Midwives

For a celibate, single man suscpicious of marriage customs, the Apostle Paul often utlized birth imagery when writing to his congregations.  In 1 Thessalonians 2:7, he writes, "But we were gentle among you, like a nurse caring for her own children," and later in 5:3 he describes the sudden and unexpected arrival of the new creation to come like the sudden rush of "labor pains."  In 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, he writes to that troubled congregation, "I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food."  He also uses the language of labor pains to describe the new creation in Romans 8:22 and in Galatians 4:19, going so far as to describe himself being in labor pains for Christ to be born in them.

Most of the time, however, when Paul utilizes birthing imagery it is to describe something happening outside of himself that he is aiding to come into being.  These images describe for us what we might traditionally call a midwife, a woman who assists in the birth of a child for the sake of a mother and baby that are not her own.  This harkens back to the midwives in Exodus, who saved the Hebrew babies from destruction by the decree of the pharaoh (Exodus 1:15-22).

Like all images and metaphors in scripture, they come to mean something to us only when we have experiences with the reality of the image the author utilizes.  When Rebecca and I went to Morristown-Hamblen Hospital almost two weeks ago for the birth of our son, my eyes were opened to the powerful biblical image of the midwife.

Now we did not utilize a professional "midwife" by today's description, but caring and attentive nurses came to check on Rebecca and care for her throughout the night, through the delivery, and on to the days of recovery.  And I was struck over and over again how these women would listen to us, offer any assistance they could, never seemed pestered when buzzed over and over again.

And their job is far from glamorous.  While the doctor gets to race in for the high drama of delivery and then whisks away to another assignment, the nurses remain present, utlizing their medical training, but also having to take part in the grimy, less thrilling portions of their work. 

It was in those mundane tasks, though, that we really saw the care and concern of these women.  Refilling cups with ice chips, allowing extra time for the epidural to wear off, assisting with bathroom help, changing sheets, patiently talking us through new baby care.  You would have thought this baby was related to them based on the care and dedication they put into the task of helping Simon to be born and to thrive in his first days of life.

When Paul describes the world groaning in labor pains or describes himself as a nurse caring for God's people, these images remind us that God's new creation is not something that we can bring into the world thorugh our acts of kindess, love, generosity, social programs, and worship practices.  God is birthing the new creation, and God is helping us all to be born anew. 

In the birth of that new creation, however, we have a role to play, for we are given a chance to serve as a midwife.  Holding another's hand during exruciating pain, wiping the sweat, and putting fresh linens on the bed.  The birth of the new creation may not exactly look like a holy city descending on the clouds in the midst of a regal trumpet fanfare.  Instead, the birthing of the new creation may involve a lowering of ourselves, to care for the hurting and poor, to remain focused on the Good News of God's love in the midst of the possible distractions of life, to come to worship, to serve on the committee, to chaperone the youth trip. 

These are not glamorous tasks than earn us praise or set us above others.  They are instead often a putting aside of our ego for the sake of something greater than ourselves to be born.  Birth is messy and painful, filled with uncertainty, excitement, nervousness, and great anticipation.  The same is true with the birthing of God's will into the world.  So let us follow the example of the real midwives in our world, and find how we, in our lives as disciples, may lower ourselves to assist with the birth of the new heaven and new earth God is creating.

Recreation

As I drive to the church in the mornings these days, it feels like the campus of Carson-Newman is taking a long exhale from another completed school year.  When I stop by McDonald's for breakfast, the lines are less crowded with parents and teachers rushing to start the school day.  Summer break has arrived (or is arriving very soon) for many in our area, and with it the community as a whole has the opportunity to catch its breath.

With the completion of Youth Sunday and the conclusion of the To Be a Presbyterian class, my schedule has been less hectic this week, and I have enjoyed time to read, pray, and reflect, aspects of ministry that are quickly sacrificed when we fall prey to the American achievement model of vocation. 

Now summer, for those without children or who do now work in an educational setting, may be like much of the rest of the year, but even for those of us plugging away as usual, there are increased opportunities during the warmer weather and longer days to enjoy the outdoors, go out on the lake, or play a round of golf.

Summer is a time of recreation but can also be a time for re-creation.  I am reminded in this moment of pause how we are instructed in the Westminster Catechism to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  I believe we can enjoy God by enjoying the world God made.  This is different, of course, from manipulating the world to our desires regardless of the economic or ecological results, but I do believe God values and enjoys our play.  If God does not intend for us to enjoy life, then why does recreation and play seem to natural to us?

My encouragement to you this summer, then, is to play, to enjoy your life and enjoy God's world.  Find time to sit on your porch and count the lightning bugs.  Pack a cooler and spend the day on the lake, swimming and swapping stories.  Load up the family car and head to the mountains for a retreat, and break out the board games in the evening.  Work a puzzle, go to Dollywood, play basketball in the driveway with your kids even if it means neglecting to mow the lawn for another day.  Take your dog for a long walk.

In these moments of recreation we can again find our purpose and our joy in life.  We cultivate relationships, we make memories, we release negative experiences from our lives.  We follow the command of our Lord to enjoy God.  So enjoy God this summer, and experience re-creation!

(But don't forget we still have Sunday school and worship each week at 9:45 and 10:45, in addition to our Youth Mission Trip, Vacation Bible School, and our week to feed the Appalachian Outreach volunteers!)

Pentecost Offering 2

This is the second part of our two-part series on the PC(USA) Pentecost Offering.  We will collect it on Sunday, May 20 and Sunday, June 3 during worship.  Please consider contributing to this important offering.  This piece was written by one of my classmates at Columbia Theological Seminary, Lauren Slingerland.
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In the year I served as a Young Adult Volunteer in Belfast, Northern Ireland I came to treasure the words of St. Patrick, "He who gave his life for you, it is he who speaks within you." I started to hear God’s voice more intimately and see God’s face all around me as I witnessed God at work in reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

God changed my view and my heart forever, teaching me about simplicity, humility, authenticity and discipleship. I went to Belfast with 2 suitcases and lived on a stipend of about $200 a month. I learned about all the things I didn’t need in life and I lived in solidarity with my neighbors in the most impoverished area of North Belfast.

As a volunteer in the afterschool program, I learned to put aside my pride and my degree in education and make toast with humility so I could build relationships with my coworkers and the children. I served alongside people on both sides of the deep divide of the Troubles in Belfast, people seeking peace and healing with one another after deep hatred, pain, and loss.

I worked at Whitehouse Presbyterian Church, which sat on the divide of Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. The church had been destroyed in an arson attack just two years before and they rebuilt with a commitment to cross-community peacemaking efforts. For example, on Tuesdays I supported a lunch program for older adults from both communities, people who had been enemies for over 30 years were sitting at table together.

My other placement was a community center where I volunteered with the afterschool program and groups for youth and adults with disabilities. Often, people with disabilities would be targeted by paramilitary groups; they were vulnerable, easy to attack. Our group organized events for them to socialize safely, build relationships and life skills.

In these placements I saw the deep rifts that still exist in Belfast’s society and I saw how God was bringing people together to heal them. I was a stranger, but these communities welcomed me in and blessed me with the chance to join in on the good work they were doing. God changed my heart and my view, offering me a chance to see the world through the eyes of Christ who is re-creating and reconciling. He who gave his life for me grew new gifts and parts of me far more abundantly than I ever imagined. God is at work in the world in vibrant ways and invites us to be a partner in it in ways that will change us forever, shaping us as we respond to God’s loving invitation. He who gave his life for you, it is he who speaks within you.

Lauren Slingerland
Chaplain Resident, Harborview Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Our Lasting Image of God

Rebecca and I are just over two weeks away from the due date of our first child, and we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of First Presbyterian Church and other family and friends.  Our nursery went from being an empty room to having a crib, a changing table, a glider, many packages of diapers, a closet full of clothes, and drawers full of toys. 

The shelves, once bare, are now lined with quite a few children's books.  There are the classic Dr. Seuess stories, the Berenstein Bears, and a variety of nursery rhyme books.  There are stories we did not know but presume we will know very well in the years ahead.  Among the many books, we also received several children's story Bibles.

I have flipped through this story Bibles several times, examining the pictures, reading the words, whether in narrative form or verse, taking in the major stories of faith editors choose to include and puzzling over which ones they think we should wait until later to share with our children.

What an incredible opportunity and terrifying responsibility, that this child we bring into the world is depending on us to help him to grasp an understanding of God.  These stories in these children's Bibles, the songs and lullabies we sing at the bedside, the prayers we teach and say, and the way we model our own faith, will communicate to this child who God is.  Frankly, it's overwhelming to consider.

In his book Caring for God's People, Philip Culbterson explains how the psychological category of Object Relations Theory plays into our understanding of God.  In short, Object Relations Theory is based on the relationship between the infant and the parent and how over time the infant grows to become a child, an adolescent, and an adult, moving from a focus on a relationship with one object (mother and father) to more objects to which the person attaches value.  The objects, over time, come to represent the person, memory, place, or particular memory.  If you have ever cleaned out a parent's home, you most likely have experienced "object relations" as you try to figure out what you can throw away and what to keep.

This use of objects to represent something else plays into our understanding of God as well.  Because Object Relations Theory is based on relationships, our understanding of God comes into play, since it, too, is a relationship.  Culbertson writes about this relationship between a person and God, "God loves us first, and we see that love reflected in a tangible manner in the faces of human beings around us."

This is to say that our concepts, our constructions of images of God, come from the way we are treated by others who say they know and love this God. 

Culbertson goes on to say that our understanding of God can be seen in three parts.

• The Subject-God:  This is the God of theologians and scholars, a God understood through reason and intellectual discourse, the God of the Creed.
• The Object-God:  This is the God-image that is the result of our relationships with others throughout our lifetime who teach us and help us to understand God.
• The God Beyond:  This is the God beyond our human capacity to understand, the God who reminds us that all our images of God are insufficient and finite, projections of our experience, the God who reminds us "my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways" (Isa. 55:8)

The Object-God is the image of God we first develop and is the most lasting throughout our lifetime.  Culbertson states, "The first three years of a child's life are the most significant for the formation of an object-God." 

The object-God is formed through internalized images and feelings from relations with parents, siblings, and playmates, plus the socail, economic, and religious situation in which the family lives.  It is also crafted by the instructions and other verbal messages about God that parents give their children.

"The child does not consciously create the image of God out of fantasy, but rather out of the concrete experiences of family prayer, stories, or questions asked of parents.  The child's sense and image of God are thus, in a complex way, closely connected with the child's parents."

If we didn't take our baptismal vows to our children seriously, Culbertson really brings it to a head here.  Those first three years of life will give an image of God to our children that they will continue to affirm, deconstruct, and understand anew throughout life.  The stories we read, the prayers we offer, the service we model display for our children what it means to follow Jesus.

Consider your own life.  Where did your first image of God come from? Who modeled the life of discipleship for you?  What image of God have you carried with you, deconstructed, put aside, and met in new ways throughout your life?

How we raise our children in faith matters for their relationship with God begins at birth, and it grows every day.