Taking a Clue from Jesus Mission Statement

This week, we're playing around with the notion of personal mission statements. Do you have one?

We get a taste of Jesus' mission statement in in Luke 4:16-21. Mission statements are not job descriptions. They are not to do lists. Instead of Jesus unrolling the scroll and saying, "I have been anointed to be an itinerant preacher and teacher in Galilee...and here's my job outline in bullet-point form" he says "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.” Sure, there are some specifics in this proclamation, but mostly it's a list of outcomes. And that's different than a task list.

So, I was wondering about mission statements. What's my mission in life? As any good post-modern person would do, I took my question to Google. Up popped a personal mission statement generator from the folks at Franklin Covey. (www.franklincovey.com/msb/missions/login)
I tried it and guess what -- it was fun and very revealing. As you consider what your mission is in the world, give it a try. Maybe re post your results here. Let's inspire each other!

My mission statement (as generated by the Franklin Covey Personal Mission Statement Builder):

I am at my best when I am creative, rested, inspired, surrounded by beauty and joyous people, filled with purpose, and feeling like I am accomplishing something. I will try to prevent times when I am not focused, tired, torn, in ugly places with negative people, and unclear about my purpose. I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can be at the center of synergy, making big things happen. I will find enjoyment in my personal life through play with my daughter, be in love with my husband, laugh with friends, cooking, writing, walking and smelling fresh air. I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as cooking, making art, singing, being there for people, creating beautiful, interesting space, writing, speaking.

I can do anything I set my mind to. I will be a writer and inspirational speaker.

My life's journey is to be at home no matter where the journey takes me, opening up my home and life to friends and family, strangers and sojourners.I will be a person who my children, their children, and people who think of me as their teacher, will give me the greatest tribute by telling me the story of "Us" and how I changed their life. They will tell me about the moment when I mattered to them...

My most important future contribution to others will be to let them know that they are loved beyond their wildest imaginations and that they have purpose in this world. Our job is to discern that purpose and have at it with reckless abandon...

I will stop procrastinating and start working on:
- Being more centered: have an everyday, all day connection to God.
- Remembering "it's not about me" and know that I am only one piece of an infinite puzzle.
- Tending to my own body and being healthy.

I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:
-Be smart like Jesus
-Be in love with Jesus
-Love people like Jesus

I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:
-walk and do tai chi every day. breathe, move, stretch, breathe, move, stretch.
-read poetry every day. see beauty every day. pray every day.
-check in about your baggage everyday. seek out people who keep you in check and keep you balanced and healthy
-make new friends. go out. have fun. have date nights with your husband. touch, be touched. give kisses and hugs. tell the people I love that i love them.

Why do you do it?

Every body's doing it.

They are -- haven't you noticed? There are TV commercials about it. Schools are teaching about it. Even Disney is in on the act. Everybody is doing it.

Everyone is doing good works these days. There's a series of TV commercials showing one person doing a random act of kindness followed by the person who received the good will following suit and so on. Schools are making "service hours" a requirement for graduation. And, now, Disney is offering free admission to people who log hours with particular non-profit organizations. Every body is doing good works these days.

And I'm all for it. This wave of service that's sweeping the nation is good for us. It can only make the world better. With that in mind, I hope you don't misunderstand the question that all this do-gooding raises in me: why do you do good works? As a person of faith, why do you do good works?

For me, I don't really care that I could get a free day at Disney. Being a person of faith in God, I do good works because that's what God calls me to do.

Being a person who tries to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Christ, I do good works because I want to create the kind of community around me that Christ created around him.

Being a person who knows the presence of the Holy Spirit, I do good works because then, in those moments when I'm uncomfortable with the sights, smells and experiences of the poor, lonely, sick and marginalized, I know that I am not alone. The Holy Spirit will carry me through.

I do it because, in the words of The Message, "Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"

Why do you do it?

The Requirements

When my friend Angie, who preached my installation, teaches Confirmation she always asks the kids if there is anything they must do in order to be faithful.

Usually, they respond, "No". The go on -- we should all try to be nice, good people. "But, there are no requirements."

"What if I told you there were requirements?" she asks. They usually sit there stunned. That's when she whips out Micah 6:8 -- What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Most church -going adults I have met seem just as befuddled by the contents of Micah 6:8 as the youth do. Sure, we all condone humility and value kindness, but when it comes to justice, in another story entirely. How many times have I heard critiques of social-justice oriented themes as being "too political" or "not spiritual enough"? How many times? Many, many times.

But we're fooling ourselves if we think God doesn't care about social justice. The books of the Prophets found in scripture continually call attention to the way nations treated the most vulnerable members of their societies. Jesus was perpetually concerned with the marginalized of society. The Epistles call communities into right relation with one another. True, many of the Epistles address small scale relationships. But the principles that govern being in right relationship in interpersonal relationships apply to systems as well.

Social justice isn't an afterthought for God. So it shouldn't be an afterthought for us either. Social justice is part and parcel of what faithful living and kin-dom building is all about.

Woe, woe is me!

When Jesus preached to the folks hanging out on a hillside, he said things like, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." When Jesus preached to the folks out on the plains, he changed it up a bit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" becomes "Blessed are the poor". In addition, there is a whole list of "woes" added on. "...Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep."

I must admit -- I am much more fond of the the former rather than the latter. When I read, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," I think, Yeah, that's right -- I'm blessed -- I'm having a bad day -- I've got problems. God bless me! But it's harder to find my place in the latter where the "poor in spirit" are replaced with "the poor". I'm not poor. In fact, since almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day and 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day I am anything but poor. I am quite rich in comparison to the rest of the world.

That would put me, not in Jesus' blessed category, but firmly in his woe category. When I only take this teaching on face value, that's when I start longing again for the warm fuzzies of the sermon on the mount. When I go deeper into this passage, that's when I start to understand how to truly be blessed. When I am rich, I have resources to give. When I am full, I am able to give of myself because. When I am laughing, I have joy to share. When Jesus is holding us accountable, we ought not run in the other direction, but embrace his tough teaching, his tough love. It's through making that love a reality in this world that we are all blessed.

A witness...really?

Today I'm dwelling on the term 'witness'. Jesus calls his followers to be his witnesses "in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." (That's a quote from Acts chapter 1 -- it was our text for this past Sunday's worship.) That's a tough word, especially for Progressive Christians. It's been co-opted for so long by our evangelical brothers and sisters that I, for one, have a hard time claiming the word 'witness' as part of my faith experience.

I had a lot of evangelical friends in college. I still carry my
For instance, I remember a friend going on a spring break trip with a parap-church group at their college. They went to "witness to people on the beach and bring them to Jesus." Another friend went on a trip to India with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) to "witness to the lost people following a false god". I remember the conversation wherein she described surrounding a Hindu temple and "praying for the salvation of the people inside." I was horrified. If this is what it means to be a witness, I want no part of it.

But, reading the gospel stories, I find that Jesus had a different take on what it meant to be a witness. If "witness" means "to testify to" or to "give evidence of" then I would think being a witness for Christ means giving evidence of the work Jesus did in the world. Jesus' ministry was about meeting people's needs and teaching of God's love. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, befriended the lonely, invited in the outcasts. He demanded justice for marginalized people. That's what being a witness for Christ means to me.

So, I have to unload all of my "witness baggage" from those bad experiences I have had. I have to reclaim that word and begin again. What about you?

Fasting for Lent?

Lent is underway and the fast is on. Are you fasting from something this Lenten season? If so, what? And more importantly, why?

I hope this poem, originally written as a Reader’s Theater for our worship last night, provides you with some insights into what this season is really about. This piece has words from Ellen Kordik, Linda Owens, and Rev. Leah Robberts-Mosser

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of 40 days of penitence
Ash Wednesday is …well…one of those weird
worship services
we all struggle to understand.
For starters – it’s Worship at night –
the sanctuary looks so different
without light streaming in through the windows
without the sun to warm the room.
As we come to worship tonight
The ghosts of Ash Wednesdays past come along with us
The trappings of Lent get in the way.
Lent starts
Since Jesus suffered
We must suffer too!
Guess it’s time to give up candy until Easter
Cause that would be a real sacrifice!
No more fried foods!
No more soft drinks!
No more TV!
No more fun!
Parties are suspect during Lent
get your share of partying and fun during Mardi Gras
cause after tonight
it’s all gone!
It’s time to eat fish on Fridays and think about how horrible a person you are!
Really?
Well, that’s what I always thought as a kid
It’s time to dwell on my shortcomings
That’s what this night has always meant to me
It was nothing more than leaving worship with ash on my forehead
and dust in my eyes.
Everyone is quiet
sad somehow.
This is a time of penitence
for all the bad I've done
and the good I haven't done.
Sackcloth and ashes,
Repentance and grief.
Suspicion and guilt
Obligation and sacrifice
Death and dying
Ugh! It’s so somber!
It’s such a downer!
I don’t get it!
To be honest
I don’t understand
I don’t understand what tonight is about.
If God loves us, why aren’t we
Happy.
So much Lenten baggage!
So many ghosts of Ash Wednesdays past!
That should be enough "baggage" for anyone, don't you think?
We've come a long way from those days for sure.
Tonight
tonight is a reality check
The reality is – life doesn’t always go the way we plan
The reality is – sometimes, no matter how hard we work, we don’t succeed
The reality is – mistakes happen
And, the reality is, we don’t have to pretend
We don’t have to pretend that everything is fine all the time
We don’t have to pretend that everything is perfect all the time
We don’t have to pretend
Tonight we can be honest
Tonight we can be real
Tonight we can admit
We’ve made mistakes
We’ve not hit the mark
We’ve messed up
And it’s ok to say so
Our humanity is real
And it’s ok to say so
Our humanity is precious
It’s a precious gift from God
Who once scooped up a handful of dirt and breathed life into it
Who once formed and shaped us from the earth
Who said, “You are dust and to dust you shall return”
as a blessing
not a curse
as a good thing
not a condemnation
as the beloved reality of our beloved, tenuous existence
we are dust
and to dust we shall return

Ash Wednesday

Our Ash Wednesday service just ended here at Community UCC. I was really moved by people's response and reaction during worship. Together, we read Isaiah 58:1-12, which talks about empty fasting versus the kind of fasting God calls us to. God calls us to take on a kind of fast that impacts the world. Usually, we only take on fasts that impact ourselves. But, this passage calls us to take on fasts that will bring good news to the poor.

Tonight, as part of worship, everyone was invited to write down what sort of fast they felt called to this Lenten season. They put their prayers in a bowl to be burned, much like the palms that made the ash that would later don their foreheads. Did you know that's what the ashes of "Ash Wednesday" are made of? Last year's palms from Palm Sunday. It's a powerful symbol -- the palms. They were waved in celebration by the sane people who later in the week would yell, "Crucify him." How often our best intentions go awry. Our prayers tonight-- the ones written on the papers -- were fervent ones in hopes that we will keep a fast that matters. Unlike those waving palms long ago. But, even if we cannot, God's mercy is great. God's love for us is unending. God's forgiveness is steadfast. We can rely on that.

I want to leave you tonight with a piece that I shared with those at worship tonight about the connection between the ashes and the palms. I hope you find meaning in it as you begin your Lenten journey.


Palms and Passion Ashes
Originally written for First Congregational Church UCC for Lent 2009
By Rev. Leah Robberts-Mosser

Less than a year ago, these palms were supple, green, full of life.

But since then, they’ve lost their luster, turned a dull gray-brown instead.

Dry and brittle.

So easily caught by a spark.

Then, on Palm Sunday, they were waved in celebration, in anticipation, in the midst of loud hosannas and glory, glory hallelujahs.

Now, they crackle in the fire – desolation instead of celebration, despair instead of anticipation, curses and muttering instead of loud hosannas.

These Palm branches, once laid down in front of the king were signs of our best intentions. How often our best intentions dry up before our very eyes.

These palm branches, once signs of our highest hope have become parched in the harsh light of reality.

These palm branches, once full of life. But sin sucks the life right out of you. It’s no wonder it all went up in smoke.

That’s what these ashes are all about – they’re not just any old ashes, scraped up from the dregs of a fire.

These ashes are what remain from our best intentions gone array, the ruins of our hope, the vestiges of our sin.

These are ashes that because of where they come from, because of what they are, they can’t help but remind us that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.

You are dust and to dust you shall return.

You are dust and to dust you shall return.