Staff Blogs

By Bob Hulteen

Indulge me a proud dad moment, if you will. My older daughter Korla Masters (who is getting ready to do her seminary internship in St. Paul this fall) related a story from last week, as we drove up to the Twin Cities from St. Louis this weekend.

Last week, the Presbyterian Church (USA), gathered for its biennial General Assembly in St. Louis. As the ELCA does at its triennial Churchwide Assembly, voting members review budgets, vote on resolutions, elect leaders, and worship. Increasingly, PC(USA) assemblies have also begun to feature some sort of public action related to the community in which they were meeting.

Well, knowing for four years that they were meeting in St. Louis, the leadership of the PC(USA) were aware they needed to acknowledge the local leadership of communities that had responded to the killing of Michael Brown and the events that followed in Ferguson. As often is true, national leaders have ideas about what it needed for a particular community.

The youth delegation at the PC(USA) General Assembly lead a march from the convention hall to the St. Louis jail to set free the captives of a cash bail system that they say preys on vulnerable people.

But, in this instance, the local Presbyterian leadership said, “No. That’s not how it can work here. Action needs to be led by local people and be for the benefit of the local community, because we don’t get to leave after a week.”

And Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the PC(USA), and other significant Presbyterian leaders responded affirmatively. And so the issue was selected: Cash bail.

“The Spirit moved powerfully in the streets on my adopted home on Tuesday.”

Many people in jail in St. Louis are there only because they cannot afford to pay the “cash bail.” Remember, these are folks who have not yet been found guilty of any crime and should be, in theory, presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

But, because they are poor, they are incarcerated. Thus, the cycle of devolution begins. People who are already vulnerable to the whims of the economy and the state are further criminalized, a result that benefits no one (except, perhaps, the private prison industry – but that’s a blog for another day). [And, by the way, Hennepin and Ramsey courts both also use a cash bail system, though possibly not to the extent of some other communities.]

EVENTUALLY, LOCAL LEADERS in the St. Louis #cashbail movement were invited in. They determined a march from the convention center to the jail would be supportive of the movement’s ongoing efforts. The PC(USA) leadership determined that the offering from opening worship would go toward bailing out people from jail. These are people who might have had expired license plate tabs, but didn’t have sufficient funds to bail themselves out (or decided that the few dollars they did have should go for food for their kids).

But, there was no way of knowing how many folks would participate. Even the morning of the march, the most hopeful organizers (including Korla) thought there might be as many as 200 people marching in the streets.

Imagine the power of seeing more than 1,000 Presbyterians flowing out of the convention center headed to the jail with $47,000 to set free the captives. They marched with “Isaiah vision.” After a disciplined demonstration at the jail, they marched back to the convention center, knowing they could not leave anyone behind (especially activists vulnerable to being “selected” for arrest by police for planning such a powerful event).

Presbyterians marchers stand outside St. Louis jail. Photos: Korla Masters

“Imagine the power of seeing more than 1,000 Presbyterians flowing out of the convention center headed to the jail with $47,000 to set free the captives.”

“I am excited by the way that these Presbyterians put their bodies in the streets and proclaimed the gospel,” Korla reflected as we drove. “Congregations and presbyteries sent money with their commissioners; individual commissioners dug deep into their pockets and gave; folks donated online. And, in the end, we get to read Luke 4 and not just talk about it, but be about it. I am still overwhelmed by how it all came together. The Spirit moved powerfully in the streets on my adopted home on Tuesday.”

One can almost fell the dungeon shaking and the chains falling off.

Next year the ELCA meets in assembly in Milwaukee. Might we enter into that setting, humbly seeking leadership from our congregations there, to meet the real needs of the most vulnerable people in Milwaukee, not just as an act of charity, but as an act of justice? Might we confront the principalities and powers and shine light into chaotic places in a way that change systems and structures for the good of all (except maybe the private prison industry – but that’s for later)?

“This is personal for me, because I have been awaiting trial for almost two years [for being arrested while walking back to the car following a public action in response to the death of Philando Castile], but I was let go without bail,” Korla offered. “In the last two years, I’ve finished my MDiv and my Lutheran Year, prepared for internship, dug deep into my neighborhood and congregation, and gone about my everyday life in the world. If I’d been held on bail I couldn’t afford, I would have missed all of that.

“Cash bail steals not just money, it steals life from people.”

UPDATE: After the initial worship collection, the donation app remained open for a short time and $7,000 were raised.

By Pastor John Hulden

My siblings and I grew up on a three-year summer schedule. Every third summer, some (or all) of us were off to the next National Lutheran Youth Gathering. We all can name off the gathering cities from the ’60s and ’70s into the ’80s – Miami, Detroit, Seattle, New York City, Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, and San Antonio.

I’ve gone to those gatherings as a kid, with my wife Becky as young adult leaders of a youth group, and then as a pastor/dad. My kids continued the tradition of making the trek to the National Youth Gathering, including more cities – St. Louis, Atlanta, San Antonio, and New Orleans (x 2).

“The Holy Spirit changes lives at events like the National Lutheran Youth Gathering.”

Next week, van/bus/plane loads of teenagers from the Minneapolis Area Synod head down to Houston. When you add it all up, our synod will send about a thousand kids and adults to meet up with 30,000 more Lutherans from across the country and globe. That’s just like we did three years ago in Detroit.

Why? Because the Holy Spirit changes lives at these events. And not just at the youth gathering. The Holy Spirit is on the move during the pre-meetings, at the fundraisers, on the bus ride (with fun bus games), and then at the homecomings, with stories shared with church members/supporters, family, and friends. Be sure to ask your pastor and youth director what impact the national youth gathering had on them.

TEENAGERS COME BACK FROM this every-third-summer gathering with a glimpse of the larger church in action, with goose-bump moments in a football stadium remembering our baptisms, sharing holy communion with 30,000 friends, and dancing and praying and sharing the peace. Oh yes, and there is the singing! Check out “Make A Difference” from a few years ago. In Houston next week we’ll all be singing the theme song for this year’s gathering: “This Changes Everything.” (Surprise a Lutheran teenager and learn this song before they get back from Houston!)

In addition to the mass gatherings every evening at the football stadium, each of the three days are spent in service work, in interactive learning, and a Synod Day — where our synod kids and adults gather for worship and more. Bishop Svennungsen and Spoken Word artist Joe Davis will be preaching. We have a great group of synod youth and adult leaders putting all the pieces together for our Synod Day in Houston.

For the service day, our teenagers will fan out all over Houston — wearing orange t-shirts — to show what it means to be Lutheran by doing God’s work with their hands.

“Next week, van/bus/plane loads of teenagers from the Minneapolis Area Synod head down to Houston.”

Pastor Kelly Chatman and I head down to Houston to represent the synod at the Interactive Center at NRG Park. A massive convention center full of activities where kids can reflect, move, connect, accompany, bond, and dream. Our Minneapolis Area Synod booth will invite folks to play “unfair foursquare” — the rules drive home a message you may want to re-enforce by playing at home!

Ah, it’s time for that third summer again. Please pray for ELCA Youth Gathering!

By Pr. Kelly Chatman

It’s time to have the talk in the church.

I have been in the Lutheran Church for a long time. (I actually graduated from Lutheran high school, college, and seminary.) I learned early that if a preacher was preaching to the choir, she wasn’t preaching to me. If we are only preaching to the choir, the church is heading for trouble.

A good friend was moving to another region of the country. During our conversation the discussion turned to worship, music, and choir. My friend shared how she loved being in a congregation where worship and music is strong. She shared that, though she herself has a strong voice and music background, she quickly discovered that to truly experience belonging in her church choir she needed to have a stronger music background. She shared how most of the choir had migrated from Lutheran colleges like St Olaf, Augsburg, Concordia, and Luther.

“If we are only preaching to the choir, the church is heading for trouble.”

In our conversation, we speculated about the region of the country our friend was moving to and anticipating the difference she might experience in belonging to a congregation choir. She recounted the expectation she experienced in Minnesota is participation requires the ability to read music, and read it well. It is my experience the more complicated the music, the more meaningful it is in some of our congregations.

Strong choirs are great. Is the choir the audience we need to reach?

In case you have not read the memo, Minnesota demographics are changing and it is changing fast. The future of the church does not look like many of our choirs.

SO, HERE IS MY ADVISE: Talk with your choir and make sure they have your back. Solicit the choir’s assistance to reach people who are new to the church. People may or may not know how to negotiate the Evangelical Book of Worship. Even more, they may not want to so work with your choir. Partner with your choir to discover new ways to reach new people to share the sense of belonging experienced in the choir.

One of the things I valued during my clinical pastoral education in seminary was during a unit of hospital chaplaincy in Washington D.C., I heard a lecture by Dr. Edwin Nichols from the National Institute of Health. Dr. Nichols shared research from social scientist stating that, in the United States, we operate out of three basic world views. He was careful to state that one world view is not better or more important than another.

Dr. Nichols stated how for African-American, Latino/Latina, and First Nation people the operative world view is “relationship.” How African-American people feel in relationship with others and their environment is fundamental to their world view.

“Dr. Edwin Nichols shared research from social scientist stating that, in the United States, we operate out of three basic world views.”

Second, Dr. Nichols shared that for Asian and Pacific Islander people in the United States the operative world view is following the emperor, speaking with one voice, conforming to the group. Remember, a particular world view is not better than another!

The final world view Dr. Nichols presented was that of white people. He stated for this world view it is the acquisition of option. This is represented in examples like, how much knowledge is accumulated, how much money you make, and value of time. I think about time as a commodity where worship is to be limited to “one hour”.

You can have fun with this information. Discuss with your leaders the elements of your worship service. Talk about the three world views and reflect on your service and hymns. What about the sermon? How do you evaluate if a sermon is good or not? How long is the service? How might these insights reflect the passing of the peace?

Have this conversation; include your young people. The future of the church depends on our ability to have these discussions.

By Emilie Bouvier

O Holy One, stirring Spirit of Pentecost, we give thanks for the gentle breeze, the rushing wind of storms, the wind that carries seeds, and the wind that powers electricity. Help us to steward these gifts of wind and air, and all your good creation.

Lord in your mercy, … hear our prayer.

As assisting minister at Calvary Lutheran Church this Sunday, I offered the prayer petition above. The Third Person of the Trinity harbors a multitude of images and richness of imagination – ephemeral and mysterious, yet incarnate in wind and breath. And, of course, this Spirit is ever powerful and provocative in her stirrings.

Clergy and lay leaders deliver a petition in the Minnesota Senate Office Building.

I find myself filled with the same wonder and invigoration as I felt as a child when my family would wander over to the park on a particularly windy day to fly kites. After the running start, the moment a gust of wind would take the kite soaring up was a striking one. It left me holding tightly to the string, filled with both excitement and fear (lest the kite come crashing down), as it blew higher. Holding tightly with both hands to the end of the line, I’d pull hard, but more often be pulled myself, lurching forward or sideways, always anticipating, but never too successfully, where the wind might turn next.

“The rushing, transformative Spirit cannot leave things sitting still – she immediately propels the disciples out to speak in the public square.”

Wind is certainly not static, and neither is this Holy Spirit of ours (if we can even lay claim to her). This dynamic shows up powerfully in the Pentecost story of Acts. The rushing, transformative Spirit cannot leave things sitting still – she immediately propels the disciples out to speak in the public square. The rushing wind “filled the entire house where they were sitting” and then suddenly, with no explanation or literary transition, they disciples were no longer in an upper room but out on the street corner, proclaiming loudly and in every language about God’s deeds of power.

Doesn’t this ask of us the same thing today? How does the Spirit drag us out into the public square, with a prophetic word of hope and gospel?

YESTERDAY, ON THE LAST DAY OF the 2018 legislative session, a small group of EcoFaith advocates stood outside the Senate Office Building at the Minnesota State Capitol. One held an armful of paper, a long printed copy of over 1,100 signatures from clergy and lay members of the faith community in Minnesota, urging our policy makers to adopt a higher Renewable Energy Standard (RES) – 50% by 2030.

Standing at the intersection of faith and life

We delivered the open letter at the tail end of session after seeing no traction – the bill was not even granted a hearing. It was the last day of session, but all the formal business had been closed for the year and sent to the Governor’s desk at midnight. Yet there we were, dedicated disciples representing faith communities far and near, filled with a Spirit-ed boldness to speak visions and dreams for God’s creation on the street corner of Park and University Avenue West.

In the deserted halls of the Senate offices, we boldly charged that the legislature was doing as much on clean energy when the building was empty as when occupied. Once outside, we planted a stake in the ground on renewable energy justice – stating that we are not going away, but would continue to stand up as people of faith. This was a moment of the Spirit’s blowing among our congregational leaders, who refused to be discouraged and chose instead to be powerful.

May we not lose the feeling of the wind’s strong pull on the end of the kite string. May the Spirit, in all her force and unpredictability, pull us on, draw us out, and embolden us in our ministry.

Photos by Chloe Ahlf, Saint Paul Area Synod’s coordinator for synod communications

By Bob Hulteen

I loved the red-letter edition of the Bible growing up. Now, it so happened that the Bible my folks gave me also had a red cover, but that’s not why I loved the red print. No, it’s because I was really only interested in Jesus.

Now, I also loved Captain America and Black Panther comics, so maybe it was the hero thing. But, I loved Jesus – miracles, healings, ascensions, resurrections. That’s the stuff of a elementary boy’s dreams.

But, as I tried to live out this “faith in Jesus” lifestyle, I really started to appreciate the Acts and some of the epistles. The Christian life wasn’t all about heroics. Often it was just about how to live each day with integrity, incarnating the love and grace that I had experienced. As we are getting ready to be “post-Pentecost” and enter the “ordinary season,” I’m thinking about some of the gospel personalities — about how they lived after spending three years with the itinerant preacher Jesus.

“When I read John 17:6-19, I changed ‘the world’ to ‘Empire’ in some places and ‘powers and principalities’ in others.”

Judas showed up in this last Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) readings Acts 1:15-17, 21-26). Having grown up rocking out on my Jesus Christ Superstar album (before Brandon Victor Dixon stole the show in the recent live broadcast), I found Judas to be a sympathetic character.

Judas was an invaluable member of the traveling band who followed the itinerant preacher Jesus. He was the keeper of the purse. He raised hard questions about how the money was used: Couldn’t the coins be better used to serve the poor?

Perhaps out of frustration over Jesus’ choices or maybe his own personal disappointment, Judas becomes an agent for the authorities — a collaborator, a co-conspirator with the powers of the world, as Professor Bill Wylie-Kellermann describes.

WHEN THEOLOGIAN WALTER WINK read the RCL gospel text for last Sunday (John 17:6-19), he argued that the Greek word “kosmos,” which was translated as “the world,” would better be translated as “world system.” When I read it, I changed “the world” into “Empire” in some places and “powers and principalities” in others.

For my ear anyway, the 17^th chapter of John makes much more sense using those terms. Does it make more sense to you as well?

And now I am no longer a part of the dominant world system, but they are still in the dominant world system, and I am coming to you. Holy Mother, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, an alternative to the divisive world system, just as we are one.

That really changes how the text lands, doesn’t it? And, here it goes on.

But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things while I am still with them in the Empire so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the Empire has hated them because they do not belong to the Empire, just as I do not belong to the Empire. I am not asking you to take them out of the dominant world system, but I ask you to protect them from the powers and principalities. They do not belong to these oppressive structures, just as I do not belong to these oppressive structures.

Jesus wanted his followers, his friends, to be ready to address the complex and corrosive issues they would face by confronting the powers of this world – even as that pointed to the cross, just as confronting Empire always does.

I’d like to see Captain America do that.

This blog is adapted from a sermon on May 13, 2018, at Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church.

By Pastor Craig Pederson

“Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to [the eunuch] the good news about Jesus.  As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”  Acts 8:35-36

“What is to prevent me from being baptized?”

I wonder how our congregations would answer the eunuch’s question today. Some might say “nothing!” prevents such a spontaneous opportunity presented by the Holy Spirit. Others might want to first get to know the eunuch a little bit more and develop a relationship.

And there may be some churches that are inclined to look for reasons not to baptize a newcomer:  “Well, you need to take a three-week baptism class first.” Or, “We don’t do baptism and communion on the same Sunday because the service goes too long.” Or, “We are out of baptismal kerchiefs, and our ladies’ group won’t be making any more until next month.”

Does your church have a strategy for how to invite, welcome, and involve newcomers? Do you need one?

RECENTLY I WAS THUMBING through the headlines of an email newsletter (or e-thumbing I guess) and one in particular caught my eye: “Do Entrepreneurs Need a Strategy?” I often think of entrepreneurs as free-wheeling, risk-taking, innovative, and courageous individuals who will stop at nothing to pursue the dreams that motivate them. But it turns out that entrepreneurs operate as differently as many of our churches do when it comes to acting on new ideas or responding to opportunities presented to them.

Some, like Philip, are attuned to the possibilities of the moment – ready to act immediately and adjust to the results as they go along. Others are more selective and deliberate; they may take a risk on a new initiative, but they have developed a strategy for how to move that initiative forward as conditions and results change.

Churches can sometimes find it hard to be entrepreneurial and innovative in the face of the many demands they juggle: Financial pressures, decreasing and/or overextended members, building needs, etc. To imagine how you might do things differently, or to strategize about new ideas and opportunities, gets pushed down the list of “to dos” in order to deal with more urgent matters (or at least those that feel more urgent).

Two points offered for ongoing consideration:

1. There is no singular “right” way to do innovation in ministry. The culture of your church may dictate whether you are spontaneous or structured. The challenge, however, is not to let your prevailing culture prevent you from exploring and seizing new ways to share the love of Christ.
2. If financial resources prevent you from imagining new possibilities, the synod is now inviting proposals for “Ministry Imagination Grants” of $2,000 – $25,000 that can help your congregation witness to Christ in new or expanded ways.

In this season of resurrection, new life and new possibilities for ministry are all around us. Let us respond with courage and creativity for the sake of the gospel!

By Pr. John Hulden

I love cheeseburgers. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved cheeseburgers

When I was 8 years old or so, my family stopped in a small town in Oregon for a mid-trip lunch at a main street café. After all of us had ordered, I looked out the big picture window and a hippie van pulled up and parked. It was a mom and a dad and a couple of kids. The long-haired dad popped out of the flower-stickered VW van, and came in the café.

Our server (back then, we called her a waitress) met him at the door and pointed at the sign that I hadn’t noticed until just then: “We don’t serve Hippies.” Did I mention this was 50 years ago? Circa 1968. When the Hippie Dad walked back outside, my Dad got up.

Oh no, I thought. My Dad is going to do something. My Dad talked to the waitress. My Dad wanted to talk to the manager, but the manager wasn’t there. The next thing I know my Dad told us we are leaving this restaurant because they won’t serve food to the family in the VW van.

“There were many justice stories in 1968—so many, you might get tired of old guys like me recounting them.”

What? Now? Really? I already ordered my cheeseburger. I could smell it cooking back in the kitchen!

Out the door we went. My parents talked to the family for a while, then we climbed back into our Ford Galaxy 500, and we were on the road again. I don’t remember what I had for lunch that day, but it probably wasn’t a cheeseburger. But I will forever remember that almost-lunch stop in Oregon.

WHAT IS YOUR justice story? When were your eyes open to an unfairness, to racism, to sexism, to oppression, or to your privilege?

Fifty years ago last week Martin Luther King, Jr., was gunned down and killed in Memphis while standing with the striking garbage collectors.  All through this year of 2018, we will continue to look back 50 years ago at the times and troubles of 1968. Yikes. What a year for our country.

“I could smell the cheeseburger cooking back in the kitchen!”

There were many justice stories in 1968—so many, you might get tired of old guys like me recounting them. Here’s hoping our young people, our families, our communities, and our church are “woke” enough in 2018 to notice the justice stories all around us this week.

P.S. Thanks, Dad.

By Rev. Deb Stehlin

Have you recovered from your Holy-Week-into-Easter observance? If you’re leader in a congregation, you’ve probably preached, sang in the choir, and made sure there’s enough toilet paper in the restroom. Today, you might still feel like you’re walking through wet cement.

But it’s a good kind of tired, right?

Because Christ has risen! Christ has risen, indeed!

“What’s significant is the effect the resurrection has on people.”

The way gospel writers tell it, the resurrected Jesus was hard to recognize. There was something different about him; and yet something the same.

Which leads us to wonder: What does resurrection look like?

I’LL TELL YOU WHAT it doesn’t look like: a butterfly. When people try to explain the resurrection by describing how a caterpillar goes into its cocoon and after a time emerges as something new, I want to scream, “The caterpillar did not die!” In my opinion, this absolutely falls short in helping us to comprehend resurrection. But in the absence of clear details, I sort of understand how the butterfly simile came to be. Sort of.

Here’s what I think – the witnesses to the resurrection have something more important for us to know than crystal-clear descriptions of the risen Jesus. What’s significant is the effect the resurrection has on people.

Mary Magdalene becomes the first apostle. Peter becomes a bold preacher. Communities form and live in the radical new way of Jesus. Stephen is not afraid to die.

Somehow, the resurrection of Jesus impelled people to take risks. Big ones.

“What does resurrection look like?”

In my work, I get to see the beautiful risks people are taking all the time. In just one week, here’s what I witnessed:

• A church council and pastors work to let go of internal conflict to focus on mission in their neighborhood.
• English-language learners and Spanish language-learners gather in a Richfield church basement to sing and build relationships.
• Three rural congregations in the northern part of our synod gather for midweek Lent worship because they’re practicing what it might be like if they form a parish.
• Philip’s in Fridley decides to generously share their space with a new synod ministry led by Pastor Nhiabee Vang that will reach out to Hmong people.

These brave ones are doing what the risen Jesus told his followers to do: Release the tight grip on what has been, and just let go — with a sense of wonder about what the living Christ will do next.

By Pastor Kelly Chatman

I read a recent headline that stated, “Florida teens staged a walkout to protest gun violence in solidarity with their peers, and these future voters are going to change the world.”

I want to thank God for the leadership and witness of youth. Young people have been known to carry God’s voice of liberation, justice, and compassion in the face of resistance. This vocation is just as true in the church as it is in society.

“The Lutheran Youth Organization and its triennial youth gathering have been at the vanguard of the church daring to lift up new and emerging voices of freedom and liberation.”

I had the pleasure of serving as the director for youth ministries in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 1995 to 2000. At that time, our office had responsibility for 500,000 high school-age young people across 11,000 congregation in the United States and Caribbean.

The opportunity to work alongside amazing youth leaders was an absolute blessing. Before I ever met those youth leaders, an amazing network of parents, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and congregations had nurtured and mentored them in their faith. I am pleased to see a number of those young persons are pastors and congregational leaders today.

I observed firsthand an amazing Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) hosting its Triennial Youth Gathering. It was like witnessing the United Nations in session. LYO and its youth gathering have been in existence for more than 100 years. This organization has been at the vanguard of the church daring to lift up new and emerging voices of freedom and liberation. LYO speakers included the Revs. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, and Bernice King. (You can believe there was always backlash and resistance.)

“Aren’t you just a little excited to know we are a part of church body with the time-honored witness of investing in young people as a force for justice and freedom?”

Throughout its history, the church has invested in young people and their faith and leadership, daring to make a difference in the world. During my years working directly with young people, I witnessed them standing against discrimination and injustice, even in the church. During the past 100 years, Lutheran youth have protested the war in Vietnam, have participated in civil rights movement, and have been far ahead of our denomination in the commitment to diversity, inclusion, and racial equity. LYO members were trailblazers in the issue of sexual orientation in the church.

YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING why I am writing about LYO and the Lutheran youth gathering now. Da! Have you noticed the response of young people to the tragic shooting at Parkland High School? That sounds at least a little familiar to what has been going on in the church for more than a century. Aren’t you just a little excited to know we are a part of church body with the time-honored witness of investing in young people as a force for justice and freedom?

So, let’s turn our attention to guns and violence. Let’s listen and pay attention to our young people because on these issues we have not done so well. Young people are once again leading the movement (processional), much like someone we will soon follow on a donkey, entering into Jerusalem.

By Emilie Bouvier

Several months worth of large-sheet calendar pages decorate my office wall; if you’ve been by, you’ve seen them. I like how the sheets motivate me to plan ahead and see the momentum that we build through organizing across the weeks and months. But I’ll admit, when I ripped off the calendar month of April and wrote “Earth Day” in large letters in the box with the number 22, I let out a deep sigh.

“Our dedication to earth care must be more than an activity fair or stacks of flyers and brochures on ‘how to go green’ that end up in the recycle bin (oh the irony) mere days later.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m inspired by the history of Earth Day, and recognize the important place it’s had in the environmental movement. The Earth Day Network shares a compelling history of the day, recognizing that in 1970, when the celebration of Earth Day began, “Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. ‘Environment’ was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.”

How far we’ve come! Yet, there’s still so much work to do. And I more often see Earth Day as a way to decorate calendars than an opportunity to join the swelling numbers of the protests and calls to action that marked the first Earth Day of 1970. Our dedication to earth care must be more than an activity fair or stacks of flyers and brochures on “how to go green” that end up in the recycle bin (oh the irony) mere days later.

WHAT IF PROGRAMMING around Earth Day was less about a box to check off than an opportunity to identify and engage new leaders within congregations who care about environmental stewardship? How might our worship, forums, or after-worship-tabling resist the norm of a “one-off” theme and instead lead a church toward the next step in earth-keeping – something that perhaps the pastors or green team have been dreaming of but need some support or buy-in from the congregation in order to move forward?

Yet even if we use Earth Day well, our efforts ought to overflow and upset our calendaring-as-usual. We so love our commemorations and programming routines that we create a calendar rhythm that tells us exactly what to celebrate and talk about when. We could learn a lesson from our liturgical calendar, which even amidst its cycles and seasons harbors something unique: When we do it right, the incarnation and resurrection inherently break open the whole cycle.

“We could learn a lesson from our liturgical calendar, which even amidst its cycles and seasons harbors something unique: When we do it right, the incarnation and resurrection inherently break open the whole cycle.”

I so love when our creation justice reflects this incarnational and unexpected-power-upending reality of Christ. We do this when we show up at hearings or protests – whether it’s at City Council or the Standing Rock Reservation – because that’s where our voice is needed in a particular and critical moment, regardless of what day it is. We do this when we practice environmental concern in our worship and learning at surprising or unusual times.

I think of the beautiful “Gather at the River” gathering, when 25 of us celebrated and learned about water in December of all times – but it was just in time to talk about the impacts of road salt on water quality before the winter storms, and to take in the beauty of the flickering lights from downtown shimmering off the Mississippi River as we lit candles in Advent and prepared for the birth of Jesus.

It’s a simple practice, really. Just ask “What’s next?,” What do we need?,” and “What can we do?” in discerning how to take action for the sake of all creation — and then put it on the calendar.