Thanksgiving 2012

As I was finishing up gathering leaves a few weeks ago, under a bright blue October sky,  I stopped to contemplate the scene. As the annual spectacle played out, I could not help but marvel and take delight in the particular surprises of this years autumnal offerings. The woods were on fire with color this year and the smells, at least on that day stirred up memories of other autumns and people associated with them.
People began to flood into my memory. People from childhood, from high school and college, people I haven't seen in decades, people who have long since passed away, and people I've met only recently. In my memory I was walking down Swain Avenue in Meriden, CT, on the middle leg of a 20 mile CROP hunger walk. It was autumn, and the day was equally crisp and bright. That was a great day. So many people cared. (Modern crop walks seem to be about 5k, kids were tougher back then.) That vision gave way to another autumn; mushroom hunting in the woods near Merimere Resevoir with my brothers and friends. I was willing to join in the hunt, but I confess to a lack of confidence when it came to eating our finds. Then I was at Pacific Lutheran University, in Tingelstad Hall on the fifth floor, sitting in the window sill, looking at the afternoon sun turning the snow fields of Mt. Rainier bright orange. Autumn images kept coming. There was Mt. Monadnock with a group of youth from Pilgrim Lutheran Church on a warm autumn day, and a golden view of the Great Gulf  from the top of Mt. Washington with Paula, and then I was riding my bike up to the summit of Mt. Greylock. The  sound of the wind in the trees was haunting and I recalled that the Mahicans revered the mountain and believed it was holy ground. (The five state view was worth the ride that day.)
Amid the flood of autumn memories, it is the people I remember the most. My grandfather Brenner and his friend Herman Gritz came to mind, crisp autumn air blowing in the doors of the church on Sunday morning as they ushered together. Walking with Prs. Fred McGee and Jack Kidder in the state forest in Colebrook, CT. Fishing on Long Pond in Maine with my brother, Gary (his ink and watercolor of the small fishing camp graces our fireplace mantel). Then there was fishing for Bluefish aboard the Hellcat on a choppy fall day off of Block Island. Paula and I were dating, and she learned a whole new language from the seasick fishermen; we caught some nice Bluefish too. Next, I was in Paula's parent's backyard watching young sons Stefen and Daniel "help" their grandfather rake leaves; and from there, my mind wandered to the Cumberland County (ME) fair. Grandparents, parents and children watching the Royal Canadian Mounties perform their equestrian show, and then over to the John Deere tractors. (Although both of Paula's parents have passed, I am sure our boys will carry their memories all their days.) Then I'm with my son Daniel, bushwhacking up Widow Whites peak (near Jiminy Peak in the Berkshires) exploring for cave formations. (Dan is a caver.) In the blink of an eye I'm at Immanuel Lutheran Church 40 years ago in the old parish building, another fall day. Food is being prepared. Ernie and Bettie Garbe are in the kitchen, as are Charlie and Charlotte Gardinier. There are cartons of milk from Sievert's Dairy Farm in the kitchen. Ken Ritchie comes to mind with a whole Confirmation Class of faces. Now I'm with Paula again, and we're hiking the trail toward the summit of Sleeping Giant state park. Goldenyellow leaves carpet the ground. We had driven up from Yale Divinity School for some relaxation...
The sound of a truck finally stirred me from contemplation and it was time to finish gathering up the leaves.
Yet, I am so thankful for the vision; for the wonderful memories of times and seasons gone by, for the faces of friends I haven't seen in years, who have had their own influence on my life, for laughter and love shared, for once in lifetime moments that cannot be re created, but will be remembered till I can't remember anymore. For parents and grandparents and the blessing of my beautiful Paula and our children, for harvest banquets that are cherished more with each passing year. O God, how marvelous are the works of your hands. How blessed are the thoughts you stir, the times you create, the love you pour out, and the memories with which you bless us. My heart is grateful; make it more so.
I hope each of you discovers a thousand reasons to be grateful and give thanks as you contemplate the seasons of your own lives.

Thanksgiving blessings to all, and

Peace.

Choices

A Journey of Years

In a previous blog I shared that the congregation I serve is a caring and loving place that accepts all people as they are, and that I, as a pastor, and as a person, would rather err on the side of grace. Shortly after I wrote that piece and posted it, my words were put to the test. A gay couple who have been vital members of the congregation for years asked me to preside at their wedding here in New Hampshire (a gay marriage state). I responded immediately by saying that indeed, I would perform their wedding.

My decision is the end result of many years of reading scripture, meditation, prayer, and conversation with trusted friends, family, and colleagues. My decision was certainly not immediate. As little as two years ago, I did not see myself ever presiding at a gay wedding. I was one who advocated that prior to sanctioning LGBT weddings, the Church should revisit the Doctrine of Creation, and clearly espouse a justification for reinterpreting a long held doctrine. Even though the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America opened the door to LGBT pastors in committed relationships, and the possibility of weddings in 2009, to date, no rite exists as for such a practice, so that those of us who choose to do such a wedding are largely on our own (and could face discipline).

I have come to the conclusion (as many others before me I suppose) that much of our visceral reaction to homosexuality has to do with its threat to patriarchal society in general, and to male dignity in particular. Despite a few passages in the Levitical code found in Exodus and a few sentences written by St. Paul, which we take largely out of context, the Scriptures do not create hostility to homosexuality. It has been hostility to homosexuality that has all to often prompted Christians to eisogete into the Scriptures our own fundamental prejudice and fear. Let's be clear; Christians have long since banished most of the Levitical code with the understanding that the code's concerns (for example the ban on eating shellfish which had more to do with the order of creation than sin or cleanliness) are not concerns that can be carried into the modern world.  In most areas of our lives, my Lutheran brothers and sisters have moved beyond biblical literalism. No one is suggesting we turn the clock back to accept slavery, and most of us long ago acknowledged the tremendous contributions to the life of the church brought about by the ordination of women. Yet, the prohibitions against homosexual activity have remained.

One can certainly understand ancient Israel's prohibition of homosexual activity. The twelve tribes were infinitesimally small in comparison with the nations that surrounded them. Every body, every birth counted. Having children was a sacred national duty, and failure to participate was a treasonous abomination. Thus, barren women were much to be pitied and held in contempt, and homosexual activity was proscribed.

For me it has come down to this: I have come to realize that it is no longer my my task as a person or a pastor to try any longer to reconcile homosexuality with scriptural passages that condemn it (that work has been more than accomplished by more worthy scholars), but how to reconcile the continuing persecution, punishment and rejection of LGBT people with the love of Christ, and the Doctrine of Justification.  More and more I have lived through it and realized the disconnect.  I have written of the Westboro church on a previous occasion, but their hatred and hostility toward the LGBT community further clarified a moral dilemma. How can a church, or an individual, bear witness to the ever widening circle of Christ's love as witnessed by the Gospels, Acts, and the letters of Peter, John and Paul (even considering Paul's prohibition of unnatural relations) and espouse such hatred for any group of people? The two positions are irreconcilable. We're left with discerning what the norm is for Christian life. In order to do this, we move beyond visceral reactions, we move beyond what is "natural" or acceptable, we look beyond the law that condemns us, to the heart of faith: the love of God in the Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ that saves. The Gospel.

Everyone is fond of quoting John 3: 16, "For God so loved the world...," but alongside this we can lay 1 John 4:17-21, "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers and sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from Jesus is this; those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also." The church has not always carried out this commandment, and while we can find fault with some on the Christian right (as it is known), the wider church throughout history has sown the seeds of disrespect and hatred for LGBT people, in such a way, that it should hardly surprise anyone that some people have chosen to use church teaching as the foundation to legitimize violence and hatred. I must admit, that over the past several years, I have found myself wondering how much responsibility the church must bear; how much responsibility I must bear for the epidemic of young gay and lesbian people who have committed suicide. We have, all too often, by our silence, given tacit approval to a heinous injustice. I have also, along with many of you heard the mantra that God "hates the sin" but "loves the sinner." Unfortunately, those who have been beaten, abused and even murdered, did not receive the ministrations of individuals acting in the name of a loving God.

In the end, I have come to the conclusion that if my ministry is going to have any integrity, if I am going to be any kind of vessel of the faith of the church, if I am going to exhibit any of the qualities in my life that do honor to the love of Christ that has been poured out so gracefully to me, --someone's sexual orientation cannot matter. Our relationships should be judged by their inner worth, by their spiritual breadth and depth, and not by the accidents (in the theological sense) of sexuality. There is nothing in Scripture that confines love; life giving and life affirming love, to the heterosexual community. It is God's own possession bestowed on all.

As intimated above, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the church in which I am ordained moved beyond biblical literalism a long time ago (a discussion of literalism must be reserved for another day). Is there anyone eschewing pork these days? Historically, this church has played a significant role in the anti slavery movement, and we moved far beyond literalism with the ordination of women. It is, in my humble estimation, long past time that we did so for the LGBT community.

"And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice..." (Micah  6:8)
Walter Brueggmann wrote, "Justice is to sort out what belongs to whom, and to return it to them."
Justice redefines the world. To do justice is to intervene in the workings of the powers and principalities of the world as Moses did with Pharaoh when he insisted on freedom for the Hebrew slaves. Justice is Nathan standing before King David and protesting David's murder of Uriah the Hittite. Justice is Elijah calling out Ahab and Jezebel for killing Naboth and stealing his vineyard. Justice is Jesus welcoming to the table tax collectors and sinners. Justice is Jesus at the well of Sychar welcoming a lost child of God back into the community. Justice may be our realization that Scripture does not create hostility to homosexuality, but that our hostility to homosexuals has been projected onto Scripture. Justice is saying that we cannot qualify the love of Christ poured into the human heart. Justice may be recognizing again, for another group of people, that what God has made clean, we may not call unclean. Justice may be saying to these people as well, "what God has joined together let no one put asunder."

I will be sharing more as time goes on.

Peace,

Pastor Boehringer

Resurrection

In Diana Butler Bass' recent book, Christianity After Religion:The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, she quotes a note from a woman who left her church some 25 years ago. The woman's reason for leaving the church was that she was tired of belonging to a church that was anti woman, anti gay, anti science, anti environment, seemingly anti everything. In addition, she found the (her) church to be extremely self righteous and judgmental. Brothers and sisters, that was twenty five years ago. Yet, I must say that if I were an outsider hearing some of the pronouncements that have come out of various church groups in the last couple of years, and the past few months in particular, I would have to agree with the writer of the note. One church group travels all over the country espousing anti gay rhetoric, another opposes an individual woman's right to make her own choices in regard to her health care, still others oppose the settled science of evolution, while another tells its people that the "theory" of "global warming" is the work of Satan. Christianist Pat Robertson recently claimed that being gay was a type of demonic possession.

Given that the media is always in search of a titillating sound byte, it is usually these types of pronouncements from churches that get print space and air time, and as a result, those who are on the outside of the church can only surmise that churches must be houses filled with uninformed, ignorant, bigoted haters. Obviously, I have doubts that the typical individual distinguishes between churches when they hear such hurtful rhetoric. I imagine that the reaction to such judgment and condemnation is to wonder why anyone would join an organization that condemns so many people, including, perhaps, my own wife, my friends, family, and a good many acquaintances.

As a pastor, I have a sense that for months and years the pronouncements of these churches have been destructive both to people's lives, as well as to the life of the church, and in many cases they are a complete distortion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a nephew might say, the church is prone to "foot bullets." I believe that the message of militant exclusivity preached by some of these churches is in stark contrast to the inclusive message found in the Gospels. Everyone is familiar with John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.", but few can quote the following verse, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." The very inclusive nature of the Gospel can certainly also be seen in John 8:1 ff. The Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery, reminding Jesus that the law called for her to be stoned to death. Jesus responded by first bending to the ground and writing all of their sins in the dust, and then rising said, " 'Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.' When they had all departed in shame, Jesus said to the woman, 'Woman where are they?' Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, sir.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go you way, and from now on do not sin again.'" Again, in John 12:47 we read, "I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." Jesus went on to say that God's Word serves as our judge on the last day.

Personally, I hope that in all things regarding ministry to err on the side of grace. With the Gospels strewn with examples of Jesus always widening the circle of inclusivity, I believe we have a mandate to do the same; and there is something wrong, I believe, in an image in which a sheep is consigned to a wilderness of death because I have decided, they are beyond the reach of Jesus' love and grace.

So, let me tell you about my church and the congregation I serve. My church welcomes all people. As a brother pastor recently said, we all stand at the foot of the cross in need of the very life Jesus died to give us. In this church, women are supported, and are at the very center of the life of the church. My bishop is a woman, so we obviously ordain women to be pastors, my Congregation Council vice president is a woman, and a short time ago, a woman was our president. Women serve in every capacity in this church, and we do not tell women what to do; we counsel with them as with all people, providing pastoral and spiritual support when they are in crisis, and support them in their decisions. In thirty years of being a pastor, I can share that every woman who has ever come to me for pastoral guidance has with a seriousness that is beyond admirable faithfully wrestled with whatever question was before them.

The Church in which I am a pastor ordains gay and lesbian people to be pastors. I confess my skepticisms as to how this would work out, (especially the acceptance issue), but these men and women have in no small measure been a blessing to the church. In the parish I serve, the LGBT community is not only welcome, but it is hard to imagine the congregation without them; not because of their gender or sexual orientation, but because of who they are as people and the gifts they bring to our common life. And I like to think we give them something in return,- namely unconditional love.

This church is not anti environment or anti science. Each time there is a new scientific discovery; a new medicine, a new species found, a new theory proposed about the beginning of the universe, Lutherans tend to sit back and marvel anew at God's creative power. Indeed, for us, each new discovery points towards God's majesty. If you would like to know more about what we believe about environmentalism, and global climate change, enter http://www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org/ into your browser and you will find that for us, environmental stewardship is a major concern that grows out of our love for all of God's good creation. Even if there were not an environmental crisis, we believe that we have a responsibility and privilege to care for creation.

In a very large and real way, the Church in which I am a pastor does not tell people what they should do, or how they should behave, nor does it judge them. Instead, my church invites people to engage with Scripture, enter into spiritual discipline, participate in the mystery of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacraments, and faithfully struggle with all of the difficult issues that we face together, but in all of this, and perhaps most importantly, this Church, and the congregation I serve are communities of joy, hope, renewal, and new life. The people in my congregation are a remarkable community that welcomes everyone who manages to find us (which, admittedly is not always easy). We are an Easter congregation. We recognize that a good part of the world, and far to many churches continually live out Good Friday, but here, in this place, Good Friday continually gives way to the joy and grace of the Resurrection of our Lord. We fully recognize that Easter faith is not a possession, but a gift, and one to be shared.

On the first Easter Sunday Morning, Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the tomb because she believed that Jesus was not only dead, but that his body had been taken. "Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!'" Jesus called her by name and sent her on her way rejoicing with the good news she shared with the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." (John 20:11 ff.)
It was for Mary and the Church a moment of joy, but a moment in which we continually live. That describes the congregation here. We live in Easter joy, welcoming and sharing the good news with everyone and allowing it to inspire us to care for sisters and brothers all over the world as well as the earth itself. I believe this is what Jesus would have us do. And because we live out this call, we just don't have time to judge people,...go figure. This is the church I want people to know about, the church Jesus intends us to be, the church in which Jesus' own words are always heard, "Come to me all you are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
We are by no means perfect, but through the cross and resurrection we are forgiven, and that is a joy we share with everyone.

Easter Blessings to this good parish, family, friends and seekers,
Peace,
Pastor Boehringer