What's Money Got to Do with It?

Read Mark 12:38-44

One of the common complaints against the church is that we talk too much about money. It’s true. Every Sunday we pass an offering plate. Every month we make a push for one mission outside our church doors. Every month we put grocery bags out. Right now we are fundraising for new chairs. In spite of how much we ask for money, we rarely talk about money in the church. We skirt around it during Stewardship season and budget conversations. But the reality is that very rarely do we actually have discussions about money outside of our immediate families.

I know in my life, even with my closest friends the topic is taboo. I have no idea how much they make. And unless the person is a church member and looks at an Annual Report, most of my friends don’t know how much I make in a year. Yet, we hint at money all the time. We make comments on Facebook. Or we post pictures of our last trip to some place. Or we pull up in a new car. Or we talk about something that is broke in our home that we cannot pay to fix right now. We talk around money or about the idea of money, but rarely about the relationship between our values and money.

Bill Diehl in The Monday Connection writes about ethics. He makes a clear distinction between values as being the worth or merit we place upon a particular person, action or thing; and morals as the principles we adopt with respect to right or wrong. Ethicists will say that our checkbook (or credit card statement) is an ethical document because it shows what we value. When we give money to something (like to go golfing or for a gym membership or for gas in our cars or from Habitat for Humanity…to name a few places from my own checkbook) that is saying it has worth or merit for my life. I do value my health. I do value being able to be face to face for pastoral visits my car takes me do. I do value the outreach of providing homes for people. Those values lead to morals, ideals I have for what is right and wrong as I look at other people’s use of money.

My point is that we rarely in our private or especially in our public life get the value level in conversation. Sometimes for Gina and I we go there. Sometimes with our kids. But certainly not with our wider group of friends and not really at the church.

So, I encourage you as you ponder the widow’s offering to consider what your check book says you value. How does that lead to morals that you have? How does that influence ethical decisions you make? And when you think or say something is wrong in our community, our state or our nation what values or morals are being held by the other side?

Those are tough questions and I don’t expect easy answers, but shining the light of Christ during this Lenten season on the topic of money can be a blessing because money is a part of our life and our faith both individually and as a church. Perhaps if we begin now thinking about this it will continue to stay with you: which is really what being a steward is all about. Grace and peace to you.

Waste of time

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. ³The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. ⁴The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. ⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. ⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” ¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. ¹¹May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Marva Dawn begins her book, A Royal “Waste” of Time, with this Psalm. She states that worship really is a ‘waste of time’ when viewed from the values and lens of society. After all, an hour on Sunday morning hopefully produces a deeper relationship with God and challenge to be a better neighbor; but how does that help the economy? An hour on Sunday morning hopefully stirs something deep within us; but it does not really feed a hungry person. An hour on Sunday morning may tune us to hear God’s voice; but what does that mean on Monday morning?

Of course, Dawn is being satirical when she suggests worship is a ‘waste’ of time, hence the quotation marks. Yet, increasingly we live in a society that does not see much worth in worship. People make choices with schedules and find more meaning in going to sport events, shopping, traveling or just hanging out at home reading the paper than at worship. I say that not because I want people to feel guilty, but because it is a reality people face today. Part of the reason why Sunday morning is so crowded now is due to the flood of activity in our world spilling over onto a day that was once protected. Church at one time had a monopoly and was the only game in town on Sunday morning. That just is not the case anymore. And we can wring our hands and wish for some time machine to transport us back in time, or we can face the reality and listen for God’s still speaking voice today.

It is not only the fact that stores are open. Even if blue laws were reinstated, I am not convinced we’d have to open the balcony on Sunday morning. The truth we need to confront is that it is NOT a waste of time to sit and simply be. We live in a culture that does not value silence or slowing down from a frenzied pace. If we don’t say we are “busy” when someone asks us how we are doing, we assume something is wrong with us. So, on this Saturday, I want to encourage you to “waste” time. Look at an old photo album. Pray. Write a silly story. Do something that other’s would say has no value and then come to church on Sunday. Because we worship a God who says our value comes not from our hands, our minds, or what we produce. Our value comes from being a beloved child of God. Period. See you in church. Blessings and peace. Amen.

Just Doing My Job Reprise

Yesterday at the Lenten services, I preaching about what it means to 'do my job'. The thoughts below reprise that sermon and offer a few additional thoughts.

What we do for a living and how we see ourselves is often intricately intertwined. One reason for that is the sheer volume of our time spent at work. Another reason is our work has become a socially acceptable topic to discuss in mixed company. And so often the stories we tell about ourselves are based on experiences we have doing things at work or out in the community. So, what you do gets wrapped up in who you are and how you see yourself. When we talk about our ‘job’ our minds drift to thinking about those activities for which we are paid as well as increasingly those activities for which we have responsibility and accountability. So, my ‘job’ might be both a pastor and a father. My work is both inside the church and also what I do around the house. I might be paid for my work as a pastor, but I certainly (alongside my wife) am accountable and responsible for my children.

Yesterday at the Lenten services, I spoke about how our job is really to be the people of God. I want to be careful here not to come across as making this sound too pie in the sky. To be the people of God is not something extra or additional to add to your already overfull schedules. To be the people of God acknowledges the truth that our primary role in all times and in all places and in all relationships is to hold fast to who we are and whose we are. We are the beloved children of God. We belong to God through a life giving and life changing relationship that unfolds every single day of our life. To be the people of God takes us into our offices where numbers are crunched and into classrooms where children are taught and into meeting after meeting after meeting. To be the people of God is not just a role we slip into when we walk into the church doors, it is a role we live into every single day of our life.

Tomorrow I will comment on the “but how do we be the people of God?” question as it relates to our scripture lesson for Sunday. But for today, I want to stress that being the people of God is not something extra we do, but a fundamental faithful characteristic that we live out in our daily life. The truth is you can be the people of God in different settings and in every profession. What would it mean for you to be the people of God when you sit down to a meeting today? What would it feel like for you to be the people of God when you go to volunteer? What would it look like to be the people of God when you type an email?

I also want to stress that I am using the plural form of that phrase intentionally. To be the people of God is not an isolated, individualistic endeavor. Or to quote one of my favorite authors, Albert Winseman, “The phrase ‘individual Christian’ is an oxymoron.” Sure, you are an individual who has been claimed by God. Sure, right now you might be by yourself reading this devotional. But…there are others in our church reading this devotional. You are connected to a church who gathers every Sunday to worship God. You are connected to brothers and sisters in Christ who go by different denominational brand names, but still we all try to follow Jesus. You are connected to a world-wide family of people in different countries. To be the people of God celebrates those connections. And to be the people of God is what we are called to live out today, in the places you go and the people you bump up against.

Prayer: Gracious God, help me today realize this world wide web of connections to all Your people And help me live out my job to be the people of God whether I am crunching numbers or repairing cars or talking to children or wherever and whatever I do today. Amen.

Singing a Psalm

Psalms are important for several reasons. First, since psalms are really a hybrid of poetry and song, you need to slow down when you read one. Imagine letting each line taking several seconds to read so it sinks into your mind, heart and imagination. Second, I recently ran across this thought from Eugene Peterson, “The prayer life of Jesus was formed, as the lives of all praying Jews were formed in the first century, by the Psalm - those 150 prayers that gather everything in our lives into a responsive believing and obedience to God.” (The Jesus Way, pg. 218). As we open our hearts and imaginations to the psalms that very action is prayer.
Today, the psalm I selected is Psalm 2, not usually one that makes our Top Ten Lists of the best loved psalms of all time. But Psalm 2 is one of the most quoted psalms in the New Testament. Portions of this psalm are found in Matthew 3:17; Acts 4:25-26 and 13:33; Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5; 2 Peter 1:17; Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5 and 19.15. So, I encourage you to slowly and in with a savory pace read this psalm.

Why do the nations conspire,
And the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and his anointed saying,
“Let us burst their bonds asunder,
And cast their cords from us.

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
The Lord has them in derision (contempt)
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
And terrify them in his fury, saying,
“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
Today I have begotten you. (note the echoes of Jesus’ baptism)
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage.
And the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
And dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
Be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear
With trembling kiss his feet
Or he will be angry, and you will
Perish in the way;
For his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in him.

So, my first response that this psalm is, really? Why is this the most quoted psalm? Why not the 23rd or the 121nd? Or I really like the psalms about making a joyful noise. I think part of the reason why this is quoted frequently is because it takes God’s presence in the world seriously and that God has a deep connection to all of Creation that God formed - from the earth to the trees to the humans and our ways of organizing ourselves. Second, while what often jumps off the page are the violent images, there is a promise that God will stay connected and in relationship with us, even when things go badly. In the book from Eugene Peterson that I quoted at the start of today’s devotion, he makes the claim that we can get so wrapped up in only seeing the sin and naming the brokenness that we miss the grace and where God is moving in reconciling ways. I think about that in my life. This last week my mother has been in the hospital, there have been lots of ups and downs. To be sure, it is a difficult situation. But also, within that reality, the support from the people at church has been sustaining and a true blessing. Within that reality, the woman my brother is dating is a nurse to help us sort through the medical information. Within that reality, I have felt God’s presence. It does not erase the difficulty, but it does offer a sacred refuge that the psalmist speaks about. I encourage you over this next week to read and reread this psalm. I would enjoy hearing your response to this psalm as well. What goes on in your imagination after reading it four or five times over the coming days? What questions and insights come to your heart?

May the traces of God's grace this day and week offer you a refuge and strength and a reminder of God’s promise now and throughout our Lenten journey. Amen.

Grief

I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping
Psalm 6:6

This week I have two funerals on two consecutive days. This is unusual for me. But, it gives me time to think prayerfully about how we do and do not deal with grief in our world.

Most of us are uncomfortable with grief. This is in spite of the fact that every single day we encounter moments of loss and the grief that comes with it. Often these are little things. Maybe we notice that our body is not healing as quickly as we'd like. Maybe we are facing a job transition. Maybe we notice that our kids seem older. Maybe we see a co-worker retire whose wisdom we always appreciated. Maybe a friend moves out of the community. Then, of course, there is the grief we sense when someone passes from this life into the next.

The psalms are full of honest emotions in response to heartfelt grief. Especially the one listed above. Another translation of the passage is that the psalmist bed is literally afloat in his tears. It can feel that way. Often it is in the night when the emotions we spent all day trying to push down finally find their way out in the form of tears or exhaustion or even frustration we direct at those closest too us.

Even if our own life feels calm right now, we need only turn on the television to see images of violence and bickering or brokenness that might also cause our hearts to well up with grief. When you don't allow space to recognize the grief for what it is, when you don't allow your heart the opportunity to express that grief, you know that sooner or later you can no longer push down the emotions.

I am grateful that the psalmist spoke these words. I am grateful that in trying to work my way prayerfully through two funerals this week I ran across these words. I encourage you to get out your Bible and read the whole psalm. Think about some of the places right now where you feel like you have lost something. Think about some places right now where you feel like you have gained something new. Think about where the traces of God's grace might be found in both.

For me, God is found when we gather to celebrate a person's life, entrust that person to God's everlasting care and then go eat Jell-O salads and cookies together. For me, it is found when I notice my kids are older and I notice while they don't need the same care they did two years ago, they still need a dad. For me, it is found when I name aloud and ask for God's strength to sustain me in the midst of honest, heartfelt grief. I pray you will sense the traces of God's grace this day and throughout the week to come.

Blessings and peace.

Ordinary

It has felt like an ordinary, average week. Trudging through the days with my trusty to-do list on my desk, checking off items, and generally immersed in the everyday-ness of life. That feels true around the church where the nearest sacred day (Easter) is a little less than two months away, but also feels true at home where the routine of making lunches, doing homework, and the day in, day out common events have worn a rut in our lives.

Don't get me wrong, I love schedules. I like the orderliness of it all. To be honest, it makes me feel like I am in control, because I know what to expect next. Yet, I also like serendipity and some surprises every day.

This week was short of surprises. Usually, when I think of traces of God's grace, those surprise moments are the ones that rise to the top for me...like cream. But when it is an ordinary, average week; when nothing in particular seems to distinguish itself from the to-do list, what then?

Is God found in moments when I am trying to brush out the snarls in my daughter's hair...taking care but rushing to get out the door? Is God found in the same spaghetti meal we've had several times this winter already? Is God found looking at the same computer screen, checking email, going about my daily work?

Often what I read talks about finding God on the mountain tops of joy or in times of difficulty. But what about a week like this, where life has taken on the motto of a turtle: "slow and steady wins the race"?

I am still processing this...as you might have already guessed. But, something in me says that God created all that is around us and within us; the promise is of God's presence in all times and places. And "all" means that even in the midst of an ordinary week filled with leftovers and life as usual, God is there. Maybe because I have gone through this week with a "been there, done that" kind of outlook, I have missed some of those serendipitous moments. Perhaps there was a faintness in the midst of the ordinariness.

Come to think of it, last night my wife and I started laughing so hard over a silly joke about vacation until my stomach hurt. Come to think of it, at a meeting on Monday night, people started to share where they had seen God's grace in their lives...even people who don't usually talk. Come to think of it, the sun is shining today and the ordinary gray of a February day is not the norm. Come to think of it...well actually...I pray by now you can fill in that sentence for yourself with a trace of God's grace you've experienced.

May those traces continue to offer you hope, peace, joy and love of God in the midst of these ordinary winter weeks ahead.

Blessings and peace.

Faithful Seeing

Mark 6:47-56

The often quoted and somewhat misleading cliche is that, "Seeing is believing". It is phrase shaped by the Enlightenment where what could be observed through the scientific method was believed to be closest to the truth. What the phrase misses is that what we see, experience, taste, and touch can have an emotional impact on how we see and what we believe.

A quick example: both my kids are now playing basketball. I love both my kids, but they could not be more opposite in their personalities. Every Saturday, my wife or I trek down to the Y and cheer on our kids. It is a blast. But what do I see when I watch my daughter who constantly passes the ball and has yet to try to take a shot? What do I see when my son races for every rebound? What I see is an extended reflection of what I am coming to know of both their personalities. In some ways, what I believe can impact what I see or at least what I am willing to see.

The disciples six chapters into Mark's gospels have seen a lot. People being healed, Jesus being welcomed with open arms, Jesus being shooed away, and they have even been sent out two by two and saw amazing things in their interactions with others. Last week, they saw over five thousand people be fed with five loaves and two fish. I don't know about you, but that is more than I usually see in a year. It is a lot to process.

In the passage above, Jesus causally walked on water like he is out for an evening stroll. And he seemed surprised that his water-walking would awaken fear and trembling in the eyes of the disciples. I must confess that I am with the disciples on this one.

Remember, that John the Baptizer had been killed just before the feeding. In their grief, they were about to go to a deserted place to be alone, to remember, and to comfort each other. But before they could get away a crowd gathered and Jesus felt compelled to teach. Then in the moments after the twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered, Jesus told the disciples to get in the boat.

I image their minds were swimming, afloat and adrift with countless thoughts and deep emotions. And so, when Jesus came walking past, I might have joined in the screams of thinking it was a ghost. Strange things had been happening, the disciples were exhausted emotionally, spiritually, and maybe even physically.

I am not sure why this caught Jesus off-guard. But it feels like the disciples and Jesus were not on the same page. Jesus wanted them to understand, for the proverbial light bulb to go off. The disciples wanted to understand, but A and B were not leading to C.

I think this happens in the church, in our work, and in our families. Someone sees the situation one way; another person sees the situation another. Trying to work out the tension between what is seen, or just trying to find words to communicate can be a challenge. Hence another cliche about "seeing eye to eye." Over the next several chapters, the disciples and Jesus keep trying to work through how each understands the other. Like all relationships that are meaningful, it takes work and there are moments of pure joy and disagreements.

I encourage you this week to be aware of what you are seeing. Who are the faces in the crowd at the grocery store? What do you see when you look around the dinner table? What about those pictures on the wall, what do you see? What do you see when you look around the church? How do you make sense of that?

I don't think I can see clearly all the time. But then again, life is not a test we have to pass. Sometimes out of moments when we get things wrong, when our vision is blurry, when we just fail to see something plain as day until later on, there can be great learning.

I pray that as you notice what is around you, you would also notice traces of God's grace stirring in your life in a way that makes a difference.

Blessings and peace to you.