Good bye

This will my last post to the Federated Forum since I have accepted a new position as the Interim Association Co-Minister for the Chicago Metropolitan Association of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ.

I had hoped that this would be a weekly post that would generate dialogue and interaction between members and friends of our church. That didn't happen and that's okay. We learn through trying new things and we need to know when to let go. So thank you for sharing this time and space with me!

Pastor Rita

witness for love

Thank you to those of you who were able to go to Cicero yesterday to participate in the counter-witness against Fred Phelps. I failed to mention in my e-mail yesterday the wonderful treatment we received from the Cicero Police Department. They brought a paddy-wagon over so we could take turns warming up inside it (so now if you’re asked if your pastor has ever been in the back of a police paddy wagon—you can proudly say yes), brought us boxes of hot coffee from Dunkin Donuts and at noon brought cheeseburgers from McDonald’s. They were phenomenal!

I also want to share with you how impressed I was with the young NIU students who organized and witnessed with us yesterday. They were calm--they were supportive--they knew it wasn't about them. When reporters came over to get statements or pictures they asked that they not be photographed--that they were there to support the family and nothing more. In an age when most of the media attention goes to bratty and "it's all about me" behavior--these young people provided this pastor with a deeply valued example of the true goodness of humanity.

The days ahead for all of us in the DeKalb/Sycamore community are going to be tough. I know, however, that we will be in this together and there will be many opportunities for us to witness for love.

Away from the manger

Our Sunday School classes gifted us with a performance of the Christmas pageant "Away from the Manger"; a telling of the story that included union shepherds, ivory-tower wisemen, shy stars & a multi-tasking inn-keepers wife. The story showed us how easily we can get distracted from the important things in life because we're taking care of what we perceive to be the important things in life.

We do that all the time--not just at Christmas and not just about our faith journeys--we get side-tracked in so many ways over so many things. If I had just one wish for the Christmas Season it would be for time and space to discern what truly is important in our lives and then the permission to follow those dreams.

I hope in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this time of year--you will rediscover what centers your life and that you will follow that dream!

Quiet moments

The holiday rush is in full swing. Stores are full of shoppers looking for that special gift for the ones they love. Salvation army ringers are outside the doors reminding us that there are many among us who don't have the resources they need to even make ends meet much less provide an abundance of gifts under the Christmas tree. Parties are happening--family and friends are making plans to get together--it's rush--rush--rush.

But in the midst of all this activity--there is one who wants us to stop and spend some quiet moments preparing our hearts and settling our lives so that we might be faithful followers of the Christ. God has a hard time getting through to us even in the less-busy seasons of our lives--it gets even harder when there is so much to do and we get caught up in the frenzied consumption-driven holiday that Christmas has become.

I encourage you to really comtemplate this year getting your Christmas back into balance. Buy less gifts--spend more time with your kids making gifts for special people. Give gifts of your time. Spend some quiet moments giving thanks for all that your already have--and vow to live more simply if you can. Let your Christmas be a blessing to you and all those you love.

Hometowns

We will be lighting the Bethelem candle this coming Sunday for the second Sunday of Advent. While Bethlehem was his birthplace, Nazareth was his hometown and like all of us--we are shaped by the ethos of our hometowns. No matter where I live--I will always be "Harvey's little girl who grew up in New Richland, Minnesota."

I spent two weeks in Nazareth six years ago when I led a group of college students on a five-week mission experience throughout Israel & Egypt. We spent those two weeks in Nazareth teaching ESL classes to Palestinian youth--the theme of the camp was "English-your passport to the world." That says a great deal about the hopes (and the reality) of those persons who put together that camp--gathering not only the Palestinian students but also hosting 15 U.S. students who partnered with local teachers. My teaching partner was a man who taught high school in a Palestinian Arab school. He shared with me that there is a two-tier public education system in Israel--as well as a two-tier municipal funding system. If your hometown is Jewish (as is Nazareth Elit)--you get more state funding both for public works and public education. The streets of Nazareth are mostly unkept--the streets of Nazareth Elit are paved and flower/tree lined. The stores of Nazareth are small and family-run--the mall is in Nazareth Elit. My teaching partner also shared with me that he often teaches without textbooks--without supplies of any kind--and gets paid far less than his counterparts teaching in the first-tier schools. His life--as well as the lives of the young people he teaches--is shaped by where he lives and who he is.

I'm grateful for the small town experience of my hometown--and for knowing that whenever I go back there--I'm still welcomed and known. But I also pray and work for the day when all hometowns--and the people who live within them--are equal.

I'm back!

I took a break from our blog for a few months as other tasks and needs called for my attention but now as we enter into another church year as we near the First Sunday of Advent this coming Sunday, I've decided to get back on track!

The candle we will be lighting this Sunday is called the prophet's candle. It's a reminder that whenever the need arose for a prophetic word, God called forth someone to deliver that message. We read about some of those prophets--Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and yes even Haggai--in our sacred scriptures. We read about other prophets--Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Archbishop Oscar Romero--in our history books. We hear of still more in the daily newspapers and on-line news media. The need for prophetic words that speak of justice, mercy and peace still exists--and even if what we say will never make it on the daily news--we, too, are called to be prophets.

As you immerse yourself in the wonder of this season--be thinking about ways you could proclaim peace and justice this year. Here's a sight I found worth exploring: http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/alternatives/index.html

Balance

We've been putting the September newsletter together today--and it has reminded me all the wonderful programs we have here at the church. It has also reminded me that we need to find the right balance between the busyness of all that life has to offer and time spent in quiet comtemplation. I love to be on the go--but if I don't devote a good amount of time in Sabbath rest and meditation--I find myself stressed out--burnt out--bummed out. My guess is that happens to you as well.

Remember--in the midst of all the stuff there is to do--there is need to simply be present to God--to yourself--to those who love you.