Pastoral Resources for Visiting the Sick and Dying

After this morning’s post, some have asked questions about resources for pastoral care, especially when it comes to visiting and ministering to the sick and dying. Let me give a few suggestions.

First, the mainline and historic traditions usually have excellent resources for ministers. The contents of the best of these prayer books and pastor’s manuals reflect the wisdom of the ages as they guide the visitor in various situations. I’m assuming that Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians have resources ready and at hand. Protestants: check with your local Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian (PCUSA), American Baptist, UCC, Episcopal, Disciples of Christ, or Reformed Church (RCA) minister and ask him or her what guides are available. I haven’t looked at all of them. My favorite is:

  • The Book of Common Prayer: The link will take you to a text edition, but you can also access the BCP on the web, in Kindle editions, etc. Rarely will you find more thoughtful and beautiful prayers.

As a Lutheran, I have used some of the ELCA prayers, but am only beginning to become familiar with them. Their guide for ministers is:

These guides are available through the denominational publishing houses, bookstores like Cokesbury, or at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Continue reading “Pastoral Resources for Visiting the Sick and Dying”

Eagle Updates — 7/31/12

Update 5:30pm — I spoke with Eagle by telephone earlier this afternoon. He said he feels very run down, but there are some positive signs. “Slow progress,” he called it. More than anything else, he said how much he has been impressed by the grace that has been coming his way through all of you. He also mentioned the chaplain visit as a helpful and encouraging contact. The infection in his leg is still a problem, and he continues to run a fever, so let’s continue praying for him.

You all are amazing. Thank you.

* * *

Update 11:20am — Eagle said the doctors said his CT looked good with no spread to the bone, etc. Although the cultures are still not back, they are beginning to think that it is not staph (MRSA). They are planing to continue the IV antibiotics since it is clear that he has some sort of infection.(I’m betting strep-medical people like to place bets on organisms).  He is still waiting for the Infectious Disease specialist to visit him.

He had a great conversation with the hospital chaplain who emphasized grace and mercy over condemnation. He said thinking about all of you who care is an example fo that. A friend is going to deliver his smart phone later today so he can read all of the comments. Thank you so much for sharing your love with Eagle.

Again, thanks to Dee at Wartbug Watch for taking the lead in this caring community!

* * *

8:30am — From Dee at Wartburg Watch:

Of course, Eagle called while I was in the shower and I will not be able to ring through on his room phone until 10AM. This is the message that he left. He was moved to the cardiovascular floor since they can monitor him while giving him a quiet room to sleep. His blood pressure is looking good but his temperature is still high and his leg is bright red and blistering. He does not have the CT results as yet. He says he would be happy to receive visitors so I will contact those of you that have offered. I will update after 10AM.

A Central Part of the Mission

NOTE FROM CM: It was back in Nov. 2009 when I wrote my first piece for IM, an interview with Michael Spencer about pastoral care for the dying. The timing was ironic, for it took place right before Michael became ill with cancer. You can read the entire interview HERE.

Today, in light of several personal situations I’ve encountered recently, I’d like to revisit one question from that article, to challenge myself and others to take up one central aspect of the work of Jesus with new vigor. I have edited this to reflect my experience as a hospice chaplain since that 2009 interview.

* * *

MICHAEL SPENCER: I first thought of this interview when it occurred to me that evangelicals don’t seem to have anything close to the resources of other traditions when it comes to pastoral care of the dying? Am I right?

CHAPLAIN MIKE: In my experience, most people and churches in the evangelical world have their focus on fellowship and activism. The kind of work I do as a hospice chaplain doesn’t fit the model very well.

I can’t tell you how many times I have had an evangelical friend or pastor ask me, with a sour look on his face, “Do you really like doing that?” They recognize that caring for those who are seriously ill and suffering is a part of life, but it’s a part they would rather avoid and deal with only when absolutely necessary. Not a regular part of the “mission,” you might say.

They know how to put people on the prayer chain. They know how to make a meal and bring it to a family that is going through a hard time. If there is something active they can do, like get a list together of folks to help the family with errands or cleaning house, etc., they might be able to organize some practical assistance. These things can be quite helpful, and should not be looked down upon. However, beyond that, there’s not much in the paradigm, especially if you’re talking about pastoral visitation. And we haven’t even talked about ministering to dying people who are outside the church, which is not even on the radar of most pastors or congregations.

Continue reading “A Central Part of the Mission”

Urgent Prayer Request

UPDATE: 10:00pm, 7/30, from Dee at Wartburg Watch:

I was told by the ICU nurse that Eagle has been transferred to another floor. She would not give me further information but said he would not be be able to receive phone calls for the next hour or so.  I will probably not update this until the AM. Thanks, Dee.

* * *

UPDATE: Eagle will have a CT scan. Surgery is a possibility depending on what they find.

* * *

UPDATE: 2:15pm, 7/30, from Dee at Wartburg Watch.

I got to speak with Eagle. He still has a fever at 102 and a low blood pressure along with a rapid heart rate. His leg is badly infected. He could not sleep last night because of the activity in the ICU. They are still awating the blood cultures.

The doctor hopes to transfer him to a floor tomorrow but it is up in the air. He would love visits once out of the ICU and gave me permission to give those who want to visit his real name and location.

I told him of the numbers of comments and well wishes and he was mega-grateful. He will view them after he is more stable and not feeling so sick. Keep praying. I am humbled by the love ALL of you have shown. Note from CM: Me too.

* * *

UPDATE at 10:00am, 7/30 at Wartburg Watch.

Some people have been having trouble with the email link in the post below. This is a “mailto:” link and you may need to allow pop-ups in order for it to work. You can also click the “Write to Chaplain Mike” link in the upper right hand corner of the site to send emails for Eagle to me.

* * *

UPDATE at 10:30pm at Wartburg Watch.

* * *

I saw this on Wartburg Watch today and called Dee immediately to find out more.

It seems our friend and regular commenter, Eagle, is in the midst of a serious health emergency and is hospitalized near his home. I don’t know enough to share details (and that would not be appropriate without his permission anyway), but he is in the Intensive Care Unit and the medical staff is trying to understand his condition and provide the best treatment.

He also has no family near him at this time.

I am monitoring the situation and staying in touch with my Wartburg Watch friends and hope to talk to Eagle soon if possible.

I will update you as I can, but I am asking you at this point to pray for him. If you would like to send messages of encouragement and support to him via email, you can send them to me at THIS ADDRESS.

Sermon: Jesus vs. the Little Red Hen (John 6:1-15)

Illustration by Joyce Hesselberth

For the next five weeks, the lectionary parks in John, chapter 6, and churches who follow it will be reading about Jesus as the Bread of Life. That theme brought an old favorite children’s story to my mind this week.

* * *

Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with a pig, a duck and a cat in a pretty little house which she kept clean and tidy. The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all day, but the others never helped. The pig liked to roll around, oinking in the mud outside, the duck used to swim, quacking in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.

One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she found a grain of corn.

“Who will plant this grain of corn?” she asked.
“Not I,” oinked the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
“Not I,” quacked the duck from her pond.
“Not I,” purred the cat from his place in the sun.

“Then I will do it myself,” said the little red hen. So she found a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn.

During the summer the grain of corn grew. First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely golden colour. The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for cutting.

“Who will help me cut the corn?” asked the little red hen.
“Not I,” oinked the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
“Not I,” quacked the duck from her pond.
“Not I,” purred the cat from his place in the sun.

“Very well then, I will cut it myself,” said the little red hen. Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.

“Now, who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?” asked the little red hen.
“Not I,” oinked the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
“Not I,” quacked the duck from her pond.
“Not I,” purred the cat from his place in the sun.

“Fine,” said the little red hen, “I will do it myself.” She took the corn to the mill and asked the miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.

Continue reading “Sermon: Jesus vs. the Little Red Hen (John 6:1-15)”

Classic iMonk: The Law/Gospel Rant

Classic iMonk Post
by Michael Spencer
 From July 2009

NOTE: Despite the fact that this post is law, you should still read it :-)

I want to talk about a specific problem in preaching and teaching: the problem of preferring law over Gospel.

I consider the primary problem with preaching and teaching in my Southern Baptist tradition these days to be an obsession with (or addiction to?) preaching the “law.” To put it mildly, it’s brutal out there. In many churches and ministries, you’re getting clubbed into putty with the law and hearing slightly less Gospel than what you’d get in fifteen minutes of country music, all courtesy of a preacher who has no excuse not to know better.

I’m using the simple Lutheran “law/Gospel” division here: all of scripture is either what God commands/demands under penalty or what he promises/provides freely by grace. This is law and Gospel. “Do” or “Done.” Moses or Jesus. God the accountant older brother or God the Father of the Prodigal. Advice or announcement. Sinai or the cross. Threat or comfort. Blessing or curse. You do it or else. God did and praise.

If you get this, Luther said, you are a theologian even without the degree. So if you don’t know this, learn it, and if ou learn it, use it. Go to New Reformation Press and get you some Rod Rosenbladt or, if you’re up for it, the book by Walther. (Lutherans can make suggestions for the rest of us on this.)

There’s a lot to discuss with this topic, because I believe genuine discipleship, which has aspects of law to it, grows out of and lives in the Gospel, not the law. (Think of Gospel as soil and law as fence. How does your garden grow?) The Gospel is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the King has a moral law. So I’m not simplistic. I sometimes hear people that I really respect do things with the Law-Gospel distinction that makes my skin crawl and that sounds like weird dispensationalism.

But let’s get this clear: I’m going to err on the side of the Gospel, not on the side of the law, so just expect that and understand it’s why I love Capon and Zahl. And don’t think it’s an easy thing for me to be consistently Gospel centered in my own life. God has really humbled me on this one through events in my own family. I have so much law stuffed in me from growing up Baptist that sometimes I’m useless. I could preach a great “beat-you-around-the-ears” law sermon in my sleep. When I hear preachers pummeling their people with the law and acting like the Gospel isn’t in existence anywhere in scripture, I understand how you can know better, but still get to that point.

For one thing, most of us have heard so much law preaching that we’re drowning in it. Most Baptists love it, too, or say they do. “You really told them today, preacher. You let ‘em have it” or my fave as a young preacher-boy “You really stepped on our toes today.” I must not have done it right then, because the law KILLS you, not annoys you, so you can be resurrected, not corrected.

I could name preachers all day who made their reputations on being law preachers, and they are popular because we love to hear someone preach our congregation or youth group right into the ground. When our people sleep and our youth group doesn’t care, we love to hear someone come in with the big stick and humble those uncaring sheep. Right?

Continue reading “Classic iMonk: The Law/Gospel Rant”

Saturday Ramblings 7.28.12

Welcome to the Opening Ceremonies version of Saturday Ramblings. Sorry, we don’t have Mary Poppins or Mr. Bean, but, well, I have been to England. Does that count? And I like British humor. I know what bangers and mash are, but still haven’t figured out why I would want to eat anything called “blood pudding.” (Yes, I tried some. No, it is not edible in any fashion. But it was on the breakfast buffet. But then, so were baked beans.) So, in honor of friendship and sports and endless Budweiser commercials, let’s join hands across the sea and ramble.

If you’re going to the games, or just wanting to see a bit of the Old Country, and plan to stay at the Damson Dene Hotel in the Lake District of England, you’ll want to bring your own Bible. If you reach into the nightstand for the trusty Gideon, you’ll be in for a rude surprise. Very, very rude.

In yet another attempt to separate Christians from the rest of the world, the latest list of the “best Christian places to work” is out. Tell me, if you have worked in both a fully-Christian environment and in the general marketplace, where have you experienced better treatment? Is there a great advantage (or disadvantage) to working in a Christian job?

Not sure how you would categorize Chick Fil A. Are they a Christian company, or just the makers of the best chicken sandwiches around? All of its stores are closed on Sundays. Its founder, Truett Cathy and his family who work for the fast-food chain are Christians. Dan Cathy, president of the restaurant chain, recently said his company backs “traditional marriage.” Now they are taking heat from such as the mayor of Chicago and the Muppets. Author Jonathan Merritt came out in support for Chick Fil A until—oops!—he was forced to come out this week himself. But Billy Graham—yes, that Billy Graham—says he supports his friends the Cathys and will go get a chicken sandwich this Wednesday on Chick Fil A Appreciation Day. Graham said, “As the son of a dairy farmer who milked many a cow, I plan to ‘Eat Mor Chikin’.” Sounds like Billy needs a good lie-down.

Billy Graham released a letter to his followers decrying the downfall of America. Most of it is typical fundraising fear language, but look at what he says he is working on these days. Eternal salvation? Really? Where do you see him going with this? Could it be he is taking on a former Grand Rapids pastor who says in the end, love wins?

Continue reading “Saturday Ramblings 7.28.12”

Classic Film Review: Babette’s Feast

Two elderly sisters named Martine and Philippa lived in a small community on the bleak coast of Denmark. Their father was the pastor of a small Christian sect characterized by simple living, sacrificial service, and strict separation from the world. When they were young, they had opportunities to marry but did not. They remained serving the church with their father, and continued doing so after he died.

One day a stranger knocked on their door. A French woman entered, carrying a letter from a famous man who had once sought Philippa’s hand. The stranger had been forced to escape France and needed refuge. Martine and Philippa took her in, and she became their maid.

The mysterious woman named Babette served them well for many years.

The little fellowship of believers continued to gather together, but as the congregation aged, members remembered past hurts and offenses that others had committed against them, and their unity began to fray. This grieved the sisters. Their father had exhorted them continually, “Little children, love one another.”

The 100th anniversary of the pastor’s birth was approaching and the sisters thought they should mark the day in a way that would bless and help their friends. In God’s providence, their French maid unexpectedly received a large amount of money and offered to prepare a special banquet for the occasion. They reluctantly accepted, and as the plans for the feast were proceeding Martine and Philippa and their community of simple believers became more and more uncomfortable with the idea of an excessive, decadent dinner party. Were they opening themselves up to evil?

* * *

Babette’s Feast, the marvelous 1987 film based on a story by Isak Dineson (aka Karen Blixen), is a gentle meditation on life, love, religion, the consequences of our choices, and the grace of God that inundates our lives and comes to us when we gather to receive his gifts.

At one point, young Phillipa is being courted by her singing teacher who is a famous opera singer from France. During a lesson they sing a duet from Mozart’s Don Giovanni in which he sings the part of Joy chasing and calling a lover. Shy and hesitant, she responds:

I tremble, yet I listen
I’m fearful of my joy
Desire, love, and doubt
Are battling in my heart

And how true these words! We are often so fearful of our joy, finding ourselves bound by the expectations of others and the restrictions by which we’ve limited ourselves. Much of the power in Babette’s Feast lies in the tension between admiration for the serious commitment of these sisters to their father’s ministry, and the realization of what might have been had they allowed their hearts to receive love.

Yet even their choices cannot outdo God’s mercy and lovingkindness, which is fully revealed in the dinner Babette serves. The wondrous epiphany that takes place there is put into words by Lorens, the soldier who once courted Martine.

Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another. Man, in his weakness and shortsightedness believes he must make choices in this life. He trembles at the risks he takes. We do know fear. But no. Our choice is of no importance. There comes a time when our eyes are opened and we come to realize that mercy is infinite. We need only await it with confidence and receive it with gratitude. Mercy imposes no conditions. And lo! Everything we have chosen has been granted to us. And everything we rejected has also been granted. Yes, we even get back what we rejected. For mercy and truth have met together, and righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another.

This Sunday, those who read the Lectionary will hear the first of five weeks of readings about Jesus feeding the multitudes and speaking to them about the Bread of Life (John 6). In the first story, John 6:1-14, a mysterious Stranger comes to the people and provides an unlikely feast for them. The Scripture tells us they got “as much as they wanted” and were “satisfied.” In fact, there were twelve baskets of leftovers to be saved for the next meal. As the people of that homely Danish village came to know the greatness of the one named Babette who had come to live among them through her feast, so those beside the Sea of Galilee recognized the presence of royalty in their midst when he spread a table before them in the wilderness.

And everything we have chosen has been granted to us in him.

And we even get back what we have rejected.

For mercy and truth have met together, and righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another.

And as Lorens said in his final words to Martine, “Tonight I have learned my dear, that in this beautiful world of ours, all things are possible.”

____________

Babette’s Feast (1988)
Directed by Gabriel Axel
Written by Gabriel Axel, from a story by Isak Dineson (Karen Blixen)
Starring Stephane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jari Kulle
Distributed by Orion Classics

Roger E. Olson: “God, Guns, and Guts”

Note from CM: I have long thought that many American Christians have a moral blind spot when it comes to violence. Last week’s horrific attack in Colorado has brought the specific matter of gun violence to the front pages once again. Though numbers have been declining in recent years, the FBI reports that there were still 8,775 murders by firearms in 2010 in the U.S. This represents 67.5% of all murders. We pay attention to the spectacular mass killings, but gun violence is an everyday occurrence, not the exception.

Roger E. Olson is Professor of Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. A prolific writer, he blogs at Patheos at Roger E. Olson: My Evangelical Arminian Theological Musings. With his kind permission, I present a post he wrote on July 22 on the subject of Christians and our often unexamined acceptance of violence in American culture.

* * *

“God, guns, and guts”
by Roger E. Olson
Used by permission

So, now there’s been another (what the media is calling a) massacre of Americans in a public place. This time not a school but a movie theater in a suburb of Denver. Many people are asking what these horrific events say about our society. I don’t have any final answers; mostly I have only questions and some thoughts about possible answers that at least, I think, bear further investigation.

As I drive around my part of the country (and I’m sure it’s not unique in this regard) I see bumper stickers that say things like: “God, guns and guts” and “Thank God for our soldiers–especially our snipers.” When I go into the “video store” (yes, a few really still exist!) and peruse the hundreds of “new releases” (some of them have been in that category for over a year!) I see scores, probably over a hundred, of extremely violent movies obviously aimed at impressionable young minds–mostly adolescent boys (even if some are still in their twenties!).

I see full page ads in the newspaper for “gun sales” at stores and in rented coliseums and event centers–often showing pictures of guns nobody would ever need for hunting. I have been told that up to half of all adults in some parts of the country carry concealed weapons (licensed or not).

My question is whether it is time for Christians to speak out openly from pulpits and pages (of Christian publications) about our obviously increasing gun culture and culture of violence. Is this a subject for sermons? I think it is.

Continue reading “Roger E. Olson: “God, Guns, and Guts””

What Does It Take To Be A Christian?

I spent quite a bit of time on Tuesday reading Daniel Jepsen’s post on the genesis of Genesis. And while I agree with Jepsen’s conclusions, I’m aware there are many others who may not buy into all—or any—of what he says about the intended purpose of Genesis. Which got me to thinking: Can a person who believes in a literal reading of Genesis 1 and a person who sees it as a theological discourse to help explain God’s dwelling place both be Christians? Is this a matter that ultimately matters?

What really does matter when it comes to one being a Christian?

Let’s first define what we mean by Christian. For the purpose of this post I want to use to original meaning we see in Acts: “Christ-like,” or, more precisely, “Little Christs.” To first century observers of this new sect, its adherents looked and acted in a manner that reminded them of its founder.

But what about today? Christian is a term used today for many different purposes. It can be a noun (“He doesn’t always act like a Christian”) or adjective (“That’s not a very Christian thing to do”). It can describe a person, an environment, and nation. But what does it really mean to be a Christian in the western culture today? What are the minimum requirements to be Christlike? Let’s look at a few areas of life to see what we can discover.

Church  A friend of mine recently said, “Church attendance in America is the 21st century equivalent of 1st century circumcision.” He may have a point. Many will say you can’t be Christlike unless you regularly attend church. Is that true? Can one foster a Christlike spirit without regular fellowship with others of like mind?  And if church attendance is necessary to be a Christian, does one have to be “involved,” or can he just show up, follow along, then leave? Is one more Christlike by attending church more often? If you say that church is not necessary to be a Little Christ, why not? Do you think Paul would preach against church involvement today as he did regarding circumcision?

How do you like my questions so far? Ready for some more topics?

Continue reading “What Does It Take To Be A Christian?”