I've been asked to write a piece for our Church newsletter about my recent surgery. My instructions were:
1. Take us through your experience.
2. Do it in 600 words or less
3. Can I have it by Friday?

yeesh!

Luckily, I had some time come free yesterday. (It happened right after I got the call asking if I could do this. That sort of thing spurs an entire other conversation...) So, here it is, very much in un-edited form. I Welcome your comments. Feel free to correct my memory of events and to comment on my writing. I'll post a link to the final copy when it gets published.

When Roy Larson offered me this space to discuss the adventure of the past few months, I was surprised and honored. Primarily, I was pleased. I am pleased that I have been given an opportunity to thank you, the community of The Temple for your prayers and support over these past months. Thanks to Rev. Blackwell’s mention of me during the services, many of you know that I had major surgery. What you probably don’t know is that this is my fifth surgery to repair my aorta. I have a genetic disorder called Marfan’s Syndrome which is a connective tissue disorder that affects every system of the body. Most dramatically, it can affect the structure of the aorta, causing weak spots that can lead to a tearing of the inner lining (called a dissection) or even a total rupture. In 1994, my aortic arch ruptured. By the grace of God and expert medical care, I survived. Over the intervening years, I have had 4 more surgeries, but none has been extensive as the one this spring and never have I been as close to death.

Obviously, everyone was very worried. My family, friends and colleagues at Garrett- Evangelical had me on their churches’ prayer chain; I had all my bases covered, Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists and yes, more than a few Methodists, AME, UMC and all our Methodist family were lifting us in prayer. Knowing this was a great help, it helped all of us feel less alone.

One of the most powerful examples of the power of prayer occurred during the bleakest point of my recovery. I was having such trouble breathing that the doctors decided to perform a tracheotomy. I remember very little, I was very sick and sedated. The doctors had told my family that it might be months before I was well enough to walk out of the hospital if, in fact, I ever recovered that well at all.

Before I had surgery, my wife Mary and I were making the arrangements that anyone facing a medical procedure should: power of attorney, living will etc. I told Mary that if things got bad and I was very sick, the UMC Book of Worship had a wonderful service that might make the family feel better. Mary had been in contact with my friends at seminary. Barb faxed it to my parents’ pastor, Rev. Alex Hendrickson, who, being Presbyterian didn’t have access to it. She agreed to perform the ceremony at my bedside. She even had an anointing balm that she had gotten on a recent trip to Jerusalem.

I remember that my whole family, including Mary’s parents and older sister, were arrayed about my hospital bed. They laid their hands on me. Rev. Hendrickson started the service. Despite not being able to speak very well, I mouthed the words with her. She took the balm and made the sign of the cross on my forehead. I remember feeling a wonderful warmth come over my body and a sensation of light going through me, piercing my chest and going skyward. I could actually feel the light! It was a feeling I had not felt before but somehow, I knew exactly what it was. I hesitate to name it for fear of minimizing it, somehow limiting it. It is indescribable, impossible to understand, but I think most call it the Holy Spirit.

Now, despite being in seminary and being a candidate for ordination, I am a bit of a skeptic. I don’t recommend relying on faith to cure disease. I’m a big fan of doctors and am in awe of their skill. I believe it is important to pray but believing that prayer can cure disease is a theological slippery slope that I’m not willing to tread on. But having said that, your prayers and the prayers of the churches of my family, friends and colleagues were heard. While I’m not wiling to say that I was cured by prayer and by the anointing with oil, they made me and the ones I love feel closer to God in their time of greatest loneliness and despair, and it is for your part in that miracle that I can never thank you enough.

Question of the day

It seems at this point of our study of Christology we are emphasizing the difference between Christ’s salvific nature and the Biblical story of Jesus’ works and sayings. Could Christ have died for our sins if Jesus had not done the things that led him to be used as a "moral example." In other words, if we are saved by His death, must we pay attention to his actions and statements? Is the Sermon on the Mount advisory or declarative?

It's only the second week of class and already my brain is broken!

Jesus was a community organizer, Pilate was a Governor

This sound bite has been floating around the 'net in response to Governor Palin's snarky and mean spirited comment about Senator Obama's service. I'll not rehash that discussion as it is pretty easy to find. My friend in life and all things Internet Winston had an interesting discussion on a blog about it.

He asked for my thoughts. I thought I'd put them here. I wrote this in the comments section of his blog, so the parenthetical comments are directly to him, I leave them so you can be overwhelmed by my sense of humor!

Interesting conversation. I think both of you had excellent points and I agree and disagree with both of you in just about equal measure. (Of course, you “win” you’re my best friend!!!!)

First. It’s proper title is The Revelation of God to John. So, in discourse it should be referred to as Revelation or The Revelation, not Revelations. (Just a little pet peeve of mine. and of course my NT professors)

As far as the meat of the argument, Jesus was a community organizer… is a wonderful sound bite. (That joke killed at seminary! What was the origin? John Stewart?) However, it is perhaps not entirely, technically correct. Organizing a community was probably not his primary mission on earth. I’m not sure what Jesus’ primary mission was. It isn’t possible to know what it is as Josepus is the only historian who even mentions a rabble rousing Jew in Jerusalem around the time in question and even he gets his info. thirdhand! Any argument about the historical Jesus, what he did or who he was, is a bit absurd because there is no way to determine who is right. Remember, the Gospels were written after everyone who had actually seen Jesus was already dead!

Now, it is possible to read the text and draw out of it, as you did, that Jesus was a community organizer. And that is fine, you can find things to support that argument, as you did very well. (I love it when you get accused of ignorance of the Bible!) To get that out of the text is, to my mind (as a Christian theologian), to miss the point. As my Christology professor Dr. Stephen Ray would say, you are reading the text as if it were a travelogue. The Bible does not exist to tell us about some first century rabble rousing Jew named Jesus who went around healing people etc. The Scripture is there so that we may understand the primary mission of CHRIST! What is important is that God so loved the world that he became incarnate in Christ! (Can I get an Amen?) And that’s what “Duane” was arguing. So, actually, you two were talking past each other. You were talking about Jesus, he was talking about Christ.
Amen.
/turns to congregation
“now turn in your hymnals to page…