The Mainline Minister

What's the point of repentance?  Why say, "I'm sorry?"  Who cares?  These are all questions most of us have asked ourselves at one time or another.  The answers that came, if they came at all, may not have been satisfying.  I would simply suggest reading today's Gospel lesson, Luke 15, the story of the Prodigal Son.  There we see an image of forgiveness that is so capacious, so filled with love, that it is breathtaking.  And it's what's on offer for you and me from our Lord.  God welcomes our repentance not because he's some stern judge sitting on his bench waiting to mete out punishment but because he is a loving father who wants us to get things right and live our lives they way they were meant to be lived: in community, with family and friends, sharing God's grace, and peace, and love, which was made known to us in Jesus.

Indolence. That's a nice word, isn't it?  Sounds a bit sinnish, right?  Yep, here we are again talking sin.  It's Lent. It's what we do.  Sounds a bit matter of fact. And that's a problem.  Sin isn't something blase, something to be brushed off.  Sin is real, sin is destructive, and it's something we all do.  Sometimes we know about what we're doing, sometimes we're unaware.  Sometimes we do it alone, sometimes we do it with others.  Sin is ubiquitous.  So what are we to do?  First acknowledge our sin.  Second, we can consider how Jesus perceives our sins: not something to condemn us but something we need to overcome.  There's a reason the church has always claimed that "Jesus saves."  Us. From our sins.  But we need to want to be saved, we need to receive God's grace.  To not be indolent but to repent.

You know the old saying, "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence."  Well, sometimes, it's not.  I was reminded of that this morning.  I have to deal with a bunch of things today, including the damage to our car from being rear ended earlier this month (we're okay, the car is banged up, the insurance company has been great).  I was really feeling that things, well, stank.  Then when I got to church three people driving an old car with New York plates were waiting. Turns out they needed assistance, which I was able to give them, thanks to our church's Open Door ministry.  The short version of this story is this: their problems were bigger than mine.  If you're feeling put upon, just know somebody else has it worse than you.  I'm not saying your challenges aren't real, but I bet you can handle them, especially with some prayer and patience. This Lent, let's repent from the sin of self absorption.  Let's ask for a sen

We're now hip deep in Lent.  It's been a tad more than four weeks, and we still have a bit more than three more to go.  It seems like a good idea to check in, to see how we're doing.  How are those disciplines going?  Repentance?  Have you actually thought about your own mortality? If you haven't get cracking.  If you have, keep it up.  Holy Week, then Easter, will be here before you know it and you do want to be prepared don't you?  So if you're going to do one thing for Lent today, take stock of where you've been, where you want to be, and how you plan, with God's help, on getting there.

My flight landed after midnight, my bag took awhile to arrive in the claims area, but finally I hopped on the bus to the lot to go to my car.  Which, it turned out was as dead as a dodo.  Nada. Nothing.  My battery seemed to have gone to the great beyond.  It was 'round one AM, without any help available, and having used some distinctly unpastoral language to vent my frustration, I called the hotel shuttle bus to go to the Holiday Inn.  The two women driving were amazing.  At the hotel, the young man at the desk was super.  All of this in the middle of the night. I've stayed in a lot of hotels over the years, some of them really, really nice ones.  But the hospitality I received last night helped me put things back into perspective.  I'm going to go deal with my car issue now.  And when I inevitably want to bang my head on the wall, I will remember the folks at the Holiday Inn Airport Manchester, NH.

I'm keeping this short this morning and simply posing a proposition and a question: We're meant to follow the Way of Jesus, who dedicated his ministry to sharing the word of God, making it known to humanity in his life and death.  One of the ways he did that was to help people.  Following Jesus, what will you do to help someone today?

I found it ironic that after preaching about death on Sunday morning, I found myself on a Boeing jet out of Manchester.  Did you know that the 737 Max 8 is closely related to the 737 800?  Probably, you didn't and you don't care, but as I looked at the safety card, I found myself wondering. Yes, the odds of an aviation mishap are fleetingly small. That the airline would somehow still be flying Max 8s after the grounding defied rational thought.  Still. Still. My flight, which had a connection to another 737 800 landed safely.  But I was reminded last night that sometimes things really are beyond our control.  Lent is a good time to remind ourselves of this.  We shouldn't be fatalistic, but we should learn to acknowledge that we are not masters of all we survey. When we do that, we can then choose to see the universe is a bleak, hospitable place or the Kingdom of God, a realm where the Lord reigns.  God or nothing?  That's an easy choice, one I can c

During Lent, we are encouraged to reflect on our mortality.  Admittedly, this is not something we enjoy doing.  Who wants to die, after all?  But die we will, each and every one of us.  That means you.  That means me.  Someday, each of us will shuffle off this mortal coil, kick the bucket, go to meet our Maker. Think about that: go to meet our Maker . Do we live our lives as if that's true? Do we honestly live our lives as if that's true?  I suspect not.  Even though we may go to church and profess a love of God, our actions often reflect otherwise.  Lent is a time to come clean with God and ourselves about this truth. The reality of death need not be rushed into but it also need not be avoided.  We should make the most of the time we have here on earth - after all, this is the world that God created.  But when we die, our faith and the tradition of the church tells us that Jesus will be waiting for us. That should not be feared, but seen as

We've all gotten angry at some point in our lives.  Sometimes it's been justified, sometimes not.  And then there are the times our anger is unjustified but we tell ourselves otherwise.  That kind of anger is not helpful.  We target our negative feelings at a person, or a group, or, well, something.  Being angry feels just soooo good sometimes.  Well, so does binging on chocolate or some other delight.  Indulgences of vices usually come back to haunt us.  With food or drink or credit cards, the price we pay is pretty obvious (stomach ache, hangover, debt) but with emotions the cost is subtle but just as costly.  That rage we allow to build up hurts our relationships and it hurts us.  So next time anger is a temptation, step away, say a prayer, repent, and go on with your life.

Today, March 22, is supposedly the second full day of Spring.  Which is why as I look out my window I see snow falling. The weather app on my phone is predicting accumulation of up to 2 inches, and the weather service has forecast 3 to 6 inches for parts of New Hampshire and Maine.  I know this is New England.  But right now I can sympathize with people who ask about the reality of global warming.  It sure doesn't feel warmer out there. Of course, we know that is warmer just about everywhere else and that temperatures have been rising.  So, bleh, climate change is real.  But refusing to see the evidence all around us can be so easy, so tempting.  If we don't see something, part of our brains tell us, it's not happening.  Deny the problem and there is no problem.  Those of us who accept the reality of a changing climate can't understand why others don't.  But before we get to smug, what's going on with climate change denial is the same as what

The politician who points out the supposed failing of an opponent while ignoring his own faults is all too familiar.  Activists point to outsiders for the woes suffered by their community but rarely look to their own shortcomings.  The child says it was the fault of somebody else.  There's a reason that the Parson Weems tale of a young George Washington remains popular: the idea of someone taking responsibility for this wrongdoing is refreshing and all too rare. Jesus knew about this.  The Authorized Version of  Matthew 7.5 has him saying, " Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."  (There are probably more accurate, or at least timely, translations but frankly to me the KJV sounds better).  The beam is a log, the mote a speck of dust.  Two thousand years on Jesus' admonition is still spot on.  Lent is a great time for us to heed him, to acknowledge t

Today marks the Vernal Equinox.  In terms of Lent, that means nothing.  We still need to repent, we still need to reflect, we still need to reflect on our mortality.  Doing so on a day that we associate with returning life, and even new birth, gives us a taste of what awaits us at the end of this season.  For us, the season of new life begins on Easter.  But we can anticipate the day by preparing for it.  So while the sun shines today, and the sky here is crystal clear, we focus on our disciplines, regardless of whether their is an equinox.

I've always thought the flying monkeys in the film version of the Wizard of Oz we're creepy.  Despite the decades old special effects, those simians are still a more potent instiller of fear than anything else I've seen in the movies.  Mind you, I'm not scared of them now and I don't know that I ever really was, but they still strike me as being wicked and best avoided.  But we're talking about them, so, we'll stick with them for a bit. I wonder what L Frank Baum was thinking when he conjured up those monkeys.  Something had to be in this mind, maybe subconsciously, for him to create them.  Which leads me to a question: do you have something you fear?  Something that you might imagine in tangible form?  It might be monsters, it might be the tax man, or it might be confronting your sins. Ah, yes, sin.  It's ugly like a flying monkey.  And it dive bombs and buzzes us, depending on the circumstances.  But it's there.  And whe

As we begin the Second Week in Lent, I'd like to reflect on repentance.  It's something we all need to do, every single one of us. Some of us have truly grievous sins for which we need to repent, others smaller foibles.  All need to be atoned for.  We all have sinned, both as part of groups and as individuals.  Sometimes we know what we are doing, and sometimes we stray inadvertently.  But we all do it.  We all sin.  No ifs, no ands, no buts. So we're never really done sinning.  Which means we should never be done repenting.  I'm not suggesting a quick, insincere apology to God for embezzling from your employer makes everything right.  But if we are sincere, and are willing to acknowledge our failings to the One who made us, then we have hope of getting things right.  Yes, we may be fallen.  But as the old ad has it, if we admit we need help getting up - in this case from the God who came to us in Jesus and who moves us through the Holy Spirit - we can

It's finally here: the global celebration of a Briton who went to Ireland, supposedly drove out the snakes, and converted the population to Christianity while forging the Irish identity all so we could gather in pubs and drink beer.  Sarcastic? Yes. Honestly, I can't think that the way we celebrate St. Patrick's Day would really please the saint.  If we wanted to do something he'd approve of, perhaps we might pursue reconciliation: this was the guy who was supposedly sold into slavery by Irish captors, only to gain his freedom -- to return to them to do his holy work.  If you're estranged from somebody try to heal the rift.  If you're convinced someone else is wrong, give the matter a second thought.  If you think being pigheaded is what the Lord wants, try again.  St. Patrick's Day falls during Lent.  That makes it a perfect time to repent, among other things. So let us seek forgiveness for building barriers, for setting ourselves apa

Yesterday, we all awoke to the news of the mass murder of Muslims at prayer in New Zealand.  A couple of months ago, it was news about the mass murder of Jews at prayer in Pittsburgh.  You may recall stories about Christians at prayer being killed in the Philippines and Egypt.  So much killing. For what?  What warped vision of God do all these killers hold?  Can we ever make sense of it?  Can we stop it? We live in an increasingly entangled, interconnected world.  We are not all the same. But we do have to live together.  And we need to live out a vision of God that shows his love, his redemptive power, his life giving grace.  We need to reject the ancient hatreds that drive us.  And let us make no bones about it.  It's not just "them" who is tempted.  It is "us", you and me.

Have you ever been at work, just about ready to wrap things up, and then you think of one more thing that needs to be done?  That often leads to thoughts about other things that merit our attention.  Do we act now or wait until a later time?  There's wisdom in knowing that not everything has to be done right now.  On the other hand, at some point, we will be out of time. I think this is worth remembering early in Lent.  We still have a lot of time before us.  But this season will come to an end.  We will need to repent and, frankly, that's better done sooner than later.  Maybe not all of it, but a bit.  So take some time to turn back to God today.  Don't worry. You won't have to complete your repentance today.  But you do need to start.

Sorry, but we're going back to technology today.  In the time between posting my reflection to my personal Facebook feed and the church's feed, Facebook stopped responding.  All day long - nothing.  I learned later on, as did many others, that there was an outage that affected many, many people.  You know what?  The earth continued to spin on its axis. Imagine really being cut off.  From  God.  From your family. From your friends.  All too often we let this happen, allowing ourselves to be distracted by work, tech, or some other indulgence.  Lent is a good time to confess this sin of isolation and to take steps to move back into healthy, faithful relationships with God and those people in our lives who matter to us.

When I was in Boston the other day, I rode on the T, the city's mass transit system, something I've done a lot over the years.  I was struck by two things: how so many people were staring at the screens of their phones, and how, on the whole, young people seemed to be.  Here in the Upper Valley, they seem to be older. I know that cities have always drawn the young and hungry; I remember when I was one of them.  I lived on Beacon Hill for almost a decade, but that now seems like a long time ago.  What happened? Well, the obvious answer is I got older.  But as I've aged, I think I look at different things, value different priorities.  I had a strong urge to tell the young people that time goes by faster than we think it will, that they should seize life when the opportunities are comparatively endless, and that, yes, they should get off their phones (see yesterday's reflection).  But I didn't.  Instead I sat with my thoughts and considere

Yesterday, I was in Boston with my old computer.  I was unable to use it to post my lenten reflection to Face Book.  Apparently, my old Mac Book isn't cool enough for Zuckworld.  This morning, my office computer is having trouble settling on a wifi network, and keeps switching back between the church's and the Fire Deparments.  Maybe my computer is on a pilgrimage.  It's all very annoying.  But it's also a reminder of our dependence on technology.  In many ways its a sin. Consider the amount of time we spend on our smart phones, tablets, computers, etc.  Objectively, none of this is healthy.  Don't get me wrong: I like the internet, the access I have to news, the ability to buy books from anywhere, the means to stay in touch with people.  But as more time passes, the Faustian nature of the bargain we've struck with technology becomes ever clearer.  We were told we were building a modern Eden.  Instead, we're stuck in modern garbage pit.

For most people the work week begins on Monday, but not me. I start on Sunday, and usually quite early.  So I feel that I have a head start on when the traditional work week begins.  Does any of this matter? Well, we need to have reference points of beginnings and endings.  Lent has only just begun but if you're like me, you can already see the end.  That's not good.  Lent may be a solemn season but it is one to be savored.  We all too rarely take time in our lives to take stock and we all need to do that.  I'm looking forward to the week - and weeks - ahead.

Today marks the beginning of Daylight Savings Time.  Yes, summer time.  And to make it all that much more surreal, there's a forecast for snow this morning.  What's going on? Sometimes, it seems as if everything is topsy turvy in our modern world.  Everything is fast and busy and for some reason, we feel a need to then confuse it all.  This is one of the reasons we need Lent.  Despite the fact that we delude ourselves into believing we run everything, the truth is far different.  Time keeps its own pace, and so does nature.  We may be able to play with what our clocks tell us, or make rain, but ultimately it is God, not humans, who exercise control.  Let's use this Lent to ask forgiveness for our hubris.

For those among us foolish enough to spend any time on social media, there's a good chance you've come across a meme of a snowbound landscape saying that one was giving up winter for lent.  Cue chuckle. Frankly, there's so much wrong with this "joke".  First, should Lent be something that we use for cheap gags?  Second, has anyone really thought of what would happen without winter?  Goodbye snowpack, hello summer water shortages.  Third, has a meme ever changed anybody's mind or contributed to deeper thought about something?  In this age of 280 character tweets and snarky Facebook memes, Lent is a radical concept.  We take 40 whole days, not minutes, to reflect on our sins, rather than what somebody else is doing wrong.  Lent isn't about us and our desires, it's about God and what God wants from us. Lent is a time for us to get real, to take seriously our lives, to set priorities that will bring us closer to Jesus.  If you're l

When I was a kid growing up outside of New York, one had a choice of giving ones loyalties one of two baseball teams: the Yankees and the Mets. For reasons unclear to me, I cast my lot with the Mets.  Perhaps it was World Series-winning teams they fielded in 1969 (they won) and 1973 (they lost).  Perhaps it was the uniforms.  Most likely it was the players, guys like Jerry Koosman, the manager Yogi Berra, and of course the inestimable Tom Seaver. Tom Seaver.  What a pitcher.  Dominant.  Brilliant.  And sadly, we learned yesterday, suffering from dementia.  His family announced that he was withdrawing from public appearances and would focus on his Napa vineyard while he still can.  My heart sank, not just because this is a horrible fate for anyone to suffer, but because it meant another pillar of my childhood was fading into the mists of time.  Tom Seaver was always a young guy, virile and strong.  But the man I remember is no longer with us.  Like all of us, he has

Well, we're here.  Lent has begun and, frankly, I don't know what to do. Sure, I can give up something (doing that), take on something else (doing that), pray (yep), and repent (I'll get to that.  Really I will.).  But what do I do right now ?  As I write this reflection, it occurs to me that I can be still, listen to the sounds of the world around me.  Perhaps I'll hear God addressing me through the Spirit. Relying on God isn't something we should save for moments of great peril or need.  We can trust in our Lord all the time.  But can we trust in ourselves to let go and follow Jesus' path?  That's not so easy. So, I have something to do, now, throughout Lent and the rest of my life: really trust God and follow his Way. 

Someone wished me a 'Happy Lent' this morning.  That gave me pause. Lent isn't a time of joy.  It's always had a reputation for being somber.  As I stood in front of the church this morning ready to dispense ashes it was 2 degrees.  I certainly didn't feel happy. But is this really an inappropriate wish?  Is it out of order? Nope. Yes, this is a time to repent, a time to perhaps give something up so we might focus on clearing the decks.  But the outcome, the goal is that we get right with God and God's people.  And that, I think, is something worth celebrating.  It's a cause to be ... happy.