Wandering Elder

Sometimes I find that I cannot pray.  I find that what I say sounds like empty words, recited because they are expected, but not heard; planned but not moving.  Like sound in a carpeted room. I sometimes feel I can no more speak for a congregation than the next person.  Or, I find myself wondering if the next person could speak better than I.  Sometimes I think that my prayers sound routine, since I only bring the same things to God week after week, which seem to stem from the collective attitude of the congregations that the prayer requests last  week didn't get forwarded properly, or that the answers we sought didn't stick.  So we need to beg again.  Forgive this; help that; be there; give us peace. Yet if my prayers suffer from a lack of depth, it is likely because I sometimes do not wish to swim any deeper.  That has to do with the fact that in the shallows, I always know I can touch with the tips of my toes.  In the depths , tho...

I write these particular words as I sit pondering a meeting of the annual conference to which I, as a United Methodist Pastor, belong.  I sit in an auditorium, feeling a sense of anxiety and worry.  I wonder about the future of the church.  Is the United Methodist Church going to survive?  Are we going to divide into two denominations?  If so, what will become of the former UMC pastors? It is an issue that saddens me. It saddens me because even though the issue is homosexuality, we have learned to couch the conversation in terms that do not actually express that issue.  We talk about “issues of leadership” and “issues of covenant.”  These are legalistic smoke screens. I have found, though, that these kinds of phrases indicate a lessening desire for conversation.  I know I recognize it within myself.  I have trouble talking with people who are vehemently for or against something.  I dislike conflict, but I do enjoy conversatio...

I pick up with the idea I alluded to in the last post regarding Paul's statement in Romans concerning homosexuality. For many Christians, and those outside the faith, the question does arise, "What are the Christian teachings on this subject?  Where does the New Testament speak to this issue? Before we address that, we have to visit the idea of relationships – specifically marriage.  While Jesus is never presented as married, Paul articulates that he thinks people should be single, and the disciples leave their families (which is assumed to mean their wives), there is the story in the Gospel of John of Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana.  The United Methodist Book of Worship contains this phrase in the service of Christian marriage:  “With his presence and power Jesus graced a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and his sacrificial love gave us the example for the love of husband and wife.”  The story from John, though, focuses less on ...

There is a whole lot of talk in the last few weeks about a potential split in the United Methodist Church.  And it has to do with the issue of homosexuality.  So, I thought I might take a few minutes and talk a little about that.  To do so, I will write a three part piece. To begin with, I am saddened that there are leaders in my denomination who are seeking to split the church.  One of our hallmarks has been our attempt to be in the middle on issues in that we work to hear multiple sides of arguments.  However, it seems with regard to homosexuality, we have moved to the either/or option.  As a side note, I would add that we have never even had the same level of conversations with regard to warfare - an issue that seems more pressing and damning for the human race. I am saddened because in seeking to foster a split, church leaders are saying that there are those with whom we would no longer wish to be in communion.  That seems un-Christian to me. ...