Multiplying Resources

            All four Gospels record the miracle of the loaves and fishes, no doubt because it appeals to the ever present human question, "is there really enough to go around?"  This coming Sunday preachers will wrestle with Jesus' words, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat" (Matthew 14:16). Some interpreters see the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish as creatio ex nihilo, like the miracle of creation itself. 

            Others see a miracle of inspiration; persons are inspired by Jesus to share what they have so that each has what is needed.  One person started the pattern by offering his lunch to Jesus, and soon all are fed with plenty to take home as leftovers!  It is a story of abundance.

            One of the best aspects of my work is the opportunity to visit churches and say thank you for their participation in Central's mission.  Yesterday I was the guest preacher at Big Canoe Chapel, where Central board member Lamar Helms serves as associate chaplain. Clearly, he is a beloved pastoral leader, devoting himself to worship planning, music, and pastoral care.  He has a way of calling forth the best from others, even as he demands excellence of himself.

              

            This is a unique congregation; it is comprised of persons from varying faith traditions, and thus is "multidenominational" in its identity.  It provides ways for non-Christians to participate in affiliative ways, also.  More concerned to find ways to include rather than be defined by doctrinal conformity, the gathered people of God are flourishing there.

             Each year the mission committee looks over many requests to choose what ministries the congregation will support.  I am grateful that Central is among those receiving generous funds for our mission, and I was able to interpret the impact of their gift.  Interestingly, every person who had some sort of a Kansas connection came by to shake hands and ask about our location.  I trust we will get some visitors as they come through.

             Another recipient of the Chapel's mission funding was present.  The Luke Project supports inner city kids from Atlanta for a week of camp in the lovely mountain environs of Big Canoe.  About 20 of them were in worship, and I gave thanks for the respite provided by this generous congregation.  I sensed that this was a long term commitment, and it is surely a transformative initiative.

             Sharing our resources has a multiplying effect, and God can extravagantly spread them around. We need only open our hearts to the need of others; opening our wallets and purses will soon follow.

             Molly T. Marshall

             Central prepares women and men for seeking God, shaping church, and serving humanity.

**** JESUS MAFA. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48287 [retrieved July 28, 2014].

Sighing with the Spirit

            In the weeks following Pentecost, the epistle readings in Romans have focused on what it means to live in the Spirit.  For three Sundays in a row, passages from chapter 8 reveal rich insight.  Arguably there is no richer teaching about the Spirit of God, particularly as it relates to prayer.

            Clearly the Apostle states the reality: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”  The Spirit, who searches the heart, intercedes according to the will of God for those so intimately known.  God the Spirit is closer to us than our very breath, according to St. Augustine, “closer than I am to myself.”

         Yesterday I had the privilege of being the guest proclaimer at First Baptist Church, North Platte, Nebraska.  It is a tender time in the life of the congregation, as interim pastoral leadership has served it for about 18 months. The labor-intensive work of the pastor search committee continues, and they seek to stay encouraged.

            At the beginning of morning worship, the chair of this committee announced that a promising candidate had decided not to come.  He spoke of the commitment of the committee and their desire to be faithful in their work on behalf of the congregation.

            Then the chair of the deacons came forward, summoned the rest of the committee to come to the front, and offered prayer in their behalf.  It was a holy moment.  By this action, the church was affirming that they stood with their representatives; even more important, they were turning to the source of provision, One who knows what the church most needs.  The Spirit helps in our weakness, even in the process of waiting for a new pastor.

            Prayer is not always about stringing words together.  At times it is stillness that allows us to hear the prayer already being prayed within us.  It is listening for the deep sigh that transcends our fumbling theological rhetoric.  As a spiritual practice, prayer draws us into the life of God.  True prayer begins with God and returns to God.  It is a circular movement that welcomes our participation. 
            We do not pray to persuade God to do the right thing.  We pray so as to add our energy and love to divine purposes.  As we pray, we learn of God’s dream for our broken world, and we become agents of healing ministry.  The deep sigh of the Spirit is for the Body of Christ to fulfill its mission.  So it is a wise congregation that seeks the divine assistance through prayer.

Molly T. Marshall

        Central prepares women and men for seeking God, 

        shaping church, and serving humanity.

Celebrating Judson Day

            July 13, 1813, is the day the Judsons arrived in Burma, and many there continue to celebrate the day.  Because of the many resettled people from Burma (Myanmar) now present in the US, many Baptist churches are once again marking this distinctive day.

            Yesterday I preached at the Crescent Hill Baptist Church, Louisville, KY, spiritual home for many Karen in that area.  The church made some critical decisions as these refugees began to trickle and then pour into their doors.  They decided that they would be one church.  As much as possible, they would share in all the things churches do together.

            The relationship with Karen people began several years ago when the church sent a team to Thailand where they met Karen refugees streaming over the border from Burma.  Two on that mission trip, Steve Clark and Annette Ellard, sensed a calling to work alongside these people.  It is not surprising that as Karen arrived in Louisville, they remembered and sought out Steve and Annette, now appointed as CBF missionaries.

            Many congregations simply share space and an occasional greeting from some official representative of the “real church,” but not here.  Karen members of the church read Scripture, led in prayer, and provided special music; importantly, the worship bulletin had Scripture in both languages.  Karen received simultaneous translation, which the older persons needed more than the younger ones!

            A Karen pastor serves as part of the staff, and his presence is making a significant difference in caring for this part of the flock. There is a Sunday School hour for Karen, and American friends are a part of that.  I was impressed that one of the non-Karen pastors of the church came to that gathering, greeted them in Karen, and then spoke with person after person, calling each by name.

            The church is hosting citizenship classes, English classes, and finding ways to bring youth together.  The nursery is brimming with babies, most of them Karen.  The children’s sermon was a lively event, and I got a prime seat to view all the energy and curiosity as the children acted out the Parable of the Sower by planting seeds in various kinds of soils.  Some fell on the carpet, and I bet they will sprout there, also.

            Yesterday was a joy to me, not only because this was my former congregation, but also because I was able to witness a church embodying God’s welcome as they have been welcoming strangers.  As one of the long time members remarked, “I cannot imagine our church without the Karen.” Christian hospitality is at the heart of the Gospel, and when it is practiced, something like resurrection occurs.

            Molly T. Marshall

            Central prepares women and men for seeking God, shaping church, and serving humanity.

Finding Our Birthright

The Old Testament lesson for this coming Sunday is the tumultuous story of Esau and Jacob, the twins who struggled from birth. Favoritism and deceit figure prominently in the narrative, and the reader is drawn into layers of an ancient saga that give a sense of historical identity.

            Coming in from the field, famished, Esau requests some of what Jacob was cooking.  Jacob’s response was treacherous: “First sell me your birthright.”  Instant gratification outweighed rational consideration, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for bread and lentil stew.  “Thus Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:34).

            Being the eldest son had its privileges, which entails leadership within the family and a double share of inheritance.  Since Esau managed to be born first, the birthright was his, and Jacob opportunistically seized it. 

Kinship was a critical aspect of survival in the ancient Near Eastern world.  Eventually these brothers will become allies, but only after years of alienation. Jacob’s encounter with God prepares him for reconciliation with his brother, and spiritual kinship comes through forgiveness.

Two Central professors will be heading to Israel next week to participate in the Christian Leadership Initiative, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee in collaboration with the Shalom Hartman Institute.  Wallace Hartsfield II, Fred E. Young Associate Professor Hebrew Bible, and Sally Holt, Professor of Theology and Ethics at Belmont University and director of Central’s site in Nashville, will have the privilege of rich study and fellowship with other scholars.

As an alumna of this program, I can attest to the transformative nature of this experience.  Christians and Jews bring their unique prisms of understanding to our shared texts, and spiritual kinship is mined in the process.  An ongoing inter-familial conversation is good for all concerned.

My sense of inheritance as a Christian theologian is deeply linked to the narratives of the First Testament.  I could not interpret humans as created in the image of God, our most profound birthright, without the foundational narratives of Genesis.  I could not understand that election, covenant, and adoption have profound theological grounding as Scripture tells the story of God’s intimate, but not exclusive relationship with Israel.

Part of the reason for the protracted internecine campaign within both Judaism and Christianity is the sense that factions can claim God’s favor exclusively.  This simply cannot be, for God loves the whole world and gives it abounding life through the Spirit.  As the New Testament lection encourages, to set the mind on the Spirit “is life and peace” (Romans 8:6b), our spiritual birthright.

Molly T. Marshall

            Central prepares women and men for seeking God, shaping church, and serving humanity.  To learn more about us, continue visiting our website.

*Stomer, Matthias, 1589 or 1590-approximately 1651. Esau and Jacob, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55880 [retrieved July 7, 2014]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matthias_Stom_-_Esau_and_Jacob_-_WGA21805.jpg.