Day 2 - Thirty-Six Days

God says, "To whom will you compare me or count me equal?  To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?"  (Isaiah 46:5).  Human beings have always been trying to create a god that they could have some tangible contact with.  The ancients would make gods out of gold and silver.  These gods could not speak.  They could not keep themselves from being knocked over.  They did not have the power to move from place to place.  I suppose you could hug  god like that, but I am not sure it helped!

God, YHWH, speaks.  This God knows the very real you.  He knows our fears and weaknesses.  He knows you!  And loves you. 

Isaiah reports that God says, "My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (46:10).  It pleases him to love you.  It pleases him to set the world right.  It pleases him to use broken folk to accomplish his will on earth as it is in heaven.  That means that you are involved in the most important work in the universe.  You have a future!!

Day 1 - Thirty Six Days

John 3:16 (NRSV) 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

This is a Scripture that most people have heard. I don’t know if it still happens, but sports fans used to see someone at the game holding up signs reading “John 3:16.” John Mayer has a song called “Belief,” that asks “Is there anyone who ever remembers changing their mind from the paint on a sign? Is there anyone who really recalls ever breaking rank at all for something someone yelled real loud one time?”

Where could one hear this Word from John 3:16? Where could we consider that the world was loveable? I think we are conflicted about that. There is so much in the world that is violent and abusive. God loves the world. I just find that astonishing. God sends the most precious part of himself, a one and only, an un-replaceable Son, into the world. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, beginning as a baby, conceived by an unwed mother who gave birth in a barn. What an interesting way to show love. He became one of us, even one of the least of us.

Who is the world? I am the world. We are the world. God became vulnerable to us. The Almighty chooses to be vulnerable.

I wonder if we could follow that example? Could we lay aside our pride? Could we love in such a sacrificial way? I wonder if that is the only way we can change the world. It goes against our natural inclinations toward self-preservation. I wonder, if we would dare to try, if we would share the DNA of the Only Begotten? I think that is what it means to be children of God.

Ephesians 5:1 (NRSV) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

Peace!

Self-Image

In our broken world, our self image is largely determined by what kind of messages we have received on any given day from our friends, from our co-workers or colleagues. Do they like me? Am I valuable? Am I loved?

When we read the parables of Jesus, I think we are hearing a message from God about us. I am a sheep the shepherd has sought. I am a reckless child who was welcomed home. I am a worker who has not worked all day, but I have still been paid a whole day’s wage. I have been welcomed and blessed by the Father. I am a beloved child of God, sought and wanted. Like the writer of the Gospel of John who sees himself as “the one Jesus loves,” could I see myself that way regardless of the other messages of the day? That changes my self-image!

Jesus changes things...real things. He invites me to live in a better world, and to help make the world better. God likes me. God thinks I am, valuable. God loves me anyway and always. Our Christianity cannot be merely theoretical. What Jesus does, his people do. That is the way.

Ten Commandments for Drivers

The Roman Catholic Church has issued some road rules! I have thought that driving anywhere is an exercise in a covenant of mutal benefit. Somehow in Houston, and other large cities one can travel at high speeds and most days arrive home alive and undented! That is a miracle, don't you think?

I like these ten commandments for driving in traffic!

Drivers' "Ten Commandments"
I. You shall not kill.

II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

IV. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.

V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

VII. Support the families of accident victims.

VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

X. Feel responsible towards others.

Grief - CS Lewis

Friends,

Some in our extended family expereinced another rush of grief this last week. It is more than one family should endure. One son died in a plane crash. Another son died fighting a fire. Now, a third son has found life too difficult and the urge to exit trumped his obvious love for his family.

Then I got a brief e-mail from a friend who simple said that her son had died. Her grief reminded me of a litte book published in 1961 by CS Lewis. Here are some excerpts.

A Grief Observed: CS Lewis

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.

At other times if feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting.

Yet I want others to be around me. I dread moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.

Then to paraphrase:

Sometimes there is a voice inside of me that says that all of this is really going to be okay. Love is not the whole of my life. I have resources. People get over these things. I will be okay. Then I am ashamed to listen to this voice. Once in a while, while I am thinking this way there is an onslaught of a ret-hot memory and all of this ‘common sense’ thinking vanishes, burned in the hot furnace of my loss.


“An odd by product of my loss is that I am aware of being an embarrassment to everyone I meet. At work, at the club, in the street, I see people as they approach me, trying to make up their minds whether they will ‘say something about it’ or not. I hate it if they do, and if they don’t. Some funk it all together. R. has been avoiding me for a week.”



Wondering if God was playing some cruel joke with cancers seemingly in remission, wondering if Jesus was lured into a trap at the cross, then remembering…But he (some cruel child) would never have thought of baits like love, or laughter, or daffodils, or a frosty sunset. He couldn’t make a joke, or a bow, or an apology, or a friend.


“Aren’t all these notes the senseless writhings of a man who won’t accept the fact that there is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it? (38)


Bridge players tell me that there must be money on the game, or else people won’t take it seriously. Apparently it’s like that. Your bid – for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity – will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high; until you find that you are playing not for counters or for sixpences, but for every penny you have in the world. Nothing less will shake a man – or at least a man like me – out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover himself. (43)

“After that operation either the wounded stump heals or the man dies. If it heals, the fierce, continuous pain will stop. Presently he’ll get back his strength and be able to stump about on his wooden leg. He has ‘got over it.’ But he will probably have recurrent pains in the stump all his life, and perhaps pretty bad ones; and he will always be a one-legged man.”

Wait Your Turn?

Mark 7:24-37 (MSG) 24 From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn't think he would be found, but he couldn't escape notice. 25 He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet, 26 begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter. 27 He said, "Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there's any left over, the dogs get it." 28 She said, "Of course, Master. But don't dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?" 29 Jesus was impressed. "You're right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone." 30 She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good. 31 Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns. 32 Some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him. 33 He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man's ears and some spit on the man's tongue. 34 Then Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, "Ephphatha!—Open up!" 35 And it happened. The man's hearing was clear and his speech plain—just like that. 36 Jesus urged them to keep it quiet, but they talked it up all the more, 37 beside themselves with excitement. "He's done it all and done it well. He gives hearing to the deaf, speech to the speechless."
Sometimes we get tired (Tyred?) Jesus had retreated. Is that okay? We would like to not be subject to fatigue, and when we are fatigued, I think the gospel suffers. The good news is the coming reign of the kingdom of God. The Way is asserted and demonstrated by those who are empowered by the Spirit of God. But there are days when the Southwest Airlines commercials are our real life…we want to get away.

Is Mark producing propaganda against the synagogue in Rome? That is possibly a way that this story could be used, but I doubt that the characterization of this narrative in those terms helps our people adopt the narrative of the story of God as their own. Why could this not be a report that Peter shared with John Mark, part and parcel to the question that the disciples ask (Who is this? 4:41). Who is this that upsets the status quo?

Here Jesus has sought a quiet moment for himself, and does not get it. Ever get snippy when you are really hungry, or when you are weary? Ever say something that could be perceived as unhelpful, or even ugly. Is it permissible for Jesus to have such a moment? Does the humanity of Jesus threaten our sensibilities? Jesus does not tell this outsider, this Greek woman, no. He uses a metaphor that I don’t like, where she is a dog. Can we hear it, even? I find the distance in time and language and the culturally specific communication difficult to nuance. As I have been living in the text of the Sermon on the Mount, I know the Way would be to give to everyone who asks. Is Jesus reminding himself of his priorities? God had made some promises to Abraham and the ‘people of God’ along the way. God’s promises needed to be kept. Through a certain people would come a blessing for all people. The ‘certain people’ project is not quite over. Blessing for all people is coming. He uses a metaphor for a household animal (some people love their pets quite a bit, too!). She chooses not to be offended. Her need outstrips her pride. I think that is an amazing and helpful realization. Perhaps Jesus, as the one who knows hearts, has set this up to make that point. (Who is this who knows the hearts of human beings?)

Jesus was impressed. That is not in the text, but it is reasonable inference. Her response was so genuine that her blessing came in a very dramatic and immediate way. Sometimes that happens.
Then Jesus travels to another region where outsiders live. Any surprise that these outsiders, too, will get a hint of blessing? Would you let Jesus put his fingers in your ears? Would you let him put some spit on your tongue? That is so strange. Who is this who can make such a process function? It is relational. It is personal. It is intimate. It is supernatural. Of course, it is the type of thing that was to accompany the new alternative world (eschatological world) promised in Third Isaiah 61:1-2. It was hard to keep quiet about that. Mark’s Roman audience might think, “Jesus did this for those who were not the old insiders? Could this story be for me? Who is this who opens my hears and loosens my tongue?”

How fascinating!

The Examen - A Prayer Pattern

The Examen

Tonight we are going to pray. What does it mean to pray? Yes, it is a conversation with God. He invites it.

Philippians 4:6 (NRSV) 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Sometimes our prayers are quick and as you go type conversations. When that is the regular form of prayer for us, we can begin to take God for granted. It is less of an encounter and more of a I will call you when I need to relationship.

Tonight I want to give you a pattern that might help you spend a little bit of relationship time with God. God has some ambitions for you, as I see the story of Scripture unfold.

He is seeking your peace.
He is seeking your transformation into the image of Jesus.
He is seeking you.
His power is for you. His love is for you. Your life is for Him.

So, let’s work through this pattern.

1. Recall that you are in the presence of God. God is not far off. He has drawn near in Jesus. He has sent his Holy Spirit to live in each of us. Close your eyes and think. Wherever you are; walking on the beach and the ocean ripples or roars. You are in the mountains, and the wind comes blowing through the valley. You are in the city and the traffic is crazy. Everywhere…., in a crowd or alone, you are God’s beloved and sought after child. As you quiet yourself, become aware that God is present within you, and in the creation that surrounds you, in your body, in these people around you. The Creator, the one who knits you together in your mother’s womb, is concerned for you. The Spirit of God, sent by Christ, right now reminds you that you are useful, able. You make the world complete. Your relationships are important. Your work is important. God is working through your love, through your relationships, through your participation, to bring creation to its fullness. Ask the Holy Spirit to let you look on all you see with love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NRSV) 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.
You Are In God’s Presence. (Song)

2. Spend a moment looking over your day with gratitude for this day’s gifts. Remember today with gratitude. Warm water in the shower. Clean clothes to wear. A job to go to. People to talk with. Recall the smell of your morning coffee, the taste of something good that you ate, the laugh of a child, the fragrance of a flower, the smile that broke upon your face when you saw something wonderful…the clouds…a friend, or a kind word spoken to you, a lesson that you learned. What did you give today? What have you received? Say to God, “Thank you!” Thank you for love. Thank you for challenges. Thank you for opportunities. Thank you for the tools (books, wrenches, transportation). What about the gifts that are more permanent? Talents. Abilities. Your family. All of those gifts were at work in this day. Thank God for the gift of the hope for a better day. Every day is another chance. Thank God for your sense of humor, if you have one! Thank you, God, for faith. Thank you for the gifts of thinking and feeling. Thank you for breath and vision…and flavor! Thank you, God, for friends. Thank you for the friends that are still coming into our lives! Thank you for boundaries. God the Father gives you these to draw you into the fullness of life. As you move through the details of your day, give thanks to God for His presence in the big and the small things.
God has been with you today. Praise Him! (Song)

3. Invite God to send His Holy Spirit to help you look at your actions and attitudes and motives with honesty and patience. Hebrews 4:12 (NRSV) 12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The Spirit of God knows the truth about you. So we come in this moment with humility. Remember that God really does love you, knowing you. Let that love and that truth flow in you. Lord, I am sorry when my actions bring harm, or drive people away, or diminish them. Thank you for the actions that were good and right and helpful. Lord, forgive me when my attitudes are poor, when my faith is small, when I forget that you are able. Help me be joyful. Father, you know how often I am prone to selfish motives. Help me to act without taking care of my own needs all the time. Lord, I know that you are patient with me. Help me to be patient with others and with myself. You know me! You know the intentions of my heart. Have mercy. Help me.
Come, Holy Spirit.

4. Deeper in your day. With your eyes closed. Recall the events of your day; explore the context of your actions, even if you were at home with little to do. Search for the internal movements of your heart and your interaction with what was before you. What were you thinking about? Were you happy? Where you anxious? Who was you with? Were you helpful or discouraging? Did you listen? Whom did you ignore? What did you leave undone? Did you forgive anyone? Did you encourage? This is not a time to be hard on yourself, but to see the opportunities of the day. God was at work and you were His partner. And you could do more! Notice where you acted freely—picking a particular course of action from the possibilities you saw. See where you were swept along without freedom. See where the Spirit of Jesus entered your decisions and where you might have paused to receive His influence. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NRSV) 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!
His influence comes through His people, the Body of Christ.
His influence comes through Scripture, the Word of God.
Now, as you pray, Christ’s spirit will help you know His presence and concern.
God, help us to see how we might act in concert with you. Help us to pay attention to those around us. Give us the will to speak, to encourage, and to bless. Guide me. Prompt me to speak and to act. Help me to be still enough to cooperate with you. Challenge me. Speak to me. Encourage me. Teach me your ways. Help me to love my neighbor. At work. In the mall. Next door.
God I am Yours. Here am I. Use me.

5. A heart-to-heart talk with Jesus. Do you talk to Jesus in your prayers? (See Stephen Acts 7:59.) Just a little talk. I don’t think that makes it right. But it sure helps. “Jesus you know my day. You know the good that I did today. You know the temptations that I have faced. You know the moments that I was not very much like you. Thank you for coming. You knew that I needed you. Thank you for compassion. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for such amazing love. Maybe you need to express sorrow for sin, the obscuring darkness that surrounds us all, and especially ask forgiveness for the times you resisted God’s light today. “Yes, I am sorry for obscuring the light, Jesus. May your glory shine in me.” I know you’re your steadfast love is new every morning. It never comes to an end. Help me rest. And tomorrow, we will do more.

Our Father, who is in heaven. Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The View from Mt Nebo

Moses, like most of the heroes of the Bible, was subject to substantial mistakes. The people he was leading into the wilderness had been complaining. They were afraid that God could not meet their needs, even though God had been with them all through the wilderness journey. At a place called Kadesh, there was a rock. Moses was supposed to speak to the rock and water would flow for the people. Instead, Moses took his staff and struck the rock (Num 20:8ff). He was irritated. He was reacting out of frustration. “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

It was this moment that kept Moses out of the Promised Land! He was to climb the mountain and God would show him the whole land. From the top of the mountain he could see from Dan to the Negev. He could see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. He could see it, but he could not cross over into it.

What do you think of that? Does that seem fair to you? Kay Bessler Northcutt comments, “What if fairness is not the ultimate issue to be wrestled with on Nebo? What if the view from Mount Nebo is ultimately found in the quest for the unattainable? And what of the definition of a great life is one that consciously lives (and dies) with the attainable for which one has worked one’s entire life just beyond one’s grasp? Surely this is the good news of Mount Nebo.”

God is gracious. In every story, we see a lesson. Perhaps the lesson here is: One life-time is not enough. Moses had a long and eventful life. If we could do so much in cooperation with God, would that not be enough? Yes, we want to finish. However, I think there is a reason for life after life. Accomplishing what God has in mind with a life, or within a community, is more than one life can attain.

So what? As I look for a cure for dissatisfaction, I find this to be a peaceful truth. The goals remain and are fiercely sought. However, our dreams are not what really matter. We work hard, making ourselves available to the Divine Design. One day, on the other side of what we can see in our lives, or in our community, there will be more. The ‘more’ will be better than our ambitions, dreams, or imagination. Reinhold Niebuhr said, “Anything worth doing cannot be accomplished in one lifetime.”

Maybe we will have the gift of standing on Nebo, looking into the future, seeing the fruit of our labor with God. If we can catch a glimpse, that will be enough.

The Ethic of Jesus

I am getting ready to teach a series from the Sermon on the Mount. The goal is to orient us to the amazing ethic of Jesus. Here are some things I am thinking about...

How do these words of Jesus strike you?
What do you find that is fresh?
Where do you want to pause and say, “I had not thought of that.”?
Where do you see the Good News?

Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says that he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. The narrative of the Old Testament has not been abolished. The standards of God have not been reduced by the appearance of Jesus. Matter of fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, the standard is strengthened. When we seek to justify ourselves we do our best to rationalize our behavior.

For example: how is your social or ecological sensitivity? (Darfur, Rwanda, Global Warming?) Remember: you are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

We spoke of Murder/Anger.
1. If you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.
2. If you insult a brother or sister, you will be answerable to the Sanhedrin. The implication is that you will be subject to the dicipline of the leaders of the community.
3. If you call someone an empty headed fool, you will be subject to hell-fire.
4. What is Jesus doing?
5. Is there an ethical expectation?

We spoke briefly about Adultery/Lust.
1. If you look with lust, you have committed adultery.
2. We talked about the eye or hand causing you to sin.
3. What is Jesus doing here?
4. Is there an ethical expectation?

Marriage/Divorce Matthew 5:31-32 (NRSV) 31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Background: The certificate of divorce was an act of mercy on behalf of the woman. Before we plunge into this example, consider: Did followers still get angry at their brother or sister? Did followers still look with lust? The point is: in this context, we are not shifting to a situation of ‘non-dependence’ on the grace of God.
A couple of things I think:
1. The exception clause is not viable grounds for a self justifying ‘work-around.’
2. Unchastity (porneia) is a rather flexible word. It could be ‘close marriage,’ or incest, or prostitution. It is also used for general unfaithfulness to the covenant promises that the community made to God.
3. Anything odd here? Anything apparently harsh and unreasonable? Would that be consistent with the previous two episodes? How does his act of divorcing her make her guilty of adultery? And the rescue of a powerless woman makes the rescuer guilty of adultery, too. Interesting?
4. If those who look with lust are guilty of adultery, are they in a ‘better’ position than those who marry a divorced woman?
5. What is Jesus doing here?
6. Is there an ethical expectation?

Matthew 5:33-37 (NRSV) 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
What about swearing? How does that add strength to your promise?
What belongs to you? Why do people put a hand on the Bible to swear?
Do we follow through? Are we honorable to our commitments? Are we reliable? Do we weasel out of commitments based on technicalities?
Is there a social ethical implication?

Then there is this:
1. Do not resist an evildoer.
2. Turn the other cheek.
3. Give your coat to the one who sues for your shirt.
4. Go the second mile.
5. Give to everyone who begs, or seeks to borrow.
6. Love your enemies.
7. Pray for those who persecute you.
8. Be perfect as…

Who Can Partake?

Who can partake of Communion? As with most questions like this, it seems to demand a community of discernment, a group who will live in response to Jesus and in response to the texts of Scripture. It is interesting that Luke-Acts is rather ambiguous in the language used for communion. Is breaking bread a sacred meal or a normal meal (Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7)? I suggest that the ambiguity is intentional, that the common meal was the place for Eucharist. Every one ate. The children ate. The strangers were welcomed to the table. It was in the spirit of Passover where it was an opportunity to illustrate the narrative of our lives. Every time the bread was broken and the wine shared, they would remember and relive the gift of their identity.
The Corinthian problem with communion is interesting. The reason they were failing was that they were still living according to the principalities and the powers, playing the domination game. The rich did not wait for the poor. In our community we still have a problem understanding this. We have turned the Eucharist into a private devotional time that happens to occur in the assembly. The people were taught somewhere that to 'discern the body' was to imagine the suffering of Jesus on the cross (1 Cor 11:29). It seems to me that Paul meant for us to look out for one another, to recognize that the alternative world proposed by a crucified Lord would mean that the old standards for separation were no longer in play. All should eat at the Lord's Table and receive His hospitality and ours. And as far as possible it should be a truly communal act.

God's Top Ten

Thinking about the Ten!

Ex 20:1-17
God spoke to the people of Israel, giving them instruction for the fullness of life, which is the meaning of Torah. God establishes his authority in the description of their relationship. Who could bring a person out of slavery? And I wonder if there are very many who would say, “I have never been a slave!” I have been a slave, and I am not sure that I am completely free. I am a slave to the flesh, to my desire for comfort, success, and affection. It is not that these things are unimportant to our humanity. They are very important, and I believe God is eager to have us recognize that the Lord will address those needs. However, we often live in fear that God cannot deliver ‘the goods.’ That is what the Ten Commandments seem to be about. Whom do you trust?

We are to have no other gods. Nothing is to supersede the ‘I AM.’ My most common idol is me. It is not that I think I am transcendent. I am keenly aware of my weaknesses. The problem is that I want control. Greed is a common idol, both among the rich and the poor. Family is a common idol. We will put family before God. Matter of fact, we are tempted to have a lot of ‘other gods.’

We are to treat the name of God with respect. Why would we abuse someone whom we trust? If God would reveal God’s name (YHWH), that seems to me to be a relationship creator. Would you ask someone their name and then ‘make fun’ of the name, or use it as a magic charm, an incantation, or as a word for unwholesomeness? I doubt if you could keep that relationship whole and healthy if you were given to that.

What do think about the Sabbath? We are pretty busy people. We fill our schedules and have a hard time resting. We are fearful that we will ‘do without’ if we don’t seek every advantage. God stopped working for a day. If God can take a day, then I am supposing that we could trust the world to the Lord’s care for a day.

What do you suppose that ‘honor your father and mother’ command is about? Probably it means to ‘take care of your folks.’ It does not mean that you are under their authority for all of your life. It seems to me that it means that you are always responsible to God for their care. It could be one of those organizing commands, too. There is a season when you are under your parent’s authority. In the Old Testament incorrigible children were stoned to death at the city gate (Deut 21:18ff). It could be that God is reaffirming parents as the one’s who are to have a season of authority.

Life is not at your disposal. That is why God said, “Do not murder.” We are not in charge (sovereign over life and death). I read an article in the New York Times last week (March 2006) about the ethics of terminating a pregnancy when the child was going to have birth defects. It is interesting to me that we want medical knowledge to preserve our pregnancies and we consider that beneficial. However, if that medical knowledge preserves a difficult pregnancy that God seemed to be attempting to terminate, and we are unhappy with the result, we complain again. We really do not want God to be in control.

Why do you suppose we are supposed to refrain from adultery? Of course, you know that it is destructive to our relationships. It is destructive of marriage and threatens the well-being of our children. It threatens the social fabric of every community where the parties make a life. Why does this command make the top ten? I suppose because God knew that we would struggle in our relationships. Could we trust God to provide for us? It is not easy to trust.

Theft is a manifestation of the same fear. It threatens the very same things as adultery. I suppose adultery is theft. We take something that does not belong to us. We take because we are fearful. Could we learn to live with what we can earn? Could we learn to work hard and be satisfied with the results?

We are to tell the truth in court. I know that we have thought of this command as telling the truth in general, which is also important. However, I think this command is about making false accusations. Why would we be tempted to do this? Again, I think this is about the social fabric of our culture. If a person was to make an accusation against you, you would be harmed regardless of the truth. God is interested in us being careful with our relationships and with our communities.

We are not supposed to want what our neighbors possess. This seems to me to be a general principle that concludes this list. Trust God instead of wanting what does not belong to you.

Listen!

Mark 9:2-8 (NRSV) 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

It is interesting to me that Jesus takes these three characters with him to the mountain top. The language is emphatic, apart, by themselves. Jesus and this inner circle of imperfect men get a glimpse of glory. Was it a moment of authentication? Was Jesus giving these three the inside scoop to what was really going on? Was it a moment to say, “Even if the veil was lifted and you could see what was really going on, you would still say stupid things?”

How did they know it was Elijah and Moses? Did Jesus make the introductions? Were they wearing name tags? Of course, we move right past those odd things and into the apparent point. God was speaking, had been speaking. God spoke through Moses and through Elijah. Israel has the Law and the Prophets. Now, behold, he does a new thing and speaks through the beloved Son. The point was to listen to God.

If we could see beyond the veil, how would we respond? Would we be struck dumb, as Peter was? Would it be awe-full? Would we be deeply moved and encouraged to know that God was still speaking, still involved in the mess down here? I think Jesus picked three guys that would talk about it. They weren’t afraid of sounding stupid.

Breaking News

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (NRSV) 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. 6 For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

What is the gospel? I think we have a tendency to reduce it to something that we can capture in a sound bite. The gospel is ‘death, burial, and resurrection,’ we might say. I would ask, to what end? What makes that GOOD news? What makes it NEWS? Jesus came saying that he was the truth. He did not come saying that I have some propositions for you (not that he did not have propositions). He came claiming that he was truth, that he was offering himself as an example of what was truly human, as the love of God for the world, as an invitation to a benevolent relationship with the Creator. Clearly there was an inversion of the usual way of things in the ‘breaking news.’ We who claim to know something about this news proclaim ourselves as ‘your slaves for Jesus’ sake.’

Is that our way? Jesus’ way of sacrifice? Would we become a slave to those we meet, to those we know, to those who trouble us, for Christ’s sake? It is in those moments that the light shines out of darkness. And every time the light shines….it is breaking news all over again!

Psalm 41 - The Blessing

Psalms 41:1-13 (NRSV) 1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble. 2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies. 3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities. 4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you." 5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish. 6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie. 9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me. 10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. 11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me. 12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

I have been thinking about the whole idea of blessing. Happy (or blessed) are those who consider the poor. To be blessed is to manifest the presence of God. Those who pay attention to the poor are those who are living the blessed life, who are manifesting and cooperating in the work of Yahweh. Caring for the poor is not the job of some impersonal government. Caring for the poor is something that should interest those who consider themselves church people. And those who are cooperating with the interests of God are promised God’s attention.

It is interesting to me that the promise is not that you will not suffer or get sick. Jesus cares for the poor and he does not escape suffering or death. I wonder what it means to be healed. Healing and salvation seem to be seriously linked. Is it a cop-out to say that salvation is a matter of wholeness, of the ability to overcome brokenness? Salvation is a matter of re-integration, the sewing back together of that which has dis-integrated?

Some of us have a tendency to say that the sick are un-blessed. We might think, “Oh I escaped getting sick! What a blessing! God was looking out for me.” Those who do get sick…well they deserve what they get. They are reaping what they have sown, right?

Have you ever had the experience of being left by a friend who cannot bear your suffering? I have not felt that sting, but I believe that it happens. “A deadly thing has fastened on me.” A thing of Belial…a demonic thing, that is what the text says. Verse ten has an interesting little poetic twist. The Hebrew for “repay” has the same consonants as “bosom friend” in verse nine. It is also interesting that this prayer asks for permission to exercise vengeance. I think that is an honest response from a hurting heart. I suspect that God’s answer would be, “I think not. That is not your task.”

Why would God uphold this sufferer, if I were that sufferer? It would not be because of my integrity. I only have integrity if I have had some help (getting sewn back together). It is a mystery to me. God wants to bless, to set us in God’s Presence forever. That is the blessing, from ever-lasting to ever-lasting. Amen.

Isa 43 - A New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-25 (NRSV) 18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. 22 Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! 23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. 24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. 25 I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

What an interesting summary of the relationship between human beings, and especially those who choose to be church, and the God who formed them (us). There is a season to forget what has happened in the past, a season for the change in focus. For Israel, they were to forget the season of captivity, back when they were oppressed. How nice it would be to forget a relationship that was toxic, or a moment that we have been holding onto, those kinds of negative moments that we replay in our minds like videotape of a bad movie.

Moments, and words, define us. There was a book mentioned in the New York Times today (02 14 06) by Deborah Tannen. She is a linguist who studies the impact of conversation. The title of her book is _You’re Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation_. Tannen is seeing that we are powerfully impacted by the words that get spoken in relationships that matter to us. I wonder, if we could choose to forget the former things. Could we forget at least enough to be free, to look forward to a new thing that God might be doing in our lives? It must be possible. God claims to “make a way in the wilderness.” I like the metaphor of the wilderness for the journey of life…it is a challenge, a place where we cannot survive on our own. We need the community. We need Providence. However, we often live under the illusion that we are managing this life on our own.

“Yet you did not call on me.” We stop talking to God. We stop being sorry for trying to run the show, or for living unloving lives. We fret…a lot! What do we give God? What does God get out of this relationship with human beings? Not much, if the truth were told. I am mystified by God’s persistent attempts to remain in a relational with us (me). If I bring a sacrifice, it is really a disguise for a blessing for me! Could I give God the ‘fat portions”? I find that funny! God likes the fat portions? What I do give God is a burden. I give my sins. I weary God. Yet He remains the one who blots out my transgressions…for his own sake. Amazing.

What is God expecting from us (me)? Praise. He is expecting his church people to be priests for the world. We are to offer our sacrifices of praise to God for the sake of the world. We are to love the world that God loves, the whole world. The world is troubled. God loves the world. He sent His son. His Son sent those who would be disciples (the church). He did not call them to keep house, but to go love the world. God is about to do a new thing in the wilderness. He is doing it through the likes of us…for the sake of the world. Will we cooperate? Will we go along with the new thing, or are we stuck in the past? I wonder.

Simplicity

Hans Hoffman, artist: The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

Leonardo da Vinci: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

John Cheney, poet: The happiest heart that ever beat / Was in some quiet breast / That found the common daylight sweet, / And left the rest to God.

Japanese proverb: A garden is perfect not when nothing more can be added, but when nothing more can be taken away.

E. F. Schumacher, economist: Any third-rate engineer or researcher can increase complexity; but it takes a certain flair of real insight to make things simple again.

Charles Mingus, musician: Making the simple complicated is commonplace, making the complicated simple -- that's creativity.

Doris Janxen Lonacre, author: The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple.

Managing Stress

How do you manage the pressure or stress in your life? We all have stress. Stress is like conflict. It is inevitable. Your ability to manage stress well will very likely mean the difference between success and failure, happiness and despondency, satisfaction and disappointment. Here are some management strategies that you might find helpful.

Be willing to fail. Even if you are driven not to fail, there is a benefit in being willing to risk. I really hate to fail. However, I understand that if there is no risk, there is no reward. Some people are crushed by their failures. The truth is that we will all fail. The measure of your character is how you respond to adversity, to failure.. God will forgive you, and so will others if you will face your failures with integrity and learn from your mistakes.

Keep it Simple. You have control over your stress levels. Most of our stress is self-imposed (self-inflicted) or at least self exacerbated. Living a simple life is a joy. No one requires us to live the life of the soaps. Keep your desires in check. Love your family and do your work. If you have ever been tangled up in sinful behavior, and I am thinking maybe you have, you know that the simple life is a lot less stressful!

Listen to the truth. Lean on your family and friends. There will be critics, always. Some will have bad motives, wanting to discourage or demote you. Most of the time, your critics are feeling a loss by what you say or do. If you can understand what might be at stake for them, you can listen with less anxiety. Others are people that want to promote, instead of demote. You need their truth telling! Find those people and lean on them. Speak frankly to them and let them speak frankly to you. There needs to be a place for unmasked honesty.

Historical Perspective. It is important to have a good sense of where you stand in the big picture. Sometimes I just have to look into the sky on a starry night. I am small. History is large. And God is above it all. In the larger scheme, my success or failure on a particular task will not change the course of everything. But in a few cases, the impact of what we do, does count. Don't forget that either. Your words and deeds matter.

Stay on task. Pressure is best dealt with head on. There are so many distractions and time consumers that come our way throughout the day. You can fill your whole day with those things. God gives us each day as a gift to use. When the day is over, we will never reclaim the time. Spend it as if it were precious currency. It is.

Pray and Sing. In the Bible, Peter writes, Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (I Peter 5:7). You will have to reserve time for this. Take time to talk with God. Let him bear your burdens. Most of all, let him be your significance. That will take most of the pressure right off your shoulders. You are important because he made you that way. And sing. God said that in singing we would be filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20). The whole cosmos should sing, and perhaps it does (Rev 5:13)!

Remember His Presence. Consider the ravens. Consider the lilies. Consider the angels. Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).

Trudge. When the tediousness comes and the pressure mounts, put your head down and press on. If it is number crunching, cutting the grass, or dealing with unpleasant business or unpleasant people, apply yourself and have the discipline to do what is right. Finish the race. We always feel a sense of relief in the aftermath of responsibility fulfilled.

Take care of your body. Eat right. Get some exercise. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. Your body is a tool that God has given you. Take care of the tool, so that you can accomplish all that God has set before you to do.

Use and enjoy. Pressure is also the gift of God. Pressure is the urge to do, the need to do. It is not a flame to be extinguished, but a fire in the soul to blaze the trail of life. Don't wilt under the heat, but rather direct it with purpose!

Slow?

Is God Slow?

How long do we wait? Oh, were we waiting? Have you ever had someone tell you that you were as slow as Christmas? If you were waiting for your annual pair of shoes that would come to you as a Christmas gift, Christmas could be slow in coming.
If we lived in a place where there was oppression, maybe we would cry out to God that he would bring his justice to bear. If we lived in a place where people could trap you with easy credit…or if we lived in a land that cultivated your dissatisfaction, that always encouraging you to want more, to need more. If you lived in a world where the pressure was mounting all the time, and you felt behind, less than, small…. Or if you found your self in a bind where you could just die. You might cry out for God to hurry. “Make things right, Lord!”
Why doesn’t God jump in to set things right in Rwanda, in Darfur where genocide is still going on? Why does God not keep children from suffering abuse from their parents hands? And why is living and dying so difficult? From managing finances, to families, to the daily grind…life is sweet…and difficult.We want justice in the world. I really think we do. But we are hesitant about justice for ourselves. That is what I think this text is about. Justice. When will we get it? What is God’s answer?Justice is coming. God will make things right. You might want to take the opportunity of the mean time to make every effort.He is patient with you. Our Lord’s patience means salvation.

2 Peter 3:8-15 (NIV) 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation.

Have you ever wondered why you were not instantly destroyed when you did what was wrong? People think that since God is slow, since no lightning strikes them dead, that God does not care.
What a terrible day it will be! It will be frightening to see the heavens disappear with a roar, the elements melt and the earth laid bare. It is like any of the great catastrophes. What matters to you in moments like that? When you have to pack the car to run from a hurricane. We thought about what was important. What if we were not coming back? It was interesting what some of you saw when you were on the road from Hurricane Rita. People were demonstrating their real character. Some were so helpful and gracious. Some were selfish, desperate, and thoughtless. Some tossed garbage as they went. Some cared for those in distress.

This passage of Scripture is telling us something. The most important things are not things. When all of this burns up, we will hardly notice. God is promising a new heaven and a new earth. God is promising a home for righteousness. The Home of Righteousness. Heaven.
Hebrews 12:22-23 (NRSV) 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

You Have Come!
It is coming. What kind of people will you be?
Holy. Godly. Does that sound boring? It means loving, joyful, peaceful, patient and kind. It means living in imitation of the character of God. It means living for justice for those who are being treated unjustly. It is welcoming the stranger. It is generosity. It is caring. About people. About animals. About creation. And it is about patience.

A Prayer For George

This is a prayer written by Will Willimon...

News of the death yesterday of Sgt. George Alexander, Jr., from woundsreceived in Iraq, has prompted me to prayer. Sgt. Alexander, 34, was agraduate of Chilton County High and an Alabama native. A Prayer for George Alexander, Jr. Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Savior of the World, Prince of Peace, hear thisprayer for George, son of Alabama, two thousandth American soldier to die inour war in Iraq. Receive him, we pray -- a lamb of Your flock, a sinner forwhom You have died, a cherished and beloved Child of God -- and one who isat peace at last, because he is with You. George had an Alabama boyhood, an Alabama youth, and Alabama dreams. I prayfor his mother, for his family and friends, his church, and all those forwhom his death means not only the ending of his dreams, but the beginning oftheir lifetime of grief and loss. Lord, help us to feel some measure oftheir pain. Save us from offering cheap consolation or patriotic platitudesin the face of their loss. Instill in our hard hearts a determination towork with You for a government in which we shall make peace as quickly andresourcefully as we make war, a country that loves Your righteousness andjustice more than our security and power. One and Only Way, Truth, and Life, give us the grace to live by Your Wordrather than by our weapons. Lord Jesus, You never lifted Your hand againstanyone, You refused to defend Yourself even when unjustly attacked, Youresisted violence with peace and nonviolence, and You never, ever told usthat war was the answer to anything. When will we move from worshipping Youto following You? Seeker and Lover of the Lost, forgive us of our sin of attempting to solvethe world¹s problems through violence and war, forgive us of our willingnessto once again allow old people like me to send young people like George tomake war on others and to suffer and die to preserve our privileges, forgiveus for loving our freedom more than Your peace, and for treating Your giftof life so casually. Give us, in our grief for our fallen daughters andsons, an equal amount of grief for the deaths of the twenty-five thousandIraqi sisters and brothers in Christ. Grant us a miracle: that George benot only the two thousandth young American to die in this war, but also thelast. Judge of us all, I confess that I have not prayed enough, have not embodiedYour truth enough, have not been critical enough of our political leaders,have acquiesced to the plans of the initiators and makers of war, ratherthan to join the ranks of Your blessed makers of peace. In Your name, andin heartfelt grief for the loss of George, and in bold confidence in Yourcoming Kingdom, I pray. Amen.

Good Religion

Religion is a really good thing...maybe.

Have you heard people say that they were not religious, or that they were opposed to religion? Somehow they think that they can be Christian, or a follower of Jesus without being religious. Religion sounds stuffy, and less than authentic. What I think they mean is that bad religion is something to be avoided. Good religion however, is exactly the right thing.

What does it mean to be religious? The word is eusebeo. It means to worship or to show respect. The test of religion would be: Are we really paying attention? Is our focus upon the character and nature of God?

In our nation's archives there is an account of two ladies from Tennessee who came before President Abraham Lincoln at the conclusion of the Civil War. They were asking for the release of their confederate husbands held as prisoners of war at Johnson's Island.
Lincoln put them off until Friday, when they came again. Again the President put them off until Saturday. At each of the interviews one of the ladies stressed to Lincoln that her husband was a religious man. After the Saturday interview the President ordered the release of the prisoners. Then he turned to this lady and said, "You say your husband is a religious man. Tell him when you meet him, that I say I am not much of a judge of religion. In my opinion, however, the religion that sets men to rebel and fight against their government ... (so that they can) eat their bread on the sweat of other men's faces, is not the sort of religion upon which people can get to heaven!"

The way of the cross, it seems to me, is one that is subversive in a way that changes the status quo not through the power of this world, but rather loves so radically, so sacrificially that the world cannot help but be changed. What if Lincoln and his generals had also chosen to walk down south and stood to defend those enslaved without firing a shot? To give your life in such a way, now that is freedom! And that is good religion.