From Pastor Steve's Desk
July 17, 2011
Everybody wants this crazy federal budget situation fixed, but nobody wants to surrender anything valuable to themselves in the compromise. I react with pushback of my own, for instance, at the President’s continued attempt to tamper with tax-deductible contributions from high-end givers. In pursuit of an income enhancement for the federal budget, the White House is asking that charitable donations from households with greater than $250,000 in annual income be limited to a 28% tax deduction rather than the current 35% (Christian Century 3-22-11). Now I don’t know how many of our Hopewell UMC households are in that lofty stratum, nor how much we receive from them specifically (!) - but naturally I shiver a bit at the thought of anything which could jeopardize the Church’s potential for raising funds for ministry in a difficult time.
And yet a theology of abundance, rather than scarcity, says there’s enough money to go around, if we’re doing the right things. Would the very-wealthy really suffer that much if they received only a $2,800 tax deduction on their $10,000 gift instead of $3,500? I know the scriptures have a lot to say about the rich and the poor, and it doesn’t take long to realize where God’s preference is. This week Ford reported $2.6 billion in first-quarter profits, the best in the last thirteen years (Daily Local News, 7-14-11). Holy cow! I know there’s money out there. Can we figure out a way to spread it around so that the most vulnerable in the nation are not threatened, and yet we live (corporately) within our means? I may have to surrender something.
‘Here’s one guy praying for a quick and wise solution to the debt-ceiling debate, and for some gentle, clear, God-honoring conversation along the way….
--Pastor Steve
June 2011
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)
Money magazine is reporting this month (June 2011) on a survey done by a Professor of Economics at Princeton, indicating that in terms of “earnings power” over the many years of a person’s career, it really doesn’t matter what college or university they attend. In a piece called Elite Schools are Overrated, Dr. Alan Krueger claims, “Over the course of their careers, the students who chose not to attend the most selective school to which they were admitted earned about as much as those with similar grades and test scores who went to the highest-ranked college they got into.” (p. 12) As a two-degree holder myself, and as the father of a student pumping a lot of money into college right now(!), I have some mixed feeling about this…but there it is.
The good news for our most recent grads, whatever school they come from, is that their chances of landing a job at all are much greater this year than last. Economic recovery in the country has led employers to say that “…they plan to hire 19.3 percent more graduates this year than they did in 2009-10” (Daily Local News 6-7-11) - and that average starting salaries are up 6% from a year ago. Things are looking up.
At Hopewell UMC, we celebrate our graduates this month: high school and college. We are proud of you! No matter which school you plan to attend, or what job offer you accept - we pray that you will excel…that you will represent your family and your church well…and that you will increasingly discover God’s unique plan for your own life. Being faithful to Jesus is never overrated. As a follower of His, may you continue to increase in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. (Luke 2:52)
--Pastor Steve
May 2011
Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the father has set…” (Acts 1:7)
It’s kind of difficult not to notice the huge billboards on the side of the highways announcing, Judgment Day: May 21, 2011. Among a small minority of Jesus-followers, there has been a rather loud outcry of impending doom and gloom - which makes for excited conversation on cable TV and internet chat rooms! Of course, like every other “end of the world” prediction from fringe groups in the church, this one is based on some outrageous biblical gymnastics which likely you would not be able to follow (I’ve tried and I can’t)…and which surely ought not to leave you worried! One of my favorite bullet-points in the Judgment Day timeline from these folks, for instance, is the claim that we can know with certainty the exact day that God closed the door on Noah’s ark during the flood - and we can work the cryptic plan for the “end of the world” from there. ‘Excuse me?? To be sure, the prediction that May 21 is the start of a five-month long period of final judgment culminating on October 21, 2011 is a vapid theological claim. Even the underlying assumption that God has a secretly revealed timeline for the world’s destruction hidden within the biblical texts is preposterous and sad evidence of an increasingly biblically-illiterate populace. That is not the God we worship! Our God, time and again, says: “Fear not!” (Isaiah 43:1) Pray for our friends who are caught up in this deception, that they will have room for real faith once their announced date comes and goes, and life goes on…and pray for those weaker in faith who might be unduly frightened by this unfortunate conversation. Fully confident in the Christ’s mercy and love, we march ahead!
~ Pastor Steve
April 2011
“They have become great and rich, they have grown fat and sleek; they do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper - and they do not defend the rights of the needy.”
(Jeremiah 5:27b-28)
I started my college career as a Business Administration/ Economics major, but still - I don’t always “get” these numbers. The quiz question asked: True or False: The top 20 percent of Americans own 60 percent of the nation’s wealth, and the bottom 40 percent own less than 10 percent. The answer, of course, is TRUE…and that reality should be a concern to us…but in fact that answer is not true enough. Drill down a little deeper and you’ll learn that in the USA today, the top 20 percent actually own about 85 percent of the wealth, and the bottom 40 percent own less than 1 percent! That’s outrageous; that’s a figure you’d expect to see in a different nation. The surveyors, a combined team of faculty from Duke and from Harvard, say, “[Americans] knew, in other words, that wealth was not distributed equally, but they were unaware of just how unequal that distribution was.” (Duke Magazine, Jan-Feb, 2011) The large “middle class” of Americans which characterized my growing-up years is shrinking fast as the classes at the extremes grow. Financial strategists are concerned about sustaining a national economy with such widening disparity within it. For those of us who interpret this data from a theological perspective, our concerns go even deeper. How does the Creator feel about this? One hopes that somehow the truth can set us free.
No doubt you were concerned along with me at the headline in the local newspaper last month, Future unclear for shelter in West Chester (Daily Local News, 3-13-11). Safe Harbor of Chester County, one of our missions partners through the Beyond the Walls campaign, is facing significant challenge if the current tide of budget-cutting prevails. “Affordable housing and anti-poverty programs will be cut by $300 million for the next fiscal year by President Obama’s proposal,” this article reports. “Should cuts come to fruition, Safe Harbor may be severely damaged. ‘It’s going to be disastrous,’ [said its Executive Director].” Now we all know that state and federal governments cannot sustain the levels of deficit spending to which we’ve become accustomed over the past decade or so, and yet it hurts - it hurts deeply - to think that the have-nots among our neighbors (the homeless men and women right here in Chester County) will suffer more. How does that happen in such a wealthy society? The stock market has soared back. We’ve had seven straight quarters of economic growth leading us out of the 2008 recession. Corporations are sitting on record amounts of cash. At the top of the chain, folks have grown fat and happy, as Jeremiah says…but at the bottom (the rapidly widening base at the bottom), the orphans and the needy and the widows and the homeless suffer even more. That’s a truth which for us as Christians has got to be intolerable.
At Hopewell United Methodist Church, we have tried to address some of this disparity by our radical commitment to missions. Back in 2008 (who knew a recession was beginning?), we launched a capital campaign with a twist: a 90% pay-out to benevolent ministries. In one year, the Beyond the Walls campaign raised our missions giving as a church by 20%, and we’ve sustained that level for two more years. In fact, over the past three years, when our Beyond the Walls giving and our Conference apportionment (for denominational ministries) and our direct-expenses for missions trips is combined -Hopewell UMC has given away more than one MILLION dollars! To God be the glory! That’s a stunning blessing which we will celebrate during an off-site banquet on Monday, May 9 as we kick-off Year Four of Beyond the Walls. I hope you will join us.
We learn such extravagant giving from Jesus, of course. Perhaps he learned it from his mother who said, “God has filled the hungry with good things, but the sent the rich empty away” (Luke 1:53). ‘Or maybe from his cousin John who said, “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.” (Luke 3:5a) Those are economics lessons, different than the ones I learned in my first semester of college - but a pretty clear indication of how the Creator feels about money matters. Extravagant giving is a source of life! Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Whether or not we can help to restore a broad middle class in the land is well beyond the purview of our little church! But we can make the currently “unclear” future of some of our valuable ministry partners a whole lot brighter and more secure. As followers of Jesus, we live to give. That’s the truth that will set us free.
March 2011
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
We live in a nation where the vast majority of folks claim to be personally spiritual, and yet participation in the Church is increasingly sporadic and seemingly optional. Christian Century magazine last month (2-8-11) reported “…the notion that Americans are more religious than people in other developed countries may be about perception as much as reality. The University of Michigan conducted a time-use study to determine how often Americans actually go to church. The study indicates that Americans say they go to church about twice as much as they actually do. The gap wasn’t nearly as big in European countries or Japan.” Two hundred years ago, John Wesley articulated his deep fear that Christians might subscribe to the form of religion, but stray from its substance. Without regular participation in the disciplines of the Church, indeed we take our eyes off of Jesus and steadily spiral into the darkness.
In the Gospel of John, the central conflict of good versus evil is illustrated as a struggle between darkness and light. Darkness, we understand: the consequences of sin, the temptation to be worldly, the fear of meaninglessness and the loss of hope. The President back in January, in capturing the angst of the Tucson murders, quoted the holy scriptures: “In the words of Job, ‘When I looked for light, then came darkness.’ (Job 30:26b) Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.’” (Christian Century, 2-8-11) Yes, darkness we understand, and at times it appears to be creeping ever wider - although this, too, was anticipated by John: “And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, but the people loved darkness rather than light.” (John 3:19) The question is this: in an era of local church decline, and more form of religion than substance…do folks still know where to look for the Light?
The Gospel of John is clear: Jesus said, I AM the light of the world! At Hopewell United Methodist Church, we have developed a brand new curriculum called “Who Is This Man?” exploring the middle portion of the Gospel of John. In seven ninety-minute sessions, participants will re-visit Palm Sunday and the “Upper Room” scenes in John, wrestling with significant theological themes and re-looking this cosmic battle between Darkness and Light. While these Johannine themes will trickle into some of our corporate worship settings, mostly this is a small group experience. John Wesley would call it Christian conferencing, and he touted it as a means of divine grace! Current thinking in our denomination recognizes it as one of the pillars of local church revitalization (“The four key drivers of congregational vitality in the United States are:
effective pastoral leadership, multiple small groups, diverse worship styles, and a high percentage of laity in leadership roles.” UM Newscope 11-3-10) There are many good reasons for you to jump into a small group Bible study for the Season of Lent. Call the church office for information (610.269.1545), or check out our website (www.hopewellumc.org).
Finally, it’s springtime. The days are getting a bit longer, and the light is spreading. I love it! But that’s not the Light I’m talking about. In a culture where folks claim the title Christian but stray farther and farther from the practices of His Church, it’s time to return. Darkness, you understand…come back to the Light! Who Is This Man? Let’s answer that question together as you join one of our small groups for the Season of Lent.
February 2011
Jesus replied, “It is not for us to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” (Acts 1:8)
No doubt some folks thought it was a sign of the End Times when the Seattle Seahawks were contending for the Super Bowl title this year. Others got excited as the stock market approached 12,000 once again. A few people panicked when Snooki got arrested. There’s really no rhyme or reason as to what triggers the crazy thinking of folks when it comes to announcing the end of the world. My son in his early days of attending college in Philadelphia one day alerted me to “a rather interesting man” driving along Market Street in a multi-colored van, shouting from a bullhorn that the world will end on May 21, 2011. Subsequently I saw ads in the Daily Local News foretelling the same event: “Judgment Day begins May 21, 2011,” they said. “Holy God is Warning Us Through the Bible.” You know my amusement with this sort of half-baked theology! These claims have been entertaining me ever since the wildly-popular (and thoroughly erroneous!) The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey back in 1970. Just because they’re always wrong doesn’t seem to deter some Bible-thumping folks from going down that same road, again and again. ‘Despite what Jesus told us.
Now a recent edition of Christian Century magazine (1-11-11) verifies this latest theological stream: “We Can Know, a Christian group based in Raleigh, North Carolina, believes Jesus will return in May. Using analysis of scripture, particularly biblical genealogies, it has designated May 21 as the day.” Seriously…We Can Know - ? I wouldn’t put off making plans for Memorial Day weekend, based on this. Instead of speculating and worrying about obscure and highly-debatable scriptural themes, I would encourage a re-investment in solid, basic biblical exploration and conversation so together - until the end of time - the Church can make progress pursuing the vision of the kingdom which is clear. You remember the great line from Mark Twain: It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me; it’s the parts that I do understand. Within that, there’s plenty of work to be done…no matter how much time we have left.
In this year 2011, our United Methodist Church has articulated some particular challenges we do understand and toward which we will put great effort:
•Developing strong, ethical clergy and lay leaders
•Creating new places for new people in our congregations
•Engaging in ministry with the poor
•Improving health locally and around the world
The Bible is clear about these matters and so we at Hopewell United Methodist Church, along with our denominational colleagues, will pursue these kingdom goals with intelligence and energy and the assistance of the Holy Spirit…with the “end” in mind: not May 21, 2011 - but a glorified God, a population served, and disciples of Jesus edified. This is what the Bible calls us to do; this We Can Know. Help out where you can. And if you’re grilling on Memorial Day this year, I’m there…..
December 2010
“She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations…” (Revelation 12:5a)
The newspaper headlines ran a gamut of compelling stories last month, everything from General Motors Announces Third Quarter Profit of $2 Billion to Bristol Palin survives, moves into Dancing with the Stars Finale. These were the large font headlines, indicating the stories in which Americans were most likely interested. My eyes gravitated to a series of smaller font headlines: Iraqi forces free hostages at church…Iraqi Christians mourn after siege…Bishop urges Christians to leave Iraq. Not all that far from the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, in the very land which sent wise men from the East to Bethlehem to visit the newborn king two thousand years ago: horrible violence today being targeted against those least able to defend themselves. Yet another terrible consequence of war, the small Christian community in Iraqi has suffered miserably in the past decade; now the few Christians who have not become refugees in Syria or Lebanon are bearing torture previously unknown. The seizure of Our Lady of Salvation Church, which left fifty-eight people dead and another seventy-eight wounded (AP, 11-2-10) was preceded in the earlier week by the announcement that “…the highest ranking Christian in Saddam Hussein’s regime was sentenced Tuesday to death by hanging.” (Daily Local News, 10-27-10) It’s not easy being a Jesus-follower anywhere, but the situation for some Christians around the world today is particularly heart-breaking and worthy of our full attention.
Against that current backdrop comes another year of marking the advent of Jesus, the firstborn son of Mary - who comes as a little child at Christmas but with a bold plan to rule the nations. In America, we tend to individualize our Christian experience. We celebrate baby Jesus coming to us, to our families, to our church… but clearly the writers of the biblical text have a more global, political view:
“Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service? He delivers nations to him, and tramples kings under foot.” (Isaiah 41:2a - NRSV)
“And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, art not the least among the princes of Judea; for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6 - KJV)
“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear.” (Luke 1:52a, 74 - NRSV)
Evidently God’s design for this Jesus is something far bigger than what I can keep under my Christmas tree, or contain within my own narrow thinking. He is political…he comes to upset nations…he breaks the bow and shatters the spear (Psalm 46:9), and he keeps on marching - even when his followers grow weary - until every refugee has a home and every child lives in peace. How will you make the birthday of this King - whose kingdom has citizens (many of them suffering) in Iraq, in Malawi, in China, and in America! - a more global event this year?
In our Tuesday Time Apart worship services each week in Advent, we will ponder various images from an increasingly popular Christmas carol in our culture, Mary Did You Know. One of my favorite lines in Lowry and Greene’s song is this: “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?” There’s that political theme again! Something in our observance of Christmas, apparently, should manifest itself in the way we pray for Christians beyond our borders…in the way we support international missions…in the way we hold our elected leaders (and ourselves) accountable for treatment of refugees and oppressed peoples all over the world. Mary’s Child rules over all the nations! That’s a headline which ought to prompt us action in this holiday season, and in the New Year to come.
October 2010
“Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
(John 18:36a - KJV)
My latest trip to Duke University yielded for me a new prize: an autographed copy of a brand new book (and a personal message) from Professor Stanley Hauerwas of the Divinity School faculty. Dr. Hauerwas is almost without question the leading Christian ethicist in the nation today: a brilliant scholar, writer, and speaker...and yet a most curious combination when it comes to his more personal characteristics. On the one hand, he is widely known for his Texas cowboy boots and his salty tongue; on the other hand, he is a radical pacifist and an unapologetic follower of Jesus. Staunchly conservative on some of today’s hot-button issues (abortion, for instance), Stanley Hauerwas deeply inflames and irritates the very same people who might otherwise adore him as he challenges their unwavering love of country. He is an advocate, for instance, for removing American flags (or any other national flags) from Christian sanctuaries, effectively saying to Christians, “I love my nation. I love my kids. I love my dog. But when I come to church, I’m there to worship Jesus. Anything else is idolatry.” Ethicists can be annoying when they are so single-mindedly focused.
Now I’ve never challenged congregations on the flag issue, nor is that my intention now…but I do understand (I think) the higher, ethical argument here. Whose Kingdom do we most ardently pursue - church or state? - and in our best moments of lucidity, do we recognize the frequent conflict? No one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24a), and any syncretism of the two dilutes and diffuses the gospel’s effectiveness. A recent article in Good News magazine (again, a proudly conservative voice in mainline Methodism today) offers the same critique. Quoting a professor at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D. C., it links the demise of our denomination to this increased acquiescence to cultural (particularly political and economic) values and norms: “Mainline means we are an establishment religion that basically doesn’t see much difference between creating good citizens and creating Christians.” (Sept/Oct 2010) Ouch!
Is there a discernable difference between good citizens of the land, and you…or me…or Hopewell Church…or other so-called Christians today? When it comes to practicing forgiveness…or how we understand and distribute wealth…or the way we view violence as a means of change…or our commitment to welcome the alien in our midst - can you distinguish the good citizens from the genuine Jesus followers? I read a letter to the editor last month (Philadelphia Inquirer, 9-11-2010) where the author (sadly) made my case for me. In opposition to the national outcry against a Florida pastor who threatened to publicly burn copies of the Quran on September 11, the letter-writer pleaded, “We should communicate to our Muslim ‘friends’ that most Americans feel the same way about our flag as Muslims do about the Quran.” Did he really just elevate the symbol of the state to the same status as the sacred writings of religion? And did he infer that most American do the same? A scary thought, indeed. As for me and my house, please God: may we be formed uniquely by the cross.
The newly-released Wesley Study Bible offers an insightful commentary on Luke 3:21-22, the story of the baptism of Jesus. Recalling how Luke starts chapter three by listing all the seemingly-important national and political figures of the day (3:1) and then sets Jesus’ baptism in that particular context, a footnote to 3:22 says: “God’s pleasure with Jesus stands in stark contrast to Herod’s displeasure.” (p. 1244) Sometimes the baptized please God by incurring the displeasure of the popular political will. When it comes to the hot-button issues of our day - tax relief for the wealthy, equal rights for gay and straight, care for Creation, broadened access to health care, explaining our “victory” in Iraq while denying similar resources to the Sudan or the Congo - there’s room in my tent for a wide variety of opinions…as long as my Christian friends make their case not in a way which attempts to please Herod, but instead aims to bring a smile and a nod from Jesus. Often they’re not the same thing. And ultimately, I pray, our one hope echoes that of the thief on the cross: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
September 2010
“Let us sing the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations.” (Wisdom of Sirach 44:1)
When it’s cool and rainy in northern Michigan in July, there is not much else to do but visit the graves of deceased family members. Ask my children and they will tell you: we spent one whole day of our four-day Michigan vacation this summer cleaning up the gravesites and planting new flowers in three different burial plots in the Upper Peninsula. ‘Not exactly a day at the beach, certainly none of the thrills of an amusement park - and yet, for us it was a mission…a time to sing the praises of some ancestors we knew for a while, and some we never met…to hear the stories of our heritage and heroes…and in a subtle, unspoken-but-undeniable way to link past, present, and future. This annual trip to the family gravesites, in an amusing yet deeply meaningful experience for us, affirms a theology of resurrection and celebrates the communion of saints.
Perhaps you followed this past summer the distressing story about cemetery mismanagement at our nation’s most revered final resting place, Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D. C. An Army investigation revealed that hundreds of gravesites there have unknown occupants, and dozens with permanent gravestones are actually empty. A few other headstones have turned up in a nearby stream, cemetery workers are still using index cards to track graves despite $5.5 million in government contracts over the past decade to provide computerized upgrades, and the relationship between the cemetery managers and the federal government is “dysfunctional.” (USA Today, 7-2-2010) “[We] deeply apologize to the families of the honored fallen resting in that hallowed ground, who now question the care afforded to their loved ones,” an Army spokesperson said at a Pentagon news conference. (Daily Local News, 6-11-2010)
Cemetery maintenance is important! For families, we deepen our roots. As a nation, we honor our leaders and heroes, and care for their descendants. As a Church, we make a theological statement about what we believe. A recent article in Christianity Today (June, 2010) lifted the basic issues of cemetery care and maintenance to a more compelling theological level: “When the Church incarnates a culture of resurrection - one that recognizes the inevitability of death but not its triumph - it teaches people how to die well.” How we honor the family burial plots, how we maintain a national cemetery, how we improve and beautify our own Hopewell UMC cemetery…they all testify to a theology of Resurrection: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (I Corinthians 15:54b-55, 57)
At Hopewell, we are on the cusp of the first major cemetery-improvement project which we have undertaken. Pending township approvals, we are ready (in phases) to replace and repair fallen headstones… to create new, level pathways…to develop a modest outdoor chapel space and a walking labyrinth for private meditation…to re-route automobile traffic on the grounds to increase public safety…to offer memorial gardens and an above-ground columbarium for the placement of cremains…and to provide for the first time access to water and electricity within the cemetery itself. In my own articulation of the goals of this project, I have called it the GALA cemetery improvement plan:
G as in GREEN - environmentally friendly and wise
A as in AFFORDABLE - trimming the huge costs of the dying process
L as in LOCAL - grieving families have a permanent site here to mourn their dead
A as in ATTRACTIVE - reflecting the true beauty of the Lord and the riches of heaven
Cemetery maintenance is important! At Hopewell UMC, it’s about singing the praises of some terrific ancestors. It’s about caring for those who mourn. It’s about giving testimony to our belief in Resurrection, and helping people to die well. Friends, we’ve been talking about this work for many years now. For all the right reasons, and for such a time as this, let’s get ‘er done.
