Practice, Pratice, Practice

Dear friends,

There is a story about a businessman who was checking out new office space in a high rise building with floor-to-ceiling windows. He asked the realtor if the windows were secure. In response, the real estate agent backed to the far side of the room and running at full speed slammed into the glass. It held, and the businessman took the space.

I thought of this story as I was reading yesterday's gospel lesson from the daily lectionary. The opening sentences, Luke 8:16-18, are as follows

16 "No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. 18 Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away."

On the surface this seems terribly unfair. After all, it seems as though we ought to give to those who have little or nothing -- if anything, those who have more stuff ought to lose some of it. Of course, this is not what Jesus means at all. Certainly He wants us to give to those in need, but this passage is about putting your light on a lamp stand, right out there in front for everyone to see.

The realtor in the story lived with an incredible confidence in his "product." It is obvious that he had studied that office building carefully; he knew without equivocation that the window glass would withstand the full force of his running body. Imagine how hard he had to work to know his properties that well. Because he did his homework every day, he made the leasing of office space look easy!

Isn't it like that with anything in life? When you watch the NBA playoffs and see those huge guys fly through the air so effortlessly, you have to know how many hours a day they trained themselves and practiced their sport. Likewise, Vijay Singh stretches his muscles for an hour every morning, does weight training for another hour, and then hits a thousand golf balls on days he is not playing in tournaments. Is it any wonder why golf looks like such an easy game when you watch it on television?

These days I am showing remarkable progress in my physical therapy and rehabilitation. Having said this, I need to repeat how very difficult this process has been from the beginning. Not only had my muscles atrophied from disuse, they have had to establish an entirely new relationship with my spinal cord. Even today, as far as I have come, it is still very difficult to get around because I have to think about every step in the process; it makes me so tired I am ready to drop by 8 p.m. in the evening.

Having said this, I am not ready to give up on practicing and training because I have seen such incredible results. For example, I am having physical therapy three times a week for an hour and a half each session. This by itself is enough to make anybody weary. I am doing significant upper body training including "triceps extensions" using a stiff "theraband." This is very difficult; especially when you consider that my triceps were almost completely "gone," physiologically speaking. The result of all this athletic training and practice is that yesterday morning I put on my pants, shirt and jacket without assistance. This may not sound like much to you, for me -- it is huge!

Also, I spend the last 30 minutes of our sessions on my feet moving back and forth across the therapy gym in a variety of balance and strength exercises. Most of the time, my therapist stands in front of me with her palms held upward and my hands facing downward. Sometimes we barely touch; mostly she is there for balance. When we finish these exercises my legs are like rubber, but they have that wonderful, warm sensation of having run 3-5 miles on a beautiful spring morning.

Once again, all these exercises have very practical benefits. They enabled me to really push my limits last weekend. On Friday evening, Carole and I joined the Eastminster session and Calhoun officers (elders and deacons) for dinner. After dinner I joined the Eastminster session in the Lydia Cottage where I gave a keynote talk to open their retreat. Because of my faithful and diligent practice, I was able to stand for 15 minutes or so. Awesome!

On Saturday we went back out to the Retreat Center to meet with the Calhoun officers for a communion service, lunch, and conversation about what is going on in the church's mission and future plans. In the middle we had lunch, again together with the two church groups.

On Sunday we worshiped with the Calvary congregation and I was the preacher. Because of all my good exercise and practice, I was able to preach a full-length sermon -- standing up, for the first time since April 11, 2004. I was quite tired when I finished the sermon, but remained standing for the Apostles' Creed, and still had the strength to get down three steps for the benediction and out to the narthex to greet worshipers. Did I mention that I was tired? Of course I was -- but wonderfully so!

There is one last thing: Carole and I went to Heritage church Monday evening for Sid Bowman's Memorial Service. It was a wonderful, uplifting, Christ-honoring service in every respect. The music was beautiful, and Sid Gunter lead us both to appreciate more fully our brother, Sid, and to love more fully our Lord Jesus Christ. Once again, I was able to walk and to stand in line -- coming in and going out. I could not have done it without many months of practice.

What is God calling you to do today? What has God brought into your life that is extremely hard to bear? What is God calling your church to do today? What has God brought into your church's life that is extremely hard to bear? These are particularly good questions for all of us, because on any given day each of us must answer them. If such questions terrify you, then you probably need to work at practicing your faith a bit harder and with more regularity.

On our Presbytery web site you will find some "Assumptions as we continue the Journey." I offer these to you as a set of missional questions to help keep you focused on the kinds of things you need to be thinking about as you carry out Christ's work in your particular part of God's work in Cherokee Presbytery.

It is these six assumptions that should be helping us frame the question about what God is calling us to do as church families. Likewise, the second question about what God has brought into your church's life that is hard to bear forms a particular frame around your missional planning. Please remember, one size never fits all -- or, another way of putting it, one size fits all -- badly!

I hope you would use these questions to help frame and form your church's programs and practices: that is, worship, Christian nurture, fellowship, education for service, and, last but certainly not least, service throughout your community and the world in Christ's name. This is a brave challenging journey on a good day. Without regular discipline and holy practice, it is very scary. Without any discipline and holy practice, it is impossible!

I will close with another great story from Opera Anecdotes by Ethan Mordden. Speaking as a tenor, I quote for you with my legs shaking -- It's Every Tenor's Nightmare

Making his operatic debut in January of 1906 at Savona, Italy, in the title role of Mascagni's "L'Amico Fritz" and billed as Giovanni Foli, John McCormack reached the middle of his big aria in Act Three when he realized that he was not going to make the high B-flat that climaxes the number. It's an exposed note; the aria may be said to lead up to it as a prayer leads up to "Amen," and it could not possibly be ducked.

McCormack hit upon a daring solution, based on the, to him, loud orchestra (All opera singers think the orchestra plays too loud). Comes the B-flat, he will open his mouth as wide as possible, throw out his arms in a pose suggestive of Tenor Doing a High Note, and let the orchestra sing the note for him.

He does it.

And the audience is so thrilled it demands an encore.

Gasp! There is no substitute for regular practice.

The light of Easter still shines brightly!

Jim

Shoulder to Shoulder in Fellowship

Dear friends,

On Tuesday I began another round of physical therapy that will involve three sessions per week for six weeks. The best thing about it is that I am now using the services of a therapy center here in Cartersville. This is just wonderful because it means taking just a small bite out of increasingly busy days. We will be working together on upper body strengthening and the continuing development of my lower body including balance and walking. Even though I have put on nearly 25 pounds, I am still not yet up to my weight on the day I was injured, April 14, 2004. Atrophy has taken a significant toll in all parts of my body. This will be a major challenge for the next several months.

Most of my session on Tuesday involved retelling my "story" to Janice -- my new physical therapist. As always, "I love to tell the story because I know 'tis true." I use this quote from the beloved hymn because the love of my story and the love of Jesus come together at almost every turn over this long and sometimes challenging year. More importantly, my story intersects with the Church's story in a wonderful way nearly every day.

First, Carole and I have experienced an extraordinary outpouring of love and prayer from Cherokee Presbytery, and indeed from the whole Church. I have reconnected with friends from churches as I have served all the way back to 1974. Beyond this, through the miracle of sharing e-mail messages, I have heard from people all over the world. The Church has indeed become my pastor and, I might add, the presence of the Church through visits, hymns, prayers, and spiritual songs, has enriched me and healed me in a wonderful way. I am sure that my persistence and hard work would have enabled much of my physical recovery, but my joyful peace could not have happened without the Church.

Second, Carole and I never stopped believing in the power of God. Early in my hospitalization at the Shepherd Center, Carole had a visit with the hospital disability specialist who asked her, "What did your husband do for work?" This question was devastating both to Carole and to me. After all, I had undergone surgery a number of times in the past and, after a few days of pain and some rehabilitation, I always return to normal activities quickly -- actually, ahead of schedule. Now, it seems, I was beginning to think that my pastoral calling was a thing of the past.

It was at this point that my understanding of the "tenets of the Reformed Tradition" became very clear. I knew that because I was baptized into Christ, that I was called by God for a special-purpose. Up to that point in my life, it had been the formative years and academic preparation. For the last 33 years, it had been my specific call to pastoral ministry. In case you ever had any doubt, I have always understood my calling to Cherokee Presbytery as "pastoral calling."

Finally, Carole and I never stopped serving Christ. We resumed my regular presbytery e-mail tradition just a few days after my surgery. Carole brought our notebook computer to the Shepherd Center and I dictated the first communication out of the body in which my mouth was about the only thing that worked. Faithful, reliable communication is a big part of the ordination vow taken by ministers -- "to teach faith." No matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient this was, it became our regular Wednesday evening practice -- and it remains to this day!

Next, the Shepherd Center staff knew that I was a Presbyterian minister and that Carole was an Elder. This meant that hospital staff, respecting privacy of course, could ask us to visit patients who in their judgment would receive well such a visit. We did this regularly and often and have wonderful memories of the experience.

I cannot begin to tell you how the Church has served us throughout the past year. We still have a "magic laundry basket" in our bathroom closet, and I still have Jane and Judy who look in on me nearly every day. I have numerous friends who have taken me to Atlanta for physical therapy, and others who are willing to take me for therapy here in Cartersville. I cannot begin to count the number of meals that have been brought to our home. On several occasions there have been some wonderful twists in these acts of loving service. On two occasions, as people brought food for us to eat, Carole was going out the door with food that she cooked for the local homeless shelter. You see, if everybody serves -- everybody gets fed!

Enough about me, these messages are really about the Church, as if you didn't know. This week we have witnessed an amazing sequence of events surrounding the death of our brother and friend who was baptized as Karol and then known more recently as John Paul II. The crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square when it became evident that the pope was near the end of his earthly journey. They came to pray; they came to possibly get a glimpse of the Holy Father; they came to weep.

Catholic theologian Hans Kung was quite critical of the papacy back in the 1960s. At one point he complained that the idea of the "supreme pontiff" with all the princely trappings should give way to a "supreme pastor." I am happy to say that this has come true in John Paul II. To look at the pictures of this man with children, teenagers, seminarians, adults, and elderly persons, it is an inspiration to see how much he loved people and gave himself for them. It has been interesting to hear some of the ideas regarding his successor. One such comment involved the crazy idea that the next pope should be an administrator/CEO type because John Paul II lacked those skills or interests.

I want to go on record as saying, "No way!" The Church is full of administrators top to bottom. The Church is full of Elders, Deacons, and regular baptized members who have incredible skills in planning, scheduling, finance, and administration. Most churches have only one pastor and in our Church that person is charged with being a faithful pastor, preaching the gospel and administering the Sacraments; teaching faith and caring for people. There is absolutely nothing here about anything other than being a pastor. That is what Pope John Paul II did best and did most -- he pastored his people. 2 million people would not stand in line for 12 hours to view the body of an administrator!

As always, the daily lectionary provides us with rich material for meditation and instruction. Yesterday's Epistle lesson was 1 John 2:12-17. Read this aloud -- you will love it

:I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world-the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches-comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.

The Pope left a will to be read following his death. Apparently the will had two parts: first, his spiritual testament for the Church and, second, the disposition of his material assets. I can hardly wait to hear his spiritual testament -- I am sure it will be inspiring, challenging, and very missional. We will be blessed by it for many years to come. Regarding the disposition of his material assets, I believe that this will be most surprising -- because the Pope had very little. Think about this for a minute: the Pope had responsibility for 1.1 billion Catholics around the world. When you think of this in CEO terms, I suppose it would mean a salary in the billions of dollars. After all, I don't think there are even 1.1 billion Microsoft users around the world much less employees!

Many years ago I heard a sermon about the above-mentioned passage from 1 John. The preacher compared the, "desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches" with the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. I will leave further study of this passage to you, but the connection of power, riches, and sexuality with missional distortion and corruption is quite remarkable.

Also, how else would this pope have been able to sit in a prison cell, share the gospel with the man who tried to assassinate him, and then forgive him? My dear friends, how many times have you failed to forgive offenses that were of much less gravity? How many times have you failed to forgive Elders, Deacons, or even your pastor when they have failed to meet YOUR needs? I am not sure exactly what we mean these days when we talk about "a culture of life." What I really long for it is "a culture of forgiveness!"

I want to return to the image of the pastoring of the Pope. I really wish I could be in Rome this week and to be part of the incredible Pilgrim's Journey through the streets of Rome. It has really been quite an allegory of a healthy, mission-filled Church in several ways.

First, the line to view the Pope was not exactly a line: it was a "shoulder to shoulder fellowship" of from 30 to 40 people wide. Virtually every news commentator mentioned how quiet and orderly the crowd was, and how the silence was broken from time to time by sound of the Rosary, hymn singing, and prayer. Also, strangers were becoming friends during the 8-12 hours that it took to wind through the crowded Roman streets. To a person, those interviewed for television said, "It seemed like only a few minutes."

Second, the mission was the journey, and the glory was intense but momentary. I love the image of the Church as a very diverse body of Christ's disciples on a journey with God. They were there to pay their final respects to the Pope, but what they discovered was the incredible richness and joy of the journey itself. Think about it! Several million people waited in line anywhere from 8-12 hours to have just a few seconds with the Pope -- and they treasured every moment of it. One can only imagine the chaos that would erupt if 50 people here in the States were to be in line, in large vehicles, for 30 minutes and a chance to get gas at 75 cents per gallon!

Finally, I was impressed with the "diaconal" activity along the way. There were huge caches of bottled water and medical care outside the line boundaries. As people experienced thirst or needed medical care, we are told that they were allowed to leave their place in line and then return without incident. Also, there have been many reports of people helping one another up and down the line as gifts and talents were made available. If John Paul II was indeed the "supreme pastor," he taught his flock well because this huge "congregation" cared for its members with unbelievable sensitivity. As I have said many times, the purpose of the diaconal activity was to restore the Pilgrim for the journey.

In closing, I have three questions for those of us in this incredibly small part of the Christian community that is the United States of America and Cherokee Presbytery

:1. When was the last time you experienced "shoulder to shoulder fellowship" within the Christian community?

2. What would it take for you to give up YOUR dreams and goals, and simply enjoy the Journey?

3. When was the last time you "cared" for someone, or even forgave him/her, so as to restore him/her for the Journey?

The peace of Christ be with you, nurture you, and serve you on the Journey,

Jim