Spiritual Itinerary for 2016 Pilgrimage to the United Kingdom

For this pilgrimage, we have chosen to follow the story of creation as we journey through the historic sites of the United Kingdom.  Celtic Spirituality is a very large part of the culture in Scotland and that has played a very large role in the creation of our spiritual itinerary.  Finding and encountering God in new and wonderful ways is central to Celtic Christianity; finding the goodness in all of God’s creations.  As we journey through the United Kingdom, our eyes will truly be opened to the goodness of God’s creation.

Below is an overview of each day along with the chosen scripture for that day.  Please keep us in your prayers as we travel and experience God in a whole new way.

Day 0:  In the Airport….. John 1:1-5

-        As we begin our journey, we will gather to read scripture for the first time in Newark during our layover.  During our time in Scotland we will be following the stories of creation.  Tomorrow, God will begin his work creating the world around us but also within us.  Tomorrow marks the beginning of creation, but in the beginning, the Word was already there.

Day 1 - Tuesday, May 31 – Genesis 1:1-5

-        As we get our first glimpse of Scotland, we will reflect on the first day of creation.  We now can finally see the beautiful landscapes of Scotland and see and celebrate the wonders of God’s creation.  But it also says that God created the heavens, or anything that is beyond earth.  The more we travel, the more we will realize that we are in a “thin place”, something beyond earth.  Where do we see God’s light shining through in this “thin place?”

Day 2 – Wednesday, June 1 – Genesis 1:6-8

-        Night and Day – In life, there are guaranteed times that we will experience both night and day.  We will have our ups and downs.  Some of you may be in the middle of the darkest night and some of you may be enjoying the most glorious day, and that is ok for everyone.  Wherever you are, in whatever place, remember the concluding line from the airport…. The darkness did not overcome it.  There will be darkness, but it will not overcome God.  (We will be visiting Durham/Norman Castle, which is the only castle which NEVER suffered a breach by Scottish invading England.  This also served as the Bishops seat.  The castle itself has experienced darkness, but it was never overtaken.) When have you experienced God in time of night and when have you experienced God in a time of day?

Day 3 – Thursday, June 2 – Genesis 1:9-13

-        God creates seas and dry lands and islands….as we travel by boat to visit the Farne Islands.  I mean, pretty perfect.  We will see the goodness of God’s creation as we explore both land and sea. Where did you see signs of God bearing fruit through Farne Islands?

Day 4 – Friday, June 3 – Genesis 14-19 (planned spontaneous Eucharist day- ask a chaperone to preach?)

-        God creates night and day and puts a dome in the sky to give “light to the world”.   Lindisfarne was the center of Christian missions in northern England and had a significant impact on the life of Britain.  How can we be the “light of the world” when we return home?

Day 5 – Saturday, June 4 - Genesis 1:20-31

-        God creates the animals, birds, and sea creatures.  Perfect for a coastal hike to witness and enjoy all of these creations.  Once we return home, how can we remember to stop and enjoy the goodness of God’s gift of creation?

Day 6 – Sunday, June 5 – Genesis 2:1-3

-        Sabbath.  God rests.  We go to church!  Why do we go to church on the Sabbath?  What do we do to “rest” from the daily grind?  Why is Sabbath important?  When we stop to rest, our hearts become truly open.  We realize that even during the darkest days, we are never in this alone.  Here,  we have our fellow pilgrims, at home we have our parents, we have our church, and when we say church, it is larger than just CHC or the Diocese of West Tennessee, or even the United States.  This morning we will worship the EXACT same way, saying the same words and prayers as we do at home, even though we are thousands of miles away.  It shows the great Anglican community that we are a part of and that we are never alone.

Day 7 – Monday, June 6 – Genesis 2: 4b -9

-        God nurtures and waters the earth so that it may grow.  Then God forms man of the earth.  Do we allow ourselves to remain connected to the earth that brings us life and nourishes us?  How can we find ways to connect with the land from which we were created by God?

Day 8 – Tuesday, June 7 – Matthew 17:1-8

-        Just as Jesus and the disciples experienced a very thin place at the top of a mountain, today we will ascend Arthur’s seat.  From here we will be very close to God as we look out over the entire horizon of Scotland.  Have you ever had a “mountain top” moment?  Did things look different as you returned to the ground?

Day 9 – Wednesday, June 8 – Matthew 17:9-13

-        When coming down, Jesus remarks that they should not share what they had seen until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.  After having their faith reaffirmed in the transfiguration, now Jesus is saying he will die.  This baffles the disciples.  As we prepare to leave, we may be near the end of our journey here, but just as Jesus is always with the disciples, so will this trip be with us.  How will this pilgrimage form your journey forward?

Day 10 – Thursday, June 9 – Matthew 28:16-20

-        Before returning to our families, we will charge them to take what they have learned and keep it with them, but also share it what they have learned with others.  Before returning to our families and friends, we are commissioned to go forth and spread the Good News we have encountered with others.  Be patient and kind with those who have not been on this journey with you, and allow God’s light to shines through your continued pilgrimage of faith.

Yours in Faith,

Matthew

Beacon of Christ

Tuesday and 2013 greetings!  It feels like a whole year has passed since the last issue came out.  Pun intended.

Well it is a new year.  That means this is the busiest month of the year for Gyms and personal trainers.  It is a time whenever tries to fix or change things that they may not like from the previous year.  Lose weight, study more, make better grades, read more books, watch less TV, what have you.   Personally, I have set some goals for myself too.  

As a youth group, I think we should do the same thing.  Together we are a community, a family.  As a whole, shouldn't we also make some New Year resolutions?  

Now, biased me can say stuff like, shouldn't we all agree to go to church more, be in Sunday School every Sunday, go to every EYC event even if I don't think it sounds like it will be fun (which you should never think cause it is always fun), come to CFT so I don't have to eat dinner alone on Wednesdays anymore, you know, stuff like that.  So I am not going to say that, even though they do sound like really great goals for the New Year.

I have actually been thinking about what are the goals that I want set for myself to accomplish here with the youth.  What is the whole point?  One word keeps popping in my head.  Beacon.  When I hear this word, I immediately imagine a lighthouse.  Lighthouses were built on coastlines to be a signal for ships to show them where the coast was.  Essentially, a lighthouse is a beacon.  If you are familiar with Thomas Kinkade, you may have heard of the Beacon of Hope lighthouse.  While his paintings may be referred to as kitsch art, it does demonstrate the concept of being a lighthouse being a beacon perfectly.

So what are we suppose to be a beacon of?  Hope?  Love? Compassion?  

This past Sunday was Epiphany.  During the service at Feast of Lights, a senior member from the DYC spoke about the light of Jesus.  She referred to Jesus as the sun.  He is the light.  Through him we are able to see all.  And we are the moon.  Alone we are dark.  We are there but we do not create our own light.  But when the sun light hits the moon, it reflects so much that it brightens the skies at night.  We are the moon.  Our job is to reflect the light of the Son.  

This year, my goal for myself and for what I want to be a joint effort throughout our youth group is to be a beacon.

To be a beacon, spreading the light of Christ to all those around us.

YOU are the Light of the World

Tuesday greetings!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. 

So today, I wanted to reflect on the Gospel reading from this past Sunday.  For those of you who do not remember it or where not there, no worries...here it is.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Luke 4:16-21

So I am currently reading a book called Uncommon Youth Ministry, by Jim Burns.  In this book, he talks about how when youth grow up and become adults, and look back at their youth groups they were involved in, a trend emerged.  Adults do NOT remember the programs that their youth minister worked so hard to plan and organize.  But it was the people that and the experiences that stuck with them when they were there.  I think about that as I read this scripture from Luke.  When these people left the synagogue that Jesus had just read, do you think they remembered what he said? 

If I hadn't posted the scripture, would you be able to tell me what it said?  I know I probably wouldn't be able to do that without looking it up.

But I think that this people probably remember how Jesus read, remembered his presence.  How powerful of a presence must that have been?  This man who was sent he to teach, doing what he does, teaching!  Proclaiming that the "Spirit of the Lord is upon me!" 

 How would that not give you goose bumps!  Just imagine what it would have been like to be there!

Listening as Jesus begins his ministry in Nazareth.  Listening as he proclaims his mission.  God's mission.  Our mission.

No doubt about it.  Jesus was a very talented man.  His gifts helped him on his mission.  When you think of words that describe Jesus, teacher and healer might be two words that pop into your head.  What gifts do you think he had that helped him? 

Calm, patient, caring, understanding, the list can go on and on.

Now look at yourself. What gifts do you have?  What are your talents?  What are you good at? 

I am sure this list can go on and on too.  Writing, math, sports, singing, playing an instrument, dancing, running, golf, solving problems, staying calm, being a leader....honestly, take some time and think of these things.  What are your gifts?

I use the word gift because that is what it is, the ability to do something - creative, something useful. 

One of my favorite parables is the Parable of Salt and Light.  (Matthew 5:13-16)  In the parable Jesus explains how when you light a lamp, you do not hide the light or cover it up.  You place it up high and let it shine for all to see. 

Same with your gifts.  Do not hide them or try to shield them from others.  These are your gifts from God.  They were given specifically to you!  Do not hide them from others.  Let your light shine bright for all to see. Because these gifts come from God, who has in mind not only the individual, but everyone all together. 

Remember, YOU are the light of the world.

Freedom God, I know you are already working in the world. I want to join you! Thank you for giving your Spirit within me to guide me. Lead me in truth. Amen

May your gifts burn like a fire,  

bringing warmth to everyone you meet. 

May your gifts light the world 

and reveal the goodness of God.
May your gifts today be embraced
and expressed
with creativity,
making you useful in God's mercy.

By This, Everyone Will Know You Are My Disciples

It is spring time in Memphis, which means many things.  Graduations.  Spring cleaning.  Beginning of summer vacations.

It also marks the ending of the semester for EYC and youth group activities at Holy Communion.  Numbers in spring always seem to drop.  That is not just here at Holy Communion, it seems to be a very common theme amongst churches with youth programs.  Sport’s schedule pick up, school seems more rigorous, and to be honest, apathy begins to set in.

We start looking forward to the future, that we stop caring so much about the things that are important to us now.  More often than not, church seems to be one of the things pushed to the back burner.

One thing I have been doing over my time here at Holy Communion is move from asking, “What do we do here?” and change it into a “Why do we do this?”  What is the purpose of a church youth group?  Is it merely just a place for to send teenagers to be entertained and show them that church is not always boring? 

I think it is so much more!

I became the full time Minister to Youth in August of 2012, making this the first graduating class that I have seen all the way through high school.  In reflecting on the memories and stories of these past four years, it becomes clear as to why we do things.

We have been through a lot these past few years.  We have had our ups and downs.  When we started, we were still trying to discover our identity.  As people but also as a program.  What were we?  In the years that followed, we have seen a lot.  We have seen divorce, car accidents, cancer, and death.  Things that teenagers should not have to deal with. 

But each time something happened, that person was never alone in their struggle.  What were we?  We were a group, that bound together, and overcome every challenge that was thrown at us, and we did it together. 

But all that still seems to cover the what, where is the why?  To answer that question, I must share my story.

I came to Holy Communion in 2004 because I wanted to be a part of the youth program.  My old youth group had fallen apart and I wanted to be a part of one.  I liked youth group.  My friends went to Holy Communion and so I joined.  That became my group.  My core group of friends.  The place I felt like I was at home.  School was filled with so much judgment.  It mattered so much about what you did and who you hung out with and how you acted.  You could not just be yourself, you had to be who you thought other people wanted to be.  But being at church was different.  At school, I was quiet and shy.  I rarely spoke up.  I did not want to pretend to be someone that I wasn’t just to fit in, so I didn’t.  But that was not the case at church.  Ask anyone who was in youth group at that time, I was anything but quiet and shy.  Before coming to Holy Communion, I once dressed as Buddy the Elf and danced around the Nave during church to make an announcement about the Christmas Carnival the youth were hosting.  I felt comfortable at church.  I felt at home at the church.  I was not judged.  I could truly be myself.

That was the why. 

After college, many of my friends were a little surprised when they heard I had become a youth minister.  Telling people about my religion and my faith was never something I really did.  I always admired the people who lived out their faith.  It always seemed to me that the most vocal religious people, were the least religious.  I disagreed with them.

John 13:35 was one passage that always stuck out to me.  “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Not, that they will know because you tell them, but because of who you treat others.  How you behave.

If I can say one thing about the youth group over these past few years it is this…. They love each other.

There was a sermon I heard once about what the church really was.  They told a story, one that I can relate to very much, about saying good-bye after a church event.  He shared how he had taken a group of youth on a trip and spent an entire week with them.  When they returned back to the church, they all unloaded, got their bags, and were all set to go.  They said their good-byes then they all gathered around the van and talked.  No one wanted to leave.  They started to walk towards their cars, said their good-byes, and then gathered up again and talked.  Finally, after about 20 minutes, he told the kids they had to leave because he wanted to go home.  So they all said their good-byes, got in their cars, and went to dinner together.  They did not want to leave each other.  After the kids left, the adults said their good-byes and then laughed and joked about how they had just spent an entire week with each other and weren’t sick of other yet.  They did not want to leave either. 

THAT…. Is the church.  THAT is the why.

The relationships formed here are unlike anywhere else. 

The relationships formed here make you want to go to the church and hang out during youth group after spending an entire weekend at a youth retreat.  They are the kind of relationships that make you go to Gibson’s every Wednesday after church.  They are the kind of relationships that make you gather with your friends after school at the church to watch movies.  They have been there to support each other no matter what life threw at them.

Three years ago, I wrote a post about what I wanted and I thought the youth group here at Holy Communion…the saying I landed upon, Beacon of Christ.  You can read that post here- http://youngsterstheology.blogspot.com/search?q=be+the+light

Looking at the group we have this year and the relationships that have formed…I would say that they are doing just that…they are spreading the light of Christ to all those around them.

You are Exactly Who You are Supposed to Be

Happy Epiphany!

Such a funny word isn’t it…Epiphany.  We hear this word and we celebrate it in early January…but what do we actually know about this season?

We may just know that it is that season that follows Christmas. 

We may know that the priest wears green during this time. 

We may even know that it celebrates the arrival of the Magi at the birth of Jesus.

But there has to be a lot more to it, right?

Well, the literary definition states that an epiphany is the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

But there still has to be a lot more that we can take away from it… that seems too…simple.

So a few weeks ago, I went to DuBose Conference Center to work at a High School retreat called Winterfest.  This was my third year to have the privilege of serving on staff for this 5 day long retreat.

The theme for the week came from Psalm 139, Because I am marvelously made!   Throughout the week we focused on the different ways that we see ourselves.  We started by spending sometime on how we see ourselves. 

When we look in the mirror, what are the things that we see in ourselves? 

Are they all good? 

Are they all bad?

Are you happy with yourself?

These are difficult questions for anyone to answer, cause it does not matter what age you are…most of us will not have only nice things to say when you are judging and critiquing yourself. 

I imagine that it may look a little bit like this...

But just because we may see ourselves one way that does not mean that is how everyone else sees us!

In the Epiphany story, we have the Magi coming to see Jesus.  They traveled from far away for a long time to come see Jesus.  Know I don’t think they would make that journey for any ole baby…do you?

They recognized something in Jesus, even from so far away….they knew there was something special going on and they had to be there.  So they went.

Jesus was two years old when the Magi arrived bearing their gifts…do you think Jesus fully knew and recognized who he really was?  I don’t know, but at two year olds, I find it hard to imagine for anyone to fully understand and grasp that concept…I am still trying to figure it out!

But the Magi saw something in Jesus…something that maybe even Jesus did not know.

Whether in this situation or in the case of yourself or even Gretchen Wieners and her “weird” hairline…

YOU are the only one who focuses on these problems…

In Genesis, God creates us, man and woman, in the image of God… and afterwards saw all that God had made and said…”It is very good.”

The way we see ourselves is not the same as the way God sees us.

God sees past the surface, past our fears and doubts, past our insecurities…

God sees us!

All throughout the Bible we have story after story of God calling on his people to do something and time after time they say no!  They say no because they don’t see what God sees in them!

Moses refuses five times saying that he is not the right person, Jonah runs away, Jeremiah says he is too young, Isaiah says he is too sinful, Gideon is just flat out angry with God, Samson loses his faith, Paul says I can’t, not after what I did to them, Mary says why me, I am just a girl, and even Jesus is afraid and asks if he really has to go through with it.

If you look in the mirror and don’t think that you are the right person…or the best person…or that you can’t do something…or are too young…or too lost…too sinful….too scared….you are in GOOD company!

Repeatedly, God replies the same way… “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” -Jeremiah 1:3.

So today, take some time and stand in front of a mirror.  See all of those fears and insecurities…visualize all those things that are keeping you from being the best you that you can be…

What are all those things that are holding you back from being great!

Those things will be there and will hold you back…but only if you let them.

You are made in God’s image…therefore you are of God and therefore you are Godly…

This Epiphany, the season of light…remember that the light of the world is here with us today. 

The light of the world is with you day in and day out.

When you stand there thinking of all those negative things…the light of the world is there.

“You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:14

Hopefully it doesn’t take some magi traveling from the east to help you realize that.

Be the Light

So, there is no doubt that this past weekend was not an easy one to watch the news.  School shooting in Sandy Hook, shooting in Memphis, school stabbings in China, shooting of women making polio-vaccinations in Pakistan, it is just depressing to read the news these days.  These events are not contained to the United States, they are worldwide. 

When tragic, terrible events like this happen, it always opens the door to questions.  What can we do about gun control to prevent this?  What about healthcare to help the mentally disabled, how can fix that?  How do we fight bullying in school?  Does the media cover these events the right way?  How? Why? What?

Always so many questions get asked.  Now, there is no way I am going to pretend that I could answer any of these questions.  Not even going to try. Instead I want to look at things in a different light.

When events like this happen, we think a lot about evil and all the darkness in the world.  We struggle to understand why and how so much darkness persists in the world.  Where is God?  Where is the light?

This past Sunday, these events were discussed in our 10^th-12^th grade Formation class.  And one question that came from our discussion was, “What can we do?” 

Below is a post from a mother who had a conversation like this with her daughter.  How can one person change the world? 

My daughter asked this the other day, as we walked along the bike path, the sea murmuring at our side, low bushes thick to the east and west. A small wren darted near our feet, its tail erect and bright blue. A new housing development sat squat on the headland, looking over a dense history of waves, of spirit, of sun and moon rise, and the endless calls of birds.

Here is where deep spirit lies, the local Aboriginals say. There is an indigenous tent embassy set up by the beach, by the water. People are still listening to the living, breathing land, here and elsewhere.

"How can one person change the world?" my daughter asked. "I'm just one person. Humans have done so much damage—it makes me sad. I can't change it."

"You already are changing it," I said. Her hand lay small and soft in mine. Her feet walked in time with mine, her eyes watching everything, noticing, listening. "You are changing it by living your truth," I said. Which sounded so very ambiguous and new agey but that's how we talk. We talk like hippies in our house, and idealists and impossible adventurers.

"But," she said, "I can't make a difference. One person can't."

"One person can, and does, all the time. Their voice speaks out, then it adds to another person's voice and another person's voice, and all of a sudden…"

People start to listen. It can begin with a single voice. Think of Gandhi, and Buddha, and Jesus, and Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks. Think of people camped in treetops trying to save old growth rain forests. Think of a girl baking cookies to raise money for the RSPCA. Think of an Israeli man posting a message of love to Iranian people on his Facebook page, and then it spreading, Iranians posting messages in return, a great sweep of peace rising. Think of a President speaking out for marriage equality.

Think of the small acts people do every day— smiling at others, including others, listening to others, sharing with others. Think of passionate people, creative people, questioning people, people who care so much about this planet and the living things on it that they can't help but speak out. They make a difference by living their truth, by spreading compassion, by loving others. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

http://respectlovelearning.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-can-one-person-change-world.html

Remember this the next time you feel surrounded by darkness.  All it takes it’s a single glimmer of light.  Be that light.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.”

-The Buddha

We must look back, to Move Forward

The time is almost here! 

So far this Advent we have felt hope.  That even though we may have lost our way, God will always follow through with the covenant made with Abraham.  So even when times are dark or times are tough…we look the future with hope knowing that as long as we bless him, we will be a blessing to others (Genesis 12:1-3).

We have prepared.  Just as the prophets foretold and just as God has promised…one will come baptizing in the name of the Holy Spirit; the Messiah! (John 1:19-28)  To be ready for this, we must be prepared for this.  Instead of waiting for another John…we need to do the work ourselves.

We have felt joy on Gaudete Sunday!  We rejoiced as the shepherds learned of the announcement of the birth of the Messiah.  Letting us know that you do not need to be big and powerful or a king…God works through us to make these amazing moments happen.  Let us allow God to work through us so that we may be Christ to others.

This week, we light the last purple candle on our Advent wreath…this one stands for love.

Why is all of this happening?  Because of love…

“For God so loved the world…”  I think that is a verse just about everyone knows.

God loves us…that is why all this is happening. 

Advent four, we have the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and telling her that she is going to become pregnant with the son of God.  Not big news at all!

Advent is a difficult time to fully grasp, because we are looking backwards in order to move forward.  In our time, we have spent the past four weeks preparing for the coming of Christ, an event that has already occurred.  But as we do this, we are also looking to the parousia or the second coming of Christ.

During this time we hear a lot from Isaiah, a prophet in Jerusalem that is lamenting for his people who have become so lost and so separated from God.  We have King David and the covenant God made with him.  Through all of this you hear these things about one that will come and make a new Kingdom on earth, one that will come and save everyone, one that will come and establish a new Jerusalem…  Many would argue that these people had no idea that this was Jesus they were talking about, that God was working through them, and they did not fully comprehend what it all meant.

Jump forward like 400 years!  If you think the 4 weeks in Advent takes too long…imagine if it were 400 years!  Throughout this whole time, we still have the people of God being separate from God.  They are still looking for the one that will come and save them.  Hoping for a warrior king to raise up and lead them against the Romans!  For 400 years, they waited.  Hoping that God will fulfill his promise.  Preparing for the time that this might happen, being joyful that that time may be coming soon…then we get to Advent 4…it is happening!

Mary has received the message…After years and years of waiting and preparing….the time has come!

The Messiah, the great warrior that will set them all free…has finally come.

But the leader they were expecting would not be the leader they would receive.

The son of the God that gave his only son because he loved the world…would not be a warrior, but would be a loving, caring God, one that would lead in a different way.

As we look back at these stories in the Old Testament…let us use the lessons in them to help us out today, as we wait for the time Christ will return.

As we near the end of Advent, we look back and celebrate the gift of love from God in his son Jesus Christ and we look forward to the second coming.

Happy Advent everyone and I hope you all have a very joyous Christmas!

An Eye for an Eye...

After the events of this past week, especially these past few days, I am full of lots of emotions.  I am speechless at the hatred and complete lack of respect people can have towards others.  I am saddened by the evil, racial slurs, and finger pointing that takes on such a regular basis here in my own city. I was shocked after hearing the reports of the incident that occurred at Kroger just the night.  The same Kroger that is a mere 2 minutes from house and was at just a day before.  Then the next day reading of a shooting that took place in a Target parking lot…again I had one emotion.  I was hurt.

I was hurt by how we can treat each other.

I was hurt by the violence and evil that often times eclipses the good in this world.

I was so hurt by all of these things.  But I was also hurt by a lot of responses to these incidents.

I have read a lot of name calling, racial slurs, and hate filled comments about the entire incident.

I must be honest; I too struggled with an appropriate response.

Today is the Feast Day of Constance and her Companions, also known as the Martyrs of Memphis.  In 1878, when the yellow fever epidemic struck, many priests, nuns, and doctors stuck around to tend to the sick and dying.  In the face of this life threatening plague, they chose risk their lives and help those who could not help themselves.  Today we honor them.  The traditional Anglican prayer used to memorialize the Martyrs of Memphis is:

We give thee thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the Heroic witness of Constance and her companions, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and the dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death. Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ...

This prayer made me think a lot today.  In light of these events, how would I respond and how I should I respond?

My immediate response I think would be anger.  I would be so upset by what happened and would want an explanation and would probably want to retaliate. 

Last Lent, I attended a sermon given by Marcus Borg.  He broke down a section of Matthew.  One verse he broke down was Matthew 5:39.  This is the passage that tells you to turn the other cheek.  You may be like me when you hear that…”If someone hits me there is no way I am going to turn my head and say ‘Hit me again!’” 

Borg went on to explain that is not what he thinks Jesus meant either.  The most important thing to do when interpreting these stories and parables in the Bible is context.  He went on to explain the difference in their lifestyles back then.  Here you have Jesus and his followers, who are Jewish, living in a Roman ruled empire.  The Romans saw themselves as being above and better than Jesus and his followers.  Back in those days, you did not punch people that were below you.  Punching someone was only used when you were dealing with someone who was your equal.  The way to hit someone who was lesser of a person was to backhand slap them…

Yea, I know this sounds weird but trust me.

In this passage, when Jesus says to turn the other cheek, in the words of Borg, it is not so that we are treated like doormats, but because if they were just struck, it would have been a backhanded slap.  By turning the other cheek, the only way for the person to hit them again would be with a punch…which, even for just that moment, that person considered you an equal.

Something else that I have been reflecting on this week is a quote that Rabbi Micah Greenstein said in our Parish Hall Forum last December.  “Do what you can, in the place you are, with what you have.”  He said this in reference to doing outreach and mission work.

Especially in light of the events that have just occurred, I think it is fair to share that the city of Memphis could use a lot of work.  What can we do about it?

On one hand, we may respond with anger, and hate, and wanting to retaliate…but that wouldn’t be right.  Jesus does not say, ‘If someone strikes you, hit them back.’

But also if we use the Borg way of viewing this, we are not simply suppose sit there and allow it to happen. 

If you look back a few versus before Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, there is another line, “You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.” (Matthew 5:38-39).

When Borg discussed this, he went back to the Greek text that was used and retranslated it.  He explained how in Greek, there were two words that meant resist.  One of them was to violently resist, or resist by fighting back while the other was to verbally resist or resist in spirit.  In this passage, Jesus uses the former.  So you can retranslate that passage to, “Do not violently resist…”  This puts a new spin on the verse.

But still, what are we to do?

Do we leave?

I do not know the exact answer, but these stories do help me think through these things a little better.

This city needs help.  As a proud Memphian and someone who is tired of seeing my city on the news for the negative things, I do not simply want to leave.  Like Sister Constance and her companions refused to leave and instead chose to stay where the problem was, and do what they could to help.

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

We, as the church, are here to spread the Kingdom of God.  We do not need to go out into the world evangelizing and preaching about the how they must behave in order to be “saved”.  We do need to be careful and smart though.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t go out into the world and “…set an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).