FRACKING ACT 13 PARTS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade

Today I heard the news that parts of Pennsylvania’s Act 13 which gave unprecedented power to the oil and gas industry for fracking have been ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL! I wrote about our interfaith protests against Act 13 in my book Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015).  Here’s an excerpt:

Just below Shikellamy Point, at the site of Shikellamy Marina on the southern tip of Packer Island, on February 17, 2012, a group of members from the Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition (a group that I helped to found in January of 2012) held a press conference to protest the passage of Act 13 in the Pennsylvania legislature, the so-called “fracking bill,” which critics decried for its numerous inequities and failures to protect environmental and public health while ensuring the profitability of the oil and gas industry. According to Jan Jarrett of PennFuture, there are “seven deadly sins” in the legislation: the removal of the rights of municipalities to use their zoning powers to dictate if and where drilling may occur; failure to adequately protect groundwater; limitation of the power of the Department of Environmental Protection from adequately regulating the drilling industry; failure to provide for adequate set-backs of wells from residential areas, schools, or hospitals; failure to protect small, ecologically sensitive intermittent streams or small wetlands; limitation of DEP’s ability to put conditions on gas drilling operations that may harm a public resource such as a park or state forestland; and failure to establish a public record for tracking where gas drillers are disposing of the waste flowback water from the wells. There is also controversy surrounding the law’s provision that health care providers treating people exposed to drilling-related chemicals must sign confidentiality waivers to protect companies’ “proprietary rights.”[1]

Interfaith protest of PA’s Act 13 (the “fracking bill”) followed by water blessing at Shikellamy State Park Marina, convergence of the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna, 2012

According to StateImpact reporter Scott Detrow, “[T]he legislation requires drillers to provide the state with a list of chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing, with the exception of chemicals the energy companies deem ‘trade secrets.’”[2] The concern is that this puts a “gag order” on doctors that will negatively affect public health and leave doctors unprotected should they choose to reveal the chemicals to their patients or in research publications. With all this in mind, members of the Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition gave several speeches by the riverside (including one given by me, which can be read in the free Appendix download available at www.creationcrisispreaching.com) calling for the bill’s repeal on religious and ethical grounds. The group then held an interfaith water blessing ritual to recognize the sanctity of the river’s water. After pouring water from the river into a large bowl and saying a blessing over it, the water was ceremoniously returned to the river. The event was featured on the front page of two local newspapers in what may be seen as an example of public theology, wherein faith, religion, and the social movement of environmentalism converged. This is just one example of the ways in which religion and the environmental movement inform, shape, and influence each other, like different tributaries converging into one larger confluence.

Now we have learned that provisions in the natural gas and oil drilling law known as Act 13 were ruled unconstitutional Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2016 by Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This verifies what I and other fractivists have been arguing for years!  According to The Washington County News Observer-Reporter:  “The case, Robinson Township et al v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was challenged primarily in four areas – a medical gag against physicians; a provision that only public water customers would be notified of spills or leaks at gas drilling sites, not those who use private water sources; Public Utility Commission’s ability to withhold impact fee money if local ordinances didn’t comply with state law; and eminent domain privileges for natural gas companies using private land for storage of natural gas. All were struck down as violating either state or U.S. constitutions."  Read the rest of the article here.

Four years is far too long for this ruling to have come about.  And the oil and gas industry will certainly fight back with appeals.  But the lines of justice have been firmly drawn. 

ISEC Members 2012

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[1] Jan Jarrett, “Seven Deadly Sins of Hb 1950, Http://Pennfuture.Blogspot.com/2012/02/Seven-Deadly-Sins-of-Hb-1950.Html,” in A Bear in the Woods: Environmental Law Blog (Pennfuture, 2012). The state Commonwealth Court struck down the zoning regulation portion of Act 13 as unconstitutional on July 26, 2012.

[2] Scott Detrow, “What You Need to Know About Act 13’s Confidentiality Requirements, Http://Stateimpact.Npr.Org/Pennsylvania/2012/04/19/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Act-13s-Confidentiality-Requirements/,” StateImpact: A reporting project of local public media and NPR (April 19, 2012).&quot; <style face=”italic”>StateImpact: A reporting project of local public media and NPR</style> (April 19, 2012)

Salvaging the Squandered

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade

How a strange parable from Jesus can give us the wisdom we need to address the environmental/climate crisis - and any other crisis of our own making.

Text:  Luke 16:1-13

On the surface, this parable looks like one we ought to hide in a box called “Things I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said.”  But as we’ll see, this confounding passage from Luke has a very important lesson for us as caretakers of God’s Creation, and as stewards of other responsibilities entrusted to us as well.

It’s the story of a rich man’s household manager who squandered his boss’ property, much like the prodigal son wasted the inheritance from his father in the previous parable (Luke 15:11-32).  The manager is brought before his boss to answer for the way he misused and neglected what had been entrusted to him.  And to be told to pack up the trinkets on his desk because security is ready to escort him from the building.  In a moment of devastating clarity, the manager realizes what a mess he’s made for himself, his boss, and for his future. 

But when he goes back to his desk he quickly makes some calls to every one of the clients who owe his boss money.  He makes some fast deals for them to pay fifty or eighty cents on the dollar, and to pay it now, in cash, and he’ll mark the debt as paid.  What would have taken years of trickling repayment took minutes instead, and resulted in a huge chunk of funds on the spot.  The full amount he lost in the long run was compensated by the immediate inflow of cash.  The clients are happy, the boss is happy, and (presumably) the manager gets to keep his job.  Everybody wins! 

Then Jesus follows up the story with these words:  “Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes,” (Luke 16:90).  Huh? A dishonest man who cheats his employer and is then commended for having acted “shrewdly” (NRSV) becomes an object lesson for the Kingdom of God?  What’s going on here?  Is Jesus actually advising us to scam and cheat and swindle our way into salvation?

Hardly.  Part of the problem with this text is the way the Greek has been rendered in some translations.  The word “shrewdly” in verse 8 is phronimos, which translates to “wise” and “prudent.”  Phronesis was one of the virtues extolled by the Greek philosopher Aristotle who said that prudence is the virtue of practical thought that involves the application of wisdom, intellect, forethought, investigation, deliberation, calculation, and judgment. According to Aristotle, “all the virtues will be present when the one virtue, prudence, is present,” (Robert C. Bartlett and Susan D. Collins, Artistotle's Nicomachean Ethics; Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2011; 134). 

So what we are seeing here is a man who had squandered what had been entrusted to him, but in a moment of crisis redeems himself by following the most prudent course of action.  Does it make up for the sins of his past?  No.  But he has at least salvaged what was left and made the best of a bad situation.  This crisis was a teachable moment.  The manager had a decision to make.  He could have broken down, he could have given up, he could have panicked. Instead he did some fast thinking, came up with a plan, reached out to others, and showed what kind of person he could be when it came down to the wire.  Now his boss can say: See what happened here?  See what you’re capable of?  This is the kind of person I want you to be.  I now know you can be better than you have shown yourself to be thus far.  Keep doing this – being resourceful, networking with others, taking care of the resources with which I have entrusted you.

Humanity has been like the manager in this parable by the ways we have squandered the household of Earth and Earth's resources.  Everything from forests disappearing, to species of plants and animals going extinct at alarming rates, to island-size mounds of trash floating in our oceans, to a climate that is being devastated by the use of carbon-based fuels are all clear evidence that we have misused and neglected what had been entrusted to us by God. 

And now we’re being held accountable for what we hath wrought.  Massive hurricanes and typhoons, rising sea levels decimating costal habitations, earthquakes and contaminated water from fracking, simultaneous floods and droughts, bleaching coral reefs, and countless instances of environmental devastation are just a few of the myriad consequences both of our actions, and our refusal to act to head off these disasters. For millions of people across the globe this is the moment of devastating clarity realizing what a mess we’ve made for ourselves, for God, and for this planet’s future.

But here’s the thing – there is still an opportunity to salvage something.  Individuals, communities and organizations are working feverishly to raise awareness about what’s happening and to do everything possible to preserve what’s left, to stem the flow of garbage and fossil fuel emissions and self-serving greed that has impoverished so many.  And these people and groups are networking with each other, combining their know-how and resources and creativity in ways that show us what humanity is capable of when we answer to the angels of our better nature (as Abraham Lincoln put it).  When faced with this crisis, we are seeing phronesis – prudence and wisdom – guiding our long-term planning, as well as our short-term decisions and actions.

Does what we’re doing make up for the sins we have committed against God’s Creation?  No.  As Josh Fox's film How to Let Go, starkly shows - we can't ever get back what we squandered.  Earth has changed forever and we are now living on a different planet than we did before the Industrial Revolution, even before the last decade.  

But there are ways to creatively salvage what's left.  As Bill McKibben so rightly asserts, we need to mobilize ourselves for this crisis, indeed for this war, just as the previous Greatest Generation did with World War II.  “We’ve waited so long to fight back in this war that total victory is impossible, and total defeat can’t be ruled out,” he observes.  So now is the time to marshal all our powers of wisdom, intellect, forethought, investigation, deliberation, calculation and judgment.  Now is the time to take action, to connect, to make the sacrifices in order to salvage what is left. (Two sites I recommend are:  http://www.howtoletgomovie.com/action.html; and https://350.org/).

Susan Bond reminds us:

Salvage work is messy, risky, and subject to failure.  Salvage work necessitates coming into contact with what is corrupt, touching the unclean, risking contamination. . . To say that Christians are involved in salvaging is to understand our own character as a being-salvaged community committed to the salvage of the world.  We are not somehow above the debris, but are part of the material being salvaged.  We join God in the ongoing salvage of the world.  To salvage involves getting dirty, taking risks, courting failure and social rejection. (Susan Bond, Trouble with Jesus, St. Louis, MI: Chalice Press, 1999; 142.)

Which means that salvaging efforts can work in other areas, too.  In your marriage, in your relationship with your sister, in your church, in your relationship with God . . . if you’ve messed up, if you’ve squandered and neglected and wasted what was entrusted to you – there is still an opportunity to take what remains and make the best of it.  The phronesis – the wisdom and prudence of God – is already at the desk making those calls.

Lost Sheep, Lost Coins, Found Faith

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade

The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke 15:1-10 are well loved because of the message of hope implicit in each story.  The picture of Jesus with the lamb on his shoulders, rescued from the jaws of death, is a favorite in religious artwork. 

And how beautiful for Jesus to lift up a common woman doing common housework in the context of a strongly patriarchal culture as an illustration of God’s kingdom.

The Lost Drachma by James Tissot Overall-Brooklyn-Museum.

The text begins with Jesus asking a question:  “Which of you . . .?”  Who would actually leave behind the ninety-nine sheep to look for just one?  Who would expend so much effort for one coin?  It’s likely that not many would have raised their hands in Jesus’ original audience.  They’re just not valuable, so the effort doesn’t seem worth it, some would say (including the Pharisees in the crowd around Jesus).

http://godfruits.tv/girl-pulled-out-italy-earthquake-rubble/

But there are those who are indeed compelled to look for the lost.  And there are others who are extremely grateful for those who do that kind of seeking.  Just ask those pulled from the rubble in earthquakes, or on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City and Washington, DC.  Just ask the miners who were rescued in aChilean mine in 2010. 

Or ask someone who knows what it’s like to be lost – losing one’s way in life, straying from the path and vulnerable to all manner of threats, or inadvertently left behind.  It is a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach realizing that you are in a state of lost-ness – both for the lost one, and for those who are desperately seeking the one who has disappeared. 

So the relief and joy that comes from being found, or finding the one who was lost, is cause for celebration.  Books, movies and television shows are replete with this story line of the one who was lost finally being found.  It is the famous line in the hymn “Amazing Grace” – I once was lost, but now am found.  It is this kind of joy that we hope for when we take the time and effort to seek out the one who has slipped off the radar, the one who has gone astray, the one who has vanished from a relationship, or a family, or a congregation.  The stories of their homecoming celebrated by loved ones injects us with renewed energy and hope.

But what about those for whom we have been seeking for a very long time, and still there is no trace?  What about those on Sept. 11 whose lives were indeed lost and whose remains have never been recovered?  What about the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing from violence who become lost along the way and are never found?  What about the relationships that we have tried to recover, but for whatever reason, seem to be gone forever?

I once ministered to the family of a man who had disappeared without a trace.  He simply kissed his grandchildren good-bye one afternoon, texted his wife not to look for him and that his leaving was not her fault, and was never heard from again.  His picture was shared across the Internet and across counters at stores near where his cell phone was last pinged.  The family searched everywhere they could think of to find him.  The police and local media did all they could to find a clue about his whereabouts.  Not even his vehicle could be found.  They did not know if he had taken his own life, or had gone into hiding, or had been kidnapped.  All they knew was that he was lost and could not be found.

After many weeks we decided to gather the family together.  We could not have a funeral.  But we gathered around a bonfire in the backyard for an evening vigil and prayer service.  We sang hymns and read Scripture – including this story of the lost sheep.  Then friends, neighbors, church folk and family members took turns sharing their thoughts, their anger, their confusion, and their pain – all in a circle of prayer around the fire, lighting candles in the gathering darkness.  Then we commended him to God and consecrated the ground – wherever he was – asking God to bless that place.  While he may be lost to us, he is not lost to God. 

God is the woman sweeping the house, shining her lamp in the darkest, most out-of-the-way places.  And one way or another, we will be found.  Because we are more precious than even a silver coin.  We are more cherished than even the lost lamb. 

This does not mean that those of us left with nothing but grief and anger and loss do not still feel the anguish of not knowing what happened, what went wrong, forever wondering where the person is.  But God will not stop looking for us either, in the midst of our despair.  The pain does not go away.  But neither does God.  The lost will be found. Amen.

Women's Power in Preaching and Ministry - Guest Sermon by Elise Kohler

August 14, 2016

Schwarzwald Lutheran Church in Reading, PA

Texts: First Reading: Luke 1:46-55; Second Reading: Acts 16:13-15; Gospel: John 20:11-18

Elise Kohler, TEY Scholar, budding preacher!

[I met Elise Kohler at a summer program for young theologians called Theological Education with Youth (TEY) held at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (PA), where I served as one of the faculty in the Lilly Endowment-funded program.  Elise is entering her junior year at Exeter Township Senior High School in Reading, PA.  She’s involved with Fellowship of Christian Students, orchestra, concert, jazz band and marching band, and Girl Scouts.  She and her brother Lukas, along with their parents Stephanie and James Kohler, are members of Schwarzwald Lutheran Church in Reading.  Elise is a member of the Mutual Ministry Committee, Youth group, Youth ministry committee, choir, and Sunday School.   

Elise was one of 18 scholars who spent nine days delving into deep theological discussions and developing leadership skills.  This was her second year attending the program, and upon her return home, her pastor asked her to preach a sermon about “women’s power in preaching and ministry.”  Elise and I brainstormed about women in the Bible who model the kind of leadership qualities that are important to her and we worked on crafting her sermon.  Below is her fine sermon – just one example of what is possible when we train young people to think theologically, equip them with the skills needed to proclaim the gospel, and set them loose!]

 [Watch the video of Elise's sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6uuYDWCjoI&feature=youtu.be] 

When Pastor Staub asked me to do a sermon about women’s power in preaching and ministry, I said yes immediately- even though the idea of speaking in front of the whole church was a bit intimidating!  There are so many powerful women in the Bible, it was difficult to choose just a few.  I decided to focus on a few women in the New Testament - ones who used their God-given gifts and skills to help proclaim the Good News about Jesus Christ.  Studying these women the past few weeks has opened my eyes to how strong they were.  As you will see, these women are a huge inspiration to me.  My hope is that you will find something in their story - and maybe even my story - that rekindles your own faith and a desire to act on that faith in a powerful way.

One of the reasons I was so excited to preach on this topic of powerful women of faith and their impact, is that two weeks ago I was a scholar at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg for a summer program called Theological Education with Youth.  For nine days, 17 other high school students from around the country and myself gathered to worship, learn deep theological concepts, develop leadership skills, and living in a safe and intentional Christian community.  Of course this also included just hanging out and having fun.

It just so happened that during our theology courses some of what we learned about was women’s power, ecofeminism, and how the world views women.  In the past often times women were thought of as lesser than men.  In the chain of command they were viewed on the same level as an animal.  Obviously the view of women is still changing.  We learned how important it is to look to the Bible and examine the strong women throughout the stories.  Through all of the years God has used not only men but women and children too.  We also learned that oftentimes women are viewed as the “mothers” and the “care takers.”  We also learned about how different parts of nature are feminized, such as “mother nature”, or the “mama bird.”  We discussed the importance of being aware of and having an opinion on how girls and women are viewed in society.

The three readings for today give us just a few examples of the ways in which God calls women of faith to use their skills, gifts, bodies and minds to proclaim the Good News of Christ and build the Kingdom of God.  Jesus’ mother Mary, for example, proclaimed that kingdom which was just a seed of hope planted in her womb.  Her Magnificat which we heard today is a bold declaration that God is continually reforming our world and righting the wrongs of injustice.

Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ disciples and sat at his feet to learn – just like the men did.  I think it’s amazing that it was Mary who was the first to proclaim the risen Christ.  That means that the first preacher was a woman!

But she certainly wasn’t the last.  Lydia was another powerful woman who used her influence to bring people to Christ.  She was a successful business woman who sold purple fabric to wealthy clients for their expensive clothes.  When she met Paul at the river, she convinced him to stay at her home, and her whole family was baptized.  God was calling to her through Paul, just like God called to Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus.

In my life there have been many instances when I have felt God calling me in some direction. I believe that there are no such things as coincidences in life.  We are all living the lives that God set us out to live.  I also believe in an inner sense of calling. Whether it’s getting a good feeling when you talk to someone, or that idea that just seemed to “pop” into your head out of nowhere and you can’t get it to go away.  Everyone has that little voice.  That voice is usually God.  In my own life I’ve found not to ignore that voice.

For example, this past year I considered joining a group called Fellowship of Christian Students at my school.  The only problem was every time they had a meeting I came up with an excuse not to go.  “It’s too early, I have to talk to a teacher, I have to finish my homework.”  The truth was, I was avoiding it.  I didn’t want to be looked at as that girl from the church club.  Finally one day I sucked it up and went.  I had been hearing about it and seeing posters for it, I felt the overwhelming call to go.

In a way it was like when Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Christ child grew in her. The seed of something new being planted.  The idea was small at first but it just grew until I couldn’t ignore it anymore.  When God plants something in you it’s impossible to get it out of your head.  It’s constantly on your mind, until it gets to a point when you have to do something about it. So I went to the meeting.

I got there and there were only two other people.  After attending the next few meetings I watched those two people turn into one.  Then it was just me.  I started thinking about what changes could be made to the club to make it more inviting. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Just like Lydia, I knew it was important to reach out to other people with the amazing news about Jesus’s love.  She learned about Jesus from listening to Paul.  I, along with many others, have learned about Jesus right here at this church listening to sermons, going to Sunday School and Confirmation, going to VBS, and helping and participating in youth events.  Going to TEY took my learning to a new level.  God had already prepared Lydia to be a proclaimer of the Gospel when she when she met Paul at the river.  Looking back I can see that God was already preparing me as well.

It happened the day the teacher in charge asked if I would lead the club.  I said yes and asked a friend for help.  We both co-lead the club now.  There are about 10 members and it’s still growing.

But it wasn’t easy.  We had to plan meetings that sparked people’s interest, and fit their schedules.  We had to find a place in the school to meet.  We had to continue to push events, and there were a few failed ones along the way.  Overall, the trials were all worth it.  It wasn’t until our very last meeting that we finally had about ten people show up.  Everyone said they were excited for next year.

Just like Mary Magdalene learned, being the first apostle to spread the news of Jesus’ resurrection is sometimes met with resistance, ridicule and downright hostility.  But when God calls you to preach, sometimes you have to go against the grain to deliver the powerful message to God’s people.

My point in this is, God calls everyone, men, women, children.  God calls everyone, but you have to listen and accept the call! Where is God calling you?

         

          You might be like Mary, Jesus’ mother, and you have an idea for ministry that is planted in you.  How will you nurture the idea so it can grow?

          Or maybe you’re like Mary Magdalene at the tomb and you’re being called to spread the good news about Jesus, but you worry about how people might react.  How will you find the courage to share the Good News which might be just the thing someone needs to hear in their lives?

          Or maybe you’re called like Lydia, the seller of purple cloth.  Has God given you a network of people, or a set of skills, or a particular talent that is just right for reaching out to people to do the work of building the Kingdom of God?  Who is that one person you can ask for help, like I did, to help you take on a project that you may have thought too big for you to handle?

          These powerful women of faith are can be seen as models for us of what can be done when we open ourselves to God’s power and use our minds bodies, talents, skills and resources to proclaim Jesus Christ and build ministry in his name.  These women (along with many others) have been extremely influential on me and my life and choices.  My prayer for you is that a seed has been planted, or you've formed an idea, or a spark of faith has been kindled that will not let you go.  Listen to that little voice that’s telling you to go and do.  Amen.

TEY 2016 Scholars, faculty and staff

Labyrinth – Meditation on a Field Before Baling

An Ecotheological Poem 
by Leah D. Schade

(All photos by Leah D. Schade)

Yestermorning

I passed the freshly mown hay field

content

to look from afar with dry gravel safely under my feet.

Today

the way between the windrows

beckoned.

I stepped into the dew-bathed grass,

my feet baptized by morning droplets.

The crows called from the tree,

 and when I looked back,

what I had not seen

was revealed.

The farmer could not have known

that he had created

a labyrinth –

sacred space in which I could walk

into my interiority

within the great expanse of this field

under dawn’s moon.

Long strands of grass brushed my feet

like the fragrant hair of the woman anointing the Teacher.

Who am I to receive such extravagance?

my Pharisee demands.

But I follow the Teacher’s lead and

lean down to thread my fingers through her hair

bringing her sweet scent to my nose

and breathing deeply.

Later

on the gravel path,

the itchy tickle on my leg reveals a tress of green

still clinging.

Did Jesus discover entwined to the hairs of his leg

one wisp still

whispering 

the decadent aroma of sin

forgiven?

Questions to consider:  
When has Creation graced you with a gift beyond measure?
What is the sacramental nature of the other-than-human world?
How does the Divine work through nature to communicate something important to you?

Farewell Sermon for United in Christ, Pastor Leah Schade

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade

July 17, 2016

[You can watch a video of the sermon here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCUfYOCGkTI&feature=youtu.be]

“Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes.  I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again.”

That’s a line from a Billy Joel song that has been playing in my head over the past five months.  Earlier this year I received the phone call that I was being offered a position at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, KY, astheir new Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship.  And as happy as that made me, it also meant that I had to begin saying goodbye to all of you.  There is a time for everything, the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us.  Now is the time to say goodbye.

I wish I would have had more time. I would have loved to help shepherd our Confirmation students through the end of their program and help them plan their Affirmation of Baptism service next year.

I wish I could be here to watch the babies I baptized sitting on their parent’s laps in worship, 

and see them go into Sunday School, to teach them about their First Communion, teach them silly games like Will You Be My Cupcake in youth group, and plan more amazing services like Good Friday 

and Holy Humor Sunday.

  I wish I could be here to help the youth plan for the ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston. 

 I wish I could be here to see all the new folks who keep coming to our OAKs Monthly Senior Center;

 to see the faces of those we serve through the meals and the service projects and the Rich Huff Fund. I wish I could be here to see what other new ministries this congregation will dream up with the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

I wish I could be here for the meetings . . . no, really!  I know most people dislike meetings, and I do admit that it will be nice to have my evenings free for my family.  But meetings are where ministry happens.  I liked being with a group of people committed to a certain area of church life and mission, being of like mind, brainstorming different ideas, checking in on where things are, planning what will happen next.   Many pastors dread meetings, but I can honestly say that I always looked forward to them.  Any pastor would be grateful to have a Council that has been this high-functioning and fun to work with!  

And what a blessing it has been to serve with our staff – Frank and now Terry as our sexton; 

Glen and now Marilyn as our organist; 

Ben and now Terri as our office administrator.  

We really enjoy each other and can share laughter as well as our frustrations in life and work.  To quote another Billy Joel song, “This is the time to remember, ‘cause it will not last forever.”

I wish my children could be here to continue on their faith journey.  I wish Benjamin could be playing the drums and Rachel singing in the House Band.  Benjamin has asked me to tell you:  “I will miss every single one of you,” and to “continue your journey in this church.  Remember the way of life in Jesus,” he said.

And Rachel wanted me to share this with you:  “Thank you for being so welcoming and supporting our family so much.  I’ll never forget how generous you were in supporting the youth to grow in their ministry.  I hope you’ll continue to do that with the next pastor.”

Both Jim and I have been so appreciative of the care you have shown to our family.  And I have to tell you that it has been my husband who has enabled me to do this ministry.  He has made so many sacrifices so that I could answer the call to ministry, serve in this church, and now follow a new call to the ministry of education.  Many of God’s most faithful servants labor behind the scenes where no one notices their dedication and hard work.  Jim is one of those servants.  There wouldn’t be a Pastor Schade without a Husband Jim, a Daddy Schade, and I give thanks to God every day for keeping our marriage strong and healthy through this very demanding time in our lives.

He, also, wanted me to express to you that he was amazed at how fast it worked out for us to come here five years ago – like it was meant to be.  “You took care of us for five years.  Out of all the churches I’ve been a part of, this one feels the most like family,” he said.  “No matter what challenges this congregation faced, everyone always came together.  And . . . I love all the great food!” 

In preparation for this moment of leave-taking, I’ve tried to be open to the Spirit’s guidance for having a grace-filled end to this pastoral relationship so that both of us, as the pastor and parishioners, can learn from and affirm our journeys together.  It’s been a time for us to have full closure so that we can each enter into the next chapter of our respective journeys.  Saying goodbyes are important because as we experience the alternating waves of sadness, exhilaration, uncertainty, and vulnerability, it also opens us up to experience the grace of God through Jesus Christ in a new way.

Saying good-bye to Elwood Brown. Photo by Dan Hyde

 Because no one knew better what it means to say goodbye than Jesus.  This text that I read from the Gospel of John is the prayer that Jesus prayed to God on behalf of his disciples on the night before he would be taken from them.  This is the gospel reading I had for my ordination service – nearly sixteen years ago.  At the time I read it as an inauguration prayer, and it worked well.  But I return to this text now with different eyes, at a different stage in my life and ministry.   And as I read this passage, three Greek words stand out for me:  heis, apostello, agape – the word for “one”, the word for “sent,” and the word for “love.”

It was love that brought them together.  God’s love for Jesus, Jesus’ and his disciples’ love for each other, and God’s love for the whole world.  Love is what enabled Jesus and his disciples to carry out their amazing, miraculous ministry, the likes of which the world had never before seen.  But it was also love that led Jesus to make the ultimate sacrifice and show these disciples and all who hear the story, that God’s love is stronger than all evil, all violence, all death. 

We, too, bear witness to that miraculous, sacrificial love in the ministry that we have carried out over these years.  It was love that brought me to this congregation.  It is our mutual love of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, which has bonded us to each other in these past five years.  And it is God’s love of Creation – and the need to protect and preserve that Creation – that has been such a powerful force in my life.  

Academic graduation robe given as a gift by the congregation of United in Christ.

That force of love lead me to pursue my doctoral degree and to discover how preaching and caring for God’s Creation can be integrated, like a tree with deep roots drawing up clean water from the soil.  I have been so grateful that you as a congregation have been patient and tolerant of my academic work, as well as my advocacy and activism for the land, this air, this river, this earth we call home.

Preaching about climate disruption as the character of the Holy Spirit.

I said back on Easter Sunday, that there’s no place like home – you don’t need to look any further than the pew in front of or behind you to find the love of God you’ve been looking for.  The Susquehanna Valley and United in Christ have been home for us.  The people who I’ve come to know in this community through my work to protect against shale gas drilling, and with the Tire Burner, and many other causes – I have learned so much from them and made important friendships in this place we’ve called home.

And here at United in Christ, I knew we were home from the moment Cami met us in the parking lot and directed us to the kitchen entrance instead of the front door.  “We’re like family here – everyone uses the back door!”

I will never forget the kindnesses you showed to us in our own home.  Bob and Sue, Bob and Carol bringing us a platter of food and groceries on the day we moved in so we wouldn’t have to worry about cooking a meal for days!  Frank helping Jim to fix the garage door.  And the two Bobs hanging swings on the pin oak tree in the yard so our children could swing and swing to their hearts’ content.

You have welcomed me into your own homes as your pastor.  Sometimes the visits were convivial and comfortable, sharing a sip of wine and a bit of bread for home communion.  Sometimes the visits were solemn and sad in the days leading up and then after a loved one’s death.  Sometimes the visits were tense and touched with anger.  But that’s what happens in family – every emotion comes to the fore at some point.  This is one of the most honest and authentic groups of people I have ever met.  When we had problems to work out or difficult things to discuss, you trusted me enough to be forthright with your feelings so that we could find a way through and allow our mutual commitment to ministry be the thing that really mattered.  And through it all, God’s spirit of love, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, curiosity and utter joy have been guiding this church family.

But as often happens in families, there comes a time when we have to say good-bye.  Today is that day.

Framed poem from the congregation presented by Council President Bob Swartz.  Photo by Lisa Rabuck.

But we do not say good-bye to the love.  Because it is love that sent each disciple out into the world to share the news of this love of God. In Greek, the word is “apostello.”  It’s the root of the word “apostles” - the sent ones.  We, too, are being sent out.  You will continue to be sent out to your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, friends, your hairdresser, your buddy at work, anyone who hungers to experience this life-changing love of God through Jesus Christ.  I am being sent to train future pastors to preach and lead worship creatively and with conviction, helping congregations to do the kinds of ministry we have done here. We are all being sent to share what we have learned in this Bible, what we have experienced through our agape-love, what we have witnessed God being able to do through our ministry together.

Which is why Jesus reminds them that even though they will be separated by time, distance and the inevitability of change, they will still be united by being one in God.  This is what will happen with us.  After the tears have dried and the dust has settled, I have no doubt that God will enable us to experience the oneness in God, even when the rest of the world around us feels fractured, scattered and lost.  When we are reading the Bible, living and enacting our agape-love, baptizing another saint into the family, and gathering at this table, we are one with Christ – truly United in Christ. We will continue to see God at work in us and through us to make Christ known, share our love, be one in each other and in God, and sent out to the world to share.

For me, it will be at the communion table when I remember this oneness most vividly.  When I come to the table, no matter where I am, I will be joining all of you at your table, no matter how separated we are by time or space.  I will be remembering all the times when we shared this meal together.  Especially today, my last time to do this with you as your pastor.  I think that time will be the most difficult part of this day for me, handing the bread to each of you, the bread of Christ’s body which he handed to his disciples in their final meal together.  Those words, “For you,” may be drenched in tears, but you’ll know that I speak them with Christ’s love for you in my heart.

As intentional as I’ve tried to be about the closure of my ministry, it still did not happen as I had wished.  There were so many people I wished I could have visited.  I wish I could have had the time to write a note or a card to the countless individuals who have touched my ministry and my life and my family.  I wanted to be able to say, “Thank You,” in a much more personal way.

I can only hope and pray that you will each understand how greatly I have appreciated and admired your faith, your dedication, your caring, and your willingness to engage in the Christian life with me and my family.  I am so proud of you - what you do for each other, what you do for your own individual faith journeys, what you do for our surrounding community, and what you do for people you don’t even know halfway around the world.  I will be bragging about this congregation for the rest of my life, giving thanks to God for inspiring you to the great ministry I know you’ll continue in the future.  I’ll be lifting you up in prayer, and holding you up as an example of what is possible when a gathering of Christians steps forward and says, “Here I Am, Lord.” 

Amen.