madavison

Balancing Gratefulness and Ungratefulness During Lent
by Drew Kirtley

One of my favorite books is a collection of prayers and meditations called The Prayer
Tree(1), by Michael Leunig. It is a thin, green, pamphlet-sized booklet (of which I need
a new copy because I should know better than to lend out my favorite books)
compiled of prayers, meditations, and illustrations. The little cartoon person on
every page is illustrating a scene, which mirrors the prayer/meditation that
precedes it. In one of the illustrations, Leunig offers a prayer during a time of illness,
which he describes, both beautifully and unpleasantly realistic, saying, “Nature has
entered into me…”(2).   Well, nature has entered into my family and me during this
season of Lent.

When we get sick, we can typically feel it coming. Our body communicates to us
through aches, pains, itchiness, soreness, and all kinds of not-fun symptoms. I had
hoped to avoid that so far this year. I decided to give up soda (mainly Coca-Cola) for
Lent and in turn, maybe lose some weight and feel a little healthier. And it worked
for a while. That is until, you know, nature.

Nature entered into me first in the form of what I had thought was a cold and cough.
I was able to dispense of it rather quickly, but then it came upon my two-year- old
daughter.  Most parents would tell you that having a sick child is the least fun thing
in the world, and I would agree. It is, for some reason, easier to fight off those irritating and painful symptoms oneself than it is watching a toddler struggle through it. It’s heartbreaking and fills me with anxiety. And for that I am ungrateful.

The weird thing is that on a “normal” day, I find myself filled with gratefulness for
these exact same things.  I, like many people, am grateful for spring and all the life it
brings. I’m grateful for the grass, the trees, the color in nature, and all the bird noises
that return to everyday life. I’m also grateful every day for my family. I’m grateful for
the laughing and playing that comes with having a healthy two-year- old kid. And I’m
grateful for this season in which we can return to playing outside.

But as we churchgoers spend time during lent reading, studying, and hearing about
the end of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, I can’t help but be reminded of all the seasons
for which I am ungrateful, but remain part of life nonetheless. Like being grateful for
nature, even when it causes illness. Or being grateful for children, even when they’re
misbehaving. Or being grateful for faith, even when I’m lacking in it.  So, as we begin to wrap up this season of Lent and continue to reflect on everything about it,

May you be grateful, and ungrateful, and everything in between.

Amen.

_____

1 Leunig, Michael. The Prayer Tree.  Illustrated Edition. Australia: HarperCollins,
1998.
2 Leunig. The Prayer Tree. 1998.

A Balanced Faith: Jesus & Honest Abe
by Rev. Drew Kirtley

Sometimes a film comes along that demands more attention than the average hour and a half runtime in a theater. For me, that film was 2012’s Lincoln[1], which was directed by Academy Award winner, Steven Spielberg, and starred Daniel Day-Lewis in one of his three Oscar-winning roles

I remember watching this movie on the “big screen” upon its release, and the feeling of uncertainty that entered my mind as the lights dimmed and the opening credits began to roll across the screen. After all, this was the first time I could remember seeing anyone portray the 16^th American President on screen. Anything I knew about him before then I read in textbooks, and the only image I had in my mind was the same as everyone else’s… a tall, skinny man with a beard and a top hat. Then I saw Lincoln and that all changed. This performance was mesmerizing. The things I’d heard about the man began to make sense because the character onscreen brought all the stories and historical facts to life. And the result has given me a glimpse into what Jesus the person may have been like.

The movie opens with President Lincoln visiting soldiers during the end of the Civil War in January 1865. This is where most of the movie exists, in conversations. This is the focus of the story while the political and historical events serve as backdrop. This is where the Christ-like attributes begin to surface.

The President displays a balanced, graceful, tenderhearted, yet fierce persona, all while maintaining his character in the process. The more the story progresses, the more this seems less like an accident, and more like the result of a lifetime of practicing a similar lifestyle and moral code as that of Jesus of Nazareth. Abraham Lincoln comes across as a kind, gentle, and caring man. When he is in conversation (which is most of the movie), he looks people in the eye, seeks to better understand their lives, asks questions about their thoughts and beliefs, and truly lives life with the people around him, whether family, friends, advisors, colleagues, or complete strangers. Even his enemies can’t seem to comprehend how his steady, calm personality and confident, firm leadership style (all blended with great humor) can be so consistently cohesive.

Some of the most tense, chaotic scenes come in the form of the heated debates on the floor of the House of Representatives. People yelling at one another, Republicans and Democrats insulting each other, name-calling and even threats being posed seem like the accepted norm. Yet, in the midst of this chaos, we never hear or see Lincoln become mean-spirited toward a single individual. He loves people and accepts them as friends first. He treats everyone equally as a neighbor and a fellow human being. After he establishes his sincerity and genuine concern for someone, he then allows himself to engage people with whom he disagrees.

After each viewing, I reconsider how I interact with others. Watching this portrayal of a historical icon unfold reminds me that no matter what position I may hold or what I consider my place in society to be, as a follower of the way of Jesus, I need to be reminded of the importance of people. Loving God, self, and neighbor is a lifestyle. Every person is deserving of my time, my authentic concern, and my unconditional love. May you explore the joy of real, human encounters by being faithful to the way of Jesus.

________

[1] Day-Lewis, Daniel. Lincoln. Blu-ray Disc. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Burbank: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2012.

Memories of Life
Travis Carlson (RYC Adult)
First Christian Church in Cyril

When I was growing up my mother would talk about those important moments in time that she could clearly recall where and when she was.  I would say “Sure mom.”  and keep on doing the stuff I thought was important.  As I grew older one of those moments happened to me.  I was in seventh grade sitting in the school office waiting to be picked up because I was sick.  When over the radio I heard that the first teacher who was going to space had died in the Shuttle Challenger explosion.  It was a huge blow because we had been following her story on the news and in the paper since she was chosen.   I can see this scene to this very day. Sometime those places we go in our minds hurt, and sometimes they give us that warm feeling, and other times just make us so proud to be a Follower of the Way.

One of the greatest moments in my life and great memory was the General Assembly in Kansas City.  My partner and I went because I was pastoring the Hobart First Christian Church.  We arrived and checked-in to our hotel and grabbed a shuttle over to the event center.  When we got there, however, a group of people were outside of our bus stop with vulgar signs and saying very hurtful words to all us as we walked in.  This was my first time as an adult I had ever seen a protest live against the LGBTQ+ community.  I was mortified and angry that people could act that way toward friends of mine.  Why would someone do something like this?  How could I respond and not get thrown in jail?  You also have to remember that this is when people were very hateful and used degrading remarks just walking down the streets. This went on for a couple of days.  I felt a level of hurt that I didn’t understand.

The next night after dinner was worship, and there they were again.  Same signs and same foul things spewed forth and same mean spirit.  After worship I walked back outside to get a breath of fresh air… and this is what I saw.  Several youth groups from around the nation were standing in a line outside singing “Jesus Loves You” back at the people across the street.  They did this for a long time.  They were the ones that created this moment that sustains me in my walk with the Spiritual.  The next day the angry mob had left, and it was beautiful to see the way the assembly from my point of view became a community of believers.  We are made in love and in an image of wondrous light.

Just as I am finishing this post on February 14th (Valentines Day, Ash Wednesday), we had another school shooting in our country.  Several people were killed in Parkland, Florida.  Also some adults sacrificed their lives so others might be saved.  As an employee of a school system in Oklahoma, my heart breaks for those involved.  As I sat in Ash Wednesday service tonight, I reflected on the story I was telling in this post and on the frailty of life itself.  This jarred me awake and realize it must start with me, no, with us.  We must take a stand and step out in love.  We must be those young people standing on the sidewalk singing until we are heard.  Are we going to stop it all? Well, no, but we can make a difference in our own way.  

So as we journey to the Cross, I implore you to look through your life at the injustices you may have seen.  Gaze upon your present with a eye of kindness. Look to the future for the ways you can show The Holy to all of those around you. We are all called to follow the way of Jesus.  He didn’t just stay in the shadows.  He was present in the lives of the oppressed, those stepped upon by society, and those who needed to experience unconditional love.  Be the people who sing songs of love against the evil sights and sounds of hate.

This following verse reminds me be brave and to step out.

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)*

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: “Be strong and bold, for you are the one who will go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their ancestors to give them; and you will put them in possession of it.  It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

*New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent (def) verb: simple past tense and past participle of lend.

Lend (def) verb

1. to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
2. to give (money) on condition that it is returned and that interest is paid for its temporary use.
3. to give or contribute obligingly or helpfully;
4. to adapt (oneself or itself) to something;
5. to furnish or impart;
[lent. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/lent (accessed: February 8, 2018).]

I am beginning the season of lent at sea.  My companion and I are on holiday touring the southern Caribbean on a cruise ship.  We like cruising and we’ve been to the ports of call many times.  What we can see from our limited perspective are islands recovering using tourist’s dollars and the other aid they can get.  May the odds be ever in your favour.  If you live in an area that is prone to nature’s cleanse, it will be your turn to lend a hand cleaning up or seeking a hand to rebuild what is lost.

The first full day and night and the second day at sea we sailed for Puerto Rico.  The wind was blowing 25-35 knots from the south southeast.  The ship navigates along a similar course sometimes head on and sometimes broadside the wind and wind driven sea.  Normal seas are 4-6 feet.  The first full day and night the seas were 8-12 feet and transitioned to 12-15 feet.  I can be prone to motion sickness on the sea.  My sea legs are not deep within me.  That disorienting queasy feeling settled into my brain and stomach.  Pressure point bracelets that once helped were adorned too late to make a significant difference.  Non-drowsy motion sickness medication eased the disorientation and queasiness, but it did not completely go away.  Now, calmer seas and moored at the dock of our second port of call I still have a sensation that the ship is pitching and rolling through the water as I write and reflect on the experience, though without the sick feeling.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by the Satan; and Jesus was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” [Mark 1:9-15]

Maybe that is what I need to experience: a queasy lent, O God.  Something disorienting that is not soothed by reading the sacred stories, singing the hymns, or participating in the ancient rituals.  The ancient ways and stories are meant to disorient, but have become a medication for the sensations caused by believing in Christ instead of following Jesus.  Being a follower of Jesus can make, will make, you queasy more often than not.  My “Jesus legs” may not as deep as I thought.

And from the rolling sea rises a response.  Michael.  Why is following Jesus disorienting?  Is he not what being fully human looks like?  Don’t you want to be fully human and touch the Imago Dei, the divine spark, in you?  Is it not tempting?  The kindom is near.  Believe the good news.