Haiti

I can't be more pleased about our youth involvement in the Haiti relief efforts. In two weeks, they've donated over $150 of their own money from savings, earnings, jobs, etc. As soon as the earth quake hit, two of them began contacting me wanting the youth to do something and had me sending out mass e-mails to other youth to bring money to youth group. $150 is more money than most of these kids see in a month... so to raise it in two weeks is pretty darn cool. As they contacted me, i reflected on the time i spent in haiti in 2006. here is part of my journal from that time:

“What I’ve learned the most while I’ve been here is how maybe we are actually supposed to live with less… because it is with having less that we see God at work and we best know what it means to demonstrate the hospitality that the gospel demands. Each time we’ve eaten in someone’s home (the homes usually have dirt floors and the only furniture is 2 or 3 chairs and a table – no beds), the family hosting us refuses to let us be uncomfortable. They family who hosts us doesn’t have enough rice or beans, but we watch as their children come back from the neighbors house with rice and beans that others have given them just so this family could have enough to feed us all a small bowl. The parents would send their children to the neighbors houses to gather chairs so the 10 of us would have a place to sit. The same thing happens with bowls and spoons. Constantly, there are children running from 10 or 12 neighbors houses to bring enough chairs and rice and spoons and whatever else so that their family can host us. These people who have so little have learned that they have enough… and even enough for us foreigners if they are willing to pull together. our guides tell us that this never stops – this constant giving. One family may be able to give this week and they will give all they have because they know that in a week that they need, another family will give to them. they have come to love one another and to trust that God will provide… and this amazing, humbling faith has come out of their experience of having practically nothing.”

the church and the appendix

yesterday in high school sunday school, we were talking about how the church is the body of christ. we did the usual discussion of where each person sees themselves in the body of christ and how the body is weakened or worse if part of the body of christ is missing. one of our youth, however, asked about the appendix and referenced how that organ isn't a necessary part of the body. in fact, many people have theirs removed because it causes problems.

i immediately jumped into pastor mode - explaining the role of metaphorical language and how there are some necessary deficiencies whenever we use metaphorical language. back in the first century, people weren't regularly having appendectomies, so paul wouldn't have necessarily know about those when writing this chapter of corinthians.

as the discussion continued, we also discussed how a person would've died without an appendectomy -- or at least been incredibly sick for a long time -- back then. and i realized that as much as i love the writings of paul, i had to agree iwth this youth. sometimes, in our groups, in our churches, there has to be a necessary removal in order for the rest of the body to survive -- in order for the rest of the body to function as a healthy body should.

i'm not saying that if we disagree with someone or if they get on our nerves or if they have questionable theology (according to us), we should immediately kick them out of the church. i am, suggesting, however, that after considerable thought, prayer, compassion, and time, removing a person from a church or even a program from a church in order is a consideration. if a person or program is using so much staff and volunteer time and energy that the person or program stops the growth, maybe it is okay to excuse that person or program. maybe it is okay if every single church doesn't have a young agult program or a wednesday night program or a cub scouts program - just like every single body doesn't have tonsils or an appendix. in fact, every single body doesn't even have perfect eyesight and that doesn't mean that the body is dificient. it just means that we thoughtfully and prayerfully consider how we as a community of believers countinue to nourish ourselves in such a way that we are truly the body of christ. that through us, the salvific love of christ shines in whatever darkness this world doles out.

Creation Museum

this past weekend, my confirmation class went to the creation museum just outside of cincinnatti. this museum is dedicated to proving that the world was created in seven days - just as the bible said it was. in short, evolution is bunk.

its always fun to watch middle schoolers encounter new and interesting environments. this one was no exception. they reacted with scorn to the claim that families would stay together if everyone read the bible together by the fire after dinner. they scewed their bodies before the exhibits of adam and eve to see if they were atanomically correct.

... and afterwards, they tried to assimilate what they believed about evolution and their beloved stories of the creation from a child. one boy believed unfailingly that evolution was how the world was created, but was certain that adam and eve must've been actually existed in a perfect garden. when i asked them how they could both be true, he thought for a second and said, "god years... it's kind of like dog years... years for dogs and years for us are different... so days for us and days for god are different too. it happened like the bible said... only it took much longer in people years."

i don't exactly agree with this young man's statement, but my heart absolutely exploded with joy that this 14-year-old wanted desperately to use his brain (from science class) to believe in god as well as his heart (with his attachment to the genesis creation stories). i loved the ideology of young people that science and faith don't have to be at odds... and their absolute insistance that science and faith aren't at odds.

cool beans.

New Year

My goal for the new year was to start a blog... and... so far -- not bad.... i'm only 11 days behind!!! why start a blog? i dunno... maybe to make public some of the awesome things that happen in my youth group... maybe to think out loud... maybe to just "be" - it was good enough for God right - "i am who i am... i was who i was... i will be who i will be." so, this is me be-ing.

but how can i start without a story from christmas - my favorite moment this chrismtas went like this: the youth were leading a christmas service... it was on dec. 20th, but it was a christmas eve service... and i was already proud of them... two wrote the sermon... several worked on the scripture... already many had come up to me to show me parts of the prayers they were writing. it was really a great process. the kids had chosen to center the service around luke 2:1-7, specifically the part where there was no room for mary and joseph in the inn. they had titled the sermon "no room in the inn... crowd..." and their goal was to reassure their congregation that it's okay to feel left out sometimes... certainly mary and joseph were left out... jesus was born as a homeless dude... and in the end, god used all of these people to do amazing things....

when the morning of the service came, one girl who had been practicing to play the part of mary was late... so late, in fact that we started the service without her and another girl had already agreed to step in. so, we get to the mary and joesph skit part and the girl who was to fill in stepped up and began the skit. in the middle of the skit, the first "mary" came in... and the substitute mary stopped the skit and said, "hey -- do you want to play mary?" - and then gave the first youth no choice but to play her as the substitute immediately began putting her "mary" blanket-turned-head-covering over the original mary and thrusting baby jesus in her hand. of course, the congregation laughed and patiently waited for the switch, but in the switch, i was overcome by this emotion: they get it. they get it that it hurts to be left out... and they are willing to share - even forcably - to make sure that everyone participates... it doesn't matter if the person comes to worship late - they are still a necessary part of this community. sure, god can use us even if we feel left out, but as a community, we are called to be sure that no one is left out.

so, yeah for the youth! and yeah for impromptu moments in the life of a youth group that demonstrate in less-than-rehearsed ways what it means to be the community of believers anticipating a time when no one would ever feel left out... ever.