'Tis the Gift to Be Simple

This winter, our family discovered the wonderful world of Netfix via Wii. I’ve watched several cultural documentaries, and this past Saturday night included a wild and crazy evening watching a 1 hour Ken Burns PBS documentary, "The Shakers."

The Shakers were a religious sect that evolved in 1700s Colonial America with the leadership of Ann Lee. In many ways, the group paralleled the Quakers in their practices of simple living, pacifism, and equality among all people. Living a communal life, the group believed hard work, prayer and abstinence were ways to glorify and worship God. This focus on work led them to produce high quality furniture and crafts, as well as unique architecture structures. They contributed to the musical, cultural and artistry of early American life. Every job was valuable and brought glory to God. From onion sellers to weavers, all were beloved children of God, deserving of dignity, and able of experiencing spiritual transformation.

At their height, 6,000 Shakers lived communally from Maine to Indiana. If you think about the challenges of life in early America, communal living would have aided in survival among members. The spiritual support provided to Shakers created families for many who, prior to joining the movement, were alone. Following the Civil War, Shakers began to decline. Western expansion, cultural changes, and the fact that Shakers were abstinent and could not create more followers led to the closure of communities and the virtual extinction of the group. Online sources state there are only 4 Shakers left today living communally in Maine.

The Shakers fascinated me. They found a way to survive in early America, to share faith and to experience transformation through simple daily living. Though I’m not suggesting we all go live in communes, I think there are several lessons we can learn from Shakers.

Transformational living: This Sunday, our Gospel reading tells of Christ’s “transfiguration” on the mountaintop (Matthew 17:1-9). Christ’s clothing becomes white and He is surrounded by light. The disciples experience a “mountaintop experience” with the Lord. However, I would argue that it is not primarily mountaintop events that enliven faith. It is the day to day work and interactions with others that demonstrate the depth and power of Christ’s love in our lives. While Shaker leaders had visions and “mountaintop” experiences, it was living together, negotiating relationships, and striving for a common goal that deepened faith. We too have the opportunity to be transformed in our faith through simple, daily work with others.

Equality: Long before the Civil War, Shakers purchased freedom for slaves. Long before women won the right to vote, female and male members were seen as gifted equal people and given voice. We too live in divisive times—our political parties, economic systems, churches and communities create barriers and hierarchies. Who is worthy? Who is not? Instead of asking these questions, we need to focus on the fact that we are all beloved children of God, precious in His sight.

Family & Community: Shakers took in orphaned children, single men, widows, and many others who were alone in early America. Community was essential for survival. If you didn’t have food, shelter, warmth, you would die. But more importantly, if you didn’t have others to love, you could not live. This has not changed in our culture; we still need one another to live. How do we welcome in the stranger, support one another, and lift up the gifts of all people to glorify God? How do we value the diverse calls of every individual? How do we live with the hope that in all things, we work to honor God?

My prayer for you this week is that you experience a community where God’s transformational love is alive. Where you are valued as a child of God. Where we come together, not because we are afraid we may die if we are alone, but because we need one another to live.

Enjoy life's simple gifts

Pastor Tracy

God Is Bigger!

Every generation has its defining moments. For The Greatest Generation, it is the Great Depression and World War II. The Boomers can tell you where they were the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Generation X experienced the rollercoaster ride of the 90s tech boom and bust.

The most recent generation to receive a name includes those born after 1977, and we are called “Millennials.” Along with my generation, I watched the Challenger explosion live on TV in my elementary classroom. In my last semester of college I emailed friends, making sure they were safe following 9/11. My generation entered the workforce soon after, and we now Facebook about the lack of economic, political or social certainty we’ve experienced in our adult lives. The Millennials, from our childhood forward, have been shaped by political division, a ten year war, and “The Great Recession.” While previous generations have felt betrayed by the institutions they once counted on and believed in, millennials, myself included, sense less institutional betrayal. Why trust institutions? Televangelists have always embezzled funds and cheated on their spouses. Pensions have always been insecure and jobs have always disappeared with little notice.

The lack of trust in institutions leaves some millennials to see faith as part of another irrelevant institution that deserves, at most, biannual attendance to appease grandma. However, this instability has created the opposite response in me. I don’t trust worldly institutions more than others of my generation, but the reality of our broken world leads me to put my trust in something BIGGER, something outside this realm, something that will never fail me. I believe GOD IS BIGGER. I can’t trust my 401 (k) will remain secure, that my government will act in our best interests, or that we won’t feel abandoned by corporations as they ship jobs overseas. But I can trust that my GOD will be faithful, because God is bigger than any fragile earthly institutions.

While each generation may have a different take on institutional instability, I believe one way to bring together fractured, hurt people is through Christ-centered intergenerational interactions. We can learn from the experiences of our brothers and sisters of every generation and strengthen our faith. When generations come together and live their lives believing in a faith outside this realm, we can demonstrate to the world the power and unfailing love of our God.

Like many congregations, Holy Trinity entered 2010 filled with uncertainty. The economic and financial realities of our nation have hit home in our formerly booming blue collar community. The impact of double digit unemployment is thick in the air and boarded up, foreclosed homes pepper our streets. But the uncertainty we faced was not as big as the certainty of our faith. Throughout the year, I have watched our congregation live out this faith during some painful and challenging times for Muncie and our country. It wasn’t through earth-shattering changes, but rather through the everyday ministries of the church acted upon by people of various generations. We showed GOD IS BIGGER as we provided food and a Vacation Bible School program for 40 children. The certainty of our faith was lived out as we continued to support 3 houses for homeless families despite the loss of previous outside funding sources. Members, from 4 years old to 90 years old came together as we fed 140 families with our Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets despite economic uncertainty. The needs of the community had never been greater. Earthly institutions have never been shakier. But our FAITH has never been stronger, because millennials, Gen X-ers, Boomers, and The Greatest Generation came together, knowing GOD IS BIGGER.