Matthew 24:36-44
I took a day off from all things electronic yesterday, which was actually a little more difficult than it sounds, especially in the morning hours. The morning hours are when I normally do my lectionary study and write my thoughts in this blog - call it my time with God. If I'm to be honest about this time I also use it to check email and peruse social media sites. The time isn't all spent with God, but most of it is.
What I did yesterday, instead of turn on my computer and spend the morning in front of it, was go to my parent's home and begin Thanksgiving meal preparations. We have a small family here - just my parents, wife, son, and me - so there wasn't a lot to prepare. I really went to my parent's home to help my mom who has a difficult time standing for too long. Besides, I truly do enjoy dicing vegetables and basting the turkey.
I used my phone as a timer to remind me to baste the turkey every 30 minutes, and as a result I had to resist the temptation to visit those social media sites every 30 minutes as well. The first 2 or 3 reminders were difficult, but as the day went on and the chimes rang to remind me, I found the want to "touch" the buttons on my phone decrease. By the time the turkey was done, some 7 or 8 reminders after it began, I had completely lost the need to connected to be electronically connected to people.
What had happened instead was I began to feel physically connected. I thought about my brother and sister-in-law and their family. I thought about dear friends I haven't seen in a while, if not years. I thought about in-laws, coworkers, and colleagues. While I thought about each one I said a little prayer of thanks for the pieces of our lives we share. By the time lunch was served (our family tradition is to eat about 3-ish in the afternoon) I had visited as many of those in my life as I could remember through prayer and thought.
I'm not sure whether it was because I had no electronic interactions, or because I spent a good part of my day in thought and prayer, but yesterday turned out to be a very relaxing day.
Today's passage gives me that same kind of feel. It's a good reminder for me that we never really know when good things are coming. Matthew does well in setting the tone that when good things come we just have to be ready for it. In this passage Jesus is telling those who will listen that nothing will be different when the time for his return comes. People will be going about their daily routines when, almost suddenly it will seem, Jesus will appear.
It will seem sudden for those who aren't waiting and watching for it. For those who haven't taken the time to build their relationships with God, others, and self it will seem that out of nowhere their friends and family, those who have been waiting and watching, will no longer be with them, but instead a part of something else; the kingdom of God.
Advent is the time that we, Christians, are asked to watch and wait for the coming of Christ. More than that, we are asked to reflect on our relationships with God and those around us. It's in the preparation for the day Christ comes we find our hope. Yesterday, as I chopped, basted, napped, and watched football I talked with those around me about what being in God's love meant to me. Not in such a way as to change anyone's heart, more in a way so as to share what is in my heart - unconditional acceptance of all people.
Christ lives in me and through me. Being Christian allows me the strength to share what that means to me with others. It's in helping others see how hope is slowly being realized in my life that I can bring that same realization to others. Hope lives through us, in us, and around us. All we need to do is watch for it, and wait for the right time to be with others in it.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Advent Is...Hope (part 3)
Philippians 4:4-9
Last night I attended an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. Among the faiths represented was Buddhism, Bahai, Jewish, and Christian. It was a service filled with the spirit of love and unity regardless of the perceived differences these faiths have.
The service began with the calling of the spirits through Taiko drumming and moved into song, dance, and spoken liturgy, each of with praised the sacredness of that which unifies us - the hope that we can all live together as one, regardless of our beliefs.
As our family recalled the service on the way home it was noted that the name, or names, of each faith's "God" was never mentioned. The sacred one, the creator, the one who unifies us, and a couple more names were used instead. With that in mind I want to re-write the opening paragraph of our passage for today.
Last night I spent about an hour in a room, surrounded by people of different faith traditions, and not once did I feel separated from the God I believe in, the people around me, or myself. Last night I was witness to a glimmer of what a world of unity in love could be like.
Hope still lives on.
Last night I attended an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. Among the faiths represented was Buddhism, Bahai, Jewish, and Christian. It was a service filled with the spirit of love and unity regardless of the perceived differences these faiths have.
The service began with the calling of the spirits through Taiko drumming and moved into song, dance, and spoken liturgy, each of with praised the sacredness of that which unifies us - the hope that we can all live together as one, regardless of our beliefs.
As our family recalled the service on the way home it was noted that the name, or names, of each faith's "God" was never mentioned. The sacred one, the creator, the one who unifies us, and a couple more names were used instead. With that in mind I want to re-write the opening paragraph of our passage for today.
Rejoice always; again I say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known. And the peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds.I'm not suggesting we take God out of our faith. What I am suggesting is we stop thinking our belief is the only one. The afore re-written passage could have come from any of the different faith's scriptures, because within those words are how humanity should live our lives, regardless of who or what we put that faith in.
Last night I spent about an hour in a room, surrounded by people of different faith traditions, and not once did I feel separated from the God I believe in, the people around me, or myself. Last night I was witness to a glimmer of what a world of unity in love could be like.
Hope still lives on.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Advent Is...Hope (part 2)
Isaiah 2:1-5
I'm not usually one to pay attention to the sub-headings which separate the stories within the bible, but today's one gave me a deeper perspective. "The Future House of God", as it's called, is perhaps the editor's way of highlighting what the hope of all people are.
The words of Isaiah in this passage paint a great picture. God's home will be placed on the highest of mountains, far above all others. Then, once God's home is settled the people will "stream" into it. I can't really explain why I especially like the use of the word stream, as opposed to flock or move into. The image of people streaming tells me that the people are continuously coming into the house of God; steadily and unending.
What is the kind of home the people are streaming into?
One where the the swords turn into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks. A place where instead of destruction, prosperity through unity is the rule. As Isaiah puts it, "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Such hopeful words to a great nation then, and to a world now..
I'm not usually one to pay attention to the sub-headings which separate the stories within the bible, but today's one gave me a deeper perspective. "The Future House of God", as it's called, is perhaps the editor's way of highlighting what the hope of all people are.
The words of Isaiah in this passage paint a great picture. God's home will be placed on the highest of mountains, far above all others. Then, once God's home is settled the people will "stream" into it. I can't really explain why I especially like the use of the word stream, as opposed to flock or move into. The image of people streaming tells me that the people are continuously coming into the house of God; steadily and unending.
What is the kind of home the people are streaming into?
One where the the swords turn into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks. A place where instead of destruction, prosperity through unity is the rule. As Isaiah puts it, "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Such hopeful words to a great nation then, and to a world now..
Monday, November 25, 2013
Advent Is...Hope (part 1)
Psalm 122
Yesterday was the last Sunday of the Christian calendar. It was a day in which we celebrated the rule of Christ in our lives. We listened to stories which reminded us that the sole purpose of Christians is to live in such a way as to make Christ the center of our lives. Every word we speak and every action we perform is a direct reflection of what is in charge of our lives; let the world know that our life is a reflection of the invisible God.
This week we begin the countdown to Christmas, otherwise known as Advent. Advent is the time of the year we watch and wait for the coming of Christ into this world, and to an extension into our lives.
For all the years I've been following the lectionary I have never noticed this one fact: the Sunday we celebrate the fullness of Christ in our lives is immediately before the Sunday we await the coming of Christ into our lives. I've always looked at Reign of Christ Sunday as the last Sunday of the year, as much as I've seen the first Sunday of Advent as the first Sunday of the year. Until this year I neglected to make the connection that in order for Christ to fully be in our lives we have to first let him into our lives.
I note that our passage describes just that. The passage proclaims that peace can be found within the walls of Jerusalem. As I read the passage this morning I thought verse 8 had a typo. "Peace be within you." is not the same as "Peace be with you." However, as I thought about it more I came to the realization that it wasn't meant to be.
This Psalm paints a great picture of a group of people who are standing just inside the gates of a great city. These people proclaim the city to be bound firmly together, a stronghold for those who stand together at its entrance. The Psalmist concludes with a proclamation of hope in saying that the city will offer prosperity to all who love it.
The thought for today is whether our hope is rooted in our love and the love of others around us. Often we stand at the entrance of greatness, but have difficulty going in. We let things unseen hold us back; lack of confidence, fear of being alone in our journey, judgment from others. The truth is that if we keep moving forward into the greatness we will find that the love which surrounds us will help us find the peace we desperately search for.
During this Advent season you will be invited to step through the gate of a great city and into the love of those around you. Know that the love which lives within this city comes from a people, and a God, who only want to help you realize the hope for which you search.
Yesterday was the last Sunday of the Christian calendar. It was a day in which we celebrated the rule of Christ in our lives. We listened to stories which reminded us that the sole purpose of Christians is to live in such a way as to make Christ the center of our lives. Every word we speak and every action we perform is a direct reflection of what is in charge of our lives; let the world know that our life is a reflection of the invisible God.
This week we begin the countdown to Christmas, otherwise known as Advent. Advent is the time of the year we watch and wait for the coming of Christ into this world, and to an extension into our lives.
For all the years I've been following the lectionary I have never noticed this one fact: the Sunday we celebrate the fullness of Christ in our lives is immediately before the Sunday we await the coming of Christ into our lives. I've always looked at Reign of Christ Sunday as the last Sunday of the year, as much as I've seen the first Sunday of Advent as the first Sunday of the year. Until this year I neglected to make the connection that in order for Christ to fully be in our lives we have to first let him into our lives.
I note that our passage describes just that. The passage proclaims that peace can be found within the walls of Jerusalem. As I read the passage this morning I thought verse 8 had a typo. "Peace be within you." is not the same as "Peace be with you." However, as I thought about it more I came to the realization that it wasn't meant to be.
This Psalm paints a great picture of a group of people who are standing just inside the gates of a great city. These people proclaim the city to be bound firmly together, a stronghold for those who stand together at its entrance. The Psalmist concludes with a proclamation of hope in saying that the city will offer prosperity to all who love it.
The thought for today is whether our hope is rooted in our love and the love of others around us. Often we stand at the entrance of greatness, but have difficulty going in. We let things unseen hold us back; lack of confidence, fear of being alone in our journey, judgment from others. The truth is that if we keep moving forward into the greatness we will find that the love which surrounds us will help us find the peace we desperately search for.
During this Advent season you will be invited to step through the gate of a great city and into the love of those around you. Know that the love which lives within this city comes from a people, and a God, who only want to help you realize the hope for which you search.
Friday, November 22, 2013
In Memory of JFK
I found this poem online. Enjoy.
JFK – by Jerry O’Neill
It was late in the Autumn, as November slid past its ides,
When those tragic shots rang out, and they came from all sides,
Just precious moments before, smiling and waving, while never possibly discerning,
You were being viewed through scoped sights, fanatical trigger fingers were burning,
Then came the flashes of lightening, and the sickening roar of thunder,
As a fusillade of bullets pierced the Nation’s heart, and ripped our Chief’s brain asunder,
America’s very soul was crushed, as its Standard plunged past half staff,
A National tragedy revisited, another slaughtered presidential calf,
American eyes were transfixed, tears poured and cascaded blurring believing,
A terrible sadness had begun, from which we would never stop grieving,
As Air Force One stood at attention, at that airport strangely named Love,
You lay as cold cargo, as Lyndon Johnson was sworn in above,
As Biset’s “Agnus Dei”, was so softly sung at your final Mass,
We knelt in numbed silence, thinking how quickly youth and greatness can pass,
When Cardinal Cushing tearfully reminded us, we’d see your smiling Irish face no more,
Your shattered Nation stared stunned, as it was pushed through reality’s door,
As the Mass droned on, our mind’s eyes focused on your Inauguration Day,
To that brilliant frosty January morn’, when the world heard you say,
“Let the word go forth”, those words echoed in History’s ears,
As we marched off with vigor, to your bold New Frontiers,
The torch that was passed glowed brightly, as we slept on dirt floors,
As countless lives were rescued, by your Sargent’s Peace Corps,
Your Alliance for Progress was to provide a new climate of hope and opportunity,
For Central and South America, as the Alliance worked to eliminate disease, hunger, ignorance and poverty,
To the inherited Bay of Pigs Disaster, that hurt the Country’s and your pride,
Another Profile in Courage, you took full responsibility, you never lied,
After this fiasco, you learned that you could never again trust the uncontrollable C.I.A.,
When you said you would blow them into a thousand splinters, the die was cast that day,
Mistaking your youth for inexperience, with missiles the Russian Bear played,
As you backed them off our borders, with your determined grey steel blockade,
This confrontation showed the Russians and the world, the depth and strength of your resolve,
And lead to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which would cause the threat of Nuclear war to dissolve,
Your visions grew star bright, as you looked up to the sky,
When in a press conference you told the world, to the Moon we would fly,
You knew where future’s future was, as you guided our hand to reach out into space,
As we set sail on a celestial sea, which was to become America’s place,
Your citizens had no colors, as you tried to lift us all to new heights,
When against all political odds, you laid the foundation for real civil rights,
You went to Germany and told the world, democracy would win,
You repeatedly invited those who doubted you by saying, “Let them come to Berlin”,
Over one million Germans cheered you wildly, as you told them proudly “Ich bin ein Berliner”,
As the sands of your time with us, grew thinner and thinner,
Your trip home to Ireland, was the quintessence of the fulfillment of the Irish American Dream,
As the spirits of those long gone before and those standing there, embraced you in a constant loving stream,
On October 11 you signed NSAM 263 which would have withdrawn every American from Vietnam,
That let slip the jackals of assassination, who observed you with deadly snake like calm,
Even in our deep sorrow we can’t help but smile, as we see you in your conferences with the press,
Your natural Irish wit, charm and spirit, that nothing could suppress,
As those precious memories come back to us, in brilliant freeze frame picture flashes,
We bowed our heads in sorrow, realizing that our Camelot now lay in ashes,
It was to be the world’s great loss and to America’s everlasting shame,
That we surrendered you so early, to the flicker of Arlington’s Eternal Flame.
©Jerry O’Neil
JFK – by Jerry O’Neill
It was late in the Autumn, as November slid past its ides,
When those tragic shots rang out, and they came from all sides,
Just precious moments before, smiling and waving, while never possibly discerning,
You were being viewed through scoped sights, fanatical trigger fingers were burning,
Then came the flashes of lightening, and the sickening roar of thunder,
As a fusillade of bullets pierced the Nation’s heart, and ripped our Chief’s brain asunder,
America’s very soul was crushed, as its Standard plunged past half staff,
A National tragedy revisited, another slaughtered presidential calf,
American eyes were transfixed, tears poured and cascaded blurring believing,
A terrible sadness had begun, from which we would never stop grieving,
As Air Force One stood at attention, at that airport strangely named Love,
You lay as cold cargo, as Lyndon Johnson was sworn in above,
As Biset’s “Agnus Dei”, was so softly sung at your final Mass,
We knelt in numbed silence, thinking how quickly youth and greatness can pass,
When Cardinal Cushing tearfully reminded us, we’d see your smiling Irish face no more,
Your shattered Nation stared stunned, as it was pushed through reality’s door,
As the Mass droned on, our mind’s eyes focused on your Inauguration Day,
To that brilliant frosty January morn’, when the world heard you say,
“Let the word go forth”, those words echoed in History’s ears,
As we marched off with vigor, to your bold New Frontiers,
The torch that was passed glowed brightly, as we slept on dirt floors,
As countless lives were rescued, by your Sargent’s Peace Corps,
Your Alliance for Progress was to provide a new climate of hope and opportunity,
For Central and South America, as the Alliance worked to eliminate disease, hunger, ignorance and poverty,
To the inherited Bay of Pigs Disaster, that hurt the Country’s and your pride,
Another Profile in Courage, you took full responsibility, you never lied,
After this fiasco, you learned that you could never again trust the uncontrollable C.I.A.,
When you said you would blow them into a thousand splinters, the die was cast that day,
Mistaking your youth for inexperience, with missiles the Russian Bear played,
As you backed them off our borders, with your determined grey steel blockade,
This confrontation showed the Russians and the world, the depth and strength of your resolve,
And lead to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which would cause the threat of Nuclear war to dissolve,
Your visions grew star bright, as you looked up to the sky,
When in a press conference you told the world, to the Moon we would fly,
You knew where future’s future was, as you guided our hand to reach out into space,
As we set sail on a celestial sea, which was to become America’s place,
Your citizens had no colors, as you tried to lift us all to new heights,
When against all political odds, you laid the foundation for real civil rights,
You went to Germany and told the world, democracy would win,
You repeatedly invited those who doubted you by saying, “Let them come to Berlin”,
Over one million Germans cheered you wildly, as you told them proudly “Ich bin ein Berliner”,
As the sands of your time with us, grew thinner and thinner,
Your trip home to Ireland, was the quintessence of the fulfillment of the Irish American Dream,
As the spirits of those long gone before and those standing there, embraced you in a constant loving stream,
On October 11 you signed NSAM 263 which would have withdrawn every American from Vietnam,
That let slip the jackals of assassination, who observed you with deadly snake like calm,
Even in our deep sorrow we can’t help but smile, as we see you in your conferences with the press,
Your natural Irish wit, charm and spirit, that nothing could suppress,
As those precious memories come back to us, in brilliant freeze frame picture flashes,
We bowed our heads in sorrow, realizing that our Camelot now lay in ashes,
It was to be the world’s great loss and to America’s everlasting shame,
That we surrendered you so early, to the flicker of Arlington’s Eternal Flame.
©Jerry O’Neil
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Well Deserved
Luke 23:33-43
During a discussion about the Christian response to violence it was noted that violence is seen throughout the stories in the bible. Cain murders Abel. Joseph's brothers leave him to die in a pit. Pharaoh's army is drowned by Moses. War, death, destruction, disease, and more riddle the stories we read, learn about, and teach our kids. It would seem that the authors of the bible want us to understand that violence is how God defeats evil.
I believe the authors are misunderstood. The message I see throughout the bible is that God is always by our side, ready to bring us out of our pain and suffering with overwhelming love.
Today's passage is a great example of that extravagant love. As Christians we believe that Jesus is God incarnate; the face of Jesus is the face of God. If we believe this we need to look at how Jesus acted and reacted in his life situations. Here we are invited to witness Jesus being scoffed at, mocked, and derided all while Jesus hangs on a cross awaiting his death.
Jesus doesn't lash back with anger, nor does he return any of the people's hatred. Jesus does two things: he prays for the forgiveness of his tormentors and he invites one of the criminals hanging with him into paradise. Before being invited into paradise, though, the criminal actually comes to Jesus' defense, telling his partner in crime to recognize that they are on the cross for something they have actually done. Jesus, he notes, is being unjustly treated.
The stories don't tell us much, if anything, about the criminals hung with Jesus. All we have to go on is what criminals who are put to death are like. Of course, in those days someone could be put to death simply for saying something negative about Cesar. As such we really don't know what was in the hearts of those criminals. What we do know is that one of those criminals saw it fit to come to the defense of someone who obviously (at least to the criminal) was undeserving of the treatment he was receiving.
In the criminal's final moments he caught a glimpse of what it meant to live in a life filled with peace with one's self and hope for a better life beyond this one. How else could someone who is severely beaten, stripped naked, and hung on a cross until he dies still love. That love is what God's love is - one that when we fully receive it and share it with others we will live a life of peace and joy with unending hope of a life in God's presence.
I want to believe the criminal saw his paradise, not so much in an afterlife but in whatever moments of life he had left here on earth. After all, I think his show of love to Jesus deserves at least that.
During a discussion about the Christian response to violence it was noted that violence is seen throughout the stories in the bible. Cain murders Abel. Joseph's brothers leave him to die in a pit. Pharaoh's army is drowned by Moses. War, death, destruction, disease, and more riddle the stories we read, learn about, and teach our kids. It would seem that the authors of the bible want us to understand that violence is how God defeats evil.
I believe the authors are misunderstood. The message I see throughout the bible is that God is always by our side, ready to bring us out of our pain and suffering with overwhelming love.
Today's passage is a great example of that extravagant love. As Christians we believe that Jesus is God incarnate; the face of Jesus is the face of God. If we believe this we need to look at how Jesus acted and reacted in his life situations. Here we are invited to witness Jesus being scoffed at, mocked, and derided all while Jesus hangs on a cross awaiting his death.
Jesus doesn't lash back with anger, nor does he return any of the people's hatred. Jesus does two things: he prays for the forgiveness of his tormentors and he invites one of the criminals hanging with him into paradise. Before being invited into paradise, though, the criminal actually comes to Jesus' defense, telling his partner in crime to recognize that they are on the cross for something they have actually done. Jesus, he notes, is being unjustly treated.
The stories don't tell us much, if anything, about the criminals hung with Jesus. All we have to go on is what criminals who are put to death are like. Of course, in those days someone could be put to death simply for saying something negative about Cesar. As such we really don't know what was in the hearts of those criminals. What we do know is that one of those criminals saw it fit to come to the defense of someone who obviously (at least to the criminal) was undeserving of the treatment he was receiving.
In the criminal's final moments he caught a glimpse of what it meant to live in a life filled with peace with one's self and hope for a better life beyond this one. How else could someone who is severely beaten, stripped naked, and hung on a cross until he dies still love. That love is what God's love is - one that when we fully receive it and share it with others we will live a life of peace and joy with unending hope of a life in God's presence.
I want to believe the criminal saw his paradise, not so much in an afterlife but in whatever moments of life he had left here on earth. After all, I think his show of love to Jesus deserves at least that.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Light, Please
Colossians 1:11-20
In a commentary on Colossians, Karl Jacobson says that the overall message of the letter contributed to Paul is "the answer and antidote to a creation estranged and hostile." As such, he continues, it makes the point that Jesus is "the first-born of creation, made the first-born of the dead, [which] makes of [Christians] the first-born of faith." Colossians is written in the hopes to unify a body of Christ, the church, to do Christ's bidding: to be reconciled with God.
Colossians does so by imaging Christ as the reason why and for all things have been created. We are introduced to this epistle with words and phrases like, "image of the invisible God", "firstborn of all creation", and "in him all things hold together", all meant to create the mindset that after God, there is Christ, and through Christ God places all things in heaven and on earth.
I don't know about you, but that seems like a lot of responsibility to put on one person, even if it is Jesus Christ. Which is why I think Jesus was never meant to do it alone.
As Christians our call is to carry the light which is Christ to help people come out of the darkness, as well as to shine it brightly on the things which cause us to stumble on our journeys towards God. We are the body of Christ, we are the bearers of his story, we are the ones in whom Christ lives and continues to live. Let's not allow ourselves to forget those stories, and lets always strive to better understand those stories.
Genesis tells us humankind is created in the image of God, just as Colossians says Jesus was created in the image of God; that makes us all brothers and sisters through Christ. Colossians says Christ is the first born of the dead, recognizing that in time we all die and will be reborn, rejoining one another in an another life. Colossians says that through the giving of his life, Christ allows all things to be reunited with God, which further allows us to live in a world where hope, peace, love and joy will reign.
Colossians reminds us that we "share in the inheritance of the saints in the light." When we do our part to share and shine the light of Christ we make the world around us a little brighter.
In a commentary on Colossians, Karl Jacobson says that the overall message of the letter contributed to Paul is "the answer and antidote to a creation estranged and hostile." As such, he continues, it makes the point that Jesus is "the first-born of creation, made the first-born of the dead, [which] makes of [Christians] the first-born of faith." Colossians is written in the hopes to unify a body of Christ, the church, to do Christ's bidding: to be reconciled with God.
Colossians does so by imaging Christ as the reason why and for all things have been created. We are introduced to this epistle with words and phrases like, "image of the invisible God", "firstborn of all creation", and "in him all things hold together", all meant to create the mindset that after God, there is Christ, and through Christ God places all things in heaven and on earth.
I don't know about you, but that seems like a lot of responsibility to put on one person, even if it is Jesus Christ. Which is why I think Jesus was never meant to do it alone.
As Christians our call is to carry the light which is Christ to help people come out of the darkness, as well as to shine it brightly on the things which cause us to stumble on our journeys towards God. We are the body of Christ, we are the bearers of his story, we are the ones in whom Christ lives and continues to live. Let's not allow ourselves to forget those stories, and lets always strive to better understand those stories.
Genesis tells us humankind is created in the image of God, just as Colossians says Jesus was created in the image of God; that makes us all brothers and sisters through Christ. Colossians says Christ is the first born of the dead, recognizing that in time we all die and will be reborn, rejoining one another in an another life. Colossians says that through the giving of his life, Christ allows all things to be reunited with God, which further allows us to live in a world where hope, peace, love and joy will reign.
Colossians reminds us that we "share in the inheritance of the saints in the light." When we do our part to share and shine the light of Christ we make the world around us a little brighter.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
What's In A Name
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Our church is in the beginning stages of an honest communication about sexual identification equality. The conversation has been going on in the halls and behind closed doors for years, the recent decision by our legislatures to include people from all sexual identifications to marry has brought the conversation into the open. It's going to be a great time in our church, a time I'm looking forward to.
I am someone who believes that human rights are just that. How people are treated should not be dictated by their religion, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identification, or any other personal choice they have made. Whether or not someone should be treated equally and justly should have nothing to do with anything, except for their words and actions. Even then, judgement should not be made in a way to separate them from society, but to find a way to bring them back into it.
The first Christians practiced this belief. They took to heart Jesus' message of unconditional acceptance in the welcoming of people into our communities. This message did not originate with Jesus, however, as we see this message repeated throughout the stories in the bible, possibly no more so than through the Prophets.
In today's passage, the Prophet Jeremiah speaks to a people who have been scattered, all their belongings and things they hold dear to life taken away from them. He says to them that there will be a day when God will return them to a life in which they can be fruitful and multiply. Through Jeremiah, God also promises that God will return to them.
At the end of our passage God promises that someone will come and lead them into greatness, and this person will be called, "The Lord of Righteousness." This is a name which represents a person who will lead others towards a life where all people are treated with fairness and equity. In the Christian faith we believe this person to be Jesus Christ.
As Christians we are called to accept as our own the examples of Christ as he lived on this earth. We should also note that Jesus took as his examples the words of the Prophets and the intent of the law as given through God, which Jesus reminds us is to love God with all our self and to love others in the same way we love ourselves.
If, as Christians, we truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then we should do our best to understand what the Messiah was meant to do, who the Messiah was meant to be - the one who will lead people back into an abundant life filled with equity and justice.
Our church is in the beginning stages of an honest communication about sexual identification equality. The conversation has been going on in the halls and behind closed doors for years, the recent decision by our legislatures to include people from all sexual identifications to marry has brought the conversation into the open. It's going to be a great time in our church, a time I'm looking forward to.
I am someone who believes that human rights are just that. How people are treated should not be dictated by their religion, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identification, or any other personal choice they have made. Whether or not someone should be treated equally and justly should have nothing to do with anything, except for their words and actions. Even then, judgement should not be made in a way to separate them from society, but to find a way to bring them back into it.
The first Christians practiced this belief. They took to heart Jesus' message of unconditional acceptance in the welcoming of people into our communities. This message did not originate with Jesus, however, as we see this message repeated throughout the stories in the bible, possibly no more so than through the Prophets.
In today's passage, the Prophet Jeremiah speaks to a people who have been scattered, all their belongings and things they hold dear to life taken away from them. He says to them that there will be a day when God will return them to a life in which they can be fruitful and multiply. Through Jeremiah, God also promises that God will return to them.
At the end of our passage God promises that someone will come and lead them into greatness, and this person will be called, "The Lord of Righteousness." This is a name which represents a person who will lead others towards a life where all people are treated with fairness and equity. In the Christian faith we believe this person to be Jesus Christ.
As Christians we are called to accept as our own the examples of Christ as he lived on this earth. We should also note that Jesus took as his examples the words of the Prophets and the intent of the law as given through God, which Jesus reminds us is to love God with all our self and to love others in the same way we love ourselves.
If, as Christians, we truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then we should do our best to understand what the Messiah was meant to do, who the Messiah was meant to be - the one who will lead people back into an abundant life filled with equity and justice.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Quietness In The Chaos
Psalm 46
Yesterday was a normal Sunday, which is actually to say there was very little normality to it. Sunday mornings are a very busy time for me, not so much in a physical way as much as a mental and spiritual way.
My mind consistently goes through the plans for the day. Did I remember to put the slides I need on the PowerPoint presentations? I need to set up the chairs. Where's the projector? Please don't forget to announce the new date for our service project.
I make sure everything is in order, then I wait for the class to arrive. In that time I don't let my self rest. Others stop by and ask me questions about church-wide events. People stop by just to say hello. I walk the campus looking for any wanderers to let them know class is about to start.
As we begin, I welcome everyone and go over upcoming events for the group and with the church. I hope I didn't miss anything, I get questioned about a time for a gathering, as it was previously reported to be a different time - I question myself.
As we prepare for the day's lesson I ask for everyone in the room to gather for a centering prayer. Then it happens, as it happens every week: peace and quiet take over and I put all my trust in God.
If you ask me how the rest of the day went I would have to say, normally. We had morning class, after which we worshiped as a body of Christ. We had a congregational meeting, after which we had lunch. I got my hair cut, went home to write a newsletter article, then spent the rest of the night on the couch watching TV with my wife.
It was in the midst of my morning chaos, as I reached out for the hand of God to still me, that I found my inner peace and was able to put aside all of the distractions which separated me from my relationships. Our Psalmist this morning does the same. In the midst of mountains shaking and seas roaring, the Psalmist is reminded that it's in God he finds his strength and a place to rest.
Being in the midst of God, and realizing we're in the midst of God, allows all of the things which have separated us from God to be broken down. It won't change the busyness of our lives, but it just might make that busyness a little less trying on your mind, heart, and soul.
Yesterday was a normal Sunday, which is actually to say there was very little normality to it. Sunday mornings are a very busy time for me, not so much in a physical way as much as a mental and spiritual way.
My mind consistently goes through the plans for the day. Did I remember to put the slides I need on the PowerPoint presentations? I need to set up the chairs. Where's the projector? Please don't forget to announce the new date for our service project.
I make sure everything is in order, then I wait for the class to arrive. In that time I don't let my self rest. Others stop by and ask me questions about church-wide events. People stop by just to say hello. I walk the campus looking for any wanderers to let them know class is about to start.
As we begin, I welcome everyone and go over upcoming events for the group and with the church. I hope I didn't miss anything, I get questioned about a time for a gathering, as it was previously reported to be a different time - I question myself.
As we prepare for the day's lesson I ask for everyone in the room to gather for a centering prayer. Then it happens, as it happens every week: peace and quiet take over and I put all my trust in God.
If you ask me how the rest of the day went I would have to say, normally. We had morning class, after which we worshiped as a body of Christ. We had a congregational meeting, after which we had lunch. I got my hair cut, went home to write a newsletter article, then spent the rest of the night on the couch watching TV with my wife.
It was in the midst of my morning chaos, as I reached out for the hand of God to still me, that I found my inner peace and was able to put aside all of the distractions which separated me from my relationships. Our Psalmist this morning does the same. In the midst of mountains shaking and seas roaring, the Psalmist is reminded that it's in God he finds his strength and a place to rest.
Being in the midst of God, and realizing we're in the midst of God, allows all of the things which have separated us from God to be broken down. It won't change the busyness of our lives, but it just might make that busyness a little less trying on your mind, heart, and soul.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Friday Findings
A Renewal of True Spirit
– Jeffrey Robin
We are something – What?
Small is beautifully dead
In the eyes of our Great Leaders
The powerless are invisible
Unknown
Unfelt
Nothing at all
We accept the Murder
By calling it War
We are the Walking Dead
We live in shame and fear
We might cleanse ourselves
By
A renewal of true spirit
We might rise in our humanity
If we so desired
We could do so many things
Small
Hungry
Weak
Still
We can do so many things
If we dared to understand it all
Renewal – by
Chris Abani
I set you free that night, father.
When you came back in that yellow Volkswagen,
in that dream.
I made a boat of honor for you.
Woven of poems and words and not words.
I set it on the ocean.
Father Obuna said to me,
a gift is freely given and a gift
is freely returned.
It has taken me thirty years
to understand this.
Yemenya has your heart now.
May she be merciful.
May she love you.
The wound bleeds no more.
Which is to say,
what I have desired is like salt
left out all night and gone.
This is not a lamentation, damn it.
This is a love song.
This is a love song.
Like reggae—it all falls on the off beat.
If there is a way, it is here.
They say you cannot say this in a poem.
That you cannot say, love, and mean anything.
That you cannot say, soul, and approach heaven.
But the sun is no fool, I tell you.
It will rise for nothing else
At best, the renewal of broken relations is a nervous
matter. – Henry Adams
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The
important thing is not to stop questioning. – Albert Einstein
Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday. – John
Wayne
Thursday, November 14, 2013
That Moment People Stop Listening
Luke 21:5-19
I write this with a little bit of a searching heart, just a little. As some of you know, marriage equality became a reality in our state yesterday. It was a day celebrated by many who believe that the rights of humans should not be restricted because of their personal choices. It was also a day of deep pain for those who don't believe that marriages between same-sex couples should be allowed.
My heart is searching because I keep thinking that if the outcome of this law had been different, would the roles and feelings of those who support the law or not be reversed. If the law didn't pass would we be hearing cries from those who supported the law for getting rid of the lawmakers who voted against it? If the law didn't pass would those who supported the law be saying that the faith community stood in the way of justice, again?
We'll never know, will we. What we do know is that the words and actions on all sides of this issue represent how each individual feels. It's those feelings - and thoughts and ideas - which need to be respected.
The more I come to understand Christ, the more I see how he never told anyone how to choose. Instead he spoke and acted in ways that made his listeners think about if what they were doing or saying is really worthy of God's love.
Today's passage puts the readers smack dab in the middle of one of those Jesus teaching moments. Jesus warns that there will be people who will persecute his followers with all kinds of vile words and hateful actions. Our only response, according to Jesus, is to keep on telling them what you believe.
I take note that Jesus also says not to prepare our defense in advance. rather that when the time comes for us to say what we believe, it will be Christ who gives us the words. To me this means that we shouldn't have verses memorized, or words of our pastors ingrained into our hearts, but to listen for Christ's words in the moment Christ speaks them to us.
In other words, God is always speaking and Jesus has not stopped teaching. As Christians we should find a way to continue listening to God. As Christians we should find ways to get Christ's teachings to be relevant in our current societies. As Christians we need to love, regardless of differences, and find ways to be unified under that one love.
I write this with a little bit of a searching heart, just a little. As some of you know, marriage equality became a reality in our state yesterday. It was a day celebrated by many who believe that the rights of humans should not be restricted because of their personal choices. It was also a day of deep pain for those who don't believe that marriages between same-sex couples should be allowed.
My heart is searching because I keep thinking that if the outcome of this law had been different, would the roles and feelings of those who support the law or not be reversed. If the law didn't pass would we be hearing cries from those who supported the law for getting rid of the lawmakers who voted against it? If the law didn't pass would those who supported the law be saying that the faith community stood in the way of justice, again?
We'll never know, will we. What we do know is that the words and actions on all sides of this issue represent how each individual feels. It's those feelings - and thoughts and ideas - which need to be respected.
The more I come to understand Christ, the more I see how he never told anyone how to choose. Instead he spoke and acted in ways that made his listeners think about if what they were doing or saying is really worthy of God's love.
Today's passage puts the readers smack dab in the middle of one of those Jesus teaching moments. Jesus warns that there will be people who will persecute his followers with all kinds of vile words and hateful actions. Our only response, according to Jesus, is to keep on telling them what you believe.
I take note that Jesus also says not to prepare our defense in advance. rather that when the time comes for us to say what we believe, it will be Christ who gives us the words. To me this means that we shouldn't have verses memorized, or words of our pastors ingrained into our hearts, but to listen for Christ's words in the moment Christ speaks them to us.
In other words, God is always speaking and Jesus has not stopped teaching. As Christians we should find a way to continue listening to God. As Christians we should find ways to get Christ's teachings to be relevant in our current societies. As Christians we need to love, regardless of differences, and find ways to be unified under that one love.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
On Vacation
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Whenever we stay at someone's house on vacation we end up cleaning the house while we're there. It isn't that we don't think our hosts are tidy enough, it's just our way of paying back their hospitality. We fully understand that during our stay the homeowners incur higher costs - automobile, utility, etc - while most likely taking a few days off from work to show us around. Not only do we help out around the house and put gas in the car, we try to ensure we pay for some of the meals we eat together, whether at home or at a restaurant.
Call it what you may, but it's just our way of letting our hosts know how much we appreciate what they are doing for us. It isn't easy to let someone into your home. If you're like us you go through a lot of preparation for guests. You look at your work schedule for days you'll be able to take off or work a half-day. You make plans and reservations for varying forms of entertainment. You even try to find time for your guests to be able to spend time alone, and sometimes that time alone is for your sanity as well.
The point is that neither those who visit nor those who host just sit back and let whatever happens happen without putting a lot of effort into it. Such is the way with our faith.
Sometimes we're the guests of someone else's faith. We sit and walk with them, listening to their personal journey with God. As we walk with them we help them with some minor jobs around their spiritual house. Maybe they need an ear to listen to them as they struggle with questions about their faith. Maybe they need an arm to lean on as they struggle to move in one direction or another. Maybe they need a heart to feel with theirs as they come to a realization about their own truth.
As we work side by side with them we also grow in our faith. We understand what it means to be in a relationship based in the unconditional acceptance of God. We are able to reflect on our own journey and ask ourselves the hard questions, knowing that we now have someone to share those questions with us. We're even able to change, if change is warranted, based on new discoveries of new ideas based in honest and open conversation.
The idea passed on through today's passage is that we should never stand still along our journeys. If we are guests we should work for our keep. If we are hosts we should prepare fully. The one thing we should not be is stagnant. The journey towards God is not one riddled with rest stops, rather one filled with valleys, hills, and straight paths. This doesn't mean we have no place to rest along our faith journeys, it just means that even at rest we should continue to do something to grow our faith.
It's no wonder we always need a vacation to get over our vacation.
Whenever we stay at someone's house on vacation we end up cleaning the house while we're there. It isn't that we don't think our hosts are tidy enough, it's just our way of paying back their hospitality. We fully understand that during our stay the homeowners incur higher costs - automobile, utility, etc - while most likely taking a few days off from work to show us around. Not only do we help out around the house and put gas in the car, we try to ensure we pay for some of the meals we eat together, whether at home or at a restaurant.
Call it what you may, but it's just our way of letting our hosts know how much we appreciate what they are doing for us. It isn't easy to let someone into your home. If you're like us you go through a lot of preparation for guests. You look at your work schedule for days you'll be able to take off or work a half-day. You make plans and reservations for varying forms of entertainment. You even try to find time for your guests to be able to spend time alone, and sometimes that time alone is for your sanity as well.
The point is that neither those who visit nor those who host just sit back and let whatever happens happen without putting a lot of effort into it. Such is the way with our faith.
Sometimes we're the guests of someone else's faith. We sit and walk with them, listening to their personal journey with God. As we walk with them we help them with some minor jobs around their spiritual house. Maybe they need an ear to listen to them as they struggle with questions about their faith. Maybe they need an arm to lean on as they struggle to move in one direction or another. Maybe they need a heart to feel with theirs as they come to a realization about their own truth.
As we work side by side with them we also grow in our faith. We understand what it means to be in a relationship based in the unconditional acceptance of God. We are able to reflect on our own journey and ask ourselves the hard questions, knowing that we now have someone to share those questions with us. We're even able to change, if change is warranted, based on new discoveries of new ideas based in honest and open conversation.
The idea passed on through today's passage is that we should never stand still along our journeys. If we are guests we should work for our keep. If we are hosts we should prepare fully. The one thing we should not be is stagnant. The journey towards God is not one riddled with rest stops, rather one filled with valleys, hills, and straight paths. This doesn't mean we have no place to rest along our faith journeys, it just means that even at rest we should continue to do something to grow our faith.
It's no wonder we always need a vacation to get over our vacation.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
The Newness of Life
Isaiah 65:17-25
Today's passage paints such a great picture of life lived in a world filled with peace and joy. God's promise that God will create a place where the sound of weeping will no longer be heard or where people will live a full life filled with prosperity truly brings hopeful peace to my heart. I don't know about you, but that's a place I want to live in.
God also says that God's relationship with the people will be one of constant, unending presence. "Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear." are words from God which are meant to help the Israelites understand that God isn't going anywhere, God will always be there.
Many Scholars believe that Isaiah was written over the course of a couple of centuries. Events described within the story as told by Isaiah begin around 740 BCE (the year King Uzziah died) to 515 BCE (The year the temple was rebuilt). There are those who hold on to the idea that Isaiah was written by one person over the course of about 65 years, using the timeline between the year Uzziah died and when Isaiah was believed to have died during King Manasseh of Judah's reign.
As much as people can be divided on when Isaiah was written and by whom it was written, the people of Israel in the time it was written were living through several of their own divisions. Geography, ideology, and economy are some of the separations the Israelites lived through. The last chapters of Isaiah are meant to be words from the prophet in saying God will end these divisions and at the end of those divisions will be a life where hope is fulfilled.
Those prophetic words ring loud and true today. We live in a world deeply divided by the same things. Borders separate loved ones and impede humanitarian efforts, ideologies create an "either, or" mentality (either you're with us or you're not), economies separate those who have and want to have more from those who have less and continue to have less.
God calls us to live as a people united. Jesus teaches us about this kind of love by speaking out against the same divisions of his day. Gentiles, Samaritans, people with illness, beggars, tax-collectors (aka traitors), and so much more were despised and separated from "true believers". Jesus went to these people and told them they were no longer excluded from God's love, and as proof Jesus ate with them, taught them, and healed them while at the same time breaking very religious laws of his day. Almost as though Jesus himself lived as one of them - an outcast without a home.
Isaiah prophesies to a people who will one day live in unified peace. Jesus came to us with the hope to help us understand the same. The rest is up to us.
Today's passage paints such a great picture of life lived in a world filled with peace and joy. God's promise that God will create a place where the sound of weeping will no longer be heard or where people will live a full life filled with prosperity truly brings hopeful peace to my heart. I don't know about you, but that's a place I want to live in.
God also says that God's relationship with the people will be one of constant, unending presence. "Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear." are words from God which are meant to help the Israelites understand that God isn't going anywhere, God will always be there.
Many Scholars believe that Isaiah was written over the course of a couple of centuries. Events described within the story as told by Isaiah begin around 740 BCE (the year King Uzziah died) to 515 BCE (The year the temple was rebuilt). There are those who hold on to the idea that Isaiah was written by one person over the course of about 65 years, using the timeline between the year Uzziah died and when Isaiah was believed to have died during King Manasseh of Judah's reign.
As much as people can be divided on when Isaiah was written and by whom it was written, the people of Israel in the time it was written were living through several of their own divisions. Geography, ideology, and economy are some of the separations the Israelites lived through. The last chapters of Isaiah are meant to be words from the prophet in saying God will end these divisions and at the end of those divisions will be a life where hope is fulfilled.
Those prophetic words ring loud and true today. We live in a world deeply divided by the same things. Borders separate loved ones and impede humanitarian efforts, ideologies create an "either, or" mentality (either you're with us or you're not), economies separate those who have and want to have more from those who have less and continue to have less.
God calls us to live as a people united. Jesus teaches us about this kind of love by speaking out against the same divisions of his day. Gentiles, Samaritans, people with illness, beggars, tax-collectors (aka traitors), and so much more were despised and separated from "true believers". Jesus went to these people and told them they were no longer excluded from God's love, and as proof Jesus ate with them, taught them, and healed them while at the same time breaking very religious laws of his day. Almost as though Jesus himself lived as one of them - an outcast without a home.
Isaiah prophesies to a people who will one day live in unified peace. Jesus came to us with the hope to help us understand the same. The rest is up to us.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thirsty? Here, Drink This.
Isaiah 12
I read an article today stating that the reason the Philippines experienced devastation by the earth's most powerful storm is because of their sinful lifestyle. The article was titled "God is Punishing the Philippines" and was written by a self-proclaimed Christian. I would offer a link to the article, but I was so disgusted by it that I honestly can't bring myself to share it with anyone.
However, what this article showed me is that there are still people in this world who don't fully understand that God is a God of compassionate love. It's a good thing we have the Prophets of Old to help remind us that even though things go really bad, we have a God who never leaves our side.
Marcus Borg says that the most primal needs of humankind are the same now as they've been for all of creation: to understand and find relationship with a higher being, and to live in peaceful unity among each other. When disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan strike an entire nation it becomes difficult for some to understand or be in relationship with a higher being.
What becomes most apparent in these situations is how the people of that nation come together to find that peaceful unity. Already we here stories of how villages are joining together to help out their neighbors and of how other nations are sending as much humanitarian aid as they can. People around the world understand that in times like this we don't accuse a people of being destined for destruction, instead we find a way to reach out and share in the pain they're feeling by also sharing in the strengthening of their physical, mental, and spiritual well beings.
That type of coming together is called compassionate love. It is shown and shared regardless of ethnicity, abilities, national loyalties, or religious beliefs. It's through the sharing of this compassionate love that a relationship with a higher being is felt. Somehow one just knows that when strangers come to your aid and offer you a glimpse of hope, that person brings with her or him a piece of God, regardless of who or what that person thinks God is.
There is a thirst out there for compassionate love, the same kind of love Jesus showed and taught us to live by. When we allow words and actions that speak to division and hate we aren't standing up for what Jesus calls us to do: to be a beacon of light in a dark world. Instead of letting our neighbors drink from an empty cup, let us fill that cup with enough hope, peace, joy, and love to quench as many thirsts as we can.
I read an article today stating that the reason the Philippines experienced devastation by the earth's most powerful storm is because of their sinful lifestyle. The article was titled "God is Punishing the Philippines" and was written by a self-proclaimed Christian. I would offer a link to the article, but I was so disgusted by it that I honestly can't bring myself to share it with anyone.
However, what this article showed me is that there are still people in this world who don't fully understand that God is a God of compassionate love. It's a good thing we have the Prophets of Old to help remind us that even though things go really bad, we have a God who never leaves our side.
Marcus Borg says that the most primal needs of humankind are the same now as they've been for all of creation: to understand and find relationship with a higher being, and to live in peaceful unity among each other. When disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan strike an entire nation it becomes difficult for some to understand or be in relationship with a higher being.
What becomes most apparent in these situations is how the people of that nation come together to find that peaceful unity. Already we here stories of how villages are joining together to help out their neighbors and of how other nations are sending as much humanitarian aid as they can. People around the world understand that in times like this we don't accuse a people of being destined for destruction, instead we find a way to reach out and share in the pain they're feeling by also sharing in the strengthening of their physical, mental, and spiritual well beings.
That type of coming together is called compassionate love. It is shown and shared regardless of ethnicity, abilities, national loyalties, or religious beliefs. It's through the sharing of this compassionate love that a relationship with a higher being is felt. Somehow one just knows that when strangers come to your aid and offer you a glimpse of hope, that person brings with her or him a piece of God, regardless of who or what that person thinks God is.
There is a thirst out there for compassionate love, the same kind of love Jesus showed and taught us to live by. When we allow words and actions that speak to division and hate we aren't standing up for what Jesus calls us to do: to be a beacon of light in a dark world. Instead of letting our neighbors drink from an empty cup, let us fill that cup with enough hope, peace, joy, and love to quench as many thirsts as we can.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Friday Finding
A few "but" quotes. Enjoy!
“Love is like a Rubik's Cube, there are countless numbers of wrong twists and turns, but when you get it right, it looks perfect no matter what way you look at it” – Brian Cramer
“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” – Robert McCloskey
“Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.” – Kay Knudsen quotes
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still” – Lao Tzu
“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly” – Sam Keen
“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Jalal ad-Din Rumi
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," - Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5:43-44
“Love is like a Rubik's Cube, there are countless numbers of wrong twists and turns, but when you get it right, it looks perfect no matter what way you look at it” – Brian Cramer
“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” – Robert McCloskey
“Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.” – Kay Knudsen quotes
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still” – Lao Tzu
“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly” – Sam Keen
“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Jalal ad-Din Rumi
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," - Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5:43-44
Thursday, November 7, 2013
This Age, Or That
Luke 20:27-38
Last night our state's legislatures held an all-day session on the issue of marriage equality. It was a day filled with passionate words and actions on all sides of the issue. Many of you know where I stand, so there's no need to get into that discussion. What I would like to discuss is the importance of this topic according to the words of Christ.
Today's passage is a great example of how Jesus felt about marriage. Jesus is being challenged on the validity of the marriage laws of his day. (I find it interesting that every time Jesus is challenged it's through an interpretation of the law of his day, and usually by a religious leader.) A Sadducee is asking Jesus to whom a widow would belong to in the resurrection after marrying 7 brothers in accordance to the law. (Yes, it was required that a woman marry her husband's brothers if her husband died before her, and to keep on marrying his brothers until she died.) The question was meant to trip Jesus because in the Sadducee's mind all of the brothers had the rights to own the woman. (That was difficult to say, but it was the law of their day.)
Jesus answers that marriage in their day and time is of insignificance, because in the resurrection people don't get married. Instead they are all the children of God, alive in the resurrection, never to die again. Jesus goes one step further to make mention (and to turn the law back to the Sadducee, another thing Jesus does well) that even Moses himself proves that the resurrection is true, making God a "God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." (20:38)
Jesus is trying to make the point that the laws we live by in this day and age are not the same laws which are in heaven. In fact, if you read deeply into how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God you will see that there are no laws in that age. This is because heaven is a place where all people are unconditionally accepted by all people. There is no need for laws because people live in peace, respect, and harmony. There is no need for justice or equality because life in that age is just and equal.
According to Jesus, the laws of our day and age exist for this day and age. As Christians I think we need to help realize God's age here and now. In order to do this we need to stand up for justice, we need to fight for equality, we need to speak out in favor of unity over division, and we need to find ways to respect one another's human rights.
Last night our state's legislatures held an all-day session on the issue of marriage equality. It was a day filled with passionate words and actions on all sides of the issue. Many of you know where I stand, so there's no need to get into that discussion. What I would like to discuss is the importance of this topic according to the words of Christ.
Today's passage is a great example of how Jesus felt about marriage. Jesus is being challenged on the validity of the marriage laws of his day. (I find it interesting that every time Jesus is challenged it's through an interpretation of the law of his day, and usually by a religious leader.) A Sadducee is asking Jesus to whom a widow would belong to in the resurrection after marrying 7 brothers in accordance to the law. (Yes, it was required that a woman marry her husband's brothers if her husband died before her, and to keep on marrying his brothers until she died.) The question was meant to trip Jesus because in the Sadducee's mind all of the brothers had the rights to own the woman. (That was difficult to say, but it was the law of their day.)
Jesus answers that marriage in their day and time is of insignificance, because in the resurrection people don't get married. Instead they are all the children of God, alive in the resurrection, never to die again. Jesus goes one step further to make mention (and to turn the law back to the Sadducee, another thing Jesus does well) that even Moses himself proves that the resurrection is true, making God a "God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." (20:38)
Jesus is trying to make the point that the laws we live by in this day and age are not the same laws which are in heaven. In fact, if you read deeply into how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God you will see that there are no laws in that age. This is because heaven is a place where all people are unconditionally accepted by all people. There is no need for laws because people live in peace, respect, and harmony. There is no need for justice or equality because life in that age is just and equal.
According to Jesus, the laws of our day and age exist for this day and age. As Christians I think we need to help realize God's age here and now. In order to do this we need to stand up for justice, we need to fight for equality, we need to speak out in favor of unity over division, and we need to find ways to respect one another's human rights.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Prepositions Can Be Tricky
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
When I was in the sixth grade our class performed a play called, "The Case of the Missing Part of Speech". It's a play in which the different parts of speech are taught under the premise of a professor who can't find something, so he goes to a detective who goes through the different parts of speech to help him find it. What makes the play fun as much as educational is that the parts of speech are taught through music.
That whole experience honestly introduced me to the world of English as a language in such a way that I knew I wanted to learn as much about the structures of that language as I could. One of the songs we sang had to do with prepositions and was sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle". (A YouTube Search will get you to many links featuring this song.) Because of this, whenever I come across what seems to be a misuse of prepositions my eyebrows rise and my mind won't let me bypass the misuse.
As a result, my reading of this morning's passage was interrupted early on. The opening verse reads, "As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him." Do you see it? Right there at the end - together to him, not with him.
My first impulse was to go straight to the grammar manual and point out that nothing can be together to something. The word "together" implies that that which follows must be "with". Then, as I was ready to make that leap into search-engine forever-ness I thought to myself, "You know, self, it may not be grammatically correct, but theologically it makes sense."
I began to imagine a fishing boat with its net being towed behind. As the net began to move through the waters it collected fish, all joining together with one another, but not necessarily with the boat. The fish-filled net is joined to the boat, just as we, the followers of Christ, are joined together as well as joined to Jesus.
The more I ponder this image, the more I realize that although Jesus came to live among us, his goal wasn't so much to be with us, but to lead us into a better understanding of God's love. Using my analogy, he's the boat and we're the fish, the net is God's love.
Being honest with myself I rather like this image. Maybe the next time I gather to something I'll take a closer look at it.
When I was in the sixth grade our class performed a play called, "The Case of the Missing Part of Speech". It's a play in which the different parts of speech are taught under the premise of a professor who can't find something, so he goes to a detective who goes through the different parts of speech to help him find it. What makes the play fun as much as educational is that the parts of speech are taught through music.
That whole experience honestly introduced me to the world of English as a language in such a way that I knew I wanted to learn as much about the structures of that language as I could. One of the songs we sang had to do with prepositions and was sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle". (A YouTube Search will get you to many links featuring this song.) Because of this, whenever I come across what seems to be a misuse of prepositions my eyebrows rise and my mind won't let me bypass the misuse.
As a result, my reading of this morning's passage was interrupted early on. The opening verse reads, "As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him." Do you see it? Right there at the end - together to him, not with him.
My first impulse was to go straight to the grammar manual and point out that nothing can be together to something. The word "together" implies that that which follows must be "with". Then, as I was ready to make that leap into search-engine forever-ness I thought to myself, "You know, self, it may not be grammatically correct, but theologically it makes sense."
I began to imagine a fishing boat with its net being towed behind. As the net began to move through the waters it collected fish, all joining together with one another, but not necessarily with the boat. The fish-filled net is joined to the boat, just as we, the followers of Christ, are joined together as well as joined to Jesus.
The more I ponder this image, the more I realize that although Jesus came to live among us, his goal wasn't so much to be with us, but to lead us into a better understanding of God's love. Using my analogy, he's the boat and we're the fish, the net is God's love.
Being honest with myself I rather like this image. Maybe the next time I gather to something I'll take a closer look at it.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
That Moment When...
Haggai 1:15b-2:9
There are moments in our lives which we can recall every detail of. Where we were when it happened, who was present, and what the weather was like are just a few of the details we remember. One thing I've noticed is that the deeper the emotion of the moment, the deeper the recollection of the event.
I still remember when I received the invitation by God into ministry. I had been attending Central Union Church for a couple of years, mostly as a pew-sitter. Eventually, I volunteered to pass out bulletins to people attending service which inevitably led to my joining the church choir. I hadn't known it yet, but God was slowly nudging me onto a new path for my life.
What will stick with me for a while is when the actual day came for me to step up and volunteer to be in Youth Ministry. I vividly remember walking across the lawn to talk to our Youth Minister, while he walked towards me. As he was about to say something I humbly asked him if he needed any help with the youth. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped a little as he replied that he was just coming to ask me the same thing. It was truly a chicken skin moment (aka goose pimple).
The records kept about the prophet Haggai within the Bible are written with exact dates. The book begins with an exact date and gives exact dates throughout. However, towards the end of the book the record-keepers switch from exact dates to "from this day" and ends with the words "on that day."
The message of Haggai is to help its readers understand that God was with us in the past, is with us now, and will be with us always. Haggai's message is given in a time when the Hebrew people were set free from their Babylonian captives and were returning to their home in Jerusalem. Upon their return they are welcomed by a city which has been destroyed, along with the temple in which their God lives.
Haggai's message comes to them in a time when the hope of restoration is what the Hebrew people need to move forward. I can only imagine their emotions as they look around and see nothing but ruin. I can only imagine the pain, hatred, and sadness the Hebrew people felt at the sight of the home of their God in ruins.
I can also imagine their hope as one of their prophets says to them to remember this day, to remember that God is still with them and promises them that they will rebuild and once again be the great people of God they were.
I'm sure that was also a chicken skin moment.
There are moments in our lives which we can recall every detail of. Where we were when it happened, who was present, and what the weather was like are just a few of the details we remember. One thing I've noticed is that the deeper the emotion of the moment, the deeper the recollection of the event.
I still remember when I received the invitation by God into ministry. I had been attending Central Union Church for a couple of years, mostly as a pew-sitter. Eventually, I volunteered to pass out bulletins to people attending service which inevitably led to my joining the church choir. I hadn't known it yet, but God was slowly nudging me onto a new path for my life.
What will stick with me for a while is when the actual day came for me to step up and volunteer to be in Youth Ministry. I vividly remember walking across the lawn to talk to our Youth Minister, while he walked towards me. As he was about to say something I humbly asked him if he needed any help with the youth. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped a little as he replied that he was just coming to ask me the same thing. It was truly a chicken skin moment (aka goose pimple).
The records kept about the prophet Haggai within the Bible are written with exact dates. The book begins with an exact date and gives exact dates throughout. However, towards the end of the book the record-keepers switch from exact dates to "from this day" and ends with the words "on that day."
The message of Haggai is to help its readers understand that God was with us in the past, is with us now, and will be with us always. Haggai's message is given in a time when the Hebrew people were set free from their Babylonian captives and were returning to their home in Jerusalem. Upon their return they are welcomed by a city which has been destroyed, along with the temple in which their God lives.
Haggai's message comes to them in a time when the hope of restoration is what the Hebrew people need to move forward. I can only imagine their emotions as they look around and see nothing but ruin. I can only imagine the pain, hatred, and sadness the Hebrew people felt at the sight of the home of their God in ruins.
I can also imagine their hope as one of their prophets says to them to remember this day, to remember that God is still with them and promises them that they will rebuild and once again be the great people of God they were.
I'm sure that was also a chicken skin moment.
Monday, November 4, 2013
But
Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21
I'm not sure if I learned this in high-school English or if this concept was introduced to me through life experiences: the conjuction but is a word which cancels the statements made before it. Let's take these phrases as an example - "I know you're a smart person, but...", "That's a great idea, but...", "As a Christian I accept everyone, but...".
But is a wonderful word, when used correctly it can really help in winning arguments. However, when used wrongly it can unknowingly sometimes cause pain. Put yourself on the receiving end of the afore mentioned statements and think about how you might feel having been told you're smart but not smart enough, or how you would feel that you really aren't accepted.
It's within the buts of our language we tend to focus. The bible is no exception. The word but can be found 3994 times in the King James Version, and 4509 times in the New Living Translation. In most translations the first time we're introduced to the word is in Genesis 2:6 when we are being told there was no water for the land God created nor were there people to work it, but a mist came up from the ground. Almost saying that it didn't matter that there wasn't any rain or people to give and sustain life, there was still God, and God was going to do what was needed to ensure life on God's creation happened.
Our passage today has one of the thousands of buts we find in the bible. After this long list of how great God is - how just and kind and how God is always near us - in verse 20 we are told that "The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy." I don't know about you but I don't think I want to be wicked, I rather like the God who is kind and just, not the one who is going to destroy me.
That's the point of this Psalm. Remember, please, that in the time this Psalm was written it was truly believed that there was a God who ruled every aspect of one's life. The god each nation believed in was a god that chose who got to live and die. How well each king served their god determined whether or not a particular battle would be won.
It was deeply believed that how we lived our lives and treated our God, each other, and ourselves was directly related to the blessings we would receive - and in my opinion rightly so. I don't believe that God is a God of vengeance - I used to, but I never again will. I know deep within my soul that when we venture away from the love of God, when we begin to treat others as outsiders, when we treat ourselves as less than, that is when we feel as though God has left us.
Nothing could be further from the truth. God has always been with us, traveling each path on our journeys of life. God's hope is that we realize and remember that God is there, wanting nothing more than to be in our lives and to be in relationship with us.
The but in today's passage is nothing more than a reminder that there is a God who loves you and that you have an obligation to live as God wants you to: love God, love others, and love yourself.
I'm not sure if I learned this in high-school English or if this concept was introduced to me through life experiences: the conjuction but is a word which cancels the statements made before it. Let's take these phrases as an example - "I know you're a smart person, but...", "That's a great idea, but...", "As a Christian I accept everyone, but...".
But is a wonderful word, when used correctly it can really help in winning arguments. However, when used wrongly it can unknowingly sometimes cause pain. Put yourself on the receiving end of the afore mentioned statements and think about how you might feel having been told you're smart but not smart enough, or how you would feel that you really aren't accepted.
It's within the buts of our language we tend to focus. The bible is no exception. The word but can be found 3994 times in the King James Version, and 4509 times in the New Living Translation. In most translations the first time we're introduced to the word is in Genesis 2:6 when we are being told there was no water for the land God created nor were there people to work it, but a mist came up from the ground. Almost saying that it didn't matter that there wasn't any rain or people to give and sustain life, there was still God, and God was going to do what was needed to ensure life on God's creation happened.
Our passage today has one of the thousands of buts we find in the bible. After this long list of how great God is - how just and kind and how God is always near us - in verse 20 we are told that "The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy." I don't know about you but I don't think I want to be wicked, I rather like the God who is kind and just, not the one who is going to destroy me.
That's the point of this Psalm. Remember, please, that in the time this Psalm was written it was truly believed that there was a God who ruled every aspect of one's life. The god each nation believed in was a god that chose who got to live and die. How well each king served their god determined whether or not a particular battle would be won.
It was deeply believed that how we lived our lives and treated our God, each other, and ourselves was directly related to the blessings we would receive - and in my opinion rightly so. I don't believe that God is a God of vengeance - I used to, but I never again will. I know deep within my soul that when we venture away from the love of God, when we begin to treat others as outsiders, when we treat ourselves as less than, that is when we feel as though God has left us.
Nothing could be further from the truth. God has always been with us, traveling each path on our journeys of life. God's hope is that we realize and remember that God is there, wanting nothing more than to be in our lives and to be in relationship with us.
The but in today's passage is nothing more than a reminder that there is a God who loves you and that you have an obligation to live as God wants you to: love God, love others, and love yourself.
Friday, November 1, 2013
All Saints Day
November 1 is All Saints Day, traditionally a day when all of those who have gone from this life are honored. In memory of loved ones close to me who are gone or loved ones who have lost someone, I offer a few words. God is with us all.
Sometimes I Cannot
Always Be There – Marcus
If only I had the knowledge
or experience or energy,
I would see the glory of my son
in white robes and black stole
open his mouth in a wide O,
the sound of his voice blending
with other children’s voices all
filling this place with expectation:
A man can rise from the dead.
A virgin can conceive a son.
The worst thing in life is not
death, but life without belief
that life can be better.
After tricks or treats comes All Saints.
After the candy comes communion.
After the costumes come new robes
all the same for all of them who sing.
All Saints’ Day – Connie
Wanek
It happens that the world has run out of patience.
Sleet coats a smashed pumpkin,
and the wraith hanging in an immature maple
must be lowered, washed and dried, and spread
again across the child’s bed.
A north wind strips the popple of its costume, and
flagellates
its bare limbs. The
hills wear coarse gray, for penance,
before they’re cowled in white.
And all the candy energy abroad last night,
the candle flame that lit up a malicious grin,
the brass of car horns,
the pillowcases bulging with extorted chocolates—
all is surrendered.
The soul is a cold cell in November,
with one supernal window
admitting a wan light accessible only to those
who have given up the ghost.
Listen. A poem for
All Saints’ Day – by Wendell Berry
Whatever is foreseen in joy
Must be lived out from day to day.
Vision held open in the dark
By our ten thousand days of work.
Harvest will fill the barn; for that
The hand must ache, the face must sweat.
And yet no leaf or grain is filled
By work of ours; the field is tilled
And left to grace.
That we may reap,
Great work is done while we’re asleep.
When we work well, a Sabbath mood
Rests on our day, and finds it good.
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