Young Adults Fledging

I have entered a new stage in life--an empty nest. What I learned from watching the eaglets grow this spring is that branching comes before fledging. Over the past few years, I have seen my eaglets begin to branch, first just at the edge of the nest, and then further up. They tested their wings, and took a few hopping flights until they swooped away, maybe without intending to, but they found that their wings would bear them even to the branch of another tree. 

I have also learned, though not so much from the eaglets, that after the first few flights off the nest, young adults are meant to fly off establishing their own life, staying in touch but not hovering like baby eagles who cannot provide for themselves. Step by step, they are to begin their hunt for their own life. My responsibility now is to help them remember that they are stronger than they think they are.

With joy, I celebrate their flight and pray that they will continue to grow to be the awesome young men they are. Now is my turn to practice a new flight pattern.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don't get tired,

they walk and don't lag behind.

All Shall Be Well, and yet...

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Julian of Norwich’s statement is so true, and yet so distant from so many people’s lives.

In the span of a few hours, I have witnessed that distance. I had a young man sit with me—eyes filled with tears—because a friend had overdosed, a young woman whom he had briefly dated in the past. He will go to see her body tomorrow. Currently he sees no hope.

A young woman is suffused with anxiety. Her parents neglected to take care of the financial forms needed for school. She might have to sit out a semester.

A friend on the way home from celebrating a wedding with his wife and friends were involved in an accident where he witnessed both graciousness from police of one jurisdiction and terrible racism and belligerence from officers of another jurisdiction. He stood as witness and called it out.

It is one thing to say that in the end God’s will of grace and love will be done, will be accomplished in this world and all creation, and quite another to sit with people in the midst of what seems hopeless.

I truly believe Julian’s affirmation of faith. It is mine as well. And yet it is not helpful to apply it in a slaphappy manner, like a band-aid on a boo-boo. There are times when we simply have to offer our presence—holding that solid affirmation silently within—speaking little.

I know in the end all shall be well, but that does not mean everything in everyone’s life will be well now. There are people who will die because of drugs, because of violence. There are people whose parents are neglectful.

So, Lord, tonight, I pray mercy. I have no more words. I cannot apply a simple salve and make everything okay. I cannot even protect the sons I loved from pain, heartache, or despair. Mercy, Lord, mercy.

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

The Lonely

I resonated when a friend wrote on Facebook yesterday that she was lonely, and a bit worried about an upcoming test. She knew it wasn’t the biggest thing in the world but saying it out loud makes it more manageable.

I resonated because I was a bit on the low side as well. As I sat in a funk, I tried to parse out what was making up my blue mood. Yes, I was tired. Yes, the candidate I really wanted to be elected as a bishop was not elected. I could limn it out but it was not helping me shake it off. I wanted to talk to someone, but as soon as I thought about talking to certain persons, I knew I would start to cry. I did not want to have to explain, or really I did not want them to feel that I was asking them to make it all better. I ended up asking Max to go out to dinner somewhere we could walk. He knew I was feeling down but that was not the subject of our conversation. It helped me to own what I felt, and not isolate myself.

Just now in writing this, I see the connection with my sermon from last Sunday, where loneliness can come from feeling like an outsider, or it can make me feel like one. After all, who would want to listen to me? I can see that what I outlined in my sermon is what Max did. It helped.  

Take time – Sit with – Listen to – Open your heart to

Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Echo from the Heart of God

This past Sunday, I spoke about the Bible as “a window into the heart of God.”* By looking at what the whole of scripture reveals to us about God, rather than going at it in a fragmented way, we see that the impetus behind creation is the same as in the coming of Jesus born among us as well as in the new creation towards which or by which we are being pulled. That impetus is the deep concern for the other. We call that love but need to be careful in the use of that too often bandied about word. This is not a watered down romantic concern. Instead, it is what we see revealed in Jesus who did not grasp, did not cling, did not exploit equality with God, but emptied himself, poured himself out taking the form of a slave, a servant, humbling himself for the sake of others. It is here that we see the heart of God. It is in this ongoing action that we hear God’s heartbeat.

The heartbeat is the most basic detectable sign of life. I believe it is the basis of music. When we share music together, especially when we sing together, we are connecting the rhythm of our hearts with one another. In music as we share a connected heartbeat is where community is formed.

In communal music we pour ourselves out to each other and we receive each other. This is a sign and a foretaste of the community of living in relationship with our triune God. The melodies may be simple or complex; the rhythms may be straightforward or syncopated; the harmonies may be unvarnished or contrapuntal. All of this is a glimpse into or an echo from the heart of God.

Psalm 33:3

Sing to God a new song! Play your best with joyful shouts! [CEB]

[1] James Howell, “Jesus’ Church: Freedom,” May 30, http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Jesus--Church--Freedom.html?soid=1104220709083&aid=dgTzLTHo5gE

Coming Back Online

I took a somewhat unintentional break from my weekly post. Life has been going so fast lately that I have had trouble just keeping up. Two weeks ago, we were celebrating Falls Church Feeds the World and how we surpassed our goals for the event, having such fun making a huge difference in the world. Last week, we were mourning for the attack at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. With all God's people, we cry, How long, O Lord, how long, until we can see your face in the face of everyone we meet?

Last weekend, the people called United Methodists in Virginia held our Annual Conference in Roanoke. Brian Christoffersen, Jennifer Secki Shields, and I attended. It is wonderful connecting with people we don't get to see often. It was a relatively quiet session this year, with General Conference just past, and so much on hold from that global meeting. We celebrated with our Bishop Young Jin Cho who is retiring. We endorsed Ted Smith as a candidate for the episcopacy in the Southeastern Jurisdiction.

We also heard a couple of reports from the lay and clergy leaders of our General Conference delegation, Martha Stokes and Tom Berlin. Tom did an outstanding job of putting the issues concerning human sexuality into sharp focus as to how they affect our global church. I would recommend Tom's blogpost on this. You can see his spectacularly creative slides. And if you are on Facebook, check out his live presentation here.

At the close of Tom and Martha's report on Sunday morning, she asked us to take hands with those next to us to pray. It is only in deeply earnest, humble prayer that we can respond to God's call. So in spirit, I ask you to hold hands with me, with each other, and with others around the world to bathe our church in prayer.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.