A Few Words of Hope

Calendar this week & blog below


Thanks to the courageous who worked at Habitat for Humanity in the snow on Saturday!
I'm working ont he video of the trip to New Orleans over Winter Break. I'll be on campus most of Tuesday and Wednesday this week. email or call for appointments!

Here are this week's regular meetings:

Tuesday: 12 noon Peace Expo Planning (Save the Date, April 15)
3 PM Peace with Justice Internship, MBSC
8 PM Inclusive Spiritual Searchers, Jenkins Room (see below blog for details)
Wednesday: 6:30 PM Misquoting Jesus, St. Luke UMC, just south of 120th & Dodge.
Thursday 11 AM Responses to Intimate Partner Violence planning, MBSC, SPO

Blog: A Word of Hope

Yesterday I went to Clair United Methodist Church to present UCMHE campus ministry material to the congregation. What I got was the pulpit.

The pastor for the morning had been called and it was agreed he wouldn’t need to bother coming because of the small crowd anticipated. Getting through six inches of snow on an Omaha Sunday morning would be daunting for most. In the meantime, I called the church at 8:58 am to ask if worship was still on. I didn’t want to make the trip if the building was to be closed. Worship was at 10:30 am, as usual, I was told.

I mounted my snow traveling chariot and arrived at 10:15. The parking lot was plowed but there were few cars.

When I entered the sanctuary, I was approached by the lay reader for the morning, Sandy. After introducing myself, she asked, “Would you bring us a message this morning?”

“Absolutely!” was my response. Quick, let me think.

She said easily, “I will pray for you” and she sat down next to me, while I opened a NRSV supplied by Carlotta, an usher. She prayed for me, too.

Memories of Nigerian, and I think most of African, Christian culture went through my mind. In those churches, when a visitor arrives at worship, particularly a visitor who looks like s/he comes from a different town or culture, it is expected that the visitor will bring greetings. Greetings include, but are not limited to, a person’s history, church life, elders who have been important, how everyone’s health is in the house and how grateful the visitor is for God’s love, how that person came to be in relationship with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, a favorite scripture (memorized), then a blessing for the gathered congregation.

I’d forgotten my responsibility as a visitor. I did not come to worship completely prepared.

On the other hand, I recalled a story about Henry Nouwen. Henry was a Roman Catholic. He was Dutch. He was a priest. He was a seminary professor who expanded a great deal on the topic of how God was always about and expecting us to “create space” for others. That really was his message, though he talked about it in several books he published. I recalled watching him in front of the altar with his arms outstretched to implicate us all in God’s business of including people, all people. Later, he spent a number of years at a place called, L’Arche. I believe this was in Montreal. This was a home for those whose mental and/or physical problems were extraordinary. Sometimes residents were completely unresponsive or borderline catatonic. To Henry, it did not matter what their issues were, he was there for them, creating spaces of love and compassion. In between the two places, seminary and L’Arche, Henry would go on retreats. One time he was in the middle of a month-long time away from his busy schedule. He was deep into it. Reading, writing, planning, and silence. A message came from the retreat director, asking him to address a group of high school boys who were on the grounds. Henry reports his first thoughts were that he did not have time! He was writing a book, he was on a retreat of seclusion, and he was way too busy for this intrusion. The director responded, “Henry, all these boys want are a few words of hope. Certainly you can offer them that.”

Of course, like Henry, I could do that. It was not a monumental project, beyond my scope, training or experience. Had I experienced hope? Had I met God anywhere? I could answer those questions. In fact, because I am part of UCMHE at UNO, I realized I did have words of hope for the gathered faithful. After the children’s choir belted out “This Little Light of Mine”, I was offered the pulpit. I began, “I have been asked to offer a word of hope on this snowy Nebraska morning.”

So, in Nigerian/Nebraska fashion, I went on, with the prayers of Sandy and Carlotta, the model of Henry and my own experiences of God perched there with me. I felt with them and the congregation, I was among friends.

Perhaps you can offer your stories and connections as well. People will be encouraged. And that may be just what is needed.

--peace,

Fred

Spiritual Searchers--from Lori:

The tribe has spoken and we're moving ISS (Inclusive Spiritual Searchers) to Tuesday nights instead of Wednesday nights. It will still be at the same time, 8:00 p.m., just a different day.

This week was awesome, and thanks to everyone who came. Next week will be just as great--perhaps better!

Get ready for a short message and a deep discussion followed by some meditation and time with your God. Afterwards, we might go out for coffee if people are game!

Still confused what ISS is? Well, first of all, we don’t claim to have all the answers.
What we do have in common is that we’re looking for the same God, and not all of us do it in the same way or share the same beliefs. So, whether you’re a conservative or a liberal Christian, Catholic, LDS, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or simply Agnostic—we welcome you as you search for your God with other questioning, spiritually focused young adults.