Ministry in the Middle

This week, the delegates of the United Methodist Church gathered for a special General Conference.  Ostensibly, the purpose of this gathering was to focus on issues of homosexuality -- particularly whether LGBTQ+ people can serve as ordained clergy and whether the church can solemnize gay weddings -- that threaten to splinter the denomination. There are strong and contradictory attitudes in the church, as has become increasingly evident in recent years.  There have been multiple efforts to adjust church laws/rules: many have been trying to remove language that explicitly prevents the solemnization of gay marriages and ordination of LGBTQ+ individuals; others have been seeking to strengthen that language by making it more explicit.  In the meantime, certain pastors and entire conferences have been flouting church laws/rules with regard to LGBTQ+ individuals.  Others have been encouraging church judicial procedures against people who solemnize gay weddings or LGBTQ+ ...

There Is No Good Card for This: What to Say and Do When Life is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell  (HarperOne, 2017), 272 pages Many of life's challenges can be devastating, such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or losing a job.  When someone we care about faces one of these awful challenges, we can feel powerless and inadequate to help.  Often, we don't know what to say, and we don't know what to do. Many ministers receive specialized training to help them navigate these situations with compassion and confidence.  Personally, I cherish the unit of Clinical Pastoral Education that I took years ago, and still draw on many of its lessons today.  It was especially useful to help me learn how to be spiritually present with someone suffering by making sure my own emotional baggage does not get in the way. Not all ministers, and few lay leaders, have such training.  Instead, they simply rely on the...

Yesterday, I preached my annual Lincoln Sermon in the congregation I serve.  By my count, it is my 16th such sermon in honor of the United States' 16th President. It all happened quite by chance.  A few years ago, when I was a ministry intern during my seminary years, I happened to be preaching on Jesus' Sermon on the Plain from the Gospel of Luke.  The Biblical text reminded me of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, perhaps because it was President's Day weekend, and I included a long section in my sermon comparing Jesus' words and Lincoln's. The response was overwhelmingly positive -- even beyond the sometimes obligatory, "Nice sermon, pastor," comments that preachers often receive after worship services.  Several encouraged me to look for other opportunities to talk about Lincoln and faith again. Looking back, I'm not sure if I touched a hunger in their own hearts or if they were responding to my passion, or both.  Lincoln is a pop...