The Lutheran Zephyr

On Selecting "Alternate" Readings for Pentecost

Here's the lectionary lineup for Pentecost Sunday (May 11):

First Reading:
Acts 2:1–21
Numbers 11:24–30 (Alternate)

Psalm:
Psalm 104:24–34, 35b
R/ Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. (Ps. 104:30)

Second Reading:
1 Corinthians 12:3b–13
Acts 2:1–21 (Alternate)

Gospel:
John 20:19–23
John 7:37–39 (Alternate)

Note the alternate readings.  How do you go about deciding whether to use an alternate reading in place of the primary reading?  Both the primary and alternate are offered in the lectionary, though for each reading a priority is clearly given to certain readings (Acts, 1 Corinthians, and John 20 passages, respectively).  What criteria should govern my decision to choose the alternate reading?

(Perhaps some of you have few qualms about replacing the appointed lectionary readings for a given Sunday.  I err on the side of sticking with the lectionary, assuming it has an internal integrity and wisdom that I - working as a lone ranger - lack.)

For Pentecost Sunday, I'm inclined to choose the alternate texts for the First and Gospel readings.  Here's my reasoning.

I prefer the John 7 (alternate) Gospel text because the passage from John 20 (the primary text for the day) was included in the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter - the doubting Thomas story.  To repeat the text so soon just seems repetitive.  Plus, the John 7 text sets up a discussion of the gifts of the spirit and our grateful response - "out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water" - to God's graciousness.  That "grateful response" is something that we Lutherans have a difficult time addressing . . . good ol' Third Use of the Law (of which I'm a fan, though I know many Lutherans do not believe in the Third Use).

We may also choose to read the alternate First Reading from Numbers.  We may tell the Acts 2 story - the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost - through a youth skit to be shared as the opening rite to our Pentecost service.  Plus, I really like the Numbers reading - it gives some deeper context - a prequel, if you will - to the familiar story of Acts 2.

So, what do you think?

Rev. Wright at the National Press Club

I'm getting fed up with the racism that is flying over the airwaves and online in response to The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright's sermons and comments in recent days.  I strongly, passionately, and vehemently encourage anyone who has questions about Rev. Wright to read this transcript (via Fox News) of his presentation and Q&A at the National Press Club.  I found very little in his remarks to be objectionable.

And as for Obama . . . nice move, bucko, throwing your pastor under the bus.  Whatever happened to your different kind of politics?  Argh.

Praying for our Children

In preparation for my internship congregation's annual Children's Sunday, I looked for a collect to use as a Prayer of the Day.  I admit to being a bit bothered by the prayers for "young persons" found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship:

Young persons
God of all good gifts, your Son gathered children into his arms and blessed them. Help us to understand our youth as they grow in years and in knowledge of your world. Give us compassion when they face temptations and experience failures. Teach us to encourage their search for truth and value in their lives. Help us to appreciate their ideals and sympathize with their frustrations; that with them we may look for a better world than either we or they have known; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Young persons
Lord God of our ancestors, we thank you for what you have done and will continue to do with our daughters and sons. Walk with them in life, and keep the evil one from obstructing their path. You see all; you know where the water is deep. Keep them from danger. Order their steps and guide their feet while they run the race of faith. May the good work that you have begun in them be brought to completion at the day of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, pew edition, page 83

These prayers are so negative!  It's as if childhood is nothing but a path littered with snares and entrapments, "temptations" and "failures," "frustrations" and "danger," that require the condescending prayers and guidance of adults.  Don't get me wrong - these are good and fine things for which to pray - for all of life, not just childhood, has its perils - but the tone of these prayers is overly negative.

What about the blessing that children are?  What about what the (adult, "grown-up") church needs to learn from young people?  What about the vocation children have to grow into, learn about, and share the gifts God has given them?  What about children as the image of a God who came to us as a child?

Using some of the language of the second prayer listed above, I reworked the prayer to lift up a more positive image of childhood:

Lord God of our ancestors, we thank you for what you have done and will continue to do with our daughters and sons. Walk with them in life, and keep the evil one from obstructing their path. Grant parents and adults wisdom in caring for children, and respect for the gifts you give to the young. As Jesus welcomed children in his midst, may your holy church also welcome, bless, nurture and honor children. In the name of him who came to us as a child, Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray.  Amen.

I think we need to be careful not to be overly negative or condescending in how we pray for young people. 

What do you think?

 

I'm Blogging Less

This blogging dip may be a temporary situation - I hope so, for I do enjoy blogging.  But life has been pretty darn busy recently. 

As I detailed in a post last evening, our au pair suddenly left a month ago, leaving us in a childcare pinch.  We've been trying to balance life and work and care for three children shorthanded.  Time I used to spend blogging I'm now spending holding children or catching up on household chores.

On top of that, I'm approaching my Approval for Ordination interview.  In the past few months I have written my approval essay, attended part of a Candidacy retreat, and sat for a 90-minute interview with two members of the seminary faculty (I received a positive recommendation from them).  May 16 is fast approaching . . .

Two weeks ago my wife put the final push on to complete her PhD dissertation.  She'll have more edits yet to do, but getting the whole thing out on paper was a huge accomplishment. 

In addition to family and Candidacy, my internship is keeping me busy.  From teaching and preaching to fellowship events and pastoral care, I've had my hands full.  Our congregation is a vibrant place with lots going on . . .

So, that's it.  Family, candidacy, internship . . . that is, Life has been catching up to me.

The Non-English Exodus from Prince William County

"The resolution is clearly working," said Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large), chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. "It is driving down the non-English-speaking portion of the schools and saving us millions of dollars. They're going to other jurisdictions and costing them money."

From N.Va. Hit with Cost of School Migration: Pr. William Policies Drive Immigrants to Inner Suburbs, in today's Washington Post

Chairman Stewart has been leading the charge against illegal immigrants in Prince William County, claiming that their presence adds to the cost of county services, reduces property value, and leads to increased crime.  Under new the resolution, during routine traffic stops or investigations police officers now check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. 

(Since I am white and middle class, I doubt my immigration status would be checked during a traffic stop.  My dark-skin, dark-hair Ecuadorian neighbors, on the other hand, would be the target of such a check.  Can we say "racial profiling"?)

Yet Chairman Stewart's language in the above quote is telling.  "The resolution is clearly working . . . it is driving down the non-English-speaking [population]."  Note that he did not boast that the resolution is driving down the illegal immigrant population, or that crime is down due to enforcement of the new resolution.  No.  He is clearly pleased that the "non-English-speaking" population has left his county.

Of course, many of those non-English speakers are US citizens - children born in this country to immigrants (legal or illegal), and legal resident or citizen Latino families who find the cultural climate in Prince William County to be unwelcoming.  But Chairman Stewart is not concerned about driving tax-paying immigrants and citizens from his county.  No, his goal is to "drive down the non-English-speaking" population - no matter their legal status.

Can't we call this what it is - racism?  How does this guy get off saying such things while remaining in public office? 

I would love to see - and be part of - a mass civil disobedience demonstration in Prince William County in which a culturally diverse crowd of hundreds of people block intersections or access to the county government building and, upon arrest, all demand that their immigration status is checked.  Flood their systems.  Throw their racism right back at them.

In a nation of immigrants - where the freedoms of the Constitution, not the cultural hegemony of any one group, define our great nation - how can we do this? 

In Between Au Pairs

After the sudden and unexpected departure of our au pair late last month - who watched our baby full-time, our four year-old every afternoon, and helped out with the evening routine when either Jessicah or I were out of the house - we've had our hands full.  My work schedule has taken a beating - because I'm doing a lot more childcare, my days start later and end earlier than they had - but thanks to several moms and grandmoms from church, I've been able to put some time in at work while the kids are lovingly looked after.  Our new au pair - a 26 year-old young lady from Thailand - arrives next Friday.

Many folks don't understand the whole au pair thing.  An au pair "is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family" (from Wikipedia).  Structured as a cultural exchange program, the au pair provides childcare and child-related housekeeping for up to 45 hours/week.  In exchange, the au pair receives wages, room and board, six credit hours at a local university, and is included as part of the family for the year-long program.

Obviously, such an arrangement has its pluses and minuses.  But for us the pluses - childcare at a fraction of the cost of standard daycare and flexible scheduling (where else would you find someone to watch your children on Sunday morning or Christmas Eve?) - far outweigh the minuses (giving up a room in the house, losing some privacy, managing personal/cultural/childcare dynamics, etc.). 

My wife and I have three kids, we both work odd schedules outside the home, we live in a tiny townhouse, and we have very little money.  The au pair arrangement - far from perfect, far from ideal - is the best option we have for now.  Despite the challenges we had with our first au pair, we are cautiously optimistic about our new au pair.  I'll let you know . . .

Baseball Stadiums as Holy Ground

Why is the Pope saying Mass at Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium this week?  Surely in Washington and New York there are larger venues - RFK Stadium and the National Mall in DC, Giants Stadium and Central Park in New  York.  If it were size and numbers the Pope wanted, he could have chosen other venues.

But . . . but is there really anything more holy in the "secular" world than a baseball stadium, where men, women and children of all walks gather in a park to watch a game played, ritual music (national anthem, Take Me Out To The Ball Game) is sung, and miracles performed?

Some will say that Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium are now considered Holy Ground because the Pope said Mass there.  But I suggest that the Pope decided to say Mass in these hallowed places because he recognizes that baseball stadiums are holy places in and of themselves.

- - - - -

Things you may have (or have not) heard at today's Mass at Nationals Park:

Over the public address system: Let's go Cardinals!  Let's go Cardinals!

From a vendor with a large tray, descending the steps in the upper deck: Get your Body of Christ here!  Holy Water!  Rosaries! 

From the Catholic crowd: Lutherans suck!  Lutherans suck!

On the field: Larger-than-life mascots of John Paul II, John XXIII, Peter, and Jesus racing around the bases.

From the public address system, at the elevation of the host: Da da da da, da-da - CHARGE!

From a vendor at the gates as you enter the Mass: Get your scorecards!  You can't tell your clergy without a scorecard!

From the broadcast booth: You know, John, Benedict is batting 1.000 in daytime Masses this year.

From the crowd: The wave.

33 died. Only 32 remembered.

Today is the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting, and folks here in Virginia and throughout the country are keeping the Virginia Tech community, along with the families of those killed, in their thoughts and prayers.  State flags are flying at half staff.  At my church preschool today, about a dozen people wore Virginia Tech shirts or pins. 

We remember the 32 victims of the shooting.

But 33 people died that day.  Victim number 33, of course, was the shooter, Seung Hui Cho.  Nonetheless, at memorial displays and commemorative bell ringings, the count will stop at 32.  In popular perception, there were 32 victims that day.

But it is not enough to say that 32 were victims of violence, for victim number 33 also died of a gunshot wound.  There are 33 families mourning the loss of loved ones today.  33 body bags were needed on the Blacksburg campus last April.  33 people died.

Ignoring Seung Hui Cho risks ignoring the root causes of the tragedy in the first place - poorly diagnosed and treated mental illness, and easy access to guns.  We make him into a monster, not a victim, and thus his death is not to be grieved but to be received with gratitude and relief.  When we ignore Seung Hui Cho, we ignore why 32 others died and we diminish their memory.

On this day let us remember in prayer all those who died, and ask God to bring comfort and hope to their families.

Let the bells ring.  33 times.

Why the "Compassion Forum" Bothers Me

I don't have cable television - and thus no CNN - and I did not see the "Compassion Forum" on Sunday night, the discussion about faith and compassion with Senators Clinton and Obama.  But I've read some of the news coverage, including a skim through the transcript. 

The whole concept just bothers me.  I'd gladly ask questions of faith when my synod elects a bishop or when my congregation votes to call a pastor.  But why ask questions about faith to the person who wants to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?  I just don't see the point.

Kudos to John McCain - the Republican - for not showing up.  For once, we have the Democrats pandering to religious leaders while the Republican shies away from speaking of faith.

Clinton and Obama may each have strong faith.  They may also have passionate perspectives on the Designated Hitter.  They might also have opinions about whether Bob Dylan's performance at the Newport Folk Festival was an unfortunate sellout or a siesmic shift in the history of rock and roll.  But these are not the kind of issues that will come across the President's desk in the Oval Office.

Here's one question posed to Senator Clinton:

BROWN: Let's talk about your faith. And we warned people the questions tonight would be pretty personal. So I want to ask you. You said in an interview last year that you believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. And you have actually felt the presence of the Holy Spirit on many occasions.  Share some of those occasions with us.

Huh?  How is this relevant to the Presidency, to leading our military in war or our government in providing for the common good?

And here's a question posed to Senator Obama:

MEACHAM: Senator, do you believe that God intervenes in history and rewards or punishes people or nations in real time for their behavior?

Again . . . huh?  How is this relevant?  We're electing a Commander in Chief, not a Pastor in Chief.  Give me a break.

To be fair, many of the questions were not explicitly about theology, faith or the Bible, but about social justice, freedom, and hunger, and other issues related to compassion around the world.  These (otherwise valid) questions could just as easily been asked in a normal presidential debate, but in the context of a discussion of faith (on the campus of a Christian college) these questions took on a greater hue of morality and faith. 

But again I ask the question - why?  Why do we need to ask faith questions of our political leaders?

Some will say that this kind of forum helps us understand who the person is, how she or he makes decisions, and what kind of leader they will be in the White House.  Perhaps this will help voters of faith relate to the candidates.  After all, voters in 2000 said that they found George W. Bush more likable than Gore.  Likability, relatability are important qualities these days in politics.  Whole lot of good that criterion did us.

When McCain, Clinton or Obama is sworn in next January as President of the United States, they will pledge to uphold not religious truth or faithful doctrine, but the Constitution and laws of this land.  Please, let us quiz our candidates on matters of law and governance, politics and policy, not faith and theology.

Perhaps in a few days I'll respond to the "substance" of the forum, to the candidate's answers and what their answers reveal about their personal faith and their politics.  And too, perhaps, I'll look at what impact having such a conversation has on political discourse and the separation of church and state. 

But . . . what if we had an atheist candidate?  If religious conversation is now a pre-requisite for becoming president we've set up an unconstitutional, uneasy, unnecessary, and unhelpful expectations for candidates to speak in terms of faith while they're running for the presidency.  That is, the Compassion Forum represents a kind of religious litmus test.  This can't be good for democracy and the first amendment.

And I also fear that this forum is bad for religion - for the political pandering it inevitably seeks, the religious lip service it inevitably generates, and the narrow presentation of faith that such a forum inevitably offers.  Is this good for anyone?

I pray and I vote, and I'm passionate about both.  But when I vote, I don't care if my president prays.  That is not why I elect a president.  Rather, when I vote I care that she or he can do a good job carrying out the tasks of the presidency.  And nowhere do I see faith or religion in the president's job description. 

Forums such as the "Compassion Forum" risk blurring the lines between religion and politics, and hurting both in the process.  And that bothers me.

Obama ain't afraid

Andrew Sullivan helped me understand why I like Obama so much - he ain't afraid.  After offering some ill-advised comments in San Francisco about bitter, working class Pennsylvanians, he could have offered some press release or spokesperson apology.  He could have hung his head low and apologized.  But instead he came out with these honest and clarifying remarks - and importantly, he did not shy away from the word bitter - while also rebutting the attack of McCain/Clinton against him.

Watch the whole 9 minutes.  The best part is when he starts cracking up talking about Senator Clinton's new love of hunting.  "She's running around talking like this is an insult to sportsmen and hunters, like she's an Annie Oakley.  Hillary Clinton's out there talking like she's out in a duck blind every Sunday."

Just words?  There's substance behind dem dar words.  Give a listen.