Luke 18:31-43 Lord, Let Me See Again!
[31] Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. [32] For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon.
[33] After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again." [34] But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
[35] As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. [36] When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. [37] They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
[38] Then he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" [39] Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" [40] Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, [41] "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again." [42] Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you." [43] Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.
What is happening in this scripture? – The time is coming to a head. Jesus has just told the twelve, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem…” He speaks curiously in the third person of himself, saying the Son of Man will be handed over, mocked and insulted and spat upon. After being flogged they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again. The disciples understand nothing; what he said was hidden, and they did not grasp what he said. As he approaches Jerichio, this new Joshua (that’s what the name Jesus derives from), a blind man who was sitting by the road begging hears the crowd and asks someone what was happening. They tell him Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. The blind man shouts out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stands still, orders the man to be brought to him, asks what he wanted him to do for him. The blind man says, “Lord, let me see again.” Jesus doesn’t say “I will heal you!” He says, Receive your sight; your faith has saved you. The man regains his sight, follows Jesus, glorifies God. When all the people saw it they praised God.
This scripture is about seeing. I highlighted all the words having to do with seeing, or not seeing. Even grasping is a form of tactile sight, and is how blind people “see” things. Jesus asks his disciples to see what is about to happen. This sight was hidden from them. But a bind beggar unabashedly shouts out to Jesus, calling him Son of David, and asking for mercy. This shout for mercy makes Jesus stop. Jesus tells the man to receive his sight; his faith has saved him.
Jesus was passing him by. He shouts for mercy. Sight is received. The man follows.
How is this happening in the world today? – Questions for people like us to ponder from this scripture:
What is Jesus trying to show us that we cannot grasp; what remains hidden? Who is doing the hiding?
What do people like us know of sitting by the roadside of life, blind and begging?
How many of us have cried for mercy when we hear that Jesus is passing by?
How is this story your story? -- What would you say to Jesus if you knew he was passing by?
What do you hope Jesus will let you see again?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
James 4: 1-10 The Glory of Humility
James 4: 1-10 The Glory of Humility
[4:1] Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from?
Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? [2] You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. [4] Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? [6] But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.
[10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
What is happening in this scripture? – This is a part of a sermon in the form of an epistle that was circulated around to the small fledgling congregations of Jews following Christ. Some scholars say it was written around 100 A.D. But if it was written by James, the brother of Jesus, the original must have been written much sooner. In any case, James had a lot to say to the congregations of these early gatherings. He knew that if these early persecuted groups did not hang together, they would hang separately or die out all together. When you read this scripture, look deep into it. The author obviously knew human nature quite well. He points out that most of the conflicts they are having with each other stem from their own egos, their own cravings from within. He also convicts them of asking wrongly, saying that if, in their asking, their motive is to spend what they get on their own pleasures, they will not receive. He challenges them: Are they a friend of the world, or a friend of God?
James points out that if they submit themselves, and their egos, to God, to that which God loves and stands for, (love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, mercy, generosity) that their relationship with God will be strengthened. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
How is this happening in the world today? – One of my favorite ministers asks, “Is what you are doing building the body of Christ up, or tearing it down? Is it building people up or tearing them apart? We in the body of Christ especially are challenged now. We have some issues that could bring us together in a way we have never been before, or we could get our egos involved, yearn for personal control, let our fear of the new and different threaten us into dispersion.
[5] Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? [6] But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
How is this scripture about me? – Lord, I am human. I accept your free and undeserved grace and when you give it, I somehow think that gives me a license to judge. Lord, help me to remember, it’s not about rules, or walls, or locked doors, and saying “no” to others who would seek your community. It’s not about my will, Lord. It’s about loving what you love. And you love freedom and acceptance of all people. Lord, help me remember that to be exalted by you means to love and serve others. May it be so. - RSP
[4:1] Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from?
Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? [2] You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. [4] Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? [6] But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.
[10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
What is happening in this scripture? – This is a part of a sermon in the form of an epistle that was circulated around to the small fledgling congregations of Jews following Christ. Some scholars say it was written around 100 A.D. But if it was written by James, the brother of Jesus, the original must have been written much sooner. In any case, James had a lot to say to the congregations of these early gatherings. He knew that if these early persecuted groups did not hang together, they would hang separately or die out all together. When you read this scripture, look deep into it. The author obviously knew human nature quite well. He points out that most of the conflicts they are having with each other stem from their own egos, their own cravings from within. He also convicts them of asking wrongly, saying that if, in their asking, their motive is to spend what they get on their own pleasures, they will not receive. He challenges them: Are they a friend of the world, or a friend of God?
James points out that if they submit themselves, and their egos, to God, to that which God loves and stands for, (love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, mercy, generosity) that their relationship with God will be strengthened. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
How is this happening in the world today? – One of my favorite ministers asks, “Is what you are doing building the body of Christ up, or tearing it down? Is it building people up or tearing them apart? We in the body of Christ especially are challenged now. We have some issues that could bring us together in a way we have never been before, or we could get our egos involved, yearn for personal control, let our fear of the new and different threaten us into dispersion.
[5] Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? [6] But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
How is this scripture about me? – Lord, I am human. I accept your free and undeserved grace and when you give it, I somehow think that gives me a license to judge. Lord, help me to remember, it’s not about rules, or walls, or locked doors, and saying “no” to others who would seek your community. It’s not about my will, Lord. It’s about loving what you love. And you love freedom and acceptance of all people. Lord, help me remember that to be exalted by you means to love and serve others. May it be so. - RSP
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
James 3: 1-12 Dynamite In A Small Package
James 3:1-12 Dynamite In A Small Package
[1] Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. [2] For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. [3] If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. [4] Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they
are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. [5] So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! [6] And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. [7] For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, [8] but no one can tame the tongue--a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. [11] Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? [12] Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevinefigs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
What is happening in this scripture? – The gospel of James is chock full of wisdom and is quite modern even for today’s 21st century people. In these lines, the writer warns the men and women of this early congregation that not many of them should become teachers. Indeed in the Presbyterian church, ministers are often referred to as teaching elders. James reminds his readers that their congregations will judge them with greater strictness than others. He says we all make mistakes and anyone whose speaking is perfect is able to keep the whole body in check, like a good horseman controls a steed with the bridle. He uses the analogy of ships, large in size, yet controlled with a small rudder. Then he brings up the human tongue, a small member that boasts of great exploits. Dynamite in a small package. James says the tongue is like a small fire and a small fire can set an entire forest to blaze. He tells us that the fire of the tongue can stain the entire body, and can be hellish. He says the entire animal kingdom can be tamed, but not the human tongue, which he calls a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James says we use the same tongue that we bless Christ and God with to curse our fellow humans, who are made in the likeness of our God. This should not be so, James says, asking us how a spring could give us both fresh and brackish water.
How is this happening in the world today? – James really nails me with this scripture! How many times have I regretted having said something stupid, selfish, or inconsiderate? How many times have I spoken in anger, only to hurt the very ones I love? But I don’t think James is fair to the poor little “member” called the tongue. It’s not the tongue that gets us in trouble. It’s the brain! For some reason we resist the effort it takes to be intentional about loving others. We let our egos get in the way, and take the low road. Perhaps this is the reason Jesus emphasized loving our neighbors as ourselves, because he knew how good people are at putting themselves first. Paradoxically, when I put myself over or in front of the other person, it’s not really self love I am expressing, it’s anxiety and self doubt. Jesus overwhelms us and cuts through all the bull with his acceptance and grace and forgiveness. We respond to that grace with sincere gratitude, but it doesn’t take long for us to begin acting as if we’d never been exposed to that way of living.
We resist being transformed. We want to halfway do as he did, as long as it’s convenient and doesn’t require too much change from us. And it is this resistance I think that keeps us hanging around in the lobby of transformation rather than walking into the inner rooms of authentic Christian life.
(Re: our tongues)…we bless the Lord and Father, and with it
we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same
mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought
not to be so.
And yet… when we forget this fear, this anxiety, this need to put ourselves first, we are called home again, to that place where God made us to be: with each other. And just as words can destroy, the Word can heal and transform us into the beings that we could be, if only we would take that leap. And like the prophets, God touches our mouths with the hot coals of his truth, and our tongues become an instrument of healing and peace and love. And as James says,
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!
May it be so. - RSP
[1] Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. [2] For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. [3] If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. [4] Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they
are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. [5] So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! [6] And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. [7] For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, [8] but no one can tame the tongue--a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. [11] Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? [12] Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevinefigs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
What is happening in this scripture? – The gospel of James is chock full of wisdom and is quite modern even for today’s 21st century people. In these lines, the writer warns the men and women of this early congregation that not many of them should become teachers. Indeed in the Presbyterian church, ministers are often referred to as teaching elders. James reminds his readers that their congregations will judge them with greater strictness than others. He says we all make mistakes and anyone whose speaking is perfect is able to keep the whole body in check, like a good horseman controls a steed with the bridle. He uses the analogy of ships, large in size, yet controlled with a small rudder. Then he brings up the human tongue, a small member that boasts of great exploits. Dynamite in a small package. James says the tongue is like a small fire and a small fire can set an entire forest to blaze. He tells us that the fire of the tongue can stain the entire body, and can be hellish. He says the entire animal kingdom can be tamed, but not the human tongue, which he calls a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James says we use the same tongue that we bless Christ and God with to curse our fellow humans, who are made in the likeness of our God. This should not be so, James says, asking us how a spring could give us both fresh and brackish water.
How is this happening in the world today? – James really nails me with this scripture! How many times have I regretted having said something stupid, selfish, or inconsiderate? How many times have I spoken in anger, only to hurt the very ones I love? But I don’t think James is fair to the poor little “member” called the tongue. It’s not the tongue that gets us in trouble. It’s the brain! For some reason we resist the effort it takes to be intentional about loving others. We let our egos get in the way, and take the low road. Perhaps this is the reason Jesus emphasized loving our neighbors as ourselves, because he knew how good people are at putting themselves first. Paradoxically, when I put myself over or in front of the other person, it’s not really self love I am expressing, it’s anxiety and self doubt. Jesus overwhelms us and cuts through all the bull with his acceptance and grace and forgiveness. We respond to that grace with sincere gratitude, but it doesn’t take long for us to begin acting as if we’d never been exposed to that way of living.
We resist being transformed. We want to halfway do as he did, as long as it’s convenient and doesn’t require too much change from us. And it is this resistance I think that keeps us hanging around in the lobby of transformation rather than walking into the inner rooms of authentic Christian life.
(Re: our tongues)…we bless the Lord and Father, and with it
we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same
mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought
not to be so.
And yet… when we forget this fear, this anxiety, this need to put ourselves first, we are called home again, to that place where God made us to be: with each other. And just as words can destroy, the Word can heal and transform us into the beings that we could be, if only we would take that leap. And like the prophets, God touches our mouths with the hot coals of his truth, and our tongues become an instrument of healing and peace and love. And as James says,
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!
May it be so. - RSP
Monday, November 20, 2006
Thoughts From My Brother
My brother James is a teacher, church leader and one of the best examples of what a disciple is. Here are some of his thoughts on Peter and what it means to be a Disciple of Christ.
A former pastor of mine, Rev Creede Hinshaw, Mulberry United Methodist Church, Macon, Ga. once said Jesus always calls us to action. I have always remembered that and as Disciples I think we should take our lead from Peter when Jesus asked him if he loved him. Oswald Chambers wrote on this subject inserted below. Oswald always seems to get it right when he writes about what it means to be a Disciple of Christ. When I studied this scripture in the Disciple 1 class I understood and identified with Peter. I too, followed Jesus like Peter and then left when the going got rough and I was fearful of the future. When I returned to the road of Discipleship, I too had to answer the question and I too heard the reply, Feed My Sheep. Faith in action; following in the foot steps and obeying the commands of our Lord and Savior, this is what we are called to do. I pray that we persevere and hold steadfast to what we know as truth and justice and his will for our lives. As we give thanks this week we should be thankful for a loving, saving, all powerful God who is in total charge of all that can happen and does happen. -James
Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?
He said to him the third time, . . . “Do you love Me?” —John 21:17
From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. "Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ’Do you love Me?’ "Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, "Lord, You know all things . . . ." Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, "Look at this or that as proof of my love." Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.--Oswald Chambers
His Commission to Us
—John 21:17
This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" ( John 20:21 ).
Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— "Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ’Feed My sheep.’ "Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God. - Oswald Chambers
A former pastor of mine, Rev Creede Hinshaw, Mulberry United Methodist Church, Macon, Ga. once said Jesus always calls us to action. I have always remembered that and as Disciples I think we should take our lead from Peter when Jesus asked him if he loved him. Oswald Chambers wrote on this subject inserted below. Oswald always seems to get it right when he writes about what it means to be a Disciple of Christ. When I studied this scripture in the Disciple 1 class I understood and identified with Peter. I too, followed Jesus like Peter and then left when the going got rough and I was fearful of the future. When I returned to the road of Discipleship, I too had to answer the question and I too heard the reply, Feed My Sheep. Faith in action; following in the foot steps and obeying the commands of our Lord and Savior, this is what we are called to do. I pray that we persevere and hold steadfast to what we know as truth and justice and his will for our lives. As we give thanks this week we should be thankful for a loving, saving, all powerful God who is in total charge of all that can happen and does happen. -James
Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?
He said to him the third time, . . . “Do you love Me?” —John 21:17
From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. "Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ’Do you love Me?’ "Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, "Lord, You know all things . . . ." Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, "Look at this or that as proof of my love." Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.--Oswald Chambers
His Commission to Us
—John 21:17
This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" ( John 20:21 ).
Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— "Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ’Feed My sheep.’ "Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God. - Oswald Chambers
James 2: 14-24 Faith is Work
James 2:14-24 Faith is Work
[14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? [15] If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? [17] So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
[18] But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. [19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder. [20] Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? [21] Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. [23] Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. [24] You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
What is happening in this scripture? – In our belief in a graceful God, we Christians do not believe that the estrangement that separates us from the love of God and one another can be overcome by our effort alone. We, as human beings, have many flaws and limited vision. As Jesus said, can a blind man lead a blind man? Will not both of them fall into a ditch? Paul is big on this one, reminding us that we are “justified” through faith, and through the free grace of God. But James points out the other side of the coin.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?
Tell a hungry man, or a depressed person, or someone in grief, or someone cold and shivering from the elements that everything will be okay if they just believe, and see how much that comforts them. James reminds us that Jesus began to usher in the Kingdom of God even while he still lived among us. Maybe that’s why he always seemed to be on the move. James tells us that it is senseless to believe that our faith, apart from our actions, is anything more than dead and barren. How long would the Christian church have existed if the hungry were not fed, the sick healed, the lonely befriended, and the shamed accepted and forgiven?
How is this happening in the world today? -- There is, sadly, arrogance among us. Sometimes we believe that if we pray, read the scriptures, attend church, and just try to be nice people that we are practicing Christianity. James, and Jesus, told us that wasn’t enough. We "insiders" might be tempted to say, "At least we’re not like those non-believers, or doubters, or those different from us, or those poor people who somehow must be unfortunate because of their own lack of initiative."
When Jesus said, “Do ye this, in remembrance of me", he wasn’t just talking about breaking bread and drinking wine with friends. That would be preaching to the choir. Jesus was talking about picking up our crosses and following him, out of our familiar and comfortable envelopes, and into challenge, risk, danger, into hard work, into the unknown, and into service, not just of our fellow parishioners, but to the least of these.
What I think James is really saying is that works without faith doesn’t cut it, but faith implies action. Otherwise, it is all just ritual and lip service. And that’s really pretty boring, isn’t it?
Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.
I think faith is a verb. I don’t think faith is just believing. I think believing comes from doing. We’ve got a LOT of work to do. Let’s get busy! We might meet Jesus along the way.
[14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? [15] If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? [17] So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
[18] But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. [19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder. [20] Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? [21] Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. [23] Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. [24] You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
What is happening in this scripture? – In our belief in a graceful God, we Christians do not believe that the estrangement that separates us from the love of God and one another can be overcome by our effort alone. We, as human beings, have many flaws and limited vision. As Jesus said, can a blind man lead a blind man? Will not both of them fall into a ditch? Paul is big on this one, reminding us that we are “justified” through faith, and through the free grace of God. But James points out the other side of the coin.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?
Tell a hungry man, or a depressed person, or someone in grief, or someone cold and shivering from the elements that everything will be okay if they just believe, and see how much that comforts them. James reminds us that Jesus began to usher in the Kingdom of God even while he still lived among us. Maybe that’s why he always seemed to be on the move. James tells us that it is senseless to believe that our faith, apart from our actions, is anything more than dead and barren. How long would the Christian church have existed if the hungry were not fed, the sick healed, the lonely befriended, and the shamed accepted and forgiven?
How is this happening in the world today? -- There is, sadly, arrogance among us. Sometimes we believe that if we pray, read the scriptures, attend church, and just try to be nice people that we are practicing Christianity. James, and Jesus, told us that wasn’t enough. We "insiders" might be tempted to say, "At least we’re not like those non-believers, or doubters, or those different from us, or those poor people who somehow must be unfortunate because of their own lack of initiative."
When Jesus said, “Do ye this, in remembrance of me", he wasn’t just talking about breaking bread and drinking wine with friends. That would be preaching to the choir. Jesus was talking about picking up our crosses and following him, out of our familiar and comfortable envelopes, and into challenge, risk, danger, into hard work, into the unknown, and into service, not just of our fellow parishioners, but to the least of these.
What I think James is really saying is that works without faith doesn’t cut it, but faith implies action. Otherwise, it is all just ritual and lip service. And that’s really pretty boring, isn’t it?
Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.
I think faith is a verb. I don’t think faith is just believing. I think believing comes from doing. We’ve got a LOT of work to do. Let’s get busy! We might meet Jesus along the way.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Psalm 130: 5-6 Waiting
Morning: Psalm 130: 5-6
[5] I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; [6] my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
What is happening in this scripture? – This portion of this Psalm really caught me. The psalmist writes that his or her soul waits for the Lord, and in the Lord’s word they hope. The psalmist continues with saying that his or her soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, and then repeats that phrase for emphasis.
For Christians, many of us would read this and say we are waiting for God’s return. But these lines were not written by a Christian. What might they have been waiting for when they wait for the lord?
How is this happening in the world today? – Here are some questions that come to mind after reading and meditating on these lines from Psalm 130:
If you were waiting for the Lord, what would you be waiting for?
What does it mean to hope in his word?
Who might those be who watch for the morning? What would it mean to watch for the morning?
Have you ever waited for God? What were you waiting for God to do? What was that like for you?
Who do you know who is waiting? For whom are they waiting?
Is anyone waiting for you?
Are you waiting for God now?
How are people like us watching for the morning?
How is your soul waiting for the Lord?
How could God be waiting for you?
How is this story my story? – Lord, sometimes I wait for you, and watch for you,
like one waiting for the morning? I remember waiting sadly for the morning once. You came, and you took, but you brought relief and deliverance. Lord, don’t let me wait when you are staring me in the face, waiting for me. - RSP
[5] I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; [6] my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
What is happening in this scripture? – This portion of this Psalm really caught me. The psalmist writes that his or her soul waits for the Lord, and in the Lord’s word they hope. The psalmist continues with saying that his or her soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, and then repeats that phrase for emphasis.
For Christians, many of us would read this and say we are waiting for God’s return. But these lines were not written by a Christian. What might they have been waiting for when they wait for the lord?
How is this happening in the world today? – Here are some questions that come to mind after reading and meditating on these lines from Psalm 130:
If you were waiting for the Lord, what would you be waiting for?
What does it mean to hope in his word?
Who might those be who watch for the morning? What would it mean to watch for the morning?
Have you ever waited for God? What were you waiting for God to do? What was that like for you?
Who do you know who is waiting? For whom are they waiting?
Is anyone waiting for you?
Are you waiting for God now?
How are people like us watching for the morning?
How is your soul waiting for the Lord?
How could God be waiting for you?
How is this story my story? – Lord, sometimes I wait for you, and watch for you,
like one waiting for the morning? I remember waiting sadly for the morning once. You came, and you took, but you brought relief and deliverance. Lord, don’t let me wait when you are staring me in the face, waiting for me. - RSP
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Luke 15: 20-24 What Really Matters
Luke 15: 20-24. What Really Matters
20So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.
What is happening in this scripture? – This beloved story of the Prodigal Son and the Elder Son, has been told, written about, discussed, for so many years. Indeed, it is rich with meaning and wisdom. I will concentrate on these few lines. He has been in a faraway land. He has lived fast and loose and has squandered all of his inheritance. Now there is a famine in the land, and he has nothing.
The young man has come to decide that he will return to his father, tell him he has sinned and that he is no longer worthy to be called his son, and ask him to treat him as one of his hired hands. After all, the hired hands can at least eat their fill. They aren’t starving. He has rehearsed all that he will say. We do not know if the young man is doing this to be manipulative or not, but we do know that he has fallen to the level of desiring even the food of a pig.
But the scripture says that while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. The son tries to go into his spiel, a speech designed to convince his father of his contriteness, but before he can get the entire sentence out of his mouth, his father has sent for a robe, a ring and sandals. This is not a time for woeful confession. This is a time for celebration, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!
How is this happening in the world today? – I think this story is about what matters. What matters when you are starving? Food. What matters when you are feeling guilty? Grace and forgiveness. What matters when your son has been lost and presumed dead? Discovering he is alive! What matters when you have messed up so badly that you can’t imagine God or anyone else caring one single nit about you and your welfare? Finding out that nothing can destroy the love that is indestructible. What matters when you are lost? Coming home. Being found. Belonging, and being loved. The prophet Micah said long ago that what matters is seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.
How is this my story? – Eternal God, source of life and love, you teach us with this story and by the actions of Jesus what really matters to you. I thank you every day that my relationship with you is based on unconditional love, and not my behavior. Every parent who has ever loved knows you Lord, because this is exactly how they feel about their own children: Loving. That is what matters. -RSP
20So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.
What is happening in this scripture? – This beloved story of the Prodigal Son and the Elder Son, has been told, written about, discussed, for so many years. Indeed, it is rich with meaning and wisdom. I will concentrate on these few lines. He has been in a faraway land. He has lived fast and loose and has squandered all of his inheritance. Now there is a famine in the land, and he has nothing.
The young man has come to decide that he will return to his father, tell him he has sinned and that he is no longer worthy to be called his son, and ask him to treat him as one of his hired hands. After all, the hired hands can at least eat their fill. They aren’t starving. He has rehearsed all that he will say. We do not know if the young man is doing this to be manipulative or not, but we do know that he has fallen to the level of desiring even the food of a pig.
But the scripture says that while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. The son tries to go into his spiel, a speech designed to convince his father of his contriteness, but before he can get the entire sentence out of his mouth, his father has sent for a robe, a ring and sandals. This is not a time for woeful confession. This is a time for celebration, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!
How is this happening in the world today? – I think this story is about what matters. What matters when you are starving? Food. What matters when you are feeling guilty? Grace and forgiveness. What matters when your son has been lost and presumed dead? Discovering he is alive! What matters when you have messed up so badly that you can’t imagine God or anyone else caring one single nit about you and your welfare? Finding out that nothing can destroy the love that is indestructible. What matters when you are lost? Coming home. Being found. Belonging, and being loved. The prophet Micah said long ago that what matters is seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.
How is this my story? – Eternal God, source of life and love, you teach us with this story and by the actions of Jesus what really matters to you. I thank you every day that my relationship with you is based on unconditional love, and not my behavior. Every parent who has ever loved knows you Lord, because this is exactly how they feel about their own children: Loving. That is what matters. -RSP
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Luke 15: 1-2 Judged By the Company You Keep
Luke 15:1-2 Judged By The Company You Keep
[1] Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
What is happening in this scripture? – These lines were written in Luke preceding two parables, one about the shepherd who goes to find the one lost sheep and the woman who loses the one coin. Both find what they lost and rejoice and ask their friends to come celebrate with them. Jesus tells them the angels in heaven celebrate over the repentance of one person.
The Pharisees, those experts on the Torah, and scribes, the scholarly group who protected the recording and ritual of the law and the temple order, grumbled because this Jesus fellow was hospitable to sinners, friendly even, and then had the audacity to share meals with them. Sharing a meal in those days was extremely important. Who you ate with told the rest of the world who you were. And Jesus’ behaviors threatened to bring the unclean unpure into some type of acceptance.
What is the nature of a God who welcomes sinners and even shares meals with them?
How is this happening in the world today? - To me, if there were only a few lines we could use to describe Jesus’ ministry I think these would be the lines: he welcomes sinners and eats with them. Our Holy Communion meal is now a ritual of these first meals shared by Jesus with anyone who cared to join him. Food is life, and bread is life.
Breaking bread with others is sharing that life. Jesus, by welcoming sinners and eating with them was ushering in his kingdom, materially and spiritually. These were real behaviors, and real food was shared. But something so much more important was happening, and the Pharisees and Scribes knew it and were threatened by it. Jesus was telling the disenfranchised, the despicable, the poor, the lame, thieves, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, that they were welcome at his table, and in his life, and that God loved them just as much as he loved the temple elite. Jesus enacted God’s grace, unearned and undeserved. In fact, Jesus’ message was often that these were the people God favored, even more than the so called righteous.
When we share our wealth with those who have little, we are sharing communion. When we give others clothing, shelter, money, medical care, a listening ear, and a job opportunity, we are sharing communion. When we give someone marginalized, either by our economic system or by their own bad behaviors, we are sharing the body and blood of Christ. Jesus told us when we do this to the least in our culture, we are doing this to him.
How is this story my story? – Jesus, I want to come to your supper. I am thankful for your acceptance and invitation. I am so glad you choose to hang out with guys like me. Help me to make plenty of room for others at your table. Help me to share life with my brothers and sisters in your name. May it be so. -RSP
[1] Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
What is happening in this scripture? – These lines were written in Luke preceding two parables, one about the shepherd who goes to find the one lost sheep and the woman who loses the one coin. Both find what they lost and rejoice and ask their friends to come celebrate with them. Jesus tells them the angels in heaven celebrate over the repentance of one person.
The Pharisees, those experts on the Torah, and scribes, the scholarly group who protected the recording and ritual of the law and the temple order, grumbled because this Jesus fellow was hospitable to sinners, friendly even, and then had the audacity to share meals with them. Sharing a meal in those days was extremely important. Who you ate with told the rest of the world who you were. And Jesus’ behaviors threatened to bring the unclean unpure into some type of acceptance.
What is the nature of a God who welcomes sinners and even shares meals with them?
How is this happening in the world today? - To me, if there were only a few lines we could use to describe Jesus’ ministry I think these would be the lines: he welcomes sinners and eats with them. Our Holy Communion meal is now a ritual of these first meals shared by Jesus with anyone who cared to join him. Food is life, and bread is life.
Breaking bread with others is sharing that life. Jesus, by welcoming sinners and eating with them was ushering in his kingdom, materially and spiritually. These were real behaviors, and real food was shared. But something so much more important was happening, and the Pharisees and Scribes knew it and were threatened by it. Jesus was telling the disenfranchised, the despicable, the poor, the lame, thieves, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, that they were welcome at his table, and in his life, and that God loved them just as much as he loved the temple elite. Jesus enacted God’s grace, unearned and undeserved. In fact, Jesus’ message was often that these were the people God favored, even more than the so called righteous.
When we share our wealth with those who have little, we are sharing communion. When we give others clothing, shelter, money, medical care, a listening ear, and a job opportunity, we are sharing communion. When we give someone marginalized, either by our economic system or by their own bad behaviors, we are sharing the body and blood of Christ. Jesus told us when we do this to the least in our culture, we are doing this to him.
How is this story my story? – Jesus, I want to come to your supper. I am thankful for your acceptance and invitation. I am so glad you choose to hang out with guys like me. Help me to make plenty of room for others at your table. Help me to share life with my brothers and sisters in your name. May it be so. -RSP
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Luke 14: 25-27 Hating Your Life?
Luke 14:25-27 Hating Your Life?
[25] Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, [26] "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. [27] Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
What is happening in this scripture? - It is difficult for many of us to imagine that the Jesus we love would hate anything, let alone advise his followers to hate their family, and life. I do not know how many times his sayings have been orally repeated, rewritten, re-scribed, added to, taken away from, changed, etc. by zealous adherents. I also do not know what the word “hate” translated from Aramaic to Greek to English would originally mean. Such is the mystery of biblical scholarship. But we might get some hints by looking at what we think we know about Jesus’ life and the total context of his sayings, aphorisms, and actions. If Jesus hated anything, it was probably injustice in any form. Perhaps the original context of this scripture had to do with priorities. Maybe it could have sounded something like, Anyone who puts his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sister, or even their own life over and above their desire to do God’s will, cannot be my disciple.
How is this happening in the world today? - I do not need to tell anyone that making a conscious choice to try and follow the Way of Jesus, requires intention and discipline. Jesus told the crowd they must take up THE cross and follow him. In Matthew, I believe he says take up YOUR cross. When we consciously do this, we will, for sure, run into resistance, sometimes immediately. How long does it take people like us, leaving a meaningful sermon on Sunday morning, to fall into the melee of the “world out there” without even realizing it? Douglas Ottati speaks of that moment of silence between the end of the recessional and when the doors of the church are re-opened, and we can hear the sounds of the outside world. We are about to, as disciples of Christ, go back into that world.
When we watch and study the Way of Jesus, we see that what he did, standing against injustice, economic oppression, systematic evil, and daring to remind his people that God was the king, and not Caesar, cost him his life. He was put to death by what Dominic Crossan called the “normalcy of civilization.” The world of human beings can’t stand the Kingdom of God for too long, I think, and like an amoeba, we humans can be surrounded and slowly digested back into the morass of that “normalcy”. That is why we must make intentional, conscious effort through what is referred to as the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, worship, giving and serving, contemplation, fellowship and sistership, to keep that normalcy from re-digesting us back into our prior estrangement. That is where confession, forgiveness, patience, discipline, hard work, and honesty and humility come in.
But more important than all that, I think, Jesus was telling the crowd, and us, that if we allow ourselves to love that normalcy, then we cut ourselves off from the kingdom. I don’t think that means that Jesus hated life, or people. I think he hated what we people do with life, and with and to each other, that separates us from that kingdom of grace, love and forgiveness. This, I believe, is the cross that WE must bear. It isn’t easy, and as Deitrich Bonhoeffer said, it isn’t a cheap grace. But is surely is worth it.
How is this story my story? – Jesus, I want to follow your Way. But I get scared and lazy. Help me by your grace to realize and remember the joy and purpose you offer when I take up the cross and seek your path. May it be so. -RSP
[25] Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, [26] "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. [27] Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
What is happening in this scripture? - It is difficult for many of us to imagine that the Jesus we love would hate anything, let alone advise his followers to hate their family, and life. I do not know how many times his sayings have been orally repeated, rewritten, re-scribed, added to, taken away from, changed, etc. by zealous adherents. I also do not know what the word “hate” translated from Aramaic to Greek to English would originally mean. Such is the mystery of biblical scholarship. But we might get some hints by looking at what we think we know about Jesus’ life and the total context of his sayings, aphorisms, and actions. If Jesus hated anything, it was probably injustice in any form. Perhaps the original context of this scripture had to do with priorities. Maybe it could have sounded something like, Anyone who puts his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sister, or even their own life over and above their desire to do God’s will, cannot be my disciple.
How is this happening in the world today? - I do not need to tell anyone that making a conscious choice to try and follow the Way of Jesus, requires intention and discipline. Jesus told the crowd they must take up THE cross and follow him. In Matthew, I believe he says take up YOUR cross. When we consciously do this, we will, for sure, run into resistance, sometimes immediately. How long does it take people like us, leaving a meaningful sermon on Sunday morning, to fall into the melee of the “world out there” without even realizing it? Douglas Ottati speaks of that moment of silence between the end of the recessional and when the doors of the church are re-opened, and we can hear the sounds of the outside world. We are about to, as disciples of Christ, go back into that world.
When we watch and study the Way of Jesus, we see that what he did, standing against injustice, economic oppression, systematic evil, and daring to remind his people that God was the king, and not Caesar, cost him his life. He was put to death by what Dominic Crossan called the “normalcy of civilization.” The world of human beings can’t stand the Kingdom of God for too long, I think, and like an amoeba, we humans can be surrounded and slowly digested back into the morass of that “normalcy”. That is why we must make intentional, conscious effort through what is referred to as the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, worship, giving and serving, contemplation, fellowship and sistership, to keep that normalcy from re-digesting us back into our prior estrangement. That is where confession, forgiveness, patience, discipline, hard work, and honesty and humility come in.
But more important than all that, I think, Jesus was telling the crowd, and us, that if we allow ourselves to love that normalcy, then we cut ourselves off from the kingdom. I don’t think that means that Jesus hated life, or people. I think he hated what we people do with life, and with and to each other, that separates us from that kingdom of grace, love and forgiveness. This, I believe, is the cross that WE must bear. It isn’t easy, and as Deitrich Bonhoeffer said, it isn’t a cheap grace. But is surely is worth it.
How is this story my story? – Jesus, I want to follow your Way. But I get scared and lazy. Help me by your grace to realize and remember the joy and purpose you offer when I take up the cross and seek your path. May it be so. -RSP
Friday, November 10, 2006
Psalm 142: 1-3 You Know My Way
Psalm 142:1-3 You Know My Way
[1] With my voice I cry to the LORD;
with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
[2] I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit is faint, you know my way.
What is happening in this scripture? – The Psalmist reminds us that God hears our cries, our troubles, and he knows when our spirits are faint. He knows our way.
How is this happening in the world today? – Somewhere an old lady shuffles down a hospital hallway on a walker. She has had no visitors now for some time. Somewhere a hungry child cries out weakly, beaten by an crazed father the night before. Somewhere parents bury a child, victim of a senseless act of violence. Somewhere people huddle inside a dark hallway, listening to the sounds of war as the fighting in their land continues. Somewhere a man sits on the side of his bed, having been told of his cancer diagnosis.
I believe in a God who knows these things. I believe in a God who has given us the spark of divinity and does not swoop in like Superman to save us from the reality of our lives, like a neat plot in a television drama. But I also believe in a God who cares, and who commands his followers to be his heart, his hands, his eyes, his ears, and his legs here in this place. I believe we are not alone, and that as we cry, grieve, and shudder with fear, God is there, with us, through every second. We are known, we are loved, and we are not alone.
I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit is faint, you know my way.
How is this story my story? – Eternal God, thank you for loving me. Help me to remember that you know who I am. Help me to also remember that like Jesus, I can play a part of ushering in your kingdom into this world, by being your heart, your arms, your eyes, your ears, and your legs. Help me by my actions and faith to remind others that you are real and that you care.—Amen.
[1] With my voice I cry to the LORD;
with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
[2] I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit is faint, you know my way.
What is happening in this scripture? – The Psalmist reminds us that God hears our cries, our troubles, and he knows when our spirits are faint. He knows our way.
How is this happening in the world today? – Somewhere an old lady shuffles down a hospital hallway on a walker. She has had no visitors now for some time. Somewhere a hungry child cries out weakly, beaten by an crazed father the night before. Somewhere parents bury a child, victim of a senseless act of violence. Somewhere people huddle inside a dark hallway, listening to the sounds of war as the fighting in their land continues. Somewhere a man sits on the side of his bed, having been told of his cancer diagnosis.
I believe in a God who knows these things. I believe in a God who has given us the spark of divinity and does not swoop in like Superman to save us from the reality of our lives, like a neat plot in a television drama. But I also believe in a God who cares, and who commands his followers to be his heart, his hands, his eyes, his ears, and his legs here in this place. I believe we are not alone, and that as we cry, grieve, and shudder with fear, God is there, with us, through every second. We are known, we are loved, and we are not alone.
I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit is faint, you know my way.
How is this story my story? – Eternal God, thank you for loving me. Help me to remember that you know who I am. Help me to also remember that like Jesus, I can play a part of ushering in your kingdom into this world, by being your heart, your arms, your eyes, your ears, and your legs. Help me by my actions and faith to remind others that you are real and that you care.—Amen.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Psalm 42: 1-3 When the Only Food is Tears
Psalm 42:1-3 When the Only Food is Tears
[1] As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
[2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
[3] My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me continually,
"Where is your God?"
What is happening in this scripture? – This beautiful song in Psalms brings many thoughts to mind. The psalmist speaks of a spiritual thirst for a living God coming from our souls. He asks when he will behold the face of God. He says his tears have been his only food, constantly, day and night, and as he weeps, people ask him, just as continually, Where is your God?”
How is this happening in the world today? – It isn’t hard to notice that we human beings thirst for something more in this world. No matter how fortunate or blessed we may be, we know that material things cannot give us spiritual happiness or true peace. They are certainly important, and we cannot live without air, food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. But for lack of a better word, our souls, or spirits have basic needs as well. We need to know that we are loved and that someone needs our love. We cry out our existential questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we aware of ourselves? Why do we love others, only to lose them? Why are we here? Where are we going? Where is justice? Does anybody really care? How should we live our lives? Indeed, like, the psalmist wrote, these questions are poor food for our spirits and they haunt us, somehow, day and night. We, along with others say to ourselves and to each other, “Where is our God?”
I see many trying to answer these questions with quick, easy comfort. I don’t blame them, because they are scary, troubling questions. Questions to ponder for today: What do people like us know of spiritual thirst? What or who quenches that thirst for you? When have you, or will you behold the face of God? What do you say to yourself, without quickly using someone else’s easy faith, when you ask yourself, or someone else asks you, “Where is your God?”
How is this story my story? -- Eternal spirit, I am filled with gratitude and awe for the reality and grace of your encounter, happening when I least expect it, and in from the most surprising sources. I am silenced by the receipt of your quiet grace, solemn dignity, and peace. Help me to somehow express this reality to others, even when the only food is tears. – Amen.
Please remember the sick and lonely in your prayers and actions today.
[1] As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
[2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
[3] My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me continually,
"Where is your God?"
What is happening in this scripture? – This beautiful song in Psalms brings many thoughts to mind. The psalmist speaks of a spiritual thirst for a living God coming from our souls. He asks when he will behold the face of God. He says his tears have been his only food, constantly, day and night, and as he weeps, people ask him, just as continually, Where is your God?”
How is this happening in the world today? – It isn’t hard to notice that we human beings thirst for something more in this world. No matter how fortunate or blessed we may be, we know that material things cannot give us spiritual happiness or true peace. They are certainly important, and we cannot live without air, food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. But for lack of a better word, our souls, or spirits have basic needs as well. We need to know that we are loved and that someone needs our love. We cry out our existential questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we aware of ourselves? Why do we love others, only to lose them? Why are we here? Where are we going? Where is justice? Does anybody really care? How should we live our lives? Indeed, like, the psalmist wrote, these questions are poor food for our spirits and they haunt us, somehow, day and night. We, along with others say to ourselves and to each other, “Where is our God?”
I see many trying to answer these questions with quick, easy comfort. I don’t blame them, because they are scary, troubling questions. Questions to ponder for today: What do people like us know of spiritual thirst? What or who quenches that thirst for you? When have you, or will you behold the face of God? What do you say to yourself, without quickly using someone else’s easy faith, when you ask yourself, or someone else asks you, “Where is your God?”
How is this story my story? -- Eternal spirit, I am filled with gratitude and awe for the reality and grace of your encounter, happening when I least expect it, and in from the most surprising sources. I am silenced by the receipt of your quiet grace, solemn dignity, and peace. Help me to somehow express this reality to others, even when the only food is tears. – Amen.
Please remember the sick and lonely in your prayers and actions today.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Luke 12: 49 Jesus and the Fire of God
Luke 12:49 Jesus and the Fire of God
[49] "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
What is happening in this scripture? – It’s dangerous to take one line out of scripture, because you lose the context. But I did so this time because these words and this imagery are so powerful, and the metaphors and realities are so much a part of our faith as Christians. Jesus is speaking, and as he approaches his final days there is a growing sense of urgency and frustration. He goes on to speak of the baptism he is to offer and the stress he is under until that is completed. We have deified Jesus so much that it is sometimes hard for us to hear his humanity.
In Luke, he speaks here of his mission to bring fire to the earth, yet he points out that fire had not been kindled quite yet: How I wish it were already kindled!
How is this happening in the world today? – What do people like us know about God and about fire? We know that God first appeared to Moses in a burning bush. We remember the pillar of fire leading them by night through the wilderness. We remember Mt. Sinai, Horeb and the volcanic foreboding of God’s majesty. We remember the flames on the lamp stands in the temple. We read of Ezekiel’s fiery chariot. We remember the fiery furnace in Daniel.
Fire brings heat. Fire can cook, destroy, purify, melt, consume and transform. Fire can protect. Fire is life. Fire for many has been death. Fire is energy, and it demands respect and wisdom in its use. In Luke 12, Jesus says I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! What do people like us know of Jesus’ frustration and stress, his eagerness to complete his baptism? What do we know of baptism by fire? How has God’s fire burned us? Cooked us? Transformed us? How does it warm us, give us comfort, give us light? What role do we play in the kindling of this fire? What light do you see in yonder darkness, inviting you to draw nearer? What do you fear from this fire? What part of you do you wish it would burn away, transform?
How is this scripture written for me? -- God your fire is there, the eternal flame. Christ has brought it to earth. Sometimes I warm myself by it, sometimes like a child I want to play in it. Sometimes, Lord, your fire hurts me, burns me. Melt my heart Lord, thaw the icy bonds and cook my soul. How I wish it were already kindled! – Amen.
[49] "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
What is happening in this scripture? – It’s dangerous to take one line out of scripture, because you lose the context. But I did so this time because these words and this imagery are so powerful, and the metaphors and realities are so much a part of our faith as Christians. Jesus is speaking, and as he approaches his final days there is a growing sense of urgency and frustration. He goes on to speak of the baptism he is to offer and the stress he is under until that is completed. We have deified Jesus so much that it is sometimes hard for us to hear his humanity.
In Luke, he speaks here of his mission to bring fire to the earth, yet he points out that fire had not been kindled quite yet: How I wish it were already kindled!
How is this happening in the world today? – What do people like us know about God and about fire? We know that God first appeared to Moses in a burning bush. We remember the pillar of fire leading them by night through the wilderness. We remember Mt. Sinai, Horeb and the volcanic foreboding of God’s majesty. We remember the flames on the lamp stands in the temple. We read of Ezekiel’s fiery chariot. We remember the fiery furnace in Daniel.
Fire brings heat. Fire can cook, destroy, purify, melt, consume and transform. Fire can protect. Fire is life. Fire for many has been death. Fire is energy, and it demands respect and wisdom in its use. In Luke 12, Jesus says I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! What do people like us know of Jesus’ frustration and stress, his eagerness to complete his baptism? What do we know of baptism by fire? How has God’s fire burned us? Cooked us? Transformed us? How does it warm us, give us comfort, give us light? What role do we play in the kindling of this fire? What light do you see in yonder darkness, inviting you to draw nearer? What do you fear from this fire? What part of you do you wish it would burn away, transform?
How is this scripture written for me? -- God your fire is there, the eternal flame. Christ has brought it to earth. Sometimes I warm myself by it, sometimes like a child I want to play in it. Sometimes, Lord, your fire hurts me, burns me. Melt my heart Lord, thaw the icy bonds and cook my soul. How I wish it were already kindled! – Amen.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Psalm 84: 1-4 Trees and Children - The Altars of God
Psalm 84:1-4 Trees and Children – The Altars of God
[1] How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
[2] My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
[3] Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
[4] Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.
What is happening in this scripture? – The Psalmist is praising God for the beauty of his dwelling place. The Psalmist says his soul longs, and even faints for the courts of the Lord. His heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. The Psalmist goes on to say that God makes places for the smallest of creatures, and their offspring. The beautiful phrase where she (the swallow) may lay her young is called God’s altars. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.
What is a dwelling place? In this context it was probably the temple, but nowadays if we ask ourselves, “Where is God’s dwelling place?” the answer would probably be, “Everywhere!” I think the writer of the Psalm loved trees. I think he or she also loved birds, and it is obvious that he loved God.
How is this happening in the world today? -- One of the biggest problems facing humankind today is the way we treat this planet, this dwelling place of God. We treat it as if it belonged to us, as if we created it and can therefore do what we wish with it. Where is the reverence for God’s dwelling place? Where is the reverence for the creatures in habiting this dwelling place, including people? A counselor/writer/artist friend of mine wrote the following little essay after discovering the daughter of a dear friend had been injured in a horrible car crash. Mary Ann loves trees, animals, and people.
Trees
I have lived in this city for 10 years now. I am situated off one of the prettiest areas I could find when we moved here. I watched as my attractive city street changed into a busy four lane road. I dodged the orange barrels during this construction, waited as the bulldozers moved dirt. A beautifully paved tree lined boulevard emerged.
I have been writing this story in my head each morning as I drive this street to work. I never got the right words on paper to describe my thinking but today I now know the story.
The trees that line this street I drive number 82. They cover an area of 14 blocks and about 10 trees per block. I watch as they seem to come and go. Blossoms in spring, bright green new growth, bird nests thru summer and golden reds in fall. I also watch them come and go….as they become victims each weekend. Sometime one sometimes two, many times the small bushes in between these trees. I think about this loss, how silently they suffer thru the night and then visible to all of us the next morning as they lay uprooted beside the road. The viciousness of the tracks leading up and over them in the darkness of night. I wonder to myself, who did this? Are they too lying uprooted somewhere in darkness, dented bumper on their vehicle, dented forehead or worse? I think of the silence and shame of how no one ever mentions this loss. Our community ‘secret’, gone into the darkness of the night then replaced by our orange shirted friends, digging and replacing and never a mention of where or what has happened. Just replace the oblivious, restraw the deep painful ruts and act as if everything is just fine! But is it? I still wonder,,,,,,who did this? Are they ok?? Will they do it again?
I spent my morning on the phone today looking for someone to ‘help’ replace the straw around a very real victim…..this one is 18, red haired and bright with the world before her…..but those deep tracks lead up to her and over her….. gratefully she will not be replaced! I don’t have to wonder who did this? We know his fate. I don’t have to wonder is he ok? No he isn’t. I don’t have to worry will he do this again? No never. But what about her!!!! Those muddy ruts will run thru her for the rest of her life. They leave tracks on all of those who love her. WE can’t act as if it hasn’t happened. We can’t replace the straw and drive by again unnoticed.
The victims are very different but the silence can be very much the same. My red haired friend is lying quietly and growing stronger everyday. A wonderful circle of people surround her with love and support nurturing and helping her grow stronger each day. But what about the community silence. Will we continue to let this happen, go unnoticed except for a small circle of people? This is real, real for my red haired friend, real for the trees, real in our community.
How is this story my story? -- During a walk today, on a brisk fall afternoon in Charlotte, I passed by a huge sweet gum tree. It stood against an electric blue November sky and it still held on to all of its leaves, whose colors ranged the rainbow. It was so vivid and overpowering when I saw it I thought of what God told Moses from the burning bush, when he asked “Who will I tell Pharaoh sent me? “Tell Pharaoh ‘I AM!’ sent you!”
The altars of God indeed! - Amen
[1] How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
[2] My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
[3] Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
[4] Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.
What is happening in this scripture? – The Psalmist is praising God for the beauty of his dwelling place. The Psalmist says his soul longs, and even faints for the courts of the Lord. His heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. The Psalmist goes on to say that God makes places for the smallest of creatures, and their offspring. The beautiful phrase where she (the swallow) may lay her young is called God’s altars. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.
What is a dwelling place? In this context it was probably the temple, but nowadays if we ask ourselves, “Where is God’s dwelling place?” the answer would probably be, “Everywhere!” I think the writer of the Psalm loved trees. I think he or she also loved birds, and it is obvious that he loved God.
How is this happening in the world today? -- One of the biggest problems facing humankind today is the way we treat this planet, this dwelling place of God. We treat it as if it belonged to us, as if we created it and can therefore do what we wish with it. Where is the reverence for God’s dwelling place? Where is the reverence for the creatures in habiting this dwelling place, including people? A counselor/writer/artist friend of mine wrote the following little essay after discovering the daughter of a dear friend had been injured in a horrible car crash. Mary Ann loves trees, animals, and people.
Trees
I have lived in this city for 10 years now. I am situated off one of the prettiest areas I could find when we moved here. I watched as my attractive city street changed into a busy four lane road. I dodged the orange barrels during this construction, waited as the bulldozers moved dirt. A beautifully paved tree lined boulevard emerged.
I have been writing this story in my head each morning as I drive this street to work. I never got the right words on paper to describe my thinking but today I now know the story.
The trees that line this street I drive number 82. They cover an area of 14 blocks and about 10 trees per block. I watch as they seem to come and go. Blossoms in spring, bright green new growth, bird nests thru summer and golden reds in fall. I also watch them come and go….as they become victims each weekend. Sometime one sometimes two, many times the small bushes in between these trees. I think about this loss, how silently they suffer thru the night and then visible to all of us the next morning as they lay uprooted beside the road. The viciousness of the tracks leading up and over them in the darkness of night. I wonder to myself, who did this? Are they too lying uprooted somewhere in darkness, dented bumper on their vehicle, dented forehead or worse? I think of the silence and shame of how no one ever mentions this loss. Our community ‘secret’, gone into the darkness of the night then replaced by our orange shirted friends, digging and replacing and never a mention of where or what has happened. Just replace the oblivious, restraw the deep painful ruts and act as if everything is just fine! But is it? I still wonder,,,,,,who did this? Are they ok?? Will they do it again?
I spent my morning on the phone today looking for someone to ‘help’ replace the straw around a very real victim…..this one is 18, red haired and bright with the world before her…..but those deep tracks lead up to her and over her….. gratefully she will not be replaced! I don’t have to wonder who did this? We know his fate. I don’t have to wonder is he ok? No he isn’t. I don’t have to worry will he do this again? No never. But what about her!!!! Those muddy ruts will run thru her for the rest of her life. They leave tracks on all of those who love her. WE can’t act as if it hasn’t happened. We can’t replace the straw and drive by again unnoticed.
The victims are very different but the silence can be very much the same. My red haired friend is lying quietly and growing stronger everyday. A wonderful circle of people surround her with love and support nurturing and helping her grow stronger each day. But what about the community silence. Will we continue to let this happen, go unnoticed except for a small circle of people? This is real, real for my red haired friend, real for the trees, real in our community.
How is this story my story? -- During a walk today, on a brisk fall afternoon in Charlotte, I passed by a huge sweet gum tree. It stood against an electric blue November sky and it still held on to all of its leaves, whose colors ranged the rainbow. It was so vivid and overpowering when I saw it I thought of what God told Moses from the burning bush, when he asked “Who will I tell Pharaoh sent me? “Tell Pharaoh ‘I AM!’ sent you!”
The altars of God indeed! - Amen
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