With a Little Help from my Friends

So I'm working on a sermon and finding more and more that I hate doing this in isolation. Maybe my life has been too bland for me to have enough good sermon fodder. Though I doubt it. More likely, when I have to regularly face the question, "Will this really matter to people?" I often have to say I'm not sure I have any idea.

Mennonites talk of a "communal hermeneutic". It's a tongue-twisting way of saying we believe in reading the bible together, in dealing with scripture as a team and in not trusting too much each other's individualistic tendencies. We test with each other whether or not ideas, beliefs, and interpretations make any sense, hold any water or really matter.

This is going to be a little experiment to try that. This may not float your boat. Some of you are likely completely indifferent to the bible or find it passe. If so, take this with a grain of salt. I have the task of facing it everyday and am finding it full of stories that confound me and keep me asking good questions of myself. I trust some of you find this too, or maybe this will be a place to discover that.

Regardless, here's the story I'm facing this week. If you have any thoughts, questions, bones to pick with it, or stories or feelings it stirs, let me know. Thanks for joining the fray that I tangle with most weeks...

Genesis 32:22-31

The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

The Train

Sometimes I bemoan having moved yet closer to the east coast. Usually I make these complaints during rush hour traffic, which seems to be much busier and more dangerous than in any other place I've lived. Though this could be my prejudice playing with my rational sensibilities too.

Nonetheless, the same crowding that makes for hectic driving also makes for good train travel. There are actually enough people around here and things are close enough together to make it viable.

So, today I was riding the train, as I do once a month, to a meeting in a Philly suburb. The train car was packed completely full on the trip home! I have never seen that before on a train in the US, and I frankly took delight in it. The guy next to me said he had actually been bumped from that route three times in recent weeks because it was already full. Imagine that. I'll actually have to start reserving tickets ahead of time to make sure I get a seat.

I think I'll take high gas prices for the moment if it means more people use commuter trains and Amtrak again becomes a viable way to get around the country.

What a treat.

With Some Trepidation

And with any luck, I am reinvigorating this blog.

It has been over a year since I posted. You can guess at the reasons. I moved to Lancaster from Pittsburgh. I started a new, big (for me) job as a pastor. Which includes all sorts of shifts in my self-identity. While I have no trouble telling folks face to face that I am a pastor, it feels quite strange to me to suddenly be one of those post-modern, artsy Christian types with the blog to prove it.

But the truth is, I still think about and care about mostly the same things. I still think of myself as an artist (though I don't get in the studio much). And I still think of myself as a writer (which I actually do a lot of, just not much for publication). And I still like the idea of communicating with any of you out there who may give a rip what I'm up to (though some part of me still wonders what's up with my generation all thinking that everyone wants to read what used to be the stuff of private journals and letters).

So, I'm gonna give this a try again. My posts will likely have less to do with things like upcoming art exhibits, since I haven't been making a whole lot of art these days. Though I hope it's still a place for me to think about art with you all.

It may mean this space ends up with a more spiritual tone, since I'm now a pastor. But that's not necessarily my intent.

We'll see where it goes...

Knowing me, maybe this'll just be my last post for another year...

Stations of the Cross

For a few years running now, the Open Door in Pittsburgh has hosted a Stations of the Cross art exhibit, with different people creating a piece of artwork related to each traditional station. The art is on display during Holy Week at the Union Project where the church meets.

This year is the second time I've chosen to participate, and I am working on a mixed-media painting of Station #4: Jesus meets his mother. This process has been good for me; it has me thinking about things that do not seem like typical Lent/Easter thoughts.

I suspect most Christians, if they take time at all, spend Good Friday and Easter focused on themes of cosmic consequence: Jesus died to save us (whatever that means, whatever we make of it!), Jesus somehow rose from the dead, the world is forever changed by these events, etc...

But here I am creating artwork for Holy Week thinking about the relationship between Jesus and his mother (and whoever else made up his family), a very intimate and personal thing to contemplate.

Christians claim that Jesus was both divine and human. I sure don't want to get too deep in doctrines about this here. But if Jesus was really, fully human, what did his family relationships look like? In my experience, families of people who love each other deeply still argue, misspeak, and/or hurt each other from time to time. I guess Jesus was supposedly without sin, though it is hard to reconcile this with the fully human stuff. I have to wonder if his mother at least ever took his statements the wrong way or was hurt by something he said. After all, he said things like, "I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother." I have to think that did not go over very well with his family (not to mention the time he basically turned his back on his family and said, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.").

Regardless, I wonder what Jesus and Mary could have possibly said to each other as he went past her on his way to die. Did they have unfinished conflicts lingering between them? Did they wish for one more meal together, one more opportunity to recall childhood memories?

Thinking of all this, I wrote some notes across the painting I'm working on:

Did Jesus feel like the black sheep of the family? How often did he feel misunderstood by those closest to him? How often did he regret his words, actions? When he met his mother on his way to die, did he regret the time he practically disowned his mother and brothers in front of his followers? What reconciliation passes between two loved ones -- in a momentary stare, in the blink of an eye -- when death is imminent? What love is lost when a child, a parent dies too soon??

New Publication

Just a brief promo here. My wife Jessica and I each have chapters published in a recent book called Wrestling with the Text: Young Adult Perspectives on Scripture. Each of the chapters in the book were conference presentations done at a gathering of Mennonites in New York City a few years ago. The idea was, get some youngish Mennonites and some midde-ageish Mennonites together to talk about their journeys with the Bible.

I think the goal of the conference planners was to see if there are identifiable generational shifts in how Mennonites view scripture. We talked about that. But more importantly for me -- and I think for Jessica too -- it was a validation of our personal experiences.

We attended the conference at a time when we had not too long ago decided to stop attending a Mennonite church and were rather confused about how to find a church home. Likewise, I had just completed my first year of seminary in an institution where I often felt alone and misunderstood in my journey of faith. Then, suddenly, there I was surrounded by Mennonite college and seminary professors, church leaders, pastors and other young adults hearing stories that intersected with my own and being offered the chance to tell my story in a supportive environment.

Thus, this book represents a moment in my faith journey that provided much-needed encouragement at a time when I was not so sure where I was going. Hopefully it can also be a useful contribution to anyone who finds the Bible to be a confounding and/or compelling sacred text.

To learn more about the book visit the indispensible Mennonite-related publisher, Cascadia: http://www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com/wwt/wwt.htm.

Belated Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family:

I offer you warm greetings and wish you God’s blessing during this Christmas (OK, and now New Year’s) season!

Well, what a year in the King/Martin household! We have come a long way since last holiday season. Of course the most easily recognizable changes in our daily lives revolve around Esmé – who has grown from a pretty helpless infant into a charming and ever-adventurous toddler. But, as many of you know by now, there are other changes afoot as well, as we make plans to move to Lancaster, PA in a few months.

For much of the past year Jess and I have been considering some major changes: first, Jess weighed some options to begin graduate school in the fall (including out-of-town locales as exotic as the London School of Economics); then we explored the possibility of renovating adjacent properties with our Pittsburgh friends Nick and Becky – but we encountered deterring obstacles with both of those options.

Finally, in late summer, after about five years of pouring her heart and soul into the Union Project and more recently longing for more time with Esmé, Jess began to feel quite strongly that the time had come to begin stepping back from her responsibilities at work. Thus, faced with the strange and new idea (at least in recent years) of needing to be the bread-winner of the household, I began exploring positions in pastoral ministry within the Mennonite church. More quickly than either of us ever thought would be possible, a clearly wonderful opportunity has taken shape and I have been invited to work as the Associate Pastor for Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster. It has been an emotional decision-making process for both of us, but at this point I am very excited to embark on this new journey and eager to establish life and a home in Lancaster. Chad will begin some long-distance work with the congregation in January, and we will make the big move in June of 2007.

With all this in mind, I spend my days learning how to say goodbye to work and a city that I love. And I am trying to learn how to live with the tension of one foot here and one foot aimed toward Lancaster. With Jess’ help, I am scrambling to put the final touches on our house before putting it up for sale in a couple months. We both enjoy doing creative work with our hands (a few weeks ago Jess made her debut selling handmade yarn at a local craft fair!) – I participated in another wood firing at Dale Huffman’s kiln in December and have started an exciting series of mixed media paintings. Sadie still drags us out for long walks through our neighborhood. And of course I love playing with Esmé (almost) all the time.

This year we also began learning how to do all our traveling accompanied by a baby. That has not always been easy – in fact it has almost never been easy! But we have enjoyed some wonderful trips this year. Most notably, Esmé got her first taste (literally) of the ocean this summer when we spent a week at the Outer Banks with Jess’ family. Later in the summer my parents graciously agreed to babysit for a couple days so Jess and I could relax at a bed and breakfast on Lake Michigan for a couple days, followed by celebrating Esmé’s birthday with a day at the lake with the whole Martin clan. Esmé almost made it coast to coast this year, since we also flew to Oregon to visit Jess’ grandparents in October (I can now say from experience that flying several hours with a small, feverish child is not for the faint of heart!).

Tucked in and around all of this, I still teach some art classes. This fall and winter I finally, after all these years of planning and dreaming, am teaching ceramics at the Union Project. I have had great students in both classes and look forward to doing more this spring. I also spend one day per week babysitting the two-year old daughter of some friends (in exchange, they keep Esmé for us on another day!!). These are busy days that keep me on my toes. Johanna has become a dear friend to everyone in our household – especially Esmé and Sadie.

I hardly can sum up the changes in Esmé or my awe in watching her grow this year. Here are some highlights: swimming with her; frequent trips to the zoo; watching her grandparents bring out her husky laugh; helping her learn new words every day; walking down the sidewalk hand-in-hand; and her pointing, nearly leaping out of her stroller and exclaiming “Lights! Lights!” this month as we walk past festively decorated homes.

More than a mentor, more than a buddy -- she's my wife!

Y'all look to the right, scroll down to my list of "artist mentors and buddies" and click on Jess King's link. Yup, that's right. My wife, along with so many other wonderful things, also now sells yarn online. It's handspun, one-of-a-kind stuff that is absolutely beautiful. Check it out...

Well, of all things!

Hey Folks:

As some of my faithful (few) readers know, Jess and I are plotting a big move to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In June I will begin working as the Associate Pastor for Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster. Obviously, this means many changes for us, although we have some time to get the work done. Meanwhile, I will begin doing some traveling back and forth to do some preliminary work with the church before our move.

For those of you who know me well, the idea of me being a pastor is not exactly a shocking turn of events in my life. It seems to flow out of my experiences lately of striving to figure out how my faith and my work as an artist intersect, and what they say to each other. The job I will be starting seems especially fitting; the congregation includes many artists and people who already look to art and art-making to help shape their spiritual lives (not least of whom, Jess' high school art teacher and a family friend who used to shoot beautiful photographs of Jess' family when she was a toddler).

For those of you who read my blog to follow my fledgling career as an artist (and I cannot believe there are too many of you), don't worry, I will not stop making art or keeping you in the loop about what I'm up to.

What does this mean for my life/role as a blogger? How strange, I never really thought of myself as a blogger. Nonetheless, the tagline of Chadthepotter does say that I write about spirituality, among other things. I suppose this all means I might more often treat this place as a venue for pondering questions and ideas about faith and theology. I'll be spending considerably more of my time thinking about the church, so I imagine that will spill over to this venue.

I guess for some artists, talk of religion is frightful stuff. Likewise, for some Christians, art congures images of -- at best -- strange, abstract messes that " second-grader could have made," and -- at worst -- straight-up pornography. But for many, many other people art and faith co-mingle, inform each other, make each other richer and, when it comes down to it, are really one-in-the-same thing; spirituality and creative expression cannot be separated. I doubt many people who fit the first two descriptions even read this blog.

Regardless, my hope is that this blog is one more place, however small or mostly insignificant, where people can think about how their spiritual lives are nurtured by creating and experiencing beautiful things. More and more, this is what I care about in my life. Hopefully it does something in yours as well.

Peace...