But before we give her too much trouble, we would do well to give ourselves a sublime and mundane check-up.
Advent means Jesus was promised and God delivered, and we may wonder if we are allowing enough shipping time for the gifts destined for far-off relatives.
Advent means God is coming again, and we may be wondering if we have spent enough money on the relatives’ Christmas presents.
Words of forgiveness and God’s love are proclaimed, and we may be trying to decide who we will invite to sit around the Christmas dinner table.
God’s message comes repeatedly in promise and light and love and Word and Sacrament – nothing is impossible with God, even you are loved! May we, who so often get dragged into the mundane concerns of life even at joyous times such as this, hear the sublime Advent promise: nothing is impossible with God, no one is impossible for God’s love, nothing can stop this Jesus, no one, not even Mary, can get in the way -- for the Son of God is coming to fulfill God’s promise and fulfill our need.

November Soon!: Emotional Wellness I

2011-10-25T11:15:00.002-05:00

Well, Texas Rangers fans are all excited as I write this – the World Series is close with the Rangers leading with three games to two for St. Louis. Soon the resolution will be clear with one side excitedly celebrating, while the other grumbles about waiting until next year!
Children have their own excitement to anticipate – Halloween draws ever closer with promises of candy and scary moments -- safe moments but a little scary most hope. Others look for a Fall Festival or school carnival or perhaps “Trunk or Treat” to keep them busy. Emotions generally run high with squeals of mock fear and excitement and often time a serious sugar rush from all the candy.
November 2, a few of our neighbors from South of the Rio Grande will similarly celebrate the Day of the Dead with all the excitement and emotion it brings.

On November 6 in Sunday morning Church (and perhaps November 1 for precision) we will mark All Saints Day. This too, though more reserved because it is in Sunday worship, can still bring out emotions as we remember departed loved ones. Though we can confess that they rest safely in the Lord’s care, we can still think of treasured memories, unresolved issues, and our own sense of loss of their company. And God’s promise that guarantees them a saintly rest comforts us in our sorrows and reminds us of the Lord’s divine provision for our needs. Such care may not produce immediate squeals of excitement, but our emotional needs can be met by the Lord. God is not just about theology and stoic resolution, the Lord comes as we have need.

Then towards the end of the month emotions can run high yet again. Many families and groups of friends are already starting to plan for Thanksgiving gatherings with assignments specifically being made. (I know I am required to produce two pumpkin pies and two pecan pies!) Yet, emotions can run high with the calories piled on from sugar and carbs and that “trip…” checmical that supposedly is in turkey. But for many, emotions run high as folks remember losses since that last gathering or people who will be there who bring joy as well as a few unresolved issues. And just as the Lord comforts us in our All Saints’ losses, this same God comes to give us strength to handle whatever comes – joys, sorrows, losses, new and renewed relationships, pauses of reflection, and moments of emotional outbursts. Thanks be to God that we have a Lord who makes all life’s journeys with us!

Cowboys and Aliens and Religious Commentary

2011-08-08T15:30:00.004-05:00

What a great concept -- mix-up the genres of Westerns and Sci-Fi. Harrison Ford did it previously in the original Star Wars (aka A New Hope), don't you think!

Though the potential was there, once again the Summer blockbusters are just not quite getting there. Although huge amounts of money are flowing into Hollywood coffers this years, the quality of the films seems to be off a bit. [But let me say that Jon Favreau's meteoric rise has been well-deserved. The directing is good; I think the writing is probably weak -- never really got beyond the original cool idea with several formulas tossed in.]

Some religious theme could have been anticipated as the town's name was Absolution.

There is an interesting character in the film -- a preacher / doctor / posse member. Though there is a cross close to the pulpit in an area that also served as a surgery suite, the "theology" seemed weak. In fact, it was strongly the traditional understanding of religion as doing right, morality alone, personal accomplishment judgment. What exactly was God's function in this character's theology? And how did he mesh it with ALIENS?
Sadly we never found out as he tried to do good, and got stepped on by one of those pesky demon Aliens!

We wait for a good religious reflection in current cinema. Dare I say that the closest we have gotten so far was in Easy A among the mainstream films?

Interpersonal Wellness – Vocational Call

2011-08-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

We are exploring the richness of the idea of call in the Adult Study on Sunday mornings. And for all its fullness, often the sense most folks have is of their vocation / work or their call to some action. Our understanding of our being has to do with our doing. And that is partially true, if we believe that God has called us to both that being and doing. We are called to faith and it is sealed in Baptism; we are called by the Spirit to act for God’s creation – being and doing. In this hot Summer, may we all be warmed by a certainty of both God’s call to faith and call to action – in jobs, professions, retirement, service, and love for the Lord’s creation.

One aspect of the “call” we will just touch on is the common understanding that clergy / pastors have a special “call.” And though pastors are called by God, they are called to action equally, alongside the teacher, the salesperson, the hospital worker, the scientist. Having said that, the pastor’s call is also from the congregation – to act on behalf of a local church in spreading the Gospel. It is not the pastor’s task alone (that Gospel business belongs to every Christian) but it is the focus for much of the pastor’s life, rather than grading papers or selling shoes or taking blood pressure. Interestingly, when a pastor is asked to come to a congregation, a “Letter of Call” is issued, specifying the expectations of the congregation – how the pastor will act publicly for that community of faith. I keep my “Letter of Call” on display, so I can look at it periodically and remember the expectations of the congregation’s call – to preach and teach the Word of God, to administer the Sacraments, to lead worship and provide the announcement of forgiveness, to provide pastoral care and be a voice for the suffering, to encourage others to be pastors, to remind us of connections to the broader church, and then to equip others for their witness and service. And then the final specific is to guide the congregation in proclaiming God’s love through word and deed. That is the kind of job to which I hope God has called me!

Maybe everyone should write up a “Letter of Call” for whatever that person spends a majority of waking time doing. Such a document could affirm the actions already being pursued, as well as be a challenge to fulfill other aspects of that call. And you know, one of the keys to Luther’s Reformation was that no matter the life-task, all Christians can speak of God’s love (preach and teach), can forgive, can soothe the suffering and assist the forgotten, can encourage persons to serve and support the church, can help others (and themselves!) embrace the task of proclaiming God’s love in word and deed! Together, we are all called to witness and service.

BR>

Good-bye to The Unit

2011-07-26T11:55:00.003-05:00

David Mamet's series "The Unit" has finally left TV after about a five year run. I have been catching up on the whole past year on library checked out DVDs, as my spouse loves The Unit. I like it, but keep expecting Dennis Haysbert to stop and sell Allstate Insurance in the middle of a fire-fight with enemy terrorists.
One thing that cropped up frequently in the final season were religious references. It is interesting that a career soaked in violence would also be familiar with the Bible and religious traditions? Is Mamet just offering interesting characters or is he saying something about the close tie in America between a heritage of violence as well as a national reputation of being decidedly a country of faith?

Harry Potter -- I Have to Say Something

2011-07-15T11:45:00.000-05:00

I was there opening day (but not at the midnight show!) to see the Harry Potter series conclude. Impressively dark, brooding, almost despairing, but resolved to fight. One wonders if this had to be a British-born series -- not the attempt at pluckiness or a twinge of sunlight that an American author may have included.
Some religious folks object to the wizards and witchcraft aspects; those are not my concerns here.

It does strike me as overwhelmingly appropriate that a snake / serpent was the animal representation of evil -- sounds like from the beginning (Genesis) biblical imagery!
Appropriately resolved. I wish the epilogue would have been clearer, as the book seemed to provide.
Now, what are all those stars going to do next???

Larry Crowne and a Side Observation

2011-07-12T11:20:00.002-05:00

Larry Crowne seemed even to be promoted good-naturedly as a light weight Summer movie -- no ground broken, little ripple in life experience. It achieved that I think. I would agree with many reviewers that it rated between 5 and 6 on a 10 point scale.
But there were two things I thought were interesting to dig into:
One, I liked the on-going garage sale of his neighbor. It appealed to my eBay forays!
Two, the character Steve Dibiasi, played by Rami Malek, is an interesting contrast to the character, "Snafu," also played by Malek in The Pacific HBO series. Did Hanks purposely cast him in the two roles to highlight the different paths of young people in 2011 and 1941? One wonders: would Malek's offbeat Snafu have been just a "character" like Dibiasi, if Snafu had stayed home in New Orleans and rode his bicycle and goofed off with his friends and been a bit out of touch with reality instead of enlisting when America went to war in 1941?
Even with a war in Afghanistan and operations globally by the military, young people today do not go off to enlist in the huge masses experienced in World War II. Will the peace experienced by most shape the country more positively in the long-run? Will crises that increased religious fervor during World War II and after be by-passed, and will other life experiences draw folks today to the Church?

Bad Teacher -- Jesus Christ!

2011-07-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

The movie Bad Teacher seemed to have so much potential. Education is something everyone goes through (though fewer go to school with the home school movement strengthening and now folks are promoting online education for the pre-Adult grades).
Still the movie offered a humorous peek at the classroom experience -- offered, but I am not sure delivered. Yes, there were laugh-out-loud moments, but the teacher was so bad that one's concern for the children's experience began to outweigh the desire to laugh.
One particularly problematic moment for me came when the teacher was grading papers, and comments increased in their caustic nature. Finally, Cameron Diaz writes "Jesus Christ" on one paper.
OK, so this may violate the "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God" commandment. That is a big problem, but movies have been stepping over that line for some time. I am more concerned with this scene as if it would be tolerated in school. In recent films wrestling coaches easily flaunt language for their students and now this middle-school teacher. Teachers do have some modeling role for appropriateness for the students. Really? "Jesus Christ." I do not think that would be tolerated in school, even by a principal as out of touch as the one depicted in "Bad Teacher." Teachers do not have to be saints, but there are boundaries, right?

Interpersonal Wellness - Vocational

2011-07-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

In July (and August too!), the Wellness wheel turns to Vocational Wellness. And we have much time to consider it – 31 days in July AND 31 more in August! Plus, this year July has five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays, which according to an email I received has not occurred for 823 years! (Can that be true?)

Either way, that is plenty of time to work on the concept of vocation.

Often we think about the Summer months as times of vacation and rest, not vocation and work. Yet, vocation is not just about our jobs or what we do. “Vocation” may include that but even more deals with our “call” from God – a call that may include work that supports others, but also our relationships and service. Thus, vocation, God’s call for each of us, acts year round – maybe just a little slower in the Summer. Yet as you perhaps slow down, I hope you will take time to explore the various aspects of Vocation or Call. We cannot ignore the jobs or past jobs of our personal histories, but vocation enriches our lives and infuses our lives – in those areas of work, but also in family life, friendships, personal finances, as a citizen and community member, in service, ministry, and mission. Sometimes our vocation is NOT even our work, but comes into focus in one of those other arenas.

John the Baptist Points the Way!

2011-06-24T15:46:00.004-05:00

Today (June 24) is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, who was born just six months earlier than Jesus (December 24), according to tradition. Witnessing on the Jordan River about 29 AD, he baptized many, including Jesus. He proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His fame decreased as Jesus increased in popularity. John ended up executed because he criticized the government of his day.
I am not sure a movie could convey his message as well as the following altar painting from Colmar in the Alsace region of France, close to the German border.

Matthias Grünewald. Crucifixion (central section of the Isenheim Altar with closed wings). 1510-1515. Oil on panel. Musée d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France.

That elongated finger in the Gruenewald Altar painting says it all!

It's Official -- Summertime!

2011-06-21T14:11:00.001-05:00

The clock has passed the magic moment, and we have entered Summer officially! Here in North Texas we probably thought we were already in Summertime with high temperatures over 100 degrees most of last week. The droughts nearby have also intensified the sense of Summertime heat. Temptations arise to pause in the shade and rest through the season. But, no, there is much still to do. Our culture no longer depends on cotton, so the old song "Summertime and the living is easy" just does not ring true. In air-conditioned offices and automobiles we trick our bodies into believing we can continue our regular pace. As a guy who remembers un-air-conditioned Summers, I am tempted to seek that shade and a slower pace, but much remains to do. So, I press on with my neighbors. Besides there are Summer Blockbusters to view! Plus, God, who came to the near year-long Summertime of Palestine for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, calls us even in the Summer to "Go!"

June 1: Interpersonal Wellness - 2

2011-06-01T14:25:00.000-05:00

In June, the Interpersonal Wellness stuff gets practical. On June 2 -- Ascension Day, followers of the Lord are told to quit staring at the heavens where Jesus went. Instead the disciples headed for fellowship time, for Bible Study, and witness. (Acts 1 and 2) We Christians still gather for worship regularly to glance heavenward, to receive Christ’s gifts, and to be strengthened for life’s journeys, then we also go out from worship for fellowship time, Bible Study, and witness. By the 12th of June (Pentecost Sunday’s date this year), we are reminded of the gracious gift God has given all the baptized: the Holy Spirit. Again, not a gift to direct our eyes heavenward for long, God’s spirit stirs new gifts up within each of us to assist the community of faith to grow and thrive as well as to serve this world the Lord has created! The following week we are reminded of the ultimate Interpersonal Relationship: “God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity.” Just as it takes all three Divine Persons dynamically touching our world and our lives, it takes all persons of faith to work together to present God to the world today. (And the 19th is also Fathers’ Day, a point of contact for many still.) Then the 25th of June, we could remember the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession – a celebration for the Lutheran fellowship of faith, a remembrance of a fellow-laborer in Christ and a friend of Martin Luther’s (Philipp Melanchthon) who wrote the majority of the Augsburg Confession, and thus helped frame the Lutheran understanding of our Christian Faith. Again, we do not have the Augsburg Confession merely to gaze at it or ignore it as a mere historical artifact, but the Confessions also inform our faith and practice, then sends us to gather with others for Fellowship, Study, and Witness!

Thor in 3-D Hammers Christianity?

2011-05-07T15:50:00.001-05:00

As a boy I enjoyed reading sagas and myths, so I was looking forward to this "Thor in 3-D" release.

Some interesting twists were added to the ancient story and, though it was no breakthrough motion picture, it was fun to watch -- certainly closer to the heroic image than the Thor character in Adventures in Babysitting!
I have searched and have been frustrated to find an image of his hammer when it is taken from Thor. But it seems to me that an early Christian Trinitarian symbol was impressed upon it as it was cast down to earth for him to recover.
Comments?

National Day of Prayer and Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T21:34:00.001-05:00

“It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church. “
Martin Luther

This year the National Day of Prayer and Cinco de Mayo fall on the same day. So, following Luther’s advice, some 15 church members joined to think of church and prayer in an ale-house (Mexican-themed). We heard the National Day of Prayer proclamation and raised a toast in beverages of choice to God’s love and our freedom to worship. And we prayed in public.To see the 2011 Proclamation: click here.

May 1: Interpersonal Wellness - I

2011-05-01T14:55:00.003-05:00

May and June are often times of relationship celebrations – Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, weddings, family reunions, out of town visitors. Some of these gatherings are out of obligation; others are a joy as we reconnect with loved ones, renew relationships, and share our recent experiences.

God created us to live in a web of relationships. What was it that God said of the first person, even in the Garden of Eden? “It is not good that the man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18a). Whether we live in a nuclear family, a blended family, an extended family, or as single by choice or circumstance, the Lord knows we need company / companions – sometimes many, sometimes a few, sometimes only one. Alone we can become so focused on our own view that we forget the need for connection or even in relationships with others, if we are isolated or shut-out, we miss the necessary connections that make us whole persons. Now, I am not saying every person has to be married to be complete, nor as I merely saying “everybody, needs somebody sometime” (I will leave that to the old singer Dean Martin.) But we are persons who need relationships to grow into the full child of God we are intended to be – relationships with loved ones by birth and by choice. Yet, even the best other person is not enough. We also need a relationship with God and the people of God. We recognize that truth when we talk about the church as the family of faith.

Lenten Martyr - Oscar Romero

2011-04-14T17:32:00.003-05:00

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was in 1917, in El Salvador in Central America. As a child, he could often be found at one of the town's two churches during his free time. Then in 1942, Romero was ordained a Roman Catholic priest while studying in Rome.

Romero worked as a parish priest in Anamorós but then moved to San Miguel where he worked for over 20 years. He promoted various apostolic groups, started an Alcoholics Anonymous group, helped in the construction of San Miguel's cathedral. He was later appointed Rector of the inter-diocese seminary in San Salvador and became the director of the archdiocesan newspaper, which became fairly conservative while he was editor. In 1970 he was appointed auxiliary bishop to San Salvador Archbishop Luis Chávez y González, a move not welcomed by the more progressive members of the Priesthood in El Salvador. He took up his appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María in December 1975. On 23 February 1977, he was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador. While this appointment was welcomed by the government, many priests were disappointed, especially those openly aligning with Marxism. The Marxist priests feared that his conservative reputation would negatively affect liberation theology's commitment to the poor.

Then, on 12 March, a progressive Jesuit priest and personal friend, Rutilio Grande, who had been creating self-reliance groups among the poor, was assassinated. His death had a profound impact on Romero who later stated, "When I looked at Rutilio lying there dead I thought, 'If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the same path'". Romero urged the government to investigate, but they ignored his request, and the censored press remained silent.

In response to Fr. Rutilio's murder, Romero revealed a radicalism that had not been evident earlier. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. As a result, Romero began to be noticed internationally. In 1979, an even more oppressive government came to power amid a wave of human rights abuses by paramilitary right-wing groups and the government. In February 1980, Romero was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Catholic University of Leuven. On this visit to Europe to receive this honor, he met Pope John Paul II and expressed his concerns at what was happening in his country. Romero argued that it was problematic to support the Salvadoran government because it legitimized terror and assassinations. He also wrote to President Jimmy Carter in February 1980, warning that increased US military aid would "undoubtedly sharpen the injustice and the repression inflicted on the organized people, whose struggle has often been for their most basic human rights".

Oscar Romero reported to others “ In less than three years, more than fifty priests have been attacked, threatened and slandered. Six of them are martyrs, having been assassinated; various others have been tortured, and others expelled from the country. Religious women have also been the object of persecution. The archdiocesan radio station, Catholic educational institutions and Christian religious institutions have been constantly attacked, menaced, threatened with bombs. Various parish convents have been sacked.”

In mid-March 1980, Romero stated in a sermon on the parable of the wheat. "Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ, will live like the grains of wheat that dies. It only apparently dies. If it were not to die, it would remain a solitary grain. The harvest comes because of the grain that dies We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us". "I am bound, as a pastor, by divine command to give my life for those whom I love, and that is all Salvadoreans, even those who are going to kill me."

Then on March 23, 1980, Archbishop Romero made the following appeal to the men of the armed forces: "Brothers, you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God, which says, 'Thou shalt not kill'. No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than sinful orders. The church cannot remain silent before such an abomination. ...In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cry rises to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you: stop the repression"

The next day, Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass at a small chapel located in a hospital called "La Divina Providencia". According to an audio-recording of the Mass, he was shot while elevating the chalice at the end of the Eucharistic rite. When he was shot, his blood spilled over the altar along with the contents of the chalice.

In 1998, a Gallery of 20th century martyrs dedicated at London’s Westminster Abbey, including Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. , Archbishop Óscar Romero, and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
On 24 March 2010—the thirtieth anniversary of Romero's death—Salvadoran president Mauricio Funes offered an official state apology for Romero's assassination. Speaking before Romero's family, representatives of the Catholic Church, diplomats, and government officials, Funes said those involved in the assassination "…unfortunately acted with the protection, collaboration or participation of state agents".

Most recently, on 22 March 2011 Barack Obama, during an official visit to El Salvador (his last stop on a Latin-American tour), went to visit Romero's resting place.

Romero's words -- a selection:

We must not seek the child Jesus in the pretty figures of our Christmas cribs. We must seek him among the undernourished children who have gone to bed at night with nothing to eat, among the poor newsboys who will sleep covered with newspapers in doorways. --Archbishop Oscar Romero, December 24, 1979

" A church that suffers no persecution but enjoys the privileges and support of the things of the earth - beware! - is not the true church of Jesus Christ. A preaching that does not point out sin is not the preaching of the gospel. A preaching that makes sinners feel good, so that they are secured in their sinful state, betrays the gospel's call." (1/22/78)

"When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises." (8/6/78). -- The Church: Called to Repentance, Called to Prophecy

I must tell you, as a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am killed, I shall arise in the Salvadoran people.’

A Rather Quiet Sesquicentennial April 12 (1861-2011)

2011-04-12T11:16:00.003-05:00

On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson refused.

On April 12,1861, Confederate batteries in Charleston opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply effectively. At 2:30 pm, April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War.

Check out the Fort today.
I was alive when the Centennial of the Civil War was marked and remember bits of it. Certainly the attention today is much, much less than the 1960's. That may be because the issues of the days are dramatically different. In some ways, the Civil War was being replayed then in the Civil Rights struggle of the time.

But for an event that totally reshaped the country's future -- slave/free, agriculture/industry, independent landowner-capitalists /corporate capitalists -- the tone is much more muted today. Perhaps we assume the issues are all settled and certainly Civil Rights are more secure now, but the political philosophies that shaped the conflict are still about to some degree. The "South" is once more an economic force to be reckoned with and has reshaped politics in the last 50 years.

I will be interested to see if more discussions emerge over the next four years as we try to remember and forget the war to caused the most military deaths in this country's history, as well as reconfigured our national future. Plus, will there be an appeal to the Divine that was so prevalent 150 years ago?

Horton Foote - a Texas Writer of note!

2011-04-11T14:19:00.007-05:00

In the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, there is a several week celebration of the Texas-born write, Horton Foote. For information on the festival, go here.

Famous as a screenwriter -- "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Tender Mercies" perhaps best-known, he is a prolific writer of plays as well. My wife Sylvia and I have enjoyed his work for some time, and find in it a particular echo of the life along the Coastal Bend of Texas. (He being from Wharton, we having lived in the Victoria area long enough for both of our children to be born there.)

This Spring, we have seen three plays so far: "Talking Pictures," "Dividing the Estate," and "The Traveling Lady," and have a few more scheduled.
We also are re-watching some of his films: "Tender Mercies" last week and "1918" last night (in which you can see a very young Matthew Broderick act the heck out of a relatively small role).

There are no car-chases or space-battles, but his works are nice tales of life's challenges to everyday folks, and the crises they find themselves in because of forces often beyond their control -- addiction, cycles of abuse, war, disease, technological change, and just living with other people.

A couple of observations:
1) He often has single mothers as major characters. That is not the normal view of households in the time periods he most often writes of. It is interesting to see the unique challenges such women faced in the society of their times -- especially since I am the child of a most-of-the-time single mother.
2) Religion plays both as almost constant background and in a vital role in his works -- people expect folks to be in church on Sunday, hymns are in the air and in the minds of folks all week, God intervenes in the day-to-day in weal and woe and people interact in thanks and complaint, neighbors share their opinions but also reflect on the biblical witness and church teachings.
Maybe I miss that tone to life, as it too permeated at least my earliest life in Texas.

Don't get me wrong, I like car-chases and space-battles in my movies; I appreciate the technological changes in life for the most part, but every now and then I enjoy a return to another time -- and Horton Foote is a good writer to take you there.

Lenten Martyr - Martin Luther King, Jr.

2011-04-07T13:45:00.001-05:00

A familiar face in the American story, often more associated with his January birthday / holiday or the February Black History Month coverage, King comes to us this week as a Lenten martyr as he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
He grew up in the segregated South of Atlanta -- he even sang with his Sunday School class for the Atlanta premiere of "Gone with the Wind"! Like his father and grandfather, King attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, but then he headed North to Crozer Seminary in Pennsylvania and graduate study in Boston (where he met Coretta Scott, his soon-to-be-bride). His grandfather and father both served at Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta and he joined the staff 1960-1968, but he is more famous for his first call in 1954 to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery and his leadership in the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott. He became a recognized face in the Civil Rights movement, becoming the youngest recipient (age 35) of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; he then witnessed passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. His attention then turned to anti-war efforts and an anti-poverty campaign as well.
He was in Memphis, Tennessee, for challenges to the treatment of garbage workers, when he gave his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address, concluding: “We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
The following evening, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, he was assassinated.

King's "Mountain Top" speech is a stirring personal moment, yet he is probably best know n for his 1963 "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," addressed to clergy in America, but addressed, I believe, to all well-meaning people in America.
Just a sampling:

"I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their 'thus saith the Lord' far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."

"You may well ask: 'Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?' … Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. … The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. ...

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. ... For years now I have heard the word 'Wait!' It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This 'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never.' We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that 'justice too long delayed is justice denied.'"

"... In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: 'Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern.' And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular.
... But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

[My note: That last bit is a chilling word for a church which indeed finds itself in decline in America in the early 21st century!]

Thanks latter-day Brother Martin!

"Win Win" -- some advice from and for those who wrestle

2011-04-05T17:27:00.000-05:00

Win Win showcases some marvelous acting (Paul Giamatti, once again the shlub everyman, but the leads are all marvelous) and a quiet but so moving story.
I thought the tolerance of foul language between coaches and student-athletes was probably not realistic, even in the public schools of today, as the "coach" still is the model for the growing young persons. OK, but that is REALLY minor compared to the wonderful moral tale that unfolds and enfolds the characters.

As a person of faith, I found the young wrestler's explanation of his strategy so telling. One imagines that the opponent is drowning them, and then the wrestler must fight as hard as possible to get free.
Great wrestlers of the Bible -- Jacob at the Jabbok, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (metaphorical) -- wrestled as much with God as the situation which they faced. They wrestled, were injured, and emerged victorious.
We too tackle life's challenges -- and we can capitulate, accept, ignore, reject, or fight with God, evil, the powers that be, not be surprised by injury, and God-willing emerge victorious. I think that is God's promise.

I think that is the message of Win Win.

April: Intellectual Wellness - II

2011-04-02T02:52:00.000-05:00

We use many thinking or intellectual terms in expressing the Christian faith. One of the earliest songs many children learn is “Jesus Loves Me This I Know.” On Sunday mornings, we state “I believe” when it comes time to “Confess” our faith. Although many seem to think that “faith” is the opposite of knowing, intellectual life is a vital part of the Christian Faith. Who became the provider of education as European civilization crumbled after the Romans? The Church. What group founded most of the Universities in Europe and many in the United States? The Church.

Intellectual wellness, therefore, embraces the faith, builds on the faith, and explores the connections to the world which faith offers. We are not a people who must check our brain at the door when we enter the church, whether for Bible and Topic Studies, Volunteering, or Sunday Worship. God created us to be thinking and feeling people, folks who embraced this world which God created, persons equipped with intellectual abilities. (Is this what makes us just less than angels in God’s eyes?)
Yes, we have our human beginnings story in Genesis 3, acknowledging limits to our intellectual pursuits. But I read that not as rejection of the intellectual life, but as a warning about sin, against the desire to be god. Genesis 3 seems, in fact, to offer humans so much to explore and know in the world (the multitude of trees given) with a nod of recognition that trouble comes, sin comes, all the good sours, when we try to exchange the bounty of blessing for isolated independence, for intellect as "god-enough." Instead we are invited to use our God-given gifts and abilities to embrace this world, to know this world, and to understand our part in this world.

I encourage you into enter the biblical story through your mind: read, study, discuss, and share with others. May this intellectual pursuit deepen the gift of faith God gives. Notice the way the Gospel of John closes chapter 20: “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

Think about it!

On Calvinism and "The Adjustment Bureau"

2011-03-31T14:32:00.004-05:00

Two things have been rolling around in my head -- Jonathan Edwards, the fiery American defender of Calvinism, and the film "The Adjustment Bureau." By the way, I remember the movie not just because Jerry Jones was in the audience, and doesn't he look like the aging Terence Stamp?

Actually the movie raises some "Calvinist" issues -- free-will, predestination. Or even Lutheran ideas to an extent.
Interesting quick review in the film about intervention by these somewhat "angelic" beings to influence human lives under the direction of "The Chairman" at times. They supposedly left after the Renaissance as humans were able to be more self-directed. (Why wasn't the Reformation mentioned in those freeing changes, since it probably freed more minds even more about choice than even the Renaissance?) Perhaps the emergence of Calvinism's doctrine of predestination ran counter to the films argument about the design of "The Chairman" over human life.

But ...
It is interesting that some freedom's are given even under the angelic directors, as long as the plan is generally trending towards its destination.

This actually seems more Lutheran: one thing is predestined -- God's love -- but there is a wide field of freedom because of that God choice.

I do wonder how this film will play in parts of the world (even Europe!) where individual freedom is not as vital a concept as social cohesiveness and the common good. At a time when the world is being encouraged to pursue freedom (think of the Middle Eastern demonstrations), it is interesting that a movie about the design of life toward human benefit, if not individual freedom, is playing to good-sized audiences.

"The Adjustment Bureau" is definitely a wonderful film for reflection!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Lenten Martyr

2011-03-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

Though born in the same city, Breslau (modern Wroclaw, Poland), as my mother-in-law, Dietrich Bonhoeffer made his impact in Germany in the capital, Berlin. His father was a professor of psychiatry there and Bonhoeffer played with the children of famous faculty from Berlin University. He then entered Berlin University and graduated at 21. Next stop was Barcelona, Spain, for early church work, then to the United States for study at Union Theological Seminary. He was not that impressed with the American education of the time, but experienced our country in a Depression as well as being exposed to African-American church life in Harlem. He then returned to Berlin University to be a lecturer until the rise to dominance by the Nazis. At that point he became a sharp critic of the regime, even speaking out against the persecution of the Jews, stating the church must not simply "bandage the victims under the wheel, but jam the spoke in the wheel itself." He gave an anti-Nazi speech over the radio which was interrupted by government agents. He lost his University position and came under scrutiny.
At this point he emerged as a leader within the Confessing Church, which protested the nazification of the German church leadership. He taught at the alternative Finkenwald seminary. In addition he worked with other anti-Nazis in the German Secret Service (Abwehr). This work gave him contact with persons outside Germany and gave him the opportunity to assist some Jews escape Germany.
He wrote two masterful works: Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship, and began what he perceived as his life's work, Ethics. His participation in anti-Hitler efforts was discovered and he was imprisoned for almost two years. With the failure of the so-called "Valkyrie" assassination plot, Bonhoeffer faced a death sentence. On the Sunday after Easter 1945, roughly a month before the fall of Germany, Bonhoeffer was taken away to be hanged. (This year, his death date, April 9, falls in Lent.)

In Ethics, which was never completed, Bonhoeffer wrote of
"Stations on the Way to Freedom: "
Self-discipline: “None learns the secret of freedom save only by way of control”
Action: “Do and dare what is right. ... Bravely take hold of the real, not dallying now with what might be. ... Make up your mind and come out into the tempest of living.”
Suffering: “you yielded your freedom into the hand of God, that he might perfect it in glory.”
Death: “Freedom, we sought you long in discipline, action, suffering. Now as we die we see you and know you at last, face to face.”

These ideas are rather consistent with his life witness for Bonhoeffer's last words on April 8 to his co-captives as he was led away from his final worship service were: "This is the end. For me the beginning of life."

Yet, this is no Christian faith absent from the world, as Bonhoeffer writes: “A Christianity which withdraws from the world falls victim to the unnatural and the irrational, to presumption and self-will.”

At the same time, though we operate in the world of governments and powers, we follow until "until government openly denies its divine commission and thereby forfeits its claim."

Elizabeth Taylor - Late to her own funeral

2011-03-25T10:15:00.003-05:00

Apparently, the funeral for Elizabeth Taylor began more than 15 minutes late, as per her request.

She was no doubt a big enough personality to demand such things, even after death.

It will be interesting to see how her reputation fares in time.

There is no denying she tapped into something in the audience of postwar America from the fresh bride-to-be in "Father of the Bride" to her more edgy roles, such as the wife in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (That movie will scare any teenager from contemplating marriage!) She cranked out some forgetable roles ("The Only Game in Town," the recent "Flintstones," and much of her later TV work) but then there were "Giant," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and "A Place in the Sun." Amazing performances.

Commentators noted that she converted to Judaism after she took up with Eddie Fisher. And her delayed funeral service was Jewish. I do not remember much religion in her movies -- except being a near goddess herself in "Cleopatra."
Interestingly though, her last role listed by imdb.com is as God's previous helper and possible girlfriend in a 2000 TV series.

May she rest in peace. May restless America find peace.

Jonathan Edwards - Lenten Martyr - American Witness

2011-03-23T14:04:00.002-05:00

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is often described as one of the most original and profound thinkers in Early American, if not American, History. Born in a parsonage on the Massachusetts frontier, he travelled to Yale to begin studies there at age 13, receiving his AB at 17, and MA at 20. By his mid-20's he joined a grandfather at the prominent Northamption church, where he served for 23 years.

Edwards had absorbed the philosophy of Locke as a student and embraced a thorough-going Calvinism. Thus, his mind considered theological as well as scientific topics. Fame in his lifetime came from his religious writings, particularly with the Great Awakening in the mid-1730's -- a religious movement he played a large part in bringing to the faith expressions of the British colonies in North America. He was a dominant figure in its developments, as preacher and theologian. One of his most famous sermons was "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." In part, he invited his hearers / readers to consider that "The God who holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire .... O Sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God.... Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come." Whew! Talk about hellfire and damnation.
Edwards was a staunch Calvinist -- it is all about God's decision -- but he still seems to preach for conversion.
Edwards eventually fell out of favor with his congregation, was voted out of office, and headed to western Massachusetts as a missionary to the Indians. Then in 1757 Jonathan Edwards was offered the job of college president at what was to become Princeton. Encouraging Christians to embrace the latest scientific advances, he took an early smallpox inoculation in Princeton and promptly died from its effects. Yet, his writings live on, and his language style certainly pervaded the American preaching scene for generations.

Saint Patrick - Lenten Martyr - Witness

2011-03-17T16:32:00.005-05:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day AND ...
We considered Saint Patrick last evening at our Lenten Mid-week service. Shrouded in some mystery, Patrick certainly dominates the revival of traditional Christianity in Ireland. Parts of his story may be familiar -- kidnapped from his home in Britain at 14 or 16, kept as a slave in Ireland, forced to tend sheep, learned the Celtic tongue, escaped, trained as a priest, and returned as missionary after a vision of an invitation to return to Erin. Not always successful at first, Easter 433 things turned around after his defeat of the challenges from the Druid priests.

It is interesting to note biblical parallels in his story -- tend sheep like David, hear the "Macedonian call" like Paul, battle evil priests over a fire like Elijah.

His unique associations are interesting too -- driving out the snakes from Ireland, (OK, scientists doubt there ever were snakes, but the Druid priests used the symbol of the snake/serpent -- maybe that is the root of the snake tale.) and using the Shamrock (one plant, three leaves) to illustrate the Trinity (one God, three Persons) -- may not have been Patrick, but he was passionate about the Trinity in his teaching, so it makes sense he influenced whoever came up with the idea first!

Here's something I did not know, supposedly Patrick wrestled with an angel (echo of the Jacob story), and was given concessions or guarantees -- no barbarian invasion of Ireland, special blessings for those who sing his "Patrick's Breastplate" song right before death, and most intriguing --- Patrick will judge the Irish race on the Last Day!

I know of no other such case of special treatment at the Last Judgement. Anyone know of another so favored people?

No wonder the Irish from Ireland, America, Australia, and around the globe honor him still!

For us not so Irish, we can still thank him for his faithful witness.

LENTEN MARTYRS Wednesday Night Theme

2011-03-10T17:28:00.003-06:00

For our Mid-week Lenten Services in 2011. We are going to have a brief service of Confession and then consider the witness of five giants of the Christian faith. I am calling them:

LENTEN MARTYRS

3/16 Patrick of Ireland
3/23 Jonathan Edwards
3/30 Dietrich Bonhoeffer
4/ 6 Martin Luther King, Jr.
4/13 Oscar Romero

I chose these five because all were either killed or died during the season of Lent. (Thanks Marcus Borg for getting me to research this a bit.)

Service is at 7:15pm on the designated Wednesdays at First United Lutheran Church of Dallas, Texas.

Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones attends The Adjustment Bureau

2011-03-05T15:27:00.002-06:00

I have no sure explanation, but suspicions abound.

Saturday evening, the Dallas Cowboys' owner, Jerry Jones, attended The Adjustment Bureau film at the Magnolia Theater in Dallas.
No, he did not pay the admission for everyone else in the theater (such as myself), nor did he buy out the whole showing to watch it alone. One does wonder if he feels a need for adjustments in the Cowboys or his posture as their owner.

Do we need the Dallas Cowboys?

2011-03-03T16:24:00.003-06:00

According to a helpful Dallas Cowboy player on this morning's news report, we need the potential labor issues between NFL owners and players to be resolved. His argument is that Football is the American sport and without it people would not know what to do with themselves on Sunday.

Uh, I have an idea -- go to church! Here's another -- play a sport yourself after you go to church! Here's another -- spend quality time with friends and family after you go to church!
The very idea that all America is waiting for billionaires (owners) to sort things out with millionaires (players) so we know what to do with ourselves on Sunday is absurd.
As near as I can tell, historically Sunday became a special day in Western culture because every Sunday was a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Look it up -- Jesus rose on Easter Sunday before football was even created!

And if you are looking for something to do -- whether the Cowboys resolve their labor problems or not -- you are welcome to worship at First United Lutheran Church, 6202 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas -- 10:30am on Sundays.

Intellectual Wellness

2011-03-01T18:56:00.000-06:00

In Christian understanding, there is often a false dichotomy between the body and the mind (or spirit or even soul), as if one of these is preferable to the other, as if one is more holy. And outside the church, the physical is often the “real” world, while the mind is fanciful or speculative or even dreaming. Christians on the other hand are encouraged to keep body and mind together as one cohesive creation of the loving God. Our paradox more accurately is to live as “Flesh and Spirit” -- meaning we combine what works against God and what embraces God’s action, rather than a simplistic human body and spiritual soul, or as Martin Luther put it -- we exist as both “Sinner and Saint.” But the human body and the mind/soul/spirit are one. Our world so influenced by Western Philosophy often appears to embrace the Greek concept of a physical body and a divine soul. Yet, by faith we do not confess some disengaged immortal soul which leaves the body at death, rather in the Creeds we confess to believe in the resurrection of the body!
So, as we move into our second Wellness topic: Intellectual, it is good to begin by keeping the physical and intellectual together. We appreciate the one, as we focus on the other. We can keep up hopes to lose weight (15 pounds so far for me in three weeks) or better sleep practices or improving general health or continuing exercise routines. And we can challenge ourselves intellectually – more structured reading time (how about the Bible and devotional literature!) or attending Adult Study Sunday mornings before church or outside church-life also engaging in some mind-challenging efforts.
This is all part of developing the whole person God has created and redeemed, living in our one being a physical and intellectual person who acts to “Love the Lord your God with heart and soul and mind” – engaging our complete person, or the person we are in body and mind, which will be completed by the Lord!

Physical Wellness – Part 2

2011-02-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

When you consider the time of Jesus on earth, what actions come to mind for him? “Messiah” or “Christ” is a confession of his prominence and his role in faith, but what do you remember about Jesus in action, what he did? Teaching probably comes to mind; flashy actions like walking on water, perhaps are remembered; but, I guess the most frequent image of Jesus for most of us is Jesus the Healer, the touch of his hands bringing health and wellness, the power of just his voice restoring physical wholeness. We may think initially about the spiritual aspects of the Jesus experience, but as the old Epiphany Hymn puts it:” Manifest in making whole - Palsied limbs and fainting soul.”
Yes, we are a spiritual community gathered in prayer and praise, assembling regularly (every Sunday is a good idea!) for an encounter with the holy. That aspect of faith cannot be denied, but also we cannot neglect the fact that an encounter with God leaves one physically changed: a few drops of water refreshing the body in baptism; the Altar encounter with real bread and wine / real body and blood that offers much more - a taste of God; sometimes a modern healing experience – cancer in remission, pain alleviated or tolerable, bones knitting together, even a “miracle” cure. All these are physical encounters with the holy, with Jesus. And even when we do not see a medical breakthrough, we are reassured that Jesus has a real place for us by his side.
It is, of course, a fine line to walk to claim a physical encounter with Jesus almost 2000 years after the crucifixion and resurrection, but even to embrace a spiritual encounter is to violate most folks’ understanding of reality. So, we Christians claim both the spiritual and physical. And we need a Jesus encounter, a God nod, a Spirit contact, and the creative Father. That means that we live as the Lord’s people in our spiritual life as well as physical, and it means that God is concerned about both.

January: Physical Wellness

2011-01-01T14:51:00.001-06:00

New Year’s Resolutions are flying around this time of the year. What have you resolved? A popular cluster of resolutions centers on physical concerns – eating better, exercising, dieting, new clothing styles, perhaps a haircut, or just plain all around better health. I myself want to lose weight, decide about how much facial hair is the right balance, but most of all – pursue better health. For years I have taken my generally good health for granted and now it is time to pay attention, to figure out the best way to use my strengths and answer developing needs.

I believe that a Christian is called to do the same. We are given all around good faith when in Baptism the Lord draws us into the Body of Christ and blesses us with faith. January 9 celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord, when Jesus was declared God’s Son, the Holy Spirit appeared, and Jesus entered his divine mission. It is a timely reminder that we too have been declared God’s sons and daughters by Baptism, infused with the Spirit, and sent on missions with the gifts we have. We are reminded in I Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” Thus, to be the persons God created us to be, to be the persons God recreated us to be by Baptism, to experience the wellness of the Lord, we are invited to reflect on the faith we have been given, to appreciate the gift it has been, and then to ponder how our gifts might be groomed, fed, exercised, even restyled for this day and time. I invite you this month, every month really, to consider the gift that God has given – you yourself, your life itself, your faith itself. And now, how can you address your physical shape to appreciate the temple that you are; how can you address your spiritual shape to appreciate your faith and share it strongly now?

St. Nicholas Day-- December 6 (PartB)

2010-12-06T22:41:00.003-06:00

One Nicholas story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value — the larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home, providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver.

I like this part because my wife's German heritage includes sweet tasting goodies and small gifts today!

Here's my gift for you --
Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

(I use the shape of stockings and coins to honor Nicholas today!)

Ingredients:

½ cup           butter / margarine

1 cup          sugar

1           egg

1 tsp           vanilla

2-2/3 cups           flour

1 tsp           baking powder

½ tsp            soda

½ tsp           salt

¼ tsp            nutmeg

½ cup           sour cream

Recipe:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Blend dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.

Roll ¼” thick on well-floured surface.

Use cookie cutters or glass lip (less than 3”).

Place cookies on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes (less is better!)

Eat with cold, cold milk while they are soft and HOT!

St. Nicholas Day-- December 6 (Part A)

2010-12-06T22:37:00.001-06:00

As Bishop of Myra, a seacoast town in southern Turkey, Nicholas lived the qualities that caused his fame and popularity to spread throughout the Christian world. His vigorous actions on behalf of his people and in defense of the Christian faith reveal a man who lived his convictions. His concern was for the welfare of his flock and his stand for orthodox belief earned him respect as a model for bishops and defender of the faith. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church.

Stories tell of Nicholas saving his people from famine, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and much more. He did many kind and generous deeds in secret, expecting nothing in return. Within a century of his death he was celebrated as a saint. Today he is in the East as wonder, or miracle worker and in the West as patron of a great variety of persons: children, mariners, bankers, pawn-brokers, scholars, orphans, laborers, travelers, merchants, judges, paupers, marriageable maidens, students, children, sailors, victims of judicial mistakes, captives, perfumers, even thieves and murderers!

In 325 Emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicea, which was the first ecumenical council ever held. More than 300 bishops from all over the Christian world came to debate the nature of the Holy Trinity, one of the early church's most intense theological questions. Arias, from Egypt, taught that the Son Jesus was not equal to God the Father. This was the Arian controversy which shook Christianity's very foundations. According to one account, when confronted by the unyielding Arias, Nicholas slapped him in the face.

Other names in Europe: Germany (Nikolaus), Netherlands (Sinterklaas), France (Nicolas), Italy (San Nicola)

In celebration, check out posting "B" for today!

Ramon Paul Vardell - RIP

2010-12-01T22:24:00.001-06:00

Ironic (?) that both my mother-in-law and uncle (both about 77) were hospitalized for months with infections of the abdomen due to complications from minor surgery.

My mother-in-law was home for three months before she returned for a repair. She is in the hospital again because of yet another infection, but it seems better.

My uncle never made it back to his home. Hopeful signs arose and he was a fighter (two tours of duty in Vietnam with the Marines), but in the end he succumbed to the infection. I was asked to help with the funeral and offered the Lutheran commital service. What joy and comfort. He now rests in God's hands. He was a great guy and well-loved, and that will be sorely missed. Ironic (?) that the Marine motto is "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful)); that was Uncle Ramon's life motto; now Christ will take up the "Always Faithful" banner, as the Lord promises to hold Ramon Paul firm until he is reunited with his loved ones.

No I am NOT still in Minnesota.

2010-11-30T22:22:00.000-06:00

You may have wondered -- what happened? Did he get stuck in feet of Minnesota snow and will not be thawed out enough to Blog until after Easter??? No, nothing that dramatic -- just life. I did well at the conference and had a good Minnesota visit. Got home and family were in the hospital (mother-in-law and uncle), so that is the closest thing I have to an excuse.

Lutheran Education on the Texas Frontier

2010-10-01T21:16:00.000-05:00

Today, I presented at paper at the Lutheran Historical Conference in St Paul, Minnesota
My title was “Education on the Frontier: The First Hundred and One Years of Lutheran Higher Education in Texas”
I looked at the developments that led to the current two Texas Lutheran-affiliated universities.
I appreciated the opportunity to learn also about historical issues across North America. Plus, it is always good to share with Lutheran historians things that happen in the Southwest -- often basically unknown.

"The Garden of Earthly Delights" - Visited Again

2010-09-29T19:59:00.002-05:00

At Madrid's Prado Museum, we viewed the original art work by Hieronymous Bosch, entitled "The Garden of Earthly Delights."

I first encountered this piece in March 2009, when we attended an off-Broadway play in New York City, based on the painting of the same name.

In this triptych, Bosch gives the viewer a sense of the Creation, Fall, and Hell, though some critics argue about the middle theme.

I actually considered buying a copy on linen (Spain has reasonable prices!), but decided against it. This time the third panel disturbed me most of all. I sensed that Bosch was dwelling on the punishment and not the opportunity for amendment of life or, MOST importantly, the possibility of forgiveness. Perhaps we live in a time that needs to view representations of end-times punishment for sin, as so many seem oblivious to any judgment for personal actions. On the other hand, the church's job, I believe, is not so much to shout condemnations, but to raise the reality of the end and then proclaim the promises of new life in Christ, as well as renewed life for Christ's own. Thanks, Bosch, for the wake-up call. I will try to take it from here and preach the power of Christ to change lives!

2010-09-16T08:06:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Spain’s Santiago de Compostela later than planned due to flight delays on Monday evening. Still, the late afternoon sun illuminated the day, so I toured a bit before collapsing with jet lag. Across from this ancient pilgrimage church was a more modern (17th century?) building with decorations depicting the Apostle, St. James. The following morning, my daily devotions included the cryptic mention of the death of James from Acts 12: “After that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword….” The legend of St. James then continues with two followers rescuing his body and sailing away from Israel to bury James covertly in the northwest corner of Spain. Then in the 8th century a pious monk follows the stars (compostela) to discover the hidden tomb of St. James (Santiago). Once honored, St James then returns to assist Spanish armies in defeating the Moors (North African Muslims). Do the pious pilgrims who have been following this ancient road to the church for penance, healing, reconciliation, or grace for loved ones know about St. James with raised sword fighting Moors? It gives one pause to think of one who dies by the sword (James) would return to live again for the sword. Didn't Jesus say in Matthew 26 (with James listening): “Whoever lives by the sword, dies by the sword?”

Priests in Film "The American" & "Machete"

2010-09-08T10:58:00.010-05:00

This past weekend offered two movies in which Roman Catholic priests figure prominently, though not as the main character. In "The American," the priest seems to fill a rather traditional role -- voice of conscience, soul care, and reflective on life. In "Machete," OK, it's a comic book, but the priest performs traditional roles -- present in the church, listening to confessions. However, he is also the brother of Machete, so he violates the seal of the confessional by passing on incriminating evidence, blasts bad guys with twin shotguns, and harbors a naked Lindsay Lohan and her mom-figure.

Which is more real? Which is more what priests wish would be?

Priests would go for "The American," I am sure. But certainly there are moments when twin shotguns could seem like a good solution.

Realistically, if one can say that about a movie, the Italian priest is doing good evangelism -- reaching for the lost soul, and as the movie develops there are hints that Clooney's character is listening or being worked on subconciously as he wants out of his life of death-dealing. Sadly, the priest seems to have lost hope for Clooney's character as he confronts him for the last time. But the Spirit may still be reaching.
Sadly, movie-goers may lose some hope for the real Clooney, as this was not one of his better films. Pretty, but not much substance.

Cheech Marin (Machete's brother, the priest) attempts the role of priest as agent of social change -- maybe. But really, this is just a cartoon, and little positive can be said. The issue, not raised in the film, of violating the seal of the confessional for the greater community good is a difficult one, and deserves more reflection than this movie gives it. But this was a loud, noisy live-action cartoon after all!

"When Schools Flourish, All Things Flourish"

2010-08-26T16:46:00.000-05:00

Schools started this week in our area. On our church's drive-by sign, I posted the message: "When Schools Flourish, All Things Flourish -- Martin Luther". It is a good reminder that many of the things we take for granted today had to be started somewhere. Luther was one of the earliest to argue for town-supported schools that would be available for all children. Yes, ALL CHILDREN -- Luther even thought girls should attend. That was an even more radical idea for the time. As parents drive by the church building headed to the local school houses, we are not asking that they stop to express a word of thanks, rather we are just inviting folks to a fellowship that continues not to take the status quo for granted, but find new ways to be faithful to God in response to changing community needs.

"Get Low" with a Lutheran twist.

2010-08-25T16:27:00.003-05:00

Robert Duvall continues to be amazing. And Bill Murray pulls surprise after surprise. These guys are good, and the rest of the cast does very well -- especially the "sincere young man"/driver and Sissy Spacek.

The first two-thirds of the movie was fabulous -- what a script. Then the last third just kind of played out with little surprise or insight. I suppose that is why it is a "small film" not a blockbuster.

The Christianity portrayed was realistic -- the sincere minister (Gerald McRaney) shared the religious truth as he saw it and played poker with the community leaders! The older minister did not let the Duvall character escape from the truth, but still showed up in support.

Go see this film!

A note that I was unaware of until the September 2010 "The Lutheran" magazine, p. 10: "Family stories of Elizabeth C. Birkholz, a pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Marietta, Ga., formed the basis of Get Low, starring Robert Duvall as Felix "Bush" Breazeale, a Tennessee man who held a funeral for himself in 1938 while he was still alive .... Birkholz's great-grandfather, Frank Quinn, was the funeral home director, and her grandfather, Frank "Buddy" Robinson, drove the hearse. The movie was co-written by Birkholz's husband, Scott J. Seeke, pastor of The River Lutheran Church, Alpharetta, Ga. Birkholz and her family were extras in the film.

Eat Pray Love -- Sounds Good! But ...

2010-08-19T22:57:00.001-05:00

Eat Pray Love -- Sounds like my life plan. I do eat too much, as food is one of my favorite things! And "pray"? Well, I am in the preacher business -- prayer comes up frequently, and I do much of it. Love? I Corinthians states that "Faith, Hope, and Love abide, but the greatest of these is Love." And Jesus himself is connected more times to love than faith or hope in the four Gospels. (Love -- 58 times, Faith -- 33, and Hope only 3!) So, Love is definitely a key word, goal, and blessing for Christians.

But ... This movie that is out right now with Julia Roberts called "Eat Pray Love" leaves much to be desired in my view. The eating is Italian, which has disappointed me in my few journeys to that country recently. The love is probably the strongest part of the movie, but depends on the pray and that is where I find the greatest weakness. OK, maybe I am prejudiced because the pray is in a Hindu context. I do not understand the new Hollywood fascination with Hinduism (after previous brushes with Buddhism, Kabbalah, Scientology, ...). Why is it that so few take Christianity seriously? Most seem to react to childhood experience or a caricature or I guess what gets covered in the media as "Christianity": big, noisy, conservative, and restrictive. Why don't stars go to a regular Sunday morning service at a regular parish -- try my classmate (Pr. Tony Auer) in Pasadena.

Beyond my parochialism, why not try real Christianity? I found the religious message "Pray" shallow. The main message seemed to be -- worship until you can forgive yourself. First of all that message comes across so selfish in this film. Secondly, I couldn't help but think of the monk Martin Luther prior to the Reformation -- sincere, dedicated, cleaning the floor, but finding no release. I think Luther was right -- the answer cannot come from ourselves and our efforts; it must come from outside of us, from God, when we hear "for you" -- the cross, forgiveness, Holy Communion, new life.

But hey, I liked Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile; maybe that is because my daughter is in that film!

3 generations of Vardell men in a field jacket

2010-08-15T08:19:00.003-05:00

In his 20's, my father wore this coat when he left the Marine Corps after the Korean War. He decided not to make the USMC a career, and he had no desire to return to driving another man's tractor while he plowed another man's field. So, the coat went with him to college, which led to his career in the food industry.

I wore the coat to college at a time of protest of another Asian war. And then in my early 20's, I took it northward to keep me warm while I attended seminary in Minnesota and began my service in the church.

This past week, my son discovered the same field jacket; so, in his early 20's and in his last years' of college, he is the third Vardell male wearing it -- to keep him warm on his bicycle, as he journeys into his future.

May the field jacket protect him, and may God stay with all the wearers!

AGORA -- is it too open?

2010-08-10T16:03:00.003-05:00

AGORA -- is it too open?

The "agora" was the open meeting place/trade place of the Greeks. This movie, entitled "Agora," explores that concept of "openness" (I think) as the Greek world was being eclipsed by the Christian / Roman in the late fourth century in Alexandria. I generally like toga and sandal epics, so I hoped for much from the film. I was generally disappointed. Initially, the rise of Christianity was handled in a fairly balanced way. And in the story, the Christians did not start the attacks on other religions. But very quickly the Christians emerge as dominant and begin severe persecutions -- ultimately crushing free scientific inquiry. (At least, I think that was the point of the movie. I must admit, I thought things entangled as the film moved to a conclusion. Is it a story about freedom? Is it about religious toleration? Is it a love story? Is it a story of mature friendships? Is it a criticism of the church becoming involved in government? Is it all these? If so, it needed to be longer, and it was already too long.) Besides, the predominance of Christianity had already been legislated for the Roman Empire almost two generations previously by Constantine. As usual, Rachel Weisz is amazing, but a better epic could have been made.

8.9.10

2010-08-09T15:54:00.002-05:00

8.9.10 -- Today's date: a reminder of the regularity that creeps into our chaotic lives, and a reminder that the chaos is starting to clear enough that I should get more regular with this Blog again!
1) "Summertime, and the living is easy" -- that song was NOT true this year. Sylvia's mother has been in the hospital or an assistance center for three months. We had planned on a week stay, starting back in April when she entered the hospital. So, the change in plans necessitated by the prolonged stay has certainly changed the Summer. It was not easy.
But, ...
2) She is out! Recovery continues at home and we need to get used to that rhythm. Lots of home health care workers come and go, but Ingrid (my mother-in-law) keeps the schedule straight, so things can return to a new normal.
3) Thank God for modern medical care! And pray God continue to watch over my Uncle Ramon who entered an Oklahoma hospital shortly after Ingrid, and he has basically the same complications. He is now recovering in Oklahoma City, and is headed for his own three month stay. (Word to the wise: ask your doctor to avoid nicking the bowel, when operating on the abdomen area. It greatly complicates life!)

"Don't nobody know my troubles but God."

2010-06-07T15:29:00.003-05:00

Sunday afternoon, Sylvia and I attended a play/musical called "Black Pearl Sings" at the Watertower Theater in Addison.
This was probably their best play of a rich season of offerings. I was captivated by the 1930's Texas and New York City settings, and the themes of a musicologist capturing songs for future generations. "Black Pearl," a paroled Texas convict, is the singer who reaches back through time for songs of the African-American experience in the Americas and before. I was particularly captivated by an early song, "Don't nobody know my troubles but God." The soulful, blues tune accompanied by periodic stomping of the feet spoke volumes of the experience of oppression.
I am worried that we don't have such experiences any longer. I am not asking for oppression, but sometimes the relative success/excess we enjoy in 21st century America seems to drive persons further from God. One would perhaps think that blessings would drive one to seek the Blesser, but more often the reality seems to be that suffering drives one to seek the Comforter. I would pray that all life, bane and blessing and in between, would send us to the one God in charge of it all.

Clothing Exchange Event at First United

2010-06-05T17:20:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, June 5, we did not celebrate the D-Day Landing of 1944 early, but the Clothing Landing at First United Lutheran Church in Dallas! The Clothing Exchange (check this out: http://www.theclothingexchange.com/) is an official Green Event, which encourages folks to pass on outgrown and no longer needed clothes to others AT NO CHARGE! At First United, a local community volunteer (Meredith) organized everything, as she has done this for years. We members of the church served cookies and lemonade and orange slices and good cheer to the overheated "shoppers." Persons come in with bags of unwanted clothing and get the same number of bags to fill from others' discards (which the volunteers have carefully categorized). What wonderful Stewardship, caring for resources responsibly, plus helping out the community. As Meredith pointed out, it is also a kind of "loaves and fishes" event because there are always many bags of left over clothing that go to shelters and other non-profits for their use. Thanks "The Clothing Exchange" for letting us host! Watch for a late-Summer/early-Fall Back-to-School event.

Margaret Luttrell - Lutheran History in Action!

2010-05-25T17:33:00.005-05:00

Margaret Luttrell stopped by this afternoon to check out our History Hallway. (More details in later posts.) The 1925 Dallas newspaper photo caught her eye BECAUSE SHE WAS IN IT!

There she is at age 8, meeting for Saturday Bible story time. She shared her memories of early activity in the church and early Dallas life. Welcome, Margaret! Come back and see us again!

Russell Times 2 -- Russell Vardell, Russell Brand 5/19/2010

2010-05-19T23:25:00.003-05:00

Russell Brand (not really much like me -- have you seen a guy with thinner legs?) was on David Letterman tonight. He claimed his long, uncontrolled hair restricted him to trying out for acting roles of either a homeless man or Jesus. Dave asked if he had tried out often for Jesus. Russell's curious response -- his whole life has been a try-out for Jesus. Interesting faith comment from an odd, but talented actor. As a Lutheran, I might want to tell him that all the trying will end in frustration, then I would invite him to trust in God's love for him.
But as a Christian looking for faith affirmations in the public square, I will say "Thanks, Russell, for the plug for Jesus!"

Babies!

2010-05-06T14:23:00.005-05:00

A new movie -- Babies -- is opening this Mothers' Day weekend. It seems like such a joy from the trailers I have been seeing for months at the Angelika Theater here in Dallas. I hope to get to see it; I hope it lives up to the trailer!
This is a pensive reflection on the movie trailer at this point, as I have been reflecting on life and death this week since I have been visiting my mother-in-law in the Intensive Care Unit at a Dallas Hospital after she suffered complications from abdominal surgery. So, even the Babies movie for all its joyousness reminded me of a life-and-death experience in Zimbabwe in Southern Africa 20+ years ago. Our family arrived and settled into a spacious house. My new son, Alex, looked much like the blue-eyed "Hattie" of the movie poster; our gardener, Bernard, had a new child as well, not quite as tribally-attired as Ponjiao, but just as cute. I was talking with Bernard about being a parent one day. He reflected on the joy they bring. He also shared that another child had been born previously but died days afterward. When I asked him about the cause of death. He said he did not know. The child just died.
In the joy of the Babies movie and its revelation of baby-raising similarities, I hope we can also realize the need to extend health care, clean water, adequate food, and health education across this globe -- on behalf of Babies, on behalf of the parents who love them.

Easter and Texas wildflowers

2010-04-27T16:04:00.002-05:00

Texas Wildflowers, especially Bluebonnets, bloom profusely in the relative cool of our Spring. It seems that Easter is the highpoint of beauty. Many years I have seen carloads of families and friends pulled off to the side of the road to photograph a child or friend in the Bluebonnets. I have several such shots myself of my two kids at various ages.
The wonderful thing is, that much as the wildflowers linger after Easter Sunday, the blessings of Easter continue.
What a wonderful creation we have been gifted. What a wonderful Resurrected Lord is given!

Heading for Amarillo

2010-04-23T04:28:00.000-05:00

I am heading for Amarillo bright and early Friday morning. Help me out. Is this Cadillac Ranch all there is? OK, besides the 72ounce Steak challenge?

Robin Hood Sneak Preview - April 21

2010-04-22T15:58:00.002-05:00

We Texans are into heroes. On San Jacinto Day (4/21), celebrating the final battle of the Texas Revolution and the surrender of the dictator Santa Anna, I attended a preview screening of the new Russell Crowe vehicle "Robin Hood" -- an English hero. Interesting movie, dealing with the pre-Robin Hood days -- why he moved into Sherwood Forest as an outlaw. As one might expect from a Ridley Scott production, the film was well-crafted, but I must say it seemed to be missing a "spark" to engage the viewer. It is no Medieval "Gladiator."
We Christians are targets in Medieval times. And "Robin Hood," though not anti-church totally, took several shots at the church of time. True, there is an engaging Friar Tuck who can relate to the people, but primarily he is into bees and mead, not his churchly duties. The "church" is often lumped in with the nobles as oppressors of the people -- not particularly worse than other oppressors, but an oppressor all the same. At the same time, the church is a target for society destroyers and it suffers from that. Is there hope in Tuck and the shared experience of oppression? In the end though, the Sherwood Forest dwellers live peacefully in the greenwood under the beneficent spirit of a deceased Loxley, not God.

What Would Jesus Do? The Handgrenade Question

2010-04-14T11:33:00.003-05:00

I like Garage Sales. You just never know what treasure will be waiting.

This is indeed a treasure:

The question now is -- can I put it on my desk in the church office? It may be funny in an odd way, but I am unsure about "church funny." (Despite the Monty Python "Holy Hand Grenade" moment.) Honestly, this item is not about peace and charity and welcome and forgiveness. OK, I answered my own question -- inappropriate. I think I know what Jesus would do -- keep it out of a church setting.

But what do you think? Inappropriate? Humorous enough to get away with it? Who cares?

More on "The Pacific" -- HBO World War II series

2010-04-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

I commented earlier about the beginning of the HBO series, "The Pacific." It is now into the mid-point and I am not sure what I think about it. I continue to tape episodes and share them with my WWII veteran uncle. And he says he appreciates it: he lived through the New Britain conflict (and was wounded); he recovered from his wounds in the same back area hospital compound that was the backdrop for one character's recovery of health. I am particularly interested in his comments on the episodes of Peleilu that have begun.

But I am trying to figure out my own discomfort with the series. I think, but this may still change, that what seems weak about the series (especially compared to the earlier "Band of Brothers" effort) is that there is too much individualism, not enough about the unit cohesion, the importance of comrades-in-arms. Even "Band of Brothers" had strong individual characters but overall one followed the unit. There seems too much about just key individuals in this "Pacific" series. Generally we Americans focus on individuals, but at least the myth of WWII was that it was about mutual efforts on the battlefield and at home. But I shall follow the series to the end and see if that evaluation remains true for me.

Resurrection of God's People

2010-04-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

A well-meaning relative gave me, as a Christmas present, the recent best-seller, 90 Minutes in Heaven.

Spoiler alert -- it recounts the experience of a Baptist minister, Don Piper, who was declared dead by EMTs for some 90 minutes at the scene of a car accident.

I figured the Easter Season was the time to tackle this book and read it in a long afternoon. Interesting account to be sure, but the "90 Minutes" was brief -- not much could be related beyond the memory of heaven. The book was more about how the author dealt with the experience and included helpful illustrations of sharing the promise of the resurrection.

At the very end of the book, the author shares a final comment about his research of near-death experiences. He reports that they do vary widely, but most persons share this factor -- marked changes in personality. With no fear of death, survivors became more compassionate, more giving, and more loving.

That is an Easter message for us all to carry. After Jesus death then life, and the promise that we shall have it too, dare we all become more compassionate, giving, and loving indeed!

Easter! Alleluia!

2010-04-04T12:45:00.000-05:00

Easter 2010 -- No idle tale, but a moving report that changes the world!
"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." (Luke 24:5b)

Sunday -- Happy Hour All Day

2010-03-31T17:21:00.003-05:00

A new place opened down the street from my house. To gather new customers in, they have posted banners on the building "$5 lunches." That was enough to get me in there. It is really a bar mostly, I think, but the lunch was good -- certainly worth the $5. While eating there with my wife, Sylvia, we noticed different features of the place, but my favorite sign stated simply: "Sunday -- Happy Hour All Day."
Now, that is what every preacher hopes for -- the hour of worship will bring joy, help folks be happy "All Day" even All Week! What do you think, shall I borrow the sign and post it at church? "Sunday: Happy Hour All Day"

First Day of Spring -- Snow in Texas!

2010-03-21T12:49:00.001-05:00

It is odd to think that Jerusalem in Israel and Dallas, Texas are at almost the same latitude on the globe. Is our weather that different then? Israel is not all that familiar with snow either -- the word "snow" is only in the Old Testament and New Testament less than 30 times, and that usually is as a comparative of how white something can be.
Well, every now and then in Texas and Israel it comes down hard! Psalm 147: 16 "[The Lord] gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes." That must have ben written after a storm like our First Day of Spring -- Sunday morning. Some asked if we would even be having church. But by Noon, snow was fading. Psalm 147: 18a "[The Lord] sends out his word, and melts them...." This Texas boy was glad to see the blue sky, glad to know God stays in charge!

"The Pacific" (Hanks/Spielberg share more of World War II)

2010-03-15T14:42:00.006-05:00

As a child, I was raised on World War II. Although my father was a Marine involved in the Korean War, he had a brother and brother-in-law captured at Wake Island. And another uncle was wounded at Cape Gloucester and served later at Peleilu. (http://www.purpleheartaustin.org/bankston.htm) So, I waited with anticipation for the beginning of the 10 part miniseries from Hanks/Spielberg called "The Pacific."

In the closing minutes of the first episode, a young machine-gunner on Guadalcanal reflects on a particularly fierce battle in which he killed many Japanese. He asks the very difficult question faced by warriors -- though one might reconcile these actions with God, how does one square it with oneself for participation in such actions?

It may be exactly because we have difficultly forgiving ourselves AND one another, as well as living from that forgiveness, that we need the voice of God from outside our lives, outside even our own experience, to speak that forgiving word.

Lord, save me from faint, really faint, praise

2010-03-11T12:52:00.003-06:00

So the old story goes --
When asked how he liked the new minister, an older member replied that he supposed the preacher was all right, although six days the pastor was invisible and the seventh day incomprehensible.

"This is the beginning of the end of the Word."

2010-03-10T17:31:00.002-06:00

Well, that title seems dramatic indeed: "For an hour this week, I thought, 'This is the beginning of the end of the Word.'" I ran across this October 2009 quotation from Newsweek's religion editor, Lisa Miller, in another publication. She was commenting on an electronic Bible, and its potential to replace the Scriptures as we generally know it -- a bound Bible book. It is an interesting argument, though I think we are quite a ways from such a day. Technology is attractive, but not all (by a long shot!) have bought in.
Miller's sentiment is an interesting contrast to a recent movie "The Book of Eli" in which Denzel Washington's character protected the last Bible (in an alternative format), so it could be REPRINTED. (Spoiler alert: He dies as the Bible rolls off the press.)
I think the church can handle an all electronic Bible, as the technology people of faith have known has certainly shifted -- oral tradition, papyrus and scrolls, codex, hand-copied book, the printing press, and mass market product. Why not electronic some day?
But hardly, even then, "the beginning of the end of the Word."
How does Isaiah 40:8 say it? "The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever."

The Large Catechism -- largely for Lent

2010-03-04T16:11:00.002-06:00

This year for my Wednesday evening Lenten service meditations, I have be using a reading from Scripture and a reading from Martin Luther's Large Catechism.

Last night I was struck by Luther's argument that the Creed should follow the Ten Commandments because the Ten Commandments tell us how we should live, but we cannot so live without God. And the creed reminds us of which god that is, or, who the God is that promises to enter our lives so that we might live with hope! It is refreshing, even in Lent, to remember that our shortfall, our sin, is not so much what we fail to do, but who (God!) we fail to believe in. Hence, the Lenten journey is to draw nearer to God's call, rather than to busy ourselves in doing better. In fact, it is in that very drawing nearer that we are able to do better!

Texas Independence and a Blue-eyed Alien in the Land!

2010-03-02T16:20:00.002-06:00

Today is Texas Independence Day! A true Texas day of celebration of freedom from despotic rule (Santa Anna in 1836). As a Texan I will wear my Texas tie with pride today!

At my home, there is another reason to celebrate: 44 years ago my wife became an American citizen when her family was sworn in on Texas Independence Day, 1966. I thank God that they journeyed from Germany to Australia to Milwaukee to Texas; otherwise, Texan or not, I would find my life to be far, far less and have much less reason for celebration!

“Venus and Mars and Percy Jackson?”

2010-02-23T16:37:00.009-06:00

There is a movie out right now called “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” which has the teenage son of a Greek god and human mother on a quest to save the world. Well, it is very entertaining, but entertaining fiction, to be sure. I have been fascinated since childhood by the ancient stories of the Mediterranean people trying to make sense of the world before Christianity arrived with its answers. And that reminded me that we have two subsequent months that honor Greek/Roman ideals – love and war: Venus and Mars. You might even remember that several years ago there was a series of books about “Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus.” I actually think we humans are all probably from both Mars and Venus.
Last month was the big Love festival of Valentine’s Day, and Love moved through the culture – music, movies, money. The goddess of Love, called Venus by the Romans or Aphrodite by the Greeks, ruled the nations’ attention. We will shortly be entering March (named for the Roman God Mars, called Ares by the Greeks -- the god of war). Are we similarly dominated by war? There is a war, a couple of wars, half a world away, often called to mind only when we hear of soldiers who are wounded or killed in action or civilians caught in the combat crossfire. And we are still in the middle of Lent when we remember the war that is internal for many of us, a war that the Apostle Paul noted: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Roman 7:19)

This two-fold, Love-War, Good-Evil, are realities indeed for human life. We do not need a modern half-god, half-man like Percy Jackson to solve the problem. And the Greeks and Romans though instructive do not solve things for us. So, we have a good Lutheran concept that recognizes “Simul justus et peccator” – simultaneously saint and sinner – the very human nature we share, the very human nature that the true God, true Man, Jesus Christ solved for us, a solution we ponder in the Christian faith which has made its way beyond the Mediterranean to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas – that is, to us!

So, we draw close to the end of the Lenten season in March (this month of warfare) and we look forward to the Easter promise, when Divine Love erupts from the tomb in April! “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7: 24b,25)

Ash Wednesday 2010

2010-02-17T16:04:00.003-06:00

This year my Lenten Wednesdays will emphasize basic catechetical themes -- Confession, Sacraments, Creed, and Lord's Prayer. Today, for Ash Wednesday, we began appropriately with Confession. I read a portion of Martin Luther's Large Catechism, in which he addresses the need for Confession. I appreciated his reminder that the Reformation maintained the practice of Confession but shifted the focus from the abrasive scrutiny of the soul in pursuit of every transgression (large, small, and minute!) to an emphasis on the liberating freedom of forgiveness. It is a powerful gift of God to release us from guilt, worry, and animosity between ourselves and other Christians.

Susan Briehl's 2010 Hein Fry Lecture on Feb. 12

2010-02-13T15:50:00.001-06:00

Rev. Susan Briehl presented the 2010 Hein Fry Lecture at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 12 at Texas Lutheran University. It was an "exciting" ride leaving the Dallas snow and ice that morning to drive the 250 miles down there. But the journey was smooth and the presentation ("Hearing the Word: Teaching the Bible in the Parish and Beyond") was encouraging. Pastor Briehl, an English major in college who took a Bible literature course from "the Lord" (her teacher's name was Dr Lord!), has a wonderful way of presenting with almost hymnic or poetic words as well as directly to the issues. I hope I can incorporate even a portion of the ideas in my regular Sunday morning Adult Bible Study.

Olympic Celebration

2010-02-11T14:00:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow the Olympics are officially beginning with the Opening Ceremony. I will probably watch, though I cannot imagine the Canadians trying to match the pageantry of the Chinese opening just two years ago. Whenever the Olympics are held nowadays, I remember our family's journey a dozen years ago to Atlanta. (See photo!) What a wonderful opportunity -- gathering so many from throughout the world in peace for a moment. That Olympic ideal has existed since the ancient Greek games -- but the ideal has been disrupted: the bombing in Atlanta just days before we arrived and, of course, the horror of Munich in 1972.
I treasure that photo from my family trip to Atlanta as it captures a moment of celebration, joy, and common adventure. I treasure the Olympic ideal of celebration, joy, common adventure, and peace. And I lean on God when the realities of this world disrupt our ideals. May the Lord's peace reign, especially in Vancouver.

The Lovely Bones movie

2010-02-06T12:11:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, technically my day off, I went to see a movie that ostensibly dealt with a religious topic: life after death.
First off, the movie just tore my heart out. As the involved father of an out-going daughter (like the deceased movie narrator character), I was just deeply saddened by the harsh reality that is child abduction and murder. Peter Jackson successfully explored that and dissected the family fraying that could accompany it. (And I thought Wark Wahlberg was fine in the role, contrary to many critics.)
The heaven part, the unsettled spirit part convinced me much less. The whole "in between" place part was not successful for me, though it allowed the story to progress well. I must remember it is fiction, but for an America that is less and less connected to the church and its teachings, the "in between" could serve as a confusing after-death image. After leading over 60 funerals and having a personal relationship with the surviving families in almost all those situations, I believe that an "in between," even to pursue justice, is not the desire. What the faith allows us to say is that God is now in charge when all else is loss, guilt, gone, pain, sorrow. The world offers little consolation, an "in between" even less. I prefer to share I Corinthians 15:19 -- "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."

La Vida de Fe

2010-01-29T11:33:00.002-06:00

January 25-27, I attended our annual Tri-Synodical Theological Conference in San Antonion, Texas. The Theme was "La Vida de Fe." These conference times are usually opportunities for reconnecting with pastor-professional contacts and clearing one's head to think about the forthcoming year, as well as listening to the topic presented. At First United Lutheran Church we are not currently involved in the main theme -- Latino ministry, but, after the presentation by a demographer, it is apparent that ready or not, we are challenged for Latino ministry. Texas is already "Minority Majority" -- that is, Anglos (aka Whites) are already a minority in the state when all the "minority" groups are added together. Add to that, the likelihood is that by 2020, Texas will be Latino majority and by 2050, the whole of the United States will be Latino majority. (I may not live to see that.) So, the presentations were good awakenings to key concepts and ideas about the Latino experience of the life of faith. Gracias!

One year and counting!

2010-01-18T11:13:00.004-06:00

Well, I have been here a year today. My first anniversary.
Is the honeymoon over? More importantly am I prepared to work at making this relationship happen? Yes. Or as they said up north in my seminary days -- You Betcha, ya sure!
Here are some review items from the year:
We took a photo at the former church location on Cole Avenue for the 86th birthday of the congregation. A new Men-ghetti (Men Who Love Spaghetti) fellowship group was started. A few folks tried their building skills with a Habitat for Humanity house in Old Plano. We shared special worship services for Lent and Advent besides our regular Sunday morning celebration of prayer, singing, Scriptures, sermon, and communion. In addition, we celebrated two special German-language services for Mid-Summer and Reformation Sunday. And some seven languages infused our Pentecost celebration. For Thanksgiving we joined with two area Lutherans congregations for worship. We also hosted the synod-wide Reformation Day “Marty Party” on October 31.
We spruced up the building a bit, especially our long hallway. We offered film festivals of Bible-themed movies as well as the Life of Luther. I also started leading a Thursday morning Bible Study at the Classic Residences, a Senior High Rise nearby. Plus Confirmation classes were initiated.

I Timothy 1:5: “But the aim … is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.”

Happy First Anniversary, indeed!

Haiti News

2010-01-15T12:27:00.005-06:00

Such tragic reports are coming out of Haiti -- the sheer number of deaths is almost overwhelming, almost unreal. Sometimes it helps to narrow to one person. In my case, I just heard about a young Lutheran seminary student, Benjamin Larson, killed while training lay people for leadership in the fledgling Haitian Lutheran Church. You can read more from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/14/haiti.seminarian.killed/index.html (You have to paste this link into your browser.)
Now I have connections -- he is about the same age as my oldest child; I am a pastor and still remember the excitement of internship and preparing for a first call; I now teach a class for lay leadership development.
Now I can connect with one of the thousands; now the thousands become more real.
How can our hearts reach out to even more families at the loss of many more young men, many more servants of God, many more mothers and fathers and children and ... ?

https://community.elca.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=538

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. The people of God have mercy.

Post-Christmas in Ireland

2010-01-14T13:17:00.009-06:00

I took off for Ireland the Sunday after Christmas with wife, daughter, son, and mother-in-law in tow.
What a surprisingly wonderful country! Also, what a freezing cold country! (Coldest winter in a 100 years.) I enjoyed discovering so much. Perhaps I will comment more fully later, but for right now, I want to reflect on the "Celtic" cross.
Much has been made of its shape -- cross with round circle. Debate has been if that was a way to incorporate pre-Christian beliefs. But I want to say, I was amazed at its presence in the country. I saw ancient crosses (from about 1000 AD) through modern gravestones with the motif. I was especially impressed by the Monasterboice crosses I saw the first day in country. Photos are attached. Huge structures affirming the crucifixion, but other space with pictures of other Christian stories. Amazing design and execution. Enjoy the photos.

"Religious" Christmas Stamp

2009-12-22T16:52:00.004-06:00

For the past several years, I have made it a point to ask for the "religious" Christmas stamp. I pick the Virgin and Child art rather than snow people or Christmas trees or antique toys or nutcrackers or whatever else is offered, even though those others can be cutely tempting. But I may have to be even more specific. For several years in the USA, postal customers wanting a "religious" holiday stamp in the Fall can/could select from Virgin and Child or EID or Hanukkah stamps. So, I think I will need to be even more vocal in my religious stamp preference and ask specifically for the Christian stamp! That could be a small witness to our special celebration.
Merry (almost) Christmas!

Advent, NOT Christmas

2009-12-09T18:15:00.008-06:00

Here it is the second Wednesday in the Season of Advent. I am preparing for Evening Prayer and expect a small group to be present. I know I am supposed to focus on anticipation of Christ, the coming of the Lord. In other words, NO Christmas carols. Yet, it is the joy of Christmas I am looking forward to as well. What a great time to pull out all the Christian celebration and the secular world will even join in a little of it. So I wait -- but I want to get there -- part of that "proleptic eschatology" that my buddy Ryan Mills reminded me of. (Yes, he is a pastor, too.) Basically, it is the "already, but not yet" nature of the faith we have. All the promise is ours, but we we have not yet seen it all. That does not make it less true, just less realized. Ah, well, perhaps, I could at least put up this much Christmas decoration (my house would be on the right hand side -- that's where you want to be when it comes to God!).

(The red lights say "Ditto" in case it is not showing well.)

"The Blind Side"

2009-11-30T17:43:00.001-06:00

"The Blind Side" : NOT a Thanksgiving turkey, but a Thanksgiving gift for the movie-going public.
What a warm, rich, challenging film for movie-goers this season -- and NO vampires!
I did not have great expectations of the film, but was deeply impressed by a tear-jerker film, which dealt with Southern racism, football frenzy, drug culture and its threat on poor families and young persons. What about those lost children that are "raised" in the middle of addicted parents and their pushers? How do they survive? Well, here is one story. Although a white family ultimately rescues the young man, he has independently developed skills that allow him to escape, to embrace the opportunity provided. One could only wish that situation for all children in such poverty and potential hopelessness.
Another noteworthy aspect of this film was the Christian faith that was just included as an obvious aspect of the family's life. No apologies; no creepiness; just a real faith lived out in the interaction with others. One hopes that good Christian folks would open the table of thanksgiving for even more unlikely characters -- not just in films but in everyday life.

Social Networking and the Church

2009-11-20T13:59:00.002-06:00

Social Networking is what the church is all about -- from the time of Jesus calling the 12 Apostles as well as the numerous men, women, and children to his side during his earthly ministry, to the Pentecost celebration, to the work of Paul calling scattered races to believe. The church is in the social networking business. The challenge is how to make that happen in this time when so many other options abound. Sunday church, well done, is a great place to start.

Mighty Fortress LEGO-style

2009-10-29T11:39:00.003-05:00

Yes, that great Lutheran festival of Reformation Day is approaching on October 31! And Luther has invaded even LEGO-world! (Check out his hammer as LEGO Luther is ready to post the 95 Theses again!)
Enjoy!

New York City Research

2009-10-17T16:50:00.000-05:00

For the last of my Continuing Education this year, I visit Wagner College on Staten Island in New York City, in order to research Northern Lutheran observations on the South, slavery, and the Civil War. Wagner holds the Sutter Memorial Archives related to New York area Lutheranism. The collection proved to be more extensive than I anticipated. Do I have to go again? Soon? To New York City?
Thanks so much to Clint Daggan, the son of the Sutter Archivist, John Daggan. Clint also showed me some of his research into northern responses to the Civil War -- very helpful indeed.
When I researched the history of Texas Lutherans long ago, I interviewed a very senior pastor (Fred Kern) who actually left Texas in the 1920's to attend Wagner. I tried to imagine this tall Texas from the scrub of south central Texas in the big city of New York -- what a cultural shift, but he taught horseback riding in Central Park and met his wife, an accomplished musician, in the city. God leads folks all kinds of directions.
Do I have to go again? Soon?

"I am a seething mass of Lutheran Midwestern guilt."

2009-10-04T06:15:00.000-05:00

"I am a seething mass of Lutheran Midwestern guilt," said David Letterman on national TV. Letterman may not be the poster child of the Lutheran faith with the subsequent confession of multiple partner sexual experiences.
I would have hoped that his Midwestern Lutheran experience would have limited his transgressions. Perhaps the guilt after one or two experiences could have stopped or slowed him. Is he feeling guilty only because he got caught?
We do not yet know the extent of his actions, but we can hope that his guilt will limit his future actions. And we could hope even more, that he might embrace his Christian roots and embrace personal reform: personal witness to sin, forgiveness, and new life.

From SIN to Texas!

2009-09-13T18:12:00.001-05:00

I am back! The title though catchy also explains my blog absence. SIN is not, in this case, a statement on my spiritual status, though as a good Lutheran I affirm that I am simultaneously saint and sinner.
In this case though, SIN describes my physical status -- SIN is the international code for Changi Airport in Singapore. I was in Singapore and Malaysia for a vacation. Fascinating experience. I will share a few more reflections about the religious situations shortly. Right now, I am recovering from some 30 hours in transit and a 13 hour time change to be back in Texas. When I catch up with myself, I will have more about the transition from SIN to Texas!

Confirmation Class -- The Last Summer Friday

2009-08-21T14:42:00.002-05:00

Collin and Robert joined me for a Summer Confirmation class session today. We squeezed in a bit more of the Old Testament before they get re-absorbed into the school routine on Monday morning. Our small class is a joy as we think about Scripture, ask about God, learn some tradition, and share life. May God bless our sessions as well after school starts! Thanks, guys.

Atomic Testing Museum -- Las Vegas, Nevada

2009-08-19T19:58:00.001-05:00

At the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada (several blocks East of Las Vegas' more famous attractions), one is introduced to the background and marvelous science of the hundreds of atomic tests performed in the Nevada desert North of Las Vegas from the 1950's until 1992. The quiet of the museum contrasted starkly with the noise and glitz of the Vegas Strip. I have visited the museums of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Alamogordo and Los Alamos in New Mexico, and Washington state's Tri-Cities previously to learn about the development of the American nuclear weapons ... and their use.
As a child of the nuclear era (yes, I learned to kneel in the school hall and cover my neck in case of a nuclear attack), I am enthralled by the spirit of the developers (scientists and others), the technological breakthroughs, and the scope of planning and development necessary. But I am also appalled by the threat in those gleaming products.
As a Christian, I wonder why God allowed humans to discover the secrets or even the prior question, why God allowed the possiblity of nuclear destruction even to exist?
As a human, I am hopeful, but confused, by the comment of one scientist's comments recorded at the Las Vegas museum, who stated that the nuclear testing proved that we could never use the weapons but he also recognized the value in having them -- Not to be used, but certainly to be possessed. Can we humans really handle that much power? Are recent efforts to reduce nuclear weapons really adequate? And, of course, what about the terrorists? Will we become the victims of our own weapons' development?

"The Passion of the Christ" - Final Summer Film

2009-08-13T14:00:00.004-05:00

Last night, a biblical number of persons gathered for a viewing of "The Passion of the Christ" at First United Lutheran Church. It was our final Summer film.
Seven of us watched the graphic account of those last hours of Jesus life on earth. Seven of us watched through the closing that hinted at the power of the Easter resurrection and the new world possible. The movie itself almost drenches the viewer in blood and suffering. We asked whether all that was necessary. Apparently it was necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, and be buried. Is it enough for us to affirm that in our statement of beliefs every Sunday or do we need Hollywood to portray it graphically? The audience was mixed in opinion, but thankful that Christ went through the Passion and introduced the Resurrection!

"The Hurt Locker" -- The challenge of Iraq

2009-08-03T15:31:00.002-05:00

Once more a movie review -- The Hurt Locker. This is an excellent film, small budget but so engaging. Oscar-worthy comes to mind.
It follows a crew of bomb disposal folks working in Iraq (actually filmed in Jordan). It deals with so many things: the countdown of tour, mixed relations with Iraqis, difficulty of urban warfare, boredom of soldiers, personalities of soldiers, and, most of all, the tension and detail of dealing with IEDs (improvised explosive devices).
The cast is amazing (with some interesting cameos) -- excellent actors all in this film. I felt like I was there with them -- even more engaging than the old BBC "Danger UXB" series. Also, it is relatively without political overtones, so it allows the viewer to engage with the soldiers apart from political persuasion.

Go see it.

Pray for the soldiers. Pray for the people of Iraq. Pray for an end to IEDs.

Bruno Schlachtenhaufen Rest in God's Peace

2009-07-27T17:16:00.004-05:00

This month's The Lutheran magazine brings notice of the passing of the Rev. Bruno Schlachtenhaufen.
Among his other services to the Lord and his neighbors, he directed the Seminary Appeal for the old American Lutheran Church during the years I attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. I remember his name because I had the responsibility to announce his presence on campus with an invitation for any interested persons to meet with him. I had this announcement duty during the Chapel time when hundreds gathered for worship. I sweated out the pronunciation of his name -- not wanting to sound silly in front of the crowds, nor to hurt Bruno Schlachtenhaufen's feelings. When it came time for announcements, all the consonants and vowels rolled out beautifully. (I was even complimented by several persons afterward for my precise pronunciation.) Ever after, when I needed a great pastor's name to throw out for illustration, I fell back on Bruno Schlachtenhaufen.
Now, I read that he has passed on to his promised place with God. I think I may still use his name as it is tough to beat it, but I shall also momentarily reflect every time on the transitory nature of this world -- its duties, worries, calls to service, concern about possessions, praises for actions, and opportunities for service. And I shall remember the divine promise given to Bruno Schlachtenhaufen, fulfilled now in his passing. Requiescat in pace.

The Bible: In the Beginning ...

2009-07-24T16:03:00.004-05:00

The Bible: In the Beginning ...
This was indeed indeed "In the Beginning" of our Summer "Reel Religion" film festival at First United. About a dozen folks showed up on Wednesday at 7:00pm to watch John Huston's interestingly conservative treatment of the subject (the first 22 chapters or so of Genesis). Perhaps the "Free Popcorn" was the big draw, but I think we all enjoyed the Hollywood-scale treatment of this very religious subject matter. It was interesting to do a little research and discover that the film was not a great money-maker at its release. In fact, many consider it to be the last of the Biblical Epics that Hollywood churned out from the late 1940's through 1966. I think the mid to late 1960's really challenged everything that went before. Even the Adam character (Michael Parks) followed this movie with his 1969 TV series "Then Came Bronson" where he played a restless youth trying to discover himself as he motorcycled on the highways of America. Maybe as the country reevaluated everything, the Bible seemed archaic. Here over 40 years later I think the film holds up as a faithful retelling of the early chapters of Genesis, though Huston is a bit goofy as Noah in my opinion. Catch it on DVD if you were not there on Wednesday!
(Next Wednesday, July 29, "The Nativity" from 2007! And there is more Free Popcorn!)

My Sister's Keeper

2009-07-06T15:34:00.005-05:00

This tear-jerker, My Sister's Keeper, is out right now in wide release. Actually not bad for its type of movie. (Though I would prefer Star Trek again if I was going to repeat a movie.) What I noticed in this movie about young life, young death, a family's coping, questions of afterlife, and organ donation issues was a lack of reference to traditional faith. Only after one character's death do we see a pastor in the rain at a funeral. Prior to that, the family is on their own; no church friends are mentioned; no chaplain or pastor visits in the hospital; and the characters speak abstractly about the soul and wonder about what comes after this life. Are we that post-church today? Is there no one to speak about the faith, about the promises related to the afterlife? Are children growing up with no real concept of something, some certain hope after death? I pray that the church (that is, all the people of God) find a way to share our faith message because Hollywood rarely even gives us a nod nowadays. And we cannot simply be left for the last ceremony or be left out in the rain.

Arts Festival Accomplished!

2009-06-30T16:18:00.003-05:00

We survived! No, we thrived!
The Midsummer Arts Festival came and went and we were inspired! Thanks to all the musicians. As one audience member commented: "How do they keep all that in their heads?" Well, they didn't. The music flew from head to finger to instrument and voice. Amazing music! I forget sometimes what a marvelous space we have for music -- the sound just rolls through the building and envelops a listener. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful -- what more can be said?
The audience enjoyed adding their voices through the Folk Songs, and they must have enjoyed them because when the lead-choir offered to skip one, the audience cried out to sing that one too. Next year, we need more sing-along time.
The ongoing Fine Arts dealt beautifully with the theme of "Despair to Hope" -- thanks go out to those who lent the pictures and graphics on display. And we had some tasty treats to sample as the beauty was appreciated.
The Vespers service was moving for those who spoke German and those of us who can keep up with some German. I think even the English-only speakers were captured by the beauty of the Abendgebet (Evensong / Evening Prayer). And then the Order of St. John fed us royally with delicious grilled Brats (and what was in those beer cups?)
We survived! We thrived! Or hearts were raised at Midsummer!

Getting Ready for the Half-Christmas Celebration!

2009-06-25T12:37:00.004-05:00

When our children were younger, we held half-birthday celebrations for them, especially since my son's birthday was in July and otherwise he would miss marking the occasion at school. I have some misgivings about that now, since they still do not want to give the practice up and they are both in their twenties! But I digress. This coming Sunday, First United Lutheran Church is repeating a kind of half-Christmas Celebration -- a MidSummer Arts Festival close to the Nativity of St John the Baptist Day (June 24). On the 28th of June, we shall bring out the Arts indeed in celebration of John the Baptist as well as being half a year towards Christmas. We have pianists from child prodigies in the SMU Youth program to Cliburn Competition finalists. We have singers -- a South African and folks leading traditional German folk songs. Then we will offer a German Vespers service. The evening concludes with a Beer and Brats fest!
Christmas is a great time of the year. We hope to make half-Christmas a joyful, fun, and worshipful time as well.

2009-06-18T17:38:00.003-05:00

According to their website: Dallas' Theatre Three concluded their 2008-2009 Season " with the dramatic musical, Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, based on Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country. Lost in the Stars is the captivating emotional journey of loss, grief, redemption, and the resultant peace that only forgiveness and reconciliation can bring." It was an almost archaic reminder at times of the now old issues of Apartheid and societally-enforced racial segregation. At the same time it offered a review of old human issues -- want, accident, forgiveness, reconcilliation. I particularly appreciated one interchange between the fathers of two sons -- one the Black accidental killer and the other the White victim. Referring to the necessity of the death sentence when a murder has been committed, even when it was an accident and the killer has repented and told the absolute truth, the Black father says,"Jesus did not say this." And the White victim's father responded, "But where there is government, it is true." Issues of life and death are so "life and death" and yet what about forgiveness, truth, justice in an unjust society?

7:30am Saturday -- Volunteers Head to Habitat for Humanity!

2009-06-05T16:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, at 7:30 AM on a Saturday, I joined a handful of volunteers from First United Lutheran Church, who headed for South Plano and a Habitat for Humanity building project. The early morning cool soon gave way to a roasting heat, especially as three of us started on the roof (Tim Ellis, Jeff Harrington, and me). I had a shoe "blow out" and my red duct job kept the shoe together, but made it dangerous to return topside. Therefore, I joined Paula Ellis in various ground level jobs. Broken by a delicious hamburger and hot dog lunch, we helped with the roof, hanging sofit (how about those air-pressure nail guns), marking cut-outs for drywall, and generally being available. Our small group was happy to see a committed group, including frequent visitors Elisabeth and Heinz Schaefer, making great headway on this duplex. We hope to join in again soon!

2009-05-20T06:54:00.003-05:00

Monday evening, I attended a reception for Bishop Tom Barnett of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone (ELCSL). His soft-spoken manner cloaked the mighty mission of that church body which seeks to serve a country recently emerged from civil war. Their amputee project helps their fellow Sierra Leoneans while they also support refugees from neighboring Liberia. Our family has long supported the young church and believe they are doing wonderful things. (We also think they are good stewards as the church continues to use a blue Plymouth Voyager our family donated about ten years ago!) The ELCSL is currently constructing the Jubilee Center in central Freetown as a visible witness of the church's commitment to serve this impoverished country in faithful witness to our Risen Lord Jesus!

Peace and Love

2009-05-14T15:41:00.006-05:00

I recently attended a production of "Love" -- the Grammy-winning musical adaptation of Beatles' music with the intriguing staging of Cirque du Soleil. Though slow-starting (IMO), it eventually played frenetic homage to the Beatles and some events of the era when the music was composed. And there was a Volkswagen Beetle! (Always a good sign in my book.) Close to the end, as the musical approached a raucous crescendo with "Revolution," huge words appear on one wall -- "Peace and Love." Then the words fragment and various letters begin to cascade down like rain. Art.
The show was overall amazing and worth attending (IMO again). When I saw those words though, I thought of Jesus as a much earlier proclaimer of "Peace and Love," especially I guess because of the texts from the Gospel of John (not Lennon) that we have been reading during Holy Week and Easter: the Great Love Commandment (John 13: 34,35), Jesus' immediate post-Easter offering of Peace (John 20: 19ff.), and this Sunday's text "This is my commandment, that you love one another ...." (John 15:12).
The Beatles once famously/infamously claimed to be more popular than Jesus. I suppose their music is famous indeed, but the message of Peace and Love from God in Christ preceded and (IMO) will outlast those four lads from Liverpool, The Beatles.
But we can all share the hope that "Peace and Love" will rain down on our world.

Tuesday, April 21 -- a couple of hours prior to the last post

2009-05-05T16:30:00.005-05:00

Tuesday, April 21 --
A couple of hours before I wrote the previous post, my son, Alex, broke his ankle while bicycling. After getting off from their pizza delivery jobs at like one in the morning, he and his roommate Nathan go cycling through the dark streets of Arlington and Grand Prairie. Mom and Dad wish for safer choices (like wear a helmet!). But in this case, no late night reveler hit him; there was no bicycle stunt gone bad. No, he just stepped off his cycle and something went wrong and he twisted his ankle and then lost his balance and snap! His foot was limp and off center by 90 degrees and the distal fibula cracked. He rode by ambulance to the Emergency Room and got his foot set the right direction, but they only splinted the break. Mom flew off to Laredo to speak to librarians. Dad went to teach class and take care of church stuff. Several hours later, Alex awoke in agony, informed me of the situation, and we began the process of chasing down doctors and referrals and dealing with insurance. The swelling subsided and just today the break was finally repaired -- screws and plates.
Thank God for modern medical care, for dedicated medical personnel at all levels that addressed his needs and are helping Alex to mend! He should be able to cycle again relatively soon (but wear a helmet!). We are not sure, if he will ever be able to waltz. (That would require extensive lessons, as he has never tried before.) (That was my sorry attempt at humor.)
I do thank God that we are "wonderfully and fearfully" made. It was amazing to see the intricate design of how the ankle snugs up into the leg bones with ligaments wrapped to secure it. We humans are an amazing creation.

Sackbut! Love, Pretty Women, Dogs, and Drinking

2009-04-21T06:26:00.007-05:00

Sackbut! It was enough to make me snicker in Junior High School, especially when our trombone player spelled it using the variation of sagbutt. I am older now, so I went to the Sunday afternoon musical performance expecting antique music from sackbuts, lute, viols, harp, and more varieties of recorders than I had ever seen. The concert included a nice selection of popular music of the 15th and 16th century, as well as religious music by Martin Luther. We still sing many of the Luther hymns in church. The popular music seldom is heard, though the themes -- love, pretty women, dogs, and drinking -- are readily identified in country, rock, tejano, and other modern music. But do those moderns use the sackbut? And are they missing out, since Luther's hymns are sung 400 years later while the other compositions have faded?

Easter Sunrise 2009

2009-04-12T05:52:00.007-05:00

"Christ Is Risen!"
"Christ Is Risen Indeed!"
That ancient response greets another year in the lives of the people of God. And we are invited to live into that proclamation. Yet, we, like Mary Magdalene, may be confused about the meaning at first. (She initially thought Jesus was a gardener, not a risen God, after all. John 20) But the Lord calls us by name to enter the promise -- the alternative answer to death and all the perceived finalities of existence. Our sights must rise to see God's great Easter news. Our sights can rise to newness in life!
No slacker to new meanings, Mary proclaimed, “I have seen the Lord.” That same Lord of newness calls us today and always to see the resurrection touch our world.