Are You Ready For Some Theology?

I'm still recovering from the longest live broadcast of my media career. I want to say "we hit the air..." but in the 21st century media world, we actually didn't. It was a live webcast, which felt exactly like an over the air broadcast, but it was internet delivered. So, we hit the net at 9:45 a.m. and signed off at 1:17 p.m.

The venue was not a stadium or ballpark, though. It was a cathedral.

The occasion was the consecration of a new bishop for the Episcopal diocese of Western Louisiana. I was asked to host/ narrate as the service went along. And went long. The procession, er, processions...there were three of them...took a full half-hour. Then, there was a full service including an uplifting and entertaining sermon that lasted about twenty minutes, communion for a full cathedral, and the consecration itself.


Dignitaries came in from all over the state and the country. This required the host to carefully prepare. I approached it just like a ball game...doing pre-event interviews, getting to know the players(?), making extensive notes, creating boards, and spreading them out in the broadcast booth.

It was made easier by the fact that I am acquainted with the new bishop and had stories to tell based on conversations with him over the last four years. I have to admit it was fun to do. But, more than that, it was an honor.


Before the webcast, I was extraordinarily nervous. This brought to mind my late father-in-law, who was an Episcopalian priest. I admitted to him one time that I rarely got butterflies before going on live radio or TV, or before speaking to a crowd. I also confessed that it surprised me a little that every time I have something to do at church, I get sweaty palms. He said "that's because you're doing God's work. If you're not nervous, then something's wrong."
Before the consecration, I actually worked up a little sweat.

And I admit to succumbing to emotion a couple of times during especially poignant parts of the service. My job was to describe to viewers what they were seeing, presuming that some of them didn't understand the meaning of many things happening. I tried to explain things as I understood them; but given the fact we were discussing several holy mysteries, I felt inadequate.


It was about the new bishop, though, not about me. One of the things we discussed in advance was the exact moment that I should stop referring to him as the "bishop elect" and start calling him "Bishop." When it came, that was one time I had to work to hold it together. I can only imagine how he felt.

 

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Many Religious Controversies

Memorial Garden at St. Mark's
Originally uploaded by Darrell

Centenary College of Louisiana recently invited Erik Wielenburg, an avowed atheist, to speak on campus. It came to my attention during a recent gathering at St.Mark's. Since Centenary has ties to the Methodist church, this has caused much hand-wringing and e-mail hysteria from insecure Christians among us. Wielenberg was the second non-believer to speak at Centenary this semester. A member of a local Methodist congregation got a little worked up, sending a mass e-mail asserting that parents send their students to "A Christian Methodist college for a reason." He went on, in part, "I refuse to believe that this reason is to brainwash their kids into believing that their is no God. We must do something about this. Please contact the president of Centenary, the board members, the alumni, the administration, and your church. I attended the atheists event last month and witnessed first hand how atheist spread their "word." Several students purchased her book after the event. I pray that none of those students turned against God that night."
Okay, let's not contact anyone. If these impressionable students are so insufficiently grounded in their faith that they will be "turned against God" by sitting through a couple of lectures, something has gone wrong over the last 18-20 years. This semester didn't have a lot to do with it.
The school's chaplain was compelled to respond with another mass e-mail explaining the bold concept of a free exchange of ideas. It was smart, well reasoned and right on target, saying parents have a duty to students to "Ground them in faith, engage them in reflection and in the exchange of ideas and then, when you send them to us, do all you can to encourage them to participate in the Christian worship, fellowship, study and service opportunities which we offer at Centenary."
My son has been offered a scholarship to attend Centenary. Thanks to this letter from the chaplain, I'm feeling really good about it.

Barack Obama
Originally uploaded by jurvetson

There's also a freaky line of thought creeping around the internet about Barack Obama. The mainstream media is exploring his religious beliefs because a lot of people believe he is a Muslim. He claims to be a Christian. There's a quiet undercurrent of discussion in the blogosphere that Obama may be the Antichrist. Barack Obama the Antichrist? That's way too deep for me, but I've had three people say something about it to me in the last week.
The only response I have is, "well, this is not the first time I've heard that."
Isn't it strange? I'm hearing this odd run of comments that flabbergast me beyond reasonable response. Hang onto your hat. Things are getting weird.

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Looking Back on the Last Few Days

Last Friday, my wife's father unexpectedly died. This has been quite a shock to everyone, to put it mildly. We did not have a traditional funeral, but instead celebrated Eucharist to honor his life and ministry. Knowing this would happen some day, Ken had planned his own service. He chose the readings, the prayers, the hymns and designated people for each role in the liturgy. His wish list created quite a geographic footprint. Only one person declined the honor, and it was because he recently had knee surgery and was unable to travel. The attendance was remarkable, a real tribute to Ken.
People are kind and thoughtful at times like this, and it reminds you that your friends are out there, even if you don't see them as much as you once did. Based on this ongoing experience, as well as others I have had along these lines, here are some random observations:

1) Prayer helps. It gives hope and comfort to those praying. Those for whom prayers are offered benefit greatly, even though they may not realize it at the moment.

2) A little take-out fried chicken goes a long, long way. In the first hours of the day following a death, Southerners have a tendency to heap fried chicken upon the family. Please call before you bring KFC or Church's or Popeye's or your momma's chicken. Chances are three or four people already beat you to the extra crispy finish line. The family is immensely grateful, but feels guilty about throwing out two-day-old fried chicken.

3) Food is excellent. Seek out the family spokesperson and find out specifically what is needed. Friends, family or chuch members probably have already arranged meals a couple of days out. So, bring a casserole or something that can be frozen for a week or so. In our case, snack mix and pick-up fruit went fast. Desserts are still sitting around.

4) If you ask for specifics about how you can help or what you can bring, be prepared to respond to any reasonable request. Two of the best offerings the family received over the last few days were specifically requested: cases of soft drinks and sacks of paper goods (bathroom tissue, napkins, paper towels, paper plates).

5) In keeping with the theme: don't assume you know what the family wants or needs. Ask. We had some extremely nice, well-intended people insisting we needed wine, etc. Well, we really didn't. We had no intention whatsoever of throwing a cocktail party. It might be your culture, but it's not necessarily someone else's. We are grateful, though. The same kind, generous "wine people" have been immensely supportive and helpful in many other ways.

6) Allow young people to deal with things as they choose. I am still affected by my relatives forcing me to view deceased loved ones when I was young. I prefered then and I prefer now to remember people as they lived, not as they lay in repose. In this particular case, there were a couple of teenagers who needed to get away from the crowds, be with friends, and-or just sleep a lot. Please do not force kids to grieve your way. They will find their own way.

7) Phone calls and visits are welcome, encouraged and appreciated. This will be especially true after a little time passes. If you call to express your condolences and the person you called for isn't made available to you, please respect that. There are bad moments. Without fail, someone takes it personally when they're asked to leave a message or come back later. This always floors me.

8) Gift certificates are great. My mother-in-law got a generous one from a local grocery/ restaurant. She was thrilled. She can redeem it when she needs an outing or to pick up something to bring home. That won't get thrown out.

9) I think most people say they don't want flowers because it seems superfluous. I have to tell you, we are happy some people didn't hear or chose to ignore our "no flowers" request. The venues in which we chose to greet visitors would have been stark without the flowers we got. Live plants may be better. We received several,and many of them will make it into my father-in-law's back yard as a living tribute to his memory.

10) The price of putting an obituary in the newspaper is obscene. I know they have to make money, but I thought it used to be a kind of community service. Maybe it was when the paper was locally owned. Don't let that price tag catch you off-guard. Prepare for it.

11) Don't be afraid to ask what happened. Telling the story is part of the healing process. The death of a loved one is a profound experience, and in my experience people are eager to talk about it as long as you're willing to listen. They appreciate your interest, as long as it's sincere. If it's not, they'll know.

12) Be a real friend and don't forget about the grieving family. The hard part comes when all the activities, which are largely confined to a few days after the death, come to a halt.

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Growing Up in the Church

This time of year, people have a tendency to take stock of their religious beliefs. Conversations about what we believe have popped up in diverse contexts for me lately. My son said he engaged in a robust discussion at work about creationism vs. evolution. I recently attended a Roman Catholic mass and an Episcopal Eucharist in the same day, leading to internal conflicts about communion. My daughter has been spending a lot of time with some friends who are active in an evangelical Christian church.
It can all be very confusing when church has always been a part of your life. I went to Catholic schools for twelve years. I was an altar boy as far back as I can remember, and a lector after that. I married the daughter of an Episcopalian priest, and so I shifted a little left in the late 1980's and became a lay eucharistic minister in her church.
My kids were baptized in that church, and both have been confirmed there. My in-laws' roots run deep there. My wife's grandfather, an architect, designed the place. It was my father-in-law's base when he went to seminary. So, it is in many ways a home for our family. I don't even really grasp the depth of it, because my kids are fourth-generation members. I'm still a newcomer.
Now, we are in the holiday season. I know there are different ways to express greetings this time of year. For me, one way is best: Merry Chistmas! Sometimes, you have have to go with what you know.

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