On Training the Dragon

March 28, 2010 – 5:14 am

On Training the Dragons

Hiccup is a most unlikely hero and probably the least Viking-like Viking in the world. He is different, no macho bravado. He is rejected in his home town because his ways are not the ways of the people.

The Vikings in the movie “How to Train a Dragon” have two functions: Kill the dragons that plague them and train up their children to do the same. Hiccup’s father is disappointed that Hiccup is not more eager to play such dragon games. But Hiccup tries to overcome his fears and feelings of failure. He designs a canon that shoots a web that catches the most prized dragon, the Night Fury. When he finds the Night Fury downed and trapped, he goes in for the kill. Hiccup cannot bring himself to kill the dragon in the ways of his culture.

Instead Hiccup shows mercy and kindness to the Night Fury he names “Toothless.” In acts of mercy and kindness, with all fear overcome, Hiccup learns the ways of the dragons. He learns about their likes and their fears. And he learns that there is a greater evil that drives their onerous deeds. Relationship grows trust and trust grows love.

When the great battle with evil begins, it is this unlikely hero that comes on the back of a dragon so fierce his name is Toothless. You know the rest of the story. Mercy, kindness, love change the outcome of Viking City. Evil loses. New life is born among a people who put away their armor and huff and try a new way of living together, even with those whom they fear.

An unlikely Savior comes among us today on the back of a donkey of all things. He also has known rejection. He comes with a message of hope and peace, motivated only by the Love in which he comes. He comes with the call to live a new way, a way without fear and hatred. Let us welcome him with joy and sing our loud “Hosannas.”

Palm Sunday leads us into a week of great love. Let us gather with palms and praise! Amen.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

The Eighth Day

August 19, 2009 – 5:36 am

“And God looked at everything God had created and said that it was good.”

 It came as shocking news to me when a friend from across the room said, “Soon hot dog packages will be marked with the same warning as cigarettes.”  Their names “rolled” off my tongue like honey: Oscar Meyer, Ball Park, Jesse Jones. My friendship with hot dogs is longstanding. Onions, mustard, chili, and, forgive me, ketchup. I have loved them foot-long and bun length. Even the conundrum of 10 dogs and 8 buns has not daunted me. To hear that they are as filled with carcinogens as cigarettes shocks me and points me again to the human condition.

 Just after Creation, following the rest that the Lord called good, there was the next day, the eighth day that humankind is still living. This eighth day is described in the second Creation story of the Garden and the actions of Eve and Adam. The problem started when we could not be satisfied with Paradise. We want knowledge; we want things to have, things to keep for ourselves.

 Preservation, the keeping of stuff, be it houses or hot dogs, fruits and vegetables, or even  life itself, is a major enterprise of the human condition. We want watermelons in December, taunt muscles and skin at 65. The talk of dying becomes food for fear-mongers. And hot dogs that last perennially will be our demise.

 The temporal nature of matter, be it vegetable, animal, mineral, is part and parcel to the mystery and wonder of life. The temporal nature of matter clearly sets the otherness of  Eternal Divinity. And the lesson of such knowledge is that God is God, and we are not God. Working to keep all things forever young and fresh, no matter how we have to go about doing it, will turn and bite us someday.

 God, who invites us to the daily-ness of manna and the everlasting-ness of the Living Bread we know in Jesus the Christ surely tires in our folly. Mortal life passes away.  Each day holds different blessing. Joy cannot be held in squeezed fists. Life is to be lived in the marveling of each moment with attention, intention, and gratitude from cover to cover. God invites us poor chronos mortals into kairos life, life that knows eternity and trusts God’s forever-ness and steadfast love. Read again John 6 and dwell in the promises there.

 Blessings upon you.

Pastor Lib aka Rev it up

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

When One Gets Old

June 22, 2009 – 7:43 pm

Sometimes when we get old, we get crabby. We forget how teenage boys  have hollow-leg hunger. We tend to value garden flowers above the laughter and frolic of young people playing water games and laughing and showing us that it is the present moment that holds value, laughter that holds promise and fellowship that becomes a means of grace that few things top.

This afternoon our grandson and two of his friends came to get inner tubes to swim in the lake. They also very quietly helped themselves to three huge pieces of lemon cake. … no napkins… no forks. They stood dripping in the kitchen… crumbs everywhere….busted and laughing all over the place as I came into the room offering a glass of milk to wash the cake down. They left for a while, but soon came back with two other boys, two dogs, two tubes, four noodles and they proceeded to play whiffle baseball in our pool. One spaniel jumped and swam for the ball; the other spaniel simply ran circles around the pool. Toasty, our dog, ate one of the boy’s pieces of leftover cake along with the napkin. The backyard was alive with fun and laughter once again and all seemed right with the world.

When one gets old, the sound of laughter and splashing and games remind us that perhaps the olden days are not the best days after all. When one gets old, one is blessed when the house comes alive with family and fun. When one gets old, the blessing of grandchildren who bring their friends to Grandma and Grandad’s house for an impromptu party is a really cool thing. This is a good day… this for sure is the day that the Lord has made. I rejoice and give thanks in it! Amen.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

And Are We Yet Alive?

June 13, 2009 – 7:15 am

The holy conferencing of the people called Methodists in the North Carolina Annual Conference comes to a close today with the setting of the appointments for the coming year.  The various worship services, music, reports, voting, speeches from the floor are always something to behold.

 But for this Methodist pastor, the high point of the conference came Friday with the workshops led by Adam Hamilton, lead pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas. He opened with shocking statistics of the state of the church and a statement that unless the church awakens to change, it will die.

Pastor Adam then spend hours painting a picture of what and who we can be as the church of the 21st century. While he gave us specifics, the vision of renewal was the take-away. At Saint Mark’s for the past several years we have been on a journey of renewal – knowing again who we are, claiming a vision and purpose beyond ourselves, and working to love and care for one another as the Incarnated Body of Christ.

While there was affirmation in the words and lessons of Adam Hamilton, there was recognition that there is still much to be done. The possibilities for the church are as great as in the first century. The call is ringing out  to rise up in faithfulness and go boldly into a new day. In Christ we have the best Good News the world has ever known and from Saint Mark’s we have a perfect vantage point to see what God is calling us to do.

Lord, increase our faith, stir our hearts with your Holy Spirit to love and serve your people. Remove all barriers of pettiness, self-interest, and self-righteousness. Unite us as your Living Body.  Open our eyes and lives to see and celebrate what you are doing among us. And give us strength to move onward and upward for Your glory. Amen.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (1)

In Remembrance

May 25, 2009 – 7:37 am

The television reporter stood in the cemetary “between the crosses row on row” saying to the viewing public, “This is why we have Memorial Day.”  On Saturday morning before the holiday, the reporter had strolled the local mall asking random people, “Why do we have Memorial Day as a holiday?” There were a few who knew. But there were many who said it was a day to have hamburgers and hot dogs with family and mark the beginning of summer at the beach.

I remember Memorial Days in my home town. Mother, Laine and I would be in front of Edwards Drug store with the other VFW folks offering poppies for sale to support veterans. Daddy was a graduate of VMI and an officer in WWII. He was pulled from service  in the final physical before the unit he commanded shipped out for Normandy because of a rheumatic heart. His unit had over 100% casualties. Had he gone that day, my sister and I likely would never have been born.

Remembrance shapes us in ways of thanksgiving and awareness of the sacrifices of others. Remembrance calls us to live in ways that value and honor people who have lived and loved, served and given. Does remembrance influence our decisions? Does remembrance guide discernment? Can remembrance lead us to different outcomes?

When Jesus calls us at table to “Do this in rembrance of me,” do we? Do we remember and live a life shaped by the remembrance of God’s saving acts in Jesus Christ?

The psalmist says that we are to tell the generations the stories of God, the stories of God’s saving acts, the glory and the responsibility. On this Memorial Day, as we enjoy our families and our burgers, let us remember that freedom comes with great responsibility. Debts have been paid on our behalf. Live well in remembrance and thanksgiving of all that is yours because others have paid a price.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

The Power of Story

May 13, 2009 – 10:43 am

Twice in the past two weeks Tom and I have been fortunate to be in the company of good story tellers whose recounting of their lives and their experiences in the story opened windows of understanding, knowing, and thanksgiving for both the storyteller and the gifts of life observed and well lived.

Garry Lipson is my brother in law. For the years he has been married to my sister I have known him as person who notices life and cares for creation and for his family. He has always seen humor in things and has always captured the essence of the family story well. When he stood at the Bynum General Store with two other storytellers and told stories of his youth, he was hysterically funny and poignant at the same time. It was a joy to hear him and know him more through the power of his story.

Last week at the DPAC, we were privileged to hear Garrison Keillor, well known storyteller from the land of Wobegon. Mr. Keillor weaves magic and mystery together in masterful ways of song and story, faith and fun. His story captures imagination and scatters it out like some kind of wind that stirs the soul.

In the stories of both these men, we were present with them in the places to which they took us. We were insiders revelling in the detail of every jot and tittle of their lives. Story has power to take us places of wonder and joy and life. God knew that when he wove the world together.

The Old Testament  begins with the story in the Garden. There is drama; there is humor. In the story of God’s salvation, there are heroes and there are sinners. And always there is God … on every page there is God who makes all things good in ultimate ways. God is known to us in story that bears truth and life to all people. The story’s climax is in Jesus the Christ. Protagonist, Savior, Lord. Luke and others in the New Testament tell the story well.

Each of us has a story to tell. We are writing it each day we draw breath. We tell story that our children will know who we are, what our family is like, who God is and what we are called to be. There is a power in story that is undeniable. But story takes time to tell. We are called to remember in detail and recount in color what has been. We are charged with bearing witness to the love of God and the goodness of faith that future generations will know. What is the story you tell with your life? How do you tell it? Where are you in it? Frame it well, friends. A storyteller lives in you! And people are listening.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

SOOHI Ya Can’t Get Over It

May 4, 2009 – 2:08 pm

Just in case anyone has missed the news, SOOHI – the Saint Mark’s Stretching Out Our Hands Inititiative is operational! On Sunday, May 3rd, we were fed a wonderful meal and given excellent workshop advice. For a first day, the effort was a roaring success. For a pastor to see and be part of ministry that is beyond the normm (almost on a cutting edge that truthfully is throwback to the first century church) is a huge and exciting blessing. Too often throughout history the church has talked a better game than it has lived….. hence the name we all despise, hypocrites.

But you, beloved of God, have stepped out in ways that will carry us to places beyond any we have imagined. The church is at its best when it serves others. I give thanks for serving a church with a vision that Christ himself cast when he said, “Tend my sheep.” Oh sure, there is tweaking that will need to be done and resources that will be called forth, but the path is being laid out and each of us is being called to walk this path.

We can’t do everything, but we can do something… something that is important to God, something that is beyond ourselves, something that gives shape and form to the words of faith we espouse.

Only God knows the difference we will make. May God be blessed in our work, praised and glorified in each step we take. And may each person involved in a ministry that is SOOHI we can’t get over it or around it find life right in the middle of it! I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever want to be over it! Blessings, all. Pastor Lib

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Intentional Faith Development

January 21, 2009 – 1:55 pm

This coming Sunday, January 25, 2009, we will be reflecting on the practice of Intentional Faith development, one of the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations as outlined by Bishop Robert Schnase. Because this practive is near and dear to my heart and my ministry of spiritual formation, I will be the one leading the discussion in preaching.

I liken intentional faith development to having a bag of daffodil bulbs dropped off by my door, a gift given like the gift of faith. If I want the bulbs, I pick the bag up and carry it to the backyard. Now I have another choice. I can leave the bulbs in the bag they came in on the patio table, or I can plant them in the flower border. then comes another choice. I can water the bulbs and add a little fertilizer, or I can let them fend for themselves. If my intention is to have beautiful fragrant flowers from the bulbs that are given to me, my choices reflect what I need to do to nurture and tend these bulbs to flower.

Likewise, If I hunger for a faith that fills me with hope and sustains and upholds me in a caring community through all the passages of my life, I have choices to make in how I will grow such a faith. And sadly,  I know where the road paved with good intentions and little followup action goes.

Faith is the gift of the Spirit. Faith development is the choice I make when my intentions  join together with my effort and purpose to grow a faith that is fragrant and pleasing to God and sustaining and satisfying to my own soul. Come Sunday and reflect on what intentional faith development means for your life and for this Church. Together we will plant what God has given us and see what will grow here. See you Sunday!

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Small Winter Blessing

January 17, 2009 – 11:10 am

“Oh the weather outside is frightful…” so the words of the song go. But Creation is so delightful! This morning plump and cheerful robins filled the back patio. Some shook the branches of the pyracantha while others plucked the red berries right from the branch. Another dozen or so gleaned berries that fell pecking around the patio with great joy.

All the while the birdie buffet was happening, our dog, Toasty, sat at the French door leading to the backyard and watched all that was happening. His nose pressed against the glass, he wanted to be part of the fun.

When the birds had their fill,  they retreated to their roost no doubt satisfied and full. The bounty of God’s Creation provided a magnificent feast for them. They flocked to receive it and retreated in their enoughness. When the birds had flown away, Toasty took to the backyard. Sniffing and rummaging through the berries that were still scattered around, he too was part of the blessing.

Jesus teaches his disciples, “Do not be anxious about your life… look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet God feeds them. Are you not of more value than these? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubic to your span of life?”

On this cold winter day, in this cold winter week, may you see blessing in the small acts of grace around. The God of Providence and Steadfast Love is with us in miracles great and small. Claim the blessing, feast and be filled. God loves you! Amen.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Reflection on Psalm 29

January 12, 2009 – 8:49 am

Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures, hearing God’s word for us today through the “ear of our heart.” In our Tuesday morning lectio time last week, we meditated on Psalm 29. God worked amazingly to speak to us in the last verse of the psalm. Psalm 29:11 says, “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with strength.”

In light of the wars that rage around us… in the middle east… Iraq… Afghanastan and other places, God raises the issue of peace and peace making through an ancient text. I share with you my reflection and prayer on this text:

“Peace is illusive, perhaps even illusion. Peace is present when my personal strength is enough to protect all the edges of my being. My peace is built in the strength of my personal power, or the power of my closest ally. But my peace is not your peace, O God. Your peace is found in powerlessness, abandonment, yielding, submission, obedience, and those attributes are contrary to my very nature.

Survival of the fittest is status quo mentality. But Shalom is your peace, O God. Shalom is your peace when lion and lamb lie together and swords are made into plowshares. Since few of us have practiced this kind of peace, and all of us would have to agree to it for it to work, it will likely never be, save your intervention. If I lay down my arms, I will be over-run. For there are still those who seek to do harm… anything to get their own way, their own justice.

Bless us, Lord, with your peace, a peace where all creation ‘wins ‘and the new Zion is born. Amen.”

You are invited to join the Saint Mark’s lectio divina prayer time on Tuesday mornings at 9:30. Bring a journal and a pen, and come ready to encounter the living God.

Posted by Lib Campbell | Posted in General | Comments (0)