9/6
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| prophetic words on a mailbox |
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| On the way to Monkey Cup. On a mail box, appropriately |
Doing back to back virtual worship services can be exhausting. It was good to have a quiet morning in la venezuelita of the Monkey Cup with the Times before starting to work. The first service is with my old congregation West Park and the second with Beverley from Brooklyn. I thought of them yesterday on Q train when we passed that stop on the way to the beach. Many is the Sunday I’d hop off there and walk the ten blocks to the church. Here’s what I had to say:
We lost two people from the world of sports this week. Tom Seaver, more than any other player, made the Mets a team worthy of respect. Was a major reason the Mets won that miraculous 1969 World Series. And it’s not always remembered the after the series, he and his wife took out an ad in the Times that said,”If the Mets can win the World Series, the US can get out of Vietnam.” (An idea not universally popular in 1969 New York.)And I’ll always remember William Sloane Coffin, Jr in Yale Chapel saying getting to sing Beethoven’s 9th was like “…watching Seaver on the mound.”
And we lost John Thompson, who in his own way, as coach of Georgetown University, showed college basketball that black lives mattered.
There are too many people walk around this country right now with guns pointed at each other. Just sayin. And it occurred to me, if you own a gun like that, you probably want to use it.
Labor Day Weekend. The end of a summer that never really began. So much of what defines summer for me…summer picnics with friends on the Great Lawn with the Philharmonic, waiting in line for Shakespeare tickets, my seats at Yankee Stadium,(make your own list) just never happened. I saw a Pumpkin Spice sign at Dunkin Donuts and almost screamed “No, not yet, too soon, too soon.”
And here we are, virtual again. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” That’s one of those Bible passages we all like a lot. Especially when attendance is low, It’s reminder that Jesus is still there. We don’t often remember, however, the context within which he says this. The passage comes at the end of what appears to be a process of conflict resolution between two church members. As you read it, it is personal. It’s a reminder that in the Jewish tradition, during the high holy days, if you have hurt another, you have to seek their forgiveness before you can seek God’s forgiveness.
Earlier in Matthew,95:23-4) he says:
23 Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.…
There used to be a communion practice that if you came to the table with anything against anyone, you were supposed to go deal with it before communing. Especially another congregant. What if we did that today?
What’s laid out is not a bad process. The 2-3 witnesses are the basis of things like needing 2 witnesses for a wedding, or in Pennsylvania for a Quaker wedding, 2 witnesses is all you need, not even a clergy person. The one iffy part is about treating tweet unrepentant (at least unresponsive ones)”… as a Gentile or tax collector.” Which sounds pretty bad until you remember how Jesus treated gentiles and tax collectors…He loved them. Gene Peterson helps us understand what’s going in here in his translation The Message he says, “You’ve get to start all over.” One who doesn’t respond has essentially removed themselves from the community and you’ve got to go back to square one with them.
And ultimately, thats what this passage is about…preserving and strengthening community. The restoration of relationship is necessary for a strong community.
At the beginning, when Jesus says “If another member of the church” the Greek literally says “brother.” A church relationship is to be like that of family, which will always have ups and downs. Families are noted for holding grudges and not speaking, Yeah, that happens. But if a community is going to survive, members have to know how to have hard conversations with people. And we have to remember that Jesus is always there in our midst and a yes on earth is a yes in heaven.
I have often believed that the most important question that should be asked of a prospective new member is do you promise to resolve conflicts in community? I can tell you that as a pastor, my worst experience was trying to resolve conflicts between members. And the worst was when people played them out on email and both got mad and left without ever actually facing and speaking to the other person. And all too often, both parties wanted me to set the other person straight and blamed me for the outcome and both would get mad and leave. I just didn’t know how to do it. I got my Mennonite training too late. ( Conflict resolution should be a required course in seminary….along with basic economics…and as an old friend says, toilet repair.)
Look here’s the bottom line…before any mission statement or strategic plan , there is one basic question, are you, and the others here, committed to being part of this community? Without that, nothing else can work. On the other hand, where 2-3 people committed to community are gathered, Jesus is there with them, and that can work wonders. If you have 6-8 people committed to each other, and I mean really and truly committed, willing to ask hard questions and hang in….6-8 people can move mountains And 12? 12? We know what 12 can do…they can change the world…
Let those with ears to hear listen….I mean really listen…Amen…
Both churches are dealing with the effects of Covid. West Park has bene closed without income from rentals to other congregations. No real programming has taken place at the center. At least one member and three church family related people have died. Beverley's rental congregation has not paid rent since February arguing that with no access, why should they pay? So Beverley has difficulty paying supply pastors. The virus takes its toll.
In our afternoon family ZOOM session, my son in Berlin feels New York City with all the early deaths, may have hit herd immunity stage. If New York’s death rate were extrapolated nationally, 5.4 million people would have died. (Stat modeling, Columbia U.)We keep on with all the protocols nevertheless.
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| John Ragusa and Pat O |
I arrive at Bar 9 and discover I’m going on half an hour earlier than expected. My vocalist isn’t even here yet. In my first songs, I completely lose the lyrics and even one of the tunes. My mind goes blank. I have to scramble to cover. Luckily I’ve got another 6songs to go . I retreat to familiar ground. By the time my singer joins me, we finish strong. My friends Pat O and Olda are performing in front of live people for the first time in 6 months. Olda’s got his singer and Pat has John Ragusa’s magic flute. It’s good to have so many friends together again in the same place after so long. Normalish, as she says.
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| Olda and Kristina |
Matthew 18: 15-20
15 “If another member of the church[a] sins against you,[b] go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.[c] 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
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