Sounds Familiar

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a bible scholar. The fact is that I really don't memorize bible versus, nor can I tell you exactly where to find certain stories in respect to their places within our bible. I know the stories well enough, but ask me where one can find the story of Noah's Ark, or the recapture of the Ark of the Covenant and I wouldn't be able to.

I also couldn't recite with any sort of accuracy where Jesus said the things he did. For instance I know he said to turn the other cheek and I know that statement is part of the Sermon on the Mount, but ask me for book and verses and I'm at a total loss.

Of course I continue to read my bible and do my daily devotions as well as my daily prayers. And, with a continued focus on my relationship with God through those practices, I'm sure my bible knowledge will become like Jesus' knowledge of the scriptures of his day.

Today's passage is a prime example of what I'm striving for. We all know the story of the "Greatest Commandment". (I actually cheated and looked ahead at this week's lectionary readings and that particular story is the Gospel reading from Matthew for this week.) We are told by Jesus that the greatest commandments are to love God with everything we are and to love one another as we love our self. Great words - I use them as the basis for most of my teachings with youth, especially the love yourself part.

However, and here's where my bible knowledge (or lack thereof) comes in, I had no idea those exact same words are written in Leviticus. In fact, the Leviticus passage from today goes a step further and tells us how to love one another in the same way we love ourselves. Put basically, we are asked to treat everyone the same, regardless of socio-economic status or hierarchical standings. We are also asked to speak out against injustice while at the same time not hold grudges towards others.

In other words, love one another as we love ourselves. Jesus' exact words, spoken in a different time, by a different people, for different reasons. However, words which rang true in Jesus' time as much as they ring true today.

The challenge from Jesus for those who would listen to him, as well as from the priests and scribes who wrote Leviticus, holds true for us today. When we find someone in need, provide. When we find someone being oppressed, help free them. When there is division with those around us, seek reconciliation through understanding. Do so without regard to how we might be repaid and do so regardless of who we are doing it for.

Okay, back to my bible.

Honorable Mention

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Reading today's passage reminded me of saying my bedtime prayers as a child. My brother and I prayed the standard children's prayer for Christians of our era. You might know it.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. 

The prayer was always followed by these words: God bless mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, uncles and aunts, friends, cousins, and even pets. Of course, the generic pronouns were replaced with actual names.

I wonder if that prayer is still recited by children in today's culture.

I will admit that as a child the first part, the part that rhymes, always made me feel uneasy. I would ask myself, "Where will "the Lord" keep my soul while I sleep? Will I get it back? Am I actually anticipating death tonight? Where will "the Lord" take my soul?" Frightening thoughts for a young child of 6 or 8.

The second part of that prayer, however, always brought me comfort and joy. The knowledge, insofar as a child can be knowledgeable of these things, that the names I've mentioned to God would be blessed made me somehow feel responsible for the care-taking of those close to me. The people who I place into God's care would be blessed, they would have good things happen to them, and that thought made me feel at peace with things around me.

Fast-forward 40-odd years and I take a look at my current prayer practices. While I no longer ask that my soul be anywhere except with me, I still be sure to include people in my prayers who I think could benefit from a blessing. My aging parents, my brother and his family, my wife, my son, my wife's sisters and nieces and nephews and brothers, coworkers, church family members, friends both close and distant, the youth I work with both in church and in the high school, the church staff I work with, and the list goes on.

The fact is that while I have all these people I pray for, I don't always pray for them by name. That prayer would last a very long time and at my age I would probably fall asleep going through that list. Instead, I name those who come to my heart first, then when I feel as though I've covered most of those with whom I really want God to focus on, I include everyone else with the generic term, "And for all those on my heart and not named."

Prayer is a very powerful thing. I believe that with all my heart and soul. Somehow when the words "I'll pray for you" or "Do you mind if I pray for/with you?" are spoken there's a calmness which can be felt, regardless of what the situation is. Prayer is a way to let people know you care, while at the same time taking action to show how much you care.

Prayer, especially intentional prayer, is another way we can show our love.

Why All The Noise?

Psalm 96:1-13

Some days the high school kids I work with can be funny while at the same time touch my heart. Today was one of those days.

Because of a change up in our math department, one of the classes I help out in has been a mish-mash of substitutes. While most of the substitute teachers are pretty cool, none of them have continued the lessons the original teacher began. Instead they've been asked to do math worksheets that honestly fall outside the intended curriculum for their math level.

The math class is one that's somewhere between Algebra 1 and Geometry. It's called Modeling the World with Math. It takes every day things, such as looking at a 6-foot ladder leaning against a wall, measuring how far away from the wall the base of the ladder is, then using formulas to guess the measurement of the sides and angles of the triangle the ladder forms. It's a fun class.

For the last few weeks, however, it's been worksheet after worksheet of theorems, formulas, polygonal calculations, and the like. Not so much fun.

Today was a special day in that class. We had a sub who I don't think knew math. I say this because she looked up how to calculate the area of a circle on her smart phone as what she was teaching us didn't match with the answers the students were getting. It was a frustrating class for some, while others tried their best to help the sub along.

The class pulled together, those sitting next to frustrated students calming them down, and those who knew the answers doing their best to not insult the sub. It was truly a special place to be. As one can imagine, with all the talking, and helping, and frustrations the class got louder and louder. The teacher began to lose control, and I did what I rarely do and stepped in to settle them down. I decided not to shout over the class, rather I went table to table asking everyone to give me their attention.

The class quieted and I began a conversation about how I thought they all did great in helping one another in a time of difficulty. Then I asked them why they they got so loud. One boy raised his hand and said, "Because, mister, we're just happy we figured it out." The rest of the class laughed, as did I and the substitute teacher.

I want to think that's what our Psalmist is talking about today. A time when we all come together, under the one love of one God, every one freed from the bondage of oppression, every one held in the same regard as the next. A time when nobody is better or worse than their friend or neighbor. A time when we can all sing a new song on the earth because a justice  which treats all people fairly has rightly come to the earth!

A time when we all help each other through the difficulties of life so we can all live in joy and peace.

Be Unstoppable

Isaiah 45:1-7

Today was the 1st day of the 2nd quarter of the school year. It's usually a day when all the students who didn't do well in the 1st quarter tell themselves they're going to do better. Those who normally come to class tardy come on time. Those who normally don't pay attention or take notes find themselves with open notebooks and pens writing what the teacher says. It's a day when students who know they have to change their habits find the internal drive to do so.

I'm not going to be cynical and say what these students do usually lasts for a week at the most, as it's not that easy to change habits. I will be positive and say that what I saw today is the beginning of a new era for those who take their newborn attitudes seriously. It's a great chance to start over with new goals which can lead to better outcomes. I have personally seen many students take this chance at a new beginning and soar to the top of their class.

Such is what the people of Israel hoped for after being freed from Babylonian captivity and having the temple at Jerusalem rebuilt by King Cyrus.

There are many stories told about people reaching high goals after having their lives seemingly fall apart. People who have been through physical, mental, and spiritual blocks in their lives have all found a way to break through the darkness and spark a light which eventually brightens everyone and everything around them.

If you find yourself muddling through life, remember that there really is a God who walks beside you. When the time is right, when you're ready to move forward to shine your light, that God will "level mountains, shatter bronze doors, and cut through iron bars" to help you move forward - just as God promised to do for Cyrus.

But, I Was Invited

Matthew 22:1-14

I have to admit I had a difficult time with today's devotion. As many of you know, my belief is that all people - all people - are invited into the open arms of an unconditionally loving God. So, as I read today's passage I had to ask myself, "But if all are invited, why was one thrown out?"

The high school I work at is a "project-based" school. That simply means we put more emphasis in group and individual projects as a way to gauge and assess the student's learning than other schools. This is not to say we don't give exams and homework, it only means that projects are a different form of those exams and a culmination of homework. For instance, we are studying hotel operations this semester and something the students might have to do is create a brochure and ad campaign which "sells" rooms at their hotels.

The only problem, if we can call it that, is when someone in the group decides to take full credit for the work of the group without being a full participant in the work of the group. There will most often be someone like that, someone who joins a particular group because he/she knows that the group will do well and be too timid to say anything about she/he not participating.

A couple of years ago we discovered the best way to "flush" these people out. We simply ask the group to rate the individuals within the group on a few areas, one of which is group participation. What we discovered was that those who had someone in their group who was there only to bask in the glory without contributing to the success, were grateful to have a way to say they didn't think it was fair. As that year went on, the teachers gave permission to groups to come to them with any issues regarding the participation of any of their members and ask that the person who was not participating be asked to leave the group.

It worked. By the end of the school year everyone understood that if you join a group you must participate fully in that group's endeavors in order to share in its successes. Our wedding guest from today's passage is an example of that same thinking.

When the story of Jesus as told in the book of Matthew was written, the people of Jerusalem were in turmoil. It is widely believed that Matthew was written after the destruction of the temple in 70 CE and during a time when those who believed that Jesus was the true Messiah, "Christians", were being blamed for that destruction and persecuted for their beliefs. The Pharisees began to tighten their grip on the Jewish people, admonishing any who would not hold a strict adherence to their laws.

It had become a time when one was either a part of the in crowd, or they were thrown out of society. And yet, here we are told a story of when the king invites all those who are of the in crowd to a feast and nobody shows up. In response the king has all of them killed and invites the out crowd to join him at the table, which they do.

Here's where it gets complicated. The people who are now attending the banquet are the poor, destitute, outcasts of society. They would not have proper wedding attire as required by the rules of their day. And yet, this one guest is isolated for not dressing in the rightful way. Let's assume, then, that somehow everyone else is dressed properly, and they have become so because of the generosity of the king and the work of his servants. That would mean that this one guest either felt he didn't need to participate or flatly refused to.

He was there simply to be able to take the credit for being there.

God calls us to be a people who stand up for those who can't stand for themselves. God calls us to be the voice of the voiceless. So when God calls us to the feast and invites us to be at the table, we are expected to be full participants of the feast and not simply be there to say we were there.

Imagine a world where all do their part to improve the lives of those around them. Imagine a world where love and acceptance replaced greed and division. Imagine a world where all people participated to the best of their abilities, with the gifts God has given them, to bring joy and peace to all of creation.

Let's do our part and participate.

Focus

Philippians 4:1-9

I know I've mentioned the passing of our constant companion and friend of 15 years before. Our cat, Muffin, was truly a blessing to our home and is still missed by both my wife and me. We could always count on her snuggling up to us on cold nights or giving us a laugh with her frisky cat energy. Although the times we grieve are fewer, we do miss her dearly at times.

We still have 2 more pets; another cat whose name is Poindexter, and a dog whose name is Mocha. We love them very much and spend as much time with them as possible. They are old as well, with Mocha being around 12 and Poindexter about 13. Soon it will be time for them to pass on as well. Sometimes it makes our heart ache when we watch how difficult it is for them to walk, or not be able to jump as high as they used to. But we tend not to focus on those things.

Instead we focus on being with them in the present moment. We laugh when our dog gets so excited she slides around the floor when she tries to run, we welcome Poindexter when it seems he needs a little extra love and comes between us for cuddles, and we watch them as they take naps, knowing we are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Those are the kind of things we choose to focus on in our lives; the things which bring us peace, happiness, and keep hope alive. This is not to say that we live a life of only pure joy, but instead of focusing on the negative we look for ways to work through them so they don't rule our thoughts and actions.

Paul reminds us that sometimes things don't look good for us, that sometimes we have to get through the things which are dividing us from our relationships. He mentions the community coming together to help two of their own find an agreement between whatever might be coming between them. It would seem that in this passage, the beginning of his final greeting to the church in Philippi, Paul is asking the church community to be focused on the things which bring them joy and peace, not on the things which separate them from God, one another, or themselves.

Paul reminds us that when we focus on the things which our Christ Jesus focused on - unity through love and justice - we will find ways to get through the difficult times in our lives and into a place where the light will shine through the darkness.

Welcome To The Buffet

Isaiah 25:1-9

Last week I was fortunate enough to be in conversation with open-minded people. It was a delight to sit around a table to share a meal, share my stories, and share my faith with people who were willing to listen to different points-of-view about Christ and our responses to what we think the bible and our God calls us to be.

As is usually the case when people are allowed to share their stories in an open and safe (from judgement) environment, we all found our relationship with God, one another, and ourselves grow a little deeper. This is not to say there were questions about different aspects of the beliefs which were shared, but what was allowed was the opportunity to ask those questions in order to hear a different idea than ours and to possibly learn a little more about where our faith stands.

As we sat around the table I had an opportunity to share a story I may have shared here before. It was of a young lady in my high school whose grandmother had recently passed away. In her grieving she had approached the youth pastor of her church who had told her that it was too bad her grandmother was a Buddhist when she passed because now there was no chance of this young girl seeing her again in heaven.

In other words, she wasn't a Christian, so she wasn't going to heaven.

I don't have to tell you how much deeper the pain of this young girl went.

I had seen her in school a couple of days after this happened and it was obvious she had been crying for a very long time. I told her to follow me so we could talk. She told me what had happened over the weekend then asked me, with a look of desperation on her face, if it is
true she'll never see her grandmother again just because she was a Buddhist.

I told her as honestly as I could that I really didn't know. But, if it helps I could tell her what I believed. I told her that I don't think God would alienate anyone just because they were Buddhist and that heaven is for all people, regardless of who or what they were in this world. Her pain seemed to lessen as we talked about a God who is unconditionally all-accepting.

The question for us should be this: Does the God we believe in, the God we put all of our selves into, welcome all people to his table, or just some? If the answer is some, I think we have more work to do on this planet to help people see that alienating others based on race, religion, sexual identity, gender, or abilities only leads to division.

If the answer is all people, then you understand, and can actually vision, Isaiah's banquet on the hill.