Replanting

Little Church with Big Mission suffered the loss of one of its iconic marks last week. The large tree that graced its front door collapsed. The weight of its canopy couldn't be sustained by the hollowed out trunk whose inside rot became apparent when it was exposed. As a result, the front door has a lot more sun, and we can see more clearly inside and out. No one was hurt and no property damage occurred, except for some of the azalea shrubbery and another plantings in the area. The large machinery necessary to cut up and haul away the huge branches couldn't help but trample the ground. Some parishioners are mourning the fact that we couldn't harvest the wood for other uses. We Presbyterians are a frugal bunch and don't like to see anything go to waste. It's our Scot heritage.
Now we have to face our loss and look to what opportunities are in front of us. The large empty trunk is now a focal point of the circular drive garden. It's beautiful in its own way. What is God inviting us to see here now? A huge jagged edge flower pot? A pedestal? What possibilities abound for re-planting in the spot? The space is now wide open, just like the future of the church.
Losses are often catalysts for re-imagination. I don't have any doubt that the Little Church gardeners will replant with gusto. They all care deeply about the environment, the beauty of the church settings and they are all amazingly good gardeners, in service to a Master Gardener--the heavenly one.
The message of the Cross is simple: what looks like a tragedy is not the end of the story. The resurrection of Jesus is God's message to the world that life triumphs over death.  It's our hope and life. Let's get busy replanting!

the tree prays

Rotting from the Inside Out

I don't know how long big tree has stood in front of the "little church with a big mission." It had grown huge, with a trunk diameter close to 5 or 6 feet. On the day I returned from Charlottesville VA, it collapsed. A quick acting elder arranged for the huge pile of debris to be cut up and removed. The fallen trunk exposed the open decaying center. It was obvious that the trunk had rotted on the inside and couldn't any longer hold the weight of branches. Over the past nine or ten years, large limbs had been trimmed to reduce the weight of the canopy and prevent them from falling on people or property. That proved too little too late. What prophet or pastor could overlook the spiritual metaphors! A hollowed out core of any organism cannot withstand violence.
In Charlottesville I met with pastors who had had their own moral core tested by the white supremicists and neo-nazi groups assembled in that town to instill fear. The clergy, clearly calling upon their moral cores (and corps!) of faith, stood up to the threats, but they were shaken. Confronting violence with peace and resilience was what they had trained for. Many didn't realize the toll it would take on them, including the tragedy of three deaths. The communities of faith in Charlottesville hold together so far, but the events of last weekend will not be easily forgotten, nor should they be.
Many in the church continue to struggle with the legacy of racism that we all inherit and that still benefits our European-descended churches. If we don't confront our own inner spiritual rot it's only a matter of time before the arc of justice bends to cut us down. Will we learn from the tree?

Speaking Up and Out

Two messages in my email today. One from a clergy group in my county, the other from the staff of my church's collective governance folks, both responding to the violence in our state, in Charlottesville. The whole incident has me dismayed, at the lack of leadership displayed by so many, maybe even by me. This is a call to all of us to speak up and speak out.  Good words are not hard to find. Here are some:

"The images of the violence in Charlottesville – physical as well as ideological – remind the Church that there is work that needs to be done.  The sin of racism is not new, nor does this pervasive form of idolatry exist solely outside the church.

 

As followers of the Christ, let us be clear where we stand.  We are all formed in the image of God.  The Confession of Belhar calls us to remember that we are to be ‘the salt of the earth and the light of the world’, therefore, as a Presbytery, let us be that beacon of light.  Encouraging one another to live into a ‘new obedience’ we urge our member churches in both word and deed to actively confront racism that exists in our pews, and our communities. " 

I'm proud to stand with the church of Jesus Christ on this one.