A walk...

In less than two days, the holy season of Lent will be upon us.  In the midst of Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations, many people are contemplating what they will give up, or take on as a part of their spiritual discipline.  Growing up, I attended a Catholic school.  Lent has plagued me for most of my life, but as an Episcopalian, I think that I may have figured this Lent thing out.  Personally, I don’t think that God is concerned about what we give up or take on for Lent.  I think that Lent is a time in which we look inward at ourselves, and walk the walk.  

One of my favorite spirituals is “I want Jesus to walk with me.”  In 2004,  hip hop artist Kanye West released a track “Jesus Walks” on his College Drop Out CD.  “Jesus Walks” is loosely based on the lyrics of “I Want Jesus to Walk with me, ” of course with a little urban Kanye spin.  Don’t get me wrong, I do want Jesus to walk with me.  I believe that the journey to Lent is a holy and sacred one, a time in which we don’t ask Jesus to walk with us, but that we walk with him.

Lent calls us to walk with Jesus through the wilderness, through the temptations, through the miracles, through the healings, and yes, even through the agony in Gethsemane, the crucifixion and the glorious resurrection.  As we walk with Jesus, let’s be mindful, that it is not easy, just as the journey to the cross was not easy for Jesus.  During your lenten stroll, think about how the Universal Spirit will move in,through and around you, while giving you joy for the journey.  This in turn may cause you to be a blessing in the lives of others around you.  You may look up and soon discover that you are not walking with Jesus alone.  Put on your walking shoes.  Here’s wishing you and yours a happy, blessed and holy Lent. 

Peace,
Karsten

Missed Opportunity

 

Okay, so today I have another case of the shoulda, coulda, wouldas.  Today I went to worship at a different church.  I decided that after concluding my internship, it might be good for me to reconnect with my childhood and give the Baptist Church "the old college try."  I visited First Baptist Church in Downtown Raleigh today.  I must admit that there were some things that I had not done in church in decades, like reciting the Church Covenant before communion.  It was good to be back in the church routine that I encountered as a child.

After church, I had my day planned.  Coffee at Bruegger's, write lesson plans, eat lunch, call mom, rest/nap, watch the Super Bowl with friends, shower, retire for the evening.  I live on the cusp of downtown and decided to get some good cardio in and walk to First Baptist.  On my way home, I encountered a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties.  His first attempt to get my attention unnerved me.  I don't respond too well to "Yo."  I kept walking and was then haunted by the you tube video that Fr. Ethan Jewell, Curate at St. Clement's in Philadelphia had posted on responding to homeless people or those in need.  So, after considering how I would feel being brushed off and ignored by someone, I turned around and by this point, he had caught up with me.  His first question was, Are you leaving church?  My immediate thought is "Where the heck is this conversation going?"  I replied; Yes.  He continued and asked me if they had a second service.  I responded yes.  My friend then tells me that he wanted to go to church and that he slept under the Glenwood Avenue bridge at Morgan Street and had to go get his bag and put on a better shirt.  Immediately, I directed him to the church that I felt that he would be warmly welcomed and recieved, just as he was, The Church of the Good Shepherd.  I directed him to the church.  He thanked me and we parted ways.

As I was walking home.  I really wanted to kick myself.  There was another opportunity for me to minister to the needs of someone else, but instead I let it slip by.  I thought about this young man's story.  Apparently he was churched, even to the point of identifying people that look stereotypically "churched" and inquiring of a church's worship schedule.  At that moment, I was so caught up in me, my plan, my agenda and me, I had neglected the need of a fellow brother.  By the time I arrived home, I wondered what would have happened had I walked with this young man to Church of the Good Shepherd and introduced him to the Associate Rector for Urban Ministry?  What would have happened had I engaged him long enough to inquire of his needs even if I could not meet them.  Alas, I sit in Bruegger's drinking lukewarm coffee wondering what could have been.  I hope that my friend did make it to Church of the Good Shepherd, or any church in which he was warmly welcomed and received.  Let us be ever mindful of potential missed opportunities to minister to the needs of those around us.

Peace,
Karsten

Nightmares are dreams too...

 

Today is a day in which we celebrate the life, mission and ministry of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Additionally, the nation will throw partisanship aside and celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama for a second term.  This year, 2013 is a very important year, the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington will be celebrated in August.  At the March on Washington, Dr. King delivered his “I have a dream speech.”  This year also marks the 150^th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, which freed thousands of enslaved people.  

I’m very excited about the events and celebrations today.  What I ponder most is: In 2013, has the dream and vision that Dr. King had for our nation come to pass?  Yes, we have a black president.  But the dream of Dr. King is so much more than that.  We often forget that nightmares are dreams too.  After today’s reflections on Dr. King’s speeches, the inaugural pomp and pageantry, America will awaken to a nightmare.  We will awaken to a society where the divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ continues to grow.  We will awaken to packed prisons, bourgeoning numbers of homelessness, a grieving community in Connecticut mourning the loss of little innocent children and their caregivers who were simply going to school or work.  We will awaken to a nightmare where teenage and youth suicides are at an all-time high.  We will awaken to suffering people who cannot afford adequate healthcare, struggling single parents, war and its aftermath, senseless murders, drug infested neighborhoods and the list goes on.

Every dream and nightmare ends with an awakening.  Even though we are in a chaotic nightmare, the dream of Dr. King can be revived with a great awakening that this country has never seen before in its history.  It is time for us to awaken into peace, love, unity, equality for all, regardless of color, gender or socioeconomic status.  You too, can be a part of the new “Great Awakening.” We are at a great confluence as a nation.  Allow the words of  the prophet Micah, speaking to us through eternity, be the launching pad to propel us into the new “Great Awakening” of our nation.  “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8.  Beloved, we can end this nightmare.  The new “Great Awakening” is upon us.  It’s time to wake up.  The dream must live on, in and through us.  We give thanks for the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and all the possibilities that await us.  

Peace,
Karsten

In the Bleak Midwinter

This past Christmas, I discovered a new carol.  Well, it was in the hymnal 1982 all along, but being the newbie episcopalian that I am, I heard it for the first time at Christmas Eve Mass and the First Sunday after Christmas.  With all this talk of snow, and the fact that we are in the "Bleak midwinter" season, with an extremely dreary day, coupled with the potential arrival of evening snow, this song has been floating around in my head all day.  Thank God for Youtube!  Just meditate on the lyrics which were written by Christina G. Rossetti.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.  

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,

worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him:  give my heart.

Beloved, may you find peace in the midst of the darkness and chaos of the bleak midwinter.  May you ever be mindful of the hand of God and his presence in our lives, even as it seems that we await in darkness with the promise of new life and the advent of spring.

Peace,
Karsten  

Fish sandwiches with Jesus

I often think about the miracles that Jesus performed around food and beverages.  I bet the wine at that wedding party at Cana was some good drinking.  Luke's account of the feeding of the five thousand is another example of good eating with Jesus at its best.  Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two small fish. 

Luke's account of the story is as follows:
"The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces."

 I was reminded by my pastor, Rev. Jemonde Taylor that the miracle was not Jesus feeding the five thousand, but rather taking what the disciples had from within them, blessing it and multiplying it.  As we opened our Vestry meeting last night with spiritual formation, this same text was the focus of our discussion.  As the text was read; three things resonated very deeply with me.  The very first thing that Jesus told the disciples was "You give them."  In a world in which we tend to hoard and want to keep things for ourselves, it is clearly evident that we are to be givers, whether that be of food, time, money, or talents.  We are called to give, and not only to give, but give cheerfully. 

The next thing that I took away from this story is that everyone ate and was filled.  The very ministry of Jesus was to level the playing field, to bring equity to a polarized society.  Wouldn't it be something, if everyone's basic needs were met and there were leftovers to share, even after all needs had been met?  At the end of the story, everyone was filled and there were twelve baskets of leftovers.  The lingering question that convicts me is this: "What's left over after you give?"  I know that in this challenging and unstable economic time, we can only focus on what we have.  Take what you have, give it to Jesus.  Let him bless it, share what you have with others.  As was the case with the five thousand souls fed by Jesus, you may have so many fish sandwiches that there may not be enough Texas Pete to go around.  If you give "them" what you have, everyone will be filled and blessed.  What will be left over after you give?

Peace,
Karsten

Grace upon Grace

 

As the season of Christmas continues, yes, it is still Christmas time.  Today is a holiday on two calendars.  Happy New Year!  On the church calendar, today is also the Feast of The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Have you ever thought about what your name means?  Do you know what your name means.  Google it, if you don't.  Those of us with particularly unique names may have to dig a little deeper to get down to the surface as to how and why we inherited our names.  The church celebrates the Holy Name of Jesus as a means to commemorate the day that Jesus' parents presented him to the temple to be both named and circumcised.  The name Jesus simply means yahweh saves or salvation.  

The first chapter of the Gospel of John is a very beautifully written account of the incarnation of Christ, or Jesus becoming human.  Kirk Franklin has a somewhat popular song "Now behold the Lamb,"  in this song there is a line that sums up the incarnation or enfleshment of Jesus: "born into sin that we may live again, he's the precious lamb of God."  John 1:16 reads: From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  From the fullness of Christ, we have received grace upon grace.  Grace defined is simply unmerited divine assistance given to someone.  

Beloved, as we celebrate the new year and ponder all that 2013 has in store for us, take time to remember that God has sought you out by name and through the fullness of his only begotten son given you grace upon grace.  My wish for you during 2013 and beyond, is that you experience the fullness of Christ and rest in the grace upon grace freely given to us.  We are called to be a human expression of the grace of God.  Happy 2013!  Keep the faith, continue to grow in grace.  The world awaits you.

Peace,
Karsten

When you think, you thank!

Most of my baptist and pentecostal friends can finish this sentence.  "When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me..."  The end of this sentence is "my soul cries out HALLELLUJAH!  Thank God for saving me.  I know that we have passed Thanksgiving, but just yesterday and today, I was reminded that every day is a day of thanksgiving.  "When you think, you thank."  That is one of the many sermons preached by the Right Reverend Vashti Murphy MacKenzie of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.  Undoubtedly, she is one of my sheroes in the gospel.  As 2012 rests on its final hinges, when you think of the goodness of God and how he's carried you through moments this year, this month or this week alone, instictively, you ought to thank him.

Last night I had dinner with a very good friend of mine.  At the end of dinner he said "My, how times have changed."  He reminded me of when I was a young teacher and we would just sit and talk in the basement studio apartment that I rented at that time.  We laughed and chuckled at ourselves in those moments of our lives.  Just today, while running errands on that side of town, I had a flashback and a stroll through memory lane, of myself at that point.  It took everything in me to blink back the wells of water forming in my eyes that were on the cusp of falling.  In that moment, I realized that God has been GOOD to me.  As I was in the grocery strore, in my old neighborhood which I often frequented, I was reminded that although there were happy moments at that point in my life, I was also in a deep depression and in a very dark place.  I had my series of Job moments when I thought that everything had been taken away from me, I grappled and wrestled with my faith and even questioned God, Why me?

During this time, God used my mother to minister to me in a powerful way in which she had not done for me as an adult.  Even though I walked that lonesome path clouded by fear, that valley eclipsed by death and fueled by the desire to give up on God and myself, God made a way.  I am thankful for those dark moments, because they have formed me into who I am at present.  Life is tough.  None of us were born with a guarantee that it would always be rosy, or fair.  It is in those moments, when we wrestle with God, we recognize that he is with us.   Like the old folks say, "My soul looks back and wonder how I got over!"  As we await the pending fiscal cliff, take time to go back to that place in your life where you really had to rely on God.  If you have to go to an old neighborhood, go.  When we return to that place where God met us at our need, we will gladly thank him.  When you think, you thank. 

Peace,
Karsten