The Pope’s Confession: “I am a sinner”

A lot of hubbub is going up on “both sides” as His Holiness once again makes statements about inclusivity, forgiveness, acceptance, and life together as the Body of Christ, with a specific eye cast toward women and gays and lesbians. Traditionalists are quick to point out that the pope isn’t saying anything contrary to long-standing Catholic teaching; progressives are ecstatic about the compassion Francis is calling for.

To be sure, the pope’s changed the tenor of the discussion, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The pope hasn’t changed any policy, only the way the church talks about the policy. In fact, the practice of the Vatican has shown in fact that the implementation of status quo policy will, sadly, continue.

In the interview, however, where His Holiness made his statements about moving beyond divisive issues of abortion and same-sex marriage, he made another statement that, although picked up by the mainstream media and some religious outlets, has by and large fallen to the wayside. That’s a shame because it’s the more radical statement of all the others. Asked who he is, his answer was honest and human:

I do not know what might be the most fitting description…I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.

This humility to make this claim, to own this reality, to confess his own condition as a sinner—this humility is what makes this pope so attractive to so many. It’s what makes him so refreshing. It’s not his disregard for tradition when it stands in the way of the gospel. It’s not his statements that sound radically inclusive or openminded (he is, after all, a Jesuit and they are encouraged to rigorously engage issues and debate them from all angles). The fact that he, the pope, the supreme pontiff of all Christendom, as far as Roman Catholics are concerned, the vicar of Christ on earth—the fact that he admits his brokenness and inadequacy is refreshing and it really does reflect more about the man Jorge Bergoglio than the words “I am a sinner” first belie.

I was once asked what my favorite verse from the bible is. Now, in all honesty, that’s hard for me. I love the bible and to find one favorite verse is difficult. But I had to “produce” a verse so that my interlocutor wouldn’t think I’d never read the bible or some such. So my mind went to one of the verses I quote a lot, from St. Paul’s letter to the church at Rome: “For all have sinned and fail to live up to the glory of the God,” (my translation). The person I was talking with challenged me to find a verse that gave hope. My response: this verse gives me all kinds of hope.

When I hear “For all have sinned and fail to live up to the glory of God,” I don’t just hear “You’ve sinned and fail to live up to the Glory of God,” but rather that I’m not alone in that failure. I’m not the only one who’s come short of God’s demands for my life; in fact, all have sinned, and failed to live up to God’s expectations. If God can love those other people, who are also sinners, then God must also love me too despite the fact that I too am a rotten sinner.

All people are on the same sinking ship of sin, and God promises to rescue us all from it—not just those who we would say are especially holy or pious...because they too are sinners before God their creator.

That is a radical statement of inclusivity. It’s a statement that puts me in the same boat with all other people, and it puts all other people in the same sinking boat I’m in as well. No one can claim some kind of moral or spiritual superiority over me—because “all have sinned and fail to live up to the glory of God.”

When his Holiness makes a confession “I am a sinner,” he’s telling the world he doesn’t see himself as somehow holier or more sanctified than the rest of us. He’s a sinner—just like the lot of us. He’s “a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon,” as he himself says. God has called him to a particular task, to lead the flock of St. Peter, and he has responded to that call by the grace of God. The fact that he confesses his sin so openly is refreshing from the head of a church that, whether intentionally or not, has behaved toward the world as if its on some higher moral playing field.

Francis’ admission to the world of his humanity is what’s truly refreshing about him. Granted, his statements about love and compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation are all refreshing in their own right, but they themselves are the product of the deeper realization of this pope that he is a man called by God to love and serve his neighbor and not lord that calling over those under his charge. He’s a sinner—just like the rest of us.

-DS

Quote for the Day: "Matthew as Story"

While reading to prepare a bible study for Saturday, this quote stuck out to me from Jack Dean Kingsbury's Matthew as Story. It gets the meat of the matter in a simple sentence:

In Jesus' perspective, the debates concerning law and tradition are all to be resolved by the proper application of one basic principle, or better, of a single attitude of the heart, namely, utter devotion to God and radical love of the neighbor.

-DS

BOOM Worship :)

Today’s worship in the chapel at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia was what I like to call “BOOM worship”. The onomatopoeia, “Boom”, really means nothing other than the pseudo-emotion that I feel once in awhile during worship. Sometimes this emotion happens during high liturgical masses, but other times (often to my surprise) this happens during unconventional worship. Some would call this Boom the Holy Spirit’s presence, but I think that’s a little too proverbial for me.

The Rev. Dr. Karyn L. Wiseman Associate Professor of Homiletics and Director of United Methodist Studies at LTSP preached and presided at the Wednesday Eucharistic service. There is always much to be expected when Wiseman preaches because she was trained specifically in homiletics and liturgy. I could hardly wait to see what the Spirit would do during worship, and how Wiseman would preach the Gospel and proclaim the Word.

Wiseman’s service did not follow the traditional Lutheran ordo, which led to an early reading of the psalm and the assigned gospel text. The text that was assigned was Luke 15:1-10, the Revised Common Lectionary reading from the 17th Sunday after Pentecost.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

I was minding my business while Wiseman began to read the gospel. Suddenly, one of my colleagues (and friends) stood up and rushed out of the sanctuary crying. I was concerned and within 10 seconds of her exodus, myself and three others left the sanctuary to check on our friend. When we came outside to see what was wrong our colleague was smiling and told us to go back inside because it was part of the “thing”. We were all laughing as we went back in, though we were still confused. When we entered the space others asked us what happened and if our friend was alright. We just nodded and waited to find out what would happen next. When Wiseman finished the gospel and began her sermon she quickly remarked on what happened. This served as the illustration for her sermon. It was a BOOM kind of impact that it had on all of us because it was right there in our faces. She told us that this “experiment” has been done in various religious settings and most times no one moves because they are so focused on remaining in the place where they are “supposed to be.”

This text is often preached concerning the one sheep that is lost. Instead of preaching about the sheep that is lost, Wiseman preached a sermon concerned with the fate of the other 99 sheep. By nature, sheep are not intelligent animals, or they do not appear intelligent by our standards. They are so interested in sticking together that they would die together before they moved to another place without guidance of the shepherd.

There are so many things that we lose in our lives: car keys, credit cards, cell phones…. We are tied to the things that we have because we are products of a consumeristic culture. That wasn’t what this was about though. Wiseman had individuals place items that they often lose or represent loss on a table place by the baptismal font. Many individuals brought the usual suspects. I placed a necklace on the table that was given to me by my last field education site where I spent a year in ministry with them. It represents loss for me because when I left the congregation to move to another site I felt deeply grieved. This ritual action allowed me to reflect on my experience and to let go of the grief I still held within myself. Others felt similarly and were called to remember that we don’t have to cling so tightly to things. Likewise, we do not need to cling so tightly in a herd to people who look like us, talk like us, and believe the same things as us! The sheep that wanders from the pack is the bravest of sheep.

Wiseman encouraged the community to be brave enough to go out and stray from the flock. She said that when you’ve strayed too far the Lord will come for you and bring you back into the fold. This was an unconventional exegesis of the text, but I think it worked well in this community. The message gave us all a little BOOM feeling inside and encouraged us to use that BOOM elsewhere.

- LB

Pastrix - Book Review

Book Review - Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint (2013) Nadia Bolz-Weber - ISBN-13: 978-1455527083 - List price: $22.00

This book would benefit anyone who wants to read a memoir about an unconventional pastor. This book is especially helpful for individuals who would benefit from pastoral formation or other forms of spiritual formation. One should take heed if one is easily offended by language considered foul because the author does not dance around her words. She says what she means and how she feels, which adds to the overall mood and flow of the memoir.

Nadia is articulate and explains the plight of a pastor, but more importantly Nadia sheds light on the plight of every human person. The problem with sin and suffering in our world, our inability to work to God, and humanity’s utter dependence of the grace and mercy of God. Over and over again the author comes back to the theology of the cross in which her entire narrative is grounded. Nadia’s chapter entitled, “Clinical Pastoral Education” was especially helpful to understand how the theology of the cross really affected her life and ministry. Another place where Nadia talks explicitly about the theology of the cross is in her narrative concerning the earthquake in Haiti. Nadia states, 

“We choose to believe Jesus was there in Haiti. We know he was there. He was there. He was there. We will not keep silent (132).”

Nadia begins the journey through her recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, and moves quickly to her search for meaning. She searched for meaning in different religious expressions and schools of thought--Nadia eventually met a Lutheran Pastor, married him, and wound up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Nadia searches deep within herself. She pulls stories out of her deepest being. Stories of not only accomplishment, but she recollects stories of utter failure and seeming disaster. This further drives Nadia to her ultimate point. She, and the rest of humanity, are utterly dependent of God and God continues to come to humanity through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ.

I recommend this book with high regard--not because Nadia is a celebrity pastor in my own denomination, but because Nadia is entertaining, truthful, honest in diction, and completely captivating.

* Theology of the cross is a term defined by Martin Luther referring to humanity’s ability to know God through the cross--through the suffering of Christ, death of Christ, and resurrection of Christ.

-LB

A short look at accompaniment

Recent events in my life have led me to ponder accompaniment and its place in theological discourse. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America defines accompaniment as, “walking together in solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality.” In Luke 15:1-7, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sleep, which brings to light a brilliant story of accompaniment. The proverbial exegesis for this text is concerned with the sheep that is lost. The shepherd is concerned for the lost sheep and leaves the ninety-nine other sheep to seek the one that is lost. This is not an incorrect reading, in fact, this exegesis gives comfort to those who feel lost and alone. An alternative exegesis for this text could examine the other ninety-nine. They are incomplete without the one sheep that has left the flock. It is not because one more will make the flock and even hundred, or because the shepherd will lose money because he lost some of his goods. It is important that this sheep is among the flock because the flock needs the gifts and the very presence of the lost sheep. Every sheep is important and every sheep is irreplaceable.

A ministry of presence is often the term used to describe the main work of the pastor at the bedside of the dying, the main work of the pastor called because three children have just died in a car accident, the main work of the pastor who has nothing left to say. Accompaniment is similar to the ministry of presence, but accompaniment is being there all along. Accompaniment provides a hand to hold through the smaller trials of life, through the everyday working and sleeping…. Accompaniment is standing in solidarity with those who are on the margins of society, those who are right in the middle of conflict, those who live comfortable lives, those who don’t think they need help, the healthy, the sick. The act of accompaniment is being with people no matter their circumstance. Accompaniment is walking the road of the broken hearted, the healed, the lonely, the thriving--To use a trite expression, walking in someone else’s shoes.

This mutual journey begins with little expectation. This adventure begins with no plans and there in the mystery a sojourn begins. Throughout this journey one gives voice to the other, one creates a holding place for the other to stay and rest, one walks with the other through mutual understandings, disagreements, difficulties, and bliss. Accompaniment can be combined with liberation theology to say that God is with the least, the last and the lost, but it doesn't have to. Accompaniment can stand on its own in the trauma and triumph. Accompaniment theology is a place of great strength, great learning, and marvelous growth for both.

-LB