Ordination Paper
Michael D. Haven
September 2014
Imagining World
©2012 Brian Andreas
Ordination Paper: Michael D. Haven
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Introduction
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.”1 Beautiful words to begin an Advent liturgical drama. The play is “Only
Light” by Matthew Boulton. Rev. Benjamin Broadbent, Pastor of the First Congregational
United Church of Christ Colorado Springs and friend of the playwright, handed me the script and
asked me to direct this short play for presentation during worship. I was honored and very
surprised! Here is a short excerpt from the end of this Advent play. (The characters do not have
names, just numbers):
3:
2:
1:
4:
3:
6:
1:
3:
2:
5:
1:
For the Lord is coming at an unexpected hour.
Keep watch!
Be ready.
Come, Lord Jesus!
The 31st Psalm reads: “Be strong.
Let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
Darkness cannot drive out darkness.
Only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate.
Only love can do that.
And so she wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough,
because there was no space for them in the inn.
Be ready.
This is how my Call began. By encouraging me to direct six congregant-actors in this
sacred drama performed during worship in the sanctuary, Rev. Broadbent and God showed me
how my talents, experience and passion for theatre could be taken into a deeper, transformative
and spiritual expression. It is termed “Bibliodrama.” To follow where I felt I was led, I needed to
gain the Christian knowledge, liturgical experience and pastoral sensitivity to meld with my
theatrical expertise.
Now, eight years later, I have earned the Master of Divinity degree from the Pacific
School of Religion, having graduated May 25, 2014. Ordination will provide the infusion of
Spirit and the community affirmation needed for me to fully step into the role of Pastor and
Bibliodramatist. Let me tell you how it all began: Once upon a time…
1
Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches. (HarperCollins, New York:
NY, 1986).
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Faith Journey Statement
…circa 1964 (when I was about 12), I attended St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Windsor
Ontario, Canada with my grandfather. We sang in the choir together, he taught me the Lord’s
Prayer, and he guided me into a warm and wonderful relationship with Jesus. My mother taught
me the philosophy/theology of reincarnation: that we live life after life on this earth, gaining
knowledge and experience as we go. I was also initiated into Transcendental Meditation when I
was about 18. This practice is mirrored in the contemplative prayer forms of Christianity such as
Taizé chanting and the ancient practice of Lectio Divina. Much like saying the rosary with the
words of the Hail Mary prayer,2 transcendental meditation uses a word or phrase to focus the
busy mind so that the body can relax and become quiet. In this silent and spiritually open state,
the still-speaking God can more easily be heard.
In my early 20s, I felt the desire to belong to a community of believers with whom I
could commune with God. However, in every church I visited, at some point in the service, we
were required to stand up and declare what terrible, awful sinners we were and ask for God’s
forgiveness. This didn’t coincide with my belief in an unconditionally loving God, so I stopped
visiting churches.
The community which did fit well was theatre and the wonderfully creative world of
amateur thespians. For the past 30-something years I have been acting and directing in Bay Area
community theatres. Interestingly enough, much of my personal growth has occurred during
theatrical productions. As an actor, I pull from my personal life experience to tap into the
emotions required for the role I am embodying. It can be very healing to tap into anger resident
in my own heart, vent it through the scripted argument on stage, and then let it go from both the
acted personality and from my own heart. The theatre is where I express my creativity, and is the
community which has supported me through life’s challenges and opportunities.
In 2006, I found myself in Colorado Springs at the nadir of my life, going through my
second divorce. Guided by her love of good music, my mom (who had moved out to Colorado
to be of support) was pleased to discover the choir at the First Congregational United Church of
Christ in Colorado Springs along with the very spiritual and talented Rev. Benjamin Broadbent.
She kept telling me great stories about what “Reverend Ben” had said each Sunday, until I
2
Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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finally had to go see for myself. The combination of truly loving Christianity, an Open and
Affirming congregation, and the softly comforting Prayer Shawl Ministry provided me with the
safe space to connect with Jesus within a community of believers. This produced tremendous
healing for my wounded heart and gave me a church home where I felt a true sense of belonging.
In the wisdom and humor of Rev. Benjamin Broadbent, and in the welcoming arms of that
congregation, I experienced again the love that I had felt when my grandfather held my hands in
prayer.
Then, one Sunday, Rev. Broadbent preached on God and simply changed all the
pronouns to “She.” To hear “She” and “Her” and even “belovéd daughter” filled my heart with
such joyful emotion that it brought tears to my eyes! The insight that God could be a Loving
Feminine Divinity had a tremendous effect on me. As they say in the story of The Grinch Who
Stole Christmas: my heart “grew three sizes that day,” and this transformative love allowed my
heart to fully open to Christianity. I became a member of this Colorado Springs UCC in January
of 2007. Within that beautiful church, I began to experience what it means to give my life into
God’s hands and to be led by Her voice. One of the most stunning experiences was initiated by
Rev. Broadbent. He asked me to direct a short one-act play for performance during worship for
Advent. The play “Only Light” was written by a friend of his, Matthew Boulton. We performed
only one Sunday, but the positive responses of the congregation affirmed this as an illuminating
form of worship for the Advent season. People spoke of how the contemporary script, sprinkled
with scriptural phrases, opened their eyes, minds and hearts to this well-known story like never
before. It made the Bible accessible, the stories personal, and the connection with God real. They
spoke of healing, compassion and relationship. At this church, I also found ways to be of service
by knitting prayer shawls and learning about compassionate caring in a Stephen Ministry3
course.
In October of 2007, God very clearly answered my prayer for guidance and I listened and
moved back to the Bay Area. I went around church hopping for a bit, looking for a faith
community in the Bay Area. My first visit to the First Congregational Church of Alameda
(FCCA) felt like I was returning to a childhood home. The welcoming phrase they spoke that
morning (which we repeat every Sunday) made my heart swell and tears come to my eyes.
3
Stephen Ministry is a training given to members of a congregation so they can provide pastoral care to fellow
congregants. For more information see www.stephenministry.org.
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Rev. Laura Rose starts the statement by saying: “This is the good news that we proclaim every
Sunday: No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey…” then she pauses and the
whole congregation proclaims: “…you are welcome here!” This abundantly welcoming
congregation quickly became my spiritual family and I got busy right away. I transferred my
UCC membership to FCCA in November of 2008, started the Prayer Shawl Ministry, sang in the
choir, served as lector, and wrote and performed dramatic pieces during worship. I have been
blessed with tremendous healing of my heart and soul through the experience of communion
with God, in private and in community. It was also a period of intense theological and spiritual
reading, learning and discernment. There was a whisper floating around in my head and heart – a
quiet suggestion.
The first time I heard it was in Colorado Springs. The Youth Minister I worked with for a
short time suggested I contemplate attending seminary. Even though I found this a surprising
idea, it also seemed to harmonize with the Stephen Ministry training I participated in and the joy
I found in serving others by knitting and gifting shawls through the Prayer Shawl Ministry.
Similarly, as I got more involved in FCCA, members here suggested that studying at a seminary
might be of benefit to my development. It also became evident that I had a love of the elders of
our community which led naturally to compassionate listening and pastoral friendship. There
was an idea to be investigated here. After much reflection and prayer I decided to apply to the
Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and see where it led.
It was at FCCA that I began to see and feel what I believe is my Call to combine my
theatrical and spiritual knowledge, skills, experience and creativity. I fondly remember the
moment I realized “scripture” is “script-ure.” The Bible is a collection of stories, monologues
and dialogues – scripts! Rev. Rose encouraged me and a friend at FCCA to create with her five
SermoDramas©4 for Lent in 2009. Her idea was to investigate the last week of the life of Jesus
like a cold case being reopened to inquiry. With Rev. Laura’s guidance and her own creative
contributions, fellow congregant D. Mark Blank and I wrote monologues for the five “witnesses”
who would give their testimony: Levi the tax collector, Peter, Magdalene, the man with a
withered hand, and Judas. Each character spoke of their experience of Jesus. Bringing these
familiar characters to life during worship service led me to see how effective embodiment of
4
SermoDrama is a term coined by Rev. Laura Rose, Pastor of First Congregational Church of Alameda, to describe
a sermon which includes a brief dramatic scene or monologue.
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scripture can be for the congregation. We put a living, breathing person on the chancel and
brought the familiar scripture story to life! Many people in the congregation affirmed that this
enactment drew them into the story and gave them a whole new perspective on these biblical
characters. This in turn led them to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus and their Christian
faith.
Through my studies at PSR I have discovered some very exciting scholarship on the
intersection of humanity and divinity. In his book Theater and Incarnation, Max Harris offers
the interpretation of the Incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth as God personally stepping onto the
stage of human life. Harris cites the mystical Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 14: “And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…” Harris sees the incarnation of Jesus
as a theatrical act of God:
When the divine Word costumed himself in human flesh and dwelt among men, he also,
to reverse the theatrical metaphor, unmasked himself. The subject of all previously
enacted images was no longer hidden in ceremonies and figurative history but present
among men, fully accessible to their senses. ‘The whole truth’ walked the dusty stage of
life.”5
Following this spiritual-theatrical passion at PSR and FCCA, I have developed the thesis
that theatrical scripts developed through Bibliodrama workshops and performed during worship
have the ability to enhance and personalize a congregation’s experience of scripture. These
enactments invite them into a deeper experience of the God who is at work and at play in their
lives today. By embodying scripture – offering our personal bodies, emotions and voices in
service to the Word – we have the opportunity to discover a way to explore and live into Christ’s
great commission to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind, and with all your strength” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.”6
In February of 2010, I was accepted into the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program at
PSR. In August of 2010 I moved into Benton Hall on the PSR campus. Studying, eating, sleeping
and working on campus provided a “full immersion” seminary experience and the first year of
the M.Div. program was a wondrous journey. Professors offered us a smorgasbord of insights; a
wide variety of critical lenses for reading the texts; scholarship on the authors, editors and
translators of the Bible; and many different interpretations of the scriptures. In class I could feel
5
6
Max Harris, Theater and Incarnation (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990), 10-11.
Mark 12:30-31, English Standard Version (ESV).
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belief structures shattering around me. For example, it was a stunning realization for most of us
to learn that Paul never met Jesus! Yes, he had a mystical experience with the risen Jesus, but he
did not study with the Rabbi. That type of realization opens the door to many questions and this
can be very challenging for those who thought they had all their questions answered, or for those
who had been taught never to question the Bible. The conversations in the dining hall grew
passionate and exciting as we found ourselves freed to question the beliefs we had held for many
years and to share our own insights with each other. It was intriguing to share experiences of
Spirit, Jesus and God with others. It was reassuring to know others also had doubts and questions
about the how and why of life’s sorrow, loss and pain. And it was astonishing to find that I could
sometimes say or do something that brought comfort and perspective to someone else who was
searching for answers.
In the summer of 2011, I was accepted into an internship created by Rev. Marjie Brewton
of the South Dakota Conference. She designed the program for a Student Pastor to visit and
serve 12 churches in 10 weeks. Accordingly, every Tuesday I drove out to a new church and
worked with the Pastor of that church. In each town I stayed with a member or family of the
congregation. I got to know other members over lunch or dinner or sight-seeing trips. I went with
the Pastor on pastoral-care visits to hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living homes; and to the
viewing in a funeral home, meeting and consoling that grieving family. They swapped stories
with me during quilting groups, rowdy games of bridge, and a Blue Grass concert in the
sanctuary in Brookings. I was given the opportunity to preach five times, created liturgical
design for several Sunday services, sat in on a Trustee’s meeting, and joined two church council
meetings. It was in South Dakota that I first stepped into the role of Pastor and found myself
accepted in that position. I began to realize I had more to offer beyond my theatrical talent and
skills; I had ministerial skills and a natural inclination for compassionate listening.
When I returned from this summer of service, the Church Council members at FCCA saw
a changed person. They could now envision me a minister and they felt confident affirming my
official standing as a Member in Discernment with my local church. Their faith in me was
affirmed during my field education program as Minister in Training at Congregational Church of
Belmont. The Belmont congregation and their pastor Rev. Kristi Denham had never met me.
However, they graciously encouraged and challenged me to step into the role of Minister during
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my nine months of service with them. This experience gave me more confidence embodying the
role of Minister. Rev. Denham was a wonderful mentor in this process.
The familiar saying, God moves in mysterious ways, was confirmed the following school
year, 2012-2013. I had been working as Housekeeper, a part-time student worker position. That
experience gave me the confidence to interview for the position of Housing Coordinator when it
came open. In April of 2013, I was hired for this full-time position at the PSR. I have always
wanted a job that was truly meaningful and of service to others. Being part of the team that
assists up-and-coming spiritual leaders is an honor and a joy. It is also a position that requires
compassionate listening, pastoral care and openness to the Spirit. People make tremendous
changes in their lives to come to PSR and pursue their own Calls. It is a sacred responsibility to
help them feel at home as they explore the path God is leading them to follow. In 2013, it was
also a great joy to return to full involvement with FCCA. My responsibilities were determined in
conversation with Rev. Laura, assisting her by covering pastoral care and crafting and leading
worship while she is on vacation.
In January of 2014, I was honored to be selected as one of the 12 participants of the
immersion trip to India. The aim of this M.Div. requirement is to provide students with a lived
experience very different from their own. I am still processing this three-week experience! Places
we visited included Mother Teresa’s house in Kolkata, a seminary in Mangalore, and a
Christian/Hindu ashram south of Bangalore. It is a blessing that one of the women students at the
seminary in Mangalore is now a Facebook friend. I hope to continue this relationship as both she
and I step out of school and into our respective ministries.
Through insightful discussion with my support group at FCCA I have come to see the
similarities between the roles of theatrical director and church minister. Rev. Rose is an excellent
role model. She is quite talented at discerning the passion and skills of others. From this
understanding, she then encourages them to form ministry teams aligned with their personal
dreams which also serve the church and enrich the community for all. As a theatrical director, I
too have talent in pulling in the best actors and technical designers for a show. I know that the
ideas and inspirations of others only enhance my directorial vision. The end result is a highquality show which is fulfilling and affirming for everyone involved, as well as satisfying for the
audiences who experience our creation. Now that I am able to combine these theatrical talents
with Christian pastoral skills, knowledge and ritual experience, I believe my spiritual-theatrical
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vision has the potential to serve a faith community well. I do acknowledge the wisdom of the
saying: “If you want to hear God laugh, tell Her your plans!” Accordingly I remain open to
God’s still-speaking voice as I travel this path.
The United Church of Christ
In this last year of seminary, I took the UCC courses required by our denomination.
Following are two insights I would like to share.
Ethos, Polity and Ministry of the UCC
At the 2012 Fall meeting of the Bay Association I accepted the position of Recording
Secretary for the Executive Board of the Bay Association. Such service is a wonderful way to be
an active part of the living polity of the UCC at the Association level. What was so interesting at
the October meeting was one of the discussions we had around the definitions of a “Local
Church.” The UCC Constitution states that “the basic unit of the life and organization of the
United Church of Christ is the Local Church.”7 However, in my internet searches of Association,
Conference and National UCC websites, I have not been able to find a detailed definition of a
Local Church. The question arose because one church in our Association has been largely
inactive since selling their building several years ago and the Pastor is now claiming it is still an
active church able to support continued ministerial standing. We discussed our understanding of
the activities of this congregation and their Minister, finding that we had no clear proof that they
were an active church. This also led to the realization that we do not have a firm definition of
Local Church. Three members of the Board, seeking to define the term Local Church, have
offered seven elements common to all churches in the Bay Association.
All churches in the Bay Association, of the Northern CA, Nevada Conference,
United Church of Christ, share these 7 Elements:
1. Where two, or more, gather regularly for Worship, Fellowship & Ministry (at least
once monthly).
2. There shall be a defined address/location for this Church.
3. The Church shall have a clearly identified Leadership Team, including a called, or
acting, Pastor or Pastoral Team, with names & contact information.
4. The Church shall be actively engaged in ministries which meet clear needs in a
particular community.
7
Executive Council for the United Church of Christ, The Constitution and Bylaws of the United Church of Christ
(Cleveland: United Church Resources, 2001), 2.
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5. There shall be written By-Laws, which minimally document Church name, structure
and monthly and annual protocol.
6. Church Finances are documented, transparent and complete.
7. This Church is granted Fully Authorized Standing OR In-Care Status by the Bay
Association Executive Board.8
The Board members are actively engaged in discussion about these seven elements. As
we work with this definition, we must bear in mind our covenantal relationship with the wider
church. The UCC Constitution affirms the respect Local Churches give to the Association,
Conference and General Synod: “Actions by, or decisions or advice emanating from, the General
Synod, a Conference or an Association, should be held in the highest regard by every Local
Church.”9 In the Northern California Nevada Conference, it is the Association that is charged
with accepting churches into the UCC. We have a process to follow to evaluate in order to make
that call. However, we lack a basic definition of Local Church.
Holding these questions in mind, it is important to note that we live in a very fluid time in
the life of “Church” in America in all her denominations and manifestations. I believe it is vital
to also hold in mind a core belief within the UCC Constitution which “affirms the responsibility
of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of
thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God.” 10 Each generation has the right,
responsibility and duty to define “Church” in a way that speaks to the hearts, minds and souls of
that church. If we are indeed going to do that, does a church have to have bylaws, duly ordained
Ministers, a bank account and walls to be a Local Church in the UCC denomination? The
question of the meaning and manifestation of Church is changing as our “Millennial Generation”
asks what God and worship mean and look like for them.
UCC History and Theology
The history of the UCC is fascinating. So many different branches, denominations and
points of view came together to form the UCC! In 1957 the final melding took place as two
major denominations combined into one: the Congregational Christian Church and the
Evangelical Reformed Church. The UCC Constitution was written to provide guidance and
8
Taken from Bay Association Executive Board Minutes of the October 14, 2013 meeting.
The Constitution and Bylaws of the United Church of Christ, 1961, Article V. Local Churches, paragraph 19,
page 3.
10
The Constitution and Bylaws of the United Church of Christ, 1961, Preamble, paragraph 2, page 1.
9
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combine doctrines and practices honoring both so that “they may all be one,”11 a UCC scriptural
focus. Experiencing the UCC today, it becomes apparent that the majority of its members do not
start out in the UCC. They come from many different denominations (both Protestant and
Catholic) and find a home in the UCC for a variety of reasons. This melding of doctrines, rituals
and teachings results in both strengths and weakness for our Local Churches. The guiding
principle of the UCC is well stated in the final paragraph of the introduction to volume seven of
The Living Theological Heritage of the United Church of Christ, a collection of documents
recording the history and theology of the UCC:
The United Church of Christ was not created, nor is it sustained by compromise – or even
by ignoring or tolerating differences. It depends upon “reconciliation.” It trusts in the
capacity of very different people, with very different interpretations of the gospel, to
recognize in each other the historic faith. It flourishes when it is able to make, as the
preamble puts it, “this faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and
expression, and in purity of heart before God.”12
One consequence of our diverse history is that when we come to the Communion Table
and the Baptismal Font we come with a variety of understandings of these central sacramental
rituals. For this paper, I will focus on Communion.
Coming from different traditions, we all have different answers for questions about
Communion: Who has the right/responsibility to preside over Communion? What happens when
the Words of Institution are spoken and the ritual gestures performed? What are we doing when
we come forward to receive the bread and the cup? What do we get in this ritual? And, possibly
more importantly, what do we give? It is my belief that very rich conversation could evolve by
sharing our different understandings. I think it would be fruitful for congregations to come
together within their church. In a safe, loving space of mutual respect, we could share and
discuss our personal relationships to Communion. The discussion could be conducted as a study
group. For instance, a group could begin with a short overview of the history of Communion
since its institution. The Living Theological Heritage is a wonderful source for this history,
particularly Volume 2 (Reformation Roots) and 7 (United and Uniting). Then the group could
share personal understandings of the ritual. Any difficulties or questions that arise around the
11
John 17:21, ESV.
The Living Theological Heritage of the United Church of Christ, Volume 7 United and Uniting, Barbara Brown
Zikmund, series editor (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 2005) 7.
12
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theology of the ritual, and what has significance for in the ritual could be discussed. With this
gathered information, the group could examine the Communion ritual as it is practiced in their
church. The final stage could be adjustments to the regular Communion practice that would take
into consideration all that has been shared. The result could be a ritual which is deeply
meaningful for the participants. When we come to the Table we would then come together with a
common intention and deeper interpersonal understanding. This process could allow us to more
fully participate in the fellowship of the ritual, giving and receiving in a manner deeply aligned
with our personal beliefs, as well as honoring the differences between us.
The question is how to approach such a discussion, as people need a safe space in which
to explore these issues. It is important to remember that our feelings about our faith are deep,
emotional and very personal. Sometimes, we are not even clear about our feelings until we are
given a safe and encouraging place to express and explore.
Focusing on this idea of creating a safe space for these discussions, I wrote my final
paper for the UCC History and Theology class. This class was taught on-line, with the students
and professor in different areas around the country. During on-line group video calls, we
experimented with different worship services, including a healing service and a Communion
service. To explore the question of an on-line Communion, we needed to address the question of
the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The format I created for this exploration is a late night
talk show. The script is a combination of my own invention and quotes taken from the actual
recorded dialogues between Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli at the Marburg Colloquy of
1529. These dialogues are printed in Volume 2 of the Living Theological Heritage of the United
Church of Christ. Quotes are referenced within the text thusly: (LTH, Vol. #, page #). It was
wonderful to discover that Luther and Zwingli were actually very passionate and dramatic about
their views.
The stage area has a desk and chair for the Our Host. To the right of the desk are three
chairs for the guests, with a low coffee table in front of the three chairs. Our Host invites Luther
and Zwingli to the stage. Then he introduces Miss Wiki Pedia who gives a brief description of
the lives of Luther and Zwingli focusing on their pivotal roles in the Reformation. Miss Pedia
then attempts to explain the internet and the concept of an on-line Communion service to the 16th
century clergymen. Our Host asks the gentlemen what they think and moderates the ensuing
discussion. The following is a section of dialogue from the script.
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Our Host: Thank you, Miss Pedia.
Miss Pedia: And thank you, gentlemen. (She takes her papers and exits. Our
Host, Luther and Zwingli rise as Miss Pedia leaves. Zwingli uses this opportunity to take
her chair when the gentlemen are seated, so he doesn’t have to sit next to Luther)
Our Host: Let us begin with a quote from a serious scholar of this 21st century,
Mr. Lee Palmer Wendel: 13 “In 1215, Pope Innocent III called the Fourth Lateran
council… Behind Lateran IV’s pronouncement lay a century of bitter and acrimonious
debate. That debate was agonizing precisely because it entailed two core questions for the
faithful: What is ‘Communion’? What is ‘present’ in ‘the Eucharist’?” We might phrase
it today as “Where’s Jesus?”
Luther: (smiling appreciatively at Our Host) You bring to the forefront my very
argument! (Luther turns to address Zwingli) Prove that Christ’s body is not there where
the Scripture says, “This is my body”! Rational proofs I will not listen to. Corporeal
proofs, arguments based on geometrical principles I repudiate absolutely, like those [of
the Swiss] that a door cannot be made into a gate or a fingerhold into a pillory [any more
than the body of Christ can be interpreted as residing in two places at once]. God is
beyond all mathematics, and the words of God are to be revered and carried out in awe. It
is God who commands, “Take, eat, this is my body.” I request, therefore, valid scriptural
proof to the contrary. (Luther writes on the table in chalk, “This is my body,” and covers
the words with a velvet cloth.) (LTH, Vol. 2, p. 228)
Zwingli: God is truth and light, and he leads us not into the darkness.
Consequently he does not mean “This is my body” in a literal, actual, physical sense,
which contradicts the Scriptures. God does not work in this way. The soul is spiritual; the
soul does not eat flesh. Spirit eats spirit. (LTH, Vol. 2, p. 233)
Luther: (speaking to Our Host) Sir, I would like to bring forward an argument
for our consideration. May we have a reading of John 6:48-51, please?
Our Host: Certainly! (He pages through his Bible and reads) 48“I am the bread of
life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that
comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread
that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the
bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:48-51, NRSV)
Luther: Well read! Thank you. (Our Host smiles at this compliment, closes his
Bible and waits. Luther turns to Zwingli) It is your opinion that Christ moved away from
the physical repast in his emphasis upon the spiritual repast. I reply that he wanted to
teach the Jews of Capernaum that he should not be eaten like bread and meat in a bowl,
like roast pork. When I partake of Christ in the bread, it is not in the vulgar sense, but as a
gift of the Holy Spirit. Hence it is not a repast that is petty and repulsive, but one that is
13
Wandel, Lee Palmer, 2006. The Eucharist in the Reformation: Incarnation and Liturgy. (New York, NY:
Cambridge University Press), 20-21.
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most holy. Man can still believe those words; the body of Christ is there. (LTH, vol. 2,
229-230)
Zwingli: Luther refuses to recognize figures of speech like these and others that
one encounters even in the Lord’s Supper, when indeed many passages are found that
belie his literal interpretation. There are those, however, like Isaiah 9:14. (LTH, vol. 2,
234)
Our Host: (finding the quote from Isaiah, he reads) ‘…the elder is the head, the
prophet is the tail…’ (LTH, vol. 2, 234)
Zwingli: Exactly. To the prophets, such prophesies are common, for Isaiah here
the word “is” meaning “signifies.” Since then it is necessary to collate doubtful passages
with others, we must take the word “is” in the Lord’s Supper to mean “signifies.” For us
it is the “essence” of the words which adds something… These words are only there for
the purpose of “signifying” the will of the Father. You reject our meanings, we reject
yours. “I shall not be visible to you” says Christ [John 12:8], hence he is not bodily
present in the Lord’s Supper. (LTH, vol. 2, 234)
Luther: If you interpret the Lord’s Supper figuratively, why not do the same with
these words from Mark 16:19…
Our Host: “He was taken up into heaven.”
Luther: Right! I call upon you as before: your basic contentions are shaky. Give
way, and give glory to God! (LTH, vol. 2, 236)
Zwingli: And we call upon you to give glory to God and to quit begging the
question! The issue at stake is this: Where is the proof of your position? I am willing to
consider your words carefully – no harm meant! You’re trying to outwit me. I stand by
this passage in the sixth chapter of John… and shall not be shaken from it, (LTH, vol. 2
236)
Our Host: John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail.”
Zwingli: (to Host) Exactly! Thank you! (to Luther) You’ll have to sing another
tune! (LTH, vol. 2, 236)
Luther: (to Zwingli): You are being obnoxious! (LTH, vol. 2, 236)
The discussion continues and becomes increasingly heated. At the end of the script, Our Host
rises to calm the two adversaries just as they are about to come to blows. He settles them down,
thanking them for their participation and honesty of spirit. He then suggests a small repast to
conclude their time together. The conclusion of the script:
Our Host picks up a Whole Foods grocery bag from behind the desk and pulls out a loaf
of Hawaiian sweet bread. Holding the bread gently, He pauses for a moment with eyes
closed, then breaks the bread and offers it to them. Their eyes open wide in recognition.
They start to offer apologies, but Jesus stops them by gently raising a hand and saying:
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Our Host/Jesus: “Peace to you! Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise
in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a
spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”14 (Zwingli starts to reach out
a hand to touch the hand of Jesus, but Luther smacks him on the shoulder and he
withdraws his hand. Jesus looks at His two theologians with great joy, and looks into the
camera with a loving smile) Sisters and brothers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.”15 (He raises His hands in blessing, one for his guests, one for
the watching audience) And may the Lord bless you and keep you, may She make Her
face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, may He lift up His countenance upon
you and give you peace. Both now and forever more.16 (A silence ensues. Luther and
Zwingli look at each other with new eyes. Then, Luther looks out at the audience,
surrendering with a smile and says – a la Rosanna Rosanna Danna from Saturday Night
Live):
Luther: Nevermind!
Personal Theology
Over my lifetime, I have experienced a variety of religious practices and theologies,
which has caused me to develop a personal theology of pluralism. One way to put this is to quote
from the poem “Spring Giddiness” by the Sufi mystic Rumi: “…there are hundreds of ways to
kneel and touch the ground,” meaning, there are many ways to experience God. However, I have
always had a deep, strong, personal relationship with Jesus. My studies at PSR have given me
the opportunity to meet and engage with people of other a variety of faith traditions. The result is
an enriched personal connection with the incarnational faith of Christianity. This incarnational
faith speaks best to my heart and soul.
My love for Jesus began with my relationship with my mother’s father when I was a
child. For me, God the Father was manifest in my grandfather’s voice, hands and loving
presence. In the evenings, after tucking me into bed, he would sit beside me, hold my small
child’s hand in his big, warm, agèd hands, and we would say the Lord’s Prayer together. His
deep voice vibrated through my hands and into my heart, channeling the love of God through his
love for me. He also had several occasions in my young life to teach me of the unconditional
love of Jesus. I have carried that special relationship of love with me all my life. It seems fitting
14
Luke 24:36, 38.
John 14:27.
16
Numbers 6:24-26; ESV. Pronouns changed by playwright.
15
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to honor him here by presenting my theological viewpoints by exploring the Lord’s Prayer. He
taught me this beautiful prayer from the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever
and ever. Amen.17
Our Father –
The most beautiful thing about Christianity for me is the fact that ours is an incarnational
faith. In the narratives of our faith, God chose to enter into human life. God became manifest in a
particular man, in a particular place, in a particular time. God experienced, through Jesus, all that
humankind experiences – or as much as a man can experience in the course of one short life. He
attended weddings with his family and friends; impressing the guests by turning water into wine.
He shared meals with people from every walk of life. He reached out and intentionally connected
with outcasts who were ill, deviant and possessed. He brought healing, compassion and love to
every wounded situation he encountered. He spent time alone in prayer and contemplation,
communing with his God. He read the sacred Scriptures and interpreted his own destiny in the
narratives of his people. He allowed himself to relax and enjoy Magdalene’s fragrant and
luxurious anointing of his body with holy oil, even defending her action as holy and loving. Jesus
said “wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in
remembrance of her.”18 He raged in the temple when he discovered corruption and greed
winning out over prayer, worship and praise of the Father. He looked down in the midst of his
own greatest pain and suffering to commission the care of his Mother. And he allowed himself to
experience doubt, despair, darkness and death.
And then – by the power of the One who loved him so deeply – he rose! He rose from the
grave with shouts of laughter, light and love. He taught his disciples, women and men, in the
secret understandings of life. He breathed upon them, infusing them with the fire of the Holy
Spirit and commissioned them to “go and do likewise.” His greatest commandment is: “to love.”
17
John Wallace Suter, Custodian of the Standard Book of Common Prayer (1944) The Book of Common Prayer and
Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church (Thomas Nelson & Sons, New
York: NY 1928), 7.
18
Matthew 26:13 and Mark 14:9, ESV.
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He exemplified a way to walk in life. He even challenged our understandings of what is
possible, what is real, and what is holy. Why? I think it was so God could have first-hand
experience and knowledge of what we as human beings experience in our limited, temporal and
temporary lives. This has led to an interesting consideration of the idea of atonement: the idea
that Jesus died for our sins. What if God’s incarnation was an act of reconciliation and an
expression of God’s desire for us? The Christian scholar John Shelby Spong gave me insight into
this interpretation when he wrote that “[t]his life – selfless, broken, loving, given away,
powerless – this life was the very life of God...”19 This insight led me to back track a bit: What is
our Christian understanding of the creation stories in the book of Genesis? God created selfwilled, self-aware humans and we messed up! We hurt each other, oppressed each other, and
abused the creation in which we lived. So God took on human life and entered into relationship
with us like never before. Through this act of God’s surrender and passionate desire for
relationship, Jesus was able to reach out to everyone with the love of God. This act of love
inspired a reciprocal outreach in us. For us, God became someone with whom we could easily
identify. We could feel that now God understood, on a cellular level, our human pain, desire,
hope, disappointment and doubt. He could cry with us “ ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is,
‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ”20 We, in turn, could then reach out to God and
find the love, light and grace we so longed for. The stories of Jesus speak directly to our hearts.
We can also look at the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament with new eyes. To quote one of my
favorite theologians Rev. Dr. Jay Johnson: “Reading that ancient (creation) story afresh can then
clarify the yearning that makes us human: to be at home in our bodies without shame, at home
with other bodies without guilt, and at home with God without fear.”21 What if that is our
understanding of God and the Incarnation? What if God’s love is our understanding of atonement
in the Jesus story? It is good to remember that Jesus was named Emmanuel,22 which means “God
is with us.” Isn’t that perfect?
This is why I sometimes wear an Indian bindi (a small design placed in the middle of the
forehead between the eyebrows) in the shape of a broken heart. It is my way of reminding myself
19
John Shelby Spong, Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Virgin Birth and the Treatment of Women by a
Male-Dominated Church. (New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992), 39.
20 Matthew 27:46, ESV. Psalm 22:1, a deep crying prayer of lament, abandonment and doubt. Note this psalm of
sorrow is immediately followed by a psalm of comfort, certainty in the love of Divinity, Psalm 23.
21 Rev. Dr. Jay Emerson Johnson, Divine Communion: A Eucharistic Theology of Sexual Intimacy. (New York, NY:
Seabury Books, 2013), 51.
22
Matthew 1:23, ESV.
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and others that we all are broken and beautiful in our brokenness. We are possibly even beautiful
because of our brokenness. Shared sorrow opens our hearts, allowing us to melt into loving
compassion with others when they express brokenness akin to our own, and opens our spirits to
the healing love of Our Father…
…who art in heaven, For me, heaven and hell are right here on earth. I believe we are
responsible for a great portion our life experience. Our life is shaped by our choices, actions,
reactions and beliefs. Because of free will, we need to follow the guidance Jesus gives: “Ask,
and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for
you.”23 This means we have to make the first move. Once we invite the Holy Spirit to breathe
through our lives, miracles happen, coincidences jump out at us and opportunities abound.
When, however, we turn away from divine guidance and forget that we are beloved of
God, our lives can become hellish. I have experienced the dark night of the soul. That silent, lost
and desperate place I have experienced is not totally self-created. However, it is within my
power to change my outlook, to reach out for help from others and to pray for God’s guidance.
And yes, there are also truly horrendous situations that develop in life. There is evil in the
world and natural disasters. This is when I believe it is important for us to remember that God is
experiencing this pain with us. Jesus is walking with us in our darkness. The Holy Spirit will
light the path to healing and wholeness. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to gather this
Christ light around us like a Prayer Shawl, focus on our immediate family and community, and
bring light and love to those we come into contact with in our daily lives. It is through forgiving
and loving ourselves and others that we can begin to realize heaven on earth as wished for by
Our Father who art in heaven…
…Hallowed be thy name. Often, the greatest prayer we can offer is “Thank you!” I have
come to realize that gratitude is one of the keys to living life in line with Spirit. When I pray for
guidance and then find an opportunity presenting itself to me, my first response is “Thank you!”
It’s fun to watch how God answers prayer. The answer doesn’t always look like we might
expect. And there is always the difference between my timing (when the bills are due, for
instance) and God’s timing (when She knows it is the right time and place for my highest good).
It can be frustrating. It can also be marvelous. Gratitude opens the heart and mind to more and
more sharing from God. This joy leads me to proclaim: Hallowed by thy name!
23
Luke 11:9, ESV.
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Thy kingdom come. As Christian people of faith we have the blessing of the presence of
God within the very air we breathe, manifest within each heartbeat. Jesus is quoted as saying:
“The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look,
here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you.’’ To fully live into this
petition for God’s kingdom to come on earth, I think we, as members of the very liberal
Christian United Church of Christ, need to “out” ourselves as Christian. We need to be more
vocal. The wounded world needs to know there is a liberal Christian voice that adheres to the
radical love and inclusion of Jesus, the One we invoke when we pray thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done… Here we get into slightly troubled waters. We have been schooled to
believe in a God whose “will” we must strive to discern and follow. However, it is not usually
seen as a joyful thing. I think God’s “will” has been viewed primarily in light of the harshest,
most painful experience of Jesus’ life. We are all familiar with the Garden of Gethsemane:
trembling in fear before the vision of what was going to happen to him if he continues on the
path set before him, Jesus retires to a private space in the garden to plead with his Father. He
cries and begs for release from the coming torment and death. But ultimately he proclaims:
“Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”24 From this specific encounter we get the
underlying idea that “God’s will” is usually something painful and difficult that we really don’t
want to do! But we have to do it anyway because it is God’s will.
But what if we look at the life of Jesus as the life of God incarnate in human life? In this
most painful and difficult scene in the life of Jesus, God experienced what we experience. What
a revelation! Now we have a Divinity we can relate to! Now we have a Divinity who can truly
understand and offer us comfort. John Shelby Spong puts it this way: “To this life could come all
who travail and are heavy laden. Here one would find rest and peace, and that was what was
meant by God.”25 Because of this fearless life, we could finally take to heart the consolation
devoutly to be wished in God’s/Jesus’ parting words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid.”26 What is God’s will? Jesus said it quite clearly: “I came that you might have life and
24
Luke 22:42, ESV.
John Shelby Spong, Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Virgin Birth and the Treatment of Women by a
Male-Dominated Church. (New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992), 39.
26 John 14:27, ESV.
25
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have it abundantly!” Joy is the essence of God. God wants us to experience joy; that is God’s
will! Let thy will be done…
…On earth as it is in heaven. If the kingdom of God is within us, then heaven is already
here on earth. As I said, I think we create our lived experience in many ways. We can choose
how we react to events in our lives. We have the ability to respond in a joyful way or a sorrowful
way. We need to claim our ability to respond, our responsibility, to live the joyful life God
wishes for us. We always have a choice: We can hold our pain, fear, sadness and anger close to
our hearts, letting us create illness and isolation in our life. Or we can forgive, release and look
for the learning and the joy in every relationship and encounter. With Jesus walking by our side,
and with our willingness to listen to the guidance of the Divine, we can create life on earth as it
is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. I’ve always loved this line! Note it says “daily bread.”
It’s not our weekly bread, not our monthly bread; our daily bread. This speaks of trust. I have
developed, over the last four years at seminary, a deep and abiding trust in God. Just this past
year it feels like God has given up all pretense at subtlety! As I fine-tune my ability to listen for
the still-speaking voice of God and find new ways to express my gratitude, God’s voice gets
clearer and clearer. On some days, She simply comes blasting into my life with a not-to-bedenied opportunity! This year has been filled with “coincidences,”27 opportunities in line with
my heart’s desire. I’ve even noticed God using me to work in the lives of others, blessing them
with my hands and voice; allowing me to be a non-anxious presence for troubled hearts; and
giving me just the right words to pray while sitting with a dear friend in the hospital.
As well as our need for food, I believe this line also expresses a desire for God to move in
our lives, to speak in our hearts and to guide us in the path of our deepest desires. Give us this
day our daily guidance, our daily touch of your love on our skin, our daily encouragement; give
us this day our daily bread…
…And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. This
also is an interesting line that has led in many different directions throughout Christian history.
Some translations say trespasses, some debts, some sins. Each word carries a different intention
and understanding. However, I believe the key idea in this line is the forgiveness. One friend
alters this line in a lovely way, saying “help us to forgive ourselves and others as you forgive
27
I put this word in quotation marks because I do not believe in coincidence anymore; it’s all God.
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us.” This speaks to the very human inability to forgive when we have been deeply hurt or
betrayed. The ability to forgive, to let go of the hurt and anger, can be deeply healing. It is
possible that our inability to let go of our rage is the very thing that creates illness in our minds
and bodies. Jesus forgave. He also commissioned forgiveness to those who would follow in his
Way. I acknowledge that sometimes we are hurt by the actions and words of others. But does it
serve us to hang onto that resentment? This line reminds us of the vision of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.’s vision of the beloved community. Forgive. Forgive others and forgive yourself. God
walks with us in this divine intention and heals by adding great love to our compassion. God
helps us and will forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…
…And lead us not into temptation, Why would God want to lead us into temptation?
One possible interpretation of this phrase is as a request for a little perspective. “Help us not to
get too attached.” It seems to me that this world is so… what is the word?... tasty, exciting,
engaging, painful, terrifying, wonderful, exhausting, fulfilling… it’s just so… Well, even the
greatest Masters have come into this earthly life and then gotten so wrapped up in its sensual
nature that they forget who they are and what they came here to do. I mean, there’s chocolate,
and football and sex; there’s also cancer, hunger and senseless violence. It is so easy to get all
caught up in the experience of it all, reveling in the senses, to the exclusion of the true Light of
our being. And it is so easy to lose sight of the Divine in others, so much so that we treat them
like strangers. Life is so engaging that we need help to keep our spiritual perspective, so we
petition God to lead us not into temptation…
…But deliver us from evil. Easily understood, but what is evil? A pressing question that
arises in times of pain and sorrow is why would God let this happen? I think – if you’ll pardon
my language – shit happens. A child is born, and things happen to hurt, warp, damage that child,
until he grows up and goes to Sandy Hook Elementary School and shoots children until, at the
end, he turns his gun on himself. Senseless, incomprehensible evil takes place because of a trail
of hurtful events. Evil is real. It exists here on earth because we have believed in it enough,
drawn pictures about it, sung songs about it, used high-tech graphics to create movies about it,
and now we’re stuck with it. However, it can be countered.
I believe that Love is stronger than Hate; stronger perhaps in a different way. Hate is like
a volcano destroying all in its molten lava path. Love is more like the ocean washing against the
stones until it transforms a mountain into a sandy beach. Love will out; it’s just a matter of time.
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The issue I’m dancing around here is the idea of sin. I have been investigating all the
definitions of sin. I would say that if by sin you mean that there is something you could do that
would be so heinous that God would punish you after death with everlasting flame, torment and
sorrow – then, no, I don’t believe in sin. But if by sin you mean there is something you could do
that requires confession, apology, recompense and reconciliation, then yes, I can go with that.
The problem is the word sin is so heavy-laden with ancient baggage. Original sin has been the
millstone around the necks of Christians for centuries. And Eve as the disobedient and tempting
one has been blamed as the source of sin. The implications of this train of thought have led to
oppression and abuse too awful to recount. I think it would be best to leave sin out of our
vocabulary.
One of the issues, however, is that we need sin in order to have salvation. This gets us
into a whole kettle of fish regarding atonement and sacrifice. This is how I have come to
understand the common interpretation of the creation stories in Genesis:
Sin was first committed in the Garden of Eden. Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit from
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Her wantonness tempted Adam, and he too
disobeyed and ate. This was The Fall of humankind into sinful nature. Because of their
disobedience, Eve and Adam were thrown out of the Garden of Eden and told to multiply
and to have dominion over the rest of creation. Eve is the mother of all humanity;
therefore, every person born of woman is born in sin. Obviously, women are also a
dangerous sexual temptation to men and must be controlled. We can confess our sins, do
penance and gain forgiveness, but our inherent human nature continually leads us into
sinful acts. We are helpless and unable to truly atone for our sinfulness. It is only through
the grace of God that we can be forgiven. This is why God sent his only son to live and to
die for us. Through his ultimate sacrifice, our sin was forever purged. Christian baptism
is the ritual of purification and adoption into the body of Christ. Christianity is the one
true path to God, the one true religion.
Most of this goes against my understanding of a loving, forgiving and compassionate
God. This interpretation of creation stories has led to oppression, slavery, degradation of women,
the ruination of man and destruction of the planet. Furthermore, I have to ask, what does all this
say about God and who we perceive God to be? What does it say about how we think God
functions in our lives? Rev. Jay Johnson has a different definition of The Story that I find deeply
healing and illuminating. He writes of the ritual of Communion:
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Gathering to share a meal of bread and wine offers a profound declaration at the core of
Christian faith: the meaning of human life and of the whole creation derives from the
hope for communion… In all its delicate rhythms and relational frustrations, this bodily
signpost in spiritual practice can stimulate Christian witness to the One Story – the deep
desire and abiding hope for divine communion.28
For me, God is love, light and relationship. I believe in the inherent goodness of the
human heart and soul. I believe in the infinite and unconditional love of God. And I believe in
the relationship we have with God as beloveds. This relationship is exampled by the Trinity. One
interpretation of the Trinity is the Lover, the Beloved and the Love between them. When all is
said and done, I agree with Paul: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”29
We are assured God will deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom… In my church we often adjust this word “kingdom” slightly
to become “kindom,” meaning the home of all people. All of us have a place in the Body of
Christ and so we are kin to one another. And this kindom includes the entire creation. It is all
God’s; for thine is the kingdom. Our role as self-aware, sentient beings is to protect, preserve,
encourage and care for each other and all of creation. Awareness of this role leads us to revisit
the idea of “dominion” as granted in the Genesis creation stories. The commission to “fill the
earth and subdue it and have dominion over” creation has been taken to mean that we have the
right to use the resources of our planet wantonly for our own selfish purposes regardless of the
repercussions. But, we need to realize and accept the responsibility that comes with our selfawareness and power. We are created in the image of God! We are responsible for the well-being
and flourishing of all humans, animals and plants who reside together in the wondrous biosphere
in which we live. We must remember that it is a closed system much like our human body. An
injury in one area causes ripples of effects throughout the entire system. I pray that we still have
the time, wisdom and humility necessary to change our ways before the age of man comes to an
end. For thine is the kingdom…
…and the power… I think it is important to remember that our very life’s breath comes
from the Divine Source. There is a sigh of contentment in this realization. If we can rest in the
28
29
Johnson, Divine Communion, 5.
Romans 8:38-39, ESV.
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love of God, pray with gratitude, and ask with humility for what is best for us in our lives, we
will find love and light all around us. God’s power is greater than anything on earth. And God’s
love is real, present and accessible. For thine is the kingdom and the power…
…and the glory… Rev. Laura Rose asked me one day to explain the difference between
a theatrical performance and performing in a Bibliodrama during worship. The question is
always prominent in my mind when working with a group of friends on the script for a
Bibliodrama. How do we perform for the glory of God?
Allow me to compare theatre and worship: I do theatre because I love it. I love the
process of developing a role. It is an adventure to start with the character as presented by the
playwright and flesh her out with my own personal life experience. I love the feeling of stepping
onto the stage as a totally different person in a different place and time. I love the interaction
between actors who are 80% in the role and 20% watching for bloopers and missed cues, or
making sure a slap sounds good but doesn’t hurt. It is an awesome balance of imagination and
reality blending to create a special moment in time. No two performances are ever alike! And the
relationships we form because of the required transparency of soul and creativity of spirit needed
are very special relationships. I love the lights, makeup, costumes, sounds, feelings… I love it
all! And, of course, the applause at the end of a great performance is very satisfying and
delightful.
Embodying Scripture through a Bibliodrama during worship is a completely different
experience; it has a different intention and goal. Our sources are the sacred narratives of
Scripture. The scripts we use have been developed by collaborative effort. We read through the
chosen text and then discuss the story from first-person perspectives. How would you feel if you
were a beautiful young woman named Mary, happily engaged to a lovely man and suddenly you
find yourself pregnant after a stunning, mystical experience? What questions, advice and comfort
would Joseph receive from an elder priest of the temple, Zachariah, whose wife Elizabeth is also
mysteriously pregnant? When we step onto the chancel in a Bibliodrama, our intention is to bring
the sacred to life. We strive to open the minds and hearts of our beloved community by
embodying the familiar stories. When one of our funny, irreverent elders plays Elizabeth to Mary
portrayed by the beautiful new member from Africa who is indeed pregnant, the too-familiar
biblical story becomes real and relevant in a very personal way! Those performing pray before
entering the worship service. Our prayer invites the Holy Spirit to dance in, with and between us
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during this embodied worship. Rather than applause, we listen for sighs, laughter, gasps of
recognition and sniffles. And we do it for the glory of God.
When we perform monologues of the emotion-filled remembrances of the last days of
Jesus as experienced by Magdalene, Judas, and Peter, the love of Jesus rushes unexpectedly
through our blood and the congregation feels his presence deep in their hearts in a way they
never have before. This deeply personal experience of God has the ability to bring healing in
unexpected ways. It is easy to let yourself suspend your disbelief and engage with the story being
told. And it is through that openness of heart that God can enter and bless. It is an act of gratitude
and an honor to give glory to God for this experience. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory…
…forever and ever. The love of God is unconditional and eternal. Let me say that again:
There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. Nothing. Rest in that knowledge.
Amen. Shalom. Ameen. Blessèd Be.
Why Ordination?
One of the most persistent questions that has followed me through seminary is also
included in the guidelines for this paper: “Why do you feel your need to be ordained to do what
you are called to do?” Excellent question! My answer is two-fold:
An ordination is a human ecclesiastical ritual wherein a person is acknowledged,
honored and authorized for ministry by the clergy and laity of a local UCC church. By so doing,
we are stepping into the responsibility proclaimed in the Preamble to the UCC Constitution
which we referenced earlier: “the responsibility of the church in each generation to make this
faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart
before God.”30 There is an Examination during the ritual in which questions are asked and
promises are made. Prayers are raised and signs of office are bestowed. Title is given and
responsibility is accepted. As described in the UCC Book of Worship: “By this rite ordained
ministerial standing is conferred and authorization given to perform the duties and exercise the
prerogatives of ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ.”31 Ordination will grant me the
privilege of presiding over Communion and administering Baptism – the two Sacraments
30
UCC Constitution Preamble, paragraph 2.
Book of Worship UCC, (Cleveland, OH: United Church of Christ Office for Church Life and Leadership,
1986), 405.
31
Ordination Paper: Michael D. Haven
page 26
recognized by the UCC. It will also increase my confidence to stand tall in my role as Minister in
the United Church of Christ. It will affirm what I have felt in my heart as my Call from God. It
will validate the four years of study, personal growth and spiritual development experienced at
the Pacific School of Religion. Finally, it is a culminating affirmation and celebration with the
congregation and Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Alameda who have walked with
me on this amazing journey.
An ordination is a spiritual ritual wherein a sacred relationship is formed. In this ritual,
God joins in the laying on of human hands to facilitate the transmission of the Holy Spirit into
the Ordinand’s very soul. During the laying on of hands as directed in the Book of Worship, the
Reverend presiding over the ordination petitions the Divine. This is how it would sound for me:
“Bestow on Michael the power of your Holy Spirit, confirming what we do. Let the same mind
be in her that was also in Christ Jesus. Enable her to nourish your people in the faith of the
gospel. Fill her speech with truth and her life with purity. Increase the faith of Michael in you,
strengthen her in the day of trouble, prosper her words and works that your name may be
glorified and your truth exalted; through Jesus Christ our Sovereign and Savior.”32
Ultimately, I believe in the sacred mystery of this ancient ritual. For me to fully embody
and perform my Call, it is required that I take my vows, make my promises and accept my
responsibilities. It is also required that God meet me there in that moment and fill me, through
the hands and voices of the congregation who knows me so well, with Her love, strength and
compassion, ushering me into my new role, officially sanctioned by both Divinity and humanity.
With that understanding and relying on God’s grace, I respectfully request that I be approved for
ordination within the United Church of Christ.
32
Book of Worship UCC, 410.