Tuesday Lectionary Leanings: "Sweet Smell of Devotion" Edition

Sunday's texts can be found here .

This morning at our house we were having a conversation about the "spiritual versus religious" discussion going on in society these days, and that we RevGals discussed here and on our own blogs last week. And for some reason that phrase stuck in my mind thinking about Sunday's Gospel lesson, where Mary engages in a dramatic act of love and devotion toward Jesus...and immediately gets lectured by Judas about what she didn't get right.

Maybe there's a lesson there.

Or maybe it's somewhere else; in another aspect of this text; or in Paul's less dramatic but equally heartfelt affirmation of God's transformative grace in his life...or in our Old Testament lesson's promise that God is going to "make a way" through whatever it is in this world that hinders God's will being done.

What way are you being led as you ponder the Scriptures this week? As always, share your questions and insights here.

Monday Meet 'n Greet

We have two new blogs to welcome today, one a newcomer to our ring and the other a familiar friend with a new blog she hopes you will read.

Let's start with Robin, previously known as Gannet Girl. Robin is now blogging at Metanoia, and shares this about herself:

Married and mom of three. PC(USA) elder and seminary student ~ one quarter to go! Spiritual Director in the Ignatian tradition. Writer, photographer, canoer, hiker, voracious reader ~ and someone who knows the beach is the best.


We're glad to have Robin in the ring by any name!


And now let's welcome revjmk, who blogs at The Someday Book.

She describes herself this way:


I am a full-time pastor in the United Church of Christ, mother of a preschooler (B.), married to an aspiring academic and curmudgeon (J.). I live by faith, intuition and intellect. I follow politics, football and the Boston Red Sox. I like to talk about progressive issues, theological concerns, church life, the impact of technology and media, pop culture and books.


Please stop by and see both our new members and leave them a comment!

Sunday Afternoon Music Video: Rejoice Greatly

The first word of the opening prayer used on this Sunday in the Roman Catholic tradition, Laetare often lends its name to the Sunday as well: Laetare Sunday. Mothering Sunday, Refreshment Sunday or simply the 4th Sunday of Lent often feels to me like a whiff of Easter, like the breeze on a late winter's day that smell of spring -- and hope.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is the righteous Saviour,
and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.
Zecharaiah 9 : 9-10

And which of us, which part of this world could not use some peace now?

Sunday Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

(Photo from the files of Mompriest, Grand Canyon tree)

Creator God from whom
all life springs forth
We give You thanks
Come, one and all,
Celebrate and rejoice!

Celebrate and rejoice -
The old has passed away
Everything has become new!

Forgiving God with whom
We seek to reconcile
our brokenness and
the ways we break
into a new creation!

Celebrate and rejoice -
The old has passed away
Everything has become new!

Lving God, father, son,
mother, daughter
Family, friend, one, all
With, through, and by
Your Prodigal love
Reconciled.

Celebrate and rejoice -
The old has passed away
Everything has become new!


Crossposted on RevGalBlogPals and Seeking Authentic Voice

11th Hour Preacher's Party: Say WHAT???? or, the Whose son are you anyway? edition...

Photo of mmopriests dog Ruby wondering why her "brother" thinks he's so special just because he can balance a ball on his nose...


This parable in Luke is perhaps one of the best known or all texts. It is also controversial and confusing. Why would the father welcome back THAT son? And, for all intents and purposes IGNORE the other son, the one who has been good all these years?

It's a story all too familiar with anyone who has siblings...the, "Mom/Dad always loved you best" paradigm. Which was particularly hurtful if you were not the one best loved.

On the other hand....we want to think of God as One who does not have "favorites" in the same way our human parents/family/friends do. We want a God who loves all equally. And we can almost believe this...until we come to scripture readings like this. And then. Well. And then we have to wrestle with the text. Or let the text wrestle with us. Until we understand it at a deeper level...

What? you mean it may not really be about MY brother? It may be about the church that has gone astray from God's desire? A church that is more invested in its own money, resources, building, spending....than it is concerned about doing God's mission in the world?

Well. I am not preaching on Sunday. But I have preached on this text many times over the years. And I love find the layers of subtext within the text. Like all of Jesus' parables, this one is rich in depth.

So, where are you going with the reading? Are you focusing on the Gospel or are you drawn to Paul's second letter to the Corinthians? Or to the reading in Joshua? Or maybe the Psalm? What ever text is calling to you, share your thoughts here. Struggling? Share your concerns here. Post a draft and we'll read it and offer comments, if you like. We're here to help, support, and party on toward Sunday. Pull up a chair, would you like coffee or tea?

Friday Five: Spiritual or Religious?

Yesterday I attended a led conference by Diana Butler Bass. She is presenting new ideas on the state of the church and why there is hope for Christianity. One of her premises is a Newsweek/Washington Post poll from 2005 that states that 55% of the people in this country describe themselves as religious AND spiritual.

Without going into detail about her understandings of religious and spiritual (you may want to attend one of her conferences, if you can) share with us five thoughts ideas or practices that you consider to be "religious." Then share with us five thoughts, ideas, or practices that you consider to be "spiritual."

For example one thought about religion might be that it is "salvation" Or an idea about religion might be that it it is an "institution" and a religious practice might be "going to church." An example of spiritual thought might be a phrase from a poem, a spiritual idea might be the inspiration for a piece of art and a spiritual practice might be meditation.

So, five thoughts, ideas, or practices that are religious....and then five thoughts, ideas or practices that are spiritual. OR are they the same thing to you?

Leave a link in the comments to your blog. I'll be back later, after a second day of her presentation, to read what your thoughts...

Ask the Matriarch - So Long, Fare Well Edition

Last week we explored the question of seeking a pastoral call; this week our question pertains to how we leave a call. In many of our denominations an exit interview is employed in the process of a pastor's departure from a ministry setting.

I'm currently in my first call, but hoping to be moving to a new call soon and so I'm doing some looking ahead. I'm currently an associate pastor, but I imagine this topic is relevant for others also. Exit interviews. What about them? I guess I'm full of questions. Who should be a part of them? What kinds of questions should be asked--on both sides? What is the benefit of exit interviews? How long should they last? What am I not even thinking to ask?

Signed ~ Hopefully needing one soon

One of our matriarchs, Jennifer, who blogs at An Orientation of Heart responds with the following:

Dear Hopefully,

What an exciting time! A new call brings with a flurry of activity, and you’re wise to be thinking about good closure at your current call.

An exit interview can be a really valuable part of a pastor and congregation’s good work together.

As an associate, it’s appropriate to check in with the pastor (if one is in place) or your higher governing body (if you have one) to ask these very questions. There may be a process in place, either through your congregation’s personnel or ministerial relations committee, or more likely, through a parish/pastor relations committee or Committee on Ministry (Presbyterian terminology). I’m most familiar with a two meeting process, with an exit interview with you and supervisory folks from your current call to make sure that loose ends are tied up and folks on the scene are familiar with what needs to be done for a good transition, and a separate meeting with your COM rep (or insert appropriate higher gov. body committee name here) to talk about big-picture issues. That committee should have a set of questions in place that asks about your experience, highs and lows, special stuff they ought to know, and to lay good expectations about future contact between you and the congregation from which you are departing. Usually, that meeting is with you alone and with a rep. or two from the higher gov. body committee. You should feel free to ask any questions or offer any information you feel you need to in order to leave well and begin well in a new setting. I think the length of the meeting would be determined by how happy or how frustrated you’ve been in your present call.

Hope all of your journeying goes well!

There were no other responses posted to this week's question, but it doesn't have to stay that way. I am sure that many of our readers have had the experience of leaving a pastoral call. Please share your insights using the Comment function of this post.

May you live in God's Amazing Grace+

revhoney

Wednesday Festival: Balance

Deb wonders if others might be feeling restless in mid-Lent. She says, "I'm reading Leonard Sweet's book "So Beautiful" which delves into the difference between Missional/Relational/Incarnational Church and Churchianity. (That is making a very thoughtful book very simplistic... but it is wonderful stuff!)

Lucky Fresh says, "I wrote this piece the other day about my CPE experience from almost 9 years ago. Not sure what brought it up now, other than the reminder I mention at the beginning."

This piece of Songbird's brings tears to my eyes.

Mompriest is seeking balance.

Tuesday Lectionary Leanings: "Prodigal" Edition

Texts for Sunday can be found here .

How do you take a widely recognized, beloved (and sentimentalized) Bible story and make it "pop" in a way that makes the folks in the pew sit up and take notice?

That's the challenge of Sunday's Gospel lesson, as we revisit Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, his gracious and forgiving father and his bitter, resentful brother. (And, of course, the hapless fatted calf.) How do we approach this story in ways that will meaningfully connect with our people?

But wait -- there's more! We also, this Sunday, have an Epistle lesson that'll preach. It's another text that will be familiar to many hearers; that can become a kind of comforting Christian-y aural wallpaper; but what does it really mean to be a new creation in Christ? What does it mean to be an ambassador of God's reconciliation? How's that working for all of us, on any given day?

So much potential for sermons and general service-planning here...so please, as always, share your ideas and inspirations with us!

2nd Monday Discussion: And the Winner Is...

After staying up a bit too late to see the Oscars last night, I found myself thinking this morning about the use of film in church life, whether as an educational opportunity or to illustrate themes in worship or simply for a fun community gathering.

I remember when Sally wrote about using a clip of Elastigirl for Mothering Sunday a few years ago. What an amazingly apt image, fruitful for discussion!  I have a keen memory of watching "Star Wars" (the real first movie) with a youth group and discussing courage after a loss, remembering that the Force of God's Spirit will always be with you. Then one of the girls in the group lost her father unexpectedly two days later.

In the comments, I invite you to share a time you used (or experienced) a movie used effectively, recommendations for film series, or even times you used a movie and it *didn't* work out so well. Feel free to link to a post on your blog, as I did above.

And if you'd rather discuss Oscar fashion, that's okay, too.

Sunday Afternoon Video

Sunday Prayer

Gracious God, we give you thanks for all the blessings of this life -
for family, friends,
for home and food, and work
for the coming Spring,
for warmer days ahead
for the gift of your son
who leads us in this life.

Loving God, we offer up these prayers of concern this day -
for those struggling to rebuild lives
from natural disasters
from human disasters
from failed economies
from illness
from_______________
may the power of your Holy Spirit
bring new life, new hope.

Creator God, fill us with nourishment
the kind that only you can offer.
Fill us with hope
fill us with kindness
fill us with gentleness
fill us with your love.
May we be your living love.

Amen.

crossposted on the Revgalprayer pal blog and seeking authentic voice.

11th Hour Preacher Party: The One With The Fig Tree

It's one of those hard weeks in the lectionary.

It takes a lot of explaining to get through this very short passage. Jesus' storytelling made a lot of sense in his context -- well, we assume it did -- but for our hearers, it's a bigger leap.

Where are you headed for tomorrow?

Could you use some coffee and a Fig Newton for the journey?

Check in via the comments and let us know. If you have thoughts or a draft, feel free to link to them.