Heart-Shaped Bread

We started celebrating the Eucharist every Sunday a few years ago (if you want to transform the spirit of your community of faith you "people called Methodists," stop messing around and embrace "The Duty of Constant Communion," now!)

The sacrament defines our community.  

The table around which we gather is an outward and visible sign of who the St. John's community is while casting the vision and challenge of who we are to become.

As we moved toward weekly observance, I asked my ministry partner, John, to compose a Great Thanksgiving for the St. John's community of faith.  John's way with words, being the lyricist that he is, left me confident that the product of his work would be a gift to St. John's for years to come.

And so it is.  This eucharistic prayer is purely John as it is Wesleyan.  As such it cannot belong to St. John's alone, it belongs to all of us who gather around the table of Grace.

So here it is.  I invite my clergy family to embrace this setting and use it as you preside the Table in your communities of faith.

Thank you John.  

Thank you God for John.

Heart-shaped Bread

Rev'd Dr. John Kilzer, Minister of Recovery Ministries

St. John’s United Methodist Church, Memphis, Tennessee

Peace be with you.

And also with you.

What? with our hearts?

We lift them up to the Lord.

Why?

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and wrapped in joy, 

God of this moment in eternity,

  to offer our hearts to you in thanksgiving, 

  hearts carved in your image and beating with the breath of life. 

We tried to run: we tried to hide. 

But everywhere we turned you were there. 

We were restless till we rested in you, 

God of covenant and grace, 

   of prophetic fire, 

   wind and water. 

We are yours. 

What else can we do now 

other than join your company of heaven in their unending hymn

Holy holy holy Lord, God of power and might.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest!

Lord what we know of holiness we find in your blessed Son Jesus Christ, 

   upon whom lighted your love-shaped dove. 

He fed the poor: he led the captive free.  He said to the blind: "See!" 

He was at home with sinners. 

His suffering, death and resurrection birthed your church, 

   offering us asylum from sin and death 

   and promising us a home in the mansion of your heart.

On the night it all happened, 

   with one hand touching his heart, 

   the other offering bread, 

He gave himself to his disciples saying:

“Partake of this: remember me eternally: 

  put me back together as the church.”

Afterward, He took the cup and said; 

“Drink: I am the wine of remembrance. 

What flows from me now flows through you.” 

So: Remember, 

   give thanks always, 

   praise, and pray, 

as we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. 

Breathe on us God. 

Make these bones and blood be the church, 

Christ’s body in the world.

And as you are Three in One, 

Make us one in the world, 

   as we tabernacle with those 

   whose hearts are hardened, 

that our love may leaven the loaves at your heavenly banquet.

With You, through You, from You to You, 

God of glory, worthy to be praised, 

   now and through eternity, 

we all, with one heart, one voice, one spirit, and one love, say

Amen.

Indelible

To the Reconciling Community of the Memphis Conference,

The events of the Special Session of the General Conference have concluded, but the impact left is indelible.  Like many of you, no doubt, I’ve wondered what this all means, and what do we do next.

What I want to convey to you in this short message is that the indelible impact will not be the pain and the tears.  There is new fire and conviction that the actions of the Church will not prevail, and that a Methodist expression of a church for all people shall not be deterred.

I attended a worship service the morning after General Confernce led by Mark Miller and The Love Thy Neighbor Coalition.  While I went expecting rage and lament, there was praise and holy boldness that this is our church and we aren’t leaving.  Rev’d David Meredith spoke and announced that something died in St. Louis.  It was a powerful witness.  In the end, though, what died was the hope and belief that The United Methodist Church will change as it is now.   What is being resurrected is the conviction that those of us who long for a church for all people will create the change we seek.   We will resist.  We will fight for change, including systemic change that allows for the existence of such an expression.

Despite the temptation to the contrary, let us hold on.  Do not succumb to despair.  On the eve of Lent, I’m reminded of Jesus’ temptations in the desert.  While we may not be able to relate to his temptations, I do believe one we all can relate to is to succumb the to temptation that things are as they are and that there’s nothing we can do about it.

I’m here to tell you there is.  

After everyone gets back to their places of ministry, where the REAL church is, new conversations will begin.  As lead pastor of the only Reconciling Congregation in our Conference, let me invite you to a time of gathering for conversation, discernment and prayer going forward.  Details will be forthcoming including a HOLD DATE.  My intent is for us to meet well before the end of March.

Remember the tears you’ve shed and the pain you feel in this moment.  And do not let it be the last thing you feel.  

Choose love.

A Foretaste of Glory Divine

(St. Louis) I’m not going to even attempt to explain what happened today. You saw it, read about it.

What happened is what was going to happen. It was baked in the cake by the nature of the delegates present (yes, it matters who we elect to be delegates). The WCA had the numbers, was organized and cared only about one thing—winning, and they did everything (and I mean everything to achieve their aim) to do it. Unrelated (or is it?) I hope the Microsoft Corporation gave somebody bulk pricing for all the new Surface Tablets that some of our delegates unboxed and walked around with on the floor. 

And for now they were successful. 

The truth is the Traditional Plan was, is and will be declared unconstitutional, and the body voted for it anyway. 

But that’s what was. Through the pain and tears in St. Louis there is a family coming together. A family the color of the rainbow that will not be deterred. It’s a family that will love God and all that God loves. 

It’s a family that will love justice, do kindness and walk humbly with God. 

This family will love one another as it loves those who can’t find a way to be in fellowship with it. 

Wanna know what it’s gonna look like?  

The benediction of the Special Session was not what was spoken on the stage. It’s what was sung in the vestibule surrounded by St. Louis police for fear of rioting. 

And it was a riot. One of grace. This is the foretaste of glory Divine. I leave General Conference as I arrived. Yes, that’s Mark Miller leading the singing. 

Hearts of Stone

(St. Louis) Today was a rough day. I knew it would be, which didn’t make it hurt less. 

Going into the last day tomorrow where things will be voted on the likelihood is that either nothing changes or if it does it will be the more restrictive language, neither of which is tenable. 

How do you appeal to hearts of stone?  Turns out, you can’t. Between a misplaced religious zealotry, a pervasive spirit of xenophobia and puppet masters who direct the action from above through texts and secure loyalty through the provision of many brib...I mean “gifts” (yes I said it), the Methodist concept of Christian conferencing is a sham. 

But what is emerging as a result, if it’s clear The United Methodist Church won’t live into a church for all God’s children, is that there are some of us across the connection who have and will. 

As the session closed today I was needy of a word. The benediction I sometimes use to end worship rose up in my spirit. It’s framed from the words of the Liberal Lion of the 40 years ago and hero of mine, William Sloane Coffin. Maybe they’ll help you too as we discern the new thing God is doing whether the UMC votes for it or not:

“God give you the grace never to sell yourself short - 

Courage to risk something big for something good - 

And to remember that the world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.”

And so it is.

Priorities, Priorities

(St. Louis)  Short version. Long day.
Prioritizing legislation.
Top priority was Wespath (clergy pensions, seriously, that was the top priority).
Traditional Plan and Modified Traditional Plan deemed unconstitutional in a declaratory decision by the Judicial Council.
Yet the Tradition Plan was prioritized ahead of One Church Plan.
Lots of confusion with voting devices.
The mechanisms of unwieldy systems trying to work on display.
Yet we prayed for the Holy Spirit, still.
The prayer for the leading of the  Holy Spirit was constant.
Tomorrow is going to be one for the books.  Stay tuned.

Oh, one more thing.  You pray for the Holy Spirit to come, watch out, it just might.  And when She does, wild, crazy God-sized uncontrollable things happen, to which I pray:

Let it be.

Teach Me How to Pray

(St. Louis). The Dome, the place where “The Greatest Show on Turf” once played (led in no small part by the Tigers’ Isaac Bruce), is cavernous. It makes no sense for a gathering of our size to meet in a facility that holds almost 70K people. 

It’s hard to see everything’s that’s happening even with view screens. 

But there we were.  

The first day of gathered delegates and onlookers was a one of prayer and worship. Many languages were spoken highlighting the global nature of the Church.  I had the honor of being anointed by Bishop Bruce Ough, whose nonanxious presence during the most pressure filled moments in Portland a few years ago, modeled a style of leadership to which I aspire. 

We spent the afternoon talking about the rules we’d follow to conduct our business. 

In the corridors caucuses strategized what to do once we ”got down to business.”  Rumors swirled about who’s doing what and when. 

And still we prayed. We worshipped. We communed. We were anointed.

It’s a snapshot of who we are - the faithful who long for the Spirit’s leading to transform us into something hopeful, while others believe the Spirit is meant to lead us into a more rigid version of what is. 

And all the while there’s murmuring in the corridors. 

We start at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. 

Veni Sancte Spiritus. 

You Will Not Die

(St. Louis)  There’s an unease in the air as you walk into the registration area for the General Conference. As I arrived this afternoon to secure my badge I noticed some folks I knew from across the Connection. I ran into some of our fellow delegates with pleasantries about our travel, our lodging, and the weather. All looks say what our words don’t - “Well, here we are, what’s about to happen?  

On a blustery, gloomy day, with the threat of rain and cold on the horizon, it’s easy to live into the fear and foreboding of what may be.   The Conference opens tomorrow with worship and prayer. Lots of worship and prayer. Nothing wrong with that. It’s needed. 

But the wisest words I’ve received today originated from a communicator from the PC (USA): 

Get in the boat
Go across the lake
There will be a storm

You will not die.

Wise words, indeed. It takes courage to get into the boat. For The United Methodist Church, it’s time to board.