In the past year at Parkrose UMC we have buried a couple of my favorite men. Men that lived lives of faith with courage and strength and passion. They were elders in the true sense of humanity’s tradition – wise, compassionate, full of good humor and vision.

It is a well-known fact in faith circles today that women hold a significant majority in spiritual participation and leadership. At Parkrose UMC that is certainly true. Growth in leadership and passion for ministry among women of our church is impressive. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have as a pastor to be in relationship with women on the rise and on the move. But where are the men?

Listening to our men in their 7th and 8th decades of life, I hear much consternation. The physical activities of hammering, lifting, moving heavy objects that gave them meaning and status are to many of our men, simply a distant memory. It seems they have lost their purpose.

Matthew Fox, maverick theologian and Christian mystic, wrote a book a couple of years ago, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, that challenges today’s men to reclaim their spiritual roots and join women on the rise and on the move in spiritual participation and leadership within family, community and church. Here is a statement from the book’s overleaf:

“IT IS NO SECRET that men are in trouble today. From war to ecological collapse, most of the world’s critical problems stem from a distorted masculinity out of control. Yet our culture rewards the very dysfunctions responsible for those problems. To Matthew Fox, our crucial task is to open our minds to a deeper understanding of the healthy masculine than we receive from our media, culture, and religions. To awaken what Fox calls ‘the sacred masculine’, he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, to inspire men to pursue their higher calling to reinvent the world.”

Pastor Don Frueh, of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, and I are inviting men to join us for a 5-week exploration of these metaphors. Beginning Tuesday February 23, 2010, 6:45 a.m to 7:30 a.m. (you got it – 45 minutes), at Parkrose UMC, corner of 111th and NE Knott St.

I make strong coffee. You bring your best.

Peace – Bill