In 2 Corinthians chapter 8 we hear about the Macedonian offering. Paul is taking an offering to support the hungry and beleaguered Christian community in Jerusalem. The church in Macedonia was one of the most impoverished churches in as the Christian movement. Paul contrasts their poverty with their generosity. Here is Paul describing the offering:
The past three years have seen more conversation about and struggle with racial injustice than we have seen at any time since the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Caring Connections, an ejournal published by Lutheran chaplains, pastoral counselors, and clinical educators, made a contribution to the conversation in its September 2020 issues, “Reflections on Racial Justice.” Following below is an edited version of my personal response to Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, published in that issue. I commend the book to you.
Pastor John Schumacher, BCC
“As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Ever more be led by thee.
As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior to thy lowly bed,
There to bend the knee before
Thee, whom heav’n and earth adore;
So, may we with willing feet
Ever seek thy mercy seat.” (LBW, 82)
I would like to reflect with you on the nature of Epiphany and the ministry we share as pastors and church leaders, especially as we find the mission field not somewhere else, but right outside our doors.
I am pleased to know we already have one St. Luke’s participant registered for the Bishop Anderson House Spiritual Care Visitor Training which begins with a full-day retreat on Saturday, March 25, at St. Luke’s. While the registration deadline is March 13, the time to sign up is now. Information about this ministry opportunity has been sent out to the Park Ridge Ministerial Association which is co-sponsoring this training. In addition, Bishop Anderson House has put the St. Luke’s training on its website, so registration information is out there for the entire metro Chicago community. Participation will be capped at twenty people and we would like to see a strong St. Luke’s cohort. A timely response is important.
Stephanie, the homeless evangelist of Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx, died alone on a subway car. During the first week of Advent Janet and I sat in the quiet sanctuary for the memorial service, watching the flickering first candle on the wreath. Around us were many of Stephanie’s companions in her life’s sometimes tortured journey.
Have you ever made an altar flower delivery or a communion visit for St. Luke’s? Have you ever stopped for a “friendly visit” with someone living in a nursing home? Have you ever dropped in to spend time with a friend or neighbor who is dealing with an on-going health issue or new diagnosis? Have you ever wanted to reach out but felt hesitant and unsure about what to do or say?
As I watched the Sunday School children “singing” “Go Tell It On the Mountain” through sign language I was remembering such moments when my own children and grandchildren participated. I remember sitting in the audience in Hyde Park and craning my neck to see my granddaughter Ruth as she emerged onto the stage with other “Chinese” dancers for her moment in Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker.” My joyful expectation was met with her radiant smile, the confident movement of her lithe body in the dance, her abandonment to the music. As she made her triumphal exit she craned her own neck to see who was with her and our eyes met. She rewarded me with a smile for the ages.
One of my favorite authors throughout the 40+ years of my ministry has been Frederick Buechner. Over the years his work has found its way into my writing and preaching. However, I am reminded again I am not alone in my admiration. A memorial article published in the October issue of The Christian Century observed “During the 1980s and 1990s, [Buechner] was quoted from American pulpits more often than anyone [else] alive at the time.”
“Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.” (Prayer for Advent I)
“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64:1)
A memory from several years ago animates my heart and the mission we share at St. Luke’s this Advent: A crash language course in the narthex. Tell me how you say “In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit in Arabic.” Pastor Khader El Yateem whispers something unintelligible. I take out a pen and ask him to repeat it slowly. The incense is swirling to the heavens. The opening hymn, “Love Divine, all love’s excelling,” has begun. The kids wearing the Church Reeboks are lifting up the cross and torches to lead the procession. I scrawl on the back of the bulletin, in wobbly English, a transliteration: “Bism’el ab; wal eben; waroah el qudus; el elah; eluahied; Amin.”
On the liturgical clock, this Sunday, traditionally called Christ the King, is the Church’s equivalent of 11:59 PM on December 31. Next Sunday, November 27, we begin the new Church Year with the first celebration of the season of Advent, the season of hope.