Peeking into the Stable…Another Glimpse

Dr. Ken Bailey challenges the traditional Christmas narrative that proclaims that Jesus was born in a stable because “there was no room in the inn.” Dr. Bailey, a New Testament scholar who spent his career teaching in seminaries in the Israel, Egypt and Lebanon, argues that the word translated as “inn” in our English Bibles, kataluma, actually means “guest room” or “extra room.” Kataluma is the word used to describe the upper room where Jesus and the disciples ate his last supper (Luke 22:11). The word for inn is a different word, pandocheion, and we hear Luke use this wordwhen the Good Samaritan brings the beaten man to the innkeeper (Luke 10:34).

Dr. Bailey’s argument then extends toward a discussion of first-century architecture. The traditional peasant home was a one room affair, with the family’s animals, brought in each night for protection, housed at one end of the room and the family at the other end. Some families would have been able to build an extra room, a kataluma or guest room, for visiting family. In Dr. Bailey’s reading of Luke’s telling of Jesus’ birth, Jesus was born at the stable end of the family home because other family were staying in the kataluma, which, as Dr. Bailey points out, is to be expected given that Ceasar had ordered a census; Joseph and Mary were not the only family visiting at that time.

What are we to make of Dr. Bailey’s interpretation? Is he trying to stir the pot and upset folks? Anyone who has met Dr. Bailey will know the answer to these questions is an emphatic no. Rather, Dr. Bailey is a humble and devout scholar with a passion for reading the text carefully. As such, he affirms with the traditional interpretation that Jesus was born of humble beginnings; yes, born in a stable, just not rejected by a mean, old innkeeper. Instead, Jesus was born in the midst of a family’s love; Mary supported in labor by her mother-in-law and other kinswomen. Joseph counseled by his father and other kinsmen on the challenges that lay ahead. Dr. Bailey argues that this reading of Jesus’ birth does not diminish the love of God in sending his son, for Jesus was still born into flesh and blood, still lived under the maniacal eye of Herod and iron fist of Rome, still lived in the shadow of his own mortality and a looming cross. There would be enough heartache and difficulty in Jesus’ life; at his birth there was caring family and there was peace.

As I roam Arizona, western New Mexico and a sliver of Utah, I am reminded continually of the challenges facing our families, our churches and our communities. They are vast, stark and relentless. But this week I remind us all that before the cross came the cradle; before Jesus walked a lonesome valley he was nurtured by loving (and courageous) parents, surrounded at birth by both cattle and cousins. This week, as we ourselves travel to see family, please take a moment to give thanks. If family remains distant this Christmas, pray from afar that the bonds of communion may be renewed by the one proclaimed Prince of Peace.

Wishing you a Happy Fourth Sunday in Advent and a Merry Christmas,

Brad Munroe

Ordination Reflections

Today is the 27th anniversary of my ordination.

Twenty-seven years ago I knelt amidst the chancel of the Covenant Presbyterian Church sanctuary, feeling the crush of hands weigh me down as a prayer was said on my behalf, asking of God what God had already purposed beforehand, but reminding me that all actions taken in Christ’s name and on Christ’s behalf were merely the acts of a servant to one’s Master. Over the years I believe the combined weight of those hands is as a feather compared to the weight of responsibility to care for the lives represented by those hands. Those hands weigh me down still today even as they also, by an act of Providence and grace, lift me up, as they did twenty-seven years ago: in prayer.

One of the little ironies of my ordination service was that when I knelt amidst the chancel I did so on one knee, hobbled from the beginning, having lurched to the front of the sanctuary on crutches. I had broken my ankle playing basketball at a Young Life meeting the Monday before I was to be ordained. In many ways, I take those crutches as emblematic of the best of my ministry, for those times when my own woundedness has been most pronounced are the times when God has been most glorified; when I have decreased, Jesus has increased.

Another of the little ironies of my ordination service was that my wife, Laura, was present: she served punch at the reception. We were not yet dating, (not even flirting!), and yet she met my parents, my siblings, my entire, troubled, dysfunctional, and beloved family. Little did I imagine on that day the way God would bless me through her presence; little could I have imagined the ways God would work to bless me through her presence. Such are often the ways of God, I have experienced, who causes Sarah to laugh and Mary to rejoice and catches us by surprise over and over again: And a little child shall lead them...you shall call him Immanuel.

My ministry of Word and sacrament (for that is how I think of it!) is now expressed in a way not imaginable to my twenty-five year old self. I no more could have imagined being a “presbytery pastor” as I could have imagined a world in which the Iron Curtain had been torn asunder, or imagined a world in which “love your neighbor as you love yourself” would be cause for controversy within the Church and fearful demagoguery in our nation. Yet I could and did imagine that serving Jesus Christ would be the greatest, singular privilege of my life and a great and grand adventure, and, as such, reflects a bit of the Advent spirit: looking at the past helps me renew for the challenges of the present, even as it gives me good hope for what is to come.

A little child still leads us...and he is still Immanuel. What surprises does God have in store for us next?

Blessed to be a part of you,

Brad

Honoring the Prince of Peace: Announcing the Formation of a Presbytery Reconciliation Group

As we move into Advent, we rehearse the journey taken by others whose longing for God  led them to yearn for, to seek and to embrace a hope that comes only as a divine act of grace. As we move into Advent, we have revealed to us anew the Divine Presence who dwelled among us, the Incarnate of God, Restorer of Israel, Bringer of the Reign of God’s Shalom, the Prince of  Peace: Jesus.

What does it mean for you to yearn for, seek and embrace a hope that comes only through Jesus? While I will applaud each of us who are willing to reflect upon this question as an individual, family, congregation or society, I would like to share with you a response from within the presbytery that seeks to follow the path of Jesus as the Prince of Peace: the Presbytery Reconciliation Group.

In response to God’s call to a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), a Reconciliation Group (RG) is being formed. In an era of much unrest, this ministry is long overdue; it is my hope that it may serve as a reflection of the Prince of Peace, for whom we yearn this Advent season.

The purpose of the RG is to serve at the discretion of the COM as a resource for congregations experiencing conflict either within their own church system or within the Presbytery as well as to provide education in relational reconciliation to the Presbytery as a whole.

The formation of the RG will result in a group of highly trained, committed mediators who are equipped to reduce anxiety in high conflict situations leading to the long-term resolution of conflict. The training will begin with a week-long workshop titled “Mediation Skills Training Institute” led by the Lombard-Mennonite Peace Center on March 7-11, 2016 in Dallas, TX. In addition to the training, the RG will meet on a monthly basis to share experiences and knowledge in the mediation of conflicts as well as to support each other in their growth as mediators. The members of the RG will be expected to commit a minimum of five years to the group, to meet on a monthly basis and to maintain a position of neutrality within the groups they are assisting.

If you sense that you may be called to serve in this ministry, please contact Brad Munroe or Carolyn McBurney at the Presbytery office. There is a five question application to be filled out, which will then be reviewed by the Nominating committee in consultation with members of COM and the RG coordinating team.

Blessed to be a part of you,

Brad

A Call to Hope-full Living

                I spent Monday with pastor Georges. Georges is the pastor of the Middle Eastern Presbyterian Fellowship in Tucson, a beautiful soul with a heart full of the Lord. I came to know Georges first as a colleague, then as a friend, and now it is a privilege to call him brother. Georges is a Syrian refugee.

            I spent Tuesday listening to pastor Daniel, a teaching elder from a sister denomination in an African country, as he told the harrowing tale of the assassination attempt on his life following his refusal to help throw a national election in his home country. Daniel is a refugee (country of origin withheld to protect his identity) who will, God and the Presbytery be willing, transfer his membership into the PCUSA.

            Many of you know Georges or Daniel, or perhaps pastor Estawri from Iraq who is leading the new worshipping community that meets at Bethany in Phoenix. Or one of the Burundi, or one of the Congolese, or one of the Rwandans who meet at one of the three Presbyterian churches in Arizona that have ministries with refugees, seeking to enfold them into their koinonia: Northminster Tucson, Heritage Phoenix, and Orangewood Phoenix.

            These are the faces of refugees.

            As most of us encounter from afar the global refugee crisis, a crisis whose enormity has not been witnessed since World War II, I ask you to imagine sitting down to coffee with Georges and his wife Mary to hear their perspective. Imagine the rich, dark aroma of the especially potent (for Americans) brew, and imagine the exquisite taste of Mary’s baklava (the best I’ve ever had). Imagine listening to their journey, their longings for safety for their family that led them to leave their homeland. Imagine having your own faith emboldened as you hear them bear witness to God’s providence in leading them to a new home, a new life, a new ministry.

            Now imagine saying to George and Mary what you have posted on Facebook.Imagine speaking to them with the same tone you used in discussing world news with your friends. Would your words change? Would your tone be softened? How might your heart be made new encountering a refugee in the flesh rather than merely from the digital distance of our TVs and computers?

            It is tempting to give into narratives of fear, but our faith calls us to live into the promise of hope. Such hope, according to everything we have ever been taught, beginning in the earliest lessons in Sunday School, is that God’s hope is not be hoarded but to be shared with all.  Deuteronomy 24: 17 says, “Do not deprive the alien…of justice. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.”

            Interesting word there: command. Jesus, who was a refugee first to Earth and then to Egypt, the Son of Man who had nowhere to lay his head, used the same word in Matthew 28:20, “…teach them to obey everything I have commanded….”  Did Jesus command anything related to the welcome of foreigners, such as people like the Samaritans? Did Jesus command anything related to living the gospel even if one must take up one’s cross so to live? Did Jesus command us to open our tables to those found on the “highways and crossroads” so that his Father’s house may be full? In your own reading of the Gospels, does Jesus seem to advocate for radical hospitality and openness to others or lean more toward promoting safety and security above all else?

Is letting go of narratives of fear to grab hold of promises of hope, a calling we have or a command we must obey? Does it really matter?

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe

P.S. Click here for a special, educational event on ministry on the border through Frontera de Cristo: (Carolyn, please add link)

P.P.S. Click here to read what Gradye Parsons, the stated clerk of General Assembly, wrote about the refugee crisis: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2015/11/17/choose-welcome-not-fear/

Presbytery in Review: A Watershed Moment for Grand Canyon?

Last week in Pinetop the Presbytery of Grand Canyon met for what was, arguably, a defining moment in our journey toward becoming a reconciled and reconciling presbytery. With apologies to Charles Dickens, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, but at all times God in Jesus Christ was present, and the Holy Spirit led the presbytery toward momentous change.

It was the best of times… Friday witnessed a moving worship service led by the Rev. Tom Berry preaching on Acts 2:42-47 in which we were reminded that our unity is found around the Table of our Lord Jesus Christ. Friday also witnessed the examination of three candidates for ordination, each unique and each gifted: Robert Felix, Jennifer Fraser and Kelsey Woodruff. All three candidates spoke eloquently regarding their understanding and commitment to the Reformed faith and were unanimously approved for ordination.

It was the worst of times… Friday also witnessed the dissolution of the Alpine congregation and the dismissal to ECO of the Springerville congregation. The Administrative Commission (AC) reports from George Prohaska and Ed Spence detailed a long history of disconnected relationship between these congregations and the presbytery that led to the feeling by both the AC and the congregations that a parting of the ways was needed. Yet even this action, which caused me sadness even though I agreed it was the right thing for us to do, was seasoned with God’s grace, as leaders from both congregations acknowledged their own sadness as well as thanked the AC and the presbytery for their gracious and generous terms of dissolution.

It was the best of times… Saturday morning saw vigorous conversation in small groups regarding the question of how the presbytery might best create a leadership initiative aimed at congregational renewal. The Leadership Team is applying to the General Assembly for a Presbytery Transformation Grant and six topics were suggested for conversation – evangelism, missional ministry, leading through change, multi-cultural ministry, ministry to millennials, and initiating congregational renewal – with opinions and recommendations solicited from all present. This leadership initiative points us toward a reconciled and reconciling future in which we may learn the ways of theological friendship through support and encouragement of one another in the sharing of best practices for ministry.

It was the worst of times… Saturday morning also saw the successful approval of the new Gracious Dismissal Policy, which will be needed in the coming year as we walk with seven churches through the discernment process that may lead to dismissal. Yet even in this action, the guiding hand of God was known. In March, I publicly set a goal of 80% approval for the revision of the Gracious Dismissal Policy, a goal that was met overwhelmingly by a vote of 85-1. My interpretation of this vote is that there is broad recognition that (a) though we wish our cultural and congregational contexts were different, the reality is that some of our congregations will be dismissed in the next year to pursue ministry among a different denomination, (b) this reality, though eliciting sadness and grief from folks both within these congregations and throughout the presbytery, will require a commitment to exemplify the best values of living in Christ to which we can aspire, and (c) this road we are traveling is at once difficult, necessary and yet open to God’s grace.

It will be the best of times… My prayer is that we will be surprised by God in ways we cannot today imagine as we journey together, even a journey which will lead to our departing from one another. As Tom Berry so eloquently reminded us, around the Lord’s Table we discover a unity that makes us the family of God. What this means in specific detail is anyone’s guess; that it means our God, who is Sovereign in love, will somehow win the day is my abiding confidence.

Grace to you today and always,

Brad Munroe

Engaging the PCUSA: On Being Part of the Solution

Heath Rada, the Moderator of the General Assembly, has put forward a “Call to Conversation” regarding the future of the denomination, especially at the General Assembly level. Having traveled extensively throughout the denomination, (and by extensively I mean approximately 27 days a month!), Moderator Rada has come to the conclusion that the different, diverse, disparate and (often) desperate parts of our denomination must begin an in-depth dialogue about the future of our life together.

            Toward the goal of engaging the people in the pews, the grassroots, the people who actually make up the PCUSA, in other words, you, Moderator Rada is seeking your input. Yes…you! He wants to know what you think, believe and feel; what your priorities are for the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ; how you see the best possibilities for our future; how you envision the PCUSA being its best self in a world where, too often, our spiritual gift seems to be either shooting ourselves in the foot or hiding our light under a bushel. It is time to let your voice be heard in Louisville!

            The Call to Conversation can be found as a brief, online survey at:

·         http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2376025/Join-the-Conversation

To participate, click the above link and answer the survey questions. I let my voice be heard in about twelve minutes. Some of you will be quicker, no doubt, but others of you may wax poetic and take a while longer. Either way, this is an important moment in the life of our denomination and a wonderful way to make a difference in the direction we will journey together.

            To put Moderator Rada’s Call to Conversation in context, he also testifies that he has found much to like in his travels. He bears witness that God is not done with us yet! Indeed, he tells tales of spiritual vitality, missional engagement, evangelistic zeal, and theological depth breaking out all over the denomination. We live in troubled times, perhaps even in a kind of cultural exile (c.f. Jeremiah 29:4-11), yet stand firm, Christian, for God is in the redemption business. To hear from and meet Moderator Rada personally, mark your calendar for the combined presbyteries meeting in Casa Grande, January 29-30, where he will be our keynote speaker.

Grace to you today and always,

Brad Munroe

Gracious Dismissal Policy 2.0 – Moving Forward…Grieving Forward

“Live in harmony…be sympathetic, love…, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8-9

            As many of you have heard, in the last two weeks our stated clerk received letters from six Sessions requesting to enter into the discernment process toward dismissal: Christ Goodyear, Fountain Hills, First Scottsdale, Horizon, First Wickenburg and Community Lake Havasu (in the order in which we received the letters). These churches bring to nine the number of congregations that may be dismissed from the PCUSA either this year or next. The other three are Northminster, who is currently in dialogue with an Administrative Commission, and Springerville and Alpine, both of whose dismissal terms will be acted upon at our stated meeting in Pinetop, November 6-7.

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18

            It is with sadness that the presbytery staff received these letters. Others may feel different emotions, but speaking personally I grieve that any of our brother and sister Presbyterians feel the need to seek fellowship in another Reformed denomination. Yet I also recognize that such actions are being taken by congregations throughout the country; this is neither new, nor particular to the Presbytery of Grand Canyon. That we have been thrust into such a time as this only heightens our responsibility to “get it right” in Pinetop, by which I mean prepare the way to perfect, if necessary, and then pass a dismissal policy that will guide us forward with grace as best as is possible given the difficulties inherent in the process.

“…Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into…Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

            As the Presbytery Pastor I call for a week of prayer: that all would come to Pinetop with a spirit a humility; that all might find a tender spot in their heart for brothers and sisters with whom we may disagree; that all may allow their grief at our communal brokenness yet in such ways that our grief does not turn outward into anger; that we may begin in Pinetop to live into the values affirmed in the proposed policy:

·         Charitable

·         Viable

·         Responsible

·         Missional

·         Relational

 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 1 John 4:7

            Someone wondered why, two weeks ago, I interspersed Scripture amidst my missive in reflecting upon the Gracious Dismissal Policy that will come before presbytery. Let me make explicit what was for me implicit: the interspersing of Scripture verse is a reminder, first to myself and then to others, that in the midst of difficult relationships the Word calls us to pay special attention to the law of love. We are living in just such a time, none of us blameless, no not one, but all of us of us overshadowed by the mercy of Christ Jesus our Savior. May this truth bring us enough comfort and peace that we dare to walk as Jesus walked, with an uncommon integrity, an unflinching willingness to love friend and enemy alike, and an uncompromising desire to reconcile people to God and to one another.

“…first take the plank out of your own eye, and then

you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Matthew 7:5

Grace to you today and always,

Brad Munroe