Pressing On

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 3:12-14

Uh-oh. He quoted the Bible.
I don't know about you, but I get a little nervous when I see that people have quoted Bible verses in their personal reflections. Most of us mainline church folks are a little put off by personal testimony. That's probably a shame. The Psalms are full of "Let me tell you what God has done for me" moments, as Dr. Fred Gaiser points out. But mostly I get nervous about it because Christian scripture passages are so often used and misused - usually out of their context - to self-sanctify a person's identity, experiences and causes - like some kind of magic invocation which affirms that God is on my side and that what I'm about to say has received God's imprimatur.

Having said all that, I'll press on with this quote in my blog banner because this passage has always intrigued me, and because it's not just a personal testimony but a call to arms (loving arms, not military ones) for all of us.

Unity, community, sacrifice, vulnerability, love
To put this all in a scriptural and theological perspective, the affectionate letter Saint Paul wrote from prison to the church in Philippi is about unity and self-sacrifice for the good of the community. For Christians, Jesus is the ultimate example of self-giving love. Paul really makes this concept sing - quite literally - by quoting a hymn in his letter (2:6-11) which was probably part of a baptismal liturgy. It sings of how Christ emptied himself and became like a slave, vulnerable to the point of death. You hear a lot from present-day Christians, especially in the United States, about a God who is sovereign, powerful, aggressive, domineering, and concerned with success and prosperity. I'm not sure what Bible those folks are reading, but that isn't really the God of Christian scripture. The God you find there epitomizes love, IS love, walks alongside us (like you do when you love someone), takes risks (like true love does), experiences hurt (as those who love inevitably do), and goes to the cross (there is no greater love).

For me, spiritual pressing on is about walking with hope through adversity towards the "new Jerusalem," but it's so much more. It's about striving to emulate Christ's vulnerable, self-giving love while on the journey. We can march on proudly and individualistically, climbing every mountain "till we find our dreams," with little thought for others. Or as we walk we can look to the side of the road and in the ditches to see who needs our help along the way. Which brings me to part of the reason for my upcoming trip and the purpose of this blog....

Pressing on to INDIA
This blog is a way for folks to keep tabs on me when I travel to India this winter. It has been a long-held dream of mine to go there. First of all it's a treat I'm giving myself for recently reaching another goal; namely, finishing grad school before entering the retirement center. Second, it's a chance to do some of the proverbial "getting in touch with my roots" thing. Third, I'm hoping to get a glimpse of the acts of charity that others have done in their pressing on - how they have loved and risked and sacrificed, and how that has changed the world.

Leaving soon
I will be leaving on January 21 for ten days with seven other folks from Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry, a mission advocacy organization which has as its purpose "to raise up generations who inspire hope by walking with and serving in the world-wide church." LPGM provides opportunities for giving, mission trips, and volunteering. You can read about them at: http://lutheranpartners.org/utheranpartners.org/.

After visiting LPGM projects in the Chennai (formerly Madras) area of southeran India, we will fly to New Delhi in the north for some sightseeing (Taj Mahal, etc). The rest of the group will then return home, and I will press on to the far southern tip of the country to begin a 16-day adventure on my own, visiting some of the places where my ancestors were missionaries and seeing projects of another great organization, Bethania Kids, "a Christian mission bringing wholeness and hope to poor, abandoned and disabled children in India." Please visit http://www.bethaniakids.org/. Gene Hennig, a member of my church, and his family are among the founders of this loving ministry. Gene was a missionary kid and knew my mom's siblings in boarding school in south India.

Travel preparations
At the moment, I'm busy making preparations and making connections, worrying about whether I'm really grown up enough to travel by myself in India (I get nervous going to a new grocery store by myself), and trying to learn a few Tamil (Westerners usually say it as though it rhymes with "camel") phrases. For two-thirds of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" (you should see it), I was in a state of panic: "What have I gotten myself into?!" But by the end of the movie, I was ready to hop on the plane. As my aunt said when my mom told her I was going to India: "He's already there." I'm especially looking forward to meeting some of India's children. I hope the suffering that I see won't overwhelm me.
The only other time I went overseas was 30 years ago! I've got my passport, visa, airline tickets, shots, malaria pills, traveller's diarrhea meds, and a host of cool little travel things from Targetto. I have a lot of people to thank already, including Gordon Olson from LPGM, who's helping me to plan my trip extension; Allison,who gave me the nudge I needed and urged me to contact him; Mom, who grew up in India and inspired my interest in it; my sister Becky, who traveled there with Mom about 12 years ago and who has a heart full of compassion; Aunt Miriam, who returned there as a doctor to do medical mission work and supports those who serve there; Aunt Vi, who with her husband lived in New Delhi during a government work assignment; Aunt Delna, who always supports me (ain't aunts grand?); Gene Hennig, who loves India and has offered me his connections; Uncle Walter, who grew up there and returned to visit; my friends the Dundeks, who have single-handedly made Rick Steves one of my new best friends; and others TBA. My friend Sean Johnson will be stepping in to work with the Church School Choir at Mount Olive while I'm away. Sean and his wife Becky are members of Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill. Like me, Sean has finished his coursework for the Master of Sacred Music program at Luther Seminary. He's a warm and fun guy, and I know the kids will enjoy him.

As I press on with this trip, I might also write about things that don't have much to do with India. If I haven't lost you already (future posts will be much, much shorter - I solemnly swear), I hope you'll enjoy hearing about the goals I have and the race I'm running.

Let's press on!

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." ~Mother Teresa of Calcutta