Monday, December 24, 2007

I'll Be Home for Christmas ...

...not only in my dreams!

Somehow, being back in my own home this year is truly making this year a special Christmas. Not perfect, mind you, but special in a comforting sort of way.

I've always enjoyed the Christmas Eve service, and the same held true tonight. Part of what I enjoy is that, as pastor, it's a "low maintenance" worship service. There's no sermon or meditation to prepare, just Scriptures and hymns to choose and the standard Communion liturgy to prepare.

There's something incredibly appropriate about this service being so simple. There is simplicity amidst glory in the birth narratives. So, I like to let the whole service bask in the simplicity of members doing the readings and the congregation singing the Christmas hymns. This year, we even ended up doing the service a capella, since our accompanist had to work this evening. There are plenty of strong voices in the congregation, so it went well.

There are always the unexpected glitches that make things special, too. When it came time to serve Communion, we had four elders come to the front and we only needed two. How beautiful that all of them wanted to participate! One of our youth dropped his piece of bread before it was dipped in the juice. So, he reached down, picked it up, blew on it, and dipped ... to chuckles throughout the sanctuary.

One of our members got a brand new puppy for Christmas. She snuck her into the service in a large handbag, and she behaved so well. I think I only heard something out of the pup once. One of our church matriarchs made it to the worship service tonight. She doesn't get around very well, or hear very well, but there was no way she was going to sit in her seat and have Communion brought to her! So, with help, she made it up to the front (after grousing quite loudly that she wasn't going to wait). *smile*

And, then we sang Silent Night as the candles were lit, to the accompaniment of a guitar. Beautiful! Simple! Uplifting!

So, now I'm home. Enjoying the moment and looking forward to tomorrow, 'cuz I'll be home for Christmas this year ... and it's certainly not a dream!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Community

Community comes in all shapes and sizes. Usually, I feel community most where I live or with people I've met in real life; although, I admit that I have one or two "second generation" friends (friends I've never met face-to-face, but are good friends of face-to-face friends and we've built our friendship over the internet).

Right now, though, I'm in the midst of an interesting international experience of community. For the past year and a half, I have regularly participated in the conversations of a bulletin board with a group of people who share some common interests, and even met three of them in real life. This is a group of caring, intelligent people who have a wide interest in the world around them and each other. We've gotten to know each other through our conversations, controversies, and the varying life experiences shared on the boards.

One of the members is currently anticipating the birth of her first child. We've followed the pregnancy over the past months and are now awaiting the imminent arrival of the youngster. The youngster is two weeks overdue and, while not in immediate difficulty, is at the edges of potential distress. Mom and Dad have decided to go ahead and let the doctor induce birth, entering the hospital yesterday.

As we all wait on pins and needles, our international community has been posting in the appropriate thread just like a group of close friends waiting at the hospital for someone to pop their head out the door and announce the arrival. Some have offered various snack foods, to head over to the local take-out and bring something back, shared how uncomfortable the waiting room chairs are, even heading into that punch-drunk waiting room silliness which occurs after 24 hours of waiting.

In the midst of all of this, I get the sense of actually being a part of the process, just like I was there in the Netherlands waiting with grandparents and friends. It's something like this which brings home to me that my world has gotten both smaller and larger at the same time. Smaller in the sense that even someone across an ocean is a part of my life and larger in the sense that my world now spans around the globe instead of, mostly, within the span of a few hundred miles at most.

Excuse me. Is anyone going to eat that piece of cold pizza? I think maybe it's time for a walk up and down the halls, 'cuz these chairs have given me a horrible crick in my neck. Come and get me if anything happens! Come on, little one! We're looking forward to meeting you!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Loss and Loss

Just got back from a meeting that left me feeling a bit angry and sad.

Today our presbytery met to enact the next set of procedures to deal with a congregation that has decided to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). The pastors and less than 60% of the membership have apparently decided that they just can no longer abide within a denomination as heretical as the PCUSA.

Here's a basic accounting of events leading up to today's meeting: In June of last year, the General Assembly accepted and approved a couple of items that set at least one of the pastor's teeth on edge. So, for the better part of a year, their Session of eleven members (plus the pastors) secretly discussed their "problem" and what to do without including the rest of the congregation. Then in October, they notified both the congregation and the presbytery that they would be taking a vote in December as to whether the congregation would seek dismissal to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church or stay in the PCUSA.

There were several (at least 4) informational meetings planned. Representatives of the presbytery were present at each meeting. Various materials were available from both the Session and the presbytery. A variety of issues were discussed. Then came the meeting where the majority present voted in favor of leaving the denomination. There was also a significant minority who voted no.

So, why am I angry and sad? Let's get the anger out first.

This is not the first congregation in the PCUSA in the past year or so that has decided to leave the denomination. I've had a 90 minute drive to do some thinking about this, and I hope I have gotten some perspective on it.

I don't think I'd have a problem with this if the entire congregation or 100% of those present and voting decided it was time to leave. If that were the case, I'd almost be inclined to say, "Let them keep their property and go." In that situation, it would seem that God is indeed calling that group of Christians into another denominational relationship. The same group of people who have given their lives, money, blood, sweat, and tears would be the ones who had discerned and affirmed that call. No one would feel abandoned or betrayed by such a decision.

However, that's not the case here. For this congregation, Pastor Johnny/Joany-on-the-Spot accepts a call to serve, works with the congregation, and then decides that there's something fishy about the denomination and s/he can't stay. But wait! There's this group of people who've called me to work with them. It's a ready made group to support me, if we can all just leave together. Oh! And icing on the cake, we can just take our property with us. VOILA! In just a few easy steps, we have a new relationship with a new denomination and can all bow down to the theology-of-ME.

What gets forgotten is that Pastor Johnny/Joany-on-the-Spot wasn't there in the beginning when the presbytery began the church, wasn't a part of putting together a congregation or procuring a building, didn't walk hand-in-hand as this congregation started from nothing and gave blood, sweat, tears, finances and faith to the establishing of this thriving congregation.

Admittedly, at the time this congregation began, the PCUSA didn't exist. However, the current pastor also wasn't present when this congregation made a conscious decision to become a part of the PCUSA when it did come into being. Part of what infuriates me is the blithe discarding of those who are committed to remaining a part of this denomination. This is a fairly young church, and some of those who are against the change are charter members. Even if this was an older church where the charter members are all in their graves (and their souls before us in the Kingdom), I would still be loath to discount the desires of those who wish to stay in the denomination.

Look - I don't have a problem with the pastor deciding to leave based on what s/he has discerned as heresy. I don't even have a problem with those who believe that the pastor is correct leaving as well. What I do have a problem with is the expectation that the property, a tangible part of the heritage of the congregation's hard work, is a part of the package.

If you feel that you can't stay within the denomination, fine! But then, also do the hard work of starting from scratch that the original members did as they brought the congregation into being. Let those who still want to remain in the denomination keep what they've worked for and move forward. Remember, it was the denomination which brought the congregation into being in the first place, and worked with it to help provide a facility for it to grow. You wouldn't be where you are today without the denomination. No one should be able to effectively "steal" a congregation just because they have a problem with the denomination. I'm still puzzled as to why it's not possible to stay in the denomination and work to change things, but then that's another rant.

I hope you can see why I'm sad. I feel great sorrow for those who are in the position of losing so much. Even if the property stays within the presbytery for those who voted against the decision to leave, they will have lost much. This kind of situation involves division of friends, perhaps family, loss of relationship and trust, a sense of betrayal, anger, hurt, disappointment in self, abandonment, just so much pain. I feel great sorrow for those who are leaving, as well. They too will be losing much, even if they don't realize it at the moment.

*very deep sigh* Why, oh why, do we inflict such pain upon one another?

Monday, December 10, 2007

It's Beginning to Look ...

Two years and two and a half months after Her Horribleness roared through town I'm finally decorating my own house for Christmas!

My son and I decorated the tree this evening. It took two trips to the store to get enough lights to replace the ones that didn't survive effectively three years of non-use. It's been a blessing to see my old friends - the ornaments that have been a part of my family story.

Many of them are ornaments my mom gave me and my son each year, a history of interests and, for my son, growing older. Others are part of our family tradition of choosing a box of new ornaments for the tree, which developed after my divorce and the loss of many of the ornaments we already had. Then there are those that are special gifts: the cardinal ornament from when I was director of Baby Redbird Day school, the nativity scene in the pale blue "egg" given to me by a beloved friend, the baby picture ornament made by my aunt, the stuffed cloth angel made by a co-worker, and all of the others.

They've been in hiding for such a long time. It's wonderful to see them again!

The Christmas boots (yes - Texas boots made of red and green felt) are hung, not by the chimney (no chimney in this house), but on the wall in the main family area. The ceramic Christmas tree that's lit by an interior light bulb and plays a Christmas carol is in its traditional place on the table in the living room. My three nativity scenes now reside in places of honor.

I have a few things that I haven't quite figured out where they belong now that some of their resting places have changed. And I still have to drape the bazillion miles of tinsel garland that in the past I've draped in the ironwork kitsch in the entryway. I just didn't feel like working with my arms over my head this evening.

Finally, I have a mystery to solve. In one box, I found the exterior light strands - 4 sets of large outdoor lights that run along the eave of the front of the house in the clips I put up when I first moved into the house. AND there are three strands of slightly smaller outdoor lights. *scratches head* Now where the heck did I put those up in the past? I haven't the foggiest idea. Any suggestions?

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

End of an Era

[Aside - Didn't realize it'd been so long since I'd posted! Gee, it's been busy around here ... but I'm not really sure what's actually been accomplished. *chuckle*]

Read in the paper today that Ma Bell is eliminating pay phone service. Cellphones and other technology have apparently chopped into the profits significantly, so it's time to ditch the critters and move on.

True, people are constantly yakking on their ubiquitous handy-dandy cells, or wandering around talking to the air while their bluetooth gizmos funnel the conversation directly to their brains without hand or mouth being involved. Shoot! I have a cellphone. Used the darn thing as my main phone for two years while my house was getting fixed. It eliminated a lot of problems concerning changing my main phone number on the bazillion things I would have had to change it on.

Still ... I can't help but think that getting rid of pay phones completely is not such a good idea at this point. There continue to be way too many places where cellphone coverage just plain drops off the map, literally, even places where my skewed logic says the stupid thing still oughta work. I still have a "dead spot" near Baytown when I head to Houston. It's shorter than it used to be, but Hey! Shouldn't the flat land between Beaumont and Houston carry those signals further than if they had mountains or hills to snake around, over, and through?

Unfortunately, I do see Ma Bell's point. I wonder how much gets spent repairing vandalized phones. *sigh* Don't people realize that sometimes those pay phones are a lifeline for someone in a difficult or dangerous situation? There continues to be a public service need for this "antiquated" equipment. I'll have to admit, though, that I'm rarely caught with the two quarters it now costs to call anyone on the old landlines, even though I am Luddite enough to insist upon having a landline in my home. There are, occasionally, advantages to using older technology.

Still, I wonder what our future youth will say when they encounter old comics of Superman changing into his Supersuit in a phone booth. Though I always thought that was a dumb place to change clothes even before phone booths turned into three-sided half-boxes.

Ah...I think we've about reached the end of an era.