Power

What do Jimi Hendrix, Mahatma Gandhi and Michael Curry have in common? Apparently, each have said something along these lines: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” I thought of their common ground as I reflected on the collect heard in church yesterday (above). That prayer speaks about power and the church.

When we talk about power and the church, the mind can easily go to ways the church over centuries has identified with those with power in this world. These have not been the church’s best moments. Go all the way back to Constantine, who found it useful to identify the Christian faith as the faith of the Roman empire. Consider the ways that church leaders have linked up with political or military enterprises like the crusades or colonial enterprises. In the category of nothing new under the sun, we currently find church leaders cozying up to political and economic powers of the day. I’ve succumbed to that as a parish priest, when I paid a bit more attention to parishioners who made big pledges or who had influence that might help me to be a successful rector (whatever that means).

Let’s take a closer look at the collect. It says that it is God’s power, not our own, that makes the difference. It is the Holy Spirit that gathers people in community. Not us.

I’ve been reading books by Andrew Root, a Lutheran theologian, who has a lot to say about the church these days, and especially its decline. My best reading of his message is that the contemporary church needs to increase focus on the transcendence of God. He says we live too much in the immanent frame, acting as if God is spectator, maybe a sleepy one at that. Here’s a way to understand what he means. He says: The church is not the star of the story. God is the star of the story.

It is God’s power that, through the Holy Spirit, will allow the church to gather in unity. When I think about the kind of wacky characters that populate our pews (and our pulpits), I can embrace the notion that it is only by a power beyond ourselves that a powerful community can be brought together.

It is God’s power that shines through the church, as if the church is a stained glass window, radiant with beauty only when light (God’s light) shines through it. That can actually be delightfully good news for the church. We don’t need to rely on our own ingenuity or innovation, our crafty, creative cleverness to bring the impact God intends for the church to have in the world. We simply are called to rely on the power of love (not the love of power). We are called to trust in it.

Last Saturday was the 60^th anniversary of the March on Washington, when the dream of Martin Luther King was proclaimed in one of the most powerful speeches of the 20^th century. The speech, in keeping with Dr. King’s ministry, relied on the power of God, the power of love, the conviction (which Dr. King learned from Gandhiji) that non-violence bore its own transcendent and transforming power.

The vision of Dr. King’s dream may seem now to be clouded or fading in some places (e.g., tragic events on that same Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida, an explicit hate crime fueled in part by public divisive discourse), I remain hopeful that the power Dr. King invoked, the power of love, is what our broken world needs now. The church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can shine with that power.

Let me add one more voice to Jimi Hendrix, Mahatma Gandhi and Michael Curry. It’s St. Paul, who in the beginning of his letter to the Romans spoke of power. He said, in the theme verses of that letter (Romans 1:16, 17) that he was not ashamed of the gospel because it was the power of God, the power of love. The Greek word for power which he uses in that letter is dunamis, which shows up in our lingo as dynamic or even dynamite.

The church has been given access to that transforming, indeed explosive power. Too often, we stand in the way of its activity, or act like it’s something we have to conjure up, or simply ignore it. But it is there for us. Pray with me for that power to be unleashed.

-Jay Sidebotham

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WWJD

My preparation for yesterday’s sermon got me thinking about those WWJD bracelets. What would Jesus do? Excellent question. Perhaps it comes with being an Anglican, but I regard the question with ambivalence. That ambivalence was captured by Nadia Bolz Weber in a recent sermon. She said: “When I’m struggling in life, I don’t know if ‘What would Jesus do?” is the most helpful question. What would Jesus do? I don’t know. Something super cool like raise the dead or cast out demons or turn water into wine…none of which feel like a fair test of faith for someone who can’t even remember to send thank you notes.”

The collect heard yesterday in church (see above) offers insight into what Jesus would do. The collect talks about the ministry of Jesus in this twofold way. He came as sacrifice. He came as example. As sacrifice, what he did was something we could not do for ourselves. As example, what he did is apparently something we might also be able to do. Which gives us a fair amount to think about this Monday morning as we pose the question: WWJD?

First, Jesus comes to be for us a sacrifice. Over the centuries, the notion of sacrifice and atonement has been variously interpreted by people a lot smarter than I am. What I know is that it matters a great deal how we think about ourselves and our God as we reflect on the meaning of sacrifice. I like how Marcus Borg stated it: Sacrifice for sin means that God has already taken care of whatever it is that we think separates us from God.

It’s a reminder that we need help from beyond our own selves. In whatever way sacrifice is understood, the point of the collect is that what God did in Christ is something which we are to receive thankfully. We are beneficiaries, enjoying the fruits of his redeeming work. It’s a reminder that all is grace. We need not, in fact we cannot earn those fruits. That attitude of gratitude is the foundation of our spiritual life, which is why Meister Eckhart said that the only word we need to say in prayer is thanks. What would Jesus do? He would do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, which should keep us humble, hopeful and grateful.

Second, Jesus provides for us an example. There are ways that we can imitate Christ, ways we can follow in his footsteps, ways we can be more like him. When Jesus washed disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, he told them to do the same thing to each other, to take on the role of a servant. Repeatedly, Jesus invited his disciples to take up the cross and follow him. He told his followers to love one another as he has loved them. Those are our marching orders.

And that is where those little bracelets might come in handy, as they invite us to be like Christ. St. Paul told the Christians gathered in the church in Philippi to have the mind of Christ. He told the Christians in Rome to welcome one another as Christ had welcomed them.

So with the help of yesterday’s collect, we gratefully commit to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life. What does it look like for you to follow Jesus’ example this week?

-Jay Sidebotham

Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!

RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth

RenewalWorks is about re-orienting your parish around spiritual growth. And by spiritual growth – we mean growing in love of God and neighbor.

Churches can launch as part of a fall or spring cohort or go on their own schedule.  Sign up now!!

Learn more in our digital brochure.

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Ask for it

What does yesterday’s collect (see above) say about what we believe? It asserts that we need the spirit to think and do those things that are right. We need God’s help to live according to God’s will. It’s the counter-punch to the adage: God helps those who help themselves. Many people think that adage comes from scripture. It may convey the spirit of our age, a commitment to rugged individualism. But it’s not in the Bible. So where does that leave us?

Yesterday’s collect reminded me of the seventh chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Roman church. In that chapter, in a most personal way, St. Paul describes his own spiritual crisis, maybe even a breakdown.

The first chapters of this important letter have been focused on the human condition, how all of us are caught up in powers beyond our control, powers greater than ourselves. Paul speaks of the power of Christ to bring new life. Deep theological stuff. A broad vision covering all of history. Then in the seventh chapter, he gets personal, speaking about challenges he has faced in his own spiritual journey.

He writes: I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the ability. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that, when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand… Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

I know not everyone likes St. Paul. Some regard him as cranky and legalistic. But for me, St. Paul is a spiritual hero. He recognizes and wrestles with his urges to be a control freak. I get that. (Maybe it’s an occupational hazard for clergy.) He was willing to share his struggles. One of the marks of great spiritual leaders is transparency, a revelatory dimension that shows the ways they work on their own spiritual lives, the ways they work on their own discipleship. St. Paul shares that in this and other letters.

We don’t know the particulars of St. Paul’s struggles, but it is clear he feels ill equipped to meet them. He believes he lacks resources in himself to overcome them. I am grateful that his struggle is included in scripture. It offers freedom to move forward. It offers permission to recognize our own imperfections. It offers companionship and comfort: “I’m not the only one who struggles.” And it points to a place to find help.

A wise friend and mentor, the Rev. Carol Anderson, told me a story about leading a church when she had no money, and no music. She knew she needed music. So she prayed for a musician who could help. Shortly thereafter, a Juilliard PhD student in piano called to ask if the church needed help. The student arrived with about eight musicians. As an additional gift, Carol was offering an evening service, again, in dire need of musical leadership. In short order, a very accomplished jazz bass player, who had a gig in the Village, and who had Sunday nights off, arrived with a few pals to “help”. The lesson that my friend and mentor took from this? She said: What is the thing, now, you cannot do without God’s help? Ask for it. This was her experience: To say that God will give us more than we can desire or pray is an understatement.

I’m wondering what is the thing you face this week that you just know you cannot do without God’s help. A relationship? A predicament? An inner struggle? Ask God to work precisely in that place. See what happens. Pray the collect which asks that we, who cannot exist without God, may by God be enabled to live according to God’s will.

-Jay Sidebotham

Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!

RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth

RenewalWorks is about re-orienting your parish around spiritual growth. And by spiritual growth – we mean growing in love of God and neighbor.

Churches can launch as part of a fall or spring cohort or go on their own schedule.  Sign up now!!

Learn more in our digital brochure.

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Disquietude

Yesterday in church we observed the Feast of the Transfiguration. Many, if not most, of the feast days in the church calendar recognize a person. From time to time, we remember an event in Jesus’ life or in the lives of one of his followers. This year, August 6 fell on a Sunday, so in church we focused on this mysterious story of Jesus taking his best buddies up a mountain. (Read about it here: Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, and/or Luke 9:28-36.) There they experience this remarkable event, with special effects that would make Steven Spielberg jealous. We know it’s an important event because we not only celebrate it in August. It also shows up each year at the end of the season of Epiphany, right before we transition into the season of Lent.

Have a look at the collect for this feast day, included above. The word that caught my attention was disquietude, a word I don’t think I’ve ever used in a sentence. I looked it up to find that the word suggests anxiety or agitation. I thought: Well, that’s a word that might prove useful in all that we face in our world these days. Whatever anxiety or agitation you feel, prompted by what you see on the news, or what you experience at work or at home, what do you think is the key to deliverance from disquietude, which is the focus of this prayer?

A scan of biblical stories indicates that mountaintop experiences are places where that kind of deliverance can come. Has that ever been your experience? Religious leaders from all kinds of traditions head for the hills to figure things out, to find wisdom. Moses climbed a mountain to have his encounter with the Holy One. When he was beset with disquietude, Elijah went to Mt. Horeb where the divine presence was revealed in a still small voice. Matthew tells us that Jesus gave his seminal teaching in a sermon on the mount. And for Peter, James and John, the mountaintop experience provided a chance to “behold the King in all his beauty.”

The revelation that came to those disciples on top of that mountain was indeed a gift, prompted by God’s gracious revelation. At the same time, they had a part to play. They had to climb the mountain. Whether or not they knew something would happen, they intentionally pulled away from routine making room for this encounter.

So here we are at the outset of August. For some, the summer months provide an interlude before all kinds of activities crank up in the fall. It can be a useful time for retreat, opening the way for deliverance from disquietude. Maybe you can find some kind of mountaintop experience this week or this month, a way to take the long view and gain some perspective.

That may take intentionality on your part. We can practice that kind of intentionality on small scale, a few minutes of quiet each morning. A walk in the park. A break from screen time. A stop by a local church for some kneeling prayer. Shavasana.

My guess is that we each know something about disquietude. Whatever your version of that state of mind, pray for deliverance. Pray for the vision to take the longer view, to see something of Jesus in his beauty. Pray for the help of Jesus who spoke to the storm and said, “Peace be still.” And know that your prayer can be offered not only with your lips but with your life. What might that look like as we move through this week?

-Jay Sidebotham

Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!

RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth

RenewalWorks is about re-orienting your parish around spiritual growth. And by spiritual growth – we mean growing in love of God and neighbor.

Churches can launch as part of a fall or spring cohort or go on their own schedule.  Sign up now!!

Learn more in our digital brochure.

RenewalWorks – Digital Catalog