I know that it's just the beginning of summer, but I'm thinking about the fall and what we offer and do for continuing education and faith formation for adults in our church. We offer an Adult Sunday School class, often but not always a conversation about that day's assigned Bible readings. Pastor Aaron offers "Faith Conversations" on Monday evenings and Friday mornings (one at Immanuel, the other at a breakfast nook at the Salter College "Mall" not far from Christ Lutheran. I lead a Thursday morning Bible Study. I know of two or three others who are part of regular Bible Study groups outside our church, but add them up and we've got a paltry 25 or so adult members consistently participating in continuing Christian education and faith formation.  

This has long bothered me, even more than poor attendance by children at Sunday School (and I think it explains a great deal about the poor attendance by children at Sunday School). Jesus taught adults and played with children. His church always seems to get it backwards. And in a world and church that can ill afford more nominal or just dabbling Christians, it's becoming an urgent matter.

But what would we offer that would motivate people to come? What have we been missing? Surely it must be "relevant" to their lives. Surely it must address the issues and concerns that occupy their hearts and minds. Surely it must be offered at a time and in a format that people will find accessible and comfortable. Should it (like we learned of alternate experiences of worship) be offered at a time other than Sunday morning? Should it be at the church, in a member home, or some public place in the community?  

And what about a topic? How about racism? Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, in response to the recent church shooting in Charleston, SC urged all of us "to spend a day in repentance and mourning and then get to work. Each of us and all of us need to examine ourselves, our church and our communities. We need to be honest about the reality of racism within us and around us. We need to talk and we need to listen, but we also need to act. No stereotype or racial slur is justified. Speak out against inequity. Look with newly opened eyes at the many subtle and overt ways that we and our communities see people of color as being of less worth. Above all pray - for insight, for forgiveness, for courage." Does anybody want to get together to talk (and think together about what we could do) about that?

What about Pope Francis' recent encyclical about the global environment and the impact of climate change that is and will continue to be borne mostly by the poor. Could we do better than the "conservative/liberal" shouting matches we see on TV if we were to try and talk together about such things?

Nothing is planned for the fall, yet, but it will need to be this summer. You can leave me and Pastor Aaron to come up with stuff on our own or to just continue what we've been doing for the few who respond to it, or you can suggest something, offer an idea - better yet offer to start or at least commit to join a new study group if there's a topic you find worth chewing over with your brothers and sister in Christ. It just shouldn't be that the only ones learning about the Bible and deepening their understanding of God and how to live as disciples of Jesus in a complex and conflicted world would be those who "have to come" because their parents make them.

I've been thinking about stewardship lately. I know, I know; stewardship month isn't until the fall, and I promise to hold off on talking about money until then, though it's a worthwhile topic to take up any time of the year. But those of you who made it to church a few weeks ago heard me spend some time talking about our stewardship of the environment. (You can find that sermon, along with a link to the creation care covenant that was in the bulletin that week, on Immanuel's website.) And at the Synod Assembly this year, we looked at how congregations are stewards of the resources they have. They set a challenge to every congregation in New England to work toward giving a 10% tithe of its budget to the synod, something Immanuel is already doing. So stewardship in a wider sense has been on the mind.

However, it leapt to mind in a big way a few weeks ago when I went for a simple check-up at my doctor's office. You know that dreaded moment at the beginning of each visit when they ask you to step on the scale. I always cringe a bit, and can't really look at the number that shows up. I know I'm grossly overweight. You can tell that just by looking at me. I joke about it sometimes, but I don't like it.

The thing is, for the past fifteen or so years, I've held pretty steady at around 250 pounds. It's too much, technically obese, but it hasn't concerned me terribly, though with a history of heart disease in my family, it probably should. But I started a new medication for some other issue not too long ago, and one of its side effects is weight gain. I hadn't really noticed myself growing bigger. But when I got on that scale and saw the number "285" pop up, my jaw hit the floor.

There are little phrases and sentences from the Bible that speak deep into our souls. For me, one of these is from Psalm 139. It sings to God, saying, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." We are, each one of us, a beautiful part of God's good creation, and it is part of our Baptismal calling to care for and be good stewards of ourselves, of our bodies. We are called to live differently than the rest of our culture, a culture in which obesity is an epidemic. We are to be healthy, life-filled creatures. In a culture with abundant access to all kinds of fruits and vegetables, why do we eat so much fried food? In a world where millions are starving to death, the choices about food we make have global implications. I'm going to be paying better attention to these things, and I invite you to join me.

A warning first. Many Americans-women especially, but men too-have an idea of what they "should" weigh that is unrealistic. Our society's value of the anorexically-thin is as sinful as its habit of overeating. Don't join me in this if you THINK you're overweight. Join me in this after consulting a medical table, or better yet, your doctor.

Starting in July, those who want to participate should email me weekly how many pounds you've lost. You can tell me your starting weight and any goals you have, or not, as you choose; I won't be publishing them. But what I will do is total up everyone's success at losing weight and post that total number of pounds on the wall outside my office each Sunday. We'll see how quickly they add up, and what incredible things God can do when he brings us together into one body of Christ. I'll also email you back with some encouragement each week.

The mystery of the incarnation is that God came to be among us, bodily. Jesus walked with us, as one of us. Now I invite you to walk together, working to be better stewards of the bodies God has given us. Because we are truly, fearfully and wonderfully made.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Aaron