Monthly Archives: October 2010

“The Answer To The Question”

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Here are my thoughts for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost. The Scriptures for this Sunday are Jeremiah 29: 1, 4 – 7; 2 Timothy 2: 8 – 15; and Luke 17: 11 – 19.

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If you haven’t noticed, there is something unique about this date. It isn’t that it is a “double” date, which it is. And it isn’t necessarily that it is a “triple” date, which it is as well. There is a “double” date in every month and there are a string of “triple” dates in every decade.

No, the uniqueness in this number comes from another source. Just as 6:02 am on October 23rd can be used to represent Avogadro’s number (NA = 6.02 x 1023), so too does the binary representation of today (101010) have a second meaning.

In base 10, 101010 is equivalent to 42. And, if you are a fan or follower of Douglas Adams, then you know that this is the answer to the question about life, the universe and everything. In the process of hitch-hiking across the galaxy, the hero of the Adams’ novels encounters the ultimate computer which provides the ultimate answer, “42”. Unfortunately, the question for which this is the answer is “what is 6 * 9?” And, as I pointed out in “The Answer to the Question”, this means one of two things; either the universe and life itself are highly irrational, or whoever wrote the original question was very, very confused.

There is probably something wrong in and with society today and this is causing great conflict, grief, and distress in our lives today. Now, there are some who will gladly tell you what the solution is. Some of these individuals will be glad to sell you the secret to the solution for $19.95 plus shipping and handling charges.

Others will merrily tell you that the answer is found in the “Good Book”, the Bible, and all you have to do is send their ministry any amount of money you want and it will be used as seed money and, in no time at all, your money will be returned to you ten-fold and all your problems will disappear. Other religious types will say that the problems of this country are rooted in the moral structure of this country and that the key to finding the solution and leading a better life is found in a rigid, inflexible structure where they do the thinking for you and where one’s ability to think freely is limited to matters of faith and faith alone.

And there are those, of course, who hear the words of the fake preachers and the extreme preachers and say that they are the words of all ministers and they represent the ideas of all the church and are reflective of the Gospel in its basic intent. But the problem with these modern thinkers who proudly bear the title of atheist is that they do not offer a solution either. What they do offer is a non-religion religion, a belief system based on non-belief which is as irrational as those fundamentalists who offer a limited worldview or those prosperity gospel preachers who only wish to line their own pockets.

Now, as a chemist and one who believes in research, I have to think that all problems have solutions, even if the solution is not readily or easily obtained. The critical thing about solving problems is to not limit one’s self in finding solutions. Perhaps this is what Thomas Kuhn came to call a paradigm shift; a radical change in the view of the world because the evidence before you required a different view of the world. We limit our solutions because we have limited ourselves.

I have to imagine that it was that way with the people of Israel at the time of the writing of the Book of Jeremiah. They were in exile in Babylon and Jerusalem was far away in ruins and desolate. The Babylonians had taken the best of the best, the brightest of the brightest and then destroyed their homeland. It was as if the world had come to an end for them.

And then what does God, through Jeremiah, tell them to do? They were to build houses and plant gardens. They were to marry and have children. They were to make Babylon their home. I would have thought that many people would have felt that God would have wanted them to do just the opposite. After all, Jerusalem was their home; it was where the Temple was and it was where God lived.

But Jeremiah states that if things go well for Babylon, then things will go well for the people of Israel. Because somewhere along the line, God has not deserted them; He was right there with them. If I understand the context of these writings and the time of the exile, it is a time when the concept of God having a home is altered. To put God in the Temple and only the Temple limits God to the desires of the people; if the Temple is destroyed, then God is destroyed and the people lose. In a sense, that is why the Babylonians destroyed the Temple; it was to destroy the hopes of the people.

But, if God resides with the people, then the hopes cannot be destroyed. And if the people begin a new life with God in a new place then the hopes will be reborn and continue. It is exactly that which Paul is expressing to Timothy; that our lives are intertwined with God through Christ when we have accepted Christ.

Those who find solace in the words know that there is hope. It may be that they have encountered someone who gave them hope or there was a moment in their own lives when they saw a fleeting glimpse of home.

Ten lepers encountered Christ on the road between Galilee and Samaria. Obeying all protocols, they asked for mercy but from a distance. And Jesus granted them that mercy, cleansing them of their illness. And when they had all discovered that they were clean, one of them came back to say “thank you”. Now, I have written about this before (“Saying Thank You”) but I wondered what happened to other nine. Oh, I am sure they were cured of the disease but did they change their lives so that they wouldn’t get it again.

I don’t think it was necessarily that important that the one who did come back was a Samaritan. It could have been anyone who was an outcast in the society of that time. But Jesus chose a Samaritan to make a point, that the world that He was offering was a new world, a world with room for all and with a new vision. It was not a world limited by place, time, or ability. But it did require that each individual choose to begin a new life in Christ.

And there we are. We stare out at the world around us and we wonder. “What it will take to change the world; to remove the strife and violence; to make the world productive and the people healthy?” I don’t that the world will ever be free of differences; I don’t think that I would want to live in such a world. It is the differences that make this world but it is our inability to accept differences because our visions are limited that make this world what it is today. We want to know the answer but we may not necessarily know the question.

The answers to these questions are not found in some wacky, misguided computer that was programmed improperly when it was built. The answer is not found in some secret sold only in the late hours or early mornings of the day on an obscure shopping channel. They are most definitely not found in the words of a false shaman or preacher who would have you follow his interpretation of the Gospel. And they are not found in those who say there are no words to turn to.

There are words to turn to and they have been spoken over the years. The answers to the questions we ask are found in our heart but if our heart is empty, the answers have no meaning. For me, the foundation of life is found in Christ and it is through Christ that I can offer wisdom and thought, solace and comfort, and the promise of hope for a better tomorrow. If you are seeking the answers, if there is that emptiness in your heart, then Christ can be the answer. And if you have found Christ, then you are invited to share that discovery with others.

The question is and will always be, “will you follow me?” Only you know the answer to that very basic question.

Now Is The Time

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This is the message that I presented on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, 17 October 2004, at Tompkins Corners UMC.  The Scriptures for this Sunday were Jeremiah 31: 27 – 34, 2 Timothy 3: 14 – 4: 5, and Luke 18: 1 – 8.

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When I first read today’s Scriptures, my first thoughts were of a saying that I thought came from the Sixties, “If not now, when?” But, in my preparation for today, I could not find any reference to a time, a place, or a person where this was ever said.

I did find a phrase by Rabbi Hillel, a noted Jewish rabbi and scholar of the 19th century. But it wasn’t the phrase that I was looking for and I wasn’t sure if it even contained the same idea that I originally had. And besides, when I looked at the Scriptures again, I saw that the words spoke of now being the time for action rather than simply a question of when action should take place.

Now is the time when people should be calling for justice in a world that seems to be unjust. Now is the time when the cries for justice will be answered. Now is the time when we should be building, not destroying. Now is the time when people listen to the words of their youth and their heart rather than follow the leadership of those who espouse myths and easy promises for a better life.

We claim to be a Christian nation. Much of the political rhetoric of today’s campaigns is phrased in the aura of Christianity. Yet, how much of what is said today is actually Christian? Consider how this Christian nation is responding to terrorism. Terrorism is a product and an outgrowth of poverty, homelessness, disease, and oppression. Yet, our response to terrorism is more violence, more repression. We ignore the very things that create terrorists in the first place.

As a Christian nation, we should be responding to the needs of the homeless, the sick, the poor, and the oppressed. Yet, like our predecessors, we say to Christ, “when did we see thee homeless or sick or in need?” Our faith today seems to be a faith of convenience. We want it there when we need it but we are unwilling to be there when Christ needs us.

It is no longer be a question of when Christ will come. The words of Jeremiah tell us that now is the time of Christ’s coming. Yet, too many preachers today proclaim a false prophecy and speak of the coming of Christ as a future event. They speak of Christ’s coming but ignore the world around them. They speak as if only a chosen few, chosen by them rather than God, will be rewarded. These preachers, not God, tell their followers which path to walk so that one can receive redemption and salvation. In a world that cries for justice, it is the loudest representatives of Christ who act like the ones who persecuted Christ?

The frightening thing in all of this is that people listen to these false preachers. They accept these false concepts of the Gospel because it is easier to do that than to do what we are called to do in the Gospel message. It is easier to blame the homeless, the sick, the oppressed for the problems of the world than it is to build houses, hospitals, and restore justice. It is easier to see a glory to come later than to work for glory now. It is easier today to have a faith of convenience and ease than it is to have a faith of belief and action. But, as Christ said to us today, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Those not willing to walk the path where Christ leads are not likely to find the true faith.

Paul tells Timothy to be wary of those who teach false myths. What would Paul say today about the preachers who preach hatred, division and oppression, intolerance and ignorance, all in the name of Christ? Paul’s counsel to Timothy is to hold to that faith of his youth, to the teachings that were true. Even in the roughest times, hold to the truth that is found in your heart. Like the widow in today’s Gospel reading, if one holds to the truth found in God through Christ, one will prevail.

And it will not be a long wait. We hear from the prophet Jeremiah that now is the time. Jeremiah tells us that God now has a new covenant, one cast not in stone but written on our hearts. It is a covenant to replace the one that brought our ancestors out of bondage in Egypt. Jeremiah, in this passage, speaks of the new covenant formed between the people of this world and God through Christ. But it is a covenant that requires that we participate.

Now, you will say that this is all well and good. But violence is sometimes the only response to violence. I will not deny that one has to defend one’s self but should we seek violence. Remember that on the night Jesus was arrested Peter took a sword in defense of Him and cut off the ear of one of those who came to arrest Jesus. But Jesus commanded Peter to put down the sword and then healed the one who Peter struck.

You will say that we are only single individuals living in New York. You will say that it is hard enough to live and work here without having to take on the challenges of the world. Besides, nothing we do locally changes the global landscape. And, we have enough to do here at Tompkins Corners so we cannot worry about other things.

But what we do here today does have an impact on what happens elsewhere. Did we not, as a church, give a portion of our offering so that a person from this area could go to Mozambique and minister in the name of the Lord? Do not our birthday offerings go to relieve the homeless problem in this area? Do not our apportionments, along with those of other United Methodist Churches, expand the reach of this church beyond the boundaries of the corners and the county?

And do we not, as individuals, come in contact with countless others each day? Do we not, for brief moments each day, have the opportunity to show the presence of Christ in our lives?

The answer to all these questions is that we do. And each time we do something like that, we make a difference. Yest, it is a small difference but like the mustard seed of two weeks ago, from little differences come great things.

We must do as Paul counsels Timothy today. Hold fast to what you know is true. Hold fast to the counsel and guidance provided through the Holy Spirit. Continue doing what your knowledge of the scripture and the presence of the Holy Spirit tell you is the right thing to do. We must listen to what is in our heart and in our mind, not what others might say. It is not an easy task, Paul tells Timothy, but it is the one task that receives the true rewards.

We know that this is the time. Maybe you have been hearing Christ calling to you, asking you to repent. Now is the time to answer Christ’s calling. We know that this is the time where we can fight for justice, where we can reach out and show the power and the presence of Christ as our Savior. Maybe now is the time for you, individually, and we, as the church collectively, to renew the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Maybe the Holy Spirit has been calling you, asking you to reach out to your neighbor and invite them to be with us next Sunday. Now is the time to answer that call.

Jeremiah tells the people that this is the time when God will renew His covenant with His people. Now is the time to put our names on that covenant.

What I See

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Here are my thoughts for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, 3 October 2010. The Scriptures for this Sunday are Lamentations 1: 1 – 6, 2 Timothy 1: 1 – 14, and Luke 17: 5 – 10.  Sorry for the delay

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As you may know by now, I am an alumnus of Truman State University. But if you pressed me for specifics, I would point out that I really never attended Truman State University. Truman State University has only been in “existence” since 1995; before that, it was known as Northeast Missouri State University. But I only did graduate work at Northeast Missouri State University. I graduated in 1971 from Northeast Missouri State College, which was not the name of the school when I began my college studies. Over the years that I have been associated with Truman, its name has changed from Northeast Missouri State Teachers College to Northeast Missouri State College to Northeast Missouri State University and finally to Truman State University.

The changes in the name of Truman reflect not only its history but its mission. Founded in 1867, it was first known as First Missouri Normal School and Commercial College. It retained the designation as a Normal School until 1916 when it became Northeast Missouri State Teachers College. It became Truman State University when the mission of the school changed from teacher preparation to a more liberal arts direction.

I think that it was a good thing that these changes were made; I don’t know what people would say if I said I had graduated from a “normal” school and I am not entirely certain what it says about my degrees from the Universities of Missouri and Iowa.

But each name change in the 143 year history of the school reflects are change in the mission and purpose of the school, from a teacher’s training school to a liberal arts institution. Part of that change occurred in 1970 when Charles McClain was chosen as the President of the University. Now, many of the changes in the mission of the school and the resulting name changes occurred after I graduated so I cannot speak to those changes.

But the late 60s and early 70s were a time of immense change in this country. Long standing concepts about power and authority were being challenged. The changes that swept through this country at that time did not avoid Kirksville even if those who lived there may have wanted them to. In the spring of 1969, the Black Student Association organized a sit-in of the Administration Building (Baldwin Hall) in protest of the city of Kirksville’s housing policy and the college’s support for those policies rather than support the needs and desires of the students of the colleges. I participated in that sit-in as a supporter. Now, there are some who will tell you that this was a negative episode in the history of the school and the town but I saw it then and still see it today as part of the awakening of the college and of the college and the town becoming aware that there was a world outside the boundaries of northeast Missouri. I posted my own thoughts about this episode in the college’s history and my life in Side By Side.

I cannot speak as to what decisions were made that brought Dr. McClain to Kirksville in 1970 but I suspect that there were those who felt that a change was needed and it would have to come from outside the traditional sources. Dr. McClain’s predecessors as President tended to operate the office in what I would call a very autocratic and authoritarian, almost royal manner. There were to be no challenges to such power or any decisions that were made. This attitude, in part, lead to the Baldwin Hall sit-in.

But as Bob Dylan wrote “the times were a-changing”. And though I may not have known it at the time, my own personal encounter with Dr. McClain spoke of the things that were about to take place. For some reason, most likely the quality of the food in the dormitory cafeteria, I decided to invite Dr. McClain to be my guest for dinner one evening. So I went over to the administration building, went into his office and asked his secretary if he were available. He had a few moments free and I took the opportunity to invite him to be my guest for dinner in the dorm cafeteria that night. To my surprise, he accepted my invitation.

We met later that day and walked across campus to the dorm. I cannot recall what we talked about that night some forty years ago but it probably would have centered on college life. What I do remember is that, as we went through the serving line, everyone assumed that this man was my father.

It speaks to the times and the culture of the place that people (students, faculty, and staff) would think that way. It was a culture where the college president and upper level management very seldom ventured around campus and they most certainly did not eat in the dorm cafeteria with the students (they had their own private dining room). So it came as a shock to many when Dr. McClain ate dinner in the dorm with students that evening.

Did this little episode in the history of the school change anything? The dorm food really didn’t improve and I can’t speak to what happened after I graduated. But I would like to think it did or that it reflected the type of changes that were about to take place. I do know this; in 2009, when I posted a version of this story in a comment about the new presidential search taking place at Truman, I heard from Dr. McClain telling me that he remembered the invitation and the dinner. And what happened that night was a foretaste of things to come across this nation.

In the 80s there would be a flurry of articles and discussions about excellence in the workplace. One thing that came out of all of that discussion was the innovations came from the bottom up but were supported from the top down. Innovation could not take place unless those at the upper levels of management bought into the change and everyone in the organization was committed to the change. It does little good for a company, an organization, or an individual to say they are for change and then expect the change to occur without their full support or participation. Leaders cannot say that change will occur in their organization, whatever type of organization, and then maintain or continue what they have done in the past.

I wrote about the contradiction between the talk of change and the action of change back in 2006 with To Search for Excellence. The church is no exception. You cannot expect change to occur if it is driven from the top down and there is no support from the top. There is a discussion going on right now in response to a post by Dan Dick (“Make-No-Wave United Methodist Church”) that speaks to the conformity and complacency of the modern church, of the inability of the church, its leadership and its members to see beyond the walls of the church.

As many have pointed out in their comments to Dan Dick’s piece, we have been talking about the need to change the church for almost thirty years now. And all of the talk has been accompanied by a concern that we not rush the issue. But the people do not want the change; they are quite happy with what they have at the moment.

And until we realize that and then, having realized that, begin to make substantial changes in what happens, we are going to have in our churches the image that Jeremiah saw when he looked at Jerusalem at the beginning of the Babylonian exile. A once bustling and prosperous city is now empty because the people failed to heed the warnings given by countless prophets. Each prophet, including Jeremiah, pointed out that what the people were doing worked against rather than for the wishes of God. Each time an individual ignored another individual, an equal member of society in God’s eyes, was a strike against them.

But did not the prophets warn the people what was coming? How long will it take for the people today to heed the warnings given two thousand years ago? I see a church content in its life but afraid of what is outside the walls. I see a church that will not change, even when they hear the words of Christ.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus asks us if the owner of a business or a farm would invite his or her workers to dinner. The story signals a change in a relationship between people that would come with God’s kingdom, a change that was not always welcomed then and not always welcomed today. We have too many people today who echo the thoughts of two thousand years ago; that there is a structure to society and you best know where your place in society is.

We live in a world where we easily speak of equality but we are very hesitant to bring about such equality. We are quite content to let our church structure reflect the nature of society rather than the nature of God’s kingdom. It is a church where the workers are not welcome and the management has no desire to mingle or sit with the workers. It is, if you will, a mirror of what our society is and has become.

I am looking at a church that seems bent on bringing about its own death. It sees the people leaving but blames them. I am looking at a church that demands that its pastors preach a “feel-good” gospel, one that doesn’t demand much from the listeners. And I am looking at a church structure which tells those pastors who dare to move forward that they will not have much of a future. It is almost as if the church in its entirety is afraid of what might happen if the words of the Gospel were acted out instead of just spoken real quickly.

I know there are others who see what I see and know that we can no longer wait. And they are willing to seek movement where movement may not seem possible at the time. There are those in leadership positions, not many for sure but some, who know that such movement needs to be done right now. They know that the words of the prophets are meaningless if they are not followed by action. And the actions of the people outside the church tell us that most people are not listening. The change that must take place must take place now; it cannot wait.

Paul also warned us some two thousand years ago. He warned us that the presentation of the message would never be easy; that we could expect trials and tribulation; we could expect to be hated for wanting to do what is required of us.

It will take a lot of work to effect this change. It will require that we be willing to stand up and speak the truth, even if the truth works against what the people believe. Other discussions have taken place across the Methoblogosphere that tell me many of those who call themselves Methodists do not have a clue as to what Methodism is about. And when you consider the recent Pew Form on Religion and Public Life survey on knowledge of Christianity (see “What Do You Know? For some, apparently not much!”), then most of those who call themselves Christian don’t have a clue as to what Christianity is about.

There is a quote in Jeremiah that says that we are at a crossroads and we must make a choice as to which way to go. There are many today who are at the crossroad, trying to figure out which way to go. But I see a church at that same crossroad but closing its doors and refusing to help those who are lost and confused to find their way. Yes, it will be hard to make the changes that are necessary at this time. But that is because we have put them off for so long.

Still, I see many who are working for the change, who see the church as it once was, before Constantine and the imposition of a state church, working for all the people. What Jesus did more than anything else was show the people that God was open to all, no matter at what level of society they might be. It was a far cry from what the people saw in their lives and it was a far better vision.

Can we say the same thing today? Are we prepared to move in the direction that Jesus offered when He said to us to follow Him? Do we see that road?

The dog in fact did eat the homework

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There was a recent discussion on the CHEMED list (a list devoted to a discussion of chemical education and related education topics) that was initiated by the following (paraphrased) comment. 

A student missed two exams and gave as his reason for missing the exams, “the power went off and I could not get the garage door open.” (It should be and was noted that there is a manual release for such openers.)

As a follow-up comment, one teacher commented,

that his dog did indeed eat the students’ test papers.  So he didn’t automatically think the excuses were invalid.

Another comment followed.

 I put the student papers on the floor next to the computer.  This was probably not a wise thing to do with a “leaky” puppy in the house.  Fortunately, the grades had already been recorded.  The students were told they could have the papers back if they wanted them.

And the one that I love:

We have a cat that loves to chew cords.  A laptop was left out over night and the next day they had to tell the IT department that their cat ate the mouse.

More dogs —

I was sitting on the floor in the living room grading on the coffee table.  My wife let our two elkhounds inside after being out in a torrential downpour but didn’t get the door from the garage to the house closed in time.  So there was mud, wet fur and ripped pages.

This was also provided by the same individual and does I believe qualify as one of the better excuses.

My essay is on my computer.  My computer is at the police station where it is being held as evidence.  It turns out that this individual’s roommate was using the computer to keep the records for the pot business that they ran on the sly.