Oh The Places You Will Go

Oh The Places You Will Go

Glenview UMC 7/6/25

Psalm 30

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

----------------------

Pastor Eun-Hye Choi, I want to thank you for this opportunity to be here this morning.  And especially the opportunity to reflect on a challenging — and polarizing week.

For those of you who don’t know me, I grew up in this church — my father, the Rev. Fred Conger, served as lead pastor here from 1973 - 1981.

My father died in 2021, but my mom Carol is here with us today. As is Scott’s wife Joette.

My wife Nancy is also here, as well as our oldest daughter, Jessica, her husband Sam and our beloved grandchildren Hattie and Jude.

We have two other daughters Lindsey and her husband Alex live in Portland, OR

And Haley, and her husband Jonathan, live in Peoria IL along with our newest grand-daughter Iris who was born 7 weeks ago at 2 ½ lbs, but is gearing up to come home from the hospital in the next few weeks.

When I decided to accept my call to ministry, it was this church, in the fall of 1980 or spring of 1981 that recommended me for ministry.  My biggest memory of that night is that it was a cold snowy evening.

When I began the process of seeking ordination in the Northern Illinois conference, it became clear to me that staying in this conference would be a huge challenge.

I decided to pursue my Masters of Divinity at Duke University.  Why?

First, it wasn't Garrett

Nothing against Garrett, my father went there, but he was also teaching in the seminary at the time and a number of faculty called GUMC home.

Second, I wanted to experience a different part of the country, and the south always appealed to me

That was the best decision I ever made.

When it came time to choose a conference, Nancy and I settled on North Indiana, it was close to home, but it wasn’t the south..

Over my ministry I served five churches, one that I started, and one, Munster that I pastored for 17 years.  We ended our ministry at the oldest church in Indianapolis, we celebrated its 200th Anniversary while I was there.  Nancy and I chose to retire in 2022 and have been living in Bloomingdale, IL ever since.

I want to take a stroll back some 50 years ago

50 years ago that was a long time ago, yet it was also a blink of the eye

Our parents were our age (actually they were quite a bit younger than we are today) — that is a weird thought!

And when I go back 50 years, I think about the music that shaped our lives

There were two types of music

The music we listened to at MYF

Bread

America

Eagles

Seals & Croft

The Bee Gees

Good clean stuff

And then there was the music we listened to in our bedrooms and basements

Pink Floyd

Led Zeppelin

Rolling Stones

Queen

Bruce Springsteen

And of course, we were still listening to the Beatles

But that wasn't the only musical influence on us.  There was also, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Charlie Brown and the musicals that were put on here at the church that many of us had a hand in one way or another

My singing debut took place in the fellowship hall for South Pacific (and ended there!)

That music defined us in many ways — and in many ways I believe it continues to bind us together

50 years ago, I sat in those pews, listening to my father, or Tom Harmon or Steve Howland preach.

Many of us were here every Sunday morning

I know that if I hadn’t shown up at church yet, Jim White, Jeff Aten, or Steve Harr would stroll into the parsonage next door — walk up the stairs to my bedroom and get me out of bed

Now the truth is — very few of us go to this church anymore — and many of us don’t go to any church anymore.

I have always pondered why that is — and I certainly have my guesses.

50 years ago we did come

And if we weren't here for Sunday morning worship — you can bet that we were at Youth Group Sunday night in the basement of the old chapel.

The YOUTH CENTER as we called it.

Heck, we all had keys to the building

And if not, we knew how to get in

Having pastored churches for 40 years, I am amazed at the free reign that we had at this church.

And I say that as a testimony to this church

They trusted us

EVEN WHEN WE DIDN’T LIVE UP TO THAT TRUST

That is a truth that I hope is never forgotten

It was our home — a safe haven!

Sure, we were all being pulled in a million directions

Sports

Band

Theater

Debate

YET, we all made, as did our families,--- we made the youth group a priority in our lives.

The retreats

Mission trips

Lock-ins

And of course the (unofficial) New Year’s Eve parties

I remember quite a few at the Buchholz home

And then there was a Christmas time reunion for a number of years, until we all started drifting away to the places we had to go.

47 years ago, I graduated from Glenbrook South, and as I left for college — my theme song was the breakout hit from Bruce Springsteen — because yes, I was Born to Run.

And I took off

I rarely came home, because I had places to go

This was way before Dr Seuss’, now classic book: Oh, The Places You Will Go was published (1990)

But his words rang true:

Congratulations today is your day 

You're off to great places 

you're off and away

you have brains in your head 

you have feet in your shoes 

you can steer yourself any direction you choose 

You're on your own and you know what you know

and you are the guy who will decide where to go

I never imagined the places that I would go, as I imagine many of you didn’t either

I have traveled all over the world

Israel in many ways has become a second home, having traveled well over 20 times to that beautiful, yet tragic place — and I am pining to go back soon

We work in retirement with a travel ministry that helps make the holy places accessible to people in an educational way.  While working in Tiberias welcoming new pilgrims to their hotel, I ran into Vicky Burklach Schauer — I don't think I had seen her in 40 years.  Crazy

After we retired, we bought a 21 foot class B RV — A campervan — and are crisscrossing the country exploring the beauty (and ugliness) of our land.

What I love about Dr Seuss’ simple story is that while it is a story full of hope — it is also a story full of truth.

He reminds us:

You'll be best of the best wherever you go 

you will top all the rest except when you don't 

because sometimes you won't 

i'm sorry to say but sadly it's true 

that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you 

you can get all hung up in a prickly perch 

and your gang will fly on 

you'll be left in a lurch

Every one of us gathered here knows that bang-up and hang-ups do indeed happen.

Life has happened to us — the good, the bad, and the ugly

Most of us have lost at least one parent.

Too many of us have lost siblings or spouses, or most tragically children.

Jobs didn’t go the way we wanted

Relationships fractured

But for me, something happened

And I hope the same is true for you

As the Psalmist said in our reading this morning:

You changed my mourning into dancing.

    You took off my funeral clothes

        and dressed me up in joy

    so that my whole being

    might sing praises to you and never stop.

Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

You turned my mourning into dancing.

Part of what happened is reconnecting with all of you.

Last year, as we gathered for our reunion, one of the words that was used over and over again was that our time in the youth group was a “magical one”.  

My parents always referred to their eight years in Glenview as their Camelot.  

And as I look back — i can understand

It was indeed a mystical, magical time, and we need to recognize how blessed we are because of it!

Not for the past, but for the possibilities in the future.

I could, and some of you maybe wish I would, stop right here.

We could all sing Kum By Yah and go home happy

But if I did, I would neglect the Gospel — and would affirm why so many of my peers, and our children no longer go to church.

Friday we celebrated the 249th birthday of our country.  

Two things took place this past week that have deeply disquieted my soul.

First was the opening of Alligator Alcatraz in Florida

According to many experts

This facility’s purpose fits the classic mode of a concentration camp: mass civilian detention without real trials targeting vulnerable groups for political gain based on ethnicity, race, religion or political affiliation rather than for crimes committed.

I don’t know if that concerns you, but as a Christian, we should be concerned anytime that the least and the vulnerable are at further risk.

Father James Martin wrote last week:

Laughing in front of cages designed to hold migrants and refugees, many of whom came to this country fleeing extreme violence and poverty, and hoping to raise their children in a more compassionate country. And many of whom followed all the legal procedures to enter the country. And remember, 93% have no record of any violent crimes. This facility, then, is comparable to the internment camps for Japanese Americans during the Second World War. But let's call it what it is: a concentration camp. Jesus wept.

The bible is pretty clear on how we are to treat the immigrant amongst us — and mass incarceration or deportant are not the biblical mandate.

And to open this on the weekend when we proclaim: 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Christian or not, it seems like we should be concerned.

But secondly, and even more concerning was the passing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”. 

And let me be perfectly clear.  This bill will benefit me — immensely — and it will benefit, probably everyone gathered here today.

But I have to ask myself — at what cost?

Jesus reminded us of this question when he asked: “Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives?’ Mark 8:36 CEB

This bill provides huge tax cuts, especially for the higher earners

• Increases the defense budget by an additional $150 billion

• Increases the funding for ICE from $10 billion to more than $100 billion by 2029, making it the single most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government

The funding of these huge tax cuts, massive increases to ICE  — come at what cost?

The Congressional Budget office estimates that the bill will increase the deficit by $3.3 TRILLION 

At the same time it would decrease $1.2 trillion in federal spending, primarily from Medicaid

How does this truly benefit me?  

Or my children or grand-children?

Is more money in my bank account worth it?

Jesus NEVER said to us:

Feed the hungry only if they have papers

Clothe the naked only if they are from your country.

Help the poor only if it is convenient

Love your neighbor only if they look like you

Jesus tells us to LOVE — with no asterisk attached

The church needs to stand up for Jesus!

Stand up for the oppressed and marginalized

Stand up for each other

I am rather pessimistic about the future of this country that I love — but the one thing that I have learned 

if we stand together 

If we stand for love 

If we stand for justice 

I am convinced —  we can change the world.

A Biography of A Mountain --- Review

What a gift to be offered a copy of A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis.  I received this ARC from Net Galley and St Martin's Press.  If you have any interest in native culture and history, this book is a must read.

It is a fascinating tale about so much more than Mount Rushmore. but that iconic monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota makes for a amazing adventure. My wife and I visited Mount Rushmore for the first time last August -- on our way back to Chicago following a cross country trip to Portland.  I remember being awed by the majesty of the monument, but something felt off in the whole experience.  Thankfully, Matthew Davis helped to identify that dis-ease that was in my soul.  

This is an exceptional book that will give insight into the process that lead up to the building of the monument, the men who built it, and the worldview that they attached to the "four boys".  But, fortunately,  it doesn't end there.  Davis also gives us insight into the "Land Back" movement and how it relates to Mount Rushmore.

I know our history isn't perfect, and I appreciate opportunities to learn and grow from some of the mistakes we have made along the way.  Thank you Matthew Davis for this eye-opening look at the Black Hills. I am sure that many will not share this view, but I am always grateful for the opportunity to see the world from another's perspective and I now have a whole new appreciation for the Mountain we call Mount Rushmore.

Are you willing to Stand Up for Jesus?

If I am honest, I need to admit that I struggle going to church. One of the things I have noticed among my retired friends is you tend to go one of three ways: accept an appointment in retirement or fill in as often as possible, find a church and attend almost every Sunday, or be like me, attend a couple of times a month at best. This political climate has made me dislike going to church even more. It feels like the church has done its best to stick its head in the mud and ignore what is going on in our world.

Case in point, a friend sent a brief Tick-Tock video to a group I am in (https://www.tiktok.com/@backbench_animations/video/7352635006763732229?lang=en) to the song “Come and get your love”, and my response was “Wish that was what the US church proclaimed” and someone responded: “relax steve, it’s just meant to be a little humor.” Another friend regularly posts what the administration is doing and a person responds: “can’t you give it up, it’s Easter”. If there is a better time for the church to crawl out of the tomb we have put ourselves into it is Easter Sunday!

Sunday, Nancy and I attended Gary Memorial UMC in Wheaton Il, our church home since retiring. It was a great Sunday. The music was wonderful, the children’s time reminded us of transformation, the prayers were powerful and the sermon by Pastor Chris Pearson was one of his best. (https://vimeo.com/1077078960 ). Chris invited us to stand up and to be honest, I felt compelled to do so (but being the good white middle class male inside me wouldn't let me 🤷); and I regret it. But what struck me the most was watching a person sitting in front of me squirm.

Every time Chris called the church to justice, every time he called out white nationalism, every time he encouraged us to live out what Jesus called us to do, this guy visibly squirmed in his seat. It was amazing. THAT IS WHAT THE CHURCH IS CALLED TO DO, make us uncomfortable in our numbness.

The church has become what Pink Floyd aptly called comfortably numb, not wanting to rock the boat, wanting instead to grow in power and prestige that we have lost our way (obviously I am stereotyping). But the truth is, too many “Christians” who 10 or 15 years ago would have been appalled by what our government is doing have unfortunately either become silent or become encouragers. Power is more important than values.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of the far left either. Those who know me know that I have argued for decades that the far right and the far left are much more similar than either would care to ever admit. What I pine over more than anything is the loss of the center. (A Stephen King reference to those who are keeping score). It was the far left that drove me out of the church to a greater extent than the far right. Although the right drove me crazy with their incessant whining that preaching Jesus was in their words; “political”. Now I am happy to admit that I am farther along on the left, but I do my best to keep a finger on the center as much as possible (lol).

Cameron Trimble, in her “almost” daily post wrote today “What If Collapse Makes Room for Something Better?” (https://www.pilotingfaith.org/p/what-if-collapse-makes-room-for-something ) the interesting notion that maybe our economy collapse can open us up for change? She writes: “We’ve lived for so long under the myth that there is no alternative—that capitalism, in its current form, is the only way. But that myth is breaking down. And in the breaking, we are invited to become co-creators of something new. Not simply to resist collapse, but to compost it. To take what is decaying and turn it into soil for a future that is more just, more loving, more alive.” I needed her message today, it fits so well with Pastor Chris’ call for us all to stand up and Richard Rohr’s calling us to embrace the prophet within in his newest book. (The Tears of Things).

I have rambled long enough for Easter Monday. If I was still pastoring a church I might still be in bed, I don’t have that excuse anymore! Today I am busy watching my phone and my nephew Bryan as he runs in the Boston Marathon.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

In 1981, Tom Petty released Hard Promises, and on it was a song called “The Waiting.”  At many points in our lives, we all can related to the song:

The waiting is the hardest part

Every day you get one more yard

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart

The waiting is the hardest part

On Monday, I had a biopsy done (actually 14 biopsies) on my prostate.  And I am not sure which was harder, the run up to the biopsy or sitting here now waiting on the results.

My father had prostate cancer, that is part of the reason the Urologist wanted the biopsy. My PSA had been rising (crossed the dreaded 4 threshold in the fall) and was now over 5, and an MRI done in late January resulted in these reassuring results 🙄 “Indeterminate (the presence of clinically significant cancer is equivocal).  Why can’t they spell out the results in plain English?

So with those equivocal results in hand (and a family history) the urologist wanted to go to the next step: biopsy.  To be honest, before I got the call, that is what I expected him to do.  My father always used to say: “most men will die WITH prostate cancer, not from it.”  Which is exactly what he did.  The prostate cancer, even though his was extremely aggressive (Gleason 9), did not kill him.  He was able to successfully treat the cancer.

I don’t think I slept at all the two nights prior to the procedure.  The waiting for Monday morning was eating me up.  Cancer runs in my family, Stewart died of cancer, and my mom has battled breast cancer.  So you can imagine all the thoughts running through my brain.  The unknown of what it would feel like to have them biopsy me certainly played a part, and I can confidently say, it wasn’t terrible, but I would not recommend it to anyone unless necessary!

Now it is Thursday, and I have been waiting for three years for the results (you mean it's really only been three days?)  Sure there is still some fear, but to be honest, I am comfortable with whatever the results may be.  What I am anxious about is the path forward.  The waiting is the hardest part.  At the same time I know that whatever happens, I will take it on faith, and know that I walk this journey not alone.  And for all of you that are also on this journey, I have a whole new appreciation of you. I love you all!

My brothers, if you are of a certain age (😉😉) go and get your PSA checked.  It is a very simple blood test.