Interim Connections

an update from the very old original

The Connections

So… this afternoon I played organ and piano for new settled pastor's installation and I had a great talk with former interim pastor, who under the Formula of Agreement's provision for interchangeability ("orderly exchange") of ministers of Word and Sacrament currently is serving as interim at Holyland ELCA—in another FoA denomination. That's happening all over the place all across this country, but the crazy thing is, that church is on Flat Mesa Blvd., the same street as this church he recently left after a long called interim pastorate, so I'm wondering if his next interim position won't be at the local Taco Bell, since he's been gravitating to – or it could be that entities only located on – Flat Mesa Blvd. have been grabbing him?

Does Taco Bell have any kind of formal agreement with other (food) denominations? Oh, yes—KFC, and Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger, all sheltered by the YUM umbrella. But if they're all YUM-affiliated, that doesn't make them different denominations, and besides, they all serve very different and distinctive types of food. Speaking of Taco Bell, I *think* the PCUSA, UCC, DoC (etc.) Taco Bell boycott has been over for some time now. Somewhat related, a while back Taco Bell launched an interesting fourth meal concept.


The Serious

Oh, how many times have I exclaimed to anyone who'd listen "sometimes I think I loved the Church more than I loved Jesus." This afternoon part of former interim's charge to new settled was to not love the church more than he loved Jesus, Lord of the Church.

Yesterday I was considering how somehow I'd become marginalized in a ton of ways from society's main streams (though not from the mainline church, since for the most part I still attend one or another), and yesterday evening I finally realized the Spirit of the Church had chased me outside the city gates, outside the assumed shelter of the walls of the city=civilization, to where I'd find Jesus, to where Jesus died—outside the city.

Am I therefore suggesting it's harder to find Jesus in the church structure, in Word and Sacrament, than to encounter Jesus outside the church? That's been suggested before. Theologian Darrell Guder accurately insists God does not limit Godself to the means of grace, and I've blogged and spoken my logical rejoinder. Nonetheless, God does bind Godself to the means of grace, and I'll add whether or not we recognize, acknowledge, or act upon that fact.

Like many others I've been thinking, writing, and blogging about liminality, betwixt, betweenness neither here nor thereness and some of the meanings, dangers, and freedoms of life as exodus people—exodus people? Better make that baptized people.