And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners
came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisee saw this, they
said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
--Matthew 9:10-11
June 8, 2008
The Pharisees considered themselves part of the elite, the in-crowd, special. When
they asked the question about Jesus they might just as well have asked, "Why
does Jesus hang around with losers?" Eating with someone wasn't just about
the food, but also implied acceptance. Jesus ate with and accepted those whom the
rest of society considered losers. From another story, however, you will also remember
that Jesus also received and accepted Nicodemus who was a Pharisee, one of the elite.
We need to walk only a couple of steps of logic to discover this means that God
accepts you and I: Jesus was God's emissary, God's representative, the bearer of
God's grace. If Jesus accepted those people, then it is highly likely Jesus would
accept us. Thus, Jesus would accept us on God's behalf. Some days we might feel
that we are living a life that God would approve and bless, and other days we might
wish that God couldn't even see what losers we think we truly are. Either way, Jesus
bears God's grace to us and God graciously accepts us.
You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me
Everything
you do is marvelous! --
Psalm 139:1 & 14b CEV
May 25, 2008
I was reading Psalm 139 recently. While I was reading with an eye toward teaching it to children, my first response was to back away. How hemmed in, I felt, by the idea that no matter where I went, there was God; there is no way I can get away from God. Then I started thinking as a child might think, and I thought how comforted a child must feel, to know that they never have to feel abandoned or alone in the dark, for even the dark is not strong enough to hide God. Then someone I know who is now an adult, told me that as a child she was terrified of this God who knew our every thought and word, even before we said them, even the mean and nasty thoughts and words.
But the Psalmist remembers something we may forget: God loves us despite our mean and nasty thoughts, and that is why God will follow us even to the ends of the earth. When Cain killed his brother God did not depart from Cain. When Abraham went out in the wilderness to hide God found him at the burning bush. When you and I hide in our busy lives, and our addictions to activities, and in our minds closed to outside influences, still God is there, for us.
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the
earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind
from God swept over the face of the waters
And God saw that it was good. Genesis
1:1-2, 18b
May 18, 2008
One of the things scholars like to do when studying our creation story is to analyze how similar the Judeo/Christian story is to other creation stories of the world. Some, however, have noticed that our story is remarkably different from other stories, in two ways in particular.
First, whereas other creation stories tell of gods or semi-divine beings having a battle, and the outcome of the battle is creation, our God created by speaking creation into being. Second, while other gods were seeking power and control, our God was seeking a loving relationship with us. Finally, unique to our story, our God looks around and what God creates and says, "It is good."
How wonderful to be a part of something so beautifully and wonderfully made, to be part of something that God has declared good. How wonderful to BE one of those things that God has declared good! Claim it, and live it.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly
from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the
entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among
them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy
Spirit
--Acts 2:1-4a
May 11, 2008
If this had happened to you and me, I think it would be safe to say that we would be freaked out. "Oh, my gosh," we'd cry. "What's happening?" As we read on in the story, however, it doesn't appear that the disciples are too worked up. They were expecting something. After all, Jesus had promised them something would happen and they were waiting for it.
That same something has been promised to you and me, indeed, we already have it! The Holy Spirit has already come and filled us. The question is, will we attempt to jettison it, ignore it, or use it to answer God's call on our lives? It's probably not simple or easier to choose any of those options, but I suspect that using the Holy Spirit we have been given will be the most rewarding. Try it.
Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, or actually, 50 days after the Jewish Passover Festival, celebrated as the Spring Harvest Festival. Also called Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks. Tradition in Christianity is to celebrate it as the birthday of Christ's Holy Church. Today is the liturgical celebration of Pentecost, or the day of Pentecost on the church calendar.
Then he led them as far out as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands,
he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried
up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy;
and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
--Luke 24:44-53 NRSV
May 4, 2008
Along with being a lot of other things, May first this year happens to be the Day
of Ascension. It is the day in the church calendar when we recognize and celebrate
Jesus' ascension, when he transitions from being the resurrected one appearing to
the Disciples, to actually being eternally "in heaven" with God.
As I read the scripture story, I wondered how far out Bethany is from Jerusalem?
It occurred to me that Jesus leads us to some pretty far out places, sometimes,
places where he calls us to be in ministry in his name, even doing some things that
others might also consider far out. Even so, when we go in Jesus' name, it seems
that we find him there blessing us, especially in the far out places. Then, like
the Disciples, we feel like rejoicing and praising.
The challenge for us, however, is to not run into the church and stay there, as
the Disciples did at first, but to go to other far out places, again in Jesus' name,
that we and many others might repeatedly know Jesus' blessing and the joy that comes
with the blessing. May you find joy in the far out places.
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and
the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread
their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them
on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven! When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in
turmoil asking, Who is this? The crowds were saying, This is the prophet Jesus
from Nazareth in Galilee. --
Matthew 21:6-11
March 16, 2008
Jesus often enters our lives as he entered the city of Jerusalem, by creating a disturbance, bothering some, and causing us to sit up and take notice of what God is doing! Some of those at this event in our scriptures just watched. Some participated in shouting hosannas. Others asked, Who is this? Still others connived about how to bring this man down.
Which part of the crowd will you join? Are you content to watch and let others do the work of disturbing the status quo with Jesus? Will join in the crowd agitating for change from the comfortable positions of the majority populations? Are you one of those who are still not sure who this Jesus person is and if you should follow? Or are you certain you do not want this Jesus person challenging the way things have been done, how our lives have been ordered, and how we ought to be treating one another?
However we want to answer those questions, it seems clear that those who call themselves Christian already claim to follow Jesus, even if Jesus is humbly riding the road straight to the cross. If you talk to anyone who has ever marched in a parade, they will tell you that sometimes the crowds are great and encouraging, but sometimes the parade route is long and the conditions unfavorable. Even so, if we look to the destination on the other side of the cross, it may be that we are more than happy to be part of the parade!
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications! --Psalm 130:1-2
March 9, 2008
A couple of months ago we stood in church singing our hearts out in praise because of the wonderful thing God had done in sending Jesus. In a couple of weeks well sing our hearts out again because God will have raised that same Jesus from the grave! Yeah, God!
Yet when life hits us with some really difficult things sometimes we have a hard time telling God how we truly feel about that. Sure, some of us get really angry with God, and some walk away from God altogether. But many of us often feel like we have to at least talk nice to God when what we really want to do is scream our frustration. Im talking to you, God! Im telling you how I really feel. Arent you listening to me? Im having trouble here!
Actually, we can talk our frustrations to God. God is big enough to handle it. In fact, God is better able to handle our true emotions than our family or friends, especially when we are so intense. Not only that, but God appreciates our honesty.
So let it out. Tell God what you really think.
But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on
the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see
as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
--1 Samuel 16:1-13
March 2, 2008
Anyone who has ever been a youth worker or a teacher of children can relate to this story about the boy who will become King David at the time he is anointed by Samuel. God sends Samuel to find and anoint the new king in Jesses household. Unsure what he is doing, and a little worried about the safety of the adventure, Samuel heads off to Jesses place and begins to meat Jesses many sons, many of whom are mature and probably well qualified.
However, as Samuel is considering each of Jesses boys God tells Samuel, No, not this one. When nominating for important jobs most people look at a persons outward appearance, at a persons list of credentials, at a persons current readiness. However, God looks at a persons potential based on that persons inner being, their character, their heart.
Most people looking at teenagers just shake their heads. Most people thinking about teaching preschoolers just say, Im glad thats not me. But the workers who work day in and day out with children ranging from preschool through teens know what potential these students hold and perhaps can see a little of what God sees within each of them, and what they might become.
I wonder what I might see if I were to look at someone as with the eyes of God? I hope I might see what God sees.
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand;
and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. --Romans 5:1-2
February 24, 2008
Much of scripture sounds strange to us as it was written long ago,
if we put our heads together with others we can dig behind the text and odd use
of word to find some of God’s good news for ourselves and to share.The passage from Romans above is one of the many scripture passages that cause me to scratch my head. Parts of it are confusing, and other parts don’t sound very flattering. Why would I want to be a Christian after reading this? Impressions of snobbery and I’m-better-than-you clamor for attention.
Then I draw on the resources of the community of faith and things look clearer to
me. “Justification” sounds like we have an excuse to do whatever we
want, but I remembered from teaching Confirmation class the illustration about justification.
Think about the newspaper justifying the margins of type, lining them up to be neat
and tidy, and easier to read. Justification in faith means to be lined up with God
and God’s dreams for us and all of God’s creation, and to be part of
God’s work. That kind of justification sounds like something I’d like
to be part of.Later I discovered notes in the margins of one of my older bibles, notes from seminary class. The notes reminded me that in this passage of scripture “peace” is a synonym for reconciliation with God, and “boast” is a synonym for joy. Now the rest of the quote above sounds like something I can affirm as well. Bragging is something I never learned to do or appreciate, but boasting, as in experiencing and sharing the joy that I am loved abundantly by God—that is something I can boast about!
The Japanese characters in the art say “joy”.
So 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 this arms around him and
kissed him… and the father said to his slaves, …”for this son
of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began
to celebrate.
Luke 15:20-24
February 17, 2008
Recently some friends and I were talking about the story so often called The Prodigal
Son. The word prodigal means extravagant, over the top, excessive. It is a story
about a young man who demands his inheritance from his dad even before dad is dead,
and then the son goes out and spends foolishly, all too soon ending up in poverty
and despair. The young man decides to return home to see if his father would hire
him as a slave, but finds himself welcomed with open arms by his father. By the
end of our conversation we had decided that the title of the story really should
be The Forgiving Father or The Loving Father. It would even be appropriate to title
the story The Prodigal Father because the father’s love is so generous, so
forgiving, so welcoming.
As part of our conversation we also talked about the people and the places in our
lives where we have been welcomed back despite the decisions and choices we have
made, good or bad, and the arms that were open to receive us. And we talked about
God’s love, and God’s greatness, and God’s power. We came to the
conclusion that there was nothing so horrible that we could do that God’s
love, God’s extravagant, over the top, excessive, prodigious love, wouldn’t
be able to reach around to welcome us back into God’s embrace. That’s
pretty awesome love. How awesome that it is offered to each of us.
When
God began to create heaven and earththe earth being unformed and void, with darkness
over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the waterGod said,
Let there be light; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God
separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:1-4, Tanakh
February 10, 2008
One of the things we understand when we read our creation story, is that until God came along and organized things it was chaos around here! Over the years and centuries, in their efforts to be faithful to God, people added more lays of organizationrules and expectations--to the order God had created. Then, Jesus began his ministry. Jesus started saying things like, The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath. He said, You have heard it said but I say to you . And, In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will se me. Suddenly it seems as if the chaos has returned, for everything seems to be upside down.
Do you remember hanging from the monkey bars as a child, and looking at the world with a new perspective? As I was looking for clipart for upside down I saw pictures of bats, monkeys, gold finches, and ketchup bottles, things for which upside down is right side up! One such picture was of a newborn baby, being held upside down by its feet, preparing for its first cry to greet new life. Sometimes I wonder if turning the world upside down isnt necessary in order for something new to come into being, like the birth of the kingdom of God.
When the world turns you upside down, may you see the world as God does, and declare some part of it good.
After leaving Succoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way,
and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by
day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night
left its place in front of the people. --Exodus 13:20-
22 February 3, 2008
When God called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the wilderness for 40 years, the people thought they were entering the wilderness for the first time. Little did they know they had already been in the wilderness, even while they lived in the cities of Egypt, building for Pharaoh. In fact, the longer they lived in Egypt, the deeper into wilderness they went as they journeyed further and further from God who had made covenant with them to be their God, and how God called them to be in relationship with God and each other. And the longer they were in the wilderness, the nearer to the pagan gods of Egypt they became as they forgot the values of the covenant and took on the contrary values of the Egyptian gods.
Many of us find ourselves in wilderness today as we take on the gods of success, appearances, and instant gratification, leaving behind the values of plenty of Gods resources to be shared with all who are in need, humility before God, and the willingness to wait for the fullness of Gods time. Whenever we find ourselves in wilderness, perhaps we can lift our eyes to see the pillar of fire by night, or the cloud by day, and renew our covenant to be one of Gods people.
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the seatfor they were fishermen. And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fish for people. Immediately they left their nets and followed him. --Matthew 4:18-20
January 27, 2008
Imagine it. Youve heard rumors about this man, but youve never seen him. There have been no 6pm broadcasts or FrontPage newspaper articles doing in-depth coverage about who this guy is, if he is for real, if he is trustworthy. You have no idea if any of the rumors, good or bad, are true. And here he is, standing in front of you as you try to finish your days work so you can go home. Here he is, asking you to drop what you are doing, abandon all that you have known, and head out into a life of uncertainty. Here he is, asking you to belong to his group of friends, hang out with him, with no initiation rites, membership fees, or other requirements but that you come and be part of what he is doing.
Today we might look at such a person and his friends and call them a gang, and commit civic money toward ensuring they stayed within acceptable boundaries of behavior in our city. In Jesus day they were called rabbi and disciples, and the government did commit civic money to be sure they stayed within acceptable boundaries, and together they changed the world. They showed the world a whole new way to draw near to God. They showed the world how to be faithful by challenging the establishment and the rules that kept people far from God. They showed the world how to stand up for what they knew was right even if the tide of public opinion was against them. They showed the world how to love Gods people in the way Christ did.
So, what would you do today, if such a person stopped by where you are working and said, Come, follow me. Were going to do some radical things for God and change the world.?
January 20, 2008
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me
up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feed upon a rock, making
my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. --Psalm
40:1-11
Sometimes when we find ourselves in the miry bog, crying in our desolation, it is
very hard to wait patiently or to sing a song of praise. Often we are impatient
for anyone, especially God, to fix the situation, especially if we were unsuccessful
at taking care of it for ourselves.
Someone in my study group pointed out that waiters, as we know them in restaurants,
are not generally the persons who are sitting and expecting others to do for them,
but are on their feet serving others, perhaps even with low compensation and high
expectations. Yet, when we are fortunate enough to be waited upon by someone who
has made it their vocation (an answer to God’s call) to serve tables often
we discover people who are really gifted at what they do, highly capable and unflappable.
They are still able to offer a warm greeting even when their feet are aching, because
God has set them on a rock.
When you find yourself in the miry bog, sing a song of praise to God, serve God
by serving another, and perhaps you will find that God has already placed your feet
on the rock.
January 13, 2008
in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams offspring, heirs according to the promise. --Galatians 3:26-29
One of my first babysitting jobs, at the naïve age of 12, was a six-year-old boy and his twin four-year-old brothers. I babysat them daily for a month, and every day upon arrival at their home I would memorize which boy was wearing which color shirt. Within the next hour or two the boys would disappear in to their room and trade shirts, causing me no end of confusion and frustration. What the boys were expressing, although none of us knew this at such a tender young age, is that each of us is more the sum of what we wear.
The scripture in Galatians suggest that we clothes ourselves in Christ, that we take off our old garments that are loaded with old ways of doing things, and ways of thinking about things, and ways of behaving, and put on something new, and bright, and pureput on the life of Christ. Sometimes I notice a dramatic change between wedding rehearsals and weddings, when groomsmen, who are construction workers by day, come directly to the rehearsal in their jeans, and when they come on wedding day in their tuxes. They stand differently, they act differently, they talk differently!
The trouble is that it is all outward stuff. While I applaud the apostle Pauls helpful image of clothing, I like to think that putting on Christ ultimately means changes not only on the outside, but all the way deep inside to our core! I like to think that because I have been claimed by Christ, and because I have accepted Christ through my baptism, that I have been radically altered by that and am called to live completely into it. I hope that I am up to the taskbut then, God has already stated that I am by claiming me. And you.
January 4, 2008
So, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased." Luke 3:18, 21-22 NRSV
Do you remember your baptism? I dont remember mine. I was just a baby when my parents brought me in faith to dedicate my life to God. When I was twelve I witnessed a baptism, and I remember the pastor telling the child being baptized that in baptism, not only do we claim God through Christ, but God claims us and declares us Gods beloved child, whom God loves, and who pleases God. Wow! I was shocked! At that age I certainly didnt feel as if I pleased very many people, especially myself, but to hear that I was claimed by and pleasing to God was life changing. Two years later when they asked me if I wanted to be confirmed in my faith, I said, YES! Today I get to put my hands in the water and lay them on heads as people are baptized. What a privilege. But, it seems to me that all of us who already know Gods love have the privilege of telling someone else: You are a beloved child of God. God is pleased with you and claims you as Gods own. Yes, even you.
December 23, 2007
A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight
in the desert a highway for our God… Then the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all the people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken.
--Isaiah 40:3, 5
We’ve spent Advent preparing and suddenly Christmas is almost here. But for
what has Advent truly helped us prepare? Writers Tanya Barnett & Tom Wilson
suggest we are, hopefully, prepared for the sheer awe of glimpsing the birthing/rebirthing
of Grace Incarnate in the world today. But, what of the ongoing realities of the
world today? How prepared are we to help steward those vulnerable manifestations
of hope and life - of God's Grace - in a world that's often violent and unpredictable?
The Gospel reading about Herod’s massacre of male infants (Mt. 2:13- 23) compels
us to ask this sort of question in light of the soul-wrenching story. This much
is clear for both the "holy family" and for anyone who helps to steward
life's most precious gifts in the midst of brokenness: it cannot be done alone.
God give us the gifts of Wisdom and deep communion/solidarity with each other in
these perilous, yet always holy, days.
May today, and every day, be holy days for you, days in which you know the presence
of God working in and through you, as you become a vehicle of God’s grace.
December 16, 2007
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with
God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord
God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house
of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the
Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age,
and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible
with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May
it be to me as you have said.”
--Luke 1:30-38
Have you ever wondered what your response would be if an angel appeared to you and
gave you such a wild tale? I would probably quote Bill Cosby in his Noah’s
Ark monologue when he said, “Yeah, right.” I certainly wouldn’t
have been as gracious as Mary sounds here. Yet, all the time God IS calling on us
and asking us to bear fruit for God’s kingdom. When have you said “yes”
to being part of something God is doing? Were you reluctant? Excited? Scared? Did
you trust God to be with you in what God was asking you to do? “May it be
to me as you have said,” Mary answered when God spoke to her. And later, already
feeling blessed by God for having been chosen by God, Mary chose also to give glory
to God and rejoice in God her savior. May you find reason to rejoice when God chooses
you.
December 2, 2007
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a
land of deep darkness—on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest.
Isaiah 9:2-3b
Do you ever use the word “advent” in every day life? I was with someone
the other day who started to, and suddenly she stopped and laughed, because she
was also preparing for the Advent season at church. “Advent” seems like
such a church word, but it’s not. It is actually a Latin word that means “to
come”. When I studied Spanish I learned to conjugate the Spanish form of the
verb “venir” to say vengo (I come), viene (he comes), venimos (we come),
etc.
In the church we do use the word “Advent” to name the very special season
when we anticipate the coming of the Christ. It is a season of expectation, a season
of waiting, a season of hope. In all kinds of ways we count the days until that
arrival will take place again. We light one, two, three, and four candles on the
wreath. We open one, two, up to 25 windows on the advent calendar. Children add
links to decorative chains as their excitement grows.
Can you remember when you were a child and you couldn’t wait for some special
day to arrive, whether Christmas, or your birthday, or some other day special to
you? Do you remember how your excitement would grow, and your nervousness, too?
As Christmas nears, does that sense of anticipation about the Christ arriving again
in your life build and grow until you are fairly bursting?! As you prepare for Christmas,
try to also prepare for Christ to come again into your heart and your life, and
see if you don’t find some joy as beautiful as a child’s joy. May that
joy be yours.
November 25, 2007
The Lord brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk
and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord,
have given me?. Let us celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord our God has given
us and our house.
Deuteronomy 26:9-10a, 11b
The online encyclopedia Wikipedia tells us that the cornucopia is a symbol of food
and abundance that dates back to 500 years before the birth of Christ. Wikipedia
also tells us that the original cornucopia was a goat?s horn given by the Greek
god Zeus to the god who raised him on goat?s milk. Supposedly the horn had the power
to give whoever possessed it whatever he or she wished, thus giving rise to the
legend of abundance associated with the horn.
These days we see the horn as a basket filled with fruit and vegetables, especially
at Thanksgiving time, to symbolize the harvest. Most of us have very little connection
with the harvest, anymore, and many of our foods are eaten year-round, regardless
of their actual time of harvest in our nearby fields. Perhaps for us the cornucopia
becomes a symbol of the many things that are hard to symbolize that nevertheless
fill our lives with beautiful abundance.
After trying to empathize with the poor, our youth were grateful to sleep in their
own beds last Saturday night instead of in the church van another night. Two families
I know are grateful their automobile accidents this week weren?t worse. I?m grateful
for my husband who willingly went out at 3:00 in the morning to get cold medicine
for my son who couldn?t sleep due to cough. My three sons all have sore arms after
getting flu shots to keep them from getting sick later. I received a greeting card
from a far away friend remembering me at Thanksgiving. Any day now my sister will
receive word of a court date for her and her husband to finalize their adoption
of three-year old twin girl drug babies she has been loving and caring for these
last two years. God, who loves me, is a steadfast presence in my life. And the list
goes on.
If you were to gratefully fill the horn with the abundance in your life, what might
you include?
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we
ought to lay down our lives for our brothers & sisters. If anyone has material
possessions and sees his brother or sister in need but has no pity on him, now can
the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but
with actions and in truth. --1 John 3:16-20
November 18, 2007
What is it like to be poor? Sometimes we think we don’t have enough money
because we don’t have enough for the luxuries or the extras that we’d
really like to have. We want advances on our allowances. We don’t understand
why our parents won’t just get something for us, especially if it’s
not that expensive. When people can’t pay for basic necessities we think they
are foolish to worry about making a tithe to God?
Because of our love for Christ we voluntarily gave up what gives us comfort and
enjoyment (tv, video games, cell phones, recorded music) to experience what another
might live on a daily basis. For us it’s an adventure. We know that tomorrow
we will go home for a hot shower, a video game, a delicious meal followed by dessert.
Thank you, God, that I have so many things to enjoy. Help me to count them as blessings
and not take them for granted, and especially help me to share generously with those
who have so much less than I.
But Jesus called to them and said, “Let the little children
come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of
God belongs.
--Luke 18:16
October 14, 2007
Notice how Jesus doesn’t require the adults to bring children to him or even allow adults to bring children to him. Instead Jesus gives permission for the children to come on their own and prohibits adults from getting in the way of the children coming. Jesus welcomes the children when they come.
When you welcome children to class, to church, or into any part of our community, you value children as Jesus did, considering them to have something to contribute to the wholeness and the wellbeing of our community. In the same way, Jesus welcomes each of you, even on those days you feel like you have little to offer. Jesus was able to see past the “No Value” sign society had placed on the children, and Jesus is able to see past the “No Value” sign you may place on yourself from time to time. All are precious in his sight.
Then
he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to
them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance
of me.”
--Luke 22:19
October 7, 2007
So often when Jesus was talking with his disciples what he was really talking about was not what it sounded like he was saying. Preacher Rob Bell says sometimes “this is really about that.” I was thinking about how Jesus talked, and I wondered if maybe, when Jesus was breaking the bread, if perhaps Jesus was talking about more.
More than a loaf of bread. More than about his physical body—which was almost certainly going to be thrashed by someone if he kept stirring things up. What might he have been saying if he had been talking about the Body of Christ, the body of people who have declared themselves to be faithful and loyal followers of the one whom God had anointed to tell the world about God’s love? That body, broken, that it might be shared. What would it mean for us as a body of believers, to understand ourselves, not as a cohesive, tightly knit group of people who always agree with each other, but instead as a body of people who definitely do not always agree with each other, or desire to do things, even worship, the same way as the other. Imagine how much more we might be able to share God’s love with God’s love to all the variety of God’s people.
Today is World Communion Sunday. Members of the Body of Christ from around the globe will be celebrating Hoy Communion today, in their many different ways. They will be breaking the bread that it might be shared. How blessed are we to be a part of the sharing!
September 30, 2007
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is
in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord
your God am a jealous God… showing steadfast love to…those who love
me and keep my commandments.
--Exodus 20:4-6
The prophet Elijah, and his successor Elisha, served as spokespersons for God, speaking words of truth to the people about the people’s behavior in light of the call of God to faithful relationship of the people with God. Especially, Elijah and Elisha spoke to the people about their worship of foreign Gods instead of worshipping only the one true God of Israel. Sometimes the people even bowed before statues of animals, instead of worshipping the living God.
Not many of us bow before statues today, but we do elevate other false gods and place our trust or our awe in them more than in the God of our ancestors. Some of those false Gods are money, material goods, status, fame, security and various freedoms. The clipart has someone smashing an idol with a hammer. I wonder what kinds of hammers we need to smash our modern idols. I wonder what idols in my life need smashing? May God help me to recognize and smash them so that I may also recognize the might and majesty of the one true God whom I love and truly worship.
September 23, 2007
God makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the
spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts
is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. ~Psalm 46
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ~Romans
12:18
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called
in the one body. And be thankful. ~Colossians 3:15
Friday was the annual International Day of Peace, first instituted by the United
Nations in 1981. For 24 hours individuals around the globe paused in prayer, asking
God for peace in the many situations across the globe where peace is absent: nations
torn by civil war, nations and neighborhoods threatened by enemies of many shapes,
children and adults living in homes filled with violence and anxieties about meeting
basic needs.
We had a prayer vigil at church on Friday, and I was racing around like crazy, trying
to finish some things so I could go to the vigil. It occurred to me that the lack
of peace seeps through the crevices and into all of our lives even though we may
be far from the locus of the conflict. Let us lift up prayers of thanksgiving for
the measures of peace we do know in our lives. And let us lift up prayers of intercession
on behalf of those for whom peace is, at best, only a dream.
September 16, 2007
Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from
you.” Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit."
-- 2 Kings 2:9b
Have you ever been in a situation where you admired someone and the way they handled
certain situations, and then suddenly found yourself responsible for similar situations?
Have you wished that you had the skills or wisdom the person you admired had so
that you could be effective?
Elisha did have this wish—that he could be as powerful a prophet for God as
Elijah. Elijah had been Elisha’s mentor, but nearing his death Elijah told
Elisha that God would be the one to provide what Elisha needed to continue the work.
Elijah was right, and God did equip Elisha for profound ministry, following in Elijah’s
footsteps. However, Elijah also had a hand in this, since he listened to God, and
took on Elisha as a student, teaching and encouraging him in the way of faithfulness.
Whether or not you feel wise enough, you have been called by God to mentor our students
in the ways of God & the Christian faith. God will equip you with whatever you
need to be effective. And if you look around our faith community, and into your
past, you will discover that you have had many mentors of your own who have taught
and encouraged you. Today might be a good day to contact one of your mentors, by
telephone or mail, or prayers through the saints, to say “thanks” and
“thanks” to God that those mentors were part of your life.
September 9, 2007
This is the day the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O Lord, save us;
O Lord, grant us success.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
The Lord is God,
And God has made the light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
Up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
You are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
God’s love endures forever.
--Psalm 118:24-29