Who is a weed, and who gets to decide?

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Pastor Kris

[the following contains portions of a sermon preached at Disciples Christian Church on Sunday, July 20, 2014.]

So much has happened in just the last few weeks.

I feel a little like John Stewart of the Daily Show returning after being away two weeks. On his first show back, Stewart provides a litany of all that has gone down during the show’s hiatus: The Supreme Court Hobby Lobby decision. The escalation of war between Israel and Hamas. The unaccompanied children arriving at our border. And after he laments all of that, looking into the camera, he says: Who would have thought that the two happiest places in the world right now are Germany and Cleveland!

That’s it for my references to Germany winning the World Cup and the return of LeBron James to our town!

This text from Matthew is helpful this morning, and it may be one of the most useful texts in the gospel. Certainly not because of its lyrical quality or poetry; nor is it particularly quotable. But it is useful because it says with clarity that our lives are going to be filled with ambiguity.

images3The sower planted good seeds. He expects a good harvest. But now here come the weeds growing amidst his wheat. Common sense and experience says: pull up the weeds. Don’t allow the weeds to choke out the yield. Any experienced farm worker – even backyard gardeners – know this to be true. But, and here comes the ambiguity – the sower decides that getting rid of the weeds now is too risky. Risky for the good stuff. And so the sower waits – telling us to also wait. And he expects us to find ways to live it — with both the wheat and the weeds growing together until harvest time.

And this ambiguity is useful for us because?

I’ll answer that with another question. When was the last time you were faced with a decision in which the answer was simple. Black and white with no shades of gray. Easy peasy. All upside, no down. No smoke and mirrors. All rainbows. Has it been a while since any big decision has been that simple for you?

Can I get an Amen that nothing important is simple!

We can acknowledge together that life is harder than that. Sometimes it’s really hard. Most often the choices in front of us are rarely clear or easy, and the choices we’ve already made continue to have ripples that extend well in front of us. And to be honest, some decisions we’ll get right. Others we will get wrong. Still others we won’t know whether we were right or wrong for months, years, or even before we die.

What is useful about our text is that it sets us up to expect ambiguity. Doubt. Confusion. Uncertainty. Second-guessing. On our portion of the field that we tend. The question is not: What’s a weed – or who is a weed? It’s for us to listen to the owner of the entire field who asks: Who will decide? And the answer is: Not us. It is most definitely not us, as you heard at the end of our story when we arrived at a very clear explanation of who decides. With the weeping and gnashing of teeth (never a good thing!) and weeds burned up with fire, while the righteous will shine like the sun well into the next life. Apparently God doesn’t need our help in deciding which is which and who is who.

And so, what should puzzle, perplex, and frighten us about the decisions we make is not the uncertainty. That is a given. What should frighten, perplex, and puzzle us is when we think that should be easy. Or when we believe too strongly in our own decision making ability. When what we decide that what is best for ourselves is the only consideration. What should frighten us is when we are crystal-clear with certainty that we hold the truth in our hands. What should frighten us is when our minds are made up and not about to change. Or when we don’t look back on a decision. Or re-think our position.

And, what should scare the bejesus out of us is when we think we can clearly identify the weeds. When we know exactly who the weeds are. What should scare us is when we can see very clearly that the weeds are most definitely not us.

So much has been in the headlines recently about people deciding who the weeds are.
index

A few weeks ago I walked together with several others from this church in the Cleveland Pride Parade. It was my first. I was surprised to learn that Westboro Baptist Church from Westboro, Kansas would be there protesting. They are there every year, I’m told.   Its founder and recently deceased leader Fred Phelps has made this very small church quite famous by showing up in ugly protest at funerals. Military funerals where they proclaim that these deaths are God’s retribution for our country’s moral decay. Protesting other funerals and events for persons they decry are living against God’s will. To make no mistake about their intentions, their church website is http://www.godhatesfags.com. If you can believe it, Westboro Baptist was even set to desecrate Dr. Maya Angelou’s funeral. Before her body was even cold, it was written, Westboro was front and center before the press announcing their intentions: Maya Angelou had a platform that she never used to glorify God. Same-sex marriage will destroy America.
Westboro Baptist Church thought Dr. Angelou — and so many others — were weeds, deserving not of our respect and love, but to be plucked up and destroyed.

And then, there are those children. Buses of children who have arrived in the US after images2fleeing violence and poverty, drugs and human trafficking in Central America. Some have come with their mothers. Many others unaccompanied. Babies. 6 year-olds. Teenagers. Some have traveled as many as 1700 miles. Arriving at the border in Texas, flown to San Diego, then put on buses to take them to a station where it will be decided whether or not to deport them.  It’s the law, but you’ve seen the ugliness. Adults blocking the buses, yelling at these children. Go home. You’re not wanted here. Big, angry, white men carrying flags – and women not as big, but then, doesn’t every adult look big to a six-year old? Angry faces screaming at them in a language they do not speak or understand. Already away from home and all that is familiar, exhausted – now terrified.

If we want to talk ambiguity, we only have to look at the complexity of the solutions for what could be as many as 70,000 children coming into the United States this year. And it is up to our government to fix this in a non-partisan way. But this is also a humanitarian crisis, and it is up to humanity to respond. And to scream at a child? To have decided without knowing or communicating with a child his or her young life is a weed that needs to be ripped out of the ground here and tossed away across the border?

Last Sunday, David and I and about 50 other people stood on Public Square in protest of an Open Carry Gun event.  We were part of a counter-event called Open Carry Guitar.  What was that like? We saw probably 40-50 men and some women with guns in holsters,10505457_10204423583655895_5338205511398798245_n assault weapons strapped across their shoulders or down their backs. We saw a child with a loaded gun tucked into her stroller, if you can believe that. And yes, these guns are loaded. Their owners are quick to say:  why would we carry a gun unloaded! This — downtown in our city where in just the first 5 months of 2014, a total of 52 deaths have been attributed to firearms.   The numbers will only go up; they do not include June or July.

And yet, groups like Ohio Carry brazenly bring their weapons not just to Cleveland but to any town near you and in very public places.  Knowing full well that 86 people die every day by gun and that 8 of them will be children. They have decided that their right (and it is legal to openly carry on the streets of any city in Ohio) to protect themselves.  They bully anyone who chooses not to carry, believing their right to carry  supersedes the rights of the 30,000 who will die this year by gun and the rest of us who do not want to run the risk of being unintentionally shot because a loaded weapon is unsecured, mishandled, and near enough to us to do permanent damage.

Are we determining who is wheat in this country according to the number of weapons owned, displayed, and carried?  And those who are unarmed. Those who disagree. Those who die. They are the weeds?

Israel launches offensive against Gaza StripThis weekend the war escalated between Israel and Hamas with Israel’s decision to bomb Gaza.  Many have died, especially among Palestinians.  And, there was a Malaysian plane brought down by a surface to air missile in the Ukraine. Hundreds dead in both regions.  I ask you.  Who is the good seed, and who is the bad? Who gets to live and who needs to die? Will the amount of rocket fire determine the answer? My head aches from trying to be informed enough while my heart bleeds for every child and innocent adult’s death.

images3Our story is often called The Wheat and the Tares. A bit of ancient botany might be helpful. Tares are a particular weed, much like a rye grass. It is indigenous and plentiful in the area in which Jesus was doing his teaching. It’s a dangerous weed as the seeds are poison. The interesting thing about this weed is it looks exactly like wheat until the ear appears. Only then can you be sure which it is. No wonder Jesus warns us in this story that it’s best to leave the weed pulling to the One who is an expert at it. No wonder Jesus warns us not to entrust something so delicate to some overzealous weeding. It could be a fatal mistake.

We are faced daily with situations in which there are no clear or easy answers. We will not always choose wisely, and not everything will turn out just fine for us. I hope we know that our decisions need to include more than our individual wants and desires.  The ambiguity and the difficulty level could seem overwhelming, but I hear in this parable a promise from Jesus that in the end, God will sort things out. That the world does not rest on our shoulders, but God’s. And if we were to sow love instead of hate and peace instead of strife…

Dear Lord, our lives are colored by ambiguity and we don’t always know the right or best thing to do. But we do know that your love is guiding us and that you have called us to live as your people in the world. When we face hard choices, give us eyes to see the best path forward and the courage to follow it. When we make mistakes, forgive us. When we are hurt by our choices, comfort us. When we hurt others, help us to reach out to them in love. And above and beyond all these decisions, remind us that you still love us and call us back to this place that we may be forgiven, renewed, called, and sent forth once more as your beloved children. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Peace and Blessings –

Pastor.  Parent.  Activist.

Posted in Activism, Christian, Ending Gun Violence, gun safety, Loss of Child, Moms Demand Action, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

On Sunday afternoon, I found myself not 20 feet away from 40 people carrying loaded firearms …

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Pastor Kris

547831_847924770191_648639734_nI’m a pastor so Sunday is always a busy day. I lead worship, pray, sing, and preach twice in the morning, catch up in conversation with dozens of people, and often stay for a potluck lunch in our Fellowship Hall. This Sunday was busier than usual because after our Traditions worship came to a close, I hurried downtown to be part of an Open Carry event on Cleveland’s Public Square.

 

You may have heard about Open Carryindex events. They have been in the news lately — at Chipotle and Jack in the Box Restaurants and in the parking lots and aisles of Home Depot and Target. This was Northeast  Ohio’s version billed as a protest against Cleveland’s Mayor Jackson’s proposal for stricter gun regulations. Proposals that seem common sense — and common safety in an urban area — to me. A gun registry for those convicted of gun offenses. Securing guns for kids to be safe at home. A limit on the number of guns purchased in a year’s time. But even these common sense regulations incur the ire of Open Carry folks. Hence, the rally. Downtown Cleveland on a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon. Come on down –– from all over the state of Ohio because very few if any of these gun-carrying people were Clevelanders — and by all means, bring your loaded guns.

No, I did not hurry downtown so I could carry my gun.

10517450_10203498352886656_5199377979382088640_nI went to be part of a counter-rally called Open Carry Guitar. Organizers billed the event as: Clevelanders taking to the streets of public square with their “axes” (violins, guitars, kazoos, flutes, harps, trumpets, WHATEVER) in support of music, and in10526069_10204423559415289_6862082923746665586_n opposition to open carry gun policies.
Modeled after similar rallies in Texas, this one was hastily put together and drew musicians and interested others — many of whom had never attended any other sort of anti-gun violence event before.

Unlike me — a well-seasoned veteran of ending gun violence events.  Together with my husband,  David Eggert, I have marched, phone-called, petition-signed, lobbied in the halls of Congress and the DSC_6661ED1 copyOhio Legislature, protested at gun shows, blogged, boycotted, read names of gun victims, preached, presented, and prayed.  I’m not new to this game.

But Sunday was the first time I was 20 feet away from perhaps as many as 40 armed men.  Mostly men, but there were armed women with children as well.  I will not repost photos with young children and guns in strollers and alongside them as I find them disgusting.

I’ll be honest and say that I know precious little about guns.  I did not grow up with them.  My ex-husband owned a hunting rifle and some sort of handgun for home protection.  I was uncomfortable with both being in the house, and did I mention, he is my ex-husband.  I will never own one, and if I were raising my children today, I would ask every time they went to play at someone’s house if there is a gun in the house, and if there is a gun, is it safely stored away.  But I don’t have to know much about guns to know that they are killing machines — whether the target is an animal or a person.

And yet, there I was, not only standing my ground but voicing my belief that my city should not be cowed into submission and acceptance that people can just take over Public Square armed with loaded weapons.  I discovered this about myself — while I am frightened of guns and what gun violence is doing to our country, I am not frightened enough to stand silently by.  It’s legal to open carry and it takes absolutely not a speck of training or the regulation of a license to do so.  So who knows how much that open-carry-er knows about gun safety or whether he/she could pass a background check.  And me?  Unarmed, but not backing away.

This is just too important.  Every year, 31,000 Americans are killed by gunfire — not in wars across the ocean but here in our cities and countryside.  600 of those are children under 12 years old.  Children in our country are 11 times more likely to be shot than in any other advanced nation, and there are currently no federal laws to require gun owners to safely store their guns.  The children in my church have lived through Chardon — some literally as they were at Chardon High School the day T.J. Lane shot and killed 3 students and injuring others.  They survived Newtown, states away, while on that same day, some of them were on school lockdown for a gun found in a locker at their middle school.  They all know the drill.  Shouldn’t that bother us enough to act?

10439347_10204423585255935_373974881229774368_nOn Sunday, I recognized a few of the people who were openly carrying.  I remembered a previous encounter with them.  It was at a small city park in Oberlin, OH.  So small that only local families with young children would find it an interesting place to be.  That did not stop a group of weapon-carrying out-of-towners from forcing themselves into this peaceful place on a Saturday morning.  Why did they need to carry guns in a child’s park?  To protect their own children, they say.  What about Oberlin’s children who had their safety compromised without their consent?  The families who left their park that morning in fear and disgust.  As a Christian faith leader, I must advocate not just for my own children and grandchildren, or even the children I serve as pastor — but all children. I am convinced the answer for them is not more guns, nor is it about openly carrying in public places.

My gun violence activism gets alot of criticism from open carry gun people.  They generally don’t like women who are involved with Moms Demand Action as I am involved.  I have been the target of some very hateful misogyny that seems to come with gun violence activism.  And because I’m a pastor, they  also like to throw scripture back at me.  My response is that I am a pastor who preaches and tries to live The Beatitudes.  I follow a Jesus who said that we are called to be peacemakers and that we are to love our enemies.  Nothing about that suggests arsenals of weapons openly carried in our streets.

10377245_10101239382973772_3406754593990371946_nThe good news is this.  The momentum is growing on the side of ending gun violence.  The good news is this.  Any one person can become involved.  If you’re not ready to stand on a downtown corner with loaded weapons just feet away from you, you don’t have to start there.  On this blog I have several links to organizations — national and local — who will gladly welcome your voice, letter-writing ability, activism experience, passion, prayer, and peace-maker’s sense of purpose.  -ce846ccc6cef2630

 

 

 

Peace –

Pastor.  Parent.  Activist. 

 

Posted in Activism, Christian, Ending Gun Violence, God Before Guns, gun safety, Loss of Child, Moms Demand Action, Uncategorized | 22 Comments

Summer reading …

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Pastor Kris

It was about a year ago when friends surprised me with a Grandparents Shower. Our daughter was expecting her first – and our first – in September. We know him now as Walt, and we’ve discovered that everything people told us about being grandparents is true. It’s a wonderful time in our lives.

My dear friend Gail at our surprise Grandparents Shower.

Every box and gift bag at the surprise shower contained the same gift. A book. Each book was different from the other. Heavy-duty ones built to outlast baby destruction. Beautifully illustrated ones that will quickly become favorites like The Day You Were Born and God Created . Throwbacks from another time like Curious George and Velveteen Rabbit. Dr. Suess’s Green Eggs and Ham. Maya Angelou once said: any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. Just today, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first-ever policy statement calling for pediatricians to advise all parents about the many benefits of reading aloud, to promote literacy and social-emotional skills, saying: Reading with young children is a joyful way to build strong and healthy parent-child relationships and stimulate early language development.  Walt has trouble settling down to a book now, because at 9 months old, he’d rather be on the move. But we hope he will develop a lifelong love of books.  Like his mom.  And his grandma.

Joe Backe reads to his 9 month old son (and our grandson), Walt.

Joe Backe reads to his 9 month old son (and our grandson), Walt.

Kristine Ellen, you always have your nose in a book, my mother would gently chide. You don’t have to dust the insides of books, she’d say when I was taking way too long to get my chores done. One of David’s and my first memories of knowing each other back when we were 10 years old was stopping in the library on our way home from 5th grade. I loved reading aloud to my kids when they were small and looked forward each year to those lazy summer days at the library getting their cards stamped for the Summer Reading Club. And since ministry arrived in my life, I’ve often wondered if God smiles that I found myself in a profession in which I’m supposed to be reading. Every day.

The stack of current reading on my desk at church includes: Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation. The Non-Violent Life, an autographed copy from author John Dear. Lose, Love, Live: The Spiritual Gifts of Loss and Change by my preaching professor, Dan Moseley – a gift when my son died. A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by Jimmy Carter. The Bible of course – three different translations. On the table by my reading chair at home is a book I’m excited to start, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Prayer Shawl ladies provide great book recommendations) Books I’ve just finished include, Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah and yet another book of short stories by Alice Munro. I can always read Alice Munro.

Someone once told me that it’s important for preachers to read fiction as well as theology. It’s important to expose ourselves to life and possibilities outside the realm of our own experience. Stimulate imagination. Develop creativity. As if I needed justification to do something I love.

Summer seemed a long time coming this year. It has finally arrived. For me that means as many nights out on the deck at home until dark as possible. You’ll know me. I’ll be the one with my nose in a book.

Blessings and peace –

Pastor Kris

Posted in Grandparents, Reading, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fearless Generosity …

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Pastor Kris

(This was originally published in my church’s monthly newsletter.  It was written while we were in the midst of our annual budget drive.  The theme of the campaign was Fearless Generosity)

As to being fearless, I’ll admit that I have a few fears. One of them is an I.R.S. audit. Notfearless that David and I have anything to hide – we do not. But however irrational my fear of an audit is, it’s there nonetheless.

My fear was realized this year. It was not a full-blown audit, just one part of our return was being questioned. We were audited because the amount of our charitable giving exceeded the normal/expected for people in our income level. Specifically, the amount given to one particular organization was called into question. It was the amount we gave to our church in 2012. The good news is we were able to document our figures, and the I.R.S. ruled in our favor, even finding another $53 to refund to us! What surprises me is that our level of giving seemed unusual enough that attention was called to it.

David and I have grown in our giving over the last several years. I am the pastor and in that role I’m called to challenge my congregation to be generous givers. But I’m also a member of the church. On our first Sunday in 2007, David and I walked forward to place our membership. As members, we are prayerfully considering our own gift. I cannot have integrity about asking anyone to give unless I also challenge myself. Though we give to other organizations, our church home receives the major portion. When David retired and our income was reduced, we seriously considered whether we could keep giving at the same level. But when it came to actually writing an amount on the pledge card, we just couldn’t reduce it. We decided instead to increase as we have every year since we joined in 2007.

This year when we filed our taxes, our percentage of giving was 13% of our Adjusted Gross Income. I say this not to brag because I know we could have given more. We’ve not reached a level of sacrificial giving yet. We do not live extravagantly but certainly we live comfortably. We cook what we want without much regard for how much it costs. We eat out occasionally. We go to ballgames and the theater. We travel. We indulge our children. I can honestly say that as we have made a commitment to giving more away, we have also become less fearful about not having enough for ourselves.

fearless logoGetting to this level of giving has been a lifelong process. Not everyone is where we are. My encouragement is to start. If you’ve already started, dig deeper this year. Make a promise to yourself and to your church. Yes, it’s bold, but we are people who have been called to follow Jesus who said: so do not be afraid. (Matthew 10:31)

Pastor Kris Eggert
June 2014

Posted in Christian, church growth, Generosity, Giving, Stewardship, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What does it mean that we’re still here …

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Pastor Kris

(This sermon was preached at Disciples Christian Church on May 25, 2014)

SBNR. Anyone know what acronym stands for?  Even if you don’t know it off the top of your head, I’d almost guarantee you’ve heard it. If you’ve ever invited someone to church (who doesn’t already go). If you’ve ever found yourself in a conversation when you’re talking about involvement in a church, in a group of people who are not. You’ve heard this sbnranswer: I don’t need to go to church. I’m spiritual not religious. That answer can be as simple as finding a quick way to change the subject. But sometimes there’s real substance to theanswer. People are turned off by church. People know of abuses in the church’s name. People don’t see the relevance of church. People will tell you that they can believe in God all by themselves. They can see the beauty of God’s creation in a sunrise, feel God’s energy in a mountain breeze, be at peace with God sitting in a boat in the middle of a quiet lake, see God’s goodness in a baby’s smile.

Yes. They can. So can we.

For generations now — social scientists would say beginning with Baby Boomers who mistrust organizations and aren’t joiners, perhaps especially organizations that were important to their parents and continuing through the Busters, generation X, and now millenials — church has suffered a great loss of interest, participation, attendance, financial giving, etc. Each of us knows fewer friends and family members who attend.

SBNR as now an actual category in political polling. Sometimes dubbed the Nones– as in they have no religion to claim. But only 7% of the nones claim to be atheists. They love God but not the church. That sentiment goes back a ways, as it was Gandhi who said, I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.

Ouch. In that spirit, our detractors’ acronym for us might be RBNS! We’re religious, but we’re not spiritual. Not spiritual enough. A comatose religion, it’s been said. I’m just not feeling it – to quote one of our young disciples just a few weeks ago! But I’m not preaching to the SBNR this morning. I’m preaching among us religious folks. We’re here in a church on a Sunday morning. Some of us are here every week. Some of us have been here – or another church – since we were babies in the church nursery.

What does it mean that we’re still here?

Jesus was prepared with an answer for us. It’s right there in the passage from John’s gospel. It’s part of a much longer passage often called the Farewell Discourse. Jesus is preparing the disciples for his death and departure from him. But from the perspective of those who were being left behind, it’s more accurate to call this a farewell situation. Jesus was leaving – the disciples were the ones being left. Good-byes are hard, especially when it happens suddenly, when we don’t feel prepared, when we don’t know how we’ll act, when we don’t know what we’re supposed to do. The disciples must have been asking themselves – and asking Jesus –if you’re leaving, then what will become of us?

Asking honest questions like: Will we still love you, Jesus? And even if we still love you, how will the next generation and the next after love you without ever having a personal relationship. Jesus honors their feelings and he answers them …

Yes. Yes, you can and you will still love me. Yes, even those who will come after you will love me. It will even be possible to still see me, Jesus says. But (here comes the hinge moment) – don’t look for me only in the past, however cherished those moments were. Don’t remember me only by retreating into your own personal experience of me, however precious those moments were. Love me by doing my works. Love me by keeping my commandments – the greatest of which is to love God, love yourself and love your neighbor. Don’t keep that love hidden. Love me out in public.

Because if you think about it, Jesus’ union with God wasn’t private, it was public. His relationship with God was first revealed at his birth and repeatedly revealed through his words and his works. Yes, Jesus got off by himself to rest and to pray, often on a mountain top vista, only to come down from that mountain to return to feed the hungry, heal the sick, to preach the peace, to be public about his relationship with God. Jesus’ promises are made to us plural – our union with Christ is less private than it is communal. And when it is communal, it assures that the next generation will know and come to love him too, from our modeling of his behavior.

The question is how? Another question Jesus was prepared for. He respected the disciples’ situation – he knew it would be tough-going without him. He likened their situation to being orphaned. A tougher life situation than that we’d have trouble imagining. Jesus 49_cosmic_harmonieswould triumph over death, but he will not continue his ministry as usual. His friends can no longer count on his comforting presence. His on-the-spot wisdom. They will have to navigate the world, the same world that crucified him. A tough world then. Tough still.
So, Jesus is sending relief to their bereavement. He’s sending energy for their lethargy. He’s sending wisdom in their confusion. He’s sending the Holy Spirit. A Spirit so large that it’s tempting to confuse it with some sort of invisible super-hero. A Spirit that swoops in and makes it all come together. But there’s a problem with that imagery because it implies that the Holy Spirit isn’t already here – that we must wait for some grand entrance, some ecstatic experience. And that’s not what Jesus says. Not really. He says the Holy Spirit is already here. It always has been. It always will be. It’s up to us to rise up to meet it.

How do we know it’s here? What does Spirit look like? Today’s text has two very helpful clues in identifying spirit. Clue #1. The Holy Spirit looks like an Advocate. The one who stands up for you when you most need it. The one who speaks on your behalf. The one who lends you a helping hand. The one who takes your side. The one who doesn’t leave you when you’re down. Friend. Counselor, comforter, helper, intercessor.

The second clue is the Holy Spirit – the next Advocate because Jesus was the first – looks like Jesus. The Spirit comes in Jesus’ name. The Spirit reminds us of what Jesus taught. The Spirit keeps promises. The Spirit comforts us when we feel orphaned and alone. The Spirit causes us to feel as if we are meeting Jesus again for the first time.
Have you felt that Spirit? Of course you have. Have you seen and known that Spirit? Yes you have. You’ve seen it in others, and this Spirit has also at one time or another looked a lot like you. Because you have stood up for others. And you have tried to be more like Jesus. You have been his love in the world. If we were to put up a mirror in the back of the church – then you could see in your reflection the Spirit being sent out into the world. We could be a part of the renewed movement of Spiritual and Religious!

Religion is important because it gives us an identity. We need to know who we are before we can change the world, a young Christian writes. A young Christian who is present in church and passionate about Jesus. A young Christian who believes that the kingdom of God is not about the next world – it is about life in this world. Heaven’s in great shape, he says – it’s the earth that needs us. Religion is about believing and behaving and belonging. Believing that the Spirit of Truth gives us the habits and tools for our actions and that our actions matter. Thriving by belonging to a people who practice their religion in worship, both an act of praise and an act of justice, reclaiming time for us to rest from our labors. Religious practice is a way of behaving that can improve the lives of God’s people. I include myself in that improvement.

What does it mean that we’re still here is an important question to consider any time. But at this particular time of year here at Disciples Christian Church, it is especially so. Because we are the ones who will be making a promise to give from our hard-earned money to help fund the general budget of our church. And for as critical as these financial promises are to the life of this church, the giving of precious time and unique talents, just as much. Many of you are being asked – and some of you have already agreed – to leadership positions for the year ahead. Saying yes to giving and giving by serving means you’re feeling it. The Spirit, that is. And through your giving and your serving, you and those you serve will have the opportunity to meet Jesus again for the first time.

This morning’s message is my one opportunity to preach during the stewardship campaign. I haven’t forgotten that it is also Memorial Day weekend. And so I want to close with this 3 minute video. Just to set it up, the woman you hear speaking is Dr. Rita Nakishima Brock, a leader in Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who is the Co-Director and Founder of the Soul Repair Center. As segue between this message and this video:

Jesus loses his life, and he is not the only one to suffer loss. Those he leaves behind lose him, and without him, they lose whatever security they might have felt in the world. We rarely think of what happened to Jesus as an experience of combat, but the story of his arrest includes soldiers, weapons and at least momentary hand-to-hand combat as Peter draws a sword to slice off the ear of one of those sent to arrest Jesus.

Be sure to listen for a description of religious community helping to answer the question: What does it mean that we’re still here.

Rev. Kristine Eggert

Disciples Christian Church

May 25, 2014

 

Posted in Christian, church growth, Good News, Gospel, spiritual not religious, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

We marched to end gun violence …

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Pastor Kris

The Walk and Rally lasted from 10 am until noon on Saturday, May 10, 2014.  This video shows you some highlights of a very emotionally moving day with strong calls to action.  Please click on the link and see for yourselves,.

God Before Guns Walk and Rally

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Event Buzz …

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Pastor Kris

I readily confess that I spend alot of time on social media sites.  I joined Facebook when I moved to Cleveland,finding myself in the freshly awkward position of living in a different city than my adult children.  Seeing their photos and posts on FB eased the separation anxiety for this mom.  My interest grew when I saw how many friends and colleagues were already there!  Quickly after that,  I realized what an important tool it was for my church in building interest and communication of events, etc.  But until recently I hadn’t found a compelling reason to be much of a presence on Twitter.

That changed because an organization that I help lead, God Before Guns, was planning a Walk and Rally this past Saturday.  It was our 4th major event in less than a year of formation, but it was our first truly public and city-wide event — walking a mile across a heavily traveled bridge, rallying in a park at a Cleveland landmark, the Westside Market.  We needed to get the word out in every possible way.  We needed people to show up.

I guess the social media blitz worked as we had our largest gathering yet.  120 personsDSC_6568 copy committed enough to the cause of ending gun violence that they took a Saturday morning to walk, sing, listen and learn, pray, and unite despite and through our diversity in age, race, DSC_6584ED1 copyfaith, and neighborhood.  Speakers included our Rep. Bill Patmon, mothers who have lost children to gun violence, Jane Burgett — Ohio Lead for Moms Demand ‘action, and Aramis Sundiata, president of the Ohio State Student Association.  Each has both personal and patriotic stake in this movement and spoke passionately .  We all want our country to be safer for our children and grandchildren.

 

Social media plays an equally important role in the aftermath of an event.  Posting photos.  Sharing the news with people who could not be there.  Continuing to build awareness for whatever the next event will be.  You have to develop a thick skin when you decide to use Twitter, as an event such as this one brings out some very ugly, angry, and sometimes threatening responses.   I choose to believe this shows that we are making a     DSC_6565 copydifference and that we are being heard, and our next event will be larger still.   And the positives far outweigh the negative.  For just one example:  Thanks for bringing your work out of the walls of the church and into the streets! It’s just the beginning!

And so, we celebrate the success of the event, but only briefly.  There is more to do — more people to reach — and there’s no time like the present.  86 people will die today on the wrong side of a gun, and 8 of them will be children and teens.  The Ohio Legislature will beDSC_6675 copy considering whether to vote for a bill for safe storage of weapons or against a further expansion of a Stand Your Ground law.  And that’s just in Ohio — wherever you live, be concerned enough to see what DSC_6626 copylegislation is pending. And then become involved.  Because for however powerful social media is, never doubt the power of showing up.  Being present.  Meeting each other face-to-face.  Praying and learning together.  Respecting each others stories and truth.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world:  indeed, it is the only thing that ever has… Margaret Mead.  And I say:  we are a larger group than we even realize. 

DSC_6661ED1 copyWe stand together.

Peace –

Pastor.  Parent.  Activist.

 

Posted in Activism, Ending Gun Violence, God Before Guns, gun safety, Loss of Child, Moms Demand Action, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Walking and working to end gun violence …

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Pastor Kris

1011653_10201869081432720_1972536116_n   I don’t remember the exact day when my heart began aching for victims of gun violence.  The ache just kept aching as the shootings continued.  The massacre at Virginia Tech.  Gabby Giffords.  In a movie theater in Aurora, Co.  The school shootings nearby in Chardon, Ohio.  I’m sure there were even more than that.  What I do remember is when I decided to speak out and become an activist in the cause of ending gun violence.  That moment came when I preached a sermon on December 16, 2012, just two days after the shooting of first-graders and their teachers and principal at Sandy Hook.

Through tears and with determination to deliver the message, I used the illustration of the beloved children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day.  Alexander’s day is filled with trouble — he doesn’t get to sit by the window in the car, his teacher doesn’t like the picture he drew, he didn’t have dessert in his lunchbox, etc.  This should be the stuff of a child’s day.  Lock-down drills and shootings should not be.  I pledged that Sunday to be not only a pastor to the children and youth of my church, but to be an advocate for all children and gun safety.

946678_10151434231911175_1829378562_nAnd so, I have spoken and prayed at Moms Demand Action events.  Together with other faith leaders, I walked through downtown559379_10151501397650696_640091701_n Cleveland in solidarity with Trayvon Martin’s grieving parents.  I have read names of gun violence victims. I have been part of peaceful protests at gun shows where guns are sold without background checks.

 

 

I helped form a northeast Ohio organization called God Before Guns.  We are a grass-roots multi-faith coalition that hit the ground running in just one year.   We have been successful in putting together a Community Summit keynoted by the United States Attorney of Northern Ohio with participation of 19 Printpanelists in break-out groups.  We gathered in memory and observance of the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings in a multi-faith service of commemoration.  And we participated in an Advocacy Day at the Ohio State House, in support of a Gun Safety Bill, traveling by bus from Cleveland.

We are excited for our 4th major event.  It happens this Saturday morning at 10 am when we will walk a mile across a major bridge in Cleveland and rally in a park with gun violence victims, activists for gun safety and against Stand Your Ground bills.  This walk and rally is endorsed by Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, Doctors Organized for Healthcare Solutions, and the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. 

So, now for the last-minute details.  Will the t-shirts be delivered tomorrow as promised?  Have we sent flyers to everyone we know?  Posted on FB?  Tweeted?  Send press releases?  Checked the weather forecast?  (We will walk rain OR shine!).

And most importantly, are we praying that no child will be on the wrong side of a loaded gun today?  And will we promise not to be silent until our children are kept safe?

I pray, and I promise.  I hope you’ll join me.

Peace –

Pastor.  Parent.  Activist.

Posted in Activism, Ending Gun Violence, God Before Guns, gun safety, Loss of Child, Moms Demand Action, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fragments of the whole …

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Pastor Kris

uzbek_path1 The following contains excerpts from the sermon I preached Sunday, May 4, 2014.  It was my first Sunday back in the pulpit after bereavement leave following the loss of my son.  I began with many thank-yous to the staff and church leaders who made it all happen in the busiest and most significant season of the church year — Holy Week and Easter.  My message was titled “Fragments of the Whole” and based on Ephesians 3:14-21.

I read a book recently that talked about the oral tradition of storytelling.  The book is Radiance of Tomorrow, taking place in Sierra Leone, Africa where all that’s left of some war-torn villages are people’s stories of what once was and what is now.  Author Ishmael Beah writes in the book’s introduction that once you tell your story, it is no longer just yours.  Once you tell your story, it belongs to everyone who hears it.  You can guide your story only that first time you tell it, but after that your story will go in ways you may not have intended or imagined it would go.  This morning I’m telling my story, and after this first telling, my story becomes a story of this congregation and anyone else who encounters it.

2714438_300x300Leif Christopher Wratten was my first born son. Born on his great-grandmother’s 84th birthday on Flag Day in the bicentennial year of 1976, he lived to be only 37. We had calling at a funeral home in our home town of Indianapolis.  Hundreds of people came.  I’ve been part of three churches there, and church people come on such occasions.  We had a smaller memorial service for him, and just last weekend, with only his family present, we interred his ashes. My children do not want to call that closure, as they think it sounds like we are moving away from Leif, when what we are doing is beginning the process of moving forward, with him in our hearts.

Diabetes was a recent and ultimately deadly diagnosis for my son who already did not take good care of himself. His death was unexpected. That he was alone when it happened was not. He did not take good care of relationships either. He had a family who loved him anyway. He was a college graduate just a few hours shy of a master’s degree in history, specifically World War II, German front. He was a voracious reader – our pastor said in his eulogy that he got along with books much better than he did with people.  With his first earnings from his job as an afternoon paper boy when he was just 10 years old, he bought a set of World War II encyclopedias, and read them cover to cover. More than once. He always had a book with him. I remember once sitting with him in a hospital emergency room, when his book of choice was Mein Kampf.

Leif died too soon without turning that corner into more sustainable physical, mental, and emotional health.  We always hoped and prayed that he knew that his family was there at that corner ready to walk through it together.  But with his physical death also came a death to his sadness and struggle and disappointment in himself and others. We last saw each other just a couple of weeks before he died. Just the two of us, and when we parted, we told each other I love you and hugged each other tightly. My children and his father and I trust that this is not the end, but the beginning of another life in another world. Leif is in the place prepared and promised by God through Christ, healed, made whole, and at peace.

We felt your prayers. Some of them I read in your cards and notes. Some were said on theHands_Held_High_by_ASHURII_sgtfunkytown phone and text messages – others said while holding my hands in our living room. I could feel even the ones I could not hear. And I know God heard even the ones that you could not speak, when you knew you didn’t have the words. I’ve heard that a lot – you just don’t know what to say. Don’t be hard on yourselves. Knowing what words to say is a big part of my life – and I didn’t have the words. I’m not sure I have them yet.

All of those prayers – shared, said privately, and unspoken – are revelation. These prayers reveal much about us. The simple fact of praying means that we recognize our limits. There was so much that you could not do for me, so much that you could not take away or shield me from. You recognized that no matter how much you cared about or loved me, you had limits. As human beings, we all have limits. So you went to God. That says a lot about you. And in going to God, you also revealed what you believe about God. You believe that God will listen. You believe God will intervene when you ask. You believed you could entrust me to hands stronger than your own, and to expect God to have wisdom that surpassed your own.

And so you prayed for me – just as the Apostle Paul prayed for his disciples in this passage from Ephesians. This passage of scripture is often called The Apostle’s Prayer. A disciples prayer. Maybe you don’t equate your prayers with these eloquent words. In truth, sometimes we are embarrassed to think that someone may have overheard our feeble attempts. Paul had no such embarrassment – he wrote these words intending for them to be heard. For generation after generation, heard by Christian communities of faith, separated by centuries but not by spirit. When Paul says you, he’s praying for you as church.  He’s saying our very lives depend on community, and we thrive through our connections to each other. We are blessed with each other.

If that sounds idyllic, often it’s not. We are blessed with each other. Or stuck with each other. We don’t always even like each other.  We are challenged out of our comfort zones by each other. But we are also comforted by each other. Sometimes– like these past four Sundays – it gets really messy. Uncomfortable. Awkward. I know it’s not easy been around me right now. You want to make it all better – maybe wave that magic wand I keep in my office. Poof! Grief gone, Pastor Kris.

We’d like to just be able to say to someone who hurts – God doesn’t give you more than you can handle or Jesus loves you. A sentiment on a Hallmark card.  A gift boxed up nice and neat, ready to hand off and step back from the sadness. And maybe we could get by with that if life was predictable. If life was always good and beautiful. If every person flourished. If the world was just. If we were not broken. Then just knowing that Jesus loves us might be enough.

But life isn’t predictable, and it’s not always beautiful, and not every person flourishes. There are times when our hands are trembling too much to receive that nice neat little box. Paul knew that, and so he talked about a much more expansive sort of love from our savior Jesus Christ. Sometimes in our trembling, we need to know that we are held safe and secure in a big way — safe in the breadth and length and height and depth the enormity of our savior’s love.

As a person of faith, I firmly believe we are incapable of finding any such safe place on our own without God. As a person of faith – and a faith leader – I think believing in God is not enough to sustain that sense of security. Because that sustainability is found only in community. Community just like this one here at Disciples Christian Church.  A place where there is a quality of life that welcomes and befriends the lost and the lonely – not just the all put-together. A place where there is a quality of life – that is a natural flow of experiences of God’s generous grace and mercy. Received. Passed on. Shared. Received again.

It is easy to be discouraged as church folks. It seems there’s never enough dollars in the budget or people in the pews or commitment enough of time and resources from busy people who lead busy lives. Then we hear people saying crazy and hateful things and call it Christian, and we want to say – but we’re not like that.  It’s not easy being church in 2014.  It’s easy to see ourselves as damaged goods. Broken into fragments.uzbek_path1

Take heart. Fragments? That’s OK – that’s just who we are. Dietrich Bonhoeffer who knew something about pain and struggle, wrote about fragments in one of his letters written from a prison cell in Nazi Germany.  He said something like this: I saw my life split into fragments. Like bombs falling on houses, my life was exploding into pieces. But these fragments pointed to something else – something beyond myself, beyond the limits of human achievement. And from the fragments, we can see the whole of our lives. What material we are made of. Some fragments are only worth throwing into the dustbin and then there are other fragments whose importance lasts for centuries because their completion can only be a matter for God.

God is not through with us. If this is a place where God hangs out because God is alive in each of us, then these fragments of ourselves will be made whole as the Body of Christ. Now as Paul writes, let us pray: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Posted in Christian, Good News, Gospel, Grief, Loss of Child, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pastor. Parent. Activist.

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Pastor Kris

It’s my tagline on Twitter.  Three descriptors of who I am for the readers of this blog.  Three words that could be put in any order.  On any given day, I’m living into all three.  They are roles that complement and connect with each other.  But all that changed on April 5 when I got the shocking phone call that my eldest son had been found dead.  Since that tragic day, I have been a pastor in hiding.  Others filled that role for me during Holy Week and Eastertide.  I thank God for them.  The issues for which I am a passionate voice — especially the cause of ending gun violence — did not stir my activist’s heart.  My heart was busy bleeding elsewhere.

Of those three roles that seem as organic to me as breathing on most days, I could fill only one.  Parent.   A grieving parent.   On some days with energy enough to help my son and daughter through, and on other days, needing their energy to help get me through.  It was definitely a family effort,  during which we took turns doing the consoling and being the consoled.  I thank God for them.

DSC00929Our family took a big step forward together this weekend.   We interred my son’s ashes.  With just family gathered, we spoke of our love through tears and heavy hearts.  We spoke truthfully to a variety of emotions.  We promised to let go of our unanswered questions, and to always remember the good times.  The many good times.  We said good-bye.  My children do not want to call this closure, as that sounds to them like we are moving away from our love for him, when what we are doing is figuring how out to move forward with him still alive in our hearts.

So, in that spirit, I began that moving forward by participating in the Moms Demand Action rally in Indianapolis this weekend, to return to my role as activist in ending gun violence.  I had already planned to participate before my son’s death.  After prayer and a gut check, I decided to go ahead as planned.  I’m so glad I did.   DSC00956It was powerful being in the presence of so many passionate people of peace.  And after hearing the stories of so many gun violence victims, I am even more committed to using my voice, my hands and feet, my mind, heart, and resources to continue the fight.

The daughter whose mother was the school principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  A survivor who was shot three times in the massacre at Virginia Tech seven years ago.  A mother of a teen-age son who was killed by a gun for playing his music too loud — a mother who watched as the shooter was found not guilty.  A brother of a family man killed randomly at the mall in Portland, Oregon.  A mom who survived a violent attack and wounds suffered at the hands of her ex-husband and in front of her 4 year old son who pleaded, … daddy, please don’t shoot mommy.  1966706_10203132300884678_4589148762122213925_nAnd many others.

It would have been tough to hear these testimonies anytime.  But this weekend it was especially emotional for I found myself thinking also about my son.  Though his death was by natural causes, not by gun violence, I share their heartache.  I pray that I will also be able to share in their strength and their willingness to lead, despite and fueled by their grief — but also their hope that we can change our country’s culture of violence.

So, in that spirit, with that same prayer, and with the power of God’s Holy Spirit, I return to my work at Disciples Christian Church tomorrow.   It’s time.

Peace –

from a returning pastor, a healing parent, and a committed activist

Posted in Activism, Ending Gun Violence, Grief, Loss of Child, Uncategorized | 4 Comments