Preparing for the worst, just in case

I stopped by the grocery store this morning to grab several gallons of water. Davin, Pastor Laura's "emergency management" husband, says we need a gallon of water/person/day of anticipated water shortage. I picked up 11 gallons. One never knows.

As we prepare for what The Weather Channel calls "a monster storm," we pray for those in harm's way and give thanks for those who are already working overtime in preparation for what could -- or could not -- be a catastrophic event.

I spoke with our city manager, Lane Bailey, at the Y on Monday evening. I was amazed -- and encouraged -- by the coordinated effort that goes into something like this. City and county maintenance and EMS employees already had been working hard cleaning storm drains and gutters, sharpening chain saws, securing evacuation routes and shelters ... just in case. All behind the scenes. No fanfare or glory. Just in case.

We'll pray that this storm will weaken and lives and property will be saved. But sometimes storms o'ertake us and chaos rules the day. In either case, good or bad, may we lean into each other and the grace of God for protection, guidance, hope, and encouragement.

"Grant us, O Lord, a consciousness of your presence and a strong confidence in you. In our anxiety, surround with your care. In our weariness, protect us by your loving might; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."

Salisbury's Confederate statue

"Fame" on the evening of August 19,
after being splattered with white paint
by unnamed vandals

Let me jump into a topic that you might prefer I keep quiet about: Fame.

As you know, a beautiful bronze statue, originally cast in Belgium, was dedicated in 1909 to honor fallen Confederate soldiers. Over these last 109 years, the "angel statue" has become part of Salisbury's cultural landscape, all the while attracting frustration from those who don't think the city should be honoring the Confederate cause.

It's a touchy issue, no doubt, made even more complicated because the statue and the plot of land upon which it sits belongs to the Daughters of the Confederacy (DOC).

Let's be brutally honest: this issue isn't going away. Something will happen ... either in the spirit of consensus or through mob rule (remember Silent Sam?) I hate the thought of it, but we simply cannot eliminate the possibility of two factions marching toward the statue from opposite ends of Innes Street, landing directly in front of St. John's Church. A frightening possibility.

Two thoughts come to mind.

How can we form consensus over such a divisive issue? That's what leaders do: they seek consensus if consensus can be found. Sometimes it cannot - for moral or ethical reasons, for example - but it's always an important place to begin. What can we agree about regarding the statue? Do the dedicatory plaques tell the whole story of our community's involvement in the war? Is the statue a piece of art or is it purely a memorial?

The last question is an important one. What if we, through consensus, claim the statue as more "art" than memorial? It’s an important distinction. Good art, after all, isn't static. Artists are often unwilling to share their own interpretations of their artwork because "good" art is timeless, allowing the observer to lay his/her own interpretation upon the art, rooted in her own context, time, and place. In that regard, the dedication of Fame and the racial undertones that may or may not have accompanied its placement are secondary. Important - necessary, in fact - but secondary. Fame, as art, begs to be reinterpreted for a modern context.

With that in mind, what if we unleashed the community's artists to help reinterpret the statue? Artists are often our best prophets, so what if we allowed them to wrestle with a broader, more holistic vision of Fame? How might they deal with the plaques at the base of the statue?

That's what happened with the slave cemetery next to the Old English Cemetery. There was a very clear reason why the stone wall was constructed nearly two centuries ago - to separate white from black. I completely understand the opinion of some that the wall should have been removed altogether.

Until someone had the brilliant idea of allowing artists to get in on the discussion - artists who, by the way, represented a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The result: pull down a portion of the wall. Allow the stones to look as though they were broken through and tossed aside. It's an incredible statement - theologically, culturally, and historically. The walls that separate us have been broken - not fully removed, but broken. The two cemeteries have become one.

How might we re-envision and reinterpret Fame? It's a beautiful piece of art, after all. Which is precisely my point: let's claim it as art. Art that isn't beholden to or enslaved to the artist's original intent, but is allowed to be reimagined throughout time.

There was a time when Fame represented our racist past (for some, at least). What might it represent in the future? How might it be a reflection of who we are? Who we ALL are?

"I pray," Jesus said, "that they may be one as we are one ... so that the world might believe." (John 17:21).

Let's dare to sit down and think in different ways. Let's dare to sit down and listen to one another, claiming this moment in time as an opportunity to tell a richer, fuller story of who we are. Let’s dare to set an example for other communities. We can. I just hope that we will.

Older than dirt

Last week I received my 50 year patch from Lutheridge. Which means, well, I'm old.

It's hard to believe, to be honest. I vividly remember the tether ball championship in 5th grade (Laura Faust cheated, I should add). My first dance at Pioneer B lodge (6th grade) ... dumpster diving in search of my retainer (9th grade) ... breaking my wrist playing volleyball as a counselor ... iconic figures like Papa John, Belvin, Sailor, Pam, and Mama Cline ... getting stuck on Mt. Mitchell with Krista and a slew of middle schoolers during a vicious thunder storm (1997) ... the "hobo Jesus" performances every Thursday night of confirmation camp ... the old Luther Lodge, Friday night Music Week concerts, Capture the Flag at Lakeside (still the best place to play Capture the Flag), life as a WAD, stories of Old Blue and Grey Cabin, the annual Miss Lutheridge contest (why didn't I didn't save my crown?), counselors adding their stars in the PB lounge (mine's a Converse star), dropping my own kids off for camp. The list goes on and on.

Now 68 years old, Lutheridge has been a special place for generations of campers. I'm so very thankful that it remains a vibrant part of the church's ministry -- the perfect training ground for children, youth, and adults. In a nutshell, Lutheridge is Christian formation at its finest.

This summer, Lutheridge welcomes 2,000 campers of all stripes, sizes, and colors. It's not fancy. It doesn't try to "keep up with the Joneses." It just keeps doing what the camp has done for four generations: create space for campers to experience the power of the Holy Spirit. 

I'm glad St. John's has been in partnership with Lutheridge since the very beginning. And I'm glad that I get to proudly display my 50 year patch. 

Even if it means I'm older than dirt.

How do we make decisions?

Krista and I have enjoyed watching Madam Secretary on Netflix lately. Tea Leoni -- Sam Malone's old girlfriend, remember that? -- stars as a former CIA analyst turned Secretary of State. She's smart, capable, an out-of-the-box thinker, and determined to make impactful decisions based as much on ethics as national interest. For purists, that can be a problem. I find it refreshing. 

Last night I watched an old episode of House of Cards, the wildly popular show (once upon a time) about a president and his wife who make impactful decisions without any regard whatsoever to ethics or national interests. Their first and absolute priority is, you guessed it, them. More specifically, their drive to always stack the cards in their favor. 

Both shows are lessons in culture and character, and both reveal -- more than we'd like to admit, perhaps -- our own struggles in making decisions. 

In our sermon series, Road to Character, we'll be consistently turning to that question: How and why do I make the decisions I make? For most, there's not a single answer. We consider ethics, context, time, and "what's in it for me?" Martin Luther says that our ultimate responsibility is to probe the inner depths of our conscience, championing a whole new understanding of one's freedom. James Madison quoted Luther in his defense of the Bill of Rights as this country wrestled with a whole new understanding of liberty. 

Ultimately, we are "bound by the dictates of our own conscience," Luther would say. But what informs our conscience? Is our conscience always our best guide? What if it is in error? What if we've been feeding it a bunch of junk? What then? 

Those are the questions we wrestle with in our Road to Character -- a journey that invites us into an internal struggle for our own soul. I hope you'll join us.

In the meantime, thanks so much for what you do in this part of God's garden. Have a great week!

An immigration policy that reflects our true character

The immigration debate has taken a difficult turn in the last week. The challenge of formulating an appropriate policy has been loaded down with political rhetoric and maneuvering for position. It's something we've gotten used to, it seems.

But this situation is a bit different. As we debate and argue, kids are sitting in detention centers separated from their parents. Some are no doubt traumatized; all are confused. No matter your opinion, it's hard not to see that these kids are being used as political pawns in a game that is terribly unfortunate.

What does all this say about our character as a nation?

I've decided not to question the integrity of those making decisions, but to pray that the decisions being made reflect our values as a compassionate people. I've decided to pray for children in detention centers and for the workers suddenly charged with their care. I've decided to pray for leaders who are bold enough to set aside rhetoric, and for border patrol officers who have to make challenging decisions every hour of every day. Like you, I pray for families who are escaping the trauma of poverty only to encounter the trauma of separation.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions quoted Romans 13 in his defense of the "zero tolerance" policy, in which St. Paul encourages the persecuted Christians in Rome to strive for peace by living according to Roman law. I wish Sessions would have read the rest of the chapter, when Paul reminds them and us that the ultimate law is rooted in love. Quoting Jesus he said, "God's law is summed up in this word, to 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' for love does no wrong to a neighbor" (Romans 13:9-10).

Big decisions will be made in the next few days. Let's pray that these decisions will be rooted in love and compassion for all.

Thanks so much for scattering the seed this week. We'll see you in church.

Juliana stares down the volcano

The news from Guatemala was hard to hear. Although students at our school are safe, far too many extended family members and friends have been affected. Some have lost their lives. As teachers, students, and parents clean up the ash and learn to live with face masks, we give thanks for their blessed community and pray for blessed peace.

Juliana Anderson is a college student from St. John's who is spending the summer helping at Escuela Integrada. Her responsibilities have shifted considerably these last few days. Here's what she had to say in a text earlier this morning:

"It's been a scary past couple of days. We didn't realize on Sunday how big the explosion was until we saw the videos. The death toll has been rapidly increasing. We're thanking God that all of the kids at the school are safe, but a new friend at a school closer to the volcano lost four of his students. Others were severely burned. There was already a lot of need in Guatemala, and now entire towns have been destroyed, jobs lost, and loved ones killed. The need is even greater now than ever."

Pray for our friends in Guatemala, especially those already living in extreme poverty. If you would like to contribute to disaster relief, the school has set up a contribution page on their website. I'd encourage you to visit it for information and updates, wearegraces.org/disaster-relief.

Blessings to you this week. Thanks so much for your partnership in the Gospel.

Farewell, Freya

In the next few weeks, we will bid farewell to Freya Obermuller, who has lived with us as an exchange student since last August. Freya, from Hamburg, Germany, has become a wonderful addition to our family — our fourth child, it seems — leading Carter and Matt to call her Freya OberWoolly. She’ll certainly be missed.

I want to thank you for your gracious hospitality toward Freya. She came to us after a mid-summer plea from the high school, when her assigned host family in Oregon needed to back out at the last minute. Early on, we asked that Freya and her parents understand that I’m a pastor, and her involvement in worship and youth activities would be a given. There was no hesitation whatsoever.

The first week after arrival, she started rehearsing with the chancel choir in preparation for last fall’s German language play, “In God’s Own Country.” Along the way, she’s developed solid friendships with members of the youth group, participating in all their activities, trips, and as a reader on Youth Sunday. She’s enjoyed her first (and only) prom, glass-bottled Cheerwine, and joined her American sister, Anna, as a member of the undefeated Salisbury High soccer team.

On her last Sunday in worship, June 3, we’ll be singing Freya’s favorite hymn, “The Canticle of the Turning,” a contemporary Irish hymn that includes a phrase well-suited for these days of farewell:

“My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws hear, and the world is about to turn.”

Our hope is that this relationship will continue to grow through the years, so that our “goodbye” might only be temporary.

In the meantime, thank you, again, for your warm embrace. You have helped Freya and all of us see that God’s family extends far beyond these four walls. What a blessing!