Reclaiming Thanksgiving

For this week’s blog post, I’m putting up part of the sermon that I gave at the community Thanksgiving service at St. Mark’s UMC.

Thanksgiving, at its core, must be about God. We have ample reasons to give thanks to God: God has created us, God shepherds us, God extends God's steadfast love to us for all time.

Our culture has lost the centrality of God in Thanksgiving. Instead of focusing on God, we so often focus on the food and the fellowship. It is not a “successful” Thanksgiving if the meal is not perfect, or if we don't have the opportunity to fellowship with our families. These are important parts of Thanksgiving, but we must return to the core reason for Thanksgiving, which is giving thanks to God for all God has done for us.

In his proclamation of a day of Thanksgiving, Abraham Lincoln reminded the nation of “the watchful providence of Almighty God” and the “gracious gifts of the Most High God.”[1] We need to focus in on this part of Thanksgiving, treating it as the main course of the holiday, rather than a side dish or an oft-forgotten piece of the Thanksgiving day meal.

How, then, can we do this? In my family, one of our Thanksgiving traditions consists of each member of the family sharing something from the past year that he or she is thankful for. While this can be a worthwhile activity, at times it can also simply be a way of tacking on thanksgiving to the holiday. We ought to put this as a central part of our meals together.

I would urge all of us to do this as we gather at our respective Thanksgiving meals, but with a bit of a twist. Instead of merely thinking about this at the last minute, perhaps we could each take time to ponder on God's actions in our lives over the past year. This preparation will allow for deeper sharing about the activities of God.

As we gather around different tables this week to celebrate Thanksgiving, may we truly take the time to see the work of God in our lives and to share our gratitude for that work. May we move beyond the simplistic understanding of Thanksgiving as a holiday of food, to a holiday where we give thanks to God for his steadfast love that endures to all generations.

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[1] Kriston Moulton, “Thanksgiving: A Holiday for Believers and Non-Believers”, Huffington Post, www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/19/thanksgiving-a-holiday-for_n_786254.html, Accessed 20 Nov. 2010.

Biblical Inspiration and Authority

At District Conference last week, a query was brought to the conference by the Hopewell congregation that asked the question: “Does the Church of the Brethren still affirm the Bible as God’s Holy Word, embracing Scripture as the authoritative guide for our lives?” This query was returned to the congregation, but the issue is likely to return at next year’s District Conference. The discussion at the conference made it clear that there are some in our district, and perhaps in our congregation, who are not clear on what our denomination says on the issues of Biblical inspiration and authority. In addition, I have taken some time this week to look again at my understanding of these two important, interconnected issues. In thinking about this, my position does hold that the scriptures are authoritative in our lives as believers, and that they are inspired by God.

I read through the 1979 Annual Conference statement “Biblical Inspiration and Authority,” which has served our denomination well over the past 32 years. This paper offers several different views on Biblical authority and inspiration that are present within our denomination, including two which speak very closely to my own approach to these issues.

The first of these statements indicates “A third group of Brethren point to Christ as the only perfect Word of God. The Old Testament is judged by the New Testament, the whole Bible by the witness of Jesus Christ, our supreme authority. Jesus' teachings are the basic guide for faith and practice, the canon within the canon. The Bible was created by interaction between God and people and is a mixture of human frailty and the perfect wisdom of God. It points beyond itself to God.”[1] According to this view, the Bible must be interpreted in light of the New Testament, basing our beliefs and practices on Jesus’ teachings, and comes out of the interaction between humanity and God.

The second statement indicates “Another group of Brethren emphasize the Bible's roots in the faith community—written by the faith community, for the faith community. It is salvation history, the record of God's action. The focus of inspiration is the people. ‘The Bible is the touchstone to measure our experience against the record of God's interaction with his people. The authority is in the words and spirit, checked by Christian community today, a continuing channel for God's revelation.’ Themes and principles are emphasized in presenting its message for our day.”[2] The key part of this is the understanding that it is the experience of God by the Biblical writers that provides the authority and inspiration of the Bible. The Bible was not dictated word for word by God to the Biblical writers, instead, it was inspired by their continuing quest to understand their encounters with God.

I would certainly urge each of us to read through the entirety of the 1979 paper, which is linked to in my footnotes below. In addition to this, I would also like to provide a link to some reflections on the Biblical text by Joshua Brockway, who is the Director of Spiritual Life and Discipleship for the denomination. He has written two blog posts on this issue, located here and here. I would love to hear from individuals in our congregation about their views on these two issues.

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[1] http://cobannualconference.org/ac_statements/79BiblicalInspiration%26Authority.htm, accessed 17 November 2011.

[2] Ibid.

“The Naked Anabaptist: Wrap-Up”

As I look back over the blog posts in this series, and to the book itself, it is clear that “The Naked Anabaptist” offers some intriguing insights and reflections on Anabaptism. It has been helpful in shedding light on the basic beliefs of Anabaptism, and would certainly be a good primer for anyone who is interested in Anabaptism.
The seven core convictions that Murray discusses in his book can all be found, in some way, in the life of our congregation. It is clear that Anabaptism has been an important part of the faith formation within this congregation, and will continue to be so as we move forward. For me, reflecting on how I have seen these seven core convictions in the congregation’s life together has been a helpful way to really think about where our congregation is at this point. I hope that these brief reflections have provided an opportunity for those reading about them to think more deeply about what it means to be an Anabaptist. As I continue in my work here, it is my hope that we will be able to continue to explore the ways that we live out our Anabaptist heritage.

"The Naked Anabaptist" Core Conviction #7

This week, we come to the seventh and final core conviction that Stuart Murray discusses in his book “The Naked Anabaptist.” Murray says “Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.”[1]

From the earliest beginnings of the Church of the Brethren there has been a commitment to nonviolence. While it is true that the exact way this has been addressed has shifted over the years, it is still a core element to the Brethren witness. Our denomination has as one catchphrase “Continuing the work of Jesus: Peacefully, Simply, Together.” We continue to sponsor the group On Earth Peace, which works to promote peacemaking around the world.

Within our own congregation, peace and peacemaking continues to have an important place for us. Our recent celebration of the International Day of Prayer for Peace on a Sunday in September highlights but one time that this continues to be an important part of our witness. I would be interested to hear how others in our congregation see this focus on peace and peacemaking playing out in the life of our congregation.

Next week, I’ll conclude my overview of “The Naked Anabaptist.”

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[1] Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, Scottdale, PA: Herald Press 2010, 181.

"The Naked Anabaptist" Core Conviction #6

We have come to the penultimate core conviction of Anabaptism that Murray discusses in his book. He writes “Spirituality and economics are interconnected. In an individualistic and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.”[1]

It is clear that the early Christians were concerned with economics. Acts 2:43-46 articulates a clear understanding that these early Christians held everything in common. Throughout his letters, the apostle Paul talks about a collection for the church in Jerusalem, a collection that would be used to help those who were in need. Jesus’ own ministry offers examples of the overturning of the economic order.

Within the tradition of the Church of the Brethren, there have been many different responses to connecting economics with spirituality. One of the more prevelant ways this has played out over the past century or so has been the emergence of the idea of simple living. One of the catchphrases of this idea is “Live simply, that others may simply live.”

We need to remember that, in turning our lives over to Jesus Christ, we cannot separate our finances from our theology. Sharing our resources together as a congregation is certainly one important way that our spirituality and finances come together. But we cannot simply stop there. We need to work to overturn those places where economic injustice limits the lives of other people.

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[1] Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, Scottdale, PA: Herald Press 2010, 180.

Scheduling Note

As you may have noticed, I did not have a new post last week. This was due to a very busy week here at the church. I will be putting up a new post here later today. Next week, I will be on vacation, and so I will not have a post next week. Regular weekly postings will resume the next week.

“The Naked Anabaptist” Core Conviction #5

Today’s look at The Naked Anabaptist brings us to the fifth of seven core convictions. Murray’s fifth core conviction is worded thusly: “Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability, and multivoiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers.”[1] Once again, there is a lot going on in this core conviction, so I want to take a little time to look at some different parts of it more closely.

An integral part of this conviction is that church is a community where believers gather to disciple one another and to work together in mission. From the Anabaptist perspective, church is not something that is limited to an hour or so of worship once a week. Church is community, living together, working together, and serving God together. It requires us to truly know each other and to know God.

Another important part of this statement comes at the very end when Murray states “baptism is for believers.” This has been a central aspect of Anabaptism from the very beginning, and contributed to the very name of the movement. The earliest Anabaptists became convinced that infant baptism was not a valid form of baptism, and so came to the conclusion that they needed to be baptized as adults. Their opponents latched onto this, and claimed that they were being re-baptized, which is the original meaning of the word anabaptism. While our denomination has softened its view on infant baptism for those coming into the denomination from the outside, this understanding that baptism is for believers only still plays an important role in our denomination life.[2]

Murray describes the church as a place where gifts determine the roles that persons play in the church, and not gender. While our local congregation does very well with this, our denomination as a whole continues to struggle with this issue. Events earlier this year at Annual Conference highlight our continued difficulties with the role of women in leadership within the denomination. Ideally, the church should hand out roles based upon gifts and abilities regardless of gender. Realistically, we still have a ways to go with this.

As I look around our congregation in the brief time that I have been here, it is clear that we strive to live up to much that is contained in this core conviction. We are, in a very profound way, a community that supports each other in difficult times and in the good times. We value each member of the congregation, and seek to find ways to get everyone involved in roles that match up with their gifts, abilities, and callings. As we continue to journey together, may we continue to always seek to build each other up, that we may live into the life God calls us to lead.

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[1] Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, Scottdale, PA: Herald Press 2010, 180.

[2] Up to the mid-twentieth century, the CoB required persons joining the church who had been baptized as infants to be baptized anew.