Upside Down
Stories
Scenes of Glory
Subplots of God's Long Story
Object:
Chapter 22
Upside Down
John 2:13-22
Dear Reverend Doctor Fitz,
I have never written to a bishop before, but necessity compels me. Circumstances at the Saint Andrew Church have reached an impasse. A number of longtime members are no longer worshiping here and the new people who have come are not supporting the church's activities, as did those faithful who have gone before us. Upon careful thought and persistent discussion with the pillars of this church, I have decided to write to you in order to state my grave concerns about, and profound disagreements with, our pastor, Richard Dodd.
He has been employed here for more than a year; therefore, we have endured him through four seasons. It became apparent soon after his arrival that he would be nothing but problems. In less than a month, he ruined his welcome. My husband has been treasurer of this congregation for more than 24 years. Pastor Dodd asked him why he listed in the bulletin the contributions that people made to pay for the radio broadcast each Sunday.
"People like to see their names there," my husband said.
"We don't list money that other members give for special needs, nor do we report what people contribute week by week to the general budget," he said. "Why would we publicly announce what a few people give for a particular ministry?"
"Reverend Dodd, my wife and I are honoring our fathers and mothers by giving this as a memorial," my husband said, very properly. "No one ever suggested printing regular giving in the bulletin."
"Mr. Murphy," Pastor Dodd said, "the Bible gives a lot of leeway on many things. But on a few, we have straightforward guidance. Jesus said that we shouldn't let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. He's talking about our giving anonymously."
My husband, perfectly sizing up the situation said, "My left hand knows well what my right hand is doing, and no one has ever complained about doing it this way."
The gall! Also, on our annual Children's Sunday, he wore a Hawaiian shirt to worship and served communion to the children that way, saying that sometimes we need to be bright and happy at the Lord's altar instead of sad and mopey. You're the theologian. I'm sure you can judge that one.
He insists we sing some little ditties (he calls them choruses) in worship before we can raise our reverent voices in the grand hymns of the faith. When people very calmly and correctly expressed their dissatisfaction with such songs, he said that as Jesus told individuals they had to lose their life for his sake, churches also have to die to the things they like in order to do ministry for people who are different than they are. He said that's Jesus' pattern. We think that's his pattern for this church.
It gets worse. He has been a smart aleck almost to the point of being blasphemous. He spoke hideously about our ladies' aide bazaar. Our ladies aide has always held a bazaar the week before Easter to pay for various necessities in the church, such as kitchen supplies. Also, every year we choose one room or part of the church for remodeling and decorating. Our bazaar has been quite successful. We call it the "holy emporium." We offer the townspeople a chance to get real bargains on beautiful crafts. Our church is much the more attractive for all the dedicated work the ladies (and their husbands) have put in over the years.
I suppose it was because of what Pastor Dodd had said to my husband that led me (in the presence of three other ladies, mind you) to ask him what he thought of our holding a bazaar in the church. I mean, who knows what crazy schemes roll around in his head, especially since he took such unexplainable actions as deleting the "Gloria Patri" and "Doxology" from the worship bulletin and replacing them with "Glory Be To The Father" and "Praise God." He tells us we're supposed to figure out why.
Well, at the question of the church having a bazaar, the young man smiled and said, "I have nothing against having a bazaar in the church building." We ladies sighed in relief as we turned to go. "But," he said, and we turned to listen, "if a bearded man -- about thirty years old -- in a robe and sandals comes in and starts turning over tables, I wouldn't advise trying to stop him."
The nerve. If I were to summarize his impact upon this church, it would be to say that he's turned everything upside down. I hope and expect that you will be swift and sure in dealing with this problem, because if not, from all the evidence, this church is soon going to die.
Very sincerely yours,
Mrs. Emma O'Connor Murphy
Discussion Questions
1. What immediate responses do you have to the story?
2. Do you identify with a character in the story? If yes, how and why do you identify with the person? If no, why don't you identify with anyone in the story?
3. Would you like to have a conversation with a character in the story? What would you say, ask, or suggest to the person? Why?
4. How does the story bring the biblical text into a clearer focus for you?
5. How would you improve or modify the story? Why?
6. Where and when have you seen church traditions challenged?
7. Which church traditions most need to be maintained? Why? Which church traditions most need to be jettisoned? Why?
8. How do you decide between the necessity of maintaining our Christian heritage and the necessity of employing different ministry methods in each new age?
9. What further depths of meaning, symbols, connections with, or applications of the biblical faith do you find in the story?
10. Since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is alive among us through his Holy Spirit, what of this story would you like Christ to activate in your life?
Upside Down
John 2:13-22
Dear Reverend Doctor Fitz,
I have never written to a bishop before, but necessity compels me. Circumstances at the Saint Andrew Church have reached an impasse. A number of longtime members are no longer worshiping here and the new people who have come are not supporting the church's activities, as did those faithful who have gone before us. Upon careful thought and persistent discussion with the pillars of this church, I have decided to write to you in order to state my grave concerns about, and profound disagreements with, our pastor, Richard Dodd.
He has been employed here for more than a year; therefore, we have endured him through four seasons. It became apparent soon after his arrival that he would be nothing but problems. In less than a month, he ruined his welcome. My husband has been treasurer of this congregation for more than 24 years. Pastor Dodd asked him why he listed in the bulletin the contributions that people made to pay for the radio broadcast each Sunday.
"People like to see their names there," my husband said.
"We don't list money that other members give for special needs, nor do we report what people contribute week by week to the general budget," he said. "Why would we publicly announce what a few people give for a particular ministry?"
"Reverend Dodd, my wife and I are honoring our fathers and mothers by giving this as a memorial," my husband said, very properly. "No one ever suggested printing regular giving in the bulletin."
"Mr. Murphy," Pastor Dodd said, "the Bible gives a lot of leeway on many things. But on a few, we have straightforward guidance. Jesus said that we shouldn't let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. He's talking about our giving anonymously."
My husband, perfectly sizing up the situation said, "My left hand knows well what my right hand is doing, and no one has ever complained about doing it this way."
The gall! Also, on our annual Children's Sunday, he wore a Hawaiian shirt to worship and served communion to the children that way, saying that sometimes we need to be bright and happy at the Lord's altar instead of sad and mopey. You're the theologian. I'm sure you can judge that one.
He insists we sing some little ditties (he calls them choruses) in worship before we can raise our reverent voices in the grand hymns of the faith. When people very calmly and correctly expressed their dissatisfaction with such songs, he said that as Jesus told individuals they had to lose their life for his sake, churches also have to die to the things they like in order to do ministry for people who are different than they are. He said that's Jesus' pattern. We think that's his pattern for this church.
It gets worse. He has been a smart aleck almost to the point of being blasphemous. He spoke hideously about our ladies' aide bazaar. Our ladies aide has always held a bazaar the week before Easter to pay for various necessities in the church, such as kitchen supplies. Also, every year we choose one room or part of the church for remodeling and decorating. Our bazaar has been quite successful. We call it the "holy emporium." We offer the townspeople a chance to get real bargains on beautiful crafts. Our church is much the more attractive for all the dedicated work the ladies (and their husbands) have put in over the years.
I suppose it was because of what Pastor Dodd had said to my husband that led me (in the presence of three other ladies, mind you) to ask him what he thought of our holding a bazaar in the church. I mean, who knows what crazy schemes roll around in his head, especially since he took such unexplainable actions as deleting the "Gloria Patri" and "Doxology" from the worship bulletin and replacing them with "Glory Be To The Father" and "Praise God." He tells us we're supposed to figure out why.
Well, at the question of the church having a bazaar, the young man smiled and said, "I have nothing against having a bazaar in the church building." We ladies sighed in relief as we turned to go. "But," he said, and we turned to listen, "if a bearded man -- about thirty years old -- in a robe and sandals comes in and starts turning over tables, I wouldn't advise trying to stop him."
The nerve. If I were to summarize his impact upon this church, it would be to say that he's turned everything upside down. I hope and expect that you will be swift and sure in dealing with this problem, because if not, from all the evidence, this church is soon going to die.
Very sincerely yours,
Mrs. Emma O'Connor Murphy
Discussion Questions
1. What immediate responses do you have to the story?
2. Do you identify with a character in the story? If yes, how and why do you identify with the person? If no, why don't you identify with anyone in the story?
3. Would you like to have a conversation with a character in the story? What would you say, ask, or suggest to the person? Why?
4. How does the story bring the biblical text into a clearer focus for you?
5. How would you improve or modify the story? Why?
6. Where and when have you seen church traditions challenged?
7. Which church traditions most need to be maintained? Why? Which church traditions most need to be jettisoned? Why?
8. How do you decide between the necessity of maintaining our Christian heritage and the necessity of employing different ministry methods in each new age?
9. What further depths of meaning, symbols, connections with, or applications of the biblical faith do you find in the story?
10. Since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is alive among us through his Holy Spirit, what of this story would you like Christ to activate in your life?
