Love Is In The Air

Song of Solomon 2:8-13

Anytime I get to delve into the Song of Solomon, I get giddy. Only because within the Song of Solomon I find an expression of love filled with true joy; the kind of joy one feels when they fall in love as a teenager.

I still remember my first love. I was in the 11th grade, she was a high school senior. We had met at a summer camp, well, sort of. I was camping with some friends of the family, and she just so happened to be camping with a school club at the same site.

A friend of mine and I were walking along the beach when we came across a group of cute girls. It's quite accurate to call it a group because I think there were close to 15 girls, and 1 or 2 boys. It was their school's spirit club, which I later discovered was the club who went to every football game, sat by the cheerleaders, and cheered every cheer as well as made a lot of noise for the football team.

My friend and I, being 16-year old boys, thought we had hit the jackpot. We were invited to sit with them around their campfire, and was soon a part of their community. During that night one of the boys from their group had asked if he could stay in touch, so I gave him my phone number and never thought twice about it. The night after our camping weekend I got a call from one of the girls who sat around the fire, who quickly apologized for making her friend get my number because she was too shy to do it herself.

The rest is what you might expect...we talked, we met for outings in the mall and to the movies. I was already driving so I could pick her up and do things. She had a very strict father, so we didn't do much late at night, but that's ok, because to me it was good enough to be around her whenever I could.

Whenever we talked on the phone, or held hands in the mall, or cuddled in the movie theater I can honestly say I felt giddy; filled with an unknown, never before experienced, emotion that honestly confused me. Such, I think, is what the author of the Songs is trying to relate. I believe he is saying (or maybe it's a she because I don't know if a man can express love in the way it's portrayed in Songs) that love, true love, is something worthy of leaping over mountains and bounding over hills. I believe that true love makes one take notice of the blossoming trees and songs of the birds. I know that when a love is true and deep and honest it cannot help but to become your entire life.

Such, I think, is how our love for God should be.

So What?

Romans 6:12-23

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I read passages within the letters of Paul I end up more confused than when I went in. That fact only becomes exasperated by parenthetical comments within the passage where Paul says, "I’m speaking with ordinary metaphors because of your limitations." (v.19)

Ordinary metaphors for whom?

It might help to understand that the letter to the Romans is thought to be the last letter Paul wrote. He is planning to go on a trip to Rome to ask for money to travel, and he has to ask for money from people he's never met. The church in Rome was not a centralized entity yet and instead was a conglomeration of little churches spread throughout the countryside. Paul could only write one letter and so writes that letter as middle of the road as he can. These things all combine to make scholars say that the letter to the Romans is probably Paul's most theologically mature writings.

That being said, Paul is trying not to offend anyone with his words, but can't help be his passionate exhortist self.

So, just what is Paul trying to say in this passage? His message really is simple - live your lives in such a way as to follow the pattern of Jesus Christ's life as set forth in his teachings. Don't be held to the strictness of laws, or rules, or demands which cause a division among yourselves. Instead, hold yourself to living a life with compassion towards those in need, justice for the oppressed, and unconditional acceptance of who people are and where people are in their life.

Why Paul couldn't have just said it that way, I don't know. But then, Paul wouldn't be as interesting to read if he really spoke with metaphors we can understand, would he?

Knowing How To Celebrate

Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

This past weekend I spent a lot of time in the sun. I don't normally get to the beach, so when I do I try to enjoy myself as much as I can. Although, these past few summers I've had more of a chance to enjoy the beaches, and outdoors in general.

Whenever I get outdoors I find that I reconnect with God in a very special way. This past Saturday, my wife and I spent the late morning and early afternoon on the west end of our island at a birthday party on the beach, and the rest of the afternoon and evening on a beach at the south end of our island with our church's youth and young adults. We were with friends and family and friends of family and family of friends. We watched children at play, laughing as they chased one another on the sand and into the water. We got into the water and held on to each other. We watched the sun set, felt the cool breezes, engaged in conversations both serious and benign.

It was a true reconnection with one another and with God at a very deep level.

By the end of the day we were tired, sunburned, dehydrated; mentally and physically drained. But, my wife and I couldn't stop talking about how great the day was. In the words of the psalmist, we were doing the celebratory shout. It wasn't how loud we said talked about the day, or how many words we used, our shout was about how powerful our personal spirit felt about our love for God.

There are more beach days coming this summer. There will be more sunsets and moments with my wife in the water. More than that, though, there will be more opportunities to be with God. Excuse me while I do some shouting.

When Will Peace Come

Jeremiah 28:5-9

The other day I was involved in a conversation that surrounded the question, "What does peace in the 21st century look like?" It was a good question, and the answers, comments, suggestions and ideas came from all angles. "No war." said one. "Justice for everyone." said another. "People being able to live without fear." said a third. All of them had reliable citations to make their arguments, and all of them argued their way was the right way.

Then, a quiet voice rang through, "How can we expect peace in the 21st century when we can't even come to a peaceful agreement here?" How quickly the discussion changed from "my ideas work best" to "You know, we really should find a way to work together."

I don't have the answer to living in peace in the 21st century, and my guess is not many people do. In fact, I'm not sure all of humanity can even agree on what peace looks like. And yet, Jeremiah gives us a glimpse into just what that might look like.

As we look back on history we can see how many people have spoken about where the world is headed - wars, civil disobedience, downfall of humanity, unethical paths within society, etc. When was the last time you actually heard someone say, "Our world is becoming more peaceful"?

The bible literalists will tell you this passage is a foreshadow of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The bible historians will tell you it's possible Jeremiah may not have even wrote these words. I say who cares. The point Jeremiah is trying to make in this passage is that everyone who has a say, and is considered a person of some authority on the subject, is saying the world is in a mess and will continue to be so.

Where, Jeremiah is pointing out, are the voices of reconciliation, justice, unconditional acceptance, and love. Where is talk about peace?

Not everything is bad in the world. There are countless stories of good being done with and for others. Wells being built in Africa, schools for girls in the Middle East, the beginnings of wage equality in the States, and China finally coming to the realization it needs to move away from coal-related energy are just a minute fraction of the things going on around us. The question is why don't we hear about these stories instead?

Because, in my opinion, there's no profit in peace. Jimi Hendrix once said, "If we could overcome the love of power, we will finally be able to see the power of love." His voice, too, goes unheard, just as did Jesus'. Jesus spoke about living in a world where all were treated fairly, where people would take care of those who need it, of bringing down the religious and socio-economic barriers which separated us. Why, then, 2000 years later it's only gotten worse?

Jeremiah leaves us with a thought, as will I - when will the prophesy spoken by those who speak peace finally come true?

The Call For Conflict

Matthew 10:24-39

Yesterday, I attended a workshop featuring theologian Allan Boesak. It was a great workshop which helped us understand the bible in a different light. For instance, he talked about the story of Babel in Genesis 11 not as how God gave language to the nations, but rather how God ensured God's promise to fill the nations with God's people as well as give these same people the ability to think for themselves and the permission to ask questions and stand up as the voice of justice.

To explain how he got there would take more time than I'm willing to write today, but if you ever want to have that conversation drop me an email, find me on Facebook, or send me a tweet.

I do want to say that he helped me to understand today's passage a lot better. You see, as I thought about what to say today I found myself in a struggle as to how I could talk about the passage in its entirety. The first half seems rather straight forward: nobody is greater than the other and be careful of those who think they are.

The second half, however, is about conflict and setting family against family to prove our worth in our belief in Jesus as the savior. I've always had a difficult time believing in a God that would set people against each other over ideology, and this is how I've learned this part of the passage. So, instead of facing it I focus on the unity and love of the first half.

However, I remembered Mr. Boesak's admonition to not shy away from the difficult passages and to wrestle with them, because in the wrestling we find truth. So I wrestled. And I found truth.

The challenge, or call, from Jesus is to stand up for injustices in order to ensure fairness in an abundant life for all. We are asked to do this through tearing down systemic injustices such as wage inequality or societal discrimination. This is what Jesus did, he spoke out against the upper-class and their unwillingness to share as well as the religious hierarchy in their setting rules which separated people. So, in my opinion, if we are to Christ-like, we should do the same.

The difficulties are when we choose to speak out in such a way, as well as act upon the words we speak, we will alienate many of the people we associate with; including friends and family. You see, it's not enough to just say we believe in Jesus, we have to become like Jesus, and that won't sit well with more than a few of those around us.

In other words, choosing to speak and act as Jesus did, not simply believing in him, will bring the conflicts that might intrude into your household and come between you and your family and friends. But, if you're not willing to let that happen, and shy away from the difficulties of being like Christ, why then do you call yourself a Christian?

It takes courage to be willing to stand up for what's right. One of the things Mr. Boesak mentioned was how today's churches need to start asking a new question based on the story of the "Good Samaritan." No longer should the question be who is your neighbor, we all know who our neighbor is and are willing to jump in when we see her half-dead in a ditch. But, Mr. Boesak asked, "How many of us are willing to jump in while our neighbor is being beat up?"

Being a Christian in today's society begs that question. It's become too easy to go into the parks and feed the hungry. It's become too easy to go to a homeless shelter and spend time with the children. It's become too easy to sign petitions and attend rallies on behalf of justice around the world.

How many of us, though, would stand shoulder to shoulder with the outcast, and say in the face of possible ostracization from the people most important in our lives, that we want justice and we want it now?

I know Jesus did.

Feeling Alive

Romans 6:1

One of the things I had to deal with in my life is addictions. I don't keep the fact that I was an alcoholic and drug addict a secret, and instead mention it to people who are dealing with their own "addictions" as a way to let them know there is help and a way out of that lifestyle. I can only speak for myself when it comes to knowing how badly addictions can affect one's life, but I most certainly can understand the things which lead up to, as well come out of, a life imprisoned by things which make one feel less than alive.

In my case I fell into a life where I forgot I had some worth; a life where I forgot how to love myself. It took many years to finally realize that I was someone worthy of love, and that others were capable of loving me as well. I had used my addictions as a way of being accepted, rather than acknowledging that I am already accepted by my God and many people around me.

Paul reminds us that we all have to go through our own times of separation. He also reminds us that we need to reconcile ourselves with whatever we've become separated from before we become renewed in life. My reconciliation with my self didn't happen overnight, neither will your reconciliation to that which you're separated. All I can really offer is somewhat a peace of mind that if we hold on, if we hold on strong to the things that can bring us into a new life, it will happen.

Even The Outcast Is Heard

Genesis 21:8-21

I don't blame Sarah for wanting Hagar and Ishmael out of her life. Although her intentions for allowing Abraham to have a child through Hagar were nothing less than ensuring God's plan comes to fruition, Sarah now had a child and she had to think of what was best for her family. Hence her proclamation that neither Hagar nor Ishmael should remain in her household.

This proclamation causes Abraham some sadness. On one hand he probably understands his wife's reasons, but on the other hand Ishmael is also his son and he wants to be sure he can provide for Ishmael in the way a father should. Such is Abraham's dilemma.

God intervenes and says to Abraham that he shouldn't worry because God will take care of the boy and, as promised, God will make a great nation through Ishmael. So, Abraham let's the boy and his mother go, providing them with a little sustenance for their travels.

Hagar takes her son on a journey through the desert as far as the flask of water takes them. Thinking that there's no possibility of her or her son surviving the dessert without water, she looks for a place to put her son out of way of the sun's heat and sits "a bow shot" away. (I have to admit I'm not sure why this reference was made, except that later in the passage we're told Ishmael would grow up to be a great archer.)

It's in that place, where death is imminent and with Hagar's final efforts to at least save her son's life, that she cries out to God. Apparently, so does the boy because it's the boy's cries God hears as God sends a messenger to comfort Hagar. As the rest of the story goes, Hagar is shown a well, and with renewed purpose she takes her son, finds him a wife, and they live happily forever after.

There are times in our life we are in the place Hagar finds herself: alone, at the edge of giving up, no hope for getting out of whatever we're in. In those times we sometimes let the one thing that brings us hope get away from us, just as Hagar hid her son under a bush. And, just as Hagar did, we cry out.

God hears us. Of this I have no doubt. And, if we let God, God will intervene. Hagar was in a place where all she saw was the pain and suffering of her situation and Hagar had to have her eyes opened in order to see the well which sat right in front of her. Before her eyes could be opened, however, she had to accept the words of another, someone who was sent by God to comfort her enough to be in a place where her eyes could be opened.

God sends helpers, messengers, into our lives all the time. Whether we're celebrating with great joy or crying out in deep agony, God finds a way to share our lives with us. It's up to us to let God into our lives so that our eyes will be opened, our flasks refilled, and hope renewed.

For Crying Out Loud

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

I may have briefly mentioned the passing of our 15-year constant companion; our cat Muffin. She had developed kidney failure in her old age. As a result, instead of watching her go through a painful end of life, we decided as a family to put her to sleep.

I'm not completely ready yet to talk about the details of that night, it's enough to know for now that we as a family were very distraught. It's been 2 weeks, now, and I still find myself crying out loud at the loss of our Muffin.

In Sunday School this past Sunday, we talked about the moments in our lives which made us most sad, scared, or angry. We were asked to remember the events that led up to that moment. We thought about who we blamed, how alone we were, if there was anyone that could have been there to ask for help.

When it was time to share out, not one person in a room of 10 said they asked God for help. However 7 out of the 10 admitted to getting mad and even blaming God for the things that went wrong. We also discovered that that's okay. Sometimes we get so caught up in our anger or sadness that we can't see anything around us except the pain. It's in those moments we forget that God is with us and trying to comfort us.

The more we talked about the things that made us "blind with negative emotions", the more we also discovered that God never leaves our side, often putting other people in our path as well. It's just up to us to realize that it's God who's whispering to us the words, "I love you, I'll never I'll never leave you, together we can get through this."

After Sunday School I felt a relief, of sorts, in remembering that there are people who want to share in my pain, as well as a God who holds me in tight comfort as I go through it. Some things, like the passing of a loved one, are difficult enough without thinking nobody is there for you. Like the psalmist, we cry out all day long for happiness to come again. And you know...it will.

Such is the promise of our God.

Friday Findings

A few quotes which sum up my week.

While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation. - Maya Angelou

Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation. - Michael Jackson

For Christians, who believe they are created in the image of God, it is the Godhead, diversity in unity and the three-in-oneness of God, which we and all creation reflect. - Desmond Tutu

Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man. - Joyce Meyer

We think when God speaks to us, there's going to be a boom out of Heaven or we're going to get some chill bumps, but I really believe God's talking to us all the time. He's talking to us right in here. I call it our heart, our conscience, but it's the Holy Spirit talking to us. - Joel Osteen

Each one of them (the poor, downtrodden, oppressed) is Jesus in disguise. - Mother Teresa

Help Me Understand

Matthew 28:16-20

I spent hours yesterday looking for an easy way to explain trinitarian theology to a bunch of middle-schoolers. You know what I mean, taking words like modalism, polytheism, and subordinationalism and trying to make sense of it all by using illustrations to bring it down to a level a 6th or 7th grader might understand.

I looked at a few explanations. "The Trinity is similar to 3-in-1 shampoo, there are three different ingredients that all do one job." Or, "The Trinity is like water, it can be solid, liquid, or gas, three substances, one base." Or, "The trinity is like an egg, it has the yolk, whites, and a shell but it's just one egg."

Seriously?

I even came up with a chart that showed how this kind of orthodoxy is misleading because it denies the unity, equality, and diversity of our God. Then I stopped and asked my wife, "Come look at this chart and let me know if I'm on the right track." Her response: "What is that?!"

I explained it to her and she stopped me after giving it 2 minutes to try and grasp the concept of what I was trying to say. Yes, she literally stopped me. Then she asked, "What are you trying to say?" I thought about it and said, "I want to say that God isn't divided into 3 parts, rather God is present equally in all 3; Creator, Christ, and Spirit."

She smiled and said to me, "Now that I understand."

Instructions For A Simple Life

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

As I get older I'm finding the simpler I make things, the easier life is. Not that 51 is old, I just find life a little less complicated than when I was 21. When I was 21 I had to have a successful career, be in the right relationship, own a big home, have the right friends, work hard and smart so I could get promotions; all the things that can complicate life.

Now, at 51, I am blessed to be in a great relationship, I'm looking to move to a smaller place to live in, and I'm happy to be working where I am. I guess at this point in my life I could say it's uncomplicated.

This is not to say my life is without complications. I still have bills to pay, my health to maintain, and am looking for the next phase of my life to begin. But, none of that controls my life nor does it take over the more important things that are a part of my life now: living in harmony with those around me, and finding the peace that comes through the love of others and God.

I'm convinced that the things I troubled myself with when I was younger were important at that time in my life. The only thing is that I forgot to incorporate love into the formula for success. I was more into myself then, and as a result I didn't find peace, not real peace anyway. Now, with a focus on living in such a way as to make the lives of those around me better, I've found that peace.

In our passage today, Paul invites us to "be in harmony with each other, and live in peace." Very good advice indeed.

What Did You Do This Week?

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Often I find myself very busy with all the things I have to do in a week. I have to go to work, clean the house, and maintain the yard. There are meetings, appointments, and errands as well. The list seems to never end, and yet I honestly have to say that very little of what I do is for others. I clean the house because I want a clean house. I maintain my yard because I want it to look good. I go to work and meetings because that's what I'm expected to do. It's rare that during a normal week I will do more than a few things solely for another person.

When I look at the creation story as told in Genesis 1, I get a sense that God created so that all of creation might enjoy it. God created the sky for the birds, God created the waters for the fish, and God created land for the rest of us. God even created the sun and moon in order for the different lights of the world to have something.

So, what did God create for God?

The way I understand it, is that God created rest for God. That's really all God wanted, a little rest after giving of God's self for an entire week. I think I would be tired as well if I gave 100% of myself to everything and everyone around me for an entire week. The lesson here, though, is not that we should find rest for ourselves after a long week of being busy. The thing we should take away from today's passage is that if "God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them," then to be in that image is to give everything we can to the betterment of God's creation.

God's request that we "take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground" comes with a large responsibility. God has appointed us to be the caretakers of all God created. That's a lot of work. However, I think that if we find a way to work together we can live up to God's expectation.

I do know one thing for absolute certain: after a week of doing everything I can for those around me and for the creation in which I live, I'm going to need a nap.

We Are...

Psalm 8

First, let me say I've really missed writing every morning. These past few weeks have been trying, to be moderate about it. My wife and I have been coming to terms with the eventual passing of one of our pets, a beautiful cat we've had as a constant companion for 15 years. We will miss her, but we also know she is in a place where all of creation is cared for.

As much as our schedules allowed, my wife and I have been spending every waking moment during this time with one another. We both needed comforting, and pulled on each other's strengths as we did our best to get through this time, especially this week, the first week of not having our Muffin with us. We also pulled on the strength of God as we rested in the constant companionship of our Christ.

There were times these past few weeks when I thought to myself, "Who are we, who am I, that God should spend any time listening to me, let alone trying to comfort us." Sometimes, admittedly, I thought God had left me or us altogether. I know I'm not alone in this thought.

Our church hosted a world-renowned theologian and author. Her message and subsequent workshop focused on the glory of the Holy Spirit. She made the point that it's through the Holy Spirit that we are joined as one people, each of us sharing in the image of God's love. She also suggested that the "glory" of God isn't so much about God being powerful and mighty, but that God's glory is about beauty; a shining beauty. 

She told a story about a friend who had been going through a difficult time in her life and contemplated suicide, being stopped by a view of the planet Jupiter through the telescope of a complete stranger. "How can I leave such a world that is filled with such grand beauty.", she had been quoted as saying.

With the thought of a shiningly beautiful God who is present throughout the cosmos and the idea that through Christ I am able to share in this beauty, myself being a part of that beauty, I began finding comfort. I began remembering that God's creation is for all to enjoy, and that God's creation doesn't end at the boundaries of this world, this galaxy, or even this universe. I started to remember that God's love never stops - never.

I found myself in a place where I began to doubt myself and my role in this world. Through the people God put around me, I began to once again find myself as a part of the community of God's creation. Even though it might not feel like it sometimes, I am a part of God's creation and always will be. And so are you.