Caravaggio's Gruesome Treasure

"Jesus said to Thomas,
'Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.'
Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
- John 20:27-28 (NRSV)

As I've been praying and preparing for worship this Sunday, I have been pondering Caravaggio's famous depiction of "Doubting Thomas". It's a pretty grisly painting. The notion of poking around in someone's abdomen is not a very attractive idea for me.

Thomas could see his Risen Lord before him, and certainly Jesus offered to allow him a closer examination of the wounds. But the Bible never tells us if Thomas actually explored the wounds of Jesus' resurrected body. I'm not sure I would have done so. It's a pretty grotesque proposition.

And yet, perhaps Caravaggio's depiction is correct. Though Thomas could in fact see the Resurrected Jesus standing before him, and surely recognized the tenor of his master's voice, the tilt of his head, and the slant of his smile, perhaps the disciple needed something else confirmed: this was no ghost. This Jesus was flesh and blood, a crucified messiah actually resurrected, not simply a vindicated martyr permitted to roam the earth as an ethereal spirit.

In the Resurrection of Our Lord, the Kingdom of God had truly arrived. In Jesus, God had even conquered Death, that great enemy. A new age had begun.

With that realization, Thomas had no problem in excitedly proclaiming Jesus as Lord and God. Indeed, he truly is.

I am in the midst of reading N.T. Wright's new book Surprised By Hope, a challenging explication of the Doctrine of Resurrection. It's an exciting read, both affirming and agitating. The first thing it's doing for me is forcing me to ask the Easter question, "What does the Resurrection of Jesus and our Doctrine of Resurrection mean in my every day life and ministry?"

I hope it means more to me than simply the promise of "pie in the sky by and by when I die". I want this essential affirmation to inform and dominate all I do for Christ's Kingdom. My fear is that I've not allowed the full implications of resurrection to saturate every aspect of my theology and practice.

So, maybe I can learn from Carvaggio's masterpiece. Maybe I, too, need to "poke around" the flesh of my Risen Lord's body, not only to dispel any doubt, but to reinforce the notion of "resurrection" (as opposed, I presume, to any intrinsic "immortality"), to allow the Spirit to teach and re-teach me, and to allow this doctrine to more fully inform and direct my ministry and life.

Easter Sunday 2008

"Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven
in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys
and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens,
and earth reply, Alleluia!

"Love's redeeming work
is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight,
the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

"Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!"

- Charles Wesley, 1739

Good Friday 2008

"O Love divine, what hast thou done!
The immortal God
hath died for me!
The Father's coeternal Son
bore all my sins upon the tree.
Th' immortal God
for me hath died:
My Lord, my Love,
is crucified!

"Is crucified for me and you,
to bring us rebels back to God.
Believe, believe the record true,
ye all are bought with Jesus' blood.
Pardon for all flows from his side:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified!

"Behold him, all ye that pass by,
the bleeding Prince of life and peace!
Come, sinners, see your Savior die,
and say, 'Was ever grief like his?'
Come, feel with me his blood applied:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified!"

- Charles Wesley, 1742

Holy Thursday 2008

"Come and partake the gospel feast,
be saved from sin,
in Jesus rest;
O taste the goodness
of our God,
and eat his flesh
and drink his blood.

"See him set forth
before your eyes;
behold the bleeding sacrifice;
his offered love make haste to embrace,
and freely now be saved by grace.

"Ye who believe his record true
shall sup with him and he with you;
come to the feast, be saved from sin,
for Jesus waits to take you in."

- Charles Wesley, 1747

Rerun: Was Jesus "punished" for us?

"...he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the suffering that brought us peace,
and through his wounds we are healed."
- Isaiah 53:5

This wonderful verse is crucial in Atonement theology, yet it is often, in my view, mistranslated and misunderstood. This can lead to some views of the Atonement which are not Wesleyan and, perhaps, not even Biblical.

The misunderstood word is the Hebrew word "musar". This is a word that traditionally has meant
"correction", "chastisement",
"instruction", "suffering", "rebuke", or "discipline", as from a loving father. In fact, "musar" is used 50 times in the Old Testament, and the King James Version always utilizes one of these English words. The ASV followed suit, as did the RSV about 50 years later.

According to Isaiah 53:5, then, and assuming a messianic perspective, Jesus suffered for us. The verse does not teach that Jesus was punished for us; "punishment" comes from an entirely different Hebrew word which is not used in reference to atonement.

This is an important distinction, because punishment and forgiveness are not synonomous, and salvation hinges on forgiveness in Wesleyan theology. When a person is found guilty of a crime, they are sent to prison, the imprisonment being their punishment. Let us assume that they have been sentenced to two years in prison. At the conclusion of those two years, they freed from their cell, having served out their punishment. It would be inappropriate for a judge to then s ay, "You have been in prison for two years; now, you are forgiven." The criminal was not forgiven; he took his punishment. The same would be true if a person received a fine for a parking violation. If they pay the fine, they have received their punishment, they have paid their debt.

Conversely, if a judge were to say to the criminal, "You don't need to serve two years; you are forgiven", or to the parking violator, "You don't need to pay the fine; you are forgiven", then there would be no punishment. Punishment and forgiveness are not the same thing.

In the 1970s, the Good News Bible (also known as "Today's English Version") appeared, translated quite loosely, a style known as "dynamic equivalence" (as opposed to the more literal KJV and RSV). In this translation, "musar" was rendered in Isaiah 53:5 as "punishment". Still, this can be forgiven, since the Good News translation itself was fairly paraphrastic and not really intended for academic or theological use.

The New International Version (NIV) emerged in 1978 as a legitimate translation alternative to the KJV and RSV. This wonderful translation made the mistake of translating "musar" as "punishment". Why?

Calvinists have held to a particular view of Atonement theology which states that Jesus, on the Cross, received our punishment. Thus, the demands of divine justice were satisfied by the death of Christ. The NIV was translated primarily by Calvinist scholars, so it is only natural that Isaiah 53:5 reflects their theological bias, even if translating "musar" as "punishment" was truly innovative, and without real precedent in the history of the English Bible. Surprisingly, the NRSV followed the NIV upon its release a decade later, as did the HCSB in 2004. I am grateful for the ESV (2001), which renders "musar" as the more traditional "chastisement".

Wesleyans should not forget the actual meaning of the verse. Jesus suffered for us, thus reminding us of the importance of suffering and the terrible pain inflicted upon our loving Lord...not that any debts would be paid through punishment, but rather that we might be truly forgiven. Jesus' suffering was substitutionary in that his suffering, "...became a substitute for something else that would otherwise occur" (in the words of the late J. Kenneth Grider). In other words, Jesus' suffering served as a substitute for our punishment.

In the words of Gordon Olson, "The sufferings and especially the death of Christ were sacrificial, were not the punishment of the law but were equivalent in meaning to it, were representative of it and substituted for it. The demands of the law were not satisfied by it, but the honor of the law was promoted by it as much as this honor would have been promoted by inflicting the legal penalty upon all sinners. The distributive (or vindictive) justice of God was not satisfied by it, but His general (or justice for the public good) as a responsible Moral Governor was perfectly satisfied."

This is more than simply a "moral influence", intended to show God's love and break our hearts, as much of traditional Protestant Liberalism maintains. Jesus suffered and died for a reason...to uphold God's moral sovereignty and to make real forgiveness possible, that we might know salvation. This is truly good news. We can know real forgiveness! Without question, due to our sinfulness, we deserve punishment - but are forgiven, because of the faithful suffering of Our Lord.

I urge my Wesleyan brethren to ponder this perspective as we approach the darkness of Good Friday and the glories of Easter Sunday.

Pick Your Jesus Stereotype

"Just War" Jesus







OR

"Pacifist" Jesus

Food for thought?

"One reason why we Christians argue so much about which hymn to sing, which liturgy to follow, which way to worship is that the commandments teach us to believe that bad liturgy eventually leads to bad ethics. You begin by singing some sappy, sentimental hymn, then you pray some pointless prayer, and the next thing you know you have murdered your best friend."

- Stanley Hauerwas

Studying Jesus with N.T. Wright

"I have argued that the historical quest for Jesus is necessary for the health of the church. I grieve that in the church both in England and in America there seem to be so few - among a church that is otherwise so well-educated in so many spheres, with more educational resources and helps than ever before - who are prepared to give the time and attention to these questions that they deserve. I long for the day when seminarians will again take delight in the detailed and fascinated study of the first century. If that century was not the moment when history reached its greatest climax, the church is simply wasting its time.

"This is not a task simply for a few backroom specialists. If church leaders themselves spent more time studying and teaching Jesus and the Gospels, a good many other things we worry about in day-to-day church life would be seen in their proper light. It has far too often been assumed that church leaders stand above the nitty-gritty of biblical and theological study; they have done all that, we implicitly suppose, before they come to office, and now they simply have to work out the 'implications'. They then find themselves spending countless hours at their desks running the church as a business, raising money or working at dozens of other tasks, rather than poring over their foundation documents and enquiring ever more closely about the Jesus whom they are supposed to be following and teaching others to follow.

"I believe, to the contrary, that each generation has to wrestle afresh with the question of Jesus, not least its biblical roots if it is to be truly the church at all - not that we should engage in abstract dogmatics to the detriment of our engagement with the world, but that we should discover more and more of who Jesus was and is, precisely in order to be equipped to engage with the world that he came to save. And this is a task for the whole church, especially those appointed to leadership and teaching roles within it."

- N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus:

Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is (1999)

While recuperating, I've read some things and watched some movies. I enjoyed my annual viewing of the William Wyler / Charlton Heston classic Ben Hur (1959) and I've almost finished N.T. Wright's book The Challenge of Jesus (1999).

Together, these works have challenged me. Ben Hur is, for me, one of the best "Jesus movies", because we magnificently see how Jesus' work...his mercy, his hands, his Cross...intersects and transforms the life of a man in need of redemption.

In his book, Bishop Wright argues that we need to focus more on Jesus...not just in a prayerful, devotional way (though that's crucially important)...but as a subject for serious, ongoing study by church leaders worldwide. We ought to be studying more about Jesus and his times than we do; we ought to spend more time studying Jesus and trying to better understand who he was and is and what his mission is truly all about.

Most church leaders I know would agree with that; certainly, all evangelicals would agree with that, definitionally.

Then why do so many of us (myself included) read book after book about emerging trends, leadership development, worship practice, dogmatic theology, or "how to build your business into something really neat"?

Don't get me wrong: none of that is bad. And we need to read that stuff as well. But how often do we read about Jesus and the first century? How often do we blog about these things? And yet, Bishop Wright is correct: that was "when history reached its greatest climax".

Maybe, if we are to really "believe again", we should delve more deeply into Jesus, into finding out who he was and is. I'm not talking about antiquated pursuits like the so-called "Jesus Seminar", which are fascinating but ultimately fruitless. There is excellent Jesus research out there today, and I, for one, have been lax in my attention to it. I think we've gotten lax, actually, as a Conference - remember when we engaged in Bible study at Conference each year? Whatever happened to that?

At any rate, I'm hoping to read more of this stuff in 2008 and see where the Spirit takes me. I want to find out more and more about Jesus and the world in which he walked. If anyone wants to join me on this "quest", feel free. And if you'd like to suggest any particular books which challenged you in this area, I'd love to hear about them. Maybe a "Jesus Book Club"...

Bronchitis

Ugh. I've been struggling for almost a week now with what I thought was a chest cold, but turned out to be bacterial bronchitis.

I haven't been out too much, but did manage to get to worship and preach today. Not my best; I was more than a little crispy. I found myself wishing I'd made other arrangements. Nevertheless, I am now on an antibiotic and a strong cough syrup and hope to be on the mend soon.

Thank God I haven't had any trouble relieving myself.

Farewell William F. Buckley, Jr.

God bless William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925-2008).

William F. Buckley, Jr. died this morning, at his desk, in his study, at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. Buckley was one of the most fascinating political figures of the 20th century, and he is largely responsible for founding the "modern conservative movement". His work, along with Russell Kirk's brilliant 1953 book The Conservative Mind, gave political conservatism in America an intellectual foundation which had been largely lacking previously. Buckley's impact on American politics simply cannot be overstated.

I first encountered Buckley's work in college, reading his brief 1961 book Up from Liberalism. I found the book intriguing not only because of Buckley's famed masterful use of the English language, but because he engaged the political opinions held by Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the patron saints of 20th century American liberalism, without attacking her personally. It occurred to me that Buckley was a true rarity in today's world; he was a gentleman.

Through books (like 1951's God and Man at Yale, a prophetic indictment of American higher education which has only been proven more correct in the ensuing years), magazine commentaries (he founded National Review in 1955), and television appearances (such as PBS' Firing Line and frequent guest spots on The Tonight Show with his friend Johnny Carson), Buckley spread his brand of political conservatism from coast to coast, becoming a tremendous influence on important figures such as Irving Kristol, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Rush Limbaugh, among others. He believed in giving as much power as possible to people rather than the state, and that in every meaningful area of life, one's character and personal integrity matters.

Four things have always impressed me about William F. Buckley, Jr.

First, I was always dazzled by his eloquence, both onscreen and in print.

Second, he was apparently a devoted Roman Catholic who faithfully attended Mass, and whose political beliefs sprung from his faith, not simply from his own experience. I wish we had more Americans who took their faith as seriously.

Third, his basic political opinions helped form my own. I believe wholeheartedly in having "checks" on institutions in order to prevent too much concentrated power, and keeping taxes low and people of integrity in place seem excellent ways of doing just that.

Fourth, he was a real "renaissance man". Though best known as a political philosopher, he was a talented musician, a best selling novelist, CIA agent, and a first rate celebrity, who was always able to laugh at himself. I love the idea of being involved in - and perhaps even good at - several things.

America is better for having had William F. Buckley, Jr. as a citizen; the Church is better for having him as a servant and a model of piety. His legacy will last for decades to come.

Farewell Myron Cope

God bless Myron Cope (1929-2008).

Myron Cope died this morning in Mt. Lebanon, PA. Western Pennsylvanians will surely know Myron as the longtime radio "voice of the Steelers", the man who created the "Terrible Towel", and a man who was as much a fixture of the "Steelers Nation" as the Rooney family and the old steel mills.

Myron was an award-winning journalist for Sports Illustrated but really rose to fame announcing Steelers games in the 1970s. He was an integral part of the Steelers mythos as they won four Super Bowls in that era, becoming the greatest dynasty in NFL history. He is as important to the pride of Pittsburgh as Gene Kelly, Fred Rogers, Andy Warhol, and August Wilson, and (almost) as important a figure in Pittsburgh sports as Terry Bradshaw, Mean Joe Greene, Chuck Noll, Roberto Clemente, and Mario Lemieux. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2005, the same year he received the Pete Rozelle Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game.

"He doesn't play, he doesn't put on a pair of pads, but he's revered probably as much or more in Pittsburgh than Franco, all the guys," said Jerome Bettis. "Everybody probably remembers Myron more than the greatest players, and that's an incredible compliment."

Like many Steelers fans, I often watched the TV broadcast of the games with the volume turned down, turning to Myron on the radio to get a more "authentic" Steelers experience. His retirement a few years ago was a sad day. I'm glad my kids got to hear Myron a bit before he retired; his voice, antics, and personality are a part of my childhood I'll treasure. Hearing his voice still takes me back. Today is a sad day for the Steelers Nation.

New Banner by Kate

On the left of my image:
Marvin Gaye, Martin Luther King, Johnny Cash, Chewbacca, John Wesley, Thomas Oden, John Howard Yoder, Jack Ham, Hawkman, The Beatles, Albert Outler, Theodore Roosevelt, Athanasius, William Shatner

On the right of my image:
Richard Allen, Augustine, Fanny Crosby, Charles Wesley, Bob Zilhaver, The Monkees, Bob Dylan, Cornelius, Bono, Francis Asbury, Hugo Grotius, John Wayne, Thomas Coke, Marva Dawn, N.T. Wright, William Willimon, Thomas Cranmer, Ronald Reagan, Stanley Hauerwas

Thanks, Kate. Nice Sunday afternoon project.

A Valentine

"An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life...
She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy...
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness
is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
'Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.'
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates."

- from Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)

One Kind of Folks

I have been disturbed by some of the political coverage regarding the Democrat presidential nomination. I haven't followed it all very intently, but as I write this, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seem to be in a "virtual tie", with Sen. Obama holding a slight edge in the number of delegates needed to claim the nomination.

Sen. Obama is a decent man with a sincere faith in Christ; he also overflows with charisma and is one of the most inspiring American politicians perhaps since Ronald Reagan. I disagree with his stated positions on several issues, but I think he might make a fine national leader (as I've posted before, a candidate's personal character ought to be a key reason for support or non-support, and Sen. Obama seems be a man of integrity). I may well end up voting for him in November (I haven't yet decided; November's a long way off).

What bothers me is the way in which "the race issue" has been portrayed in the media.

Some analysts have said that many are voting for Sen. Obama because of his race; some may be rejecting him for the same reason. Some analysts have been echoing familiar words, saying that people are (or should be) voting for the Illinois senator because "it's time" to have an African-American president.

In short, their data suggests that some people are voting for Sen. Obama just because of race.

Hearing that, I was reminded of Annual Conference last year. As we were getting near the end of the voting for General Conference delegates, it occurred to some attentive folks that our delegation was - so far - all white. It seemed that clergy were voting for representatives largely based on theology, rather than race. More than once, I heard well meaning sisters and brothers say, "We need to have a person of color on our delegation."

While I certainly support diversity, the questions in my mind became:

"What if the only candidates of color have theological commitments with which I'm uncomfortable?"

"What if we have no appropriate candidates of color?"

"Should we vote for someone just because of their race?"

"Is inclusiveness now such an important theological issue that it may even trump historic Wesleyan doctrines such as, for example, Incarnation or holiness?"

I posted these words last June:

"If we fail to be racially inclusive, we fail to be the Church. This is not a political matter; it is a spiritual and theological matter. But, is inclusivity a greater concern than, say, doctrinal faithfulness, or effective leadership, or relational gifts? Inclusiveness is a part of orthopraxy; it surely does not comprise the totality of orthopraxy."

Mind you, the sisters and brothers who were concerned about race are good people. They are fine pastors who do excellent work. But, I still wondered if it was appropriate to vote for someone just because of race.

Isn't that the same sin as rejection because of race?

"Racism: Discrimination or prejudice based on race."
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

So, to discriminate based on race is, by definition, racism.

"Discrimination: Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit."
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The problem becomes obvious. In our well-meaning efforts to fight institutional racism, which is very real, and exists both in secular government and in the Church, we may sometimes act in ways that could be deemed racist.

In our efforts to fight this sin, in both Church and society, have we made the mistake of practicing the sin?

That's my fear.

I often think about and refer to the great words of Martin Luther King:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Do we dishonor King's legacy when we judge someone - well or poorly - by the color of their skin? Shouldn't character (and, in the Church, theology) have more to do with it?

One of Robyn's favorite books (and it's a favorite for our son Christian, as well) is the classic To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. There's a quote in the book that sticks with me as I think about judging or voting based on race:

“I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.”

A beautiful statement. How true it is. Can we get past the politics of race and judge by character (and, in the Church, theological commitments)? Should we? Or does the notion of "inclusiveness", which isn't bad or incorrect, eclipse the imperative to judge based on merit, character, and, when appropriate, policy or theology?

My prayer is that Americans ask themselves these questions throughout this election year. I'd like the next president to be elected because he or she is viewed by the people as having the highest integrity and best ideas of all the candidates in the field. I'd like our Conference in the future to vote openly, without anonymous letters crafted out of fear of bureaucratic reprisals, without "discernment processes" designed to elect any particular delegation. I'd like us to have the confidence and assurance and love to openly talk about "hot button issues" like theology and sex, trusting one another to practice prayerful discernment when we cast our votes.

My prayer is that we can celebrate race without fear. I am proud of my Scottish heritage; I am certain that Sen. Obama is equally proud of his own heritage.

I remember the words of Bishop Thomas Bickerton at our Annual Conference last June:

"I love you. I love you when I like you, and when I don’t like you. I love you when I agree with you and when I don’t. I love you when you lift me up and when you make me hurt. This is at the center of my theology.”

May these words resonate in the Church in 2008, regarding race and other equally difficult issues. And, through love, may we finally come to the place where we recognize that there is truly only "one kind of folks".

It Don't Mean a Thing If You Ain't Got That Ring

For weeks - no, months - football fans and analysts have been trying to determine the place in history held by the 2007 Patriots, who earned an undefeated regular season, as well as the legacy of the current Patriots dynasty.

Quarterback Tom Brady, the best football player in the world this season, needed one more Super Bowl ring to tie Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana and be considered probably one of the two or three best ever to play the game.

Head Coach Bill Belichick, the Darth Vader of football, needed one more ring to tie Chuck Noll for most all-time Super Bowl victories.

Wide receiver Randy Moss needed a ring to finally claim the mantle of undisputed best of his generation.

Nearly everyone predicted a Patriots victory; my guess was 42-13.

What a pointless waste.

God bless the New York Giants, who came to play, and really shocked the sports world. It was the greatest upset in the history of professional sports. Peyton Manning's little brother Eli deserved MVP honors, and could have shared it with the phenomenal Giants defense, which kept Brady and Moss from making any big plays.

A few thoughts:

* I'm so tired of a lip synced national anthem. Boo, hiss. Shame on Jordin Sparks (and her handlers).

* Belichick's red hoodie didn't bother me as much as his continual bad attitude. I agree with one analyst who said that no matter what Belichick does, he always seems to be giving the NFL the middle finger.

* The Giants coaching staff called one heck of a game.

* Troy Aikman has become one of the best analysts out there. Working with Joe Buck, who always calls a good game, it was one of the more bearable Super Bowls in terms of broadcasting.

* Alicia Keys gave a terrific pre-game show; Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ROCKED at halftime. I've seen Tom Petty live, and he always gives a great show. He'll be in Pittsburgh on June 10, just before Annual Conference. Anyone else want to go?

* It was great to see Peyton at the game, cheering on Eli. A true match-up of the NFL's best would mean that for most of this decade, we'd have been watching Brady vs. Manning. This is as close as we'll ever get to seeing that Super Bowl.

* Tom Brady is still one of the all-time best, and the Patriots may yet win another Super Bowl or two. But the opportunity for them to go 19-0 won't happen again; they choked, and got beaten up by a Giants team with way less talent, but way more heart.

New Church Start

Eighth Avenue Place is a new faith community in nearby Homestead, PA. The pastor is a fellow Pittsburgh Seminary alum named Keith Kaufold, a former Jumonville staffer who, Lord willing, will become a Probationary Elder (what a horrible designation!) at Annual Conference in June.

This "new church start" is unique in our Annual Conference.

First, it's not a "church" in any traditionalist sense; it's a coffee shop. This is a place where people come together throughout the week to drink coffee, tea, and cocoa, play Uno, read the Bible together, listen to (and play) music, and talk. Located next to the Homestead Grays Bridge on the main drag in Homestead (not far from The Waterfront, where Robyn works), it's a great place to go and just "hang out" in a safe environment where everyone is accepted and all views are respected.

Second, Homestead is a community which is almost split 50/50 in terms of racial demographics. In spite of this, folks share a historic mistrust of one another. Given our Conference's near abandonment of the inner city and the fact that we've done little toward strengthening the African-American Church (which is on life support in our Conference), this could be a crucial place to reach a precious group of people we have been ignoring for some time; we can finally do more than just talk about racial reconciliation. I've been there; I can tell you that more is done in an hour toward racial reconciliation at Eighth Avenue Place than in a year of Conference meetings. This is real ministry. Keith has actually done more toward racial reconciliation in the last few months than probably any of our pastors, including myself (shame on me).

Third, Keith is an all-around good egg. When he shares his vision, it becomes immediately clear that he is a PTS grad. I've found that PTS grads, more than any other seminary represented in Western PA Conference, are driven by Christological concerns (this is, no doubt, largely due to the Pittsburgh presence of Andrew Purves, a driving force behind the Christological revival in the Presbyterian Church and throughout the American Mainline..."the Presbyterian Thomas Oden", if you will; Dale Allison, one of the top Jesus scholars of the moment; and Scott Sunquist, one of today's leading missiologists, who has a strong Christological focus). PTS grads also tend to be our strongest Wesleyans, but that's another post for another day.

Keith's vision is very deliberately Christologically driven, and he is quite serious about living out Incarnational doctrine, not simply affirming it in creeds or in paperwork. He has a real passion for sharing Jesus with the poor, the lost, and those who don't realize how important they are to God. It's a wonderful vision to have.

I would urge the readers of this blog (all two of you) to keep Keith and Eighth Avenue Place lifted up in prayer. I urge you to look into ways you could support this new ministry. I urge you to consider visiting the next time you're in Pittsburgh; they're open for coffee from 6 AM till about 9 PM. I also encourage those of you who are pastors in our Conference to vote for Keith when he appears before the Clergy Session this June. And buy him a cup of coffee in Grove City.

5 Most Played on My iPod right now

Just for fun...

#1 - "Here Comes the Sun (live)" by George Harrison

#2 (tie) - "Nowhere Man"
by the Beatles,
"There She Goes Again"
by the La's

#3 (tie) - "God Only Knows"
by the Beach Boys,
"God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash,
"You Know I'm No Good"
by Amy Winehouse

#4 - "Mama Kin" by Aerosmith

#5 (tie) - "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles,
"Only A Pawn in Their Game" by Bob Dylan

Being Jesus

Today, I had the privilege of visiting seven people in area hospitals. Normally, I'd try to spread that out over a few days, but with the intestinal flu running rampant in the McIlwain household this week, that became impossible.

I started the marathon, I believe, in an exceedingly good mood, and really felt God's empowering grace as I represented the Church at Allegheny General Hospital and then Montefiore Hospital, and eventually Jefferson Hospital. I have to confess, though, that as time went on, I became more and more irritable, and God's ever-present grace began to feel in short supply. By the time my last few visits came around, I did my best to proclaim the loving presence of Christ even as I was thinking, "Lord, get me home. Amen."

And then the power of the words I was sharing hit me. Hard. I was sharing with most of the patients the Gospel selection in the week's lectionary readings, which is also serving as my primary text this Sunday.

"'...the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.' From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" - Matthew 4:16-17 (ESV)

Certainly, Jesus is the Light of lights, and the Gospel prophetically quotes a passage from Isaiah which (in part, at least) looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah, who would bring light into the darkness of this broken world. Light in darkness, then, is (again, in part) the coming of the kingdom of heaven.

In a more immediate way, as a representative of Christ's Holy Church in those hospital rooms, I was also a light, for most of the wonderful people with whom I spent time were in their own kind of darkness...the darkness of disease, illness, and an uncertain tomorrow. They needed to know that in the midst of their darkness, they were loved - not simply by Pastor Keith, but by a living, sovereign God. They needed to experience the kingdom of heaven.

When I finally got back to the office, I looked up a marked passage in a favorite book to which I return often.

"However important other tasks of ministry may seem - sermons, committees, administrative planning, social service - a significant claim upon the pastor's time is the immediate sufferer. Even if the task at times becomes burdensome or distasteful or irksome, visitation of the sick remains a primary duty of representative ministry. Based on the example of Jesus, reinforced by the ordination commission and by centuries of social expectation, the pastor is ill advised to neglect this ministry." - Thomas C. Oden, Pastoral Theology (1983), p. 253

That's when I heard myself. I have said - I've actually spoken aloud - words something like, "I wish folks would recognize that my job as the pastor is not to be the 'visitor-in-chief', but to equip the saints to do ministry and to raise up leaders for the Church."

I remembered my words, and I felt ashamed.

It is absolutely true that my job as pastor is to equip the saints to do ministry and to raise up leaders, and my visitations do not in any way relieve the laity of their own responsibility to visit the sick. But any leader must lead first by example. And, to the kind sisters and brothers I was blessed to visit today, I was a light in their darkness, announcing the inbreaking of the heavenly kingdom. For these beloved souls, for one brief moment, I was Jesus.

How dare I make light of this transformative moment of grace! How dare I deceive myself into thinking that other acts of ministry are simply more important! How dare I allow myself to grow so cynical that I diminish the importance of pastoral visitation!

I'm relieved that the Gospel passage I was sharing concludes with Jesus' call to repent. I need a little of that today. I need some penitence, and need to kneel before my Lord in a sincerely contrite manner.

May God forgive me for ever losing sight of who I am, to what I am called, and what ministry in Jesus' name is truly about.

Ramblings on Psalm 40

"I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me
and heard my cry.

"He drew me up
from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD."

- Psalm 40:1-3 (ESV)

Psalm 40 is one of my favorite psalms. It is a song of deliverance from "the miry bog".

A bog is a poorly drained place where dead things have accumulated. Typically, bogs reek of decay, service mosquitoes and similar nasties, and are generally not very pleasant places to visit.

How often I get stuck in the muddy bogs of this life! In many ways a typical male, I hesitate to ask for (or sometimes even to follow) directions, and often end up stuck, surrounded by death and decay. I even try to slog through the bog, believing that by my own strength and abilities, I'll be able to navigate my way to freedom.

The truth is that the Lord is perfectly willing to guide me on my journey, and to keep me from the smells and difficulties of the bogs; I need only listen. He anxiously and excitedly awaits for me to follow his lead and copy his own footsteps.

Preparing to preach on this text, I've noted that the Hebrew words the ESV translates as "pit of destruction" can also mean "noisy dungeon". What a wonderfully rich image!

The dungeon or bog in which I get stuck is a place of death, decay...and noise! Distractions abound on this journey. If I am to follow Jesus faithfully, I need to focus on our mission and destination, and not on those things on the periphery which through babel sounds seek to draw my attention elsewhere and lead me onto alternate paths. In order to focus, I need more of Jesus' presence, more of Jesus' grace...more of Jesus.

Perhaps this is why Psalm 40 is linked in the week's lectionary selections to 1 Corinthians 1, which makes the point that Jesus is the One "who will sustain you to the end".

Farewell Omer

I was saddened a few days ago to hear of the passing of Omer Nichols. Omer was a faithful member of First UMC in Greensburg, PA, and I had the privilege to serve as one of his pastors for two years.

In many ways, Omer represented the best of the so-called "Greatest Generation" of Americans. An Army veteran who served in World War II, he returned home to help build essentially a new nation and a new world. He and his sweet wife Jean raised their children and became very active in their community.

More importantly, in my estimation, Omer was extremely active in Church life. A devoted member and longtime Lay Leader of First church, he served in a variety of roles through the years. He ran the lay speaking school in Greensburg District seemingly since the dawn of time, and also served as the director of Conference lay speaking. Omer was elected by his peers to attend General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference on more than one occasion. He was committed to traditional Christian orthodoxy and orthopraxy, and represented our Conference well. He was a hard worker in every area of his life.

Personally, Omer was a real friend to me during a very difficult time. He often came into my office and reassured me and affirmed my ministry. In many ways, he was a "grumpy old man", and he would likely have admitted that, but that never kept him from letting me know that he appreciated me and my family. On some days, he kept me going when I was ready to pack it in.

Omer's passing is a loss for our Conference and certainly for First church, and especially for Jean. I thank God today for Omer's ministry, and I recognize that I am a part of his legacy.

That's how it works, isn't it? When a saint moves on to glory, those of us who have been touched by their ministry take a little of them with us. So, through me, and through many others (including, perhaps, some readers of this blog), Omer's ministry will continue every time I hug my children or share food with the hungry or proclaim orthodoxy or hold the hand of a dying servant.

I praise the Lord for Omer and for the many saints who have entered the Church Triumphant, who have touched me and helped form me, and who continue to be a blessing through what I do; I pray for Jean and her family, that they would know comfort, peace, and the presence of the living God during this time; I look forward to seeing my friend Omer again someday, and thanking him for his faithful ministry to me.

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.