From the UCC Network: 02/06/2011 "The End of Denial"

The End of Denial
Excerpt from Isaiah 58:1 - 12
"…Ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in." 

Reflection by Donna Schaper
Protestants are almost at the end of the denial of our own death as an institution.  As Orhan Pamuk chronicles so well in his memoir, Istanbul, there is nothing so melancholic as the sadness that comes of living amid the ruins of a lost empire.

At the end of denial, we recognize how much it hurts to lose and to be "losers."  We know the hurt and we are in the tender – and tendering – stage.

Will Christ—and Protestantism—return in triumph?  Triumph is the kind of answer people who are in denial give: we want back what we used to have.   Ancient ruins want something deeper and different.  When our energy returns, the people will follow. So will the money.  Any question that is money or survival driven is theologically suspect in terms of resurrection.  Resurrection has less to do with trumpets of triumph than with a couple of lost and confused women holding on to each other on an early Sunday morning. 

For now we repair the breaches and cling to each other, in the precious predawn of hope.   There is a breach between who we were then and who we are now.  Another breach is the awful hate—against immigrants, Muslims, gays—that flourishes because institutions stay in denial, instead of daring the dawn.  To repair the breach, end the denial.  To raise up the ancient ruins, be tender with each other in grief.  The rest will follow.

Prayer
O God, tender us into the breach and tender us through it.  Amen.

About the Author Donna Schaper is the Senior Minister of Judson Memorial Church in New York City.  Her most recent book is Sacred Chow: a Guide to Holy Eating.

Common Prayer

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

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Daily Deliberation and Prayer - 02/06/2011- "Don't Forget"

Don't Forget!

9 But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children — 10 how you once stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, "Assemble the people for me, and I will let them hear my words … “

Deuteronomy 4:9-10a

Just a few weeks ago I celebrated yet another birthday, and am in many ways am thankful I am still around. In case you are wondering at this moment; the answer is no – I am not going to reveal my exact age. Not that it’s important, but not sharing it keeps some of my readers guessing. Let it suffice to say that I’m pretty much along in life’s journey, and have begun to experience the fact that I sometimes forget something rather quickly. In short, my mind is no “flash drive” like the computer on which I now work. Actually, even my computer is not as “flashy” as it used to be, experiencing some memory slow-down of its own. Nothing terribly alarming about this at this point: it happens to use all as we progress in age. We just simply begin to forget things.

But there are some things which we should never, ever, forget, and our scripture passage today reminds us of that (in case we are apt forget). And “that” which we are counseled never to forget are all of God’s intervening presence and actions in our lives throughout the years; and not only our years, but throughout all the years of our ancestors, from the beginning of creation.

Now that’s a lot to remember – especially when our remembering begins to wane with age – and yet this remembering of God’s deeds is critical for the wholeness which we all seek in our daily living. To help us exercise our minds and critical thinking for this necessity of remembering God’s love and intercession for us, it would serve each of us well to establish practices that center us on our Creator; which fortify that relationship in ways that we each will always hark back to when we encounter the routines and challenges of daily life. That being said, I recognize that there are as many different paths to this spiritual connection and remembering as there are individuals in God’s creation. And so I list here just a very elementary place to begin that daily journey.

• Begin each day in a brief time of prayer – that intimate conversation between you and your God, and do so before you jump into the hectic-ness of your every day schedules.
• Acquire the habit of pausing briefly whenever, wherever, you face a difficult circumstance, to have an ever so momentary mental conversation with God before you face the challenge ahead.
• Nurture the habit of spending time (duration is your choice) in reading and thinking about some biblical scripture each day. The Revised Common Lectionary may be of some help, as it lifts up several different passages each day (http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/)
• Close each day with time alone with God, giving thanks, seeking guidance for yourself and others, and especially lifting up prayers for the needs of others, both known and unknown.

The outline is simple, but the implementation is not. It does take daily effort, but as it becomes a part of your routine you will find your spirit being drawn more closely to the divine and your life becoming fuller each day. And if you would like a resource to help guide you as you begin this daily prayer – reading – and remembering these crucial stories of faith, I would recommend Common Prayer by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, & Enuma Okoro.

A daily practice of prayer/meditation/reading is truly a great way to exercise your mind to help ward off the forgetfulness that inevitably comes our way.

As I begin each new day, Precious Lord, may I turn to you; that I may remember your presence and saving deeds throughout the generations.

As I encounter the struggles of the hour, Precious Lord, may I not forget to turn to you, for the strength and wisdom to meet the challenges before me.

As I prepare to retire each evening, Precious Lord, may I not forget to give my thanks for another day of life and for time with you in my concerns for others.

May I always remember the stories of your past and continuing relationship with all of your world and its peoples, and may I, I pray, be an intimate branch of that enduring story with creation.

And may I never forget – each hour – each day – to give you praise and thanks for all that you are, and for all that we are, together.

Amen.

Rev. Michael Kirchhoff