The God Tree

It's been a while since I've blogged here. Life has been crazy between school and pastoring. So I apologize to those of you looking for new posts. But this should indeed tell you something about being a student pastor in a rural community.

Last week, I served as a volunteer director of a week of summer camp at one of our area United Methodist camps. I was directing a cabin of rising 5th and 6th graders. There were some interesting events…but, overall, it was an excellent week. I was thoroughly exhausted when I got back home, (lesson learned: do NOT try to prove to 10 year olds that you can climb a wall just as well as they can...). But in the midst of my exhaustion, I was also refreshed and renewed. Camp is my holy place--where I feel closest to God. Camp worship is the best worship I have ever experience. It’s so real and raw and unpolished—it’s immensely refreshing. My spirit is renewed by the children and youth who come to camp…and especially by those who are willing to ask the hard questions.

One of the hard questions came right at the beginning of the week, as we were going on a camp tour. We were headed to one of the campfire sites, called Vesper Point. One camper shouted, “Look!” and pointed to a tree. Now this wasn’t just any tree. This was what we refer to as the “God Tree.” You see, the God Tree has one branch that does not grow up like that rest of the branches. Instead, it grows down, so that the end of the branch rests on the ground. One of the campers proclaimed that you could walk up the branch like a bridge or ladder. And of course, the hard question was, “Ms. [PBJ], why does the branch grow down?”

Truth be told, I have no clue. And rather than get into a long explanation on how this is an oak tree, but if it were a fruit tree, no fruit could grow on that branch, I instead pulled one of my favorite tricks. I changed the topic slightly. I said, “Do you know what the name of this tree is? It’s called the ‘God Tree’ because of that branch. You see, that branch is like God’s arm reaching down from heaven to meet us where we are in our spiritual journeys here on earth. We don’t need to go to God because God has already come to us.”

Later that week, my 23 campers were split into three small groups for Bible Study. I, along with one of my CITs (Counselor-In Training), was leading one group of 8 campers. I knew a few were going to be discipline problems during the week, so I purposely placed them in my group. But God worked in some amazing ways. On Tuesday morning, we were talking about Jesus' encounter with two men on the Road to Emmaus. One of the points I made to the campers was that Jesus waited to be invited into the home of the men; he didn't force himself in. If we think of our bodies as a "house," then we also have to invite Jesus in. I then gave them an opportunity to respond to this, and two of the campers made first time professions of faith! Later, on Thursday night, during worship, we had an altar call of sorts (camp-style, of course!), and another one of my campers made a first-time profession of faith!

I think that in the midst of all of this, there is a lesson for any Christian. People in general have a deep desire to fill a God-sized hole in their life. Some try alcohol, drugs, sex, money, material goods, etc...all without success. The only thing that can fill that hole in their life is God. But too often, we assume that people will "just come" to God. We never offer an invitation. Just like the God Tree, God is there, ready, waiting, and reaching out to us...but we need to step out on a limb...step out in faith...to respond to God's invitation, and then invite others to join us as we branch out and "leaf" the worldly behind. (Sorry...).

So maybe I can’t answer all of a camper's nature questions, or even all of their questions about God…but I can find ways to connect the two…and that's part of what it means to be a pastor. We connect the "everyday" around us with God. Amen. ("So be it.")

The car that did not just drive by

Yesterday I went out for a run. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, that is until some person for whatever reason felt the need to drive by us and turn at the next corner and then yell back towards us “you run like F*@#$ Faggots”. Then he sped away. Honestly I was in a bit of shock at first, caught completely off guard. I wasn't even sure what that meant other then it was meant to be insulting. As we continued running and those words began to sink in, I found myself becoming angry and a little hurt too if I am being honest. We were minding our own business running down the road enjoying the afternoon and this person felt the need to say that. I found it hard to be Jesus in that moment. I wanted him to drive back so I could yell back at him and tell him what an ignorant fool he is, tell him that LGBTQ people are an intentional part of God’s beautiful and diverse creation and I do not care about his backwards way of thinking. After a few minutes it occurred to me that I should be sad for him not angry because it speaks a lot about his life that he needs to do such a heinous thing to make himself feel good.

This serves as a reminder of the inequality of the world we live in. Reminds me that heterosexuality in many places is still lifted up and anything else is just deviant. It reminds me of all the work that still needs to be done. I sometimes forget about all that needs to be done still. I go to a seminary that is very welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ people. I attend congregations who embrace all people unconditionally and who march in Pride parades just so people might see that God does love them. I forget sometimes there is a world outside this bubble that is far less accepting. Even in my own denomination, the United Methodist Church, there is so much work left to be done. We still prevent some people from becoming clergy, prevent people from becoming members, and attempt to humiliate individuals to prove they are practicing homosexuals. All of this occurs because of sexual orientation. Thankfully we have the many dedicated members of the Reconciling Ministries Network, who work tirelessly for the full inclusion of all people into the life of the church. If you are interested in working for full inclusion of all people then a great place to start is at the Sing A New Song convocation at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, OH Aug. 25 – 28. It is here that we will plan for the upcoming 2012 General Conference and how we will be a witness of God's inclusive love, encouraging the delegates to vote in favor of inclusive policies for the church. Today we still live in a world where for some it is acceptable to yell obscenities out your window, but together we can change that. Every step we take toward inclusion is another step toward a world where all are equal. Will you join us?