For the last 6+ months I’ve been part of a strategic planning committee working on developing a citywide plan for addressing homelessness & affordable housing. I’m the faith community representative, and I’ve been amazed by the breadth of knowledge and experience in the field that other folks on the committee have brought to that discussion.

I was asked to offer comments as part of the citizen comment time after the presentations. I knew that there would be powerful stories from service providers, individuals who have experienced homelessness, and homeless advocates. What could I say in two minutes that would have any impact?

Here are my comments. My original piece was longer, but this had to be edited down in order to fit (almost) within that two minute limit.

I’m a preacher.
I’m not a social worker; a housing advocate; a politician; or a business owner.
I’m a preacher– I tell stories for a living.
Not just any stories—old stories.

As a preacher and follower of Jesus, I tell many stories about him.
To most folks, mine is not a particularly important profession.

Someone once asked Jesus about following him, and Jesus replied,
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus was, in today’s vernacular,
a “couch surfer,”
an encampment resident,
a person without shelter,
an itinerant preacher for the three years of his adult ministry.

When Jesus began his public ministry in his hometown, he read from Isaiah,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives,
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

–not particularly good news for the rich, the powerful, and the politically connected–so much so that after finishing his sermon, the good people of Nazareth promptly chased him out of town and tried to throw him off a cliff.

Near the end of his ministry, when he had angered nearly everyone in power, a woman came to Jesus and in gratitude poured an expensive bottle of perfume on his head and feet. The money counters among Jesus’ followers grumbled, saying the money could have better been spent on the poor.

Jesus defended the woman, saying,
“For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”

His response has been misunderstood ever since.
It has been abused as an excuse to do nothing in the face of poverty.

But if you listen to old stories, you would know that Jesus is quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures. From Deuteronomy, which describes the development of community practices among people whose ancestors had once lived in slavery. Focusing on economic issues, the ancient text describes how land, property, finances, politics, immigrants, and neighbors are to be treated.

The text Jesus quotes, begins,
“Since there will never cease to be someone in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’”

–Jesus wasn’t offering us an excuse to do nothing, but an imperative to act compassionately toward those in need.

I tell old stories for a living.
My only hope is that someone listens.

Opening Prayer
O Holy One, we come to this time of worship, longing for the healing presence of your Spirit in our world. As a shepherd patiently tends their flock, so you watch after your people. Restore us, O Gentle Shepherd, for it is in your grace that we find wholeness and in your mercy that we are made new.

Gathered here we remember you call us by name; in this place we are fully embraced in your welcome. In this moment and every moment, may we rest in the assurance of your love and may we learn to extend your welcome to all. In the name of Jesus we trust and pray, Amen.

Opening Prayer
Life-giving God, we are a blessed people.
In this moment of worship we pray that you might bless us anew.
Give us ears to hear the melodies of praise that fill the world around us.
And as we hear the songs, teach us to sing, to dance with abandon, to rejoice in the wonders of your grace.
Forgive us when we have passed by signs of your mercy.
From this moment forward, open our eyes to the places where joy is springing up from parched ground.
Lead us by your Spirit in the pathways of your overflowing peace, hope, and joy.
Amen.

Opening Prayer:
God of hope, we come to you in the midst of a world fraught with troubles. Although the darkness is powerful, open our eyes, Lord, to the light of your presence. Give us faith to stand against the voices of division and violence. Through your Spirit remake us into hope-filled disciples, discovering lives attune to your wonder, and sparking in others a desire to know you more.
In the name of the One who comes to us, we pray, Amen.

Opening Prayer:
O God beyond time, we are an impatient people. As the days grow shorter and the darkness longer, teach us to wait with faithful expectation. In this time of worship, open our eyes and hearts to the Advent blessings in our midst. May every day be a day of gratitude for your compassion and grace. Through the guidance of your Spirit lead each one of us in the pathways that make for peace. In the name of Emmanuel, God with Us, we pray. Amen.

WRIM Missional Meeting
Las Vegas, NV, October 25-29, 2010
Nancy Gowler Johnson

We reflected the diversity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). There were pastors in urban settings, suburban and rural churches; part-time pastors and senior ministers in multiple pastoral staff settings; pastors serving predominately Caucasian congregations and those ministering with ethnically-identified or multi-cultural churches; new pastors and those nearing retirement.

As part of our preparation for the event we had all read Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the CHURCH by Reggie McNeal. A champion of the missional church movement, McNeal argues that churches must make three seismic shifts: move from internal to external focus, claim developing people as its core activity, and embrace community-engaged leadership. The book provided a common framework for our five days of conversation. While much of his discussion has been considered in other places, McNeil provides food for thought. Some of us wondered whether in the process of advocating missional churches he dismisses attractional churches too quickly.

I have revisited McNeil’s book primarily to think about ways in which the communication in our congregation might better connect and reflect the transformational work in which we are already involved. If we are making new connections in our neighborhood, for example, he suggests making the church calendar a community calendar. Include community events on the church calendar; have links on the church page to major municipal websites, include opportunities for volunteering outside of church activities. When planning the church calendar, begin with the community calendar, for example, “When do teachers go back to school?” or “When does the Farmers’ Market begin?”

On the second day of our gathering, we heard stories of each congregation from its pastor. It was here that I began to hear the power of the Spirit working in varied ways. There was the pastor who never thought he had the gifts for inner city ministries, who found that the act of caring for the people where they were developed trust and opened up opportunities for life-giving ministries to take root. There were churches who were being transformed as they ventured out into unknown territory; churches for whom ministries to the homeless had challenged them and blessed their communities in unexpected ways. An urban church had finally taken a new look at its changing neighborhood and is now making connections to the growing arts community surrounding it.

There were stories of discouragement, too. Congregations struggling with large buildings that put a huge strain on financial resources. Congregations experiencing conflict because of the changes brought about by the shift to a missional understanding of the church. Ministers grieving because of good-hearted congregations who may have waited too long to do the hard work of transformation.

Half of our time together was devoted to small group work, focusing on common themes that developed from our initial conversations. I joined the group focusing on spirituality. Overwhelmed by the issues, emotions, and possibilities that had already been presented to us, we were moved to carve out intentional moments of silence. We took seriously our felt call to pray for the work of the other focus groups. We wondered what it would mean for the church to develop a culture of deepening spirituality. How would we be different than we are today? We laughed as we wondered aloud if the idea of contemplative Disciples was an oxymoron.

Our group was challenged by the realization that many in our culture claim to be spiritual but not religious, however much of what the church does is religious, but not spiritual. We shared the stories of our own spiritual journeys and the journeying of our congregations. From those stories we began to knit together an approach to deepening spirituality for our congregation, our regions, and for the general church.

We were moved by the story of one congregation that experienced spiritual renewal during the rebuilding of its buildings. When all that was left standing was the sanctuary, the congregation was called back to its center, to a life of prayer and discernment. As part of that process the minister and the congregational leadership engaged the work of a spiritual director. The experience of that congregation, along with our own personal experiences with spiritual direction, led us to the realization that our leaders and congregations need to be intentional in our practices of listening to the Spirit. We envision our regional and general church leaders modeling the discipline of intentional spiritual direction. We were excited about the possibilities of developing an internship for spiritual direction, much like the current peace internships. This program would train pastors and congregational leaders in spiritual direction. Complementing this, would be a designation of spiritual directors in our Disciples Yearbook.

We covenanted among ourselves to hold one another and our places of ministry in daily prayer. Another member of our group shared about a prayer bead ministry in his congregation. Anglican prayer beads were made by members of the congregation, given as gifts of encouragement, and sold as a way of raising money for ministries. As we held the prayer beads in our hands, we imagined sharing similar beads with our regional ministers and general ministry staff. We are working to make prayer beads in our congregations and gift these to over 30 individuals, along with an invitation to join us in daily prayer for the transformation of our church and with the encouragement for those ministers to engage in personal spiritual direction.

Thinking of good stewardship of our resources, we were convinced that there were already places in our region that could be made available for intentional, directed spiritual retreats for ministers and/or congregational leaders. Members of churches with cabins or vacation homes might be willing to make those properties available for such retreats.

During our time together we had found encouragement from the stories shared by others. We hope that regions find ways to share those stories with one another, perhaps through existing social networks or websites, or even by producing our own regional or WRIM transformation story books. In the end it was the stories that held the most power for me–stories of congregations stepping out into the unknown, in some cases stumbling upon the work that God was already doing around them. Those stories are stories of hope and a new future; and hearing them opens up possibilities for congregations seeking to be faithful in a new time and place.

Opening Prayer
Joy-bringing God, we look forward to the coming of Christ at Christmas. In this time of worship, fill our hearts with your gifts of hope, peace, joy and love. Take our imperfect lives and mold us into your people, ready to welcome Emmanuel, God-with-us, into our midst. May our songs of joy be a sweet, sweet sound of praise to you. Amen.

Invocation
Move us, Joyful God, take our hands and lead us in your dance of creation.
When we are uncertain, guard our hearts with your peace.
When our steps falter, surround us with the strength of your Spirit.
Guide us, Dancing God, until we are move and sing with the joy of your salvation.
In the name of Emmanuel, God with Us, we pray, Amen.

invocation
God beyond time and space, take this moment of worship and bless it.
May the grace experienced in this place be multiplied to overflowing so that your whole world sees the light of your love.
God of new surprises, take each of us here, and bless us.
Create in us clean hearts, refresh our spirits, and transform our whole beings, until we reflect your love and compassion through and through.
In the name of Emmanuel, God with Us, the one who comes to us even now, Amen.

Invocation
Source of all wisdom,
Throughout the earth your Spirit moves, breathing new life into your handiwork. From prestigious halls of power to long forgotten byways, the voice of Wisdom calls for us to follow. Your thoughts are not our thoughts, O Creating One, and we find it hard to know your ways. Grant us humble hearts so that in seeking to follow you we might find our true selves. In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Guide, we pray. Amen.