New York City Contrasts

Kathy and I enjoyed a quick MEA trip to New York City--a lifelong dream for Kathy.  We were privileged to enjoy a lot of what New York has to offer (including appearing on "The Today Show" group shots on Saturday morning).  Many of those activities took us to Times Square, a hub of entertainment, commerce, and people watching.  Twice in Times Square we bought discount tickets for Broadway musicals.

Saturday evening we had no agenda but to be in the lights and among the people.  Who could possibly count them all?  Tens of thousands?  A hundred thousand?  And most were young.  We have never been in a city teeming with people like New York.  We enjoyed visiting.  We were glad to get back to the reality we call home.

On Sunday morning we attended an Episcopal church a half mile walk from our hotel.  People were not streaming into the church building.  They weren't even trickling.  In a building that could easily seat three hundred, there were 17 of us sitting in the pews, and Kathy and I were among the youngest.  The five person choir was professional.  I assume they were young singers looking for fame on Broadway and who took jobs to pay the bills--like being in a paid church choir.  Oh, they were good.  They were very good.

And the preaching was good.  The service was well done out of the Book of Common Prayer.  It was a good and worshipful experience.  For 17 people.  I wondered about the tens of thousands that we had rubbed shoulders with the night before--where were they?  That night we were treated to the lights of Times Square.  Sunday morning we were treated to the light of the world.  Saturday evening we enjoyed lasagna and connolis in Little Italy.  Sunday morning we dined on the bread of life.  Saturday evening the sounds were cacophonous--music blaring from gigantic screens, cab horns, people and more people.  Sunday morning the sounds were those of music that has stood the test of hundreds of years--sounds of forgiveness.

We enjoyed Saturday evening.  We were fed on Sunday.

Have you heard of Chuck E. Jesus?

To say that I have a family who loves sports of all kinds would be an understatement.  If I said that we had hundreds of balls at our house, that would not be an exaggeration (and I am not counting golf balls of which there are a few dozen).  And if I told you that we had two dozen footballs of one kind or another, that is probably low by a bunch.

At least a half dozen of those footballs are always immediately available.  Not long ago I was in the basement with our 2½ year old grandson, Jarek.  He was lining up in a straight row five footballs that were within his immediate grasp.  One of those footballs looked unfamiliar to me.  I picked it out of the lineup to see what it was.  As I twisted it around, I saw that it had come from a Chuck E. Cheese pizza and game parlor.  (As it happens, Rochester will be getting a Chuck E. Cheese soon—not two miles from my house!)

Excitedly, I told Jarek about Chuck E. Cheese and how his next birthday party (in April) could probably be at this place—how much fun we would have together.  He seemed more interested in the football of the moment rather than a promise sometime in the far distant future.

So we continued to play with the footballs—he loves to play “fumble” and “tackle”.  We also got a yoyo out and a fire truck. 

It came time to put the toys away, and as the balls were being placed in the toy box, he picked out the little black one, brought it to me, and said, “Chuck E. Jesus”.  I smiled and said, “No, Jarek, that is a Chuck E. Cheese football.”  And he said, “No, Grandpa…Chuck E. Jesus!”

Jarek has no concept of what Chuck E. Cheese is (though I suspect he will soon find out).  But he does know something about Jesus—a frequent topic of conversation and song.  He doesn’t care if there is a little mouse on the football—it still is a Jesus football!  From his frame of reference, pretty much everything in life is connected to Jesus in some way.

And he would be right.  As Christians we come from the conviction that everything, everything belongs to God, and it is given to us to use for a while.  That includes our homes, families, possessions, money…and even our footballs.

Jarek changed the name of the football to something that was more familiar and comforting to him.  That new name is the one who has promised to watch over him for a lifetime, and even unto eternity.  It is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who has promised to pick up innocent children in his arms and bless them. 

Chuck E. Cheese is a fine place.  I can already hear the birthday parties and the whack-a-mole (do they still have that?) from my house two miles away.  But for my part, I believe I will throw my lot in with Chuck E. Jesus.

"Lutheran" Commandments?

Just yesterday friends from Bethel (both of them former presidents of the congregation--Cindy and Doug Boese) gave me a gift that they had found while on vacation.  Hilarious. 

Martin Luther once gave a comprehensive explanation of the Ten Commandments.  In Minnesota, I guess we need an even shorter explanation.  Hence, this shirt.  On the front, the logo reads, "Minnesota Style".  On the back we read these commandments (and please note that the numbering is one off what we normally consider in the Lutheran church, but a numbering that is accepted by a wide range of Christians--for instance, our commandment four, "Honor your father and your mother," will in this listing be number five):

1. Der's only one God, ya know.
2. Don't make that fish on your mantle an idol.
3. Cussin' ain't Minnesota nice.
4. Go to church even when your up nort.
5. Honor your folks.
6. Don't kill.  Catch & Release.
7. There is only one Lena for every Ole.  No cheatin'.
8. If it ain't your Lutefisk, don't take it.
9. Dont be braggin' about how much snow ya shoveled.
10. Keep your mid off your neighbor's hotdish.

So, der ya go.  Easy, ain't it?

You're Thankful for What?

Every week we have a staff devotional time before our staff meeting.  This week one of our office staff, Judy Gittus, offered us some wisdom about thankfulness as we approach a season of Thanksgiving.  Here is her list:

... the taxes I pay because it means I'm employed

... The clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat

... my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine

... A lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

... the spot I find at the end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking

... all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech

... my huge heating bill because it means I am warm

... the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear

... the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are near

... weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I've been productive

... the alarm that goes off in the morning hours because it means I'm alive

... the friends and family I can share this message with to remind us all what is important in life.

I imagine we could quibble about one or two of those.  So often we grumble about most of them.  But in the blessed part of the world in which we live, even the things we might grumble about can bring blessings.

For what will you be thankful in this season?

The Canvas of Creation

Recently I was Augsburg College for two days of Board of Regents meetings.  On a brilliantly beautiful October Friday morning, I came out of the chapel building and saw twenty or so students painting or drawing.

I asked the students if I could see what they were working on (and if I could take their pictures).  They all happily agreed.  Of course, there were varying levels of skill in the class.

But one thing was consistent--they were painting the creation we have been given in this world.

I admired some of their work.  Others were a bit too abstract for me.  Then I would look up from the art work and compare with what God has given to us.

There really was no comparison.  God's handiwork will always remain supreme, no matter how hard we try to copy what comes naturally in his great gifts to us.

Joyce Kilmer has written a poem that says, "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree."  Will we ever seen a piece of art that is as beautiful as the tree God has already created?

We are so blessed to live in this canvas of southeastern Minnesota.  Of course, I might write that no matter where I might be if I had grown in that place and had come to love it.  God's creation is even more varied than our ability to copy it.

May you enjoy these last days of fall as we have opportunity to look out every day onto the most beautiful art possible.