Did you know that I speak Russian? It’s a language I learned while in the military during my training as a Cryptolinguistic Translator. That’s a fancy term for spy! During the cold war in the 1980’s I intercepted Russian aircraft communications and translated them to discern the activities of the Soviet Air Force in East Germany. What a ride that was! I always enjoyed learning foreign languages, and would travel Europe speaking French, Russian and German. Many were surprised that a country boy from Ohio could communicate with such a diverse group of people. I loved meeting new people during my travel—and just the attempt I made to speak with them in their own language opened doors for new friendships and experiences.
May 27th is the Sunday we celebrate Pentecost this year, and is always a time when I reflect deeply about the significant events in my life. I grew up Pentecostal. My father was a pastor and evangelist in the Assemblies of God church. And I remember the camp meetings of my childhood where my Dad used to preach. My experiences in the Pentecostal church, although oppressive at times, did introduce me to the excitement and enthusiasm of the Pentecost experience. Yet I am amazed how in the mainline church we are comfortable with Pentecost as a noun. But when you make the word an adjective—Pentecostal, we become nervous. And maybe it should make us nervous. Celtic Christians chose the wild goose as a symbol representing the Holy Spirit. A wild goose is one noisy, bothersome bird. I like this image of the Holy Spirit as a wild goose because it jars us out of our complacency of doing church in familiar and traditional ways.
Years later I was jarred out of my complacency when I left my Pentecostal tradition and started seeking a theology that embraced me as a gay Christian. That search brought me to United Theological Seminary in Dayton, where my time was filled with periods of constructing a new theology while at the same time reclaiming the traditions of my youth. I seriously studied the history of the church and shared my own experiences of exclusion and charted new experiences of embrace. I looked anew at the ancient writings of my faith and discovered layers of learning that emerged once I scratched through its surface teachings and dug deep into its wisdom. I devoured the secrets of an emerging Christian community in my New Testament studies, and was transformed by the care for others as pastor. My embedded theology was questioned and crushed, twisted and turned, prodded and poked as I constantly reinterpreted the symbols of my faith for new contexts. And it’s these new contexts that continue to draw me back to the story of Pentecost—that amazing moment when the Holy Spirit, the wild goose that she is—gave birth to a church of many different languages and cultures.
A part of me wishes that I could have been a part of the church when America was split over the issue of slavery. The Bible was clearly on the side of the slave owner – but the Spirit would not let us stop where the Bible left off. A part of me wishes that I could have been around for the debate about ordaining women where the Bible makes terrible commentary supporting a male dominated faith, but thank God the church remained open to the Spirit and we can now celebrate the ministry of women– something that would not have happened 150 years ago. And I am interested in how we came to have a different understanding and acceptance about divorce, and the reality of broken marriages and the work of God in those very broken places. But I am especially glad to be here during a time when we see the church working through the struggle of embracing the gay and lesbian community as an equal part and voice within our midst. I’m glad to see and experience the tension of the Spirit doing her work again of breaking us out of our homogeneous places and pushing the gate even wider to fully include another part of our community that has been marginalized. The Spirit is forcing us to speak even more languages and to open our gates even wider than we have ever thought before.
I risk coming out as a gay minister every day—wondering if I will be accepted or rejected. But I am committed to being an authentic Christian—one that is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus. And I can not be attached to how others receive me—only that I share my identity with a sense of wholeness and desire for relationship. Now my idea of the gospel may lean more toward embrace than exclusion—but that’s how I experience God. And that’s how I hope you experience Journey Church.
We are hosting our first membership class on Saturday, May 19th from 10am to 3pm. This will be a very different experience for those of you who have grown up in the church. The theme of the class is “Passport to your Journey” and will be significantly different from what you might expect from a new members class. We will engage our lives together as a Christian community by looking deeply into our own souls to discern what you are here to do in your life and what you can learn from each other. In addition to a short course on UCC History and Polity and the vision of Journey Church, you will be encouraged to look at where you are on your spiritual journey. You will be asked to make a commitment to our work together and also to your own journey of faith. It will be an exciting time together—and it includes lunch! The cost will be $30 per person to pay for your learning materials and for our presenters.
The Pentecost moment means that we often must translate the words of our ancient texts into new contexts and experiences. And like my experience while living in Europe, we have to speak a language that others understand—and once trust in the relationship is established can we then talk about God in new ways of understanding. So listen to the call of the Spirit—that noisy bothersome Spirit that calls us out of complacency and into radical inclusivity. I challenge you, this season of Pentecost—to experience what it means to be Pentecostal. And by that, I mean a church of many different experiences of God, speaking the good news of God’s love and embrace for all humanity—in our own languages.
Invite someone to church this month—seek to speak their language—and then share this inclusive vision of God’s kingdom—God’s reign on earth. Amen!
Pastor Brice
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Easter Cancelled. Pastor's not ready!
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for...the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
Sometimes don’t you just want to skip all the hype of Easter? It can be really stressful orchestrating all the events and activities of Holy Week. Yet for me the past nine months of our journey toward opening our new coffeehouse and concert ministry has been a daily dose of angst and anxiety. Just ask Amy Miller, director of Common Grounds, how we handled the stress. We’ve joked that it’s been similar to birthing a baby…only without the belly or the baby shower!
We’ve come quite a long way since last July when we first began swinging Krista’s sledgehammer against the old and rotting pegboard lining the interior of 35 East Main Street. Sometimes it’s hard to belief that we made it through those days of grime, dust and soot. And now that we’ve finally launched our coffeehouse and concert ministry the concerns and challenges of starting something so grand still cloud my mind. There still exists anxiety about what we’ve taken on as a small worshiping congregation.
The issues at hand are very practical and important to address as we consider the amount of resources available to direct these emerging ministries and address the security issues we must face in light of opening a “public” venue. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about those questions but find myself also thinking about the spiritual issues facing us in the same way. As much as these questions need to be addressed on a practical level...they also need to addressed on a spiritual level.
During the past two years I've lived between fear and faith. Although I had faith in the vision that God gave me to launch a ministry like Common Grounds, I didn't always believe that vision was going to happen. I had "seeing" faith...only believing when I could see it happen. The challenges we faced during the first year of our ministry together turned my faith into fear. I feared that my vision for ministry was not in alignment with the vision of our church. The two seemed incompatible.
I remember talking to realtors when we first decided to sell our old building. I was told that it was only worth $250,000...and that's all we could get. But I knew we could get more...and I had faith that we would. The next offer was $500,000. That was the top offer we would ever get...came the words from land developers that were attracted to us because of Wal-Mart being in our backyard. They were like sharks in the water, circling and waiting for the kill! I thought we could get more...but my faith had waned a bit since nothing better had come along yet. So we began talking to one of the sharks who almost convinced me that $500,000 was all we could get. But the day we were going to sign a contract with them, another developer called me and said they would give us $600,000. I put the contract on hold, asked God to forgive me for doubting him, and countered the new buyer with an offer for $675,000. They accepted. And with that our vision began to slowly materialize. And it did happen! God brought people to our church who took that vision to the next step. But somehow that unbelief and fear still exists!
So I have to ask myself again...what really exists behind my fear? Do I have faith that God can do the impossible? In the nine months since then we've spent much of that money on renovation, equipment and church expenses for our new building and ministry. I know that God supplied those extra funds so that we could build the vision that God gave us for ministry. But it is so easy to begin living in fear again that the remaining money will run out, and we won't be able to pay for what we've created. Once again, fear creeps in and robs us of our faith. The value in raising these questions is that they help cause us to face spiritual issues as well...do we have faith that God can do what God said God would do? To bless us, and multiply our efforts if what we do is for the kingdom of God? Matthew 6:33 says it all, "Seek first the kingdom of heaven, and everything else will be given to you." Do we really believe that?
I guess the question "Are we ready?" represents my own journey to Easter. Am I ready for God's kingdom to come to earth? Am I ready for Jesus to be resurrected in my heart? Does God wait for me to believe it...or should I have faith in what God is going to do and help make it happen? I am really not preaching here about 'not' asking questions...rather I want to take these opportunities to address our fears in order to grow our faith. Questions are valid and important...and need to be addressed. We have to act on our vision and expect God will bring the resources into our church that will assist in creating that vision; a community where God's realm rules. If we build God's kingdom, then they will come. As above, so below…thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
For the longest time the vision of Common Grounds coffeehouse and concert ministry existed only in my mind. In the past two years it has grown tremendously, and has manifested into an amazing place ready to receive those that God is calling to us. That happened not just because of me, but because others joined us because they also caught the vision. Imagine what we can create when all of us share that vision...and really believe in it. The question "Are we ready?" forces us to consider our faith. Because God’s kingdom will come…whether we are ready or not. Jesus was raised from the dead whether the disciples were ready or not. God was ready...and that's all that mattered. Easter is coming. Are you ready?
Please continue to bring your questions and fears to the table...and allow me to face them with you on a spiritual level. That’s the value of traveling together. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I'm ready!
Blessings on your journey of faith!
Pastor Brice
Sometimes don’t you just want to skip all the hype of Easter? It can be really stressful orchestrating all the events and activities of Holy Week. Yet for me the past nine months of our journey toward opening our new coffeehouse and concert ministry has been a daily dose of angst and anxiety. Just ask Amy Miller, director of Common Grounds, how we handled the stress. We’ve joked that it’s been similar to birthing a baby…only without the belly or the baby shower!
We’ve come quite a long way since last July when we first began swinging Krista’s sledgehammer against the old and rotting pegboard lining the interior of 35 East Main Street. Sometimes it’s hard to belief that we made it through those days of grime, dust and soot. And now that we’ve finally launched our coffeehouse and concert ministry the concerns and challenges of starting something so grand still cloud my mind. There still exists anxiety about what we’ve taken on as a small worshiping congregation.
The issues at hand are very practical and important to address as we consider the amount of resources available to direct these emerging ministries and address the security issues we must face in light of opening a “public” venue. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about those questions but find myself also thinking about the spiritual issues facing us in the same way. As much as these questions need to be addressed on a practical level...they also need to addressed on a spiritual level.
During the past two years I've lived between fear and faith. Although I had faith in the vision that God gave me to launch a ministry like Common Grounds, I didn't always believe that vision was going to happen. I had "seeing" faith...only believing when I could see it happen. The challenges we faced during the first year of our ministry together turned my faith into fear. I feared that my vision for ministry was not in alignment with the vision of our church. The two seemed incompatible.
I remember talking to realtors when we first decided to sell our old building. I was told that it was only worth $250,000...and that's all we could get. But I knew we could get more...and I had faith that we would. The next offer was $500,000. That was the top offer we would ever get...came the words from land developers that were attracted to us because of Wal-Mart being in our backyard. They were like sharks in the water, circling and waiting for the kill! I thought we could get more...but my faith had waned a bit since nothing better had come along yet. So we began talking to one of the sharks who almost convinced me that $500,000 was all we could get. But the day we were going to sign a contract with them, another developer called me and said they would give us $600,000. I put the contract on hold, asked God to forgive me for doubting him, and countered the new buyer with an offer for $675,000. They accepted. And with that our vision began to slowly materialize. And it did happen! God brought people to our church who took that vision to the next step. But somehow that unbelief and fear still exists!
So I have to ask myself again...what really exists behind my fear? Do I have faith that God can do the impossible? In the nine months since then we've spent much of that money on renovation, equipment and church expenses for our new building and ministry. I know that God supplied those extra funds so that we could build the vision that God gave us for ministry. But it is so easy to begin living in fear again that the remaining money will run out, and we won't be able to pay for what we've created. Once again, fear creeps in and robs us of our faith. The value in raising these questions is that they help cause us to face spiritual issues as well...do we have faith that God can do what God said God would do? To bless us, and multiply our efforts if what we do is for the kingdom of God? Matthew 6:33 says it all, "Seek first the kingdom of heaven, and everything else will be given to you." Do we really believe that?
I guess the question "Are we ready?" represents my own journey to Easter. Am I ready for God's kingdom to come to earth? Am I ready for Jesus to be resurrected in my heart? Does God wait for me to believe it...or should I have faith in what God is going to do and help make it happen? I am really not preaching here about 'not' asking questions...rather I want to take these opportunities to address our fears in order to grow our faith. Questions are valid and important...and need to be addressed. We have to act on our vision and expect God will bring the resources into our church that will assist in creating that vision; a community where God's realm rules. If we build God's kingdom, then they will come. As above, so below…thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
For the longest time the vision of Common Grounds coffeehouse and concert ministry existed only in my mind. In the past two years it has grown tremendously, and has manifested into an amazing place ready to receive those that God is calling to us. That happened not just because of me, but because others joined us because they also caught the vision. Imagine what we can create when all of us share that vision...and really believe in it. The question "Are we ready?" forces us to consider our faith. Because God’s kingdom will come…whether we are ready or not. Jesus was raised from the dead whether the disciples were ready or not. God was ready...and that's all that mattered. Easter is coming. Are you ready?
Please continue to bring your questions and fears to the table...and allow me to face them with you on a spiritual level. That’s the value of traveling together. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I'm ready!
Blessings on your journey of faith!
Pastor Brice
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