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God Is in Control’ 1119finalwads.qxd 10/1/2008 7:10 AM Page 1 www.TheMennonite.org October 7, 2008 12 The front line of our peace witness 16 A Mennonite in the city 18 Why Mennonites play Halo 32 ‘God is in control’ Page 8 1119finalwads.qxd 10/1/2008 7:10 AM Page 2 MENNONITE CHURCH USA Seeing as God sees ome of us are tired of all the vision talk in our tions and hence in our churchwide witness. congregations or the larger church. Others Most of the time we don’t get to see brand new S are interested but speak about vision in things or dramatic new ministries. Transformation hushed tones, as though it’s a special gift reserved happens when we are able to see old things in new only for leaders and assorted charismatics. The ways—full of new possibilities. Vision is transform- truth is most of us take vision for granted. Vision ing when we adopt a new view of ourselves. is simply how we see things. We don’t realize the Things change for the better when we can see that value of vision until we can’t see things any more. annoying person sitting down the pew or our For the Christian, vision is “seeing things as neighbor in a new way. God sees them.” I remember the moment I real- When I was a young preacher more than 30 ized I needed glasses. I was 16 and watching a bas- years ago, our preschool daughter always sat in ketball game. Fooling around, I asked a friend if I the back bench with her mother. In the middle of could look through his glasses. To my amazement my pastoral prayer I noted some hilarity coming the crowd on the other side of the court suddenly from that back bench. Someone later explained became distinct and clear. I had no idea until that that I had said in my prayer, “Open our eyes that James Schrag is executive moment that I had deficient vision. Many of us we may see.” My 3-year-old daughter had director of don’t know what we are missing, what we are not exclaimed in a loud voice, “Mommy, I opened my Mennonite seeing. In the church we may be better off doing eyes and now I can see.” Didn’t Jesus often ask, Church USA. more fooling around and try on someone else’s “Do you have eyes to see?” Jesus was concerned glasses. about his followers’ vision of the kingdom of God. Saul was struck blind on the Damascus road as How does God see me? Or my neighbor? Or a dramatic demonstration of his need to see things Osama Bin Laden? Or people in that other political in a new way. He not only gained a new name out party? Or people in that other congregation or of the trauma, but his mission was also dramatical- another part of Mennonite Church USA? Do we ly reversed. We thank God for Saul’s recognition of ask what God sees before we decide how we will his blindness so he could adopt God’s vision see, so our vision represents healing and hope to through his own eyes. But few of us have dramatic the world around us? stories of a change of vision like this story. This is how we choose to see things in Menno- Years ago, we debated for many months where nite Church USA: God calls us to be followers of we should install mail boxes in the church build- Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, ing. Finally a member of our committee, who to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace, so almost never spoke, suggested a location in the that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the foyer that the rest of us had not been able to per- world. ceive. Once he explained it, it became obvious. He Is God giving you or your congregation new had vision the rest of us lacked. Most of us receive sight? Believe me, what we see and don’t see helps new vision in small doses, mostly in small things shape our capacity for what we can see and do and often from watching each other—all of which together in Mennonite Church USA—shaped by add up to making a big difference in congrega- what God is seeing and doing in our world. TM TheMennonite Vol. 11, No. 19, October 7, 2008 The Mennonite is the official publication of Mennonite Church USA. Our mission is to help readers glorify God, grow in faith and become agents of Editor: Everett J. Thomas Offices: healing and hope in the world. The Mennonite (ISSN 1522-7766) is normal- [email protected] 1700 S. Main St. ly published on the first and third Tuesdays of each month by the board for The Mennonite, Inc. Periodical postage paid at Goshen, IN 46526. Sub- Associate editor: Gordon Houser Goshen, IN 46526-4794 scription rates for one year: $43.95 to U.S. addresses and or $51.45 USD to [email protected] phone: 800-790-2498 fax: 574-535-6050 Canadian addresses. Group rates available. Scripture references are from Assistant Editor: Anna Groff the New Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted. The views [email protected] 722 Main St., P.O. Box 347 expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the official posi- Advertising, subscriptions: Rebecca Helmuth Newton, KS 67114 tions of Mennonite Church USA, The Mennonite, or the board for The [email protected] phone: 866-866-2872 Mennonite, Inc. Bookkeeper: Celina Romero fax: 316-283-0454 [email protected] Postmaster Editorial Assistant: Nora Miller 801 N. Negley Ave. Send form 3579 to: Design: Dee Birkey Pittsburgh, PA 15206 The Mennonite phone: 412-894-8705 1700 S. Main St. Web site: www.TheMennonite.org fax: 412-363-1216 Goshen, IN 46526 2 TheMennonite October 7,2008 1119finalwads.qxd 10/1/2008 7:10 AM Page 3 CONTENTS 7 6 8 Expand CPT A plea to Mennonite leaders—Ronald J. Sider 12 The front line of our peace witness It’s no longer in the churches but in the professional military. —Michael J. Sharp 14 Our blessed bodies How bodywork can be a way of nonviolence—Katie Boyts 24 16 A Mennonite in the city Five steps of faithful living in the city—Anita Hooley 19 Executive Board OKs health-care plan Board encourages Spanish-language initiative, reviews The Mennonite.—Gordon Houser 20 Gather ’Round connects ages 21 Pastors leaving for mostly good reasons 22 MCC, MDS respond to hurricanes 23 Delegation finds Philippine peace elusive 12 DEPARTMENTS 2 Mennonite Church USA Seeing as God sees—James Schrag 4 Readers say 6 News digest 18 Speaking out Why Mennonites play Halo—Travis Duerksen 25 For the record 30 Real families Mid-journey parenting—Michael A. King 32 Editorial ‘God is in control’—Gordon Houser Cover: © Creative Commons Attribution | Christian Peacemaker Teams October 7,2008 TheMennonite 3 1119finalwads.qxd 10/1/2008 7:10 AM Page 4 READERS SAY Forgiveness without repentance in other words, the sense of God’s immanence all Marlin Birkey in his article, “Forgiveness as a but vanished. Today many Christians long for a Conundrum,” (Aug. 5), helped work at under- more vivid and daily awareness of God’s presence. standing forgiveness. An intergenerational Sunday Pilgrimages to such places renew our vision of a school class at North Main Street Mennonite God who is everywhere present and also intimate- Church, Nappanee, Ind.—studying Amish Grace ly engaged with our lives. For more on this com- by Kraybill, Nolt and Weaver-Zercher—worked at plex topic, see Explorations in a Christian Theology it, too. The Nickel Mines Amish forgave the of Pilgrimage (Ashgate Publishing, 2004). Roberts family by choice without payment or —Marlene Kropf, denominational minister of wor- This publication repentance on the part of the offender. Jesus, on ship, Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership welcomes your various occasions did that, too. On the cross he letters, either about our content or about said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what People in the pew left out issues facing the they do.” Did not our Anabaptist sisters and broth- I just want to echo Lawrence Greaser’s letter in Mennonite Church USA. Please keep ers do it as they did? Does this not bring light to the Sept. 16 Readers Say and add the voice of a your letters brief— Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23? In the Gospels, it young adult to the conversation. The business one or two para- graphs—and about seems that Jesus models forgiveness as much if model that is being imposed upon the church is one subject only. We not more than being a sacrifice for it. Thank you going to do more harm than good because it will reserve the right to edit for length and for the article.—Bob Gerber, Leesburg, Ind. only solidify the position of those who are in seats clarity. Publication is of authority and close the door for new people to also subject to space limitations. Send to Can places be holy? enter denominational leadership. A good example Letters@TheMenno- I applaud Marlene Kropf’s helpful insights in “It of the risks run by using the “business model” is nite.org or mail to Readers Say, The Takes More Than Sunday School” (Aug. 19). in James Schrag’s article in the same issue. Schrag Mennonite, 1700 S. However, I’d appreciate clarification of one detail: claims that he and the moderator and moderator- Main St., Goshen, IN 46526-4794.
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