Overdosed on Lutherans (January 7, 2009)

I put my status on FB as "overdosed on Lutherans" as a sort of humorous thing. Actually, it's not that I OD'd on Lutherans in particular, it was just a somewhat later night last night than I'm used to. I had a work day starting at 7:30 AM, and didn't end until after 9:00. So I'm tired this morning. But I wanted to say a little more.

Since I'm heading up an interfaith organization, I'm considered a "ministry leader" by some of the churches, and I get invited from time to time to more really internal discussions. Last night was one of those times.

The church is in one of these sorts of suburban communities in which everyone is white and upper middle class. Nearly everyone goes to the public school because its all white and upper middle class. None of the streets go through, and its miles to walk anywhere, even to your neighbors in a different subdivision. Most of the houses were built in the last 25 years, and probably even most of them were built in the last 15 years.

The meeting was in one of these nice homes, the sort where you can have a meeting of twenty people and comfortably seat them in your informal dining and family room areas. It started at 6:30, and included a potluck supper.

One of the things that really struck me, from my conversations with people before the meeting while having supper, and then in the meeting itself, was how these were people who were really engaged in a search for meaning and authenticity.

It's pretty easy for people to dismiss folks in these suburban settings. And dismiss them for the same things that I heard people at the meeting say that they were struggling against: pretending that everything is perfect, trying to maintain status or one-up those around them, having only superficial relationships, inability to find things that really mattered.

I also think it is easy for people who don't have much truck with organized religion to also dismiss people seriously engaged in the structures of organized religion - clusters and committees and the synod.
But what I witnessed was that people were using their involvement the church to find a way to break through the traps of suburban culture to figure out who they really are, to form deeper relationships with their fellows, to make a difference in the world.

I can understand why some folks don't want to have this sort of search dressed up in "Lord" and "Jesus" and "ministry" and "discipleship". But I came out of that meeting impressed with those who do.