Something Completely Different

Some of the hardest things in life to see are the incongruities that we have been taught to overlook. Life is filled with actions, symbols and meanings that contradict the things we claim to believe. Becoming aware of these contradictions and resolving them can be both heart breaking and liberating.

The seminary is an accredited institution of higher learning. Pastors graduate with a Masters of Divinity degree but the seminary can also grant other Masters degrees as well as Doctorates. So in the spring of every year, those who have fulfilled all the necessary requirements get to participate in commencement exercises.

 My graduation from seminary took place at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. Central is a huge, cathedral-like building with gothic architecture, ornate wooden carvings and magnificent acoustics. It’s a church building that was meant to inspire the worshiper and magnify the wonder of God. The seminary used the church for graduation ceremonies because it was one of the few churches in the area that could hold all the graduates, faculty and guests.

Because I played tuba in a brass ensemble that performed at graduation, I had been to the commencement ceremonies in the past. One of the traditions of the ensemble was to let the graduating seniors choose a song from the group’s repertoire that would be played as part of the prelude. As a tuba player I love John Philips Sousa marches and, since there were a couple in the collection of songs that we played, I requested “Liberty Bell March.”

When we got together to rehearse for graduation I was not surprised to be informed that my request had been turned down. I was, however, annoyed by the short, but stern rebuke from the campus pastor who sat next to me in the group and played baritone.

You see, Liberty Bell March is the theme song from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Most people don’t know it by name but when you hear it you immediately think of the irreverent comedy show. Someone on the worship planning team caught it and didn’t see the humor. Not only did my request get rejected but as a punishment I wasn’t allowed to make another request. I remember something being said about the seriousness of the occasion, apparent disrespect to my classmates and the whole seminary community, and disappointment that I would try such a prank.

I thought about playing dumb at that point but I didn’t really care.  It would have been so amazing and more than fitting, in my mind, to hear the strains of the Liberty Bell March echo through that august sanctuary right before my graduating class processed in. The only thing that would have made it even remotely better would have been to shout “And now for something completely different” immediately before we launched into the song.

To me this was more than a prank. It was a statement about everything I had been through in seminary. It was about the hoops and hurdles. It was about the seriousness with which the church and its leaders tend take themselves. It was a statement about the silliness of the whole commencement exercise compared to what we were being asked to do as pastors. It was about the incongruity of graduating in a building that was the showpiece of 19^th century, urban church architecture and the reality of being sent to serve in rural churches with cracked walls, crumbling foundations and mildew issues. It was about the sheer audacity to put on this show of pomp and circumstance highlighting our mastery of a theological education without the slightest hint of irony in claiming that we were going out to be servants.

There are other places where the symbols of master and servant clash in the church . The stoles that pastors wear over their robes represent the yoke of Christ and are a symbol of a servant. Clerical collars that peek out from under the same robes are modernized versions of the collars professors wore in centuries past to symbolize their authority and learning.  We are taught that these are symbols of the “office” of ministry so we overlook the way they contradict each other. But you can’t be both master and servant at the same time.

I am frustrated by the incongruities and the lack of clear vision within religious systems. And yet such uncertainty seems to hint at much greater liberty for individuals and communities than most of us expect. Opening our eyes to the contradictions between our personal (and corporate) actions and beliefs, being able to laugh about them in a forgiving way, and making adjustments to resolve them is the way towards peace.

Waters of Life, Waters of Death

Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and mighty,

    you are the river of life,

    you are the everlasting wellspring,

    you are the fire of rebirth.

Glory to you for oceans and lakes, for rivers and creeks.

Honor to you for cloud and rain, for dew and snow.

Your waters are below us, around us, above us:

    our life is born in you.

You are the fountain of resurrection.

At this font, holy God, we pray:

Breathe your Spirit into this water,

    and into all who come here to find new life.

Illumine our days.

Enliven our bones.

Dry our tears.

Wash away the sin within us,

    and drown the evil around us.

Satisfy all our thirst with your eternal fountain,

    and bring to birth the body of Christ,

    who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,

    one God, now and forever.  Amen

Several years ago I found this prayer online when the ELCA was developing the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal. We use this prayer when someone is baptized. I think the images capture the breadth of what water means to those who live on this planet. We are surrounded by water. We are made of water. Water is Life. It should not be surprising that New Life is found in the water-rich sacrament of baptism.

I have lived a majority of my life in the upper-Midwest where water is abundant. I know the two faces of water well. I've played in the clear, cold waves of the Great Lakes and have heard the stories of winter-storm waves that swallow large ships. I've stood on the banks of the Mississippi peacefully flowing by and I've watched it overflow and wash away farms and homes. I've fished the crystal-clean spring-fed lakes of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in summer and have seen the rusted remains of vehicles that fell through the winter ice. I been in blizzards and then gazed in wonder the next day at the beauty and stillness of a winter-white landscape. I've been pelted by hail and run for cover only to emerge as the storm passes to stand in the soft rain and see a rainbow color the sky.

Water brings life. Water brings death. 

We will never change this fact. But we can change the fact that so many people get sick and/or die because of the lack of clean water. Here are some things that I have done in the past year to help conserve clean water and to help others find it:

1. At Christmas I asked people to make a donation to a water charity in place of giving me a gift. Almost $400 was given and I didn't miss a thing.
2. I received a reusable, thermal water bottle and I fill it with filtered tap water from home. I have reduced my consumption of bottled water to less than 24 (compared to the 200 bottles/year for the average American)
3. I reduced the water I use when I shower by turning off the water when I lather up and then turn it back on when I rinse. This is way easier in the summer than in the winter.
4. My wife and I are installing a 50 gallon rain barrel to collect rainwater from the roof to be used to water the flower beds. We might make it 2.
5. I joined the high school youth in leading the congregation to provide over $10,000 to charity: water; a non-profit organization. This money will make it possible for water wells to be drilled in 2 villages where the people do not have access to clean drinking water. We also used the time to raise awareness of water issues locally and around the world.

When I think about it, this isn't very much and I've hardly noticed a difference in my life at all. But if each of us did 5 small things to make a difference it would have a huge impact. 

Are you willing to do something to tip the scales in favor of water that brings life?


For more blogs on the issue of water go to the Blog Action Day Website.