Emergent Brethren

After President Mubarak left Egypt, President Obama said it was “a historic event,” that “the Egyptian people had spoken and Egypt would never be the same”. Although the historic event worth noting for many was the revolution in general and the reality that President Mubarak was made to step down, the real historic event worth noting is how it happened. Let us pray that not only Egypt, but the world will never be the same.

That the protestors, even in their desperation for great change, chose a peaceful means by which to work for change was unbelievable in the midst of the great violence they had experienced for decades and in the midst of a world that too quickly resorts to violence. Often deprived of sleep and certainly with many experiencing growing anxiety in the midst of the uncertain situation at hand, millions of Egyptians exercised tremendous self-control, including the army caught in the middle. The sheer continued act of civil disobedience from growing numbers refusing to be violent changed their country and inspired the world. President Obama said that “the people of Egypt put to rest the lie that justice is best gained through violence. That it was nonviolence, moral force that bent the arc of history once more. We saw protesters chant, ‘Selmiyya, selmiyya’, (We are peaceful), again and again. We saw a military that would not fire bullets at the people they were sworn to protect. We saw people of faith praying together and chanting, ‘Muslims. Christians. We are one.’ And though we know that the strains between faiths still divide too many in this world and no single event will close that chasm immediately, these scenes remind us that we need not be defined by our differences. We can be defined by the common humanity that we share.”

A reporter said “the Egyptians bring out the idealism in you, in a world of cynicism”. For many of us, they bring out the faith in us; faith in the God who is always calling us to the best of ourselves, the things of peace, and who dances with us in streets everywhere, when we get it right. Long ago Jesus wept on a hillside wishing people knew the things that would make for peace. Perhaps last week Christ wept again, for there was powerful evidence in the world that people somewhere did know what made for peace, and found the courage to see it through.

May God continue to be with the Egyptian people in days ahead, as they continue their walk away from the Pharaoh, and toward the promise land. May their witness inspire and empower us all.
-With you on the journey, Pastor Erin

Taken from the Chimes newsletter, February 15, 2011.

This month, our nation experienced the pain of a senseless shooting in Tucson. People were gathered to hear Congressional Rep. Giffords speak at a super market. Seventeen were shot and six died died. Since the shooting, many have been calling for more civility in politics. Do we really need to talk about putting our opponents on our target, in our cross hairs, in our gun sights? Isn’t there a more civil way to describe those whom we’re running or competing against? Not only have 17 people and families been directly affected by this action, but so has our whole nation.

I like what a newspaper story in West Hawaii said today:
The months to come will determine the lasting impact of those wounds, not only for the residents of Tucson but the country itself, which has spent a week reflecting on whether a divisive political atmosphere, angry rhetoric or loose gun laws might have intersected with a dangerously mentally ill young man in Tucson.

I also like the inspiration a cartoonist drew from the words of John Lennon:

Let us be in prayer for those in Tucson, as well as for our nation, and its leaders.

I read a post today at evangelismcoach.org on why visitors may not come back. Here are the reasons:

1. Live out of town.
2. Theological differences.
3. Weekend off from their regular church.
4. Comparison shopping while making a decision.
5. Bad experience: lost in the building, embarrassed, not welcomed, childcare problems.
6. Didn’t like the worship experience (too long, too short, too weird).
7. Nothing sacred – no experience with God.
8. No one welcomed them – hospitality.

The first three reasons are really beyond your control. It’s good to welcome those church visitors and send them on their way with blessing.

For more information as to how they suggest you work at developing the other 5 within your control click here.

What other reasons, in addition to those listed above have you faced? What did you do about them? Or, should I ask, how do you need help in addressing them? With Easter coming in 3 months, it’s not too early to be thinking of these things.

I’d love to hear from you!

Jeff

I’m reading a book for my Doctor of Ministry program called, The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by William Strauss and Neil Howe (Broadway Press, 1997). The authors of this book predict that we’re about to enter a time of extreme crisis, like the world last experienced in World War II. It does this by introducing us to the idea that history is cyclical, with four seasons of life within every 100 years or so. They trace this back to Roman times and call it the Roman Saeculum. Within each of the four seasons, a generation of people are born who experience through the same lenses, attitudes, or points of view.

The first season, or period of time is called the “High”. The major world crisis is over and the future is bright. This has been achieved by a united group of people working against the crisis. “Prophets” are born during the “High”. For our time, this is the Boomer generation.

This season last existed between 1946 and 1960. During this period, our nation rose to become a global super power and the middle class grew tremendously. Society was united, didn’t question authority and was very modernist.

The second season of the saeculum is a time of “Awakening”, or spiritual introspection. Here, it is more important to explore the inner world than the outer world. People start to defy institutions, leaders or culture which helped win victory during the Crisis. Nomads are born during this season and our represented by the Gen X.

The last “Awakening” occurred from 1964 to 1984. It began with campus riots, Viet Nam war protests and a rebellious counter-culture. (Remember the ‘hippies’?) It gave way to more violent crime, family break-ups, and many ‘movements’ which eroded the unity of our nation.

The next season is called a time of “Unraveling”. People have lost their unity. Personal satisfaction is high because, “it’s all about me.” There is great personal expression and personal fulfillment. All the flaws of institutions are exposed and not much gets accomplished by society as a whole. Hero’s are born during this season are are the Millennials in our life time.

The authors date the latest Unraveling from 1985 to perhaps 2005. Society continued to fracture and individualism grew. Mistrust of institutions continued to grow and leaders are constantly questioned and criticized rather than being respected.

The last season of the saeculum is call “Crisis”. This is often a time of world war or other type of major conflagration – everything is a mess. The generation born in this season are called “Artists”.

This book was written in 1997. But in the mid to latter part of this past decade the authors predict that the world will fall back into some type of major crisis. Though no major world war appears to be on the horizon, the world is definitely struggling through financial crises.

So, if we are entering a “Fourth Turning”, or time of “Crisis”, what are some of the implications for the church? How might this impact local congregations, denominations in this country, as well as the church globally?

One way is financial. Few churches have been holding their own financially or growing in resources over they last three years. They often mirror the financial conditions of the community. However, there are upsides to financial problems. They can cause a congregation to rethink its purpose and mission. Congregations who are more vision-driven may pause to seek and discern from God what it should be about during this financially-challenging time. This refocusing effort, if it is based upon the values of the members, can strengthen their commitment and faithfulness to achieve what their vision of God’s calling is.

One result of the “Unraveling” might be the reason why people lost their sense of unity in and responsibility to the denomination and instead see the flaws of the institution. Many congregations now prefer to give to local mission endeavors vs. sending their money away to the denominational headquarters.

For the established church to survive the Fourth Turning (or season of Crisis), locally, denominationally or globally, it will need to refocus its vision and be focused on how to meet the needs of those around it. Over the past thirty years, there has been a big shift from congregations existing to meet the needs members and supporting the denomination, to churches who are equipping members for ministry and sending them out locally to meet community needs. Today, people want to be a part of an organization that’s making a difference they can see. They desire to support change that helps the lives of others or improves their community. Thus larger bodies, denominations, or communions need to help the local congregation with resources which will help them achieve greater success in their local ministry efforts.

Has anyone else read or heard of this book? What are your thoughts for the season or time period we’re entering? How do you think it affects the church?

It’s getting close to Christmas 2010. For many, their thoughts are focusing more on family and how the holy day will be spent. Pastors and church leaders are also getting more concerned about Christmas Eve services. For many, is this as far as their Christmas thinking gets?

Last night, I watched the movie about the lost boys of Sudan in, God Grew Tired of Us. This movie was made in 2006 and was a Sundance Film Festival award winner. It is a documentary about the history of Sudan, its violence in recent decades, the thousands of young boys who left their families behind in trying to “live” by migrating first to Ethiopia and later Kenya, and for some, to America.

Their story is more incredible than I previously knew! At one time, 27,000 children were traveling and living together. They were the only family that they had. The group divided themselves up into smaller units that were led by the older boys, 11-13 years old. How they survived their incredible journey to Kenya is unbelievable!

Of the hundreds of boys accepted into the U.S., the film focuses on three: Panther, Daniel and John. It shows their departure preparation, travel, initial introduction to America, and follow-ups for three years. When they first arrive, you can see how big their eyes get to experiencing how to use electricity, running water, toilets, refrigerators, supermarkets, and Christmas trees.

One of the boys questions, “Why do we have Christmas trees? Are they in the Bible? Is Santa Claus in the Bible?”. They are very respectful of the culture of this country, even when they can’t hardly fathom it.

At this point, it made me rethink the meaning of Christmas. It is one thing to say, “It’s all about Jesus’ birth!”. Yet, how do we bury that thought by all the preparation of things that are not about Jesus’ birth? How would a Christmas celebration here be experienced if it were planned and led by the “lost boys”? Would our faith and joy be increased?

The movie ends by telling how some of the boys reunite with family members whom they thought were dead. Some travel back, some send money to the refugee camp in Kenya, and some continue to work 3 jobs in order to raise as much as possible to help those left behind.

I can’t help but think, “Did our nation do them a favor by helping them migrate here?” The culture shock they went through is obviously HUGE! But in addition to learning about the items listed above, the boys were spread-out into 23 states and separated into small groups of 3 or 4, instead of the larger groups they had grown-up in. The movie points out how they lost “community” by being split-up and working so hard to make ends meet. Because of their work, they were not even seeing those whom they lived with. Could our nation’s money had made a bigger impact by improving the refugee camp’s conditions vs. bringing hundreds of them to America? Will our nation do more to secure peace between the North and Southern parts of Sudan?

My mind is filled with questions. But I’m grateful for this — my mind is also expanded to think of others around the world at this Christmas season, who experience life very differently than we in this nation. May God bless them with peace and joy! May God bless us with a deeper understanding of the real meaning of Christmas.