Faith Story: eric bjorlin

I grew up in the church. From my earliest of days, I recall myself in a pew on the left side, a few rows back from the front (where I still attempt to sit today). I was involved high school youth group and very active in my college campus ministry. When I graduated, I could have continued to attend my college church, but in starting my journey as a young professional, I sought community and connection with others in a similar life position as I continued my faith journey. Holy Trinity was recommended as a possible good fit, and I've been a member (though not always a local one) ever since.

Holy Trinity pulls together all that I value in worship and has been a comfortable place for me to find my spiritual home. The liturgy, the gospel message, but perhaps above all the music. Music digs deeper than words and logic (my usual go-to's) and stirs my soul. Whether on Easter morning, All Saints Day, or just a green summer Sunday, I know I can count on worship at Holy Trinity to touch me down to my spiritual core.

As my life has ebbed and flowed—different addresses, partners, jobs—my connection to Holy Trinity has held steady. Though my specific time and financial commitments to Holy Trinity have changed, dictated by changes to my external life and income, pledging and providing support is an important part of my commitment to Holy Trinity. Like any institution, Holy Trinity needs resources to survive and continue to provide the many opportunities it supplies us, which is why it's important for all of us to commit and pledge to support Holy Trinity in the year ahead.

Perhaps what I most value about Holy Trinity is it's openness to the voice of the Spirit and an openness to change. Holy Trinity is not perfect, but instead of letting that be something to run from, Holy Trinity continues to discern ways to be more committed to the gospel message. It's been a joy to see the specific statements of radical inclusion and mission developed in recent years, and I'm beyond excited for the deepening of anti-racism work of our congregation, an issue extremely important for me.

Holy Trinity commits to its values of love, inclusion, and anti-oppression in all we do, and that's why I commit to Holy Trinity with my time, talents, and treasure.

An Anti-Racist Reformation

Perhaps like many of you, I look forward to celebrating Halloween this weekend and next week. Our neighbors host a fantastic Halloween party each year; costumes required, so it is sure to be spooky and crazy fun. 

But what I’m really looking forward to this weekend is wearing red on Sunday. Why? Because it’s Reformation Sunday, and at HTLC we only make a big deal about the Reformation about once every 500 years or so when there’s a big anniversary to celebrate. Recently a former pastor donated a beautiful red chasuble to us, so it’s time to celebrate with Reformation red again. 

Seriously though, a fun fashion opportunity is not the reason we are recognizing the Reformation this year. The church is constantly reforming, re-imagining itself and making changes to be more inclusive for everyone whom God adores. 

The Reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther challenged the church’s theology about salvation and sacraments. On October 31st he nailed 95 theses (statements or protests) which initiated a religious movement that became known as Protestantism (It’s not just for Lutherans).

Diana Butler Bass, American Christian historian, wrote

It strikes me as interesting that those who followed the teaching of the new reform movement did not come to be known as ‘Reformists,’ instead of ‘Protestants.’ Luther and his associates were protesters rather than reformers—they stood up against the religious conventions of the day, arguing on behalf of those suffering under religious, social and economic oppression. These religious protesters accused the church of their day of being too rich, too political... having sold its soul to the powerful. The original Protestants preached, taught and argued for freedom—spiritual, economic and political—and for God’s justice to be embodied in the church and the world.

It is time to put the protest back in Protestantism.

The heart of Protestantism is the courage to challenge injustice. Protestantism opened access for all people to experience God’s grace and God’s bounty, not only spiritually but actually. The early Protestants believed that they were not only creating a new church, but they were creating a new world, one that would resemble more fully God’s desire for humanity. The original Protestant impulse was to resist powers of worldly dominion and domination in favor of the power of God’s spirit to transform human hearts and society. Protestants were not content with the status quo. They felt a deep discomfort within. They knew things were not right. And they set out to change the world.

This Reformation Sunday we have the opportunity to get our protest on. To challenge injustice. To stand up against racism. To commit to learning about our own place in a racially unjust system.

Maybe you, like me, and like the early reformers, feel a deep discomfort within and know things are not right. Are you ready to set out to change the world? If not the world, to change yourself? We have an opportunity to engage with the Chicago Metro Synod working toward long-term anti-racist congregational transformation. This weekend we will sign a covenant with Another Pebble, the Synod Anti-Racism team, for a two year process of learning, engaging, advocating and changing.   

Join our staff, congregational council, the anti-racism team and the rest of the community in wearing red this weekend to worship. Bring a red pen too. Let’s sign this covenant and begin the good, holy work of protest and reformation that will transform us, our congregation and our world.

Falling With Grace

You remember that scene in Toy Story when Buzz Lightyear shows up and shows off by flying around Andy’s bedroom? Woody, Andy's other toy, is threatened by Buzz’s abrupt and flashy entrance on the scene, and Woody quickly points out that Buzz wasn’t flying, he was “falling with style.”  Woody was right, Buzz couldn’t actually fly, but Woody also quickly found out how difficult it was to convince Buzz or any of the other toys who witnessed Buzz’s acrobatic display otherwise.

Falling with style, I was thinking about that phrase as we fall back into another academic year, and as the season of Fall approaches. How might we apply that phrase, falling with style, to this new school year and season that we are about to embark upon?  Falling with style reminds me that even though our lives might be in free fall, and even though we might be falling though on some of our commitments and responsibilities, we can still exercise some intentionality and try to spot and stick our landing.

I was reminded of this idea of spotting and sticking landings as I watched American Gymnast Simone Biles win her sixth national title. She did so by completing what no other gymnast had ever done before, a double double (two flips and two twists) off the balance beam, and a triple double (three flips and two twists) during her floor routine. Watching her in slow motion shows just how much awareness she possesses to be flipping and spinning in the air while still managing to spot and stick her landing.  

Talk about redefining falling with style, and while we might not have as much talent as Simone Biles, we can still be inspired to spot and stick our landings as we attempt to fall with style through life. And as people of faith, maybe our theological spin we could put on that phrase is to say, “falling with grace.”  I like that more. Because it’s hard to look as stylish as Simone Biles or Buzz Lightyear when we fall, but we can relax into our fall trusting in God’s abundant grace to catch us. Maybe knowing that, we’ll scream and flail a bit less because the gentle embrace of God will receive us and put us back on our feet.

Holy Envy: A reflection on my recent trip to Colorado

Back in March of this year, Barbara Brown Taylor released a book called Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others. I haven’t had a chance to read it just yet, but as I spent last week with students from the South Loop Campus Ministry, traveling through Colorado, I experienced my own case of holy envy. It happened to me at the Shambhala Mountain Center (SMC), a Buddhist retreat center, where the students and I spent two days immersed in nature, meditation, mindfulness, and yoga

The Tibetan form of Buddhism that we were being taught at the SMC so wholeheartedly embraced color and art, silence and ritual, and goodness and being in such a profound way, that I was struck with holy envy.  I was encountering God and goodness within myself and the world around me in ways I never have before.

Being in the midst of the Rocky Mountains also gave me a sense of geographic envy.  I’m a Midwesterner to the core, and everytime I caught a glimpse of the mountains, it took my breath away. I found myself longing for even a hint of elevation back home in Illinois.

Despite my holy and geographic envy, I did not return from Colorado a Buddhist convert or a mountain man. I am still secure in my Christian faith and at home closer to sea level in the Midwest, but I will testify that my experience traveling to a different place and familiarizing myself with the faith practices of others can and did invite me to find God anew.

Hopefully soon the hold I placed on Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy will be ready for pickup from the Harold Washington Branch of the Chicago Public Library right by HTLoop, but until then, I took a peek at the online preview of the book, and I found this quote which that captures the impact of my trip to Colorado:

“The God of your understanding is just that: the God of your understanding. What you need is the God just beyond your understanding.” -Rabbi Rami Shapiro

This was my experience in Colorado, and I hope it was for the students as well, but I wonder where you might also be being called to go outside of your traditional understanding of God, experience holy envy, and discover the God just beyond your understanding?

Peace,

Pr. Ben (click my name to send me a message)