Having committed to memory just about every episode of Seinfeld, I’m often reminded of something from the show.  Hearing about various alternative ways of Christmas gift-giving brings to mind the episode in which Jerry’s best friend, George Costanza, a noted cheapskate who is frustrated by “everything becoming a gift-giving occasion,” tries to pull a fast one on his co-workers.  As everyone else is exchanging holiday gifts, George hands out cards saying, “A donation has been made in your name to the Human Fund.”  The recipients are caught off-guard by this, but try to pretend they are honored by this “gift.”  Of course, there is no Human Fund, and George has honored no one – and has laid out no money.

One of the things we’re doing at our church this year is offering an alternative to buying poinsettias for the sanctuary in honor or memory of a loved one, friend, etc.  There is a small Christmas tree in the back of the sanctuary on which we will hang bows for each contribution for a gift fund to be donated to a local elementary school with low-income children.  The contributions may be made in honor or memory, as well, like the poinsettias. 

Another church where I served had an “Angel Tree” every Christmas.  The ornaments on the tree were tags with the names of young people who had a parent in prison and their Christmas requests.  I was moved one year by the humility of the request on the tag we drew.  It was for a middle school-aged boy who requested a pair of blue jeans and a Monopoly game.

A church in Oklahoma has begun a tradition of holding a “Charitable Market of Blessings.”  The church invites charitable organizations to provide booths with information about their work, or perhaps with some items to sell.  People can make contributions in honor of others, or buy the items as gifts.  One of the organizers, Jeanette Heitfeld, said, “We felt last year those who came could do 100 percent of their shopping right there. They weren’t giving things that family and friends didn’t want. The giver and the recipient and the mission all gained from it — a three-way win-win-win.”

In 2006, the church raised $8,000 for the organizations, despite receiving ten inches of snow the night before the event.  They hope to increase that amount substantially this year.

Other churches are establishing similar opportunities for alternative Christmas celebrations and sharing.  Websites for organizations such as Global Ministries and Alternatives have information and resources available for those who want to explore these options and possibilities.

It has been my good fortune to meet innumerable interesting people over the course of my life and career.  Some were well-known, others well to know.  One of my favorites was Rev. William Sloane Coffin. He is now deceased, and the world is a lesser place because of it.      

Coffin was a person who possessed tremendous personal charisma, backed up by a clear awareness of what was happening in the world, why it was happening and how lives were affected.  He also expressed himself with directness that cleanly cut through any nonsense.  He was a person of joyous faith, funny and generous in spirit.  I noticed in reading his books and hearing him speak that he liked to use quotations to emphasize his points.  His favorite seemed to be, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” a sentiment attributed to Lord Acton.                                                          

Rev. Coffin served as chaplain at Yale University during the tumultuous days of Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement, and took an active role as a witness for peace.  He was the senior minister at Riverside Church in New York for a good while, and spent some time in Washington as the president of a peace organization.  I spent time with him in New York, St. Louis, and Washington.                        

Twice I was able to arrange for Coffin to meet with William Penn House groups during my tenure as Executive Director.  The first time was a gathering of my ministerial colleagues from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of the Capital Area Region.  Coffin came to WPH and we all sat around the downstairs meeting room for an hour or two having a free-for-all discussion.  It was great.                                

His second visit was with a group of seminary students attending our biennial Historic Peace Churches Seminarians Conference.  Friends, Mennonites and Brethrens gathered, but the group was large enough that we couldn’t house them all at WPH.  Half of the group used accommodations provided in the basement of a Capitol Hill church.  The meeting with Coffin occurred there.

As I waited for him to show up that evening, I stood on the sidewalk outside the church visiting with several of the students.  A taxi pulled up and I said, “I believe Rev. Coffin has arrived.”  The students all scurried back inside the church, Coffin stepped out of the cab, and we exchanged greetings.  He laughed as he said he was just coming from an event where a person received some award or other.  “She’s for peace, dammit!” Coffin said, his eyes full of fun.  I knew just what he meant, a kind of holier-than-thou attitude I occasionally observed among “peace” people outmaneuvering each other for the moral high ground.  The peace game can become very competitive at times.

The group had a lively discussion with Coffin that night, and I noticed as I sat next to him that he turned toward me when he made his more radical comments.  I was glad that in some small way I made him feel safe.  Following the program, he was very gracious as numerous students approached him for a personal word.                          

Finally, I asked him, “Can I drop you somewhere?”  “You’ve got a car?  You’re sure you don’t mind?”  “Just tell me where you want to go.”  It turned out he was living at the time a block or two off of Connecticut Avenue NW, so we set off together into the Washington night.

It was a rare privilege for me to spend time alone in the car with Coffin, engrossed in a wonderful conversation, driving by the illuminated national monuments, startlingly crisp and bright against the dark sky, past the Kennedy Center, the Watergate Apartments, and along the suddenly wooded and steep-cliffed Rock Creek Parkway.   We talked about preaching, about some places he recently visited, a little about my experiences in ministry.  When we finally reached our destination I was sorry the moment was over, but thankful another special memory entered the files.  It was a very good night, my favorite during my time at William Penn House.  

I have a small picture of William Sloane Coffin on a bookshelf in my office, and I always smile when I look at it.

Arun Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma, bluntly states that "materialism is weakening families," because people caught up in materialism are "selfish and self-centered."  He suggests that families are facing a "what's in it for me?" attitude when it comes to the bonds linking family members, and that there is "an inverse relationship between materialism and morality.  When one increases, the other decreases.”

It seems this is having an effect on some churches and church institutions, as well.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, is gathering information from numerous megachurch and television pastors regarding the use of contributions made to the pastors and their churches.  Sen. Grassley is curious whether everything is on the up and up, given what he terms the "luxurious lifestyles" of these particular pastors.  Are the contributions being used as directed by the donors?  Are tax laws being followed?

What is the effect of materialism on these wealthy spiritual leaders?

Richard Roberts, son of television evangelist Oral Roberts, recently stepped down as president of his father's university.  His leadership was questioned, and the focus was on his handling of finances.  Some claim he "misspent school funds to support a lavish lifestyle and ordered an accountant to help hide improper and illegal financial wrongdoing."

Jim Bakker spent time behind prison bars for the way he used money contributed to his television "ministry."  Others have wrestled with money and its temptations.  Jesus talked more about money and wealth than about most other subjects.  So, he knew it was and would be an issue for his followers.

Many people of faith vehemently condemn gays and lesbians, based most often on what they hear others claim the Bible says about homosexuality.  Percentage-wise, the usually referred-to verses of scripture are miniscule in comparison to teachings about wealth.  Yet, exceedingly more people shout about the "threats" of homosexuality to families than about the threats of materialism.

Could it be because most of us are caught up in materialism, and we refuse to acknowledge its insidious grip on our lives?

It seemed inevitable.  With news of the rapidly expanding church in parts of Africa a fact of life in recent times, it didn’t take a genius to expect that one day missionaries would be sent to the United States by some of these churches.   Generations of North American Christians have supported, prayed for, and hosted during their hiatuses missionaries sent to Africa.  Well, it turns out the shipping lanes run two ways.

A Nigerian pastor, Sunday Adelaja, spoke for many other African clergy who are establishing churches in the United States:  “America is fast becoming a mission ground again.  We are surprised that the Americans who preached to us, the passion they had is almost already gone.”  He further commented, “We shouldn’t allow the Christian influence to diminish in this country.”  He observed that “abortion, divorce and school shootings,” are an indication of diminishing values.

People who seriously study such things are suggesting that in the realm of Christianity, we are living in the “African century.”   Adelaja already has done big-time work in the Ukraine, establishing a Pentecostal church 13 years ago that now claims 30,000 members.   He and many other African Christians are zealous in sharing their faith story with any and all who will listen.  They sense that churches in the U.S. are more focused on finances than on evangelism.

Adelaja calls on Christians everywhere not to be tepid about their faith or about sharing their testimony with others.  He asserts that Biblical values are being ignored or rejected, and the results are predictable, running the gamut from teen pregnancy to corruption among elected officials and those who work for them.

He says, “If we don’t engage the culture, the culture is going to overrun the church.”

DisciplesWorld has a short news item on the website about vandals in the Philadelphia area who messed with locks on several churches to keep worshipers from entering on Sunday.  In some cases they put glue in the locks.  In others, they broke off keys.  Drills and even blow torches were used to open the doors to the churches so the faithful could enter.

I remember an incident at the Baptist church I attended for a few months when I first went away to college in North Carolina.  The pastor reported at worship one Sunday that someone entered the church during the week and discharged fire extinguishers inside the building.  His light-hearted comment was, “They came into the church and said, ‘Let us spray.’”

One of the ministers in Philadelphia was quoted as saying the glued lock trick was “really comical.”  He also said, “(the) devil is trying to tell us we are doing something right for the Lord.”

Not so fast, there, Reverend.

In my mind, there is a lot of hostility behind church break-ins and vandalism.  In some cases, theft is the motivation.  In others, it is plain, unvarnished, destructive bitterness.  The “perps” may be mad at the specific church or someone in it, or they may have a deeply held anger against God.  They may be opposed to what they perceive as the church’s attitude or outlook. 

It’s never comical.

Christians and churches can quickly earn a negative reputation when they are seen as judgmental, exclusive, hypocritical, or proponents of hate.  I have seen bumper stickers that take the form of a prayer:  “Lord, save me from your followers.”

Sharing the love of Christ is not simply a cliché.  It also is not easy, but the love of Christ is a powerful force that bridges gaps between people.  The bridges really are to be built outside of the church building.

Energy Star for Congregations is a program of the Environmental Protection Agency that is an attempt to raise the issue of energy efficiency with churches, mosques, and synagogues.  According to EPA studies, more than $200 million could be saved each year if the nation’s 300,000 faith communities went “green.”   On average, that’s $667 per house of worship.  Of course, some initial upfront investment would be necessary.  Think of the many ways ministries could be enhanced if a couple hundred million dollars were pumped into the ministry “economy.”

Of course, church folks cannot agree on the value of acknowledging the importance of caring for the environment.  Keeps us humble, I guess.

There was a Values Voter Summit held in Washington, DC recently, and varying opinions were shared.  Richard Land, the Southern Baptists’ guru on Ethics and Religious Liberty declared, “The Bible says the Earth is for human betterment,” which, he seemed to imply, meant it’s fair game for exploitation for economic expansion.  Of course, those doing the exploiting don’t always live where the “betterment” is extracted.  But, others do.

The spiritual leader of the Sojourners community, and Call to Renewal, Jim Wallis, maintained, “Climate change threatens human lives, and the environment is clearly on the mainstream of the evangelical agenda.”  Echoing Wallis was Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals, who stated that God has mandated in scripture (Genesis 2:15) the care and protection of Creation.

Some 54% of evangelicals indicated in a poll that they favored political candidates who pledged to tackle the issue of global warming.  Our friend Richard Cizik is a vocal proponent of evangelical concern and involvement in environmental matters.  He’ll tell anyone who listens that 21^st Century evangelicals have a broader agenda than those of the recent past, and that global warming is high on the list.

Sounds good to me.  Perhaps a majority of people of faith can be united in this concern, and as we work together, discover that we share other common ground, as well.

Yesterday's Old Testament reading was from the prophet Isaiah, in which he lends his voice to God who declares, "I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating."  And it goes on from there to describe a place and time when "weeping shall be no more," and blessings will abound.  John restates this vision in Revelation 21, as he seeks to give encouragment and hope to the First Century Christians facing persecutions and other struggles.

In the television show "Good Times," James Evans tried to provide for his family in the projects of Chicago in the face of injustice and racism.  One moment I remember from the program portrayed James' frustration once again at being kept back, and someone -- perhaps his wife Florida -- reminded him of the vision from Isaiah.  She said, "Remember James, the Bible says one day the 'lion will lie down with the lamb.'"  James replied, "Yeah, and only the lion is gonna get up."

Skepticism is often our response to a new vision for life.  We see what we see, and sometimes it's difficult to imagine anything new.

Someone mentioned watching the recent Country Music Awards, noting there was a song by Brooks and Dunn called "God Must Be Busy."  It turns out Bon Jovi also has a song with a similar theme, "Hey God," and both songs talk about the difficulties of life and the bad things happening in the world.  They wonder why God doesn't fix it all, and make it right.

Neither is a praise song.

As I see it, though, the problem isn't that God is busy (although I can't imagine how that would NOT be the case), but that people are busy.  People are busy looking out for Number One.  We're busy acquiring "stuff" to fill the emptiness of our lives.  We're busy either ignoring others and their needs, or finding ways to put others down, hold them back, or prove they are no good, so that we can raise our estimate of ourselves.  We're busy forgetting our relationship with God, ignoring the possibilities and inspiration of a vision for life and the world such as we find in the writings of Isaiah.  We're busy shooting ourselves in the foot.

A vision for a better life and world doesn't just happen.  We have to embrace the vision, and live into it.

But that's difficult to do.

A church in South Carolina took an interesting approach to their Vacation Bible School this past August.  Their theme was “Sanctuary,” and they ended up using “Build A Better World” resources from Church World Service.  As the church reported to CWS, “It was quickly apparent that your lesson on landmines in Cambodia would fit in very well, especially when teaching that a Sanctuary is a place of refuge, a safe haven.”  They ordered 100 of the landmine bells and made wind chimes.

I heard about the landmine bells at a recent clergy gathering.  It turns out that there are people in Cambodia who take unexploded shells or defused landmines and have them converted into bells for their livestock.  Foundries melt down the materials of war and, and as CWS describes the process, turns them into “tools of hope.”

The bells can be purchased online for thirty cents a piece.  They also may be ordered by writing or calling CWS.  The bells come with a description of how they were made.

Our friends in South Carolina built a “sanctuary” as part of their Bible School program, and now on the church property there is an area with five pews facing a cross, with some of their homemade wind chimes fastened to nearby trees.

It sounds like a wonderful program, as the children learned about the meaning of sanctuary, were touched by the story of the lives of the people of Cambodia, saw a real life example of “swords turned into plowshares,” and even raised some money to help support the work of CWS in Cambodia.

Others in the congregation who didn’t participate in the Bible School were caught up in the tale of the “shells to bells” project, talking with Bible School leaders and participants and asking for bells themselves.

The cause of peace took a couple of small steps forward.

There actually is a place called Hurricane, West Virginia, and in that town there is a church employing robocall technology to proclaim the gospel.   Robocalls are the phone calls you receive that are nothing more than a pre-recorded message that plays when you answer your ringing telephone.

The church is the Hurricane Bible Church, and the voice in the recording is that of the pastor, Art Hage.   The message lasts ninety seconds, shares Bible verses and a prayer.  There even is an opportunity for the recipient to record a response at the end.  Pastor Hage’s voice says, “God bless you is my prayer.”  He says, “We’re not asking them for anything.  We’re giving away the love of Christ.”

The Hurricane Bible Church has not grown in terms of new members since undertaking this approach to evangelism, but they maintain that isn’t their goal.  They apparently see this as a way to share the Good News, and to let the results take care of themselves.

I’m not sure I would hang in there for the whole ninety seconds if I were to receive such a call.  When I answer the phone and hear someone touting a political candidate or telling me I’ve won some glorious prize from a contest I never entered, I don’t listen beyond the point where I realize it’s a recording.  I figure if a live person doesn’t have the time to speak with me, then I’m not wasting mine on a tape.

The Hurricane Bible Church can do as it pleases, but it seems to me that true evangelism is more about genuine interaction than about blanketing a community with a recording.  Evangelism can take many forms, such as working on a mission project, mentoring a young person, listening to someone in distress, and sharing the story of your personal faith journey.  But, I think people are involved directly on both sides of the equation.

Churches do enough already to keep others at arm’s length.  I don’t see evangelism as something impersonal.

In the history of the establishment of my denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), there were slogans developed among the frontier folks attracted to the movement.  Included were:  “Christian Unity is Our Polar Star;” No Creed but Christ, No Book but the Bible;” “Bible Names for Bible Things;” and “Where the Scriptures Speak, We Speak, Where the Scriptures are Silent, We are Silent.”

For a church attempting to “restore” the New Testament faith and practice, these slogans helped remind people what the church was trying to do.  They illustrated the centrality of scripture to the approach undertaken by the leaders of the movement.

But, they also sometimes revealed the difficulty of the undertaking.  “Where the Scriptures Speak…” could be taken a couple of different ways.

Apparently, there was a congregation in St. Louis around 1867 that became caught up in a disagreement of interpretation.  The church had an organ in their sanctuary, but some felt that since the New Testament did not mention the use of musical instruments in worship, then it was not an appropriate practice.  Others believed that since there was no specific prohibition of musical instruments in worship, it was allowed.

The folks in favor of playing the organ in worship somehow lost out, and left the fellowship.  They started their own congregation, and eventually were able to build a meeting house.  They were not, however, ever able to raise sufficient funds to acquire an organ. 

So, it turned out that those who could, would not, and those who would, could not.

The fellowship was divided, the body broken, and it’s difficult to imagine that anyone was happy.  Their witness to those outside the church fell far short of what it could have been, for they allowed lesser matters to tear them apart.

This seems like an example of why the forbears of our church felt emphasis on doctrines and creeds detracted from Christian unity.  It’s ironic that such a division occurred within the movement.

But then, it’s ironic today when churches and Christians are divided, hostile, exclusive and judgmental.

Something has been missed, and even if we don’t realize it, the world isn’t fooled.