iHOPE

A Big Table, Indeed!

We hosted the community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service last night and people are still smiling.

They should!

People from many traditions came to share how the universal virtue of Gratitude was experienced and nurtured in their tradition.  The presentations were meaningful and thoughtful. The evening was joyous.

It was also timely. 

The spirit of the time is isolating us. More and more reasons are found there for why we can't sit at the same table, live in the same community, or exist in the same world.  "Different" is viewed as "dangerous." 

Gratitude undermines that spirit and unites us. Gratitude reminds us that all is a gift and that gift is bigger than our differences. More than ever, it was good to be reminded that differences don't need to threaten us. They can enrich us.

In a time when "religion" is too-often experienced as part of the problem, it was gratifying to be part of a religious ceremony where people of different faiths came together to express gratitude- and got to be on the solution-side of things.

Thank you to all who participated, including the 80 plus folks who comprised the Community Choir.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving Around a Big Table

"We are at our best when we invite people to a Big Table."

That is one of our five core values at New Hope.  It seems like a pretty good reminder for Thanksgiving, too. 

That is why I am excited about hosting an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Thursday, November 21 @ 6:30. The theme is "Living Gratitude Together," and we will have participants from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and other faith communities sharing how gratitude and thanksgiving are expressed in their tradition. There will be an all-community choir singing a piece we have recently used in worship (Awakening.)  What begins in the Sanctuary will flow afterward into a reception in Fellowship Hall with favorite Thanksgiving desserts.

Doing Good

The theme for October is "Doing Good."

It may seem like a no-brainer for a church to talk about Doing Good, but the word "Good" has taken some hits over the years and I believe one of the biggest culprits has been the Church itself.

"Good works won't get you to heaven."
"The world is too corrupt and God is going to destroy everything anyway"(in some circles, this is what passes as "Good News.")

Have you heard those before? In some churches, doing "Good" is viewed as an assault on Grace, or at best, a fool's errand.

Beyond Tolerance: 8/25/19 Class Tolerance

On August 25, I led a class called "Beyond Tolerance: The Bible and Issues of Gender."  

There is also a link to the PowerPoint slides I used and you can download them here.

We had a lot of people (75+) in a big room and I was working without a mic, so sound quality is not the best.  Someday I may be able to clean it up or even re-offer the presentation. Until then, you have the 'raw' material from the class (except for the Q&A afterward.)

 My intent was not to convince anyone that I was right (or that they were wrong), but just to share how I came to hold my views and my position with regards to same-sex marriage. People got that and appreciated the opportunity to listen, question and form their own opinions. The energy and interest were high, and I went away grateful for the folks who attended as well as New Hope in general.  This is a place where questions are welcome and we give people the dignity of their own thinking. 

As you have questions or thoughts, I look forward to them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

False Choices

You've heard the choices. So have I.
The answer to a  complex problem is EITHER one thing OR the other.

The answer in Politics? EITHER be Conservative OR Liberal
In approaching Life? EITHER live from our heads OR our hearts.
Worship? EITHER be Contemporary OR Traditional

You name the problem and someone has likely framed the solution as a choice between EITHER/OR.

It's simple. It's clear. It is also almost always wrong, even dangerous.

It is like saying that if we want to move forward we have to choose EITHER our right leg OR our left, and then be frustrated that we just seem to be going in circles.

Rather than consider changing our perspective, we believe the solution is to double down on our choices. The answer is now to be MORE...
    Conservative/Liberal
    Left/Right
    Head-driven/Heart-driven
    Traditional/Contemporary

When that still doesn't work, EITHER/OR gets hardened into VERSUS:

    Pro-Life VERSUS Pro-Choice
    Pro-Israel VERSUS Pro-Palestinian
    Pro Immigrant VERSUS Pro Security
    How many years has the Church been fighting over Law VERSUS Grace? Where has it gotten us?

More to the point, where is it getting us? EITHER/OR is almost always a false choice. 

If we don't want to just keep going in circles, maybe we should ask if the answer might not be EITHER/OR, but BOTH/AND? Other than the ruts which have become familiar, what have we got to lose?

 

A Grateful Day

 

We started a new series last Sunday:  The Gratitude project.

If you are having trouble seeing "The Gifts of the Day", try this video.

Enjoy!

Father Thomas Keating

 

If you have been part of our Everyday Spirituality classes and events, you probably know of Thomas Keating. Otherwise, you may not. In either case, this short video will illustrate why he has been a mentor, teacher and guide for many. He passed away this week. The way he faced into death is a pretty good indication of the way he faced into life, and why so many were blessed by it. I'm one of those people.  

Grief and the Holidays

 

The loneliest people I know during this holiday season are those who are also in a season of loss.

Grief isolates us. Nowhere is that truer than at the holidays. The time between Thanksgiving and New Years can feel forbidding. The music, celebrations and activities that used to gladden us now leave us empty. Holidays have a way of turning up the volume on the pain that comes with grief. If they had their choice, many of those experiencing grief would prefer to skip the holidays altogether.

It's at this time of year that people in a season of loss can feel most misunderstood by those around them. With the best of intentions, friends and family try to cheer us up and make things better. Often, they don’t. Attempts to cheer someone up sometimes makes things worse. 

That is why I am grateful for our “Navigating Grief in the Holidays” workshop at New Hope (Saturday, November 11, 10:00-Noon.) People who lead it understand the minefield that is the holiday season. People attending can be confident that no one is going to try to make everything “better.” The point is to get our bearings, find out what might help- and what doesn’t. There won’t be lots of platitudes or quick-fix slogans. Instead, there are people who have gone (and are going) through the same thing themselves.

The 167 for March 19: Table Talk

There are 168 hours in a week. We spend one of them in worship. What about the other 167?

The Antidote for Toxic Religion

God For Us

It is not just the name of our series, it is what we long to hear. 

At its best, religion is able to connect us to God in ways that proclaim

There is nothing you are going to do to make God love you more...or less. 

 

At its best, religion helps us embody and extend the unconditional love of God.  But the truth is, religion is not always at its best. In fact, many people wonder if it is the source of much of what is wrong with the world. 

There is bad religion- and then there is toxic religion- and there needs to be an antidote for both.

Why Are You Christian?

Why—with all the atrocities past and present committed in God’s name, amidst all the hostile divisions ripping apart Christ’s Church, in spite of all our own doubts and frustrations and fears about faith—are we still Christian?

If you have been around the church for longer than a month, you've probably asked that question. For some, there isn't a sufficient answer and they leave.  Many of us stay, but its not because we haven't asked the question, or because we have answers that are completely satisfying. Most people I know would love some help with this.  

That's why the "Why Christian?" conference caught my eye. The other thing that caught my eye were the sponsors:  Rachel Held Evans and Nadia Bolz-Weber. I've read their books and listened to them talk. I have been inspired by their honesty, wisdom and insight. I wasn't able to go to the conference but knew that if these two were hosting a conference addressing that question, it was bound to be worthwhile.

From all accounts, it was. I was most impressed by this recent reflection from Evans. Its worth a read.