Okay, so, wedding bells are ringing in and around the Robinson household. The time has finally come. Casey Robinson is marrying Justin Sierschula on July 25. Casey is our 25 year-old daughter.
From the time that Casey was a small child, I would tell her that I knew exactly what I wanted her to be when she grew up. She would always ask what that was. "Happy." I would say.
Casey was raised with pretty high expectations, placed on her by her mother, Lisa, and I, as well as the communities and churches in which she grew. Through all of it, I am proud to say that she was strongly nurtured and embraced. (This is not always the case for "PK's.") Through the gymnastic years, through high school and college, through the early years of her career as an ASL interpreter, and into this new chapter of her life, I have been, and continue to be, proud of the person that she has become.
Justin makes her happy. While my obsessive compulsive side wants to make sure that she will be constantly cared for and about, he gives her everything that I have ever wanted for her. She is happy. Everything else will work itself out. She is smart, capable, creative and responsible. Together, they are quirky, unique, fun and adventurous.Whatever comes their way, I am confident that they will handle it together. Happiness is all that we can hope for our children. I am thrilled that she has found it.
To the point of this week's post to The Shiloh Insider, the upcoming wedding means that I will be taking a few weeks off from Shiloh Church. My complete concentration will be on getting to and through the wedding. Then, I am taking a week to recover, emotionally, mentally and physically. The only project that I have on my agenda for the weeks is refinishing the back deck on the house (if it should ever stop raining). Besides that, I will be relaxing, recuperating and resting.
Casey's wedding also turns an important page for Lisa and me. Because Justin's family owns and operates a business in the area, it is likely that they will be tied to Englewood/Dayton for the long haul. In some ways, that means that the Dayton, Ohio area will always be something of a home base for us. While my family has been in the Indianapolis area, and Lisa's on the Illinois side of St. Louis, we have never before enjoyed a home base. We have always been sojourners, travelers, experts who carry a computer bag and live more than fifty miles from wherever we have found ourselves. From this time forward, and no matter where we might find ourselves, the Dayton area will remain a home base. That feels oddly warming.
Enjoy the next few weeks, free from obligation to read updates to The Shiloh Insider. I will return to the office and the chancel early in August.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
UCC in from the Fringes
The United Church of Christ has always been located somewhere out on the fringes of cultural and societal norms. The denomination has always been a champion for civil and social rights, from being the first church to ordain a woman to professional ministry, to fighting for racial equality and struggling for equal marriage rights for same-gender couples. The UCC has fought for farmers' rights, women's rights, racial justice, just peace movements around the globe and equal opportunities in our communities.
The concentration on human rights had always placed the United Church of Christ on the periphery of religious and social discourse. The Church has been seen as the enemy of traditional values and the nemesis of the status quo. Because we have stood firmly with the disenfranchised, the burdened, the underserved and underprivileged, the victimized and the oppressed, the United Church of Christ has rarely been recognized as a force for American culture.
I am thrilled to see evidence that the situation is changing radically. Do not misunderstand. The United Church of Christ continues to stand, with Christ, on the side of those who are victimized and oppressed by the systems and traditions under which we live, including religious ones. The denomination will continue to fight for equality and justice, both at home and around the world. Evidence of this being the case is provided in the General Synod 30 resolutions. The UCC voted to engage in boycott, divestment and sanction in the occupied territories of Israel-Palestine. The national body acted to pressure sports teams that utilize racial or cultural epithets in their logos, mascots or marketing to cease in doing so. Dialogues on race relations continue, as does the work for gender equality, LBGTQ concerns, worker rights and just peace initiatives.
No, the United Church of Christ has not come into the middle of the social context by moderating its message or its actions. Quite to the contrary, the culture, in which the United Church of Christ has worked in sometimes radical ways, has found our causes, calling from the fringes. The culture has found our causes. It has evolved to the point of visionary peace, radical justice and equality, social, cultural and relational compassion, kindness and generosity.
The culture is starting to throw off the heavy cloaks of partisan politics and divisive economics, religious retribution and separation theology. The Cultural evolution has been very troubling for those who had demanded that their religious practices of divisiveness and exclusion be found at the core of social and cultural life. Today, many who claim to be religious - it does not really matter which one - find themselves at war with the cultural evolution that is taking place around and through us. They call it the "end times."
I concur. These times mark the end of religious hegemony, of divisive and exclusionary religious practices that favor some over others, cater to the privileged, the wealthy and the powerful. These are times when radical issues of justice, equality and peace are pursued culturally, in society, universally and communally. In other words, these are times for God's will to become systemic, communal, cultural, personally and politically applicable.
Welcome in from the fringes, United Church of Christ. I am proud to be part of your transition.
The concentration on human rights had always placed the United Church of Christ on the periphery of religious and social discourse. The Church has been seen as the enemy of traditional values and the nemesis of the status quo. Because we have stood firmly with the disenfranchised, the burdened, the underserved and underprivileged, the victimized and the oppressed, the United Church of Christ has rarely been recognized as a force for American culture.
I am thrilled to see evidence that the situation is changing radically. Do not misunderstand. The United Church of Christ continues to stand, with Christ, on the side of those who are victimized and oppressed by the systems and traditions under which we live, including religious ones. The denomination will continue to fight for equality and justice, both at home and around the world. Evidence of this being the case is provided in the General Synod 30 resolutions. The UCC voted to engage in boycott, divestment and sanction in the occupied territories of Israel-Palestine. The national body acted to pressure sports teams that utilize racial or cultural epithets in their logos, mascots or marketing to cease in doing so. Dialogues on race relations continue, as does the work for gender equality, LBGTQ concerns, worker rights and just peace initiatives.
No, the United Church of Christ has not come into the middle of the social context by moderating its message or its actions. Quite to the contrary, the culture, in which the United Church of Christ has worked in sometimes radical ways, has found our causes, calling from the fringes. The culture has found our causes. It has evolved to the point of visionary peace, radical justice and equality, social, cultural and relational compassion, kindness and generosity.
The culture is starting to throw off the heavy cloaks of partisan politics and divisive economics, religious retribution and separation theology. The Cultural evolution has been very troubling for those who had demanded that their religious practices of divisiveness and exclusion be found at the core of social and cultural life. Today, many who claim to be religious - it does not really matter which one - find themselves at war with the cultural evolution that is taking place around and through us. They call it the "end times."
I concur. These times mark the end of religious hegemony, of divisive and exclusionary religious practices that favor some over others, cater to the privileged, the wealthy and the powerful. These are times when radical issues of justice, equality and peace are pursued culturally, in society, universally and communally. In other words, these are times for God's will to become systemic, communal, cultural, personally and politically applicable.
Welcome in from the fringes, United Church of Christ. I am proud to be part of your transition.
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
General Synod
I just returned today from six days of inspiration, discernment and worship at the 30th General Synod of the United Church of Christ. This was my thirteenth Synod experience and, by far, the most exhilarating celebration of the Church that I have witnessed. Here is why.
Firstly, on the first day of business, the Supreme Court of the United Stated released a ruling that said that States may no longer restrict marriage rights from those of same genders. While not everyone agrees with that decision - nor does everyone support it - the determination marked the realization of decades of work by the United Church of Christ. The response that we may make to those who disagree, or who seek to understand how a church can support such a ruling, is simple. The United Church of Christ stands with Christ in applied love and acceptance of all people, even if that stance seems to differ from Biblical principles that are derived from and developed within particular human contexts. Regardless of who, what race, what ethnicity, what gender, what economic or social status, what life-style, what sexuality, what politics, the United Church of Christ seeks to accept all people.
Secondly, the United Church of Christ called and installed the next General Minister and President of the denomination. His name is John C. Dorhauer, a seminary classmate of mine, who is a recognized expert in the field of white, male privilege and a warm, engaging minister and pastor. Though a middle class, straight, white male, John offers us an opportunity to see ourselves, and our callings, from new perspectives. As another friend of mine says about John, "He offers me hope for the future of the Church." I concur. This was a fine choice for General Minister and President of the Church. John will help us maneuver paths toward justice and peace among all persons.
Thirdly, and I think most importantly, the United Church of Christ is finally matching the arc of social evolution with its ministry and mission focus. The denomination had always been out ahead. We looked too liberal, too progressive, odd and dangerous. Now, with recent social and cultural evolutionary steps, the United Church of Christ is reflective of and relevant to the directions of the world in which we live and serve. Culture is moving. So is the United Church of Christ! Finally, we seem to be moving together!
At Synod, I served as a member of a committee that deliberated a resolution of attaining a just peace in the Israeli-Palestinian territories, including boycott, disinvestment and sanction in relationship to companies that profit from acts of violence and exclusion in the territories. After some amendment, this resolution was overwhelmingly ratified by the plenary. Another, related resolution on Israel-Palestine failed, however, mainly because it sought to label the climate in Israel-Palestine as "Apartheid." Those who lived through the 70's may remember the Apartheid government in South Africa, where a racial minority ruled over a racial majority. Because of the distinctions between that situation and that of Israel-Palestine, and because the term is incendiary, the resolution was rejected by the plenary. While human rights violations have certainly come to light, the commitment of the UCC is to a resolution of the conflicts instead of a further incitement of the divisions.
The Worship of General Synod 30 was inventive, inspiration, meaningful and powerful. Shiloh will be seeing some of that worship form and content throughout the summer months. We hope that you will attend, being part of this congregation and the denomination to which we belong. We are the United Church of Christ, where we encounter God in unexpected places and through unanticipated means. Help the world encounter God with us, as we stand with Christ in applying unconditional love and acceptance.
Firstly, on the first day of business, the Supreme Court of the United Stated released a ruling that said that States may no longer restrict marriage rights from those of same genders. While not everyone agrees with that decision - nor does everyone support it - the determination marked the realization of decades of work by the United Church of Christ. The response that we may make to those who disagree, or who seek to understand how a church can support such a ruling, is simple. The United Church of Christ stands with Christ in applied love and acceptance of all people, even if that stance seems to differ from Biblical principles that are derived from and developed within particular human contexts. Regardless of who, what race, what ethnicity, what gender, what economic or social status, what life-style, what sexuality, what politics, the United Church of Christ seeks to accept all people.
Secondly, the United Church of Christ called and installed the next General Minister and President of the denomination. His name is John C. Dorhauer, a seminary classmate of mine, who is a recognized expert in the field of white, male privilege and a warm, engaging minister and pastor. Though a middle class, straight, white male, John offers us an opportunity to see ourselves, and our callings, from new perspectives. As another friend of mine says about John, "He offers me hope for the future of the Church." I concur. This was a fine choice for General Minister and President of the Church. John will help us maneuver paths toward justice and peace among all persons.
Thirdly, and I think most importantly, the United Church of Christ is finally matching the arc of social evolution with its ministry and mission focus. The denomination had always been out ahead. We looked too liberal, too progressive, odd and dangerous. Now, with recent social and cultural evolutionary steps, the United Church of Christ is reflective of and relevant to the directions of the world in which we live and serve. Culture is moving. So is the United Church of Christ! Finally, we seem to be moving together!
At Synod, I served as a member of a committee that deliberated a resolution of attaining a just peace in the Israeli-Palestinian territories, including boycott, disinvestment and sanction in relationship to companies that profit from acts of violence and exclusion in the territories. After some amendment, this resolution was overwhelmingly ratified by the plenary. Another, related resolution on Israel-Palestine failed, however, mainly because it sought to label the climate in Israel-Palestine as "Apartheid." Those who lived through the 70's may remember the Apartheid government in South Africa, where a racial minority ruled over a racial majority. Because of the distinctions between that situation and that of Israel-Palestine, and because the term is incendiary, the resolution was rejected by the plenary. While human rights violations have certainly come to light, the commitment of the UCC is to a resolution of the conflicts instead of a further incitement of the divisions.
The Worship of General Synod 30 was inventive, inspiration, meaningful and powerful. Shiloh will be seeing some of that worship form and content throughout the summer months. We hope that you will attend, being part of this congregation and the denomination to which we belong. We are the United Church of Christ, where we encounter God in unexpected places and through unanticipated means. Help the world encounter God with us, as we stand with Christ in applying unconditional love and acceptance.
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