I’m a little slow getting my next Courant article online. In any case, have a blessed Christmas – Epiphany is just around the corner.

I miss the old cartoons. Perhaps you know the ones I’m thinking of – these were the rough-hewn cartoons where a can of spinach could turn someone into a muscle-bound powerhouse – the ones where an anvil (or piano) could fall on your head and you’d walk away bouncing up and down like an accordion. I remember the sounds of an obnoxious woodpecker and the antics of old coyote who ordered all of his unsuccessful road-runner-catching equipment from a mysterious but compelling company called Acme. Of course, there were also bouncing gummy bears and a hundred little blue men who seemed to always be in trouble with a mean old wizard. They might not have been high art and contemporary parents often judge them as overly violent and simplistically moralistic, but there was one thing you could find in every one of them: the famous light bulb.

It didn’t matter who it was, whenever someone had a seemingly brilliant idea, a light bulb always appeared above their head to brightly proclaim the character’s epiphany – that moment of transition from ignorance to wisdom – from darkness to light.

Epiphany, in the church, is remarkably similar to that that ever-present cartoon light bulb. It is the day we commemorate a once-in-history change from darkness to light… from ignorance to wisdom… from death to life. Epiphany is the celebration of Jesus, the light of the world – “the true light which enlightens everyone.” (Jn. 1:9)

Perhaps you’re asking: but isn’t that what Christmas is all about? The answer, surprisingly, is “no.” Sure, Christmas is all about the birth of a messiah, but it was the Israelites’ Messiah, not the world’s. Epiphany celebrates that Jesus came for us too. This is why we often talk about the Magi on Epiphany – they were, we believe, the first gentiles to recognize Jesus for who and what he was.

Epiphany is celebrated in many ways around the world. Some communities burn their Christmas trees on Epiphany to create a gigantic “light” in honor of Christ’s coming; in some traditions, families use chalk to write the year and the letters CMB on their door frames (the traditional names for the magi were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, the letters also conveniently reference the phrase “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means “may Christ bless this dwelling”) – this year the chalking would be: 2+0+C+M+B+1+1 (you might even see it above the exit doors in some churches).

This year we will be gathering at church on January 6th to celebrate Epiphany. There will be a soup dinner followed by a short litany and an outside tree burning. Please dress warm and join us to celebrate Christ’s glorious incarnation – if you have a real tree, bring it along, we’ll even include it in the celebration!

Grace and Peace,
`tim

Below you’ll find my article for our December church newsletter (the Courant). For those of you unfamiliar with the Reformed Church, let me explain: we have 3 categories of members (1) Confessing (Active) Members, (2) Baptized Members, and (3) Inactive Members. (We also have “adherents” – but they’re not technically “members” even though, in many churches, many of the adherents are more “active” than the official “members!”)

In September I wrote about what it means to be an active (confessing) member. This month I wrote about what it means to be “inactive.”

A few months ago I wrote about what it means to be a “member” of the church. In short, I suggested that it means living into the vows we take when we make profession of faith. Specifically the four-fold commitment to: (1) a rejection of evil, (2) a profession of faith in Jesus, (3) a commitment to worship and service, and (4) an acceptance of the church’s guidance while living out a communal commitment to unity, purity, and peace. Membership is a fairly simple concept – we promised to do something and we do it. The reality is, however, that there are times when we don’t do what we said we would. In the Reformed Church we call that being “inactive.”

“Inactive” is a word that in almost any other context is a completely neutral concept. An inactive nurse is simply a nurse who isn’t practicing. An inactive member of a club is someone who doesn’t participate in the activities of that club. Most organizations have an “inactive” status and, although they’d prefer people were active, they understand that sometimes the demands of life don’t allow for full participation. To be “inactive” does not make someone “bad” or a “failure.” It is simply an honest categorization of those who are not, for whatever reason, currently active.

As I wrote in September, we need to be clear: membership in the church is different from membership in other organizations. Church membership is a public commitment to live in community with God’s people and participate in the life and ministry of a local congregation. Fellowship and ministry are not “extra curricular” aspects of Christianity; they are fundamental to the faith. Which is why, “inactive” in the church is often seen as a negative or judgmental designation. Indeed, there are rare, but appropriate, times when the Elders of a congregation are called to make someone inactive as a matter of discipline.

Generally speaking, though, the designation of “inactive,” like in other organizations, is nothing more than an honest categorization of those who are not, for whatever reason, currently active. We read about this in the Book of Church Order which requires the board of Elders to “place on the inactive list the name of any confessing member whose relationship with the church has ceased for one year or who for one year has not made faithful use of the means of grace” (BCO 1.I.5.2d). In other words, the Elders are expected to look at the membership list every year and designate those who are “inactive.” The hope is, of course, that people will renew their active connection with the church. As a matter of fact, the BCO continues, in the same paragraph, by saying that the Elders “shall seek diligently… to recover that member.”

Unfortunately, there is no convenient way to deal with the deep tension between the realization that a number of our members are not “active” (whom BCO requires the Elders to make inactive) and the concern that doing so will be seen as judgmental (which is not intended!) Your Elders are doing their best to find a way to honor the requirements of our order while, at the same time, doing so in a way that is wise, gracious and non-judgmental.

As always, if you would like to discuss this with me further, please let me know. My office hours remain the same and I am available by phone and e-mail.

Grace and peace,
`tim