So What are We Supposed to do DO????

 

I get the impression those of us who are leaders of Mainline Churches are either defensive or in denial.  The folks in denial fall into to camps.  Those who think that there's really not a big problem and if we would just keep doing things the way we always have, or go back the the way we used to do things, it will all be fine.  The other folks are doing things differently and are experiencing some success and so they believe they can buck the trend.  Those are they type that tend to put the rest of us a little on the defensive.  If they can buck the trends it must mean that the fact I'm not is because I'm not as clever, charismatic, hardworking, spiritual, hip,  or whatever, as they are.

The truth is, it's not about us leaders.  I was up to Luther Seminary for their Mid Winter Convocation this week.  The topic was the one we all don't want to think about but we know we should so when we do it just makes us feel depressed, frustrated and defensive again.  You know.  The future of the church.  

This time although I was frustrated at times, I did not come away depressed or defensive.  I came away thinking.  And I'm still thinking.  The speakers were Diana Butler Bass who has a new book coming out which I've ordered already.  Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening

She started out saying something very helpful.  She talked about the difference between Climate and Weather.  Climate is the big picture.  Weather is the conditions you are experiencing right now.  Most church leaders look out the window, see the weather and and assume that's what's going on all over.  So those leaders who are experiencing a little growth and think they've bucked the trends are like those people who see that it's snowing and snort "Global warming, hah!"  She even admitted her book Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith  was more about weather and she received a lot of pushback about that because people complained it was too optimistic.  And I confess I have the book and never finished it because it made me depressed and and defensive because her weather was sunny and mine is dismal.

The trend is not looking good for the Christian church.  Not just the Mainline either, the Evangelicals are starting to experience the same decline.

The other speaker was Andrew Root.  He's very funny.  He spoke about how the world is changing and how growing up in a world of screens and media changes where we find our identity, how we think and relate to each other and reality itself.   It was very interesting. 

But like most of these things, most of the time spent was hearing the problem defined and explained. That's important.  You have to understand the problem, the challenge, the climate.  But after awhile it began to wear on me.  BUT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT IT???

I don't think anybody knows.  Both Diane and Andrew spent a little time on that.  Andrew spoke of the story of Jacob and opening the church to be a place where people can come to struggle with God.  A place where we are not afraid to show that this struggle will leave us with a limp.  When speaking how we have replaced reality with images (a presentation totally based on the French philosopher Baudrillard) he concluded that the church needs to be the place that speaks of what is real - the cross.  "The cross stands at the place between possibility and nothingness"

Well that sounds very nice in a presentation but what does it look like?  What does it mean?  How do we do that?  And will it really make any difference?

Maybe the truth is there is nothing we can do about the climate.  Maybe we just have to deal with the weather, understanding the weather is not the climate.   Keep it real.  Preach the Gospel.  Administer the sacraments.  Be honest about the struggle.  Remember it's not about you. 

Red Tails - The Star Wars Version

My daughter was home from college this weekend.  We took in "Red Tails" tonight.  As I said on Twitter "It was um, "Lucaesque"

Such a darn shame because this is a great story and could have been a great movie.  It's the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, African American pilots during World War II. George  Apparently HBO has made a really good movie--Tuskegee Airmen.  Rent that instead of wasting your time on this one. 

Unless you actually liked the storyline and dialogue of the last Star Wars Movies.  Because this is just as bad.  My daughter says the acting is terrible but I think the problem is bad dialogue that no amount of acting talent can fix.  

SPOILER ALERT (although you can see this coming from a mile away)

This is how it ended for us.  Final big fire fight  (In typical Star Wars fashion, there are loud flashy air fights) and the big bad German pilot (complete with a scar on his face) woodenly intones "Die you foolish African".  So when one of the guys who you knew was going to die because his Italian girlfriend who can't even speak English and he can't speak Italian has agreed to marry him...finally gets shot and is dying and dying and dying and telling his buddy he's dying (in the cockpit while flying of course) I couldn't help it - I leaned over to my daughter and whispered "DIE YOU FOOLISH AFRICAN!" and we both giggled and laughed as his plane went down.  Probably not the reaction Lucas was going for.

I'm giving it a thumbs down.

A True Gentleman

If last night during the State of the Union Address you saw a lone Republican standing during parts of President Obama's speech, it was not because he suddenly had Democrat leanings.  He was Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona's sixth district.  He had the privilege of sitting next to Gabby Giffords.  And every time she tried to stand up and cheer the president, he helped her up, rising himself.   Now that is a true gentelman.

Friday Five -Movies

 RevGalBlogPals has a relatively easy assignment - Movies

1. At home or at a theater?

I don't get out to the theater much, but I do love the whole going to the movies experience.  I love the previews (although not this new nasty practice of showing commercials.  Really I pay $10 and still have to watch commercials?), I love the large screen, the sound, the other people.  A movie in the theater is always better than it really is. 

But there is much to be said to snuggling under the covers on a snowy Saturday to watch an old movie at home.

2. With whom? 

I always enjoyed taking my kids to the movies.  But I don't mind going to see a movie alone.  I think going to see a movie is a bad first date.  First date you should go to dinner together so you can talk and get to know each other better.  Also nowadays all the movies have sex scenes and I find it excruciatingly awkward to watch an explicit sex scene on a first date.  Can't help thinking "sure hope he doesn't think I'll be doing that for him later..."

3. Movie you look forward to seeing?

I always think I want to see more movies than I actually get out to see.  Wanted to take the kids to see War Horse on Christmas, but all the dinky theaters around here were showing was Alvin and the Chipmunks.  And I'm torn because the idea of using horses in battle makes me so upset.

4. Movie you like to see repeatedly?

There are seasonal movies that must be seen a certain time of the year.  Must watch the Charleton Heston "Ten Commandments" during Holy Week. (I keep threatening to play a drinking game - chug every time someone moans "Moses Moses")  Must watch "Elf" around Christmas.  It used to be "It's a Wonderful Life" but I kind of got my fill of that for a while. 

5. Food with a movie?  Popcorn with butter and salt.  Junior mints that I try to buy somewhere else for 1/4 the price.  The mints are good to offset the salty popcorn then I don't have to drink as much and then I don't have to get up and go to the bathroom as many times during the movie. 

It's Not Really About Forgiveness

I didn't really pay much attention when the hullabaloo first began over outgoing Mississippi Governor Haily Barbour's pardons.  I began to pay attention when I heard his defense that the convicted murderers he pardoned had committed "crimes of passion".  It was disturbing to learn that Mississippi has a history of tolerance for "crimes of passion."  That's often code for "He killed his wife and she probably deserved it".  It was a little disturbing to learn 8 of these men murdered their wives.  

I didn't have much luck finding out how many of those pardoned were women.  There was a wealthy woman who killed two doctors while driving drunk.

I do know who he did not pardon.  He did not pardon Jamie and Gladys Scott, two sisters who were paroled last year on the condition that Gladys donate a kidney to Jamie. 

Jamie and Gladys Scott were serving LIFE sentences for being in the same car with some teenaged boys who robbed someone for $11.  The boys who actually did the robbery only served a couple of months in jail.  

Barbour defended his pardons by saying "You do not want to take away hope and the opportunity for a second chance, particularly when you see what our religion says," he said.

Second chances for wife killers - but not these women?  I call bullshit.  A lot of these so called "crimes of passion" are no better than the "honour killings" that we claim to be so outraged about when committed by people of a different culture and religion.  And it was an honour killing that Jesus stopped when he turned away the powerful men who sought to stone the woman caught in adultery.  To invoke Jesus to excuse and pardon honor killing is  a travesty. 

No doubt there is politics involved in these pardons as in all pardons.  But there's an ugly undercurrent of sexism and misogyny going on here too, wrapped up in Christian smugness and fake piety.  Like I said, I call bullshit.

What am I Missing Here?

I don't like Suze Orman.  Mostly because she is from the Dr. Phil "I won't help you until I've totally humiliated you and made sure you realize what a stupid piece of sh*t  you are" school of "self help" (which isn't self help at all) television.   I also don't like that she's always calling her viewers "Girlfriend"   Girlfriend, I am not your girlfriend.  I don't like her because she perpetuates the stereotype that all women are idiots when it comes to money and if it wasn't for her we would all be in the poorhouse.

Now I don't like her because I think maybe she's proving that we are all idiots.  She's hawking  her own pre-paid credit card that is the greatest card ever, if she does say so herself.   Its so wonderful because she's made a deal with one of the credit reporting agencies to report your usage of this card and maybe someday it will improve your credit score.

Um. No.  It won't.  Because a pre-paid credit card is not credit.  You can't miss a payment.   You can't screw it up.  So you can't prove that you can handle credit because it's um, NOT CREDIT!

Am I the only one that sees this?  I've heard this woman interviewed by half a dozen people on this and NOBODY has asked her about this little detail.  What am I missing?

Meat Loaf!

I remember the first time I went grocery shopping after both of my kids were away at school.  I wandered aimlessly down the aisles thinking "That's what Isaac likes, I don't want that.  What DO I like?"  It was so odd to shop only for myself.  And then I saw the ground pork.  MEATLOAF.  I hadn't made it since my husband died because my kids won't eat it. 

I love my meatloaf.  And it doesn't go bad because I have it cold for sandwiches the next few days.  I once had a roommate who claimed she couldn't stand meatloaf until she tried mine and then she ate practically the whole thing.

I can get my daughter to eat my meatballs, which don't tell anyone...are the same thing only in balls rather than a loaf.

• I lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup grated onion
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Penzeys Barbeque of the Americas
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs honey
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup Buffalo wing sauce

Mix ground beef and pork, onion, spices, sugar, salt & Pepper, egg, bread crumbs and ½ cup tomato sauce together in a large bowl. Yes, with your hands.  Form it into a loaf and put in a pan.

Mix tomato sauce, ketchup, honey and wing sauce.  Pour over loaf. 

Bake it for an hour or a little more at 375.

That's all there is to it.  This is comfort food, Baby!

More Wild Life in My Back yard

Looked out my window today and saw this:

Then I realized there were two of them

 I love my zoom

Then I went outside and got closer.  

A little too close.  She flew off

"We, O Church, owe it to Margaret and yes, to Ben, to ponder this more deeply"

 Margaret Kritsch Anderson, a 34 year old Park Ranger at Mount Rainier and mother of a 3 year old and 1 year old was shot and killed in the line of duty by a troubled veteran.  She was a friend of ELCA Campus Pastor Jayne Thompson.  You need to read what she has to say on The Lutheran Blog.  Margaret.  That's all.

Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops & Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage for Dinner

We're too boring on New Year's Eve for my daughter so she's taking off to spend it with her friends.  This was my last night to cook for her.  She doesn't eat much meat at college.  The pork chops I made for her tonight should be enough meat for a month.

I'm really impressed with folks I know publishing their own books.  I think I'm going to publish a cookbook. I've already got a lot of recipes I've posted here.   So you will probably see more recipes here as I start putting them together.  Here's tonight's dinner.

I usually marinate pork chops in white wine but I didn't have any.  Then I saw the bourbon.  What a great idea.  I started with two thick Iowa Chops that I don't believe you can get outside of Iowa.   And if you could you'd have to sell your first-born to afford them.

Mix a dry rub of kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and brown sugar and rub both sides of the pork chops with it.  Then pour a cup of bourbon over them.  Let them marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.  Turn them over every once in a while.

Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage

1/4 stick butter
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 granny smith apple, peeled and sliced

1/2 red cabbage, sliced.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup brown sugar

Heat the pan to medium, melt the butter and cook the onions until translucent.  Add the apples and cook for a few minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar and cook for a few minutes.  Add the sugar and stir.  Add the cabbage, cider vinegar and water.  Turn up heat until it boils, then turn down to a low summer and cook for about 20 minutes until cabbage is tender.   You could add some bacon to this too. 

You should get a George Foreman grill.  Those things are great for cooking chops and steaks.  Heat up the grill.  Put the chops on the grill and pour the marinade in a sauce pan, add about 1/4 cup brown sugar and cook down until it is syrupy.   When the chops get some color on them brush them with the bourbon glaze every time you turn them, every 5 minutes or so.  They will cook on this grill in little over a half an hour.

Disrespect for Young People

One summer at a family reunion I sat across from cousin in law and listened to her diss her teenaged son right in front of him.  He was lazy.  He never listened.  He  had no common sense.  Expected her to pick up after him.    As we drove home my kids and I talked about how unkind that was to talk about him like that in front of him.  And my daughter said "If he's like that, whose fault is that?"

The first time I saw these "rules" going around facebook (they first showed up without the chalkboard") I disagreed with rule #1.  I never have believed in telling children "Life is unfair.  Get used to it"  I'm not saying I never said it because we all get tired of hearing that whine "That's not FAIR!" from our kids.  But what I hope I taught my children was, "Yes life is unfair...do NOT get used to it.  Never get used to it.  Work to make the world more fair"

But as I see this being shared more and more around facebook it's not just the "life isn't fair"  It's the whole arrogant "Aren't  young people lazy and stupid and aren't we so much better than them?" attitude that bothers me so.  I leave comments disagreeing on every single one of them and nobody seems to appreciate it.  In fact one person called me intolerant.  

I mean seriously look at the world we have created.  Why should young people pay any attention to any "rules" we might impose on them?

Young people are different than we are.   Some of that difference is a good thing.  Some isn't.  Some kids are lazy and feel entitled.  Some kids have been overprotected by their parents.  Many many young people have been neglected and abandoned by the adults in their life.  If we despair that young people do not seem to act like "adults", why is that?  How much time to children actually spend with adults?  Very very little.  Why should they know how to be adults when we've paid so little attention to them?

I've been reading Hurt 2.0, Inside the World of Today's Teenagers  and it is an eye opener.   Young people have pretty much been abandoned and neglected by the adults in their lives.  I think that is why I have such visceral reaction when I see that STUPID picture going around.  I see so much selfishness and disregard for children going on among adults.  How dare we get all self-righteous and smug about what is wrong with young people?  How about we pull out that plank in our own eyes first? 

I am, at heart an optimist. I have faith in the new generation.  They will figure it out.  Just like we rebelled against some of the flaws of the generation before us, they will push the pendulum that has swung too far in this generation.  They will figure out what doesn't work and survive.  And they will push the world a little too far in a direction and will be annoyed when the generation that follows them pushes back.  And so it goes.  

But if you are my facebook friend and you post that picture, be prepared for a rant from me.

Pajamas in Church? Just Say No.

So apparently a number of churches had a "Wear Your Pajamas to Church" service on Christmas.  It was to "promote a sense of intimacy."

It seems people are just too darn lazy to put on some clothes when they get out of bed and if we promise them they don't need to make that effort maybe please God they'll come to church.

I'm sorry but I think the practice of people over the age of two putting on clean clothes and maybe even washing their face before they leave the house is a good one.  

I confess I already have a bad taste in my mouth about this public wearing of bed clothes from when my daughter was in high school and they had pajama days.  Really?  I'm already fighting the skimpy dress code and trying to keep the boys off my daughter and now they are ENCOURAGING them to dress like they all are going to one big  co-ed slumber party????

"Well we just want to encourage people to come as they are.  That everyone is welcome." 

Well then, why don't we just all come butt-naked?   I say for the same reason we don't come to church naked, we don't wear our bed clothes.  A little modesty.  To show that coming to church and worshiping God and being with fellow Christians IS worth the effort it takes to put on a clean pair of clothes?

Don't have a pair of clean clothes?  Well then let's buy you a washing machine and give some  nice clothes and work for a world wear you can have clean clothes.  Isn't that better than saying - "oh fine just wear whatever you sleep in." 

I hear some pastors even showed up at these things in bathrobes over their clothes.  That's just stupid.  They haven't come as they are, they've put on a costume.  So now bathrobes replace church vestments? 

Not to mention it takes the focus off of Christ and it becomes all about "Look how clever and funny we are - we are wearing PJs to church!"

"It's for children."  Well I still think teaching children that we put our clothes on when we get out of bed is a good habit to encourage.  Even on Christmas. 

Please.  Next year.  Just say no to Pajamas Sunday.

Why yes, I DO have an elephant in my nativity set

My husband and I bought a Fontanini Nativity Set for our first Christmas.  

I was already pregnant by then and mostly we liked it because the figures were unbreakable.  They were very popular at the time and you could find them in every Hallmark store.  

They are not as available anymore though you see them here and there.  What I grew to like about them was all the unusual characters you could buy.  Including women and girls.  And every character has a story.  And animals.  Every year we would buy one or two figures.  

As you can imagine, 24 years later, I have quite a collection.  I need two tables to set them all up

.

One year  we saw this elephant.  

I fell in love with the elephant.  It was $30.00.  This was when I got paid barely the salary of a seminary graduate and my husband took care of our young children.  $30 dollars for a nativity figure was out of the question.  I reluctantly put the elephant I had been longingly stroking back on the shelf.

No doubt you've figured out the end of the story.  That Christmas eve, that was the gift my husband had bought me.

It is surely my favorite.

Lefse!

Lefse is a Norweigian Flatbread made with potatoes.   

My husband made good lefse and even made his own lefse stick for turning them.  My daughter and I made them a few years ago and she decided she wanted to make them again so that's what we did this afternoon.  It's time consuming and tricky.  

Most people make them on electric griddles but I used an old fashioned cast iron skillet.  Worked fine, but did result in brown spots which WE like but purists would frown upon.

This is the recipe we used:

5 lbs potatoes, peeled, cooked and riced.  

The ricing is the hardest part as far as I'm concerned.  I had some old ladies try to tell me I could use potato flakes but I don't eat that stuff, why would I cook with it?

I made two batches - this makes 1 batch:

4 cups riced potatoes

1/4 Cup melted butter

1/2 Cup whipping cream

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 Cup flour

Mix and then form patties.  This is tricky because you don't want to work it too much or it will taste rubbery, but you do need to work it enough to make sure there are not cracks on the edge, so that it will roll out nice and round.

Pastry is not my thing.  I cannot roll.  
I can barely roll out sugar cookies.  Sarah was a very good roller.  You want these to be pretty thin.  A lefse roller has grooves in it to prevent air pockets.  Look how nicely she rolled that out!

Then you slip the stick underneath in the middle and roll it over into the pan.  This takes some practice.  This is why you rice 5 pounds of potatoes.  Some lefse will go into the trash.

It will bubble like this when it is time to turn it.  Again you use the stick to turn it.

And you use the stick to take it out of the pan.  Stack them up about ten at a time, and then fold them into fours.  

Ours are pretty small because we make them on cast iron skillets.  If you make them on a lefse griddle you can make them much larger.  Of course then rolling and handling the stick is even more challenging.

We have lefse sticks and we know how to use them!

Katie's Last Years

Today is the commemoration of Katherine Von Bora Luther, Martin Luther's famous "Katie".

Okay so we all know the story of her escape in the pickle cart.  (Although Father Anonymous is such a spoil sport about these stories he probably will refute them). I personally love the way she refused all the husbands Luther tried to throw her way and said she'd only have him.  

It's kind of a love story in a more real sense.  No great romance at the start, Luther married her more to set an example than anything else.  But they grew to love each other and faced life together, she bore six children, one died at birth and a daughter died at aged 13.  They also raised four orphans.  She cooked and cleaned, gardened, brewed beer and held her own against Luther himself.

But her last years are really sad.  When Luther died in 1546 she was left with no income and asked to move out of the abbey they lived in while she still had children at home.  Although she refused, she ended up having to flee the Smacaldic war.  When she was able to return her properties were ruined by the war and she and her children lived in poverty.  Then when the plague broke out she had to move again.  She was badly injured when a horse was injured in the move.  She died a few months later at the age of 53 on December 20, 1552.  Because of the war she could not even be buried by her husband in Wittenberg and was buried far away in Torgau.

I'm but a stranger here,
Heav'n is my home;
Earth is a desert dread,
Heav'n is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand
Round me on every hand;
Heav'n is my fatherland,
Heav'n is my home.

Gaudete Sunday and that Pesky Pink Candle

I've spent most of my advent career arguing with ushers about the pink candle on the Advent wreath. 

 It has been my joy and pleasure to have been the only pastor who ever told them that we light the pink candle on the THIRD, not the fourth Sunday in Advent.  Or so they tell me. All the while knowing I would undoubtedly be followed by a pastor who didn't give a flying fig what candle they lit.

I thought I had made progress and settled into the pew to enjoy the Children's Christmas Program which was all about decorating the church for Christmas.  Imagine my dismay as a little 9 year old girl reads from her script about how the pink candle is lit on the fourth Sunday in Advent.   

Originally Advent was a time of fasting and preparation, similar to Lent and purple in color like Lent.  

The Third Sunday, with its readings emphasizing joy, became a break in the fast.  "Gaudete" meaning "Rejoice" was the first word of the introit for the Mass that day. Rose colored vestments were used for that day and still are in the Catholic church and some Lutheran churches that still have some regard for tradition.


I can't find any reference to it online or where I read it but I swear I read somewhere that when we moved from purple to blue, we made the whole rose colored "Gaudete Sunday" irrelevant.  

The change to blue for Advent signified a change in mood for somber repentance to subdued hope.  

Nobody got that memo though and once when we needed to order new candles for the advent wreath I tried to avoid the whole pink candle conundrum by ordering 4 blue candles.  That was not an option at Augsburg-Fortress.  

I wonder how much of our congregational liturgical practice is really dictated to us by our publishing house?


Silly me to think that being part of a liturgical tradition means we actually FOLLOW liturgical traditions, not make up our own or do whatever we please.  I don't know why it matters to me, but it does. 


Ah well.  It will still be Christmas.  The baby will be born.  The angels will sing.  The shepherds will rise up and follow.  

And all will be well. 

The Real Miracle of Mary's Faith

 

I guess this is an offensive picture to some people.  St. Matthews in the City in New Zealand posted this on a billboard .  I  guess it shows Mary a little "too far from perfect".

They put the picture up to get people to think and it makes me think.

 It makes me think how Mary could have reacted in such a situation.  Even with single motherhood so common today, it's still a frightening prospect to consider having a child on your own.  I was raised by a single mom and swore I would not do that to my kids.  Some things just aren't in your control.

But this is in a part of the world where to this day, women are imprisoned for being raped, and stoned for adultery.  How interesting that God chose to challenge this obsession with the purity of women by coming into this world this way and the church ended up using Mary to reinforce that purity obsession.

Anyway this is where some of my thoughts about this picture took me for my sermon...

Mary is not particularly amazed or shocked at the news that she will bear the son of God.  She is more confused by the fact that she is going to have a child at all.  She may be young but she knows where babies come from and since this baby is apparently not coming the way most babies to, she wants to know how this is going to happen.  The angels accepts it and she accepts it.

She accepts it all.  She accepts that she is going to have a son that will not just be her baby but will belong to the world.  She accepts that God will use her to bring a Savior to the world.  She accepts that she will be unmarried and pregnant.  She accepts that God will take care of her and that this is all good news!

To me the miracle of Mary's faith is not that she believed she would conceive a child without a father.  

Faith is more than believing in miracles.  

In fact I think you can believe in miracles and not have real faith and I think you can doubt miracles and have faith.  

True faith is trusting God and believing that it will all work out for the good.  

And the true test of faith is believing that when it doesn't look as though things will turn out well at all.  If Mary was perfect it was in that complete trust.    She trusted that God would take care of her.

And God did.  Not that she had an easy life.  She had to give up her son.  She had to accept that he was not just her little boy, but that he belonged to the world.  

You hear about mothers having a hard time giving up their sons to their wives - imagine giving your son up to the world!  And kneeling at the cross watching the life you carried in your womb and nursed from your breasts, whose scraped knees you kissed dying before your eyes.  

And still we read of her in the upper room praying with the disciples after her baby boy rose from the dead.  If we had that kind of faith, we would not stress out over a picture of her with a pregnancy test, or get all upset that someone's blog claimed she was far from perfect.  We would know what God could do with someone who is far from perfect.

We Don't Need the Immaculate Conception and neither does Jesus.

"The Annunciation" Brigid Marlin

My friend and former secretary, Anita wrote this wonderful meditation about Mary, Mary: Less is More.  And a couple of comments got hung up on her opening statement that she was "far from perfect".  Okay, I can understand Roman Catholics and Orthodox not liking that perspective.  But the name of the blog is "Living Lutheran"  And surprise - we Lutherans see things differently!  

I agree that Lutherans need to reclaim some appreciation for Mary but Mary being perfect and sinless?  Um, no.   In fact, I think the whole idea of the Immaculate Conception, that Mary HAD to be conceived without sin in order for her womb to be worthy to hold Christ kind of chips away at the whole idea of the Incarnation and God entering this messy sinful  world.  And it begins with entering the womb of a young girl who was, like the rest of us, far from perfect.  Mary doesn't need to be perfect to hold Jesus.  And neither do we.  

And don't even get me started at how this image of a virgin mother totally messed up expectations of being the perfect woman.  

I have to quote Jen Vannette's comment because she expresses it well:

I get tired of focusing on "perfect, sinless" Mary. She really can't teach me anything. I loved this reflection, Anita, because you are right. From today's perspective (and even from Mary's own time perspective), she wasn't the ideal choice.

The Mary that hesitates, I can relate to. I can learn from her faith. The Mary that was a ridiculously strong women when you really consider what she went through: public ridicule for getting knocked-up and at first without Joseph's protection until he wised up and got on board with the plan (which I can also relate to and learn from), the mere idea of riding a donkey while in labor (I barely handled a car ride while in labor!), giving birth, unattended in a barn?! This is one strong woman! I can learn from that Mary.

But, perfect, unassuming, Mary? Not much she can offer me. I'm not perfect, gentle, quiet, or immediately willing to follow God. I may have my moments, but on a whole, not so much. Yet, God used Mary so wonderfully. I loved your line, Anita, "We, too, have received the Holy Spirit through our baptism. Imagine it! What has God conceived — in us?" What, indeed? Praise God! Amen. 

Legend of the Tabby

It was cold in the Manger and Baby Jesus was shivering and fussing.  

Mary asked the stable animals to move in closer to provide more warmth.  A tabby cat jumped into the manger and curled up beside the Baby Jesus who settled down and fell asleep.  

In gratitude Mary bestowed her initial M on the tabby's forehead.  

To this day every Tabby cat has a notable M on their forehead. 

This is a true story, I don't care what Father Anonymous says.

December 6, St. Nicolas

This is what I said two years ago and I can't think of anything better to say:

Somewhere, hidden in all the legends and pagan myths, there is a real person. A kindly, humble, Christian soul with whom the poor and children identified, who exemplified Jesus words that the Kingdom of God was “for the least of these” Christians need not ban Santa from our celebration of Christ’s birth among us. But let’s emphasize who he really is. He is not the Great Judge who determines who is “naughty or nice” He is not the Great Provider who gives us whatever we want. He is an example to us of remember the poor and needy—a reminder that Christmas is a time of giving. During this holiday season, instead of letting Santa do our giving for us, let him be an example for us so that we can be Santa for the children and poor of the world