Worry

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,  Matthew 6:25-28

Remember the above guy?  He was from a series of children's books called, Mr. Men   In the book, he worries about his roof leaking if it rains...and his flowers dying if it doesn't rain...and when someone takes his worry away...he worries that there is nothing to worry about.  We live in a world where there is a constant undercurrent of worry...or fear...and constant anxiety.  So, just having someone, even Jesus say, "Don't worry."  May not cut it for us.  We may still worry.  After all, there are bills to pay and books to read and children to raise...along with concerns for the earth, economy, and don't get me started if the worldwide shortage of chocolate actually happens!  Choco-geddon would be upon us.  Worry is sort of what we do...we are good at it.

And no, it does not add a single hour to our life...we know it takes hours and precious minutes away.  So, how might we approach worry?

First I think we need to acknowledge that it s normal and natural...probably would be abnormal if we didn't worry occasionally about somethings.  

Second, is there a way we can invite or listen for God's wisdom on that issue? 

If I am worried about a sermon or something at church is there someone else, along with God, I can turn to and listen to?  I think often worry and fear isolate us.  We feel lonely, like no one understands.  So, if we can invite others and listen for God in stillness that is good.

Third, stillness!  That is one way to face worry head on.  Sit in quite and just be.  So often worry activates that part of our brain to stay in perpetual motion...as if we can outrun worry.  So, slow down.  Usually the worries are still there after a few minutes.

Finally, look to creation.  It is good to remember we came from dust and to dust we shall return.  We say that not as some depressing fact, but that we are made of divine DNA that makes up everything seen and unseen.

To be sure, those four steps may not alleviate worry forever...but it may just remind us that God is God and we are not...which is a good starting place for all of us.

Blessings and peace ~

Looking Deep Within

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

This is another one of those passages that is so much more than good advice.  I think about the things I treasure:  my family, my health, watching a good movie with my family, a bowl of ice cream, my job...and truly those are things that warm the cockles of my heart.  Are any of those things necessarily bad?  I don't think so.  I don't think Jesus is trying to suggest that we need to pray and read the Bible while volunteering to feed the hungry twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.  We have sometimes made those activities synonymous with God.  Or perhaps more to the point, we compartmentalize.  Those are the things we do to connect with God...what we do on Friday night, well let's not get too personal here.

Paul Tillich once wrote that no one is really an atheist, everyone has something or someone at the center of his/her heart.  Maybe it is fame or fortune or family or that new car I just test drove.  Tillich was picking up on Jesus, that where are treasure is...there our heart is...and where our heart is...is where God longs to be.  I don't think it has to be either/or.  God is big enough to allow space for others.  I can engage God while talking with my family.  I can hear God as I run down the road.  God is interested in our whole life.  But I also realize that somethings are fleeting and fading (or that moth and rust can consume).  Which is why, we need to embrace the present moment for the treasure it is.  

During this season of Lent, what are you treasuring right now?  What brings you joy?  What is challenging you in a good way?  Where are you letting go of what once was a treasure?  That last one is a more difficult question.  I often find it difficult to see that life has changed and so the way our still speaking and creating God is changing too through the seasons of our life.  I pray in this final full week before Holy Week, you will ponder the treasures in your life.  I pray you will notice God.  And that you will treasure these words, holding fast to God and not just the things in our life.

Blessings and peace ~ 

What to do Part Three

And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:16-21

There are moments when reading the beatitudes that it is easy to nod our heads and think, "This just sounds like good advice."  But there is a difference between good advice and good news.  Advice can be "taken into consideration," which usually for me means, I am going to do something else.  Good advice plays into cultural common sense and doesn't challenge us.  The "good" part of advice is that we tend to agree.

Good news on the other hand can radically change our lives.  It takes us and pushes our comfort zones to places we'd prefer not to go.  And I believe, we never quite grasp the good news.  We might be grasped by it.  Fredrick Buechner is fond of saying, the gospel is always bad news before it is good news.

Here Jesus is saying don't put on airs or make a production out of your spirituality.  In our world of individualism, it can be easy to turn our faith into a kind of "God and me" spiritual improvement program.  There is nothing wrong with that per say...but I think the gospel's claim is bigger and bolder than just about me, myself, and I.  Jesus uses the word, 'hypocrite'.  Which we tend to be as someone who says one thing and does another.  But in Jesus' day, hypocrite meant actor.  Are we acting the role of faith?  Are we pretending on Sunday morning that God is at the center of our lives, only to leave that behind like the bulletin in the pew for the usher to pick up after the service?  Now I do sometimes think you need to fake your way through something as a way to make your way through.  There are moments when I am exhausted, but have a visit.  So, I take a deep breathe, smile, and try to practice active listening.  And the grace of the whole thing is, that usually in the blink of an eye, God grants me energy and attention that I was lacking.  

The real challenging part of this passage is storing up treasures.  As I said in the last post, I am now in my 40s.  Is my pension that the church pays storing up treasure?  What about our savings account so I can trade in my car?  What about my cupboards where I just put away my groceries?  Those questions challenge me.  See what I mean that the gospel can be bad news before it is good?

I don't think there is one easy answer.  We may feel defensive about those kinds of questions, want to justify that we earned it or that God wants to see us happy.  Both of which are truth.  But...but...are we also storing up for a rainy day?  Sure I am.  Therein lays the rub...and therein lays where I believe faith can still speak truth.  It does not need to be either or.  I am not going to cash in my pension and go help the poor.  At least not yet.  But maybe I can worry less about that and more about those who have no savings at all.  Maybe I can be more open to the grace of God.  A grace that is not just good advice, but can alter and ultimate save my life to live a new way.  May it be so this Lenten season and for the rest of this year.

Amen. 

What to do Part Two

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  Matthew 6:5-8

This is one of the teachings that comes a little too close for comfort.  I pray aloud...in public...all the time.  Do I love to pray?  Sure.  There is a peacefulness, joy, and power that I sense when I try to give voice to what is in my heart and what I think is in the hearts of those listening.  Are my prayers too long?  Perhaps.  Prayer can become like a checklist in my mind and make sure I cover "all my bases" asking God to help with violence, environment, health concerns for people, the church, etc.  I wonder about transforming prayer in the church I serve.  How do I create space so that I am not the designated pray-er?  How do I empower and equip people to practice prayer on Sunday morning so that they might do the same every single day?  The harder...read more vulnerable...question is, "How is it with my soul, my life, my connection with God?

Jesus says go in the room.  I've always lived in a place where at least some of the space was mine, even when I shared a bedroom with my brother growing up.  We tend to take this instruction literally.  I should go into a room and actually shut a door.  But in Jesus' day, many houses had only one room.  What do you do then?  The room that might be sectioned off was the dressing room.  What would it mean to go into a space and place where you usually were naked to pray?  Was Jesus suggesting that you need to strip down the clothing and stand naked before God?  Perhaps.  Or perhaps prayer is about striping down the wallpaper we usually post to Facebook and to stop fantasizing about our lives.  To be naked before God is the original state of our relationship with God, it echoes all the way back to Genesis 2.  

As for the empty phrases...well I think we can all be guilty of that.  But words matter in prayer.  Some words in prayers bother me.  I am not a big fan of the over use of "just" in prayers.  We just want to...  As if, it was a small, simple request for God to get us something...like let's say world peace.  But I know for others reading this blog, you like the word "Just"...find it very meaningful in prayers and have a different take.  We all pray differently.  We all need to use our words authentically and not try to imitate another...which is why it is good to strip away all pretenses and that which we use to cover ourselves before attempting to pray. 

I find it interesting that the very next verse is the Lord's Prayer.  Jesus does not just tell us what NOT to do, he offers images and thoughts on what to DO.  That is valuable.  I will not say much about the Lord's Prayer...but this Lent I encourage you...if nothing else for the rest of Lent, pray the Lord's prayer.  Let the words linger around you and within us.  Let the thoughts form images that guide your connection to God.  I pray that as you continue the journey that takes us to the reality of the cross and beyond, you will sense more than a trace of God's grace.

Amen and blessings ~ 

What to Do Part One

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4

I wonder in Jesus' day how many people had a marching band precede them into the temple? How many people had their own theme music as they dropped an offering into the coffers in the temple? I think we all like a little fanfare and recognition. I walk into so many buildings and there is a wall of names in glass or brass or granite that declares who contributed money. I go to a theater and in the pages of the program are names of the patrons of the art. I go to my children's school....yes school...and the "business partners" are listed on the wall. In a world of consumerism and constant commercials; in a world where we are told that you consume therefore you are; and what you buy is part of your identity ("Oh I am totally a Mac, not a PC," we say at parties as though hat distinguishes us in some way from millions of others), I struggle with this passage.

I struggle also because the church is not immune from the above pressures.  Every week we receive an offering.  Every year we ask for a financial commitment.  Every month we review the budget ~ breathing a sigh of relief in good times and wringing our hands in bad times.  While I don't hear many trumpets, I do hear folks tutting their own horns.  It is difficult.  We want people to feel good about the funds they give to the church.  We want there to be a sense of joy, but not gloating.  That is a moving target.  One person's joy in sharing is another person's bragging.  The line moves depending on who is talking.

Jesus tells us that we should give in secret, not let our left hand know what our right is doing.  That does not sound like very practical advice.  How in the world do I write a check or see what bill I am pulling out of my wallet.  I think the deeper point is to realize that money is neutral; as humans we assign the value.  We assign what is a meaningful gift by the trumpets we blast or the shrug of the shoulders.  Maybe we should have a wall of gratitude for all gifts?  Or maybe we should take down all the walls?  I am glad Jesus did not give us advice, rather he shined a light on a concern so that we would be faithful and prayerful in our approach.

Speaking of prayer, I guess there were some in Jesus' day would enjoyed carrying on a bit in prayer.  The gloating did not stop at the offering plate, it continued into the worship service in the words offered from our hearts.  All this matters.  Both money and our words matter, because both have power in our world.  I love the image of going into the inner room.  That was often the dressing room, where you would be naked.  Many (Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, Barbara Brown Taylor) have spoken about naked spirituality, the naked now, or praying naked in front of the mirror.  That image might come from this very passage.

We are in the season of Lent, a time set aside to pay attention to all that is going on inside us and around us.  Lent is about being intentional and thoughtful.  We practice this, not so that on Easter Sunday we can pick up where we left off on Shrove Tuesday.  We practice this kind of honest, naked, reflection so that we can continue on that path through the coming days.  

I pray that something above might have sparked an insight for you about money or prayer.  I pray that as you continue on the Lenten journey you will continue to strip back the wallpaper lives we so often post on Facebook or show to our friends.  Go into that inner space and room, offer all you are to God.  According to Jesus, there is more than a trace of God's grace in doing just that.

Peace and blessings ~

The Hardest Part

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.  “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,  Matthew 5:38-44


Jesus wraps up the first third of his "Sermon on the Mount," with some of the hardest words for us to hear and especially to live.  Today, I was listening to a sermon from Kent Dobson on the Sermon on the Mount.  He makes the distinction that Jesus did not sit down on the mountain and begin to talk about what people should believe (orthodoxy - right belief).  Jesus sat down and preached how we should live (orthopraxy - right action).  It is easier to say I believe in loving others than to actually love others.  It is easier to give our mental assent to something rather than try to live our whole life from morning to night.

Often we read this passage from the Sermon on the Mount and immediately we want to jump to the extreme.  What about Hitler or Isis, are we really supposed to those them?  It is like we are daring Jesus to defend this statement.  It is good to remember two truths in these moments.  First, Jesus did not live in some utopia.  He lived in a time when his people were crushed by the weight of the Roman rule.  Judaism is monotheistic, only one God.  But then along comes Caesar, who violently crushed anyone who go in his way.  Talk about eye for the slightest infraction.  So, let's not pretend that Jesus' words were somehow easier back in those good ole days of the Bible.  Second, I think we offer the extreme, because we want to get ourselves off the hook.  Our defensive mind goes into hyper drive..."If I can get people to agree that we don't have to love the unlovable, than it is a slippery slope to arguing I don't have to love my neighbor whose dog leaves 'gifts' in my lawn!"  I don't know that I consciously think that...but I do know that I like to go to the extreme to argue and win points...to make life easier.

Now, it is not easy to love people who presently killing and using violence.  But that does not excuse the call to love my neighbor who is a Hindu by faith or my neighbor who talks to himself while smoking outside.  I am called to love to the best of my ability...and acknowledge that I have room to keep growing.  But Jesus does not stop there.  We need to go the extra mile and take off our very coat.  Ufdah!  Here is the rub.  Jesus sets the bar so high, we constantly find ourselves failing to make it over.  I don't love others, I sometimes take short cuts, and I cling to my stuff.  These are hard teachings...and they are even harder if we think it is only about believing rather than practicing.

As churches, how do we start practicing this with each other and in small ways?  And like any practice, it is good to pick one and focus there.  Lent begins today.  Maybe you are going to give something up.  That is good.   Maybe you have a prayer practice.  That is good.  But this Lent, I am also going to try to love people whose voice is like fingernails on a chalk board.  I am doing this NOT because I think it earns God's grace, but because Jesus' wisdom says that such practices can lead to full and authentic life in God's realm here and now.  I am practicing now, so maybe by summer I am less prickly toward people who I know are children of God.  I am practicing now, because I am about to get another year older, and know there are many more practices Jesus invites us to live faithfully.

I pray you have a blessed and holy Lent.  I pray these words from the first chapter of the Sermon on the Mount have stirred within and stayed with you.  I pray we will do more than just mentally adopt these words...which is a start...but also try to practice them in the coming forty days.

Pax and blessings ~

Lust

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.  Matthew 5:27-30

It seems appropriate on the day that Fifty Shades of Grey opens in theaters to land in this passage from the Sermon on the Mount.  To be clear, I have not read the book, I will more than likely not see the movie, and will not offer here any criticism for that which I do not know.  What I do know is that we live in a world where intimate relationships are at an interesting place.  I know that our twenty-something young adults are delaying marriage.  They often talk about the struggle with moments when the romance in a relationship fades.  That is not news to our great grandparents.  Relationships are tough work.  No one knows us quite as well as our significant other.  I know all the right buttons to push to send steam rising from my wife's ears.  At some point the butterflies of the first dates turn in the ordinariness of a Valentine's Day spent at home with the kids and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream...who says I am not a romantic?  I sprung for the quality ice cream after all!

Add to this complex mix a new phenomenon of invisible boy- and girlfriends.  Where for a price, a company will send you texts, letters and voice mails pretending to be your significant other...supposedly to appease your nosy parents or your constantly questioning friends, I have to say that I have no idea what Jesus would do with that.

I know that relationships matter.  I know that I made a vow to my wife almost fifteen years ago now.  I promised with fragile words to love her that day and every day henceforth.  Believe me, it has not been all chocolate rivers and pony rides.  After the glow of the honeymoon wore off, sorting out chores and the realities of late night meetings and then throw two kids into the mix, why not?  It is not easy.  But it is worth it.  Part of the problem is realizing that there are 7 billion people, what is the likelihood you will find your soul mate?  Only if you work really hard at tending the relationship with the one in your life right now.

But people bring a mixture of blessed and brokenness into marriage.  I try to be caring, but I tend to work too hard.  I try to be a good listener, but I can get distracted by emails.  I try to keep connected in a disconnected, time and space bending world where I can video chat with my dad twenty four hours away.  That make presence and relationships move into new space.

So, where do that leave us?  With a whole lot of talking to do.  For so long the church's specialty in relationships was telling us what NOT to do.  We have not spent much time talking about what to do.  We have not dealt with the legacies of Victorian sexuality that still governs too much of the religious dialogue or the "just don't hurt someone" morals that came as a reaction.  The truth might be found in the broad and wide messy middle.  Tomorrow, on Valentine's Day, I invite you to think about your relationships.  It does not need to be intimate.  It can be your close friend.   Who do you love and why?  Is the relationship based on respect, mutuality, connected-ness of mind, body, and spirit?  What do you value about the person closest to you?  What annoys you?  And where is God in the midst of all that?

I pray you will do more than just read this blog...that you will talk with the people you love and celebrate that love.  Because we worship a God whose love could not be contained and came to us.  And that for me makes all the difference in how I share love with my family!

Pax and blessing and Happy Valentine's Day.

Anger

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.  Matthew 5:21-24

We continue to explore Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, I am struck by this passage.  I am struck that first of all Jesus does NOT say, "Don't get angry."  I think sometimes in the church we have given the implicit or even explicit message that anger is always bad.  And so, we tend to repress and push down anger...which we all know is really healthy and NEVER ends poorly.  Yeah right.  Every time I try to convince myself that I am really not that angry, that I should love that church member...you know the one...I just delay the inevitable.  Unfortunately, I also tend to take out that frustration on those closest to me.  Richard Rohr says, "Pain that is not processed is passed along."  I agree with that, it rings true from my experience.

I am also struck by the fact that Jesus is upping the ante here.  It is no longer enough to say, "Well I never murdered anyone"...even though I treated that person as though she or he was dead to me.  "Well I did not do any physical damage"....even as our words or sarcasm or silent stares wounded just a bad beneath the flesh.  Jesus challenges us to reconcile and to do so before we take an offering.  You might now understand why this passage is NOT preached on very much in churches today... the offering totals might be down that day.

I appreciate the challenge to reconcile.  Yet, I also know realistically reconciliation takes time.  That offering might have been left by the altar for years on some of the issues in my life.  I also know realistically reconciliation is not always an option...at least not immediately.  I think of issues of domestic violence and other crimes, where it could wound the victim more if the accused came to reconcile.  So, although we preach lofty sermons forgiveness, it is tough, difficult work of our lives.

That is not to suggest we should all shrug our shoulders, give up, and reconcile with a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  There are some places where many of us could reconcile.  I have had people close to me die without ever reconciling.  That is tough, difficult place to be.  I have had church members leave without ever a chance to say, "I am sorry."  That is a tough, difficult place to be.  And I also have had those hard conversations Jesus is pointing to in the above passage.  Conversations where I need to own my own stuff, say "I am sorry", see that the words I used went awry and caused unintended pain.  In those moments, after the tears and the words upon words and the silence and the coming together and finally hugs shared at the door...I know the following Sunday in worship there was a JOY...a deep JOY.  The songs were easier to sing and the prayers were deeper and the offering of my whole life to God felt more in harmony with God's still singing voice.  We should not allow one of those experiences to trump the other.  Both have a place in our lives...neither is the full truth.

I pray you will think about places of anger in your life...and who you are angry with...is reconciliation possible?  Why or why not?  And most of all, I pray this will offer a chance, a window for a trace of God's grace to move in your life.

Pax and blessings ~

Salty

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.  Matthew 5:13

The gospels record very few of Jesus' sermons.  The above quote is taken from what is usually called, "The Sermon on the Mount," starting in Matthew 5.  Luke calls a very similar set of sayings,  "Sermon on the Plain".  While you cannot judge a book by the cover, you can tell a lot by the title.  It matters to Matthew that this sermon is preached on a mountain because centuries earlier another religious leader climbed a mountain to chat to God and he came down with a sermon etched by the fingernail of God.  That was Moses and Matthew wants Jesus' life to echo...echo Moses' life.  Luke is much more concerned about equality and making room at the table for everyone...preaching a sermon on a plain...a level playing field... makes much more sense for him.  

In both Gospels, the writers begin with what is known as the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-11.  While there are important differences between Matthew and Luke here, what I find fascinating about the Beatitudes are they beg the questions: How?  When?  Where? Who?  When are the poor or the poor in spirit seen as reflective of God's realm?  How are those who mourn comforted?  Who in the world does that?  I imagine that if I was there, on the Mountain or Plain, found the courage to raise my hand and ask these questions, Jesus would stare at me silently with the implication being; You!  You and I are called to fill the gap between what is (mourning, persecution, and words spoken harshly) and what can be (comfort, solidarity, and love).  The church is the bridge between broken reality and the in- breaking of God's realm.

I am not sure we always think of the church that way.  There are budgets to balance and buildings to improve.  There are worship services to plan and leadership retreats to develop.  The church I serve tries to reach out, to be that salty bridge from the final "Amen" on Sunday to the prayers of the people during the week.  But it is not easy.  Pastors are called to be BOTH a part of members' lives AND reach out to the community, some of whom may never enter the church door.  It is a balancing act.  To be honest, I am a big klutz....literally and figuratively.

I sometimes wonder how much saltiness I can take in my faith journey?  I like comfortable situations where I am in control...but it is good to step outside that zone.  On Monday this week, I went to a homeless ministry in our community.  As I drove down the road to the location, there were people waiting outside.  I felt their stares piercing through the car window and my heart started to beat a little faster.  I KNEW I was safe, but I was outside my safety zone.  

Salty faith will take us to places we may not like.  For some reading this blog, you may volunteer at a homeless shelter, but put you inside the office of a government official and your tongue is twisted and mouth dry.  For others, you love building houses, but put yourself in a silent retreat where you have to sit and remember that God is God...and YOU are not...causes you to shift uncomfortably.  We all have places in our faith where we are in the zone and places that are outside of what feels comfortable/natural.

We are approaching the season of Lent, this might be something to ponder.  Maybe you often give something up for Lent...which can be a very meaningful part of the faith journey.  But maybe this year you need to drive down that road that leads to a place where you have not normally encountered God.  And the good news is I hear Jesus not saying "You" individually, but rather "You ALL" collectively.  You don't need to go to that place alone...probably better if you don't.  I met a few other folks at the homeless shelter, people I knew and I learned a lot about this important ministry.  I pray you will find ways to add spice to your faith in the coming days, especially during Lent.  Most of all I pray that stretching your faith adds more than a trace of God's grace.

Pax and blessings ~ 

Discipleship

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.  Matthew 4:18-25

How would you define "discipleship"?  Perhaps it starts simply with following Jesus, which was certainly easier when he was physically on earth.  Maybe it is about obeying what he says.  But which gospel, which stories, is it just the ones we like? Maybe discipleship means letting go.  Maybe it means a willingness to take risks that go against what rationale sense.  The image of Peter and Andrew's net floating, abandoned in the water, fascinating. When was the last time I dropped everything to follow an instinct?  I like structure, carefully constructed and carried out plans, not just willy-nilly following some random guy with eternity dancing in his eyes who wonders past and say, "Hey, follow me."  

Sure, I know that being asked to follow a rabbi was an honor akin to getting an acceptance letter to Harvard.  But, if I received such letter from Harvard, would I really drop everything?  Would I leave my family and job?  Of course, the disciples, it seems stick somewhat close to home.  Later in the Matthew we will hear about Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law...which most of us forget the disciples were even married...but their wives didn't!

Sure, I know no one wants to miss their moment to be something.  Many of us live with the regrets of "What if??"  What if I would have taken that job or said, "Yes" to the date, or been willing to take a leap of faith?  Yet, realistically, often those moments to be something, to cross over the fence where the grass looks so green, once over we see that things are not as rosy as we thought.  Even when we say "Yes" to the promotion or to the opportunity to be the chair of an organization, there are expectations and stress and life changes.

My hunch is the disciples' lives changed drastically.  When was the last time our life changed drastically because of faith?  We are about to run a membership class at the church our served, that question might just make everyone shift uncomfortably and maybe decide NOT to join.  But if discipleship stakes a claim on our lives, maybe we can expect some changes and some amazing opportunities and a lot of walking and wandering.  

One of the images of the disciples echos the wandering in the wilderness in the book of Exodus.  We learn on the road.  We learn from the topography of traveling together through the ups and downs, storms and sunny days, and all that we encounter day in and day out.    I encourage you to think of your definition of discipleship and maybe even post a comment below for others to see.

May we continue to find traces of God's grace as we seek to be disciples of the One who still has eternity dancing in his eyes. 

Wilderness

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Matthew 4:1

Quick review: Matthew begins with a genealogy, the deep roots of Jesus' family tree, including people whose halos did not shine the brightest.  He moves on to shining a light on Joseph, Jesus' adoptive father, who swims against cultural and religious expectations by dismissing Mary quietly.  By doing that Joesph takes on the shame of a broken relationship, since people would assume the baby Mary carried was his and he was not taking responsibility.  For this Matthew calls him "righteous," which stretches our understanding of that word.  Then, we get visitors from the East, who knock on Herod's door, causing a nervous Herod to go into hyper mode when he hears that there is a "King of the Jews".  When the Wise Ones leave for home by a road that did not pass by Herod's palace, Herod inflicts infanticide on people, creating misery and pain and reminding us of the ways people in power today still use their influence to hurt rather than help.  Jesus and his parents flee to Egypt, so that Jesus' life will echo...echo...echo Moses' life.  Eventually, Herod dies, a new regime is put into place to serve at the pleasure of the Roman empire.  It is safe for Jesus to stop being a refuge and return to his homeland.  We then have a gap in Jesus' life from age 5 or so, to the moment he shows up on the shores of the Jordan for baptism.  Whew!  And that is just the first three chapters! 

You can click here to watch a sermon from January 11th I preached on baptism.   But it is those moment following baptism, as the echo...echo...echo of God's voice claiming Jesus as a beloved son fade into the blue sky that is so powerful.  Jesus does not jump up and down, shouting, "Look at me, I am the king of the world."  It is not cue dramatic music ala Rocky Theme or Chariots of Fire.  The amazing moment of being named and claimed by a child of God is follow by...wait for it...temptation!?

I once heard a theologian say that the moment you get what you want, whether it is the corner office or relationship or the recognition, you are going to be tested.  You will be tested because the dreams you'd built in your imagination will clash with the harsh realities of life in the office...or relationship... or with the award on your wall.  The dream and reality meet and it is not always cordial.

But, you may wonder, what is the deal with the devil?  So often we picture the devil as some being in a red suit, pitch fork, piercing eyes, the overseer of the underworld no one wants to visit  But the better translation here is "accuser".  Ever gotten a new position and found an "accuser", someone who tests and tries your patience?  A new employee you are supposed to supervise who undermines and trash talks?  A co-worker who you confide in, only to have it come back to bite you?  We all have made trips to the wilderness, we have spent some time there.  So did Jesus.

This may not make everyone feel better.  But, for me, it makes a difference that it was not all pony rides and chocolate rivers in Jesus' life.  He was tempted, he was tested by voices that wanted him to do all sorts of things his heart told him not to, and he was able to find another way.  Just as the Wise Ones found another way home, Jesus finds another way.  He does not give in to anger or to gossip in response to the accuser.  He simply faces the difficulty with honesty and his heart wide open.  

Are you going through a wilderness moment right now?  Are you living with physical, emotional, or spiritual pain that numbs you from feeling fully alive?  That is wilderness.  While I do not believe God causes pain, I do find moments of trail and wilderness to be times when I encounter God in deeper ways.  There is a vulnerability in living in the wilderness that opens me to God with honesty and an open heart.  And there, I do find more than a trace of God's grace.  I am not sure this is always an "all is well that ends well moment."  The times of testing and trail can leave scars that take time to heal...sometimes never fully recover.  Wilderness moments, trial moments, and struggles are part of life, even Jesus' life, and while that doesn't make it easier, it does make a difference for me.

God's love and blessings, especially to those in the wilderness right now!  

That is what happened when the Wise Ones left??!

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”  When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under  Matthew 2:13-16

I am sure one of the reactions to reading the above passage is to question whether you want to keep reading this blog today.  "Gee thanks for this uplifting reminder."  Or maybe you never realized that after the Wise One's depart, King Herod, who was not the most emotionally stable king, let his rage and fear turn toward innocent children.  This past week I heard a pastor talk about how we often wall paper over the messy parts of faith.  This might just be one passage we want to skip or plug our ears and shout, "La, la, la, I am not listening!"  

Why study such a depressing and discouraging passage of Scripture?  Isn't there enough violence and hurt in the world?  What happened in France?  What is going on in villages of Africa?  And what about the concerns over the deaths of African American by police that a month ago the media was all over?  Have we forgotten?

Scripture is not wall paper.  Scripture shines a light bright on the realities of today.  Realities of violence and brokenness.  Scripture does that NOT to make us feel guilty, but so that we might continue to see that God is present both in good times and in the valley of the shadow of death.  Because that reality takes time to wrap our minds and hearts around we need to return to it time and time again.

The Sunday after Christmas is usually the Feast of Holy Innocents.  It reminds us that the first Christmas was messy for Joseph and Mary's relationship (whatever that was).  It reminds us that the first Christmas was less holy night and more holy nightmare.  Again, perhaps we'd rather not talk about it.  Perhaps it is easier, even now a few weeks removed from Christmas, to talk more diet tips to stay on your New Year's Resolutions or plans for the upcoming Super Bowl.  But again, are we willing to wall paper over the realities of life?

My point is not that we should all walk around discouraged or feeling like...well you know what. But I do think that reality is messy.  Life is not easy.  And the church needs to hold those realities and the dis-ease (or uneasiness) of life in tension when talking about grace and love.  I know why we stop short of reading this passage on Epiphany with the Wise Ones departing for home, "by another road".  We don't want to go down the road of innocent children dying.  I know why we skip right to John the Baptizer the next Sunday (even if his clothing and diet sound strange).  But I also think we need to begin talking about this passage too.  It reminds us that Scripture is complex and we never fully understand.

I invite you today as you read the paper about a tragedy of human life to hold that in conversation with Scripture.  Of course to do so might cause us to wonder, "Why would a loving God allow this?" The tension of suffering is you either have to let go of God's powerfulness or God's unconditional love.  Either God can't stop it (and is a weak force) or wills suffering (and is a real dent to the basic definition of love).  All of our efforts to explain or justify God are just that - OUR EFFORTS.  Scripture seems more content to shine a light saying, "This is the way life is."  Yet, Scripture also says that in the midst of messy, broken life, there is grace and there is hope even in the most difficult times.  There is hope in the face of hunger when food is offered.  There is hope in the face of death, when we grieve with another.  There is hope in the midst of life.  When we discover that hope, we discover another trace of God's grace.

Blessings and pax (peace)

Matthew Review

Where do you begin telling a great story?  Of course, you begin at the beginning.  But sometimes it can be hard to know where that beginning place is.  If I tell you about being born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that is my beginning.  But it is NOT the beginning of my parents relationship.  And my parents relationship is NOT the beginning of their life either.  They had a story before they met.  They have stories of dating and marrying and having my older brother before I was even a glimmer in their eye.  Beginnings matter.  Each of the four Gospels begin in a different way.  Mark jumps in with both feet and we are taken to the edge of the Jordan River with John the baptizer.  John gives one of the most beautiful poems that ties Jesus' life with the beginning of Creation.  Both Matthew and Luke decide to focus on Jesus' birth...each in their own unique ways.  Luke is the more familiar, the one quoted in the beloved Charlie Brown Christmas Special.  Matthew's version is a bit more heady.  He begins in chapter one (click here to read the whole of chapter 1) with a genealogy.   So and so begat (or was the father of) so and so.  I know people who love genealogy, who are passionate about tracing their roots as deep as possible.  Then there are people who yawned the moment they read the word "begat" above...but I pray did not stop reading.

Where we come from matters and leaves an impression on our hearts.  While today the truth is that we believe we construct our own identity through the clothes we wear or the cell phone we buy (I am an iphone guy but often admire the Galaxy people) or even the jobs we perform, family still makes its mark on who we are.  As I said above, my parents had a story before I was even a glimmer in their eye.  That story impacted how they parented me.  So knowing a bit about Jesus' parents, grand parents, great grand parents (etc...) does help.  What is interesting in chapter 1 is that Matthew names five women.  Each of the women were...shall we say...not exactly Victorian/Downton Abbey approved.  Each had a part of their past that might have marginalized them or caused them to be the topic of gossip.  But Matthew does not shy away from that past, he lifts and names these women as important to who Jesus is.  That means something, especially when the Christian Church has not always been kind in issues of sexuality with women.  We need to let Scripture speak truth to our understandings.

It is not only women, but also men.  Joseph is called a "righteous" man.  Usually when I hear "righteous" I think "self righteous".  People my grandmother said needed to get down off their high horse.  But this is NOT Joseph's righteousness.  Joseph swims against the cultural current.  He decided to not dismiss Mary with a divorce, but quietly.  By doing so, people...when they found out Mary was pregnant....would have assumed Joe was the dad and he was not living up to expectations of a father.  He would have been looked down on, the topic of gossip...not Mary.  Righteousness in Matthew can mean going against cultural and even religious norms.  

I encourage you as we read and look at Matthew to look for ways he uses righteousness.  I invite you to think of your definition of righteousness.  Where do you need to swim against the cultural and religious norms?  Why?  Is it for your own sake or the sake of another?  I pray as you ponder these questions, you sense a trace of God's grace in your life.

Blessings and pax (peace)

The Gospel of Matthew Overview

Quick question, what is your history with the Gospel of Matthew?  For some reading this blog, you have images of Matthew being the one to tell us about the Wise Ones coming to visit Jesus or you might think of Matthew as being the gospel where parables end with people being "thrown into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Such an uplifting way to end a story.  Or maybe you don't have any preconceived images of Matthew.  Perhaps it is not a book you've spent much time with in your life.

The church I serve is starting on a journey of reading Matthew and over the coming months I am going to make comments on passages that I am not preaching on in worship on this blog.  My hope and prayer is that over the coming months through sermons and posts you might become better acquainted with Matthew (who is depicted in the icon above through the imagination of an artist...while it is not a selfie, it is one way of giving Matthew a face).

Matthew is the first of the four gospels in the New Testament, but only in sequence not chronologically.  Since Matthew did not date his gospel, scholars need to make best guesses.  In seminary, I was taught Matthew wrote in the 70 A.D. or Common Era (CE).  In the reading I've done recently for preaching on Matthew, scholars is now pushed back to the 80s or even 90s CE.  Why does it matter?  We think that the Gospel of Mark is the first to be written.  Mark is the shortest gospel and the most succinct, straight forward, no nonsense.  Scholars propose that Matthew and Luke each had a copy of Mark on their desks as they wrote because both use Mark's structure with embellishments.  Matthew also has some unique stories none of the other three gospels have (e.g. the story of the Wise Ones visiting Jesus).  Luke has unique stories (e.g. Parable of the Prodigal son).  But then Matthew and Luke have stories that neither Mark nor John have (e.g. the Lord's Prayer or the Beatitudes).  So, in addition to having Mark and some unique stories, scholars suggest that Matthew and Luke had a source known as "Q", which was a collection of sayings.  Click here to read more about "Q"

Matthew also has a brilliant way of structuring his gospel.  He alternates narrative/stories about Jesus and speeches/sermons Jesus gave.  Here is how that looks:

Chapters 1-4 is narrative about beginnings of Jesus' life

Chapters 5-7 is speech/sermon Jesus gives

Chapters 8-9 is narrative about Jesus (particularly healing)

Chapter 10 is a speech/sermon about discipleship

Chapters 11-12 is narrative about rejection of Jesus by his generation

Chapter 13 is a speech/sermon about the realm of heaven on earth

Chapters 14-17 is narrative about recognition by disciples

Chapter 18 is a speech/sermon about life in Christian community

Chapters 19-22 is a narrative about authority and invitation

Chapters 23-25 is a speech/sermon about present trouble and God's future

Chapters 26-28 is a narrative about new beginnings/resurrection

One final layer we can peel away to discover something beautiful is that for Matthew Jesus is the NEW Moses.  Legend had it that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible (Genesis - Deuteronomy).  Five books...Jesus gives five speeches.  We will see other ways Jesus' life echoes Moses in coming posts.  

For now, I pray that the above information is helpful for framing the coming posts about Matthew.  I pray that these first days of January are a blessing and you sensing traces of God's grace in your life. 

God's blessings and pax (peace) to you!

The Lord's Prayer

Over the next couple of posts about prayer, I want to look at the Lord's Prayer.  Many have already commented about, preached about, written books about, and every Sunday in almost every Christian Church this prayer is part of the worship service, so I am trudging into well-known territory.  In some ways stepping into such conversation is difficult.  Do I really have anything fresh to add to the dialogue?  Or I am heaping more words upon a prayer that is relatively short and straight-forward?  

My prayer is in these posts you might find something that feels like a breath of fresh air.  Maybe at the bare minimum, these posts might cause you to ponder the Lord's Prayer as you said it Sunday after Sunday to think about the words falling from your lips rather than reciting on autopilot.  I promise to join you in that and also be open as the church I serve this Sunday says this prayer in our worship service.

The Lord's Prayer is found in two of the four Gospels:

Matthew 6:9-15

Luke 11:1-4

Neither Mark nor John include this prayer.  There are some similarities and differences between Matthew and Luke's versions.  Luke is very clear that the disciples prompt the prayer by requesting Jesus to 'teach them to pray.'  This comes as Jesus himself was in the midst of prayer.  You can almost picture the disciples hovering around, trying to eavesdrop as Jesus whispered words to God, and learn by osmosis.  I take heart that the disciples, Jesus' closest friends had to ask for wisdom about how to pray.  Maybe I can learn from that.  Prayer may not come as naturally as everyone likes to assume it should.  It can be difficult, even for those who were willing to give up their lives to follow Jesus.  Why in the world would we assume that we should know how to pray?  Maybe the disciples request could become ours and we might say, "Lord, teach me to pray!"

Matthew's version also is a teachable moment for Jesus.  Jesus clearly says, when you pray to God, pray like this... In Chapter 6, Jesus had just been to the temple and seen the way people were praying.  I have to admit it is always tempting to glance out of the corner of my eye when praying in public.  Is my wife's head bowed?  What about the person in front of me?  Once your eyes are open, you look at the person praying.  Are her eyes open or closed?  Is she reading from a printed prayer?  

So, let's start by affirming two things: 1).  We all need help with prayer and 2). We are curious about how other's pray too.

Both Matthew and Luke start off the Lord's Prayer with the same two words, "Our Father".  Perhaps you have already heard before that the word here in the original language is "Abba" and is really more appropriately translated, "Daddy", not that I think people are going to start saying, "Our Daddy".  Maybe one day.  Daddy is the more informal and initiate word for a relationship.  My kids never say, "Father, I would like some ice cream."  It is always, "Daaaaaaadddddy...could we please have ice cream," with each word, especially the first, coated in all the love they have.  Daddy is about a close connection.  

To be sure, not everyone reading this blog has had a great relationship with their biological father.  Maybe several reading this have had just God-awful relationships with males in their lives.  Assigning a gender to God will do that.  When you use intimate words, you awake intimate memories from our experiences.    

To say God was close and in a loving relationship with us, Jesus is drawing on the second creation narrative, Genesis 2, we God kneels in the dirt and crafts the first human out of the dust.  That is the kind of Creator Jesus points to in saying, "Our Father."

I know there is still tension around how we refer to God.  And so, I want you to think about that image.  Would it be better for you to say, "Our Father-Mother" so you can get beyond gender?  Would it be better for you to say, "Our God" to take gender out of it?  Would it be better for you if we took tradition another way?  For me, words matter and make a difference.  And it is good for me to ponder right now how is my relationship with God?  Do I feel the love of a parent intimate and close when I start the Lord's Prayer?  Or are the words tripping me up?

May the traces of God's grace be found in your life today as we open ourselves to the One whose love cares for us and sustains us.

Blessings.