The Sewing Project

The huge project my daughter and I worked on a few weeks ago received a blue ribbon. I mentioned this project in my post The Spiritual Art of Sewing. The project was to decorate a potato. In case you can't tell by the picture, she made a Chinese girl by the Great Wall. It was a lot of work. We had a lot of fun, too! She did a great job. I just love her smile.

Stepping Out Into Darkness

“Stepping Out Into Darkness”

Rev. Nancy Dunn

March 25, 2012
John 12:20-36

Have you seen the Hunger Games movie yet? It’s the one that just came out this weekend much to the delight of many teenagers and young adults everywhere. Of course, it was a book trilogy first. And, if you do go to see it, I recommend reading the books first. Even if you don’t go to see it, I still recommend reading the books.

While religion does not specifically play a part in either the books or the movie, for those with a keen mind, the morals and ethics, the spiritual story of Christianity can be seen in the character development of these young teens who are forced to make life and death decisions that many of us would never dream we would have to make. It is an allegory of love; the kind of selfless love given to us by God our creator through the Son, Jesus Christ. It is the kind of “love that sacrifices itself for the sake of others, that sees the hurt and pain in the world and offers healing, and that sees the hungry and feeds them.”[1]

The main character of the trilogy is Katniss Everdeen. She is a 16 year old whose father died five years before the story beings in a horrific coal mining accident. In the years since her father’s death, she managed to keep her family alive through her illegal hunting and gathering methods. Her world is a dark and terrible place. There is little hope for anyone who is not already privileged, wealthy citizens of the Capitol. The darkness consumes the lives of those who live in the 12 Districts ruled by the Capitol. The country, Panem, is ruled by a wealthy Capitol that keeps the Districts dependent on it for survival. Each district is forced to satisfy the Capitol’s needs for food, fuel, and materials. The districts are pretty much enslaved by the Capitol. The Capitol keeps them in check by reminding them of what happened to the obliterated District 13 and through the Annual Hunger Games. Each district must send 2 youth, a boy and a girl, to the Capitol to participate in a Survivor-like gameshow. The big difference between the Survivor currently on TV and the Hunger Games is that the contestants literally kill each other off until only one is left.

The youth are chosen through a lottery each year. And, at the beginning of the book, we find out Katniss’ little sister is the girl chosen this year to represent District 12. Katniss has always protected her little sister, so she immediately volunteers. That is only the first act of self-sacrifice in this exciting Trilogy. Katniss’ act of self-sacrifice and the genuine gift of love and life given to her by Peeta, her fellow contestant from District 12, helps start a rebellion throughout all of the Districts against the Capitol.

The Hunger Games is a novel about the outsiders, the enslaved who give of themselves to others in order to change the world for the better for others. Katniss leaves her dark life behind only to be consumed by a darker reality. She is taken away to fight to the death, and through countless brave acts she unknowingly becomes a symbol of light and hope to the future. As she enters the grand arena for the entrance parade, she is dressed in an outfit that is literally on fire. That gives her the name Katniss, the Girl on Fire. She provides the light to the rebellion. She shows them the way.

There is a scene in the movie that did not take place in the book. It really caught my attention as it relates to our scripture this morning. The President of the Capitol is talking with the Seneca, the Head Gamemaker about this amazing girl on fire. “Seneca, why do you think we have a winner?” President Snow asks while cutting a white rose. “What do you mean?” Seneca replies. “I mean, why do we have a winner?” Snow repeats, before pausing. “Hope,” he says. “Hope?” Seneca replies slightly bewildered. “Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous,” Snow declares. “Spark is fine, as long as it’s contained. So, contain it,” Snow warns.

“Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. Spark is fine, as long as it’s contained. So, contain it.” I imagine Jesus knew that those against him were saying words like this to one another. Caiaphas probably let similar words fall from his lips as he talked with his fellow leaders of the Temple and later with Pilate. Jesus himself knew that his time was drawing to a close. The darkness of the world began to surround him. The darkness came to swallow him up as it tried to put out the light, the spark that others saw and received from him.

The scripture begins with the Greeks coming to see Jesus. When Jesus hears that his message has reached even these foreigners, he knows that his time must be near. Instead of talking with the Greeks, Jesus tells everyone that his hour has come. He goes on to share that he, like a grain of wheat must die and be buried in order to produce much fruit. Without his death, others would not know or experience the love of God offered to us through Christ Jesus.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is described as the Light in more than one place. In John 8, Jesus declares, “I am the Light of the World.” Those who followed him, followed the light. He wanted to bathe them in the light. Have them soak it up the way many of us tried to soak up the sun this past week. Because he knew that the light would soon fade away. He knew that his time of leading the disciples by the hand was coming to an end. He knew they must be prepared to step out into the darkness without him. Jesus needed them to catch hold of the spark he offered them so they might burn and become an amazing fire, ready to consume the hearts of everyone who heard the good news. Ready to consume the hearts of everyone who received God’s amazing love. Ready to spread that love and hope and fire to others. “Spark is fine as long as it’s contained.” It’s hard to stop a little spark once it reaches tender. Little did those first century Romans, Jews, and Greeks know how big that fire would grow.

In some ways, our world is not too different from the world of Katniss or the world of Jesus. Darkness exists in the world. Bad things happen to us and around us each day. And, if we are not ready to face that darkness, the light in our lives can be extinguished.

To put it another way, each day the sun sets and the light fades into the night. We must keep our lamps ready to shine light into the night so we do not lose our way. If we don’t keep fresh batteries, our lights will go out and the darkness can consume us. Sometimes it can happen even before we realize it or are ready for it. Just like the disciples were not ready when Jesus was arrested, crucified and buried. Many of them abandoned him. Peter denied him. Only the women and John were there the day he was crucified. The darkness overcame the other disciples. They were not ready for it.

When dark times come into our lives, the darkness can overwhelm us even before we have a chance to get our flashlights out. What turns off the light in our lives is different for each of us. For some it’s the death of a loved one. For others it’s the end of a dream they have strived years to achieve. It could be the loss of a job. An untimely illness. A sudden car wreck.

For Patrice Williams, it was the discovery that her newborn baby had a rare genetic skin disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa. Her son Jonah’s skin is so sensitive that the lightest touch can cause it to blister and fall off. Through much prayer, medicine, and love, Jonah is a happy three year old. But it’s a hard life that confines them to their home many days as they deal with one medical need after another. Yet, as she tells their story in her blog, she writes about love and faith that sustain them and how God has blessed them with life. She writes about hope and the importance of their church community that gives them strength for each new day. She writes of how they know they are the BLESSED ones because of all the blessings Jonah has brought into their lives despite the hardships of each day. The darkness that came with the diagnosis; the darkness that came with the end of their dreams did not overwhelm them. Instead, the light and love of Christ overcame that darkness. The light and love of Christ gives them hope that one day there will be a cure. The light and love of Christ gives them hope that each day will be a blessing simply because Jonah is with them. The light and love of Christ gives them hope that their story will be an inspiration to others whose lives are overwhelmed by the darkness of the world showing others the way to the light of Christ.[2]

Our scripture today concludes with these words, “While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.” Jesus, the light of the world, steps out into the darkness. He steps out into the darkness that threatens to consume our very souls. Yet, he is not consumed by it. It does not overwhelm him.

Instead, the light he provides shines in our dark world beckoning us to come to him. When the darkness of this world overwhelms us, we must get our spark from him. He is the spark that cannot be contained. He is the hope that is stronger than our fears. Jesus is the One who has come to save us and give us eternal life. Thanks be to God.

Amen.


[1] Julie Clawson, “The Hunger Games: An Allegory of Christian Love,” Huffington Post, 20 March 2012 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-clawson/hunger-games-allegory-of-christian-love_b_1365594.html?ref=religion).
[2] Patrice Williams, Before the Morning, http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com.

The Spiritual Art of Sewing

My older daughter and I are in the midst of a huge project for school. She is a dreamer and loves to think up grand ideas for her assigned projects. I indulge her as I long to be crafty but have limited talent. And, I have to admit I do love to help her with the projects. The latest project is the Annual Elementary School Potato Decorating Contest.

Trust me, it's more complicated than you think. These kids go all out to decorate a potato. Yes, that's right. A potato. Last year, we used felt to make a simple Irish girl. Some cutting here. A little bit of glue there. Yarn for the hair. Glue gun burn on my finger. And, it was complete. She won a second place ribbon. It was our first potato and I had no idea how much work some of the older kids put into this project. So this year we are dreaming big!

This year, we are building the Great Wall of China, painting a backdrop for it, and sewing a dress for this potato. We made the dress yesterday with the help of a friend from church. It was fun to cut out the dress together. And, both of my daughters loved using the sewing machine. The adults did some of the more complicated sewing. Everyone did their part. It looks cute. Today, we start the backdrop.

This project got me thinking again about sewing, specifically the people in my life who sew. One of my spiritual mentors from childhood is a fantastic sewer. She can sew anything. She made banners for church, blankets for needy kids, Christmas ornaments, all kinds of things. It was always amazing to see what she could make. Her husband is also crafty. He could make all kinds of things out of wood. Together, they could craft just about anything.

One of the greatest things this couple made were not craft projects though. It was the relationships they intentionally built with the youth of my childhood church. Each year they were mentors for a youth in the pastor's class. They took time to get to know us. I can remember lots of meals at Burger King with them where we would talk about life, church, God, and the world. It didn't matter what we talked about. The important thing was the time they spent with me and the other kids at church.

Through their actions, we learned that we were important, that God loved us, and they cared about us. Being connected to adults other than a parent is very important for the spiritual health of a child. It's vital for kids to know that they are valued by other adults. When children know they are valued and respected for who they are, it helps build their self-esteem. It gives them confidence to build other relationships. And, from a spiritual perspective, children gain healthy role models for spiritual growth.

I am thankful for the many adults in my life who helped me grow into the person I am today. I am thankful for the many adults in the lives of my children who are helping them grow in their faith and knowledge of God. While this potato project may be a lot of work, it gives me a lot of time to spend with my girl. So, thank you, Mr. Elementary School Principal for coming up with these crazy projects that give me more intentional time to spend with my daughter. For us, it's good spiritual time, too!

Leaving the Past Behind

I think God is trying to tell me something today. Both of my morning devotional readings talked about leaving the past where it belongs: in the past.

Learning to do that is hard. It is easy to remember the glory days of our youth, the big events that define our lives. When we achieve something big, like winning an award, we want to stay there and soak about the accolades. We want to keep those happy moments in our minds always. Those moments of joy are wonderful, who wouldn't want to keep those feelings always present?!

But, it's also easy to allow the negative events in our lives to overwhelm us. To remember moments of defeat and always wonder what went wrong. To wallow in the mud pits of our lives and never move forward. In some ways this is a lot easier to do than living in our past moments of joy. It seems like there are always more negative events to dwell on, even if they weren't really as negative as we remember them. Why is it that we allow ourselves to let the negative events that happen to us to rule over our lives? That's not what God wants for us. And, it's certainly not what we should want for ourselves.

Another way I tend to live in the past is to recognize the good things, the good people I've encountered in the past only after they are gone. Sometimes I'm so busy working or I'm so distracted by other things, I let the good things - the God things - pass me by. And, when I've moved on or my life situation has changed, I realize what I've truly missed!

The God lesson I'm learning today is to live in the present. This is a lesson I constantly need to learn. I've preached about it. I've taught classes about it. But, it's one of those lessons we need to learn over and over again. Today, I'm focusing on today. Which includes a sewing lesson! Pray for me! :)

We Are Only Human

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ~ Genesis 3:19


Last night we had a wonderful Ash Wednesday worship service. The music was from Taize. Candlelight illuminated the chancel. Time spent in silence restored my soul. It was breathtaking.


The moments that I will treasure most from that service came when the Senior Pastor and I put a small cross of ash and oil on the worshipers foreheads. As I looked into the eyes of those who came forward, my heart smiled at the joy of seeing them. Yet, my heart was also breaking as I said the words, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Repent and believe in the Gospel." 


Ash Wednesday does a good job of reminding us that we are mortal. We are human. We are all in various states of dying. Some closer to death than others. Some realize they are dying; others think they can live forever. Most of us do not want to face the idea of our own deaths. We run from the very idea of it. We shield our children from death, often not allowing them to attend funerals or view an open casket. We as a people are afraid of dying.


As I stood on the steps of the chancel last night placing ashes on the foreheads of the young and the old, my heart was breaking with love for each person I crossed. One woman who has had health problems approached me. As I put the cross on her head and said the words, I wanted to say so much more to her. I wanted to tell her what a witness her faith is to others. I wanted to hug her and tell her how much she means to so many people. I wanted to say thank you for all that she does in this life. And, I silently prayed a selfish prayer to God to keep her healthy and to keep her here. 


Yes, when people die we are sad. Very sad. Our grief can even overwhelm us. Yet, thankfully, because of our faith in Christ, we know that this world is not all that God has for us. Our bodies return to the dust from which we come. But, our spirits, our souls live on with God forever. I admit that I don't know what that looks like and, in some ways, that doesn't even matter. It's the knowing that life goes on after death that matters. Both here and in heaven. Life goes on. Amen.

God is My Rock

⁵For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.

⁶He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

⁷On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.

⁸Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. - Psalm 62:5-8

God is my rock. This was the scripture from my morning prayers. I often need to be reminded that God is my rock. Like a solid rock that has lasted for millions of years, God is not going anywhere. I may move frequently. I may change my mind. I may run away from God. But God, the rock, is always there. I can rest and rely on the One who stands ready to receive me at all times.

As we enter into the Lenten season tomorrow, remembering that God is my rock is a good thing. I am so human. Even though I am an ordained minister, I am still human. I make mistakes. I sin. I say, think, and do things I should not. These sins may not be huge compared to some sins committed in this world. But, they are sins, none-the-less. 

Tomorrow, as I pause in prayer before the Lord, I will pour out my heart to God. I will find my refuge in God. I will offer God my heart again. And, as I spend the next 6 weeks preparing for Easter, I will seek out the One who offers me unconditional love and forgiveness. 

A Sermon on Mark 9:2-9

As an Associate Pastor, I preach about once a month. Yesterday was one of those days. Here's my sermon from yesterday.

“The Holy Mountain”

Mark 9:2-9

February 19, 2012 ~ Transfiguration, Year B

I have a confession to make this morning. I am a huge Little House on the Prairie fan. Huge. I love the books and the TV show. My sister and I watched that show all the time when we were kids. I still watch it whenever I can find reruns on TV. I love it. There are so many good things about that show: the family values, their simple yet honest lifestyle, their work ethic, and of course their faith. I don’t believe there was a single episode of that show that didn’t illustrate the importance of the characters’ faith in their everyday lives.

I confess my love for this show this morning because sometimes while reading scripture scenes from Little House on the Prairie will enter my mind. As I was reading the scripture before us today, a particular scene popped into my head. No matter how hard I tried to shake it, I kept seeing it over and over again. Now, you might find it a stretch to see how this scripture relates to that scene, but just go with it this morning as I try to explain it to you.

In the middle of the first season of Little House, there was a two part episode called The Lord is My Shepherd. It begins with Caroline Ingalls telling Charles that she is going to have a baby. That baby is the long-prayed for son, Charles Jr. Of course Laura is very jealous of her little brother and the attention given to him by their father. So, when he becomes deathly ill, she refuses to pray for him. Shortly thereafter, he dies. Like any young girl, Laura becomes distraught and internalizes the guilt she feels for her brother’s death.

At the end of part one of the episode, we see the family in church and the Rev. Alden is giving a sermon on how with God all things are possible. After the sermon, Laura talks with him about what he said. Basically, she wants to know how to get a miracle from God. In the conversation, Rev. Alden says to her, “The closer you are to God, the more likely he is to listen.”

Thinking with the literal mind of a child, Laura takes his advice to heart. She runs away and climbs a mountain. She thinks if she is physically closer to God, closer to heaven, then God will hear her prayer. So, she leaves home in the middle of the night, and finds herself looking up at a glorious mountain. She hears the voice of Rev. Alden saying, “The closer you are to God, the more likely he is to listen.”

“The closer you are to God, the more likely he is to listen.” How often do we find ourselves in a similar place. We think we want or need something from God. Or there is something about our lives that we want God to explain to us. And, we think if we could just do something, just be closer to God, then we could get the answers to our prayers. We want to do something. Anything to help us understand, but we don’t know what. We pray as hard as we can. We try saying all the right words in just the right way. We just want to understand. But, somehow our efforts are still lacking.

I think this is how Peter probably felt when he was on the mountain with Jesus and James and John. The scripture doesn’t tell us why they went up that mountain. Six days before, Jesus had talked with the disciples about who people think he is and about his impending death. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. But, when Jesus insists he is going to die, Peter tries to talk him out of it. Jesus rebukes him.

Now, six days later, Jesus takes Peter up the mountain with him. I think Peter wanted to make sure that he got the right answer this time for whatever was going to happen next. So, when they are up on this mountain, Peter sees this amazing sight. Like the stories about Moses in the Torah, Jesus glows with this other-worldliness. A bright light emanates from his face. Moses and Elijah appear beside him and start talking with him. Surely, this amazing site had to overwhelm all of Peter’s senses. Yet, there he is trying to stay on top of things and he wants so badly to say the right thing. So, instead, he says completely the wrong thing. Have you ever done that? I know I have. It usually happens when I’m too wrapped up in my mind with trying to THINK about what I should say next or what I’m supposed to say that I totally just miss what is happening around me. I stop experiencing the world around me. I stop listening to the other person who is trying to interact with me. And, I completely miss something spectacular – a God-moment.

There on that holy mountain, Peter is so absorbed in trying to say the right thing to Jesus that he is missing this amazing God-moment. There on that holy mountain something amazing, something beyond words, something beyond even our own imagination is happening and Peter tries to talk himself through it. Peter has this amazing mountain-top experience of God and he’s at a loss for what to do with it. He jabbers away and says something about building a house or monument for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. He wants to memorialize this event because he knows it’s special even if he can’t explain it himself.

But, then the experience is over just as suddenly as it began. Moses and Elijah are gone. The voice of God is now silent. The clouds, the glorious light, they are now gone. It is only Jesus and the disciples. The mountain-top moment is over and they must head back down to the valley below.

Life is like that. Just when we are experiencing a wonderful moment, it’s over. We finish school and experience that moment of graduation. But, then it’s over and it’s time to find a job. Or, we can spend months if not a year or more, planning a wedding. Then, just like that, you come home from the honeymoon and it’s time to adjust to everyday living. Then there’s summer camp. A week that goes by way too fast. Or that perfect job we’ve always dreamed of, that’s not that great once we get it.

We can spend so much time anticipating these glorious events, planning for them even that when they finally do occur, we’ve run out of energy to enjoy it. Or we built it up way too much in our heads to appreciate it for what it simply is. We can also spend too much of our lives simply walking by something absolutely wonderful without noticing it.

In 2007, the Washington Post did an experiment at a DC Metro station. Joshua Bell, a talented concert violinist, played for an hour one morning as people were on their way to work. They wanted to see how many people would stop and notice. Only 6 people paid attention. One was a small child. Another was a man who stopped for 3 minutes because he was 3 minutes early to work. Everyone else just passed him by. [1]

We can be blind to the goodness that is all around us because we are caught up in our own desires, our own daydreams that we miss the wonders that God puts right in front of us. Katherine Huey puts it this way, “We live our lives mostly down here on the ground, unaware of the wondrous, transformative power of God at work in the world.”[2]

The world we live in is a very busy place. We are always going here, doing that, fixing this, and cleaning that that we often let it pass us by. We rush headlong into life that we sometimes forget to live it. And, then we read a scripture like this one and we are puzzled. What does this mean for me? What in the world is God trying to say to me through this text?

Perhaps that is what it was meant to do. To stop us in our very tracks. To get our attention and say notice this, “This is my Son, Jesus, listen to him!”

Did you know we are only 6 weeks away from Easter? In some ways it feels like we just finished with Christmas. Yet, this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the start of the church season of Lent. Yes, that’s the time when many Christians give up something like chocolate as they prepare themselves for Easter. But, it’s more than that. It’s the perfect time for God to stop us in our tracks so we can take a look around us to see God’s hands on our world. It’s the perfect time to reflect on our lives, repent of our sins, and renew our faith in Christ as we prepare for the glorious resurrection on Easter morning. Lent is the perfect time to listen for the voice of God as we pause to breathe in Christ’s holy presence into our very lives.

We don’t have to go climb a mountain to be closer to God. We don’t have to find the right words to say to please God. We can just stop and rest and be in God’s presence.

In one of her poems, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”[3] God’s presence is all around us. God is waiting for us to notice, to see God’s presence in and through others all around us. And, when we do, God wants us to fully be in that moment. To experience it for all it is. To be quiet and to listen.

Then, when that moment is over, just as Jesus and the disciples went down the mountain returning to their work of healing and teaching others, we too are called to return to the world. Yet when we return, we return filled with the presence of God. And, we can share that presence; we can share God’s presence, God’s love, God’s compassion with the world that is starving to be fed the good news. Amen.

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[1]Gene Weingarten, “Pearls Before Breakfast,” Washington Post, 8 April 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

[2] Katherine Matthews Huey, “Last Sunday after Epiphany Year B Transfiguration”, http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/february-19-2012-last-sunday-after.html

[3] Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “From Aurora Leigh”, http://www.bartleby.com/236/86.html