Planes, Tranes, and automobiles

Adventures in traveling are abundant. After nearly two weeks of traveling by train, bus, cab, ferry boats, the kindness of a strangers car, and my favorite...the manual transmission diesel school bus we arrived back in WI on Friday. I will blog about Holden Villiage in the next few blog posts but today I am appreciating the journey.

And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.” -Luke 13:29-30

Travel can be about the means in which we get from point a to point b OR it can be about the people you travel with and the people you meet on that journey.  

I know Jesus said not to take anything with you but Jesus never traveled cross country with 4 other family members.  This was a once in a lifetime trip.  It will be ensconced in our communal memory for ages.

Travel has a way of bringing out the best and worst of all of us.  We dealt with the woman who had little to no travel etiquette. We met the Lorry the cab driver who helped us get on our ferry on time.  Our travel companions seated near us for close to 30 hours helped unload all of our luggage.  We also met Michelle and Janice, who offered to drive us from the train station in Wolf Pointe Montana, out of the kindness of their hearts (on separate trips).  Then there is the tradition of Holden we experienced and participated.  The members come to welcome new arrivals into the community by waving to them and do the same as they leave out on the bus.

You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. - Deuteronomy 10:19

It was an amazing trip and we are happy to be home. Whew!

Generous

Today was a day filled with our own version of planes, trains, and automobiles. We arrived in Chelan, WA for a pit stop for the day before a full week of retreat at Holden Village. 

Throughout the day generosity was shown to us.Generousity was gifted to us by our neighbors on the train who helped us carry all our stuff off the train and even took our picture. It was shown to us by the patience of the bus driver with all of our luggage (the passengers too). Generosity was given to us from the clerk at the hotel who let us check in 5 hours early.  When we crossed the street to eat our lunch, a man and his wife told uswe had a lovely family. The waitress then told us the man picked up the check for our lunch. Wow! I was moved to tears.

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Scripture again and again invites us to model the generosity of God.  There is an aspect of feasting in Sabbath as well.  I think as I tell this story no one would argue that we deserved a free lunch. No one has told me that when they were diningno one has given them a free lunch. No, as I tell this story, most people are wowed by the man and his wife’s generosity to complete strangers.  They embodied God’s generousity.

Sometimes we can get envious or angry with God’s generosity. Jesus even tells a story about people arguing over the generosity of God.  He ends with the landowner telling the others:

Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ - Matthew 20:15

Sabbathing or Sabbatical is not something we should argue over but marvel at the pure gift of God’s generous nature. I hope to be able to share this same generosity with someone in the same way.

Somewhere between disappointment and celebration

Two days ago, I was supposed to pack up Nicodemus and be on the road to meet my family in Washington State and rest at Holden Villiage for a week. It was a five day 2000 mile adventure that would make my heart sing. Months of planning, route discovery, campsites selected, gear purchased, and prayers asked for.....and yet, it did not come to fruition. Needless to say, this was THE aspect of sabattical that brought me excitement and joy. Nicodemus, however, struggled to make it to safe health before leaving (see recent post 'help').

After working diligently to fix the problem, It was not to be. This brought great disappointment.

Yesterday, I attended D's kindergarten graduation and potluck. It was a great day that was brought about between disappointment and celebration. So many families, teachers, administrators, teacher aides, and scholars gathered to celebrate their accomplishments over the past school year. However, this was the last time Blair Elementary would gather. It is closing this summer. So that is the disappointing part. Tears were surely shed when the students and teachers sang the school song 'we are Blair' for the last time. But then there was the party; kids running, parents laughing, teachers smiling.

I carry with me this theology of Holy Saturday. It is the day of In-Between; in between death and new life, in between disappointment and celebration. It is that to which we have been baptized, Jesus' death (disappointment) and Resurrection (celebration). In my life, I have experienced a firm foot in disappointment (like this week) and also with the other foot in celebration of new hoped-for outcomes. Life is a lot like that....somewhere between disappointment and celebration.

This painting hangs in my office as a reminder of God's life with us....somewhere between disappointment and celebration.

So, even in my disappointment of not riding Nicodemus out to Holden Villiage and experiencing 100 smiles per gallon, there will be other adventures ahead. I have been known to suggest that we need to stop mistaking methodology for mission. In this recent experience I am recognizing Holden Villiage as the mission and the 4000 mile trip as the methodology, maybe God is trying to tell me something.  How we do something is less important than the something that we do.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. - John 14:1-6

help

HELP! This was my cry, my plea all day. I jumped back on social media to ask for help from a specific group of people, motorcyclists. I was getting ready to leave this morning to a doctors appointment when Nicodemus was leaking gas from one of the four carburetors. I didn't panic. I knew somewhat of the problem and I knew somewhat of the solution. I really didn't want to deal with this 3 days before riding cross country. So, I began working the solution.....after I began to Have Everything Lifted in Prayer.

I ceased worrying about what it might be and began praying, asking for help. I even asked Nicodemus to pray; 'C'mon buddy, if you want another adventure, you gotta help me.'

In normal (non sabbatical) circumstances, I would have lost my $#!7. I was still anxious but not so much worried.

Jesus tells his friends to not worry about tomrorow....
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. - Matthew 6:31-34

After dinner, I headed back to the garage to tackle the obvious.  I had tried to work a simple solution of not having to take the carburetors off the bike but it was futile.  After pulling the carburetors in 45 minutes (a task that used to take me hours) I tackled the difficulty of reseating a float needle, putting the bike back together and seeing no identifiable issues going forward.  Tomorrow I will tighten everything up and go over the bike again and again.

I did call a local service garage just to see if I needed to have the bike serviced, the mechanic told me I should rethink riding a 20 year old bike cross country and buy a newer model.  This is just another chapter in the history Nicodemus and I have.

Pope Francis was quoted for saying "You pray for the hungry then you feed them.  This is how prayer works."  Or as I said today....HELP! Having Everything Lifted in Prayer.  It is never a bad thing to ask for HELP.  So if you are reading this, please pray for safe travels for me, Nicodemus and our family. TIA 

REL

There is quite the community built around the pickup time for the parents of elementary school children.  Ten minute relationships developed every day over the school year.  A few months ago, one of D's (our kindergartner) classmates grandparents mourned that her son and grandson were not involved in a church community.  She said her son didn't find any need for organized religion.  I immediately responded to her 'well he should try coming to my church, it's unorganized.'  As a college student, REL was a listing in my curriculum for different levels of our Religious Studies classes.  I have come to find some value in the abbreviation REL but not for RELigion, for RELationships.  It turns out this woman has the same concern for her son as I do but for different reasons.  He and I have lots in common.  A spirited texting conversation early one morning led to lunch and then an amateur lesson in brewing.  

Jesus knew this well as he attempted to share the focus on relationship over religion. 

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”Matthew 9:10-13

Jesus is not concerned with keeping the organization going.  He is concerned for Matthew and others who he might share the life of God through relationship.  The Pharisees miss the point of their own practices.  Jesus wants them to learn the meaning of showing mercy not offering sacrifices.  The organization of religion might at some point understood and even practiced showing mercy, but from the standpoint of my friend, organized religion is far too interested in offering sacrifices.  I have a lot of Matthew's, people who feel excluded or not interested in REL as it pertains to RELigion, but certainly have an interest in RELationships. And rediscovering this as part of my calling might be a shift change the Pharisees had no interest but moves me deeply.  But this sunday morning I am off to learn the meaning of showing mercy with a bunch of other faithful disciples attempting to learn that same meaning.