September 17, 2011 Notes on "Tending to the Holy"

NOTES FROM CLERGY ED DAY

Presented by Bruce Epperly, formerly of Lancaster Theological Seminary and author of Tending to the Holy and numerous other books

September 16, 2011

Central Woodward Christian Church, Troy, MI

This event was attended by about 25 Presbyterian, UCC, and Disciples of Christ ministers, plus me. It was the first of what is expected to become an annual event.

“Anything one says theologically should be capable of being experienced in one way or another.” Bruce Epperly (Same idea expressed by the preacher I wrote about earlier this year in “Pentecost at the Church of the Atonement”).

(*I am intrigued that when we say “that’s incredible,” we are not saying that a given event is “not credible,” but rather that “It seems too good to be true, but I’m prepared to believe it anyway.” For this reason, it would make sense to change the “Nicene Creed” to “The Nicene INcred.” But I’m not holding my breath).

Lectio Divina seeks to relieve the conscious mind of the effort to control what scripture has to say to us. (Reminds me of something I heard Harvey Guthrie, former Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, say about 15 years ago… his version was, “theological liberals and conservatives alike need to learn to let scripture interrogate us, instead of the other way around.”) Epperly urges us to listen rather than read (or, read out loud to oneself, I presume), and let the mind wander with whatever it will. He commends the practice of salvator abulanto*, that is, pondering the lectio while strolling about in a deliberate fashion. Solitary, of course. (This reminds me of the “Zen Walking” we were taught at an Alban Institute event long ago.)

*ascribed, like so many other things, to St. Augustine.

In the passage about Jacob’s Ladder God tells Jacob that “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go,”(Genesis 28:15). Yet Jacob wakes from his dream to exclaim, “Surely the LORD is in THIS place- and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16). So the God of Israel is both local and universal, concentrated in one particular place and completely portable at the same time. So where is the “gate of heaven”? It is always right under our noses, “and we did not know it.” (Yet its absence is everywhere also, I would say, except that “absence” cannot, by definition, be anywhere at all, else it would be “presence.” Neither, properly speaking, can “absence” be an “it.” Hence my conviction grows that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is as much an absence as a presence, albeit an absence that is as sacred as “it” is real.)

Epperly: “when we say that God is omnipresent, we are saying that wherever we go, God is already there.” Most clergy seem to find this observation comforting, but I cannot help feeling outflanked, outmaneuvered, and outwitted. I am like Jonah, trying to stay out of God’s way. My version; “We are stuck with an omnipresent God: might as well make the best of it.”

Epperly asks us: “what do cherish the most about your practice of ministry?” I confess to him that, as I proceed further into retirement, I may find myself missing the weekly experience of being the center of attention. He makes the common observation that all clergy are at least somewhat narcissistic, and that this tendency can be fatal to the practice of authentic ministry, or to any healthy relationship. Will I begin to suffer withdrawl symptoms as time goes on? Not so far… but I have been reveling in the attention of old friends. Time will tell, but Epperly comments that “the margins of society can be a positive place.” He was referring to the decline of influence on the part of mainline churches and clergy, but it can apply to individuals also. Indeed, the margin, the liminal, and the “outer darkness” are the places where Christ becomes most conspicuous, right?

Epperly says that “The Center is everywhere.” This is also the title of his book, subtitled “Celtic Spirituality for the Postmodern Age.” I bought one.

Epperly observes that “clergy have more discretionary time than almost any other profession.” Yet far fewer clergy are slackers than are workaholics. This is encouraging to me as I contemplate my future in retirement: for the vast majority of my professional life I have been accorded opportunity to allocate my own use of time. This has not changed. I seem to be just as busy now as I was before retirement… time divided between writing, thinking, praying, various tasks and errands, and relationship-tending. Fewer relationships to tend? Maybe not, the way things are going. THIS CONFERENCE HELPED ME SEE HOW MY MINISTRY HAS SHIFTED FROM PAROCHIAL TO SEMI-BENEDICTINE (if Nancy reads this, she will laugh).

Finally… what would “abundance” look like in my life as it has become? I need to reflect more on that , but I will remember Bruce Epperly’s words (which may have been a quote from someone else): “You lose your compassion and your imagination at the same time.”