Hebron Lane

Lots of Water

2012-02-09T19:00:00.003-05:00

I'm guessing no one has ever played a football game with John 3:23 emblazoned on their eye blacks.

"John was baptizing at Aenon near Salem because there was lots of water there, and people were coming to him to be baptized."

I've surely read this verse before, but it's never caught me like it has today. It seems so almost innocuous. Kind of telling us something obvious. John was baptizing at a place because there was lots of water there - of course he was. He's John the Baptizer, it's what he does and what he does what he does with.

Maybe it's saying something about the water. It puts me in the mind of another New Testament passage - from Acts 8 - Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Phillip shares the good news with the Ethiopian and then "As they went down the road, they came to some water." Yep. They just happened to come to some water on a desert road just when they happened to need some. "The eunuch said, 'Look! Water! What would keep me from being baptized?'" Well...nothing.

John's got plenty of water for baptizing. Phillip, it turned out, had plenty of water for baptizing. John needed lots. Phillip just needed some to show up in a pretty unlikely place. They both got what they needed - water. I think neither John nor Phillip was surprised to find the water they needed. I'm afraid that too often the surprise to we mainline Christians wouldn't be that we have water, but that we could need "lots" of it. We have received a wonderful gift - baptism, named and claimed as God's own people. And we, like John, have lots of water. John was expecting to use it - he knew he'd need lots of water.

I want to have that kind of expectation.

Our seminary student at Hebron, Maureen Clark, has guided us into a practice that our denomination has suggested churches make a part of the service of worship. Each week we pour water into our baptismal font. Sometimes at the prayer of confession and assurance of pardon. During the sermon. During the children's time. Call To Worship. Benediction. It could happen any time. It's been poured by Maureen, by myself, by children, youth and adults. People like it best when the big pourers do it. Folks who hold the pitcher high and let them see the water fall and hear the unmistakable sound it makes as it reminds us of our baptism, as it reminds us of the endless ways water winds its way through the stories of Scripture.

It reminds us that water is not scarce. Water is available and abundant. We have lots. No need to imagine that it's scarce or that the font is maybe even empty. We have been blessed. Folks came to John, a man came to Phillip (okay, technically I guess Phillip was led to that man), God sends people to us and we are sent to people. And there is lots of water. Lots.

Unity

2012-01-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

A thing Jesus did not say: "Come follow me. Until you hear me say something or see me do something you disagree with."
Cheryl Mound is a member of the United Church Women of the United Church of Canada. I don't know her. But I read her devotional. She was up on January 2, 2012 in "These Days" (a quarterly devotional magazine produced by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation). I read Cheryl's words on January 2 and have been returning to them regularly since.
"God calls us to live in a faith community as Jesus did. We are not meant to walk alone or to avoid debate among ourselves. Others are there to travel with us on the journey. When we walk with others, God walks with us. As this year unfolds, let us take opportunities to live as God intends."
In that brief paragraph something came together for me that for whatever reason had been jumbled up to that point. Yes, God is relational within God's own being - an idea we try to put words to when we talk about the Trinity. And, yes, God created us to be in relationship with God and with one another. And I think these ideas have always been core ideas for me. But never so vividly or concretely.
We live in a divisive time in the denomination I'm a part of (the Presbyterian Church USA) and in the larger world - our present political climate could be exhibit A. And somehow, division came to seem not only possible, but in some instances preferable. As though the highest value we could aspire to would be some sort of imagined purity - we will walk only with those who agree with us at every point. There is an allure to this. Purity isn't a bad thing. It's almost certainly preferable to impurity.
There are though, I believe, multiple problems with this approach to our relationships - the main problem being if we keep it up we won't have any relationships. Really. We will either at one point or another find a reason to part ways with nearly everyone OR we will learn to never say what we really think, feel, believe in our heart of hearts so as not to lose contact with those about whom we care. The former is a progressive winnowing process. The latter is a progressive dishonesty process.
I am thinking that Cheryl Mound has it right. We are not meant to walk alone. And we are not meant to avoid debate among ourselves. We are meant to walk in relationship and to honestly share what we believe about God and faith and matters of importance. We are also meant to listen to others as they walk with us and share about God and faith and matters of importance from the place where they live. And we are meant to have conversation, dialogue and debate about those things. And in that conversation the other may learn and we may learn and we may both find ourselves in someplace we had not imagined and would never have visited on our own.
I cannot categorically state that there are not instances when the healthiest thing for a person or group of people to do is to part company with another person or group of people. However, with a great nudge from Cheryl Mound I'm increasingly likely to say that working at the relationship with tenacity and perseverance and faith even when (and perhaps even more so) it's a challenge is the healthiest alternative available.

Top 10 (+7) Of 2011

2012-01-03T10:42:00.002-05:00

Inspired by my son Cameron's blog for his high school news magazine I've decided to throw together a top ten list of songs for 2011. To be truthful, not a great year for music, but there are some bright spots. At least one qualifier, I've got nothing against Adele, I just don't hear her right I guess.

Top Ten of 2011

1. Brighter Than The Sun – Colbie Caillet

Bringing back Fleetwood Mac type vibe and that’s a good thing.

2. Tonight, Tonight – Hot Chelle Rae

Perfect pop confection. Flawless.

3. This Is Country Music – Brad Paisley

What the title says. Cliché upon cliché reminds that cliché begins somewhere in truth, which is what country does better than any genre.

4. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall – Coldplay

These guys are magic. Physically unable to make bad music.

5. Good Life – One Republic

A guilty pleasure I think, but a really sonically pleasing one.

6. You and Tequila – Kenny Chesney (with Grace Potter)

Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter do what you would least expect – understated.

7. Back To December – Taylor Swift

Lovely.

8. Paris – Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

“If I was from Paris I would say….” Not understated at all. Big time fun.

9. You and I – Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga pulls off the unlikely, only Gaga could do it, task of suggesting mid 70’s Elton John, sounding like the lost Shania Twain single, and building in a Brian May signature moment.

10 Mean – Taylor Swift

Another great song by a great songwriter. Most of us just live through pain, heartbreak, joy, ordinary events, etc. Taylor Swift lives through it and then writes a great song about it.

11 Edge Of Glory –Lady Gaga

Clarence Clemons last great moment. The Big Man was on the charts when he left us.

12. Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band

Not quite as good as the best off of “Jet Black and Jealous”, but still a cut above most country folks.

13. For The First Time – The Script

A pop song about making a relationship work in a tough economy. Wonder how this found an audience.

14. Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5

While it’s unlikely anyone actually has the moves like Jagger (except Mick himself), this song is catchy like Maroon 5.

15. The One That Got Away – Katy Perry

Music sounds like Katy Perry, lyrics sound like Taylor Swift.

16. Superheavy – Miracle Worker

Mick chimes in with “There’s nothing wrong with you I can’t fix! I comea runnin’ with my little bag o’ tricks.” That guy still has the moves like Jagger.

17. Modern Love – Matt Nathanson

Thoughtful pop that sneaks up on you by not trying to hard.

To check out Cameron's list...

http://ww2.bullittschools.org/BEHSLiveWire/index.php/2011/12/31/12-31-2011-all-you-need-is-love-2-best-and-worst-songs-of-2011/

Taylor Swift and Daughter's Who Grow Up

2011-11-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

My daughter has been anticipating attending a concert for more than a year. Her brother went to one and she was promised tickets for a concert when she saw one she liked. She knew what she was waiting for - when Taylor Swift announced a date for Louisville in July 2011 she said, "That's it." So I dutifully was at the keyboard some morning in March, I think, at 10:00 a.m. and ordered tickets. Come the day of the concert and Miss Swift was forced to postpone due to illness. Concert rescheduled - on the night of a Middle School Girls basketball game - the one thing that could deter my daughter from her date with destiny. So we sold the tickets. Turns out Swift would be in Lexington on October 29 AND the basketball team would participate in a tournament on that same day. Drama. Would the games end early enough to allow us to make it to the concert? Joy! Which is to say, yes.
So to Rupp Arena with 16,000 other fans (largely teenage and younger girls and their parents). I was thrilled to see Eliza that happy. And it seemed like a nice atmosphere - this will be a nice evening for the kids I thought. Well, and for me to it turns out. Taylor Swift is not simply some confection created by a record label somewhere. Based on what I saw - she's the real thing. I've been a passive fan all along - I don't find much fault with her music, actually like a good bit of it and am much impressed by the fact that she writes these songs. I was already convinced she was a prodigiously talented artist. What I was not prepared for was the level of competence of the performer. Not a veteran of a ton of concerts, but have seen more than a few including several by my own personal favorite, Bruce Springsteen. Taylor Swift began the show by walking down the long ramp to the front of the elaborate stage and stood in the spotlight and immediately owned the room. She is no opera singer, but do not believe the naysayers, her voice is fine and she wields it with precision. The songs featured choreographed dance numbers, some pyrotechnics here and there, a short set performed at the back of the arena on the floor seated under a rotating tree, and wonderful energy along with a strong connection with her audience. Stunning command of the room. And all of 21 years old.
And the songs. Swift took the stage at 8:30 and played till 10:50. She played many songs I knew, a few I didn't (but my daughter certainly did) and she pulled off the remarkable feat of playing all that time and left you thinking, hey she didn't do...(Tim McGraw, Teardrops On My Guitar, White Horse and more). To be so young and to have such a full catalog of what I will argue are not only passable, but in most instances very good songs is really beyond imagination.
High point of the evening. In the quiet section of the show she sang a song I did not know called "Never Grow Up".
Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your little brother's favorite songs
I just realized that everything I have
Is someday going to be gone
Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up
Could still be little
Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up
It could still be simple
Dylan? Not so much. But nicely crafted pop song with a surprisingly self aware reflection on the passage of time? Yes. And try having your 13 year old daughter sing it in the seat next to you and put her head on your shoulder. Geez, am I crying at a Taylor Swift concert. Maybe. Misty anyway.
Great show. Taylor Swift. I'm a fan.

Dust

2011-09-12T13:58:00.002-04:00

There was a picture on one of the front pages of the Courier-Journal yesterday of a man from Louisville who had been in New York City on September 11, 2001. The picture showed him standing in a cathedral sanctuary holding a pair of dress shoes. The shoes were covered in dust. They were, of course, the shoes he was wearing on that day ten years ago and the dust was the debris of the events of that day. For a few moments before heading to church I sat with that picture in my lap and listened as on the television family members read the names of husbands and wives, sons and daughters - the names of people who had died that day read by those who live with the memory.

And I got to thinking about those shoes covered in dust. Those shoes are all of us. We are all covered in the dust of the debris of that day. I love that, at our August Session meeting, one of our elders asked if we would be touching on the events of 9/11 in our September 11 worship service. I love it because I think it's a great question coming from one of the folks providing spiritual leadership for the congregation - expressing concern for the need for our worship to speak to the world where we live. I don't know how we would have worshiped yesterday and not acknowledge the dust that has settled on our national psyche post 9/11/01.

The lectionary for the week demonstrated the uncanny ability of ancient scripture to speak a compelling, challenging, contemporary word to every moment in life. From Matthew's gospel we read of Jesus instruction to forgive seventy times seven times, or seventy-seven times or basically as many times as we have the opportunity to forgive. Jesus clearly knows forgiveness is not an easy task, understands that and asks for it anyway. It's what we have received and now it's what we are to practice. From Romans we were reminded that the judgment seat doesn't have our name on it - we don't get to sit there. Our energy is not well spent judging others, far more productive is the time we spend asking how we are doing in terms of how we might face such an accounting at this very moment.

The anniversary of September 11 is a day that I don't believe will ever slip quietly by. There is just all that dust. Thanks be to God who walks with us to meet the most unspeakable of challenges and grants us the resources - the love, the compassion, the forgiveness - that allow us to live in ways that do not ignore the dust,but rather enable us, day by day, to polish, to shine, to live towards God's better tomorrow.

(The man in the picture is Sean Higgins. To read the C-J piece on Sean Higgins, click on or cut and paste the following...)

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110911/EXTRAS17/309110078/1001/Survivor-Sean-Higgins-has-searing-memories-9-11?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|p

Dropping Off, Picking Up

2011-08-10T11:34:00.002-04:00

We picked up Eliza from Aldersgate camp in late July. We had dropped her off for several days at her Granny and Grandads and then she had gone on to camp. So we'd been apart for a week and a few days. Now we'd made our way through Richmond and Irvine and wound are way to the camp that has been a part of Cameron and Eliza's lives from the time they were each about four for the purpose of picking her up. A few days later we were off to Murray Kentucky to pick up Cameron from his five week stay with the Governor's Scholars Program where we'd dropped him off in the waning days of June.
Dropping off and picking up are a primary part of the skill set for this parent. I like doing it and I'm mostly okay at it, although I'm late more often than I should be. Dropping off and picking up has been going on since the days of the day care across the street from our house in Prestonsburg (Cameron was there briefly), preschool at the Baptist Learning Center in Prestonsburg (a gloriously blessed place), Mountain Christian Academy in Martin, Kentucky (Cameron's school K-5 and Eliza's K-1), Mount Washington Elementary (Eliza 2-5), Mount Washington Middle (Cameron for three years and Eliza entering her third) and Bullitt East High School (Cameron entering his fourth and final year this very day).
Dropping off and picking up is what we parents do. School, friends houses, dance lessons, soccer practices, basketball practices, we deliver our children, they learn, play, grow and we pick them up and bring them home. I especially am fond of the bringing them home part. I truly enjoy the moment when they emerge from the school, even on the grumpy mood days for the most part, the moment when they come into view and climb into the car and are ours again. For a while.
The routine worked a little differently this year. Cameron's friend picked him up and took him for his first day of his Senior year of high school. It's a movement which Eliza mitigated the effects of a bit by assuring me that I could take her to school. She was playing, but she also knows how emotionally fragile her dad is with things like this, so it was an appreciated gesture.
All of it points to a time when in some figurative way we will drop them off at the next phase of life and the picking up will be a thing of the past. So a word from a fragile dad to any parents reading these words - savor the picking up and dropping off. Don't become frustrated when the task becomes necessarily complicated by laborious comparing of your schedule and your spouses schedule and your in-laws schedule and your friends schedules to see that all the ports (both of exit and entry) are covered. Enjoy the rhythm of the dropping off and picking up. It is a gift. Every time.

The Beautiful Game: It's Happening

2011-07-11T16:51:00.001-04:00

I was listening to ESPN radio the other night and Amy Lawrence, a regular back-up host, was questioning why it still is that soccer doesn't catch on as a spectator sport in the United States. This question made sense once upon a time. That time is past. Soccer has been making steady inroads in the United States for the past fifteen to twenty years and the future of soccer at both the participatory and spectator sport levels is bright. People who are old enough to remember the failure of the North American Soccer League still labor under the impression that soccer has no following in the United States. Here is why this is wrong in no particular order....
Major League Soccer (MLS): The MLS has been a powerful engine for growth of the game in the United States. Having learned from the failure of the NASL they avoided the trap of going after big name players as a way of driving the sport. Down that road lies your sport as a curiosity. Instead, they have set sensible financial parameters in place and built slowly and steadily. If I could have a franchise in any sport today to hold for the future I'd take an MLS franchise. In the past few years we have seen the introduction of some name players, but in a responsible way that doesn't bankrupt the league. More importantly, when the league came into existence, one franchise, the Columbus Crew, had a soccer specific stadium. Now many of the MLS franchises have soccer only facilities. And the MLS has discovered a soccer hotbed in the Pacific Northwest. The franchise in Seattle is drawing 36,000 people for home games (which actually allows them to play in a football stadium and not look like they are playing to an empty structure as was the problem for so long in places like Kansas City. Portland and Vancouver have each been added to the league in the recent past and have brought rabid followings with them. Some people feel compelled to run down MLS soccer as a pale imitation of the great leagues of Europe - so be it. MLS is clearly not at a level with top leagues in England, Italy or Germany. The soccer being offered here is increasing in quality each year and the product is enjoyable and competitive. Beyond that, as fans get more attached to their teams, the enjoyment of the league grows.
National Team Play: Both the Women's and the Men's national team have played important roles in the success of soccer in the US. The Men have have produced some good results in regional play and have qualified for the past several World Cups, a feat that is not to be overlooked. Several home grown stars have emerged: Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey are prime examples. And then there is our wonderful Women's team. From the first generation stars such as Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Christine Lilly and Brandi Chastain to current mainstays like Abby Wambach and Hope Solo, the women's team has demonstrated a remarkable ability to produce great players who were also great personalities and ambassadors for the game. And it seems that with each major event our teams produce a memorable game that pushes the sport that much further into the limelight. The recent US women's comeback win over Brazil in the Women's World Cup is another example of this. The ESPN family of networks was covered over with coverage of Women's Soccer following the game - which is the best kind of promotion - excitement generated by actual onfield accomplishment.
Youth Leagues: I didn't go track down the numbers, but it seems to be a given that for a good long time now the sport with the most children and young people playing it in the United States has been soccer. This has actually been one of the points that critics point to, asking why it's so popular to play and yet can't get an audience to come and watch the pro version. To which I'd reply, not too creatively, Rome wasn't built in a day. It's growing. The more people play the more people know the game, the more people don't get confused by the offsides rule, the more people understand the nuances and particularities of the game, the more migration we will see from youth player to fan and from youth player to college and, for some, pro player.
All of which combined leads to a sport that is on the rise. Slowly, incrementally moving forward. The days of the goofy sportscaster who takes the obligatory cheap shot at soccer is on the decline. Bottom line, all of the above factors are built on the best of solid foundations - soccer is a great game. It is the beautiful game. It is a true team sport - which surely produces it's individual geniuses - but which just as surely is reliant on the team functioning as a team. Take the Abby Wambach equalizer goal in the Brazil game for example. Wambach, in my estimation the best women's player we've produced, brought her unique skill set to bear on that goal, but it would have never happened if the rest of the team had not executed. Time was running down in extra time. Many teams in that situation would simply have dumped the ball forward, chased and hoped for the best. And probably come up empty. Not the US women. Instead the possessed the ball from the defensive end. They made good passes that allowed them to possess the ball over the midfield. They put the ball on the foot of Megan Rapinoe who made a spectacular pass to Wambach in the box (you try and be that precise with a ball from that distance) and Abby did her special magic. Team.
Soccer in the United States is on the rise. Truth. It's happening.

3 Things I Learned At Disney World

2011-04-25T10:16:00.000-04:00

Have concluded the journey through the New Testament, but busy schedule has kept me away from blogging once I hit Romans. One of those bits of busyness in the past couple of months was the very much fun busyness of going to Disney World with the family. Had a chance immediately after returning from Disney to speak to a gathering of Methodist and Presbyterian Camp and Conference folks who were gathered for a retreat at Kavanaugh Camp and Conference Center in Crestwood, Kentucky. What follows is a synopsis of some of what I shared with them about three observations from Disney that might have application for Camp, Conference and Retreat ministry and perhaps for the church in general.

3 Things I Learned At Disney World

1) Families Want To Be Together
This trip was a special trip for our family as we were able to be together with Julie's mom and dad and with her brother Ed as well as the four of us. We have been very fortunate and have been to Disney about once every two years for the past ten years or so. This particular trip was different for a couple of reasons. First, Julie's dad, Paul, usually doesn't go with us. He's not especially a Disney fan and has chosen to stay home in the past. This time however, Eliza, did that grand-daughter magic and asked Grandad to come along - and he said yes. Second, Julie's mom, Joy, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer back in the fall, not long after the plans for this trip were finalized. That diagnosis was followed by a surgery that was to have been an hour to an hour and a half, but ended up being about eight hours long. Joy spent several weeks in the hospital recovering, getting stronger and then, after going home, getting ready for chemo treatments. It seemed the trip was perhaps going to be a casualty of this much more immediate and important circumstance. Instead the trip became a rallying point. Through the rigors of healing and chemo Joy kept in front of her the goal of being with family at Disney, a place she, along with rest of us, very much enjoys. It was a great week for us - doing a few things differently and learning to move at a more leisurely pace at the "Happiest Place On Earth", but it was great and the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom on our last night is one of those memories that will always be with us.
Looking around while we were there I noticed that we weren't the only extended family at Disney. In fact, it seemed to be a pretty common occurrence. Grandparents, Parents, Grandchildren, Uncles and Aunts traveling together and enjoying being together. Our family clearly had our own story going on in this trip, but on further reflection, I suspect that most of those families had equally dynamic narratives that were going on in their lives and time and again I saw families, the larger, extended kind of family, enjoying one another with gusto. It seems to me that families want to be together. That they are looking for a place that makes this kind of intergenerational, family experience possible. A place that facilitates that sort of interaction, making it easier rather than more difficult. This would seem to me to be both useful information and strategic challenge to the Church. In our worship, in our fellowship, in the variety of ways that we come together, we have multiple opportunities to be a place where families can be together and grow in their relationships with one another and with God. And, for the Church, I think the multi-generational family can be interpreted in a number of ways. The bottom line is that people of different age groups can not only tolerate each other, they can enjoy one another even seek out being together. How can we work at facilitating this in the Church.
An aside: Kudos to Aldersgate Camp in Irvine, Kentucky where my kids have been campers since they were very young. One of the camps that they have loved as they've grown up has been Aldersgate's Grand Camp. From about ages 4-12, Cameron with his Grandad and Eliza with her Granny have enjoyed these annual times of being together.

2) We Are Trying To Move From The Steam Engine To Space Mountain
When I was young I was not a big fan of the train ride that encircled the amusement park. Whether it was the Zoo or Kings Island or Disney World the train seemed kind of boring. My parents really liked them however and I have come to understand why. Every moment you are on the train is a moment that you are not walking. Having a seat for 20 minutes in the midst of a day of constant motion is actually not just a good, but a great ride. So, I'm in for the train ride - I'm a fan.
Disney's train is pulled around the park by a steam engine from the early 1900's (the oldest being from around 1903). The train leaves Main Street USA, travels through Frontierland, where it stops and then is on to Fantasyland. The train used to have a stop in Fantasyland, but they are doing some fairly substantial construction in this area so there is no station to get on or off of the train there right now. The train did stop there however, to take on water for the engine. We were in the front car of the train and as we sat there in the front car waiting as the engine took on water I found myself looking throught the back window of the engine, through to the front window of the engine and then on to the looming, distinctive shape of the coaster, Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. I sat looking at that and thought to myself, "I'm sitting in Church." In a way, that's where we are - the church is sitting in the train, pulled by a steam engine and trying to figure out how to get to Space Mountain. We are trying to figure out what is essential to who we are and what is of value from our past that we do not want to jettison and yet we are looking off through the windshield and see we've got some moving forward to do. There's a world of internet, and Twitter and Facebook and globalization and all manner of things that challenge us to figure out how we take the best of who we are, our core as the body of Christ forward into the future so that we may continue to share the timeless truth of the good news of Jesus Christ in the most effective and relevant manner in the tomorrow into which we are moving. The steam engine is great, but if the world is ahead of us on Space Mountain, like the Apostle Paul we want to go where the people are.

3) Little People Want To Learn To Be Big and Big People Want To Remember What It's Like To Be Little
I was riding around in those little cars in Tomorrowland with my daughter and having a look around at the cars around us. These are the cars that you drive - sort of. They have their own gas pedal and steering wheel, so you make it go and you guide it. However, there is a rail on the road so you can't really get off the track and everyone is guaranteed to make it from beginning to end. Watching the surrounding cars it was clear that kids love to drive these cars. Some whose feet barely reach the gas, whose cars stop and start and stop and start and some who have a parent of other adult riding with them and maybe taking over the chore of keeping the accelerator pushed down. The kids have huge grins on their faces - they are driving! Kids love the opportunity to experience something that is typically reserved for adults. They love to learn to be big. At the same time adults love driving these cars. They have to fold themselves up carefully to be able to get behind the wheel and once in the seat it can't be all that comfortable, yet they too have faces that are lit up with grins. They love being out of their minivan or other grown up car and driving the stylized race car on the Disney track. They also don't mind a drive where you can't possibly wreck the car and where if you do bump the car in front of you it causes a good laugh rather than a lawsuit. Adults love remembering what it was like to be little.
There's a discipleship lesson here for the church I think. The more obvious perhaps being that we have a task in the body of Christ of helping those who are little to grow in their faith as they move along in the journey. Children do hunger to learn the stories and the traditions of faith and are eager to share time with adults who care about them and authentically want to serve as their guides. At the same time adults clearly benefit from remembering what it's like to be little - to see things on occasion from the perspective of their younger, more adventurous and sometimes more creative selves. Leaving for awhile the planning calendars and the responsibility and having creativity and fun be the most important goals can be stimulating to us on our spiritual journey and open us to experience God and to growth that we might miss in what becomes our day to day grind.
Disney was great once again and we had a great family time. And maybe along the way learned some things.

Acts 21, 22

2011-03-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

Acts 21, 22

Overview: Paul travels to Jerusalem. Paul is beaten by a mob, arrested and addresses a Roman tribunal.

"When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly." (Acts 21:17)
Paul travels to Jerusalem and checks in with the leaders of the Jerusalem church. Things seem to be going well as Paul and the Jerusalem leadership are working out what it means to be a follower of the Way for Jews and for Gentiles in terms of religious practice. It's a warm welcome, which has to be a good thing and they are making progress on the issues at hand. So how can a good visit go bad quickly. Paul goes to the Temple, a riot breaks out, false accusations are hurled, Paul is beaten and then Paul is arrested. Yet another biblical example of a faithful follower of Jesus having a less than stellar day. As is often the case it is not simply that a follower of Jesus can have a bad day, it's that this follower of Jesus is having a bad day specifically for what he is doing as a follower of Jesus. I would say again that it is not universally true that we have to get in trouble to be sure we are following Jesus, but it is abundantly clear that smooth sailing and no trouble in our life is NOT an indication that God likes us better than other less faithful people. Christian faith and practice is essential in our lives in good times, in challenging times and in times that can only be described as bad. Further there may well be times when we find ourselves in those challenging and bad times not in spite of, but because of our faith. Faith is hard. Rewarding and life fulfilling like nothing else. But hard.

Acts 19, 20

2011-03-10T09:14:00.002-05:00

Acts 19, 20

Overview: Paul is still on the move. Traveling around and encouraging churches and presenting the good news. Paul makes what he says will be his final visit with the leaders of the church in Ephesus on his way to visit the church in Jerusalem.

We are told in Acts 19 that seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva try to cast out a demon. Their formulation is to order the demon out by invoking the "Jesus whom Paul proclaims". The demon's response is at one level comical: "Jesus I know, Paul I know, but who are you?" It is reminiscent of places in the Gospels where demons that Jesus is casting out seem to be the ones who most clearly know who he is and what sort of power he wields. Here in this passage we have individuals who are attempting to co-opt the work of Paul in the name of Jesus and while it is unclear if the general population believes they are part of the movement known as the Way (Jesus followers) it is clear what that demons clearly recognize who is following Jesus and who is simply wanting to make a grab at power.

Acts 17, 18

2011-03-10T09:13:00.002-05:00

Acts 17, 18

Overview: Paul, Silas and Timothy share missionary journey. Apollos arrives in Ephesus.

Paul and Silas are in Thessalonica. The Jewish leadership is unhappy with what the two are stirring up amongst the people. This leads to a great line - "These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also." (17:16) What a great, succinct description of what happens when Jesus gets into the mix. Priorities get challenged, lives get transformed, change breaks out all over, the world gets turned upside down. How upside down has our faith made our life. What is it like living in the kingdom world of Jesus' priorities? How is it so very different - so different that it makes people say "they are turning the world upside down". Paul and Silas got noticed. Are we 2011 followers of Jesus getting noticed?

Acts 14, 15, 16

2011-03-07T23:41:00.000-05:00

Acts 14, 15, 16

Overview: Paul and Barnabas continue their missionary journey and are mistaken for Zeus and Hermes. Paul and Barnabas take up the Gentile question with the Jerusalem church and are backed by Peter. Paul and Barnabas have a falling out and Paul continues his work with a new partner, Silas. Paul and Silas put an end to a bad business plan (and are not thanked for it) and then they live through an earthquake while in jail which leads to the creation of a great Sunday School song.

Singing songs of praise,
Singing songs of happiness,
Dark the day,
Light your way,
Keep singing songs of praise.

Paul and Silas were in jail,
Bail they could not raise,
Jailers callin',
Walls start fallin,
Singing the songs of praise.

I'm not positive, but I think that's how the song went. We used to sing this on a regular basis at Whirlybird and Jet Cadet meetings at Memorial Presbyterian Church when I was growing up. One of the great things about so many of these Acts stories - many of them are visceral and fantastic - the kind of thing that appeals to the mind of a young person. Plenty of adventure along with the reassuring message that God will take care of us.
Acts 14 features the story of Paul and Barnabas being mistaken for Zeus and Hermes. Zeus or Hermes aside, I am always impressed by the way the followers of Christ in the book of Acts consistently point beyond themselves to Christ. In an earlier passage it was Peter who was faced with being treated like a god and instead pointed beyond himself to God. Pride must have been a great temptation especially when things were going well, the message was being well received and people were being healed. The preachers and teachers of the early church kept ever before them that it was Christ's gospel that animated all that they did. And because of their single minded devotion the church is here today with the same mission - point to Christ - now entrusted to us.

Acts 11, 12, 13

2011-03-04T09:19:00.001-05:00

Acts 11, 12, 13

Overview: The Jerusalem church discusses the inclusion of Gentiles with Peter following his experience with Cornelius. Peter is put in prison and then helped to escape by an angel. Paul and Barnabas preach and teach.

The story in Acts 12 is one of my favorites in all of Scripture. A great story about the real power of prayer and about the expectations we bring to prayer. Peter is in prison. Followers of the Way are gathered in a home praying for his release. An angel is sent to aid Peter in escaping from prison. Peter makes good on leaving the prison and heads for the home where the folks are locked up inside praying for his release. He knocks on the door. A servant girl, Rhoda, answers. Rhoda runs and tells the people that Peter is at the door - in essence she runs and tells them, "Your prayers are answered." The response of the assembled prayer group of believers? "You are out of your mind."(12:15) This story always draws me in. It makes me laugh and then it makes me examine once again how much more seriously I need to value the power of prayer. The people pray. They love God. They love Peter. They want Peter out of prison and they are talking to God about getting Peter out of prison. But they are shocked beyond belief and reason when the prayer actually works. We are called to prayer; this passage pushes us a bit farther to the point where we are to pray as though we believe it may work. Pray expectantly and wait for the knock that can't come at the door as though it may come at any moment - such is the power of God.

Acts 8, 9, 10

2011-03-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

Acts 8, 9, 10

Overview: Lots of stuff going on. A brief appearance by a venomous Saul. The story of how the disciples disperse to elude their persecutors and continue to preach and bear witness to the good news in a variety of places. Great story of Philip and the court official from Ethiopia who meet up in the wilderness. Saul heads for Damascus to do harm to Christians and has his life permanently adjusted. Peter has a vision that moves him to believe that the good news of Jesus is for Gentiles as well as Jews.

Where did you go yesterday? Who did you see and speak to? Where are you headed today? Our lives are a mixture of planning and random moments. We may feel at times like we are precisely where we are supposed to be and at other times like we are where we are for no particular reason. These three chapters all push us to take seriously that wherever we happen to be at any moment is exactly the spot that God has in mind for us to be. Philip is called away from a successful work in Samaria to to a southern road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. The text offers an aside - "This is a wilderness road." This appears to be an odd turn of events. Leave a place where you are doing effective work so that you can be on a wilderness road. Not in Jerusalem. Not in Gaza. Specifically on the road, the wilderness road, between the two of them. Random. He happens upon a court official from Ethiopia. The court official happens to be reading a particular passage of Scripture. He happens to ask for help from the person who happens to be nearby - Philip. Philip happens to be able to help. THEN there HAPPENS to be water on the wilderness road. The Ethiopian asks to be baptized - what's to prevent it seeing as how he understands what he is reading and there happens to be water. So many random moments falling into place, except they only superficially appear to be random. God puts people in places for purposes.
Paul is ready to go terrorize some Christians in Damascus. He's fired up, has his marching orders in hand and he's off. Jesus happens to appear to him on the road and sends him to a Chrisitan leader in Damascus who happens to be someone who is able to overcome his misgivings about Paul and reach out to him in Christian love. And Paul is off to the synagogue and a where a persecutor had once been a powerful force for the gospel is unleashed. I do not believe Ananias happened to be the person who was handy for the job. I believe Ananias was the person who God had been preparing for that very particular assignment.
Peter is in Joffa at the home of Simon the tanner. He happens to be on Simon's roof and has a vision. At the same time Cornelius, a God fearing Gentile, is having a visit from an angel asking him to send for Peter. Peter winds up traveling to Cornelius' home and more proclamation and baptizing ensue. All as a result of events that could have seemed disconnected or random, but which, when the story is strung together take shape with a purpose that come clearly into view.
Where are you going today? Who will you encounter? Imagine for a moment that none of it is random. Believe for a moment that all of it is a piece of God's unfolding plan. Our days just got way more interesting.

Acts 5, 6, 7

2011-03-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

Acts 5, 6, 7

Overview: Two members of the community hold back profits from the sell of a piece of property. The disciples need some organized help. Stephen is arrested, preaches a great sermon and is stoned to death.

Acts 4 ends with the early Christian community in something of an idyllic state. Everything is held in common by all and there was not a needy person among them. This goes on all the way until the very beginning of the next chapter. Which is to say, not very long. Immediately in Acts 5 we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira who misrepresented what they had sold a piece of land for and attempted to deceive the community so that they could keep some of the profit. Peter sees through what they have done and points out to both of them that it's not what the community they are trying to deceive, but God and that this is an impossible project. Both Ananias and Sapphira then drop dead. Continuing on there is some unhappiness with the way some of the folks in the community are receiving what they need which leads to the disciples getting an earful from the unhappy parties involved. This issue is met by the naming of a group specfically to deal with caring for the physical needs of the community. In Acts 7 Stephen is arrested and following an impassioned sermon is stoned to death. The community which had been living in bliss is quickly faced with internal disobedience, discord and attack from the outside. The point being that, once again, the Bible makes no case for faith being easy. It is telling that the book of Acts is not four chapters long and does not end with the church living happily ever after. Instead it chronicles the challenges, the great acts of faith and the hardships that the community lives through as they follow the Way. It is helpful in our imperfect days and imperfect communities to see that we share our imperfection in common with our earliest Christian predecessors. And, perhaps, it will inspire us to be as courageously faithful in the face of our sin, shortcomings and imperfections as they were as well.

Acts 3, 4

2011-03-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

Acts 3, 4

Overview: Peter and John heal a man at a gate to the temple. Peter preaches. The Church grows and the folks share things.

Peter and John's actions show they've been paying attention to Jesus. And by that I mean they've been paying attention to the fact that Jesus pays attention to people. When Peter and John encounter a man asking for assistance at the gate to the temple known as Beautiful, they listen to what he asks for and then they pay close attention to him to offer what he needs. He asks for alms, it's what he's become accustomed to doing. Peter and John say that they do not have any silver or gold to share - they could just let it drop at that point. Instead their assessment of the situation leads them to believe that they have something else to offer - something more valuable - something the man needs - healing. The man had been lame - the disciples help him to walk. One take away for us is to remember to pay close attention both to what people ask for and to what God's Spirit leads us to believe they need. Another is to ask ourselves what resources God has placed in our hands to help those in need. Peter and John did not have financial resources at that moment - it did not stop them from helping.
Acts 4:20 also offers us a challenge as we pursue our own walk of faith. "We cannot keep from speaking about what we have heard and seen." Personal safety have become unimportant considerations for Peter and John. What is primary for them is sharing what they have witnessed - sharing the life giving message of Jesus Christ. Our personal safety is usually not going to be part of the equation - it's not out of the question, but our largerst concern is typically going to be our comfort level with talking about and sharing Jesus with others, as opposed to facing arrest or physical danger. When God's life changing power is at work in our lives Peter and John's words will be our own, "we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Acts 1, 2

2011-02-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

Acts 1, 2

Overview: Acts begins with the disciples seeing Jesus ascend to heaven and then getting about the work of organizing themselves for ministry, starting by finding a replacement for Judas. Chapter two features the events of the Pentecost.

The disciples have a practical dilemma. Judas, who betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide, has left them a person short in their ministry. Having Jesus words of commission to them fresh in their ears and waiting as Jesus instructed them to for the gift of the Holy Spirit, they use the time to solve their personnel problem. They find two individuals who had been around them throughout Jesus time with them and have the two draw straws, with Matthias winding up in the empty slot. My mentor, Rev. Dr. Robert R. McGruther, used this passage when working with nominating committees. His point was that whether through a deliberative process as a committee or through casting lots as the disciples did, the goal is to trust that God's Spirit is at work in the process
Early on in Acts there is mention that Peter stands and addresses the assembled believers and sets their number at about 120. And then it grows. Acts makes a point of routinely mentioning that the ministry of the disciples is drawing people to Jesus and at the end of the second chapter we have the first of what will be a regular statement - "And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." While numbers are not the be all and end all by which we measure the vitality of a ministry I am continually pursuaded by the witness in Acts that it is a legitimate measure and one we should pay attention to even when, perhaps especially when, it challenges us.

John 20,21

2011-02-28T00:39:00.000-05:00

John 20, 21

Overview: Jesus' resurrection. Jesus shares a post-resurrection breakfast with his friends.

A couple of thoughts as we close out John's Gospel specifically and the Gospels in general.
First, love the last line of John's Gospel for the window it gives us into what a Gospel actually is. John writes that there is so much more that could be told if he were so inclined. The point of the Gospel - I think each of the Gospels - is not to tell a complete history or biography of Jesus. This is not to say that they do not want to portray things with historical accuracy, but that they are picking and choosing the stories they think will go the farthest towards convincing the reader of who Jesus was/is and what his ministry among us was all about.
Second, John is often characterized as the most theologically complete of the Gospels and there is clearly a level of theological reflection here that is not present in Matthew, Mark and Luke. However, there is also remarkable detail in these stories. Attention to particular words and actions and details and nuances in the stories that, in my mind, argue for their authenticity. John doesn't seem to be manipulating stories to make his theological points - instead he seems to be finding the theological depth that honestly exists in the stories he tells.
Have enjoyed making my way through the four Gospels - looking forward to one of my favorite books of the
Bible - the Acts of the Apostles.

John 18, 19

2011-02-28T00:27:00.002-05:00

John 18, 19

Overview: Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial.

Power vs. Truth.
True Power vs. The Perception of Power
Pilate thinks Jesus is harmless, if a little deluded. He's the person in charge, has a lot on his plate and would really rather not be sending off what he perceives to be a pretty much harmless man to be executed. Of course, when push comes to shove, he will do that if necessary and apparently it becomes necessary. Two thousand years later we are reading this account and we are all in on Pilate's confusion. Pilate, with all of his power and importance, is important to us from this distance for one reason and one reason only. His role in Jesus' story. Pilate comes across as a guy who likes being in charge, but isn't interested in being emeshed in the specifics of the story - he just wants it dealt with. Jesus does not respond to any of the buttons that Pilate is accustomed to utilizing. Pilate throw ups his hands with his response to Jesus - "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Pilate is used to being the one who names what truth is and having people fall in to their role in the reality that he has named. Jesus confounds Pilate and exposes him at the same time. Pilate, I think, knows how illusory his power is, but has never been in the presence of someone who seems to also know it. Jesus does.

John 15, 16, 17

2011-02-26T22:06:00.000-05:00

John 15, 16, 17

Overview: Jesus speaking to and praying about the disicples following the Last Supper.

These three chapter feature a good bit of somewhat dense theological reflection by Jesus about his mission and ministry, his relationship to his Father, his relationship to the disciples, the disciples relationship to each other and to the world and so on. There is a lot going on. At the same time you can hear Jesus very human concern and affection for those he has spent so much of his time with during his earthly ministry. He is one moment striving to give them one last thing to remember, one last truth to fall back on and the next praying earnestly for them and the work they will undertake in his physical absence. In these chapters we find prime examples of what sets John's Gospel apart from Matthew, Mark and Luke. There is a level of theological reflection and discourse here that is never so overt in the others.

John 12, 13, 14

2011-02-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

John 12, 13, 14

Overview: John's Palm Sunday account. Followed by John's Last Supper account - Jesus washes the disciples feet.

"The Pharisees then said to one another, 'You see, you can do nothing. Look the world has gone after him.'"(12:19)
This line jumps off the page. It's reminds me of when they put a microphone on the coaches during a basketball game. On occasion, instead of getting a carefully considered and worded statement from the coach the microphone will catch the true thoughts and feelings of the person wearing the mic. Instead of the polite or brave public face you hear the real plan for attacking the other team or the real frustration the coach is feeling with one (or more) of the players. So here are the Pharisees caught saying what they really think. Not the "for public consumption" taking Jesus to task for healing that person on the Sabbath or for making some claim about who he is and who God is, but a relevatory moment - a window into their true thoughts and deepest fears. "You see, you can do nothing. Look the world has gone after him." They feel things slipping away. People are responding less and less to their institutional authority and more and more to this upstart preacher from the Galilee and his unorthodox methods and practices. They are uneasy and this can't be allowed to go on unchecked. When we really encounter Jesus we can probably identify with both the people who are captivated by him and with the Pharisees who have issues with him. Jesus personality and message are magnetic and compelling - we sense that in following him there is freedom. At the same time there is clearly something revolutionary here that pushes back the boundaries of what we've come to think of as normal behavior and practices. Jesus doesn't want us to live life as usual and sometimes life as usual may be predictable and boring, but it is also comfortable and secure if imperfect. The truly dazzling moments for us occur when we summon the courage or give in to the curiosity to follow Jesus up the road.

John 10, 11

2011-02-24T09:29:00.001-05:00

John 10, 11

Overview: Jesus talks about himself as the Good Shepherd. Jesus, after waiting a couple of days, travels to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and brings Lazarus back from the dead.

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10
The concept of abundant life is one that I find both compelling and problematic. Compelling in the way that Jesus talks about it and the way that those in his life experience it. Problematic in the way that the term "abundant life" is sometimes used in ways that seem incongrous with the way in Jesus spoke of it. The confusion is not just ours - I think it crops up in scripture as well. Here we have some of the Jews (vs.22-30) pleading with Jesus to make it simple - just tell us if you are the Messiah - when will you tell us plainly. Jesus seems to respond that he can't be any more plain then he has been. The work of the Messiah will provide abundant life, but it will not provide (necessarily) a comfortable, secure, problem free life free of complexities. I don't know for sure what the people asking Jesus to be more plain were wanting, but I suspect that part of what they were wanting was to have things made simple. Jump to the next chapter and I think we have in Mary and Martha a snapshot of two women who are living the abundant life. They are deeply saddened by the death of their brother, even saying that if Jesus had arrived sooner their brother would not have died. But behind those words there is, in their words and actions, an underlying commitment to Jesus and to whatever he is doing. They don't doubt Jesus, they just long that this day to day matter had played out differently. There is an embrace of the complex here that is instructive. Life will sometimes move in ways that make us happy and sometimes it will go in ways that hurt us, make us unhappy and which we will not understand. However we are experiencing life at this moment, Jesus is still the Lord of all life. It doesn't change the complexity of this moment, but the underlying belief and assurance in God's plan means that whether today is a celebration or an uphill battle, life is still abundant because we, along with Mary and Martha and the disciples have bought into Jesus' message. I am convinced that struggling with and working out what abundant life means as we follow Jesus is central to being the followers we are called to be. And I am forever convinced that abundant life is not the removal of difficulties, challenges and other complexities of life. Be plain with us, if it is a yearning for understanding of God's plan that means we are willing to fully engage ourselves is a prayer that seeks after abundant life. Be plain with us, if it means make it easy for us, seems to me to bear little relation to abundant life as Jesus speaks describes it.

For a great contemporary illustration of a woman striving to live the abundant life follow the link below which should connect to the PC(USA) Mission Yearbook entry for today.
http://gamc.pcusa.org/yearbook/february-24/

John 8, 9

2011-02-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

John 8, 9

Jesus teaches at the temple. Stops a woman from being executed. Mixes it up with the Jewish religious leadership. Heals a blind man. And you know there is going to be trouble when you start healing blind folks.

I'm a big fan of the comedy troupe Monty Python. Most of the bits I enjoy most from them have the common thread of John Cleese's presence. Which makes it no surprise that I am also a very big fan of Cleese's classic series "Fawlty Towers". Fawlty Towers is a flawlessly executed version of a very British form of humor relying on convention and set pieces and putting small pieces in place for the majority of the episode so that (kind of like the game Mouse Trap) it can all rain down laughter in a monumental payoff in the end. Which brings us to John 9. John 9 is certainly not intended to be a situation comedy, Jesus heals a blind man and deals with the fall out which is, of course, serious stuff. Except that there is humor here. There is irony here. There are people who are doing precisely what they think they ought to be doing while doing precisely what they ought not be doing. There are blind people who can see, sighted people who cannot see, and, along the way, people who can hear perfectly well and yet cannot hear at all. It is not hard to imagine Basil Fawlty (Cleese) in the role of a Pharisee ranting about blind people seeing while all the while having perfectly good eyesight and running into obstacle after obstacle in a way that can only indicate a certain kind of blindness. John is masterful in making his point here. And a bit funny along the way.

John 6, 7

2011-02-21T22:20:00.000-05:00

John 6, 7

Jesus feeds a large crowd and walks on water. He talks about himself as the bread of life.

Couple of mentions of the temple police in chapter 7. That always catches my attention and brings a smile. My mind speculates on who the temple police might be in 2011. It always seems a shame to me that Pentecost is the one Sunday where red is the color and I have a stole that I love that is red and was a gift from my youth group back in Missouri. I will often press my luck and where it for a Sunday or two beyond Pentecost. I will tell the congregation that we will go ahead and worship and hope the church police don't show up. So far, so good.
Jesus talks a good bit about himself as the bread of life here. This comes just a short time after he has talked about himself as living water and after he has miraculously fed a large crowd. All of this puts me in the mind of the sacrament of communion. I have always attended and then been pastor of churches that had an irregular communion schedule, usually celebrating the sacrament around eight times a year. When called to Hebron I found myself at a church that celebrated communion on the first Sunday of each month. I wondered at the time how that would feel over the course of time - whether it would seem like it was too often. It has not. I love the rhythm of starting each month with communion which keeps ever before us the bread of life that we need to feed us and nourish us and sustain us for the journey.

John 4, 5

2011-02-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

John 4, 5

Overview: Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well and heals a man at the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem.

"Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done."(4:29) These are the words of the Samaritan woman as she takes her leave of Jesus at the well and runs with excitement into her village to tell of the encounter she has just had. I'm a fan of David Blaine. Not avid mind you, but if one of his tv shows is on late at night, I'm likely to watch the sidewalk magician ply his trade. Card tricks, levitation and the like. Blaine's a fascinating guy. People respond to him with disbelief and excitement - "Can he really do that?" There is more going on in Jesus encounter with the woman at the well then what happens between David Blaine and his audience. When she heads off to the village to say "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done", I don't think she has in mind sharing the best card trick she has ever seen. He next words tell the story, "He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" which of course means she thinks he may well be the Messiah. What gave her that impression? I don't think it simply Jesus ability to site events from her past for her - I think what she really feels after this encounter is that, at last, she has met someone who really knows her. It's not about a trip to the well day after day for water. It's the thirst that she carries inside, the thirst that is built into each one of us by our Creator for something that food and water cannot touch. A desire to be known by God. It is uncomfortable to be this transparent when we spend so much of our time trying to keep our defenses in place. Here was someone with whom the woman did not need to keep up her guard, he already knew, he already knew her, and he was still there talking. God already knows us. It is very good to be known. And loved.

John 1, 2, 3

2011-02-19T09:45:00.000-05:00

John 1, 2, 3

Overview: John's birth narrative. Jesus performs his first miracle in Cana. John the Baptist makes a few appearances. Nicodemus meets with Jesus.

Mark has no birth narrative. Matthew has a brief account. Luke has the most detail. And John? Some might say that John, like Mark, has no birth narrative. I tend to think of John 1:1-18 as John's birth narrative. "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory." (1:14) Luke focuses the camera in close so we can see the particulars of the shepherds and the angels and the young parents in the stable in Bethlehem. John pulls the camera way back so that we can see the sweep of human history - "In the beginning was the Word" - and then brings his focus in on the familiar and elusive John the Baptist. This close reading in larger chunks of the Gospels in the past month has caused me to spend a lot of time thinking on the person and work of John the Baptist. I read a book (whose name I will have to track down) a few years back speculating on the role that John played in Jesus ministry and in the people's ability to understand who Jesus was and what his ministry was to be about. It had a good bit of speculation and was probably a bit over the top, but it did make a compelling argument to at least consider more closely the not incidental, but rather critical role that John plays in Jesus ministry. I am still probably not on board with all the conclusions of that work, but I buy in wholeheartedly to the central role of John.
We did not visit Cana of Galilee this trip to Israel. Technically we did - we drove through it - but we didn't get out and walk around. We have in the past. Here Jesus performs what John tells us is his first miracle. I've always liked the interaction between Mary and Jesus in this story. Mary, the mom, asks Jesus to do something. Jesus seems to decline. Mary tells the servants to do what Jesus tells them to do and then Jesus does what Mary asked him to do. John offers no explanation on Jesus' apparent change of heart, and for anyone who has ever witnessed a child and a parent, particularly a mother and a son, no explanation is needed. Jesus registered his thoughts on the matter, but mom's will was going to carry the day. So the water gets turned to wine and Jesus miracle working days are set in motion.

Luke 23, 24

2011-02-17T08:33:00.000-05:00

Luke 23, 24

Overview: Crucifixion. Resurrection. Post-resurrection appearances. Ascension.

My attention was most caught by the early verses of Luke 24. It is here that the women and then Peter make their way to the tomb to find a tomb, an empty tomb. The women also find angels - angels were there to announce Christ's arrival to the Shepherds and they were there to announce his resurrection to the women. Angels as sign posts to get people moving in the right direction. This section of the passage caught me as I reflected on just three weeks ago sitting in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and reading these same two chapters of Luke's gospel. One thing which I remember very clearly is that just as the women came and just as Peter came, people are still coming. In the middle of the day they come in groups and the place is full of pilgrims, lined up around the "tomb" awaiting their turn to go in. In the middle of the night when a man walked through the church (probably either just getting off work or going to work) and methodically prayed his way through the building, walking and touching the altars and paintings as he went. In the morning at 6:00 a.m. when a Catholic mass was taking place at the entrance to the tomb and when I climbed up the stairs to Calvary there were already women and men kneeling in quiet meditation. It is worth pausing for a moment at the tomb. Pausing to remember that Jesus died for us and was placed in the tomb. Pausing to remember that while there is a tomb - Jesus isn't in it anymore. Pausing to consider what happened there and how it wasn't something that was done for someone else - it was done for us.

Luke 20, 21, 22

2011-02-16T01:27:00.000-05:00

Luke 20, 21, 22

Overview: Jesus teaches. Jesus shares a final supper with his disciples. Jesus is arrested and his trial begins.

"Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called."(21:37) This verse is one of those that takes on new life when you have an opportunity to stand on the Mount of Olives and to look across the Kidron Valley to the place where the Temple would have stood and imagine the spot on to the left of the Temple in the upper part of the city where the last supper would have taken place. The hillside was probably covered with Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem for the passover. A sort of religious KOA campground. Perhaps the place Jesus returned to following the last supper, the Garden of Gethsemane was a place near to a spot where his family had camped during his growing up years, a place he had developed a special affinity for and returned to now in the years of his public ministry. The places are close together - you can get from here to there - but also far apart when you begin thinking about Jesus beginning the day in one place, traversing the valley to get to the upper room, back across the valley to pray in the garden and then once more back towards the upper city when he is arrested and taken to Caiphus' house.
"When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time."(Luke 4:13) Remember this verse from earlier in Luke? The devil was by no means giving up, simply waiting for an opportune time. Foreshadowing? Perhaps. "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve."(Luke 22:3) No subtle larger point to be made. Simply, this is a reminder that the devil is always looking for opportunities. We talk, sometimes, abstractly about evil. As though evil is a random occurence that unfortunately springs up and intrudes in our lives. These passages argue otherwise. Evil is not random. The devil is calculating and patient and looking for openings. We do ourselves no favors when we play down what we are up against.

Luke 18, 19

2011-02-15T00:41:00.000-05:00

Luke 18, 19

Overview: Jesus tells a story about a Pharisee and a tax collector who go to the temple to pray Jesus says little children will enter the kingdom of God and wealthy people will have a hard time doing so. Jesus meets a tax collector named Zacchaeus in Jericho. Luke gives his account of the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday and Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.

Jesus offers a few sayings about the kingdom of God that discourage those who are listening to him. "Truly I tel you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."(v.17) This on the heels of people bringing their children to Jesus to bless them. The disciples try to run them off so he can do more important things - Jesus tells them to stop running the kids off, that actually it's to the little ones that the kingdom belongs. The saying itself is quite specific in its use of the word never. Receive the kingdom as a child or never enter it. Never. Further on, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God."(v.25) This is an ominous statement if you happen to be wealthy. A little less exact then never, but still Jesus says it will be hard.
The people listening to all of this get a little discouraged and ask, "Then who can be saved." The more Jesus has talked about it, the more challenging it seems to be - perhaps impossible. Jesus answer is one we can hang our hats and our hopes on. "What is impossible for mortals is possible for God."(v.27) A great escape hatch from the whole problem of how we are able to negotiate a path into the kingdom. The possibility of the journey being successful doesn't depend on us - what is possible - even if we imagine it to be impossible - is possible because it is God's work and God's will.

Luke 15, 16, 17

2011-02-13T19:02:00.003-05:00

Luke 15, 16, 17

Overview: Jesus is teaching. Several well known parables in these chapters. The prodigal son. The lost sheep and the lost coin. The story of Lazarus and the wealthy man.

"But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him."(15:20) I love this moment in the story of the prodigal son. Of the many sermons I've heard on this passage the one that made the greatest impact on me was the one that focused heavily on this verse. The son has been gone - off in the far country. Who knows how long - long enough to squander his inheritance and to arrive at a point of desperation and hopelessness. And yet the father sees him while he was "still far off". Did the father just happen to look off into the distance on the right day? I don't think so. I think the father had been looking up that road every single day. Every. Single. Day. With love in his heart and hope that perhaps this would be the day that his heart would not be broken again. And then came this particular day. And the father is off the out the door, off the porch and up the road, because what he had hoped for and lived for and somewhere in himself believed against all odds was happening - his son was returning home. Is there a more poignant illustration of God's love for us. A better illustration of our unworthiness and yet God is watching and watching and hoping and waiting.
"Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming and he answered, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say 'Look here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'"(17:20-21) When the world seems really broken it can be tempting to hope that one day we will be able to simply say "There it is!". Jesus points to an experience of the kingdom that is no less powerful, but is, perhaps more subtle and more nuanced. The kingdom is not alien, the kingdom is among us. I've been mesmerized by the people of Egypt this past several weeks. Who would have imagined a month ago what would be transpiring in Egypt today. And yet there it is. It was in their midst taking form and preparing to make it's presence powerfully known. I will not forget the moment when I happened to have on MSNBC and the commentator was telling us tha the Vice President of Egypt was making a statement and as the announcer was stumbling through the interpreters version of the statement words became unnecessary. There was born such a roar from the people in the square in Cairo whose name is translated Liberty, a roar that grew and grew and grew and was filled with such pure, untainted joy. And it went on and on and on. It wasn't here or there. It was among them. The kingdom of God is among us.

Luke 12, 13, 14

2011-02-13T01:32:00.000-05:00

Luke 12, 13, 14

Overview: Mostly teaching by Jesus either directly or by way of parables. Jesus offering instruction on the kingdom of God.

Some interesting interactions with Pharisees. "At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, 'Get away from here for Herod wants to kill you.'"(13:31) Worth noting that there are some Pharisees who seem to be concerned for Jesus well being. The Pharisees often come across as opponents of Jesus, sometime almost to the point of caricature; this helps with some sense of balance. Jesus eats at the home of Pharisees and, again, here they seem to have his best interest at heart.
Jesus offers a number of ways to approach thinking on the kingdom of God throughout this reading. Luke 12 in particular offers strong distinctions between the things that are important in the world and the things that are important in the kingdom of God. Too often, Jesus teaches, we are consumed with worry over things that are not worth the time, effort or stress. God has a plan and has our best interest in mind, but something within us either does not trust this or just cannot help worrying. "'And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life.'"(12:25) The question is as relevant for us today as it was when Jesus first said it.

Luke 10, 11

2011-02-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

Luke 10, 11

Overview: Jesus sends out 70 on a mission in pairs. They come back excited about what they are able to accomplish in their time in the field. Jesus responds to a question with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus teaches the disciples the Lord's prayer and has some back and forth with the Phrarisees.

Jesus sends out seventy folks on a mission project. The text says a couple of interesting things. First, he sends them as advance prep teams to places he intends to go. Jesus is not randomly walking around and showing up places. This points to a strategic approach - the advance team goes in and gets the lay of the land and prepares the town or village for the time when Jesus will arrive. Second, he sends them in pairs. He doesn't send them out alone - he sends them with a companion. Stan Ott, the person behind the Acts 16:5 Intiative for church vitality, has something he calls the "with me" principle. Stan says we are far more effective when we do things with someone else then when we set out on our own. He points to texts like this one to demonstrate that Jesus saw the value of mutual support and encouragement.
Luke 10 ends with the wonderful story of Mary and Martha. Martha, who is sure that Jesus will back here in taking her sister Mary to task, and instead is gently told that she is the one who is distracted and that there is "need of only one thing" - the thing Mary has chosen to place herself in the presence of the Lord. I can read this story again and again, because I need to hear it and internalize it again and again. There is one thing that is needful. And it's not the busyness of all the tasks that need to be done and all the tasks clamoring for attention. The needful thing is to place ourselves in the presence of the Lord.

Luke 8, 9

2011-02-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

Luke 8, 9

Overview: We get a report on the women who support Jesus ministry. Jesus tells a parable about a sower. Jesus calms a storm, casts out a demon and brings a girl back from the dead. The disciples get sent on a mission and Jesus is transfigured on a mountain while in the company of Moses and Elijah.

Peter and James and John accompany Jesus on to the mountain that will become the Mount of Transfiguration. This little nugget in the midst of that story that caught my attention on this read through is "Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but since they stayed awake, they saw his glory...."(9:32). This is something of the flip side of what will transpire at the Garden of Gethsemane. In the garden, Jesus will ask them to stay awake with him and they will fall asleep while he prays more than once. Here while Jesus goes off, they are apparently exhausted, but they stay awake and as a result they witness this amazing event. There is encouragement here for us when we are weary ourselves, physically, emotionally or spiritually that if we persevere we may experience something beyond our imagining.
Also in this reading is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, Luke 9:51. "When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem." This is the point from which there is no turning back. He didn't decide to go back to the Galilee for another year. He set his face to go to Jerusalem. The power of these words goes well beyond a decision to go and celebrate the Passover. This is Jesus making the decision to embrace the most demanding and painful portion of his mission. We move now into Luke's traveling Gospel as Jesus and his followers make their way to the Holy City and the events that will unfold there.

Luke 6, 7

2011-02-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

Luke 6, 7

Overview: Jesus teaches, offering blessings and woes. He goes to Capernaum where he heals the slave of a centurion who helped to build the Synagogue there. He heals the hand of a man on the Sabbath and he goes to dinner at the home of a Pharisee.

Two verses, on in Luke 6 and one in Luke 7, that catch my attention as I read through them today. First, Luke 6:19, "And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them." And in Luke 7:39, "Now when the Phrarisee who had invited him saw it he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet; he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him - that she is a sinner.'" I am drawn to language in both of these verses that again points unblinkingly to Christ's physical presence. To his ability to touch and be touched. God came as Christ with a message, but the message was delivered by a real live human messenger. One who could touch and speak and see and be touched and seen and heard. Jesus is a not an intellectual experience, Jesus engages all the senses. There is an echo here of the woman who touches Jesus hoping to be healed and whose presence he detects when she touches him. The power flows out of him to those around him in need of healing. The Pharisee expects that Jesus should know this woman anointing his feet by the virtue of her touch alone - that is he should know she is a shady person of questionable background. Jesus in fact does know her by her touch, not in some mysterious reading of her character, but in a more fundamental way - her touch conveys her compassion as she ministers to him in a way that his host had not.
All of this touching and pointing to the engagement of the senses reminds us that we are folks who see, feel, touch and so on, walking around amongst other folks who do likewise. However we bear witness to Jesus, if it is to be believable must be consistent with what folks can see and feel and experience of us. Our aim must be to emulate less the Pharisee host and more the compassionate woman as we live our faith from day to day.

Luke 4, 5

2011-02-07T12:58:00.000-05:00

After dipping liberally into my 24 days of grace for the trip and to complete the blogging about it, back to reading through the New Testament today.

Luke 4, 5

Overview: Luke's account of the temptation of Christ. Jesus teaches in Nazareth to a poor reception and then moves down to Capernaum. Jesus helps his will be followers fish for fish and then calls them for other purposes.

I want to hold the verse that ends the temptation story up against the verse that follows it that begins the next phase in Jesus' ministry.

"When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to the Galilee...."

The way I read these verses the temptation experience was not draining for Jesus, but rather was energizing. It was not that he was left in need of further renewal after encountering the devil and the devil's temptations it was that he was "filled with the power of the Spirit". When we meet temptation head on and respond, as Jesus did, with faithful Scriptural responses, the outcome can clearly be more than survival. It can be growth. It can be the strength and stamina - the power of the Spirit - to do new things.
I'm also captivated again by Jesus fishing lesson for the disciples. Here was something they did not need help from Jesus to do. They were fishermen. They could use his help on lots of things, but this they could handle on their own. Or maybe not. Having caught nothing, Jesus chips in with his instruction and, suddenly, fish. Of they myriad lessons in this passage one may well be the reminder that we need Jesus in every way in all that we do. Not just in the areas we struggle. Not just in our growing edges. Even in the things we think we do well. The things that we've got covered. Whatever we are capable of, it can be better with Jesus direction.

Shalom Holy Land

2011-02-03T12:13:00.000-05:00

Holy Land Trip, Day 7, January 27, 2011

The final day. All of the conflicting emotions of a great adventure coming to a close. Certainly looking forward to being home and seeing Cameron and Eliza, but reluctant to say goodbye to Jerusalem. Don't know why, but there is something of home in this place, there is that sense in my mind that I will be back. I hope so.

Up early for morning prayer in the Old City. Made a quick walk up to see the Western Wall again, and got a look at the old Jewish Cardo in the Jewish quarter. There is so much here to call for your attention that you have to be careful not to lose track of time. Got to the Holy Sepulcher about 6:30 a.m. - back to the hotel by 7:15 a.m. to get bags together.

Our group, all six busses, are to gather at the Garden Tomb at 9:30 a.m. for a worship service and communion. I have mixed feelings about the Garden Tomb. It is a beautiful place and it does give you a look at what it might have looked like, but my affinity is strong (clearly) for the Holy Sepulcher. Some folks imagine that the Garden Tomb must be the site of the crucifixion/resurrection as the Holy Sepulcher is so ornate and filled with things that we don't find as much in western churches - in particular western protestant churches. It has the feel of authenticity to me if for no other reason than the weight of the veneration of pilgirims for some 1600 years.

The guide who spoke with us did a great job of presenting the Garden Tomb. What he said, and I agree, is that whether or not it is the actual location it is a great place to envision what happened and to have a time of worship. Bishop Lindsay Davis of the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church spoke and he was great in delivering an inspirational message and setting a great tone for a very worshipful communion experience. Julie was one of the folks who assisted with the communion service which was very nice.

(I like this picture a lot. At the Garden Tomb they have excavated a wine press. This is our communion elements, with the excavated wine press in the background. The gifts of God for the people of God.)

After the Garden Tomb we had a couple of hours of free time - some went to a store, some went back to the Old City one last time. Guess where I went? Uh, yes, back to the Old City and back to the Holy Sepulcher.

(inside - The Dome of the Holy Sepulcher)

(exterior of the Holy Sepulcher)

(courtyard of the Holy Sepulcher)

(crosses carved into the wall of the Holy Sepulcher by early Christian pilgirms)

(place where this present day pilgrim accepted the invitation to leave my own mark at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - GCL and cross)

From there, on to lunch at a place near the hotel and then to Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Museum. We were alotted a couple of hours at Yad Vashem. What a tremendous memorial to those who died and to those who lived and a stirring call to never forget what we humans are capable of, both at our worst and at our best. The exhibits themselves are deeply moving, the architecture of the place is stunning and is not only viscerally engaging, but also participates in the total experience of the museum. One walks out the doors at the end of the journey to a stunning vista of the land of Israel. No words for this.

(view from the exit of Yad Vashem)

Dinner at the Olive Tree (our hotel) is followed by a bus ride to Ben Gurion Airport and after a bit of uncertainty at the airport (due to bad weather in the United States) our plane is on time and on schedule - we are headed home.
Shalom Rula (our guide), Charlie (our bus driver), and the wonderful people of the Holy Land. It was every bit of what I had hoped for and beyond.

Heading Into the Judean Wilderness Towards The Dead Sea

2011-02-02T11:14:00.001-05:00

Holy Land Trip, Day 6, January 26, 2011

(The streets of the Old City are locked up and quiet at 6:00 a.m.)

The optional trip to Masada day. I was torn on this one. Having been to Masada twice, it is amazing and awesome, but having the day to just be in the Old City of Jerusalem also held some allure. Having the time to do the ramparts walk on the Old City walls yesterday made the decision a lot easier - I'm in for the trip.
Started the day by getting up and going to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for morning prayer at 6:00 a.m. Again enjoyed great singing by priests who were conducting a worship service near the Tomb.

(Church of the Holy Sepulcher is majestic in the morning.)

We left about 8:00 a.m. for the Dead Sea. Great drive through the Judean wilderness. It can look in places like the lunar landscape. Passed several encampments of Bedouin shepherds. The trip takes about an hour from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and the drop from one to the other is significant as the Dead Sea is 1300 feet below sea level - the lowest place on earth. At it's deepest spot the Dead Sea is 1200 feet deep. As the name suggests it's chock full of salt and other minerals and is dead, dead, dead. We drove along the Dead Sea to get to Masada, a giant rock - really giant - on top of which Herod built a spectacular palace - because he could, and on top of which Jewish zealots made a final stand against Roman soldiers - because they had to. The Roman siege lasted three years at the end of which the Zealots (with the exception of just two or three) committed suicide. You can still see remains of Herod's rockin' palace and of the Roman encampments down on the ground along with the ramp they built to try and storm the place. There is also a Synagogue up here that the Jewish zealots used and a Byzantine church. Awesome stuff.

(view from Masada where the cable car let's you out)

(remains of front portion of Herod's multi-tiered Palace - below is where the Roman's who were laying siege to Masada would have been and in the distance the blue is the Dead Sea)

(Me at Masada. Go Reds!)

After lunch we went to Jericho, home of Zacchaeus, and place which Jesus passed through. Additionally it was near to Jericho where Jesus spent the time in the wilderness and where he faced the temptations. With that in mind we ate at the Temptation Restaurant.

(Temptation Restaurant. Really. See Zacchaeus tree in the middle.)

(Market outside of the Temptation Restaurant in Jericho.)

After lunch we went back towards the Dead Sea to the site of the Qumran Community. Qumran was the place where a splinter Jewish group called the Essenes lived in a communal environment, removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They saw themselves as Children of Light and outsiders as Children of Darkness. They spent a good bit of their time making copies of scrolls of Scripture which when they saw that they were going to be attacked by Roman soldiers they hid. A Palestinian shepherd boy found a scroll of theirs in a cave where they hid it which led to the discoveries of many more scrolls which we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are in many instances some of our best, earliest manuscripts of Scripture.

(One of the caves where the Essenes hid their scrolls - what we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this same area, in caves like this David hid with his men in the days when Saul was searching for him to kill him. When you see the terrain you can imagine how hard it would be to find someone who knew the area and didn't want to be found.)

The day wound up with folks who wanted to floating in the Dead Sea, which I've never seen the charm in, so I watched and also found a coffee bar that had passable latte from a machine.

(folks checking out the Dead Sea - our guide, Rula, told us that it would make us ten years younger - so the tips of my fingers on my right hand should be feeling very youthful)

The countryside and the amazing views from Masada were superb - making the trip was the right choice.

A Holy Moment, A Great Day, A Walk On The City Walls (that's right, on the city walls)

2011-01-31T10:44:00.004-05:00

Holy Land Trip, Day Five, January 25, 2011

I'm home as of last Friday (1/28), and it's Monday morning now. I'd intended to try and finish out the days of the trip yesterday afternoon, but following church and a trip to the grocery store that quickly devolved into a long sleep-a-thon. You may not be able to catch up on sleep, but it does not keep you from making the attempt.

Now, somewhat rested, and with events still relatively fresh - working from my journal notes - I want to try and get the rest of the days into the record...

This was my favorite moment of this trip, because it was planned, but not in the way it turned out which was wonderful. Our second night in Jerusalem, I wanted to get up at 4:45 a.m. so that I could be at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher around 5:00 a.m. when the doors were supposed to be open. This would give me time to do my morning prayers and be back in plenty of time for breakfast and to be on the bus at 8:00 a.m. I woke up and looked at my iPhone which said 5:15 a.m. I was a little put out with myself for not waking up when I intended, but thought I could still make it with plenty of time. I got up, got ready and was out the door. Went to the Damascus Gate and into the Old City.

Virtually no one on the streets, I thought it would be light, but not that empty. I remembered which way to go when the road forks, but went a bit past where I was supposed to turn to get to the church and ended up at the Jaffa Gate. I turned back and passed two men who helped me find my way the last little bit. Walked over to the Tomb of Christ where there was a worship service going on and marvelous chant style singing. I went over to the steps that lead down from Calvary and did my morning prayer right there. No foot traffic to speak of, so no one's way to be in at that section of the church. I figured this was because the folks were all over at th worship service at the tomb.

I finished and walked briskly back to the hotel when it began to become clear to me that something was amiss in my calculations. That moon way up in the sky should have been a clue. Turns out my iPhone had the right time...in the United States. I had made my little trip to the Church at 1:00 a.m. rather than at 6:00 a.m. like I had thought. I am still not certain why the door of the Church was open at that hour or what the nature of the worship service was that was going on, but it was a wonderful walk under the Jerusalem moonlight. Okay, back to bed for four hours and then up to meet the day.

The day was one of those days that I heard described as "drinking from a fire hose" - way too much to take in, but awesome. Our first stop was at the Temple Mount. This is the area above the Western Wall where Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple once likely stood and which now is where the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque now stand. We were allowed up on the Temple Mount in 2000, but not in 2001. Thanks to Julie asking the guide about it we started our day at 7:30 a.m. rather than 8:00 a.m. and got to go and walk around on this amazing site.

We came down from the Temple Mount over by the Lions Gate to the Old City where we visited the Pool of Bethsaida (where Jesus healed the man who had been able to walk for more than thirty years and had nearly given up hope of being healed as a result of his being unable to get to the pool while the waters were moving).

(The Lion's Gate)

(The Pool of Bethsaida excavation site)

Near to the Pool is the Church of St. Anne. The acoustics in this Church, which is named for Mary, the mother of Christ's, mother, are remarkable. There was a group ahead of us, singing in a language I could not pinpoint, that was breathtaking. A young woman from our group sang and it sent chills through the body and brought tears to the eyes. Remarkable.

We visited the Antonia Fortress site, behind the Temple Mount, the beginning of the Via Delarosa, as it is the location where Jesus stood trial before Pilate. We then walked the Via Delarosa, the Stations of the Cross through the Old City. Again, this is a place where many pilgrims seem unhappy with the experience. They would prefer it quiet and reverent - instead it is a walk through streets that are alive with shops and people on their way here and there and shopkeepers inviting you to stop and view their wares. I love it. And I think the experience is much closer to what Jesus would have endured as he carried his cross. I don't suspect they shut the place down and all grew quiet. I think he walked through a living city that was going about its business - not unlike what we walked through.

(mural in the basement of the Antonia Fortress site at the beginning of the Via Delarosa)

We then visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the church of my 1:00 a.m. morning prayer and the spot selected by Helena to build on as the traditional site of the crucifixion and the tomb of Christ. Local tradition when Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, was visiting the Holy Land some 1600 plus years ago indicated that this was the location held as the spot by early Christians. Further there had been a Temple to Jupiter built on the spot around 200 C.E. which argues that someone was trying to erase the meaning of the location by building a Temple to a different god on what was revered as a holy spot. I can't say enough about the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The feel, the smell, the touch, the weight of the veneration that has been offered in this place. Celtic spirituality talks about thin places; for me their is not thinner place than the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

(lines of pilgrims waiting to visit the Tomb of Christ, best news - he's not in it)

We had lunch at a cafe near the Church in the Old City. Best lunch of the trip - great falafel sandwich.

From there we went on to the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, the outside retaining wall of Herod's Temple. For Jews this is the holiest site. I had been entrusted with prayers from Peggy French's church in Okolona (she was going to make the trip but ended up with a bad shoulder that has postponed her trip) and was also carrying prayers from members of Hebron. A great moment of connection of the past as I stood at the Wall and the present as I prayed the prayers of the folks from Hebron and placed them in the wall along with the prayers of the folks from Okolona.

(the Western Wall, a retaining Wall of Herod's Temple)

(our prayers placed in the Western Wall)

We ended our touring for the day with a look at the archaeological site at the teaching steps of the Temple. We had a nice devotional by Karen Stigall who reminded us that what we were experiencing was great, but would really find it's purpose if we carried it home with us and let it inform our faith and energize our congregations on oru return. These steps may be the very place where Rabbi's gathered round there students and taught them about their faith and about the Scriptures. Perhaps it was on these steps that the twelve year old Jesus stayed behind when his family went to Jerusalem for Passover and where his parents found him when they returned looking for him.

(a very happy pilgrim on the Teaching Steps)

A day that began with a highlight wound up with another highlight. Rula, our guide, let those who wanted to do this, out at the Jaffa gate where we purchased tickets that allowed us to climb steps and literally walk on the ramparts of the walls of the Old City. I had known this was possible since I had been there in 2000, but hadn't been able to figure out how I was going to be able to fit it in logistically. Rula got us through our formal day by 3:00 p.m. which allowed us to do the walking on the walls.

(view from the City Walls, standing on the New Gate looking towards the Damascus Gate)

Really magificient. Words fail. I'll conclude the day with a few shots of daily life in the market in the Old City.

(lots of citrus in Israel, lots of citrus groves)

(hard to tell from this distance, but the man in the middle of the picture is pushing a handcart - what's in the cart? - a 50 inch plasma screen television - old meets new indeed)

(street just inside the Old City, leading to the Damascus Gate)

All in all a great, great day.

Breakfast, Bethlehem, Shepherds, Trial, Denial, A Sacramental Room and Home

2011-01-26T21:05:00.001-05:00

Holy Land Trip Day Four, January 24, 2011

Breakfast at the Olive Tree in Jerusalem was great. Have loved the somewhat exotic and unfamiliar flavors at the meals, but French Toast was welcome this morning.
Our first stop today was at the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is one busy place. Tucked in amongst all manner of businesses is this Chapel. It's small, simple and a little bit quirky No furniture at all, just a box on the ground with what appears to be a footprint in it. You make the call.

Next stop, the Seven Arches Hotel with a fine view of the Old City, a bountiful supply of peddlers and the requisite camel rides. Still, that view. Jerusalem of Gold indeed.

On to the traditional Palm Sunday route, starting on the Mount of Olives and working into the Kidron Valley, alongside of the massive Jewish cemetery, some graves more than 2000 years old. With the stones placed as remembrances on the graves, Jesus words on Palm Sunday to the Pharisees demanding his followers be quiet are ripe with meaning - "If they keep quiet, even the stones will cry out." We stop at the Dominus Flevit Chapel which marks the spot where Jesus wept over Jerusalem This is a lovely small chapel which manages to evoke a strong emotional reponaw when one steps inside and views the Temple Mount through it's window. On down the hill more peddlers, L love it when these "holy" experiences are intruded upon by distractions andthings that challenge our focus. Worship mirrors life at that point. The Church of All Nations is located at the site of the Garden of Gethsemane. A delight to hear worshipers in a variety of languages, this faith thing is bigger than whatever boundaries we can impose on God's creation. Amen?

(Garden of Gethsemane next to Church of All Nations)

Back on the bus, to the checkpoint at the seperation wall which is new since I was here last and clearly is a painful thing for our guide to countenance. She is a Christian who lives in Jerusalem and grew up within the walls of the Old City. We pass through the checkpoint and drive into Bethlehem. To be clear, Jerusalem very nearly runs into Bethlehem. In our time there is no five miles between the two. We visit the Church of the Nativity, a massive ancient structure with it's "Humility Door" that requires bending down as you enter and which serves to keep enemies on horseback from riding into your sanctuary.

After going under the altar to view the traditional spot of Christ's birth and emerging on the other side a nice moment looking back across the worship space at the front of the Church.

We stopped outside of Bethlehem at the Sheperds's field. A very appropriate devotional and divine singing by a minister father (spoken word) and talented daughter (beautiful voice). The angels who sang to the shepherds would have approved.

Two more stops. First at St. Peter Ingallicantu (Galli - Rooster, Cantu - Chants), a church built over the spot where Caiphas house was. Jesus was tried here after his arrest in the Garden. It was in the courts outside of this house that Peter denied Jesus three times.

And Jesus perhaps likely walked these very steps on his way back down through the Kidron Valley after the Last supper and then on his way back after being arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane.

A long, full, day is a wrap with a stop at the site of the Upper Room.

A great day ends and we head back to the hotel to rest before another day of our pilgrimage inside the walls of the Old City. Goodnight Jerusalem.

Jerusalem!

2011-01-25T18:09:00.001-05:00

Holy Land Trip, Day Three, January 23, 2011

Up in the Lobby of the hotel for morning prayer at 5:30 a.m. Breakfast then off to the days sites which would culminate with our arrival in the Holy City - Jerusalem. Our first stop was at the Church of the Nativity in Nazareth. The Church of the Nativity is perhaps the most impressive Church in the Holy Land from a contemporary aesthetic. It is one of the most recently constructed and is built over the top of previous churches and over the traditional site of the Annunciation.

Julie did the devotional for the group and was great helping us not only to think about Mary, but also to think about what we can learn from Mary's "pondering" God's plans in her heart.

From Nazereth we drove to Har Megiddo (Armeggedon). This is an archaeological Tel which has excavated down to the time of the Canaanite, to King Solomon, to the time of King Ahab, one society building over the top of another. I have been reading James Michener's The Source to get ready for the trip and that helped immensely in understanding what I was looking at here. One of the chief eye openers at Har Meggido is the tunnel that goes down to the water source which allowed the people who lived there to hold on to the town longer when invaders were laying siege to their city.
From there we drove to Caeserea Maritima (Caeserea Maritima) and visited Herod's impressive excavated Harbor City. Also drove a bit north to see the Roman aqueducts. Amazingly impressive work.

Arrived in Jerusalem as the sun was setting and checked into the Olive Tree - had a wonderful dinner and then took a walk down to the Damascus Gate of the Old City. Stopped at a Bakery near the Damascus Gate and picked up a treat to end the day.

Watchiing The Sun Rise Sort Of

2011-01-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

Day 2 of Holy Land Trip, January 22, 2011

The day began with my alarm going off at 4:45 a.m. Intentionally. My goal was to beat the sunrise and get down to the shore of the Sea of Galilee before the sun came up. Got there at 5:20 am. and no sun yet so mission accomplished. Spent the time taking pictures, enjoying the view and gathering shells. Daylight came but the sun never did quite make an appearance - at least not by 6:15 a.m. when it was time to head back up for breakfast and get ready for the bus.

We stopped at the baptismal site where the Jordan River emerges from the Sea of Galilee at the southern end. This is not the site where John baptized Jesus - that's closer to Jericho and is actually at a spot where the Jordan River is in the country Jordan. It was a great way to begin the day and Julie led the group in a service of renewal of baptism.

We visited the ruins of the Roman city of Beit Shean. I climbed the Tel there and had a great view of the surrounding countryside.

Next stop was the Kibbutz Nof Ginnosaur where we viewed the Jesus boat, an ancient boat from the time of Christ that was discovered buried in the mud by two members of the Kibbutz.

We stopped at the Chapel of the Primacy of Peter next. This Chapel commemorates the location where Jesus made a post-resurrection appearance to his disciples, sharing breakfast with them after they had been out fishing for the night. It is at this breakfast that Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him, Peter responding each time that he does and each time undoubtedly remembering the three times he deniied Jesus in the courtyard outside of Jesus' trial. There is a breathtaking statue at this Chapel of Jesus and Peter.

The last stop of the day was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The weather has been beyond beautiful so far and this was surely true during our boat ride.

Had a nice run in the late afternoon and then Julie and I went walking with another couple from our bus. Then dinner and off to pack bags - leaving Tiberias in the morning

Luke 1, 2, 3.

2011-01-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

January 23, 2011

Luke 1, 2, 3

Overview: Luke's account of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. Also, Jesus goes to the Temple with his family when he's twelve and stays longer than they do. Grown up John prepares the way for Jesus in the wilderness and Jesus begins his public ministry at thirty years old.

"I too decided, after investigating carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Throphilus."(1:2) Luke makes this observation after noting that many have already undertaken to lay out an orderly account. I find it telling that Luke intentionally states that he intends to write an orderly acount. An orderly account seems to be exactly what he has written. Details are everywhere. Small details. The explanation of how Zechariah's section of priests happened to be on duty and how he was chosen by lot to serve that particular day. The specifics of context in Luke 2:1 and 3:1. The reason behind Mary and Joseph's return trip to the Temple and the stories of Simeon and Anna. The genealogy of Joseph at the end of Luke 3.
What I am getting to is the details make a difference to me. They make a story that could easily have sounded like a fairy tale instead sound compelling, convincing and authentic. Luke sets out to write an orderly account, I believe, so that there can be no doubt of his seriousness and no doubt about the authenticity of what he is sharing. The Incarnation is not a "once upon a time" sort of story. The Incarnation is a story of the very specific, very real, particularity of God in our midst.

Drinking Grapefruit Juice At 11:30 p.m. With The Sea of Galilee Right There

2011-01-21T16:35:00.004-05:00

Still on pace with the reading and getting caught up on the accompanying blogging. In the meantime, I plan to throw in a few stand alone pieces on my happening as we speak Holy Land trip. This is the third time I've been able to travel here, but the first time with this sort of ability to blog about it.
Today was our first full day and it was full. We were off at 8:00 a.m. following a breakfast buffet with many things that I did not recognize. Some were good. I'll try to find them tomorrow. We stopped along the Sea of Galilee at the Mount of Beatitudes. Beautiful place.

We drove to the base of Mt. Hermon to Banias, one of the three sources of water to the Jordan River. Got to give the devotional there for our bus which was a thrill.

It's amazing to have an opportunity to do something like that on a spot (or in the vicinity of a spot) where some important biblical event unfolded. Banias is also known as Caeserea Phillipi which is the place where Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was and Peter said, "You are the Messiah." At the foot of a huge stone cliff there Jesus responded to Peter by saying "On this rock (Peter) I will build my church." The human rock - Peter - not the giant awesome rock wall right behind him with the altars to the God Pan carved into them.

We drove as far north, just about, as we could go - had lunch in a Druze village - great chicken sandwich - and then drove to a spot overlooking a UN Post on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The guide pointed us towards the capital city of Syria, Damascus, some forty miles away. Very close geographically, but you can't get there from here. The border between Israel and Syria has been and is, closed.
We drove back down to the Sea of Galilee and visited the ruins of the town of Capernaum, the headquarters of Jesus' ministry years in the Galilee. Awesome to stand in the remains of a Synagogue which dated back close to the time of Christ and which was built over top of the Synagogue that would have been the Synagogue at the time when Jesus was there. The mind has trouble taking it in.

We also stopped at Tabgha which is on the spot where Jesus fed the 5,000. Great mosaic of loaves and fishes on the floor there. Spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee, which I think I could never grow tired of seeing. Which is why at 11:33 p.m. I'm sitting in sweater and long sleeves on the hotel patio, drinking Jump Grapefruit, blogging and still watching the Sea in the darkness. Looking forward to tomorrow.

View from Mount of Beatitudes

Mark 15, 16

2011-01-21T16:18:00.000-05:00

January 20, 2011

Mark 15, 16

Overview: Trial wraps up. The story of the crucifixion and briefly of the resurrection.

Mark is the briefest of the gospels and he is true to form here. Mark 15 and 16 are concise and to the point and do not waste words. Particularly in Mark 16 where we have the shorter ending of Mark and the longer ending of Mark which still really isn't all that long. Mark is in a hurry to tell his story. He is judicious with his words and adds nothing that does not move the story along.
Some ancient authorities, my Bible's notes tell me, have Mark 16:8 as the end of Mark's gospel. What a way to end the story. "So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, but they were afraid." The End.
Stop there and the story just spills off the page. Jesus is risen, he's on the loose and it's awesome and it's a little scary. And maybe that's about as close to how we should feel about the state of things as one could get. Nothing has really changed here on the ground. We live in a world where Jesus has risen and is alive and at work. It's awesome and if we think about it and take it seriously it's also a little scary. Mark's challenge to us is to take the story seriously. Be awed by God who came to us as Christ, but be just a little amazed bordering on a little scared about just how such a thing can happen. God is all around us. The living God. The God made known in Jesus.

Mark 13, 14

2011-01-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

January 19, 2011

Mark 13, 14

Not really Peter's finest hour, but not his worst either.
Jesus shares the Passover with his disciples and then tells them that they will all desert him. Peter is quick to disagree, vowing that even if the rest of the disciples cut and run, he, Peter, will remain strong. Then he falls asleep, literally. Jesus takes Peter, James and John (which would probably be the winning answer in Family Feud if the question was "Disciples of Jesus Christ, top three answers on the board...") off to Gethesemane. Jesus is "distressed and agitated". He tells them to keep vigil with him then goes off to pray. And they fall asleep. The keep repeating this cycle until Judas comes to help with Jesus' arrest. Ouch. Skip to later and Peter is denying Jesus, just like Jesus said he would.
In Peter's defense, he did have the courage to put himself in the position to deny Jesus in the first place. The other eleven were all long gone by the time it got to the courtyard outside of where the trial was going on. We focus on the denial, but overlook the fact that Peter showed uncommon courage to follow Jesus that closely that far along. It's not perfect, but it's worth considering, in part because perfection wasn't something Peter was going to accomplish and it's not something we are going to accomplish. We can so easily dwell on our sins and failures that we begin to imagine that there is nothing we can get right. That's not so. God had big plans for Peter and God has important work for us to do as well.

Arriving In Israel On My Birthday

2011-01-20T14:56:00.003-05:00

I'm on track with my reading - finished Mark's gospel this morning on the airplane from JFK in New York to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Lack of internet access has me two days off in the corresponding blogging. So Mark 13, 14 and Mark 15, 16 are forthcoming. However, wanted to throw in this personal bit to share what a great day it's been. Left Louisville yesterday (1/19) at 11:00 a.m. Went to Detroit and then to JFK and then left New York at around 9:30.

We arrived here in Israel at 2:57 p.m. with the time change.

Got on a bus that brought us to the Royal Plaza hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. The moon is full and I am sitting here on the patio of the hotel, outdoors, blogging and taking in the wonder of the Galilee at night.

Looking forward to getting started on our tour tomorrow and to having the opportunity to lead the devotional at Caeserea Phillipi. Missing Cameron and Eliza on my birthday, but very thankful for Jane Bond who is staying with them while we are gone. Here it's snowing back home and computer says school let out early. I guess it's especially good to be here.

Mark 11, 12

2011-01-19T02:05:00.001-05:00

January 18, 2011

Mark 11, 12

Overview: The Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem. Friction with the Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders. A widow gives two copper coins.

Mark 12 wraps up with the story of the widow who places her last two coins into the treasury at the Temple. It's not much, but it's everything. Jesus contrasts her generosity with the desire of the religious leadership for the trapments of their office and their taste for the finer things. They give appropriately, out of the much they have to draw from. It's a lot, but it's not much. This is one of those places where Scripture speaks with clarity to this present moment. I was at the car dealership one morning recently waiting while my car was having the oil changed. The television was on in the waiting area. It was a religious program in the midst of fundraising drive. They were highlighting a couple who had increased their giving and had been "blessed as a result of their giving. The husband explained that he had increased his giving to "test God". He wanted to see if God would really bless him more if he gave more. Translated, he wanted to see if giving to God was a good investment. Apparently it was - the report ended by saying that this couple was able to now give away more in a year then they used to make in a year. A happy ending of sorts which was followed by an appeal to the viewer to give generously because they too could benefit from the investment. There was a certain logic to the whole thing and it was loosely related to Scripture, but I don't think Jesus would have been loving it. I don't see anything in Jesus observation of the events at the Temple treasury that causes me to think he saw the widows gift as a shrewd investment. I think he interpreted it as her giving all. Which is what I think he's after. All.

Mark 9, 10

2011-01-18T00:44:00.000-05:00

January 17, 2011

Mark 9, 10

Overview: Jesus is active. Healing. Teaching. Instructing the disciples about what will happen to him.

A key component to a solid relationship with Jesus is quite simply asking well. Two times towards the end of Mark 10, Jesus asks a question that leads to important considerations on our part. Jesus question? First to James and John, "What is it you want me to do for you?" and then further on to the blind man Bartimaeus "What do you want me to do for you?". James and John's response is that they want to sit one at his right hand and one at his left when he comes into power. Bartimaeus response is he'd like to be able to see. Two of the twelve who are closest to Jesus use the question as an opportunity for an attempted power grab. A man who can't see uses the question to ask Jesus for healing. Jesus does not respond with anger to his followers, but he does use their question as an opening to asking some probing questions and to help them see some harsh realities about what they are asking. Jesus responds with compassion to Bartimaeus - "Go your faith has made you well." As we read Scripture, as we come into God's presence in prayer the tone and the purpose of these two answers to Jesus question are important for us to consider as we listen for Jesus asking us "What do you want me to do for you?" and as we formulate our own answers.

Mark 7, 8

2011-01-18T00:06:00.000-05:00

Mark 7, 8

January 16, 2011

Mark 7, 8

Towards the end of Mark 7, Jesus encounters a deaf man who also suffers from a speech impediment. There is specific description of the way in which Jesus responds to his request for healing. Jesus takes him aside and works with him and then speaks a word “Ephphatha”, which, we are told, means “Be opened”. It works and the man’s ears “are opened, and his tongue was released and he spoke plainly”. Jesus then does what he has done elsewhere and asks the man to keep it quiet. The request seems especially ironic here, the man has been restored the use of his tongue, given the ability to speak and Jesus asks him not to speak, at least on this subject. The more he tells them not to speak, however, the more they make known what Jesus has been doing.

The healing here is the restoration of hearing and speech. These abilities had been closed off and Jesus commands them to be opened. This Scripture invites us to consider where we feel closed off and to place that before Christ in prayer seeking to be opened by the One who is capable of such things.

Following the healing of the man who had been deaf and mute and the feeding of a multitude some Pharisees come and ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus responds, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you no sign will be given to this generation.” One wonders where the sign seekers were when the healing and the feeding was going on. Maybe they meant they wanted their own sign. Jesus declines to respond like a performer producing magic on demand – at the same time if they spent any time around him it is clear the signs are abundant and clear. Are our eyes open to the activity of Jesus that is abundantly clear or are we sometimes, like the Pharisees, so certain of what we want to see from Jesus that we miss the wonders and signs all around us?

Mark 5,6

2011-01-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

January 15, 2011

Mark 5, 6

Overview: Jesus casts out demons, revives Jairus' daughter, sends the disciples out on a healing ministry mission, feeds a multitude and walks on water. Jesus staying busy.

As various miraculous acts and healings are described throughout these two chapters there is a distinct empahsis on the physicality of the Incarnation in these two chapters. People bring their sick to Jesus. They are anxious to simply touch his garment. His followers seen him walking on water and he gets into the boat with them. The prime example of this is the story dropped into the middle of the story of Jairus' daughter. Betwen the invitation by Jairus and the arrival at the home of this leader of the Synagogue there is the story of the woman who is seeking to be healed, but doesn't want to call attention to herself - doesn't want to bother Jesus. "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well."(5:28) Jesus notices. "Who touched my clothes," he asks. The disciples find this almost amusing. A "you can't be serious" kind of moment - everyone is trying to touch you and you want us to pick out just one. And the answer, of course, is precisely yes. Jesus notices that one touch. Jesus heals the woman. Some combination of her faith and the tactile experience of touching the real, tangible, walking, talking Son of God results in her healing.
It's a great story and it's great reinforcement for us in our faith walk. We may not have the tactile experience of phyical contact with our Lord, but our relationship can be as real as any relationship that existed between Jesus and his followers. And the same Jesus who walked through a crowd and knew of one particular touch, hears each of our voices and each of our concerns even in the midst of all the voices and all the concerns in the world. What a gift these accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus are to us as we strive to follow him today.

Mark 3, 4

2011-01-15T05:48:00.000-05:00

January 14, 2011

Mark 3,4

Overview: Jesus has conflicts with the Phrarisees, teaches alongside the Sea of Galilee and anoints the disciples on a mountain. And for good measure teaches some more along the Sea of Galilee and then calms a storm on the sea as they cross from one side to the other.

There a mentions of a "great multitude"(3:7), "the crowd"(3:20), "a very large crowd"(4:1), and "leaving the crowd"(4:36). The constant reminder of the people that are drawn to Jesus gives a sense of the atmosphere that surrounded these early days of his ministry as word got out about him and what he was doing. "He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him."(3:9,10) Word has spread around the region about Jesus so that those who are suffering are turning out in numbers to see if what they hear is true. Mark 4 has a similar mention of Jesus teaching from a boat. The culminating story of Mark 4 comes at the end of a day of ministry and Jesus desiring to leave the crowd behind tells the disciples "Let us cross to the other side."
They begin to cross the sea and Jesus, exhausted from the days work, falls asleep in the boat. A storm blows up, the disciples become fearful and turning to Jesus see that he is sleeping. One might wonder how Jesus is able to sleep through a storm that frightens the disciples, with several seasoned fishermen among them, but in the context of the relentless ministry with the crowd it becomes understandable - he's worn out. As the boat is "swamped" the disciples awaken Jesus, he responds to them by calming the storm and gives the disciples something to think about "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"(4:39). Jesus is challenging them to think of all they have witnessed already, the teaching and the healing and asking them to begin to trust that they are in good hands when he is around.
The story transfers to us quite readily. We have the stories of Jesus' action in Scripture. We have the experience of Jesus' work in our faith communities and in our lives. Yet we too, come to the storms of life, and if we are honest we will confess that when those storms come we can become paniced at times. In that moment Jesus words are for us, "Why are you afraid. Have you still no faith?" It is less, perhaps, admonition, then a reminder that Jesus is right where he always is - in the boat with us. We are in good hands when he is around.

Mark 1, 2

2011-01-14T01:32:00.000-05:00

January 13, 2011

Mark 1, 2

Overview: Mark begins with John the Baptist in the wilderness and quickly introduces Jesus and by Chapter 2 is into an accounting of his ministry.

Jesus practice of ministry is clearly the model for the ministry that is given to the church - it's instructive for me just to let that settle in and find a placet to take root. Here we find Jesus in Capernaum, healing people, meeting needs and getting a great response from the public. So Jesus, in the morning, withdraws off by himself. The disciples find him and tell him, "Everyone is searching for you." Jesus doesn't respond by saying that this is great and the plan must be working. Instead he says, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." Two things jump out at me. One there is a crowd coming to see him and he goes on to the next place. This is a man and a ministry on the move. It's not about getting a bunch of people in one place and then trying to hold them there. It's about mobilizing people for God's kindgom. Second, Jesus knows what he is about. He had a message and he intended to proclaim it - it was his purpose and he was commited to fulfilling that purpose. As a blueprint for ministry in the local church it is good to be reminded that we are not called to gather people for the purpose of gathering people. Certainly there is nothing wrong with gathering together and the more the better as it means more people are seeking Jesus. However, the point of the gathering together is to get sent forth once again, if we are gathering and not sending we are something other than what we are supposed to be. We also can benefit from seeing Christ's determination to stick to his purpose. It is easy to let momentum for minsitry disipate in the midst of the variety of directions we might go at any one moment. Jesus model for us here is to keep ever before us what it is we exist to do - to share God's good news with the world.
Also want to call attention to the activity of the Holy Spirit in Mark 1:10-13. The Spirit is present at Christ's baptism, "descending like a dove on him" as he is named the Beloved Son. Then "the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness" where he faces the temptations of Satan." That detail always fascinates me. Jesus is in the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan. How did he get there? The Spirit drove him there. The Spirit will drive, send, cajole, move us to places we'd not choose to go on our own. Some of them may result in euphoric experiences, some of them may seem a lot like the wilderness.

Matthew 26, 27, 28

2011-01-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

January 12, 2011

Matthew 26, 27, 28

Overview: Jesus celebrates the passover with his disciples which transitions into Matthew's account of the arrest, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The book concludes with the Great Commission.

Early on in chapter 26 there is an account of an unnamed woman anointing Jesus with costly ointment. This is followed almost immediately by a very pointedly named ("Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot" - 26:14) follower of Jesus betraying him. The story of the anointing echoed the story of Jesus' baptism in my mind. At the time of his baptism there is the voice of God identifying Jesus ("This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" 3:17). Here, shortly before his arrest, is Jesus being anointed by this unnamed woman who does so, clearly, for one reason - at some level she recognizes Jesus.. Judas has followed Jesus around for three years and yet he is unable to recognize Jesus and so makes the decision to sell him out to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver. The disciples have just criticized Jesus for allowing the woman to "waste" money by anointing him with the valuable ointment. Judas places a value of thirty pieces of silver on the most valuable gift one could have in ones life - Jesus Christ. The juxtaposition of these two vignettes sets the scene for the story of Jesus final meal with his disciples, his arrest, Peters denial (in its own way perhaps a more shocking development then Judas' betrayal) and the crucifixion and resurrection.
I have always loved Matthew 28:1 - "After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb." We know what they are going to find; what I love is how that first verse hints at what only God can do. Jesus is buried. His followers are undoubtedly grief stricken and despondent. Time passes A long night into a new day and the women come to the tomb. In that long night where death reigns it is only God who can act. "As the first day of the week was dawning" God had acted. In the dark God had done what only God can do and turned the morning into the most dazzling of lights.

Matthew 24, 25

2011-01-11T10:13:00.000-05:00

January 11, 2011

Matthew 24, 25

Overview: Jesus speaking with his disciples about matters related to the end of time.

Jesus uses some apocalyptic language to speak about the end of times, but explicitly instructs that he is not issuing a road map and that "about that day and hour no one knows"(24:36) While Jesus seems disinclined to have us reading tea leaves to determine the precise date and time of his return, he seems very concerned with how we live our lives in the meantime. There are a series of parables here about living as though the Son of Man (a bridegroom, a man gone on a journey) could return at any moment. In the event of that return those who have been left behind (bridesmaids, workers) are expected to be living towards the expected return of the one they are anticipating. Not putting in time and waiting, but actively readying themselves. Keeping awake.
This is culminated by Jesus teaching in Matthew 25 about the final judgment. Our every interaction matters. Our every interaction is potentially an interaction with our God. An act of kindness is not something that happens in a moment and is over with, but is rather, each one, of cosmic significance.
This theme is one of which I do not grow weary. There are still many who are caught up in a game of determining when the end will come, of "solving" the "puzzle" of the book of Revelation by piecing together this world crisis and that tyrannical leader. It is a rabbit hole that is not what Jesus intended for us. There will be an end. It will come when it comes. In the meantime we are too live. Live obediently. Live faithfully. Live as though God made the world and us and had an intention for our lives - for that is exactly what has happened and is happening.

Matthew 21, 22, 23

2011-01-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

January 10, 2011

Matthew 21, 22, 23

Overview: Palm Sunday triumphal entry story and then a couple of chapters of jousting with the Pharisees.

Jesus tells several parables in these chapters that seem to target the religiuos leadership pretty specifically. Jesus more than once refers to them as "blind guides". He speaks of how they prefer the trappings of their office to the actual call of being servant leaders. He indicates that whether it was John or himself, the Pharisees miss the message while tax collectors and prostitutes understand and respond enthusiastically. Chapter 23 has a number of teachings that begin with a pronouncment of woes on the religious leaders.
A couple of thoughts then. First, it's not hard to imagine why Jesus had enemies amongst the Pharisees. They, as he said, missed much of his message and what they did hear of it they experienced as attacks on their leadership. The critiques, of course, are right on the mark, but that makes them no more comfortable.
Second, for those of us in positions of leadership in congregations (ordained and lay) these words of Jesus must be instructive and if we are honest they must, at least at times, make us uncomfortable. In almost any expression of leadership there is the potential for becoming enamored of the perks of the position. Jesus worked with his own disciples around these issues in our readings from yesterday. Remember when the mother of James and John came to Jesus asking for special preference for her sons. And remember that the other ten reacted poorly to the request. If there are twelve there is a point where you would be rather five then six, rather be four than eight, rather be one then twelve. Jesus works constantly both with his followers and in his teachings aimed at the Pharisees to reframe the idea of leader as one who serves without concern to position instead of one who is superior in the set apartness.
Also want to take a quick look at Matthew 21:22. "Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive." This is one of those passages that has been regularly abused by folks associated with prosperity gospel ideas and messages. I don't find the message here to be to ask for whatever you want and God will give it to you if you believe strongly enough. I think that ignores the words "in prayer with faith". I believe there is a filter there that is often overlooked. There are things that we might indeed ask God for if we were simply viewing God as a gift dispensing machine. They are not things we would ask for were we asking "in prayer with faith". The words "in faith" suggest that the things being asked for are things that by nature of their being "in faith" are things that are within the framework of God's will. Asking for a pure heart. Asking for a heart to serve. Asking for our eyes to be open to God's will. These, I believe, are things that we might be likely to ask for which could be characterized as "in faith". Tickets to the Super Bowl, a new car and a home entertainment system, conversely, while not bad things might miss the cut as the kinds of things we would make a priority when we are approaching God "in prayer with faith".

Matthew 19,20

2011-01-10T04:30:00.000-05:00

January 9, 2011

Matthew 19,20

Overview: Jesus talks marriage and fidelity with the Pharisees, tells a great parable about the wages paid to workers hired at different points in the day and has an uncomfortable moment with the mother of James and John.

The parable at the beginning of Chapter 20 is one of my favorites and actually was the text for my first sermon in my first call in St. Charles, Missouri. In it Jesus tells of a landowner who hires workers at various points through the day. When the end of the day comes and it's time to settle up with the workers he authorizes all of the workers to be paid the same amount. Those who worked all day take offense believing it unfair that they, who had labored all day long, should receive the same amount as the last ones to the fields. It's a great story about God's grace and it's a great story about fairness. Bottom line, it's a great thing that God is not fair. Fairness would result in us always being in a deficit position in our relationship with God. God does not give us what we deserve. God gives us far more and far better. God gives us Christ. God gives us Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. God gives us a call and God gives us a purpose. It's way better than fair could ever hope to be.

Matthew 17, 18

2011-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

January 8, 2011

Matthew 17, 18

Overview: The Transfiguration. The disciples fall short in attempts at healing and Jesus instructs then on the power of faith. Jesus answers a question about who is the greatest in the kingdom of God with talk about the faith of children. Chapter 18 finishes with Jesus teaching about forgiveness.

The theme of community is evident in Matthew 18. Jesus talks about the faith of children in an extended bit of teaching. In v.6 he speaks about the imporance of not being "stumbling blocks" to any of "these little ones who belive in me". He speaks of God's love for all by citing the way a shepherd looks diligently for the one hundredth sheep even if the other ninety-nine are all prsent. He goes on to give fairly specific instruction about how to approach a member of the community of faith who wronged another member of the community. The cumalative effect is to lift up the importance of relationships and the value that Jesus places on them. Jesus teaches that faith is not lived in a solitary manner, but rather is lived out in our relationships be they between young and old, or between peers. God love me enough to die for me. God love you enough to die for you. We, who love God, ought to love one another, to begin with, because God so values each one of us.
The relationships and community continues in the parable about forgtiveness. The one who experiences forgiveness has an obligation to try to be forgiving themselves. We, in other words, to love one another as God has loved us.

Matthew 14, 15, 16

2011-01-07T09:54:00.000-05:00

January 7, 2011

Matthew 14, 15, 16

Overview: Chapter 14 begins with the story of how Herod has John the Baptist killed. From there the story turns to Jesus and various interactions with people in need of healing, people who need to be fed and to conflicts with the Pharisees. There are two feeding miracles along the way as well as the pivotal declaration that Peter, in a moment of insight, makes about who Jesus is - "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."(16:15)

Another group of chapters that, I think, are enhanced, or at least experienced in a different way, when taken as a whole. It becomes less of a series of disconnected scenes and more of a coherent whole.
John the Baptist is killed by Herod. John's disciples go to Jesus to tell him what has happened. Jesus, we are told, hears the news and withdraws to a deserted place. I think it's safe to assume that at least a part of that is that Jesus is troubled by the violent death of someone he cares about. And yet here come the crowds, very much needing Jesus. I think we see some of Jesus' humanity here as he is going through a very difficult moment in his web of personal relationships and yet he also has great demands on him from those who may not have much interest in his backstory, but know that he has something they need. Jesus seems much more human in that context, much closer to the way we experience life. Very few things happen just in and of themselves. Conversely, much of what we experience in life happens in bunches and we are left to mourn and work and celebrate and serve all at the same time.
There is a theme that runs through these chapters about Jesus trying to move things to a deeper level, while those around him are often stuck on the surface. Best crystallized perhaps by the discussion that Jesus has with the Pharisees and with the disciples about being less concerned about what goes from outside to inside and more concerned with what comes from inside to outside. The Pharisees are worried about the disciples washing their hands. Jesus tries very hard to point out that there are larger things in the world to be concerned with than ritual purity...actual purity being chief among them.
There is also a nice thread about bread, the kind one eats after a long day in the wilderness and the kind that sustains your soul. Jesus feeds large groups of people a couple of times, both stories with a strong miraculous element. Jesus then has an exchange in chapter 16 with the disciples warning them about the "yeast of the Pharisees". The dsiciples wonder if maybe they forgot to buy bread - is that what he's talking about. Jesus, a little exasperated, points out to them that if they remember what just happened in a big way twice that loaves of bread are not a big issue. He's talking about something deeper, something more fundamental to their being, the yeast that will make or break what rises from within them.
Finally we have the wonderful moment when Peter gets it right. It is followed, naturally, by a moment when Peter gets it way wrong, but shows again one of Peter's most endearing qualities, his complete lack of reservation about being the kid in class who has no fear at all about raising his hand and taking a shot.

Matthew 12, 13

2011-01-07T01:13:00.000-05:00

January 6, 2011

Matthew 12, 13

Overview: Jesus has a disagreement with the Phrarisees over what is permissible on the Sabbath. Jesus teaches using parables and then instructs the disciples on the meaning of some of them as well as on why he uses parables.

As chapter 12 begins Jesus comes into conflict with Sabbath laws, first when his hungry followers pick food to eat on the Sabbath and then when he heals a man on the Sabbath. Jesus is not making an argument against the keeping of the Sabbath, but is looking to broaden the Pharisees understanding of what is acceptable activity on the Sabbath. The Sabbath appears in Jesus understanding not to have been instituted in order that people might go hungry who could feed themselves or so that we could withhold the alleviating of anothers suffering when it is well within our ability to do something about it.
There are a couple of family related bits in these two chapters. First, at the end of chapter 12, there is a moment when Jesus is told his family is outside waiting or asking for him. He responds by making a point that those who follow him are his family. Then, towards the end of chapter 13, Jesus is in Nazareth and the local folks are recognizing him not as the preacher/teacher/miracle worker who has been amazing the Galilee region, but as the carpenter's son, as Mary's son. They are certain they know him and because they know him they are unable to see who he truly is and what he is capable of. There is in this, I think, a word of caution for us when we become too certain that we know who Jesus is, that we have the story down as it were. Jesus is always more than who we know and what we can understand. To be in relationship with Jesus is to work at following One who is always out in front of us pulling us towards a future we cannot know any other way than by struggling to keep up.

Matthew 10,11

2011-01-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

January 5, 2011
Matthew 10,11
Overview: Matthew 10 is Jesus coaching up his disciples. Matthew 11 finds John the Baptist sending his disciples to Jesus with a question and Jesus answering the question. Jesus goes on to say some pretty positive things about John.
Reading Jesus’ instructions to his disciples as they prepare to go out on their own to spread the word of the kingdom come near adds another exhibit to the “Whatever This Is It’s Never Going To Be Easy” file. Jesus says comfy things like, “See I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves.”(v.10). There’s plenty more hard stuff here; surely this talk kept the disciples attention.
Verses 26 and 27 are personal favorites. “For nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” Here is Jesus exposing the delusion that we too often try to live under – the idea that somehow we can keep secrets from God. That action we aren’t so proud of – that sin we know is sin but hope will be off God’s radar in the midst of God’s busy day. Because we can occasionally get away with keeping things from one another we somehow think we can keep things from God. Jesus words say otherwise. It is useless to waste our energy and effort on the pointless task of evading God – God knows us through and through. It is both humbling and freeing to embrace the reality of God knowing us. Humbling to consider that, indeed, whatever I have done or thought, God absolutely knows it . Freeing to, at the same time, hold not only this knowledge, but also the knowledge that God’s love for us is deep, abiding and ongoing.

Matthew 8,9

2011-01-05T01:11:00.000-05:00

January 4, 2011

Matthew 8,9

Overview: An eventful travelogue full of teaching, healing and one calming of a storm.

8:28-34 is one of those very revealing stories featuring Jesus. Jesus encounters two demoniacs and casts the demons out of them into a herd of pigs. Verse 34 is the kicker - "Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him they begged him to leave their neighborhood." They didn't thank him. They didn't ask him to heal anyone else. They begged him to leave. One business had already taken a hit - the swineherders had seen their investments run headlong into the sea - no one was anxious to be next. Jesus is sought out often in the gospels by those in neeed, but this passage reminds that there are those who experience Jesus as inconvenient and disruptive. There are aspects of Jesus' message that will still strike us at times as inconvenient - because they may not coincide with our desires and some that we will experience as disruptive because...they are.
9:36-38 give us a glimpse of Jesus instructing the disciples. After the flurry of activity in chapters 8 and 9, chapter 9 ends with a summary statement about Jesus traveling through cities and villages meeting needs. The disciples are alongside of him, helping one assumes and bearing witness to all that Jesus does. Having taken all this in they are left with these words from Jesus, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Matthew 5,6,7

2011-01-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

January 3, 2011

Matthew 5,6,7

Overview: The Sermon On the Mount.

How exhilirating to read the Sermon on the Mount all at once. Reading through all three chapters I began to question in my mind how often we take a piece or a phrase and set them apart. Two things that caught my attention as I thought about this passage in this larger way.
The first picks up on the image of light and darkness and on the eye. There are wonderful individuals statements/teachings which touch on the subject of light or darkness and/or on the eye, but the effect is enhanced when taken together.
5:14 "You are the light of the world."
5:29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out..."
6:1 "Beware of praciticing your piety before others in order to be seen by them."
6:22,23 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy your whole body will be full of darkness."
7:3 "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?"
Again each verse is a treasure, but seeing the themes of light and darkness along with the theme of sight (what we see, how we want to be seen, how we process what we see and what we see others doing) becomes all the richer when taken together.
Beyond this I am struck by the teaching of the Lord's Prayer in 6:9-15, in light of our earlier reading from Matthew 4 regarding Jesus' temptations in the wilderness.
"Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one."
There is specific mention of temptation and the tempter towards the end - is Jesus working with this memory vivid in his mind as he instructs? The first tempation dealt with turning stones to bread - here in the prayer is a specific mention of asking God for bread, a reminder that our sustenance is from God. The third temptation dealt with Jesus being called on to worship the tempter and Jesus responding that we are instructed to worship God alone - here at the very beginning of this prayer is the up front reminder of God's place - in heaven and God's status - hallowed.
Finally, of the many great verses here, I'll close today with two of my favorites from here or anwhere in Scripture, Matthew 6:33,34.
"But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Matthew 3,4

2011-01-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

January 2, 2011

Matthew 3,4
Overview: John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus in the Judean wilderness. John baptizes Jesus. Jesus goes into the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil. Jesus begins his public ministry, calls a few disciples and begins working around the Galilee region.

Chapter 3 verse 1 announces that John "appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'" Was reading from my William Barclay Daily Devotional book today and Barclay was working on John. He identified three reasons that John had such great impact. 1) "He was a man who lived his message." 2) "His message was effective because he told people what in their hearts they knew and brought them what in the depths of their souls they were waiting for." 3) "He was completely humble." All good insights.
I like the way John "appears". Certainly he didn't spring up out of nothing, but it reads like a movie unfolding. One can visualize the camera focused on a spot in the wilderness from way back and then slowly moving in to reveal the figure of John.
I love the account of Jesus in the wilderness for a couple of reasons. First, I think it is an essential experience for Jesus at exactly that moment. Jesus has been baptized. Jesus has not yet begun his public ministry. He faces these temptations in this direct confrontation with the tempter and it galvanizes him for whatever lies ahead as he goes about the work he has been sent to do. Second, it can't be overstated how instructive it is that Jesus meets each temptation with Scripture. The message to us to be familiar with Scripture so that we can draw on it when needed is abundantly clear.
In 4:17 Jesus speaks the same words we encountered earlier from John, "Repent, for the kindom of heaven has come near." Has. Not will. Has. It has the effect of dramatically announcing that Jesus public ministry has sprung into motion. Jesus is on the move. The kingdom has come near.
Any comments that any who are sharing this journey have on the passage are more then welcome - I'd love for this to be interactive.

Matthew 1,2

2011-01-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

A quick explanation. Beginning today I am following a 90 day read through the New Testament plan. Alink to the plan I am using follows this introduction.
http://www.commonenglishbible.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=WJ8e2gfUAUo%3D&tabid=203&mid=612

January 1, 2011

Matthew 1,2
Overview: Matthew 1 features the lineage of Jesus and Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. Matthew 2 tells of the visit of the magi, the interaction of the magi with Herod and Herod’s horrific decree to kill all the boys two and under in and around Bethlehem. Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt for safety and then returns to Nazareth after being given the all clear by an Angel.

Looking forward to going through the New Testament in the next 90 days. A reminder that there are two possible reading plans (at least two). Read everyday January 1 through March 31 and you can finish in 90 days. Plan to read by Easter (April 24) and you have 24 days of grace to sprinkle in throughout your reading.

Much of my reading through the Gospel accounts will be enhanced by looking forward to traveling to the Holy Land later in January. I look forward to reading the stories of Jesus’ life and ministry as Julie and I have the opportunity to visit some of the locations where those stories unfolded.

Preached last week on the Matthew 2 passage recounting Herod’s slaughter of the innocents. A story that follows the Christmas story, reminding us of the dangers of the world – then and now – and why Christmas – Christ’s coming to us – is more than a lovely story; it’s a necessity.

What Happens...? - December 2, 2010

2010-12-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for December 2, 2010
Psalm 18:1-20
Isaiah 2:5-22
1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
Luke 20:27-40

Luke 20:27-40
Some Saducees ask Jesus as question about a woman who marries a man with several brouthers. Her husband dies so his brother marries her and then he dies so another brother marries her...the wrap up to the question is in the final analysis whose wife will she be in the resurrection. It reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons where Bart is in Sunday School asking questions of the teacher about a man with a prosthetic leg. Bart wants to know if the man dies and goes to heaven does the leg go with him. These are the sort of questions that flit through our minds at times when we think about the bridge between this life and the next and matters of faith, but they are questions that at the end of the day I'm not much interested in and find missing the point. There is a life beyond this one. God will be there and by God's grace I hope to be there as well. What it will look like I can't begin to know, understand or explain. I don't for a moment discourage anyone from giving as much thought, very specfic thought to what that future might hold, but I'm satisfied with the general overview. Jesus words about God being the God of Abraham and Isaac are fascinating. "So he is the God of the living, for they are all alive to him."(v.38) There is our perspective and there is God's perspective. Trouble ensues when we try to puzzle out too much of what God sees as we very much struggle with such a task engaging it from our perspective.

Another Night At The UK Medical Center...
Stayed Monday and Tuesday night with my mother-in-law at Markey Cancer Center in Lexington. And am back here tonight. She is recovering from an 8 hour surgery for ovarian cancer three weeks ago yesterday. The recovery has been a one step forward, two steps back proposition to this point, but we are hopeful we are on the right track. She will hopefully be regaining her strength so that chemo can begin before too long. Prayers are appreciated. Her name is Joy.

World Cup Bid
FIFA announced host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments this morning - or whatever time it was in Switzerland. 2018 went to Russia (not England or Spain/Portugal) and 2022 went to Qatar (not the USA or Australia). I can sort of see the 2018 result - not agree with, but see. The 2022 is baffling to me. Qatar has 3 stadiums presently built of the 12 they will need for the competition. It is miserably hot in Qatar at the time of year when the WC will be played. They are building air conidtioned stadiums apparently. Disappointed that we don't have a World Cup in the United States to look forward to. And hoping, if we qualify for the 2022 World Cup, that we get Qatar in our group as they have never played in a World Cup and would be unlikely to play in one by then except for the fact that they are the host.

Calling Evil By Name - December 1,2010

2010-12-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary for December 1, 2010
Psalm 50
Isaiah 2:1-4
1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
Luke 20:19-26

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
"We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul tried again and again, but Satan prevented us."(v.18)
Who talks like this? "Satan prevented us." Really? I don't think you hear this sort of statement much in 2010. I know I don't say things like this very often. As I think about it, maybe it would be helpful to talk this way a little more. While I don't think it's helpful to think of Satan as a red version of the Duke mascot with a little pitchfork and pointy tail, I do think there is something to be gained by speaking about evil in a way that recognizes that it isn't random, but rather the product of intent. Paul senses the call to return to visit the people of Thessalonica and tries multiple times, but each time the plans don't work out. What could be simply viewed as the frustrating way things fall together (or apart) he instead views as meeting intentional opposition from Satan. Which, rather than making him loopy, makes him highly sensible. If he believes he is acting in a way that is in accord with God's will and if he believes that way is being blocked it makes sense that what stands in the way of God's will is evil. Not to push this too far - it is certainly worthy of examination when we think we are doing God's will to be sure that it's not our will we are trying to carry out - but Jesus wasn't shy about talking about evil, Paul doesn't seem to step back from it and perhaps there is something for us to gain in calling that which thwarts God's will by its name. What do you think?

"Our Purpose Is To Please God" - November 30, 2010

2010-11-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 30, 2010
Psalm 33
Isaiah 1:21-31
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Luke 20:9-18

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
"Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts."
Paul is speaking about his motivation which he identifies as pleasing God. In pleasing God he is sharing good news and speaking hard truths to people. The good news and the hard truths are both for the good which is why they are pleasing to God. Paul states that God alone is capable of examining the motives of our hearts. While this can mean that no other person can really examine our deepest motivations it is also true that this knowledge applies to us as well. We can tell the story of our motivations to ourselves in ways that are, in fact, not in line with the reality of things. God made us and God sees into our hearts. Our purpose is to please God, because not only is God the only one who can examine the motives of our hearts; God alone is also the only one whose desires for our hearts to be pure. In seeking to please God we come as close as we can to doing the right thing - not because we want to do right, but because God's will for us is invariably right.
If our purpose is to please God, which would seem to be an ideal and worthy purpose then our first task is to discover what pleases God. Which draws us back again to Scripture and to prayer. So many things point us in this fundamental direction. We need to know God. Our most reliable approach to God is our intentional devotional practices - reading Scripture, worshipping, praying. Seeking what is pleasing to God so that we may live towards that purpose.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part - November 29, 2010

2010-11-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 29, 2010
Psalm 69:1-15
Isaiah 1:10-20
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Luke 20:1-8

Psalm 69:1-15
A good one for when things haven't been going well and still aren't going well. The Psalmist is asking both for help ("Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck") and for patience to wait on the Lord's answer ("...my prayer is to you O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God in the abundance of yoru steadfast love, answer me.") Both practices - going to the Lord in prayer when answers are elusive and times are challenging and seeking the patience to live through the storm and wait on God's answers. Waiting on God's acceptable time falls in nicely with the Advent theme of waiting on God. This waiting is often not a passive or easy thing, waiting can be difficult, even excruciating. As we discussed in Sunday School yesterday at Hebron, it's not always a choosing between two obvious choices - one good, one bad - often times it is a slow process of discernment between two seemingly meritorious choices, and that requires waiting, waiting, waiting.

Isaiah 1:1-10
Rather comes at waiting from another angle. The activity described in verses 10-15 seems to be empty activity aiming at busyness rather than anything of substance. God is said to be tired of the "multitude of sacrifices", has had "enough of burnt offerings" and cannot "endure solemn assemblies". Rather than many and elaborate worship experiences the people are called upon to do something basic and visceral - repent. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your doings from my eyes." "Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." Repent and do good. Tasks of preparation for Christ's advent.

Waiting...
It is easy to write about waiting.
It is not so easy to wait.
It is easy to wait conceptually.
It is not so easy to wait when you are actually anticipating something.
Or when you need something.
Tom Petty was right.
(The waiting is, at times, the hardest part.)

First Sunday of Advent - Keep Awake - November 28,2010

2010-11-29T03:08:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary for November 28, 2010
Psalm 10
Isaiah 1:1-9
2 Peter 3:1-10
Matthew 25:1-13

2 Peter 3:1-10
Sounding like today's Sunday lectionary Gospel (Matthew 24:36-44) we find this verse - "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief..."(v.10) This passage speaks about the way time moves as humans experience it and the way that it is experienced by God. In short, what seems like a long time to us may not be such a long time to God. An important idea as we come again into the season of Advent, both remembering the advent of Christ as an infant in Bethlehem AND looking ahead to the advent of Christ when he comes again. Some two thousand years since the time of Christ with Christianity perhaps losing some of its sense of urgency in awaiting the return of Christ the reminder that Christ, in God's good time, could come at any moment is an important message of the season.

Matthew 25:1-13
Similar theme here - "Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Zechariah and Jesus - November 27, 2010

2010-11-29T02:42:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 27, 2010
Psalm 57
Zechariah 14:12-21
Philippians 2:1-11
Luke 19:41-48

Zechariah 14:12-21
"And there shall no longer be traders in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day."(v.21)
This verse, the last verse of Zechariah, brings to mind the event of Jesus clearing the moneychangers from the Temple. Perhaps in his indignation in the moment when he was in the Temple that day, this verse from Zechariah may have flashed in his mind.

Luke 19:41-48
Speaking of Jesus cleansing the Temple.(vs.45-48) The story here immediately follows Jesus lament over Jerusalem. Jesus weeps looking down at what Jerusalem has become, hot on the heels of the triumphal entry and perhaps in his mind asking how one moves from that moment to events that will lead to his death. From that moment of poignantly taking in a view of the great city Jesus walks into a very specific situation in the Temple and righteous indignation bursts forth. Again, perhaps the words of Zechariah were in his mind as he sent the money changers packing.

The Stones Would Cry Out - November 26, 2010

2010-11-29T00:01:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 26, 2010

Psalm 54
Zechariah14:1-11
Romans 15:7-13
Luke 19:28-40

Luke 19:28-40
"'He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."(v.40)
Luke's Palm Sunday account. Reading the Palm Sunday account always always brings to mind walking the Palm Sunday route when visiting Jerusalem. You wind your way down from the Mount of Olives down into the Kidron Valley and find yourself looking up towards the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. At the foot of the hill is the Church of All Nations where the Garden of Gethsemane is located. On that hillside is where many Jewish pilgrims would camp during the time of the Passover festival. It's not difficult to imagine the grandeur of the Temple sitting up on the mountain - the crown jewel of Jerusalem, the city on a hill and to picture Jesus, the peasant preacher from the Galilee being greeted as King and conquering hero by a people starving for a liberator warrior. And as you walk down the hill and look to the left you see centuries worth of Jewish graves, many with stones stacked on them, the Jewish way of demonstrating respect when one visits a grave. And with all of those stones stacked on all of those graves one hears Jesus' words (above) echoing across the centuries from the pages of scripture, uttered in response to the Pharisees asking him to silence his followers. The dead would bear witness - the stones would cry out.

Thanksgiving Day Edition - November 25, 2010

2010-11-26T07:19:00.001-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 25, 2010 - Thanksgiving Day
Psalm 12
Zecheriah 13:1-9
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 19:11-27

Zecheriah 13:1-9
Couple of fairly random observations from this passage.
Random observation #1 - V.4 mentions the prophets "will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive." Which makes me wonder about whether there was some expectation that someone in the prophetic office was expected to don a "hairy mantle" which puts me in the mind of John the Baptist. My study Bible offers cross references with passages in 1 Kings 19:13, 19 and 2 Kings 2:8, 13.
Random observation #2 - V.5 mentions prophets who will self-identify as something other than prophets, in this instance, "tillers of the soil". This brings to mind Amos and his assertion that he's not a prophet, but a vindedresser. See, I said random.

Ephesians 1:15-23
Paul speaks here about having the "eyes of your heart enlightened". When the eyes of our hearts are enlightened we see things as they are. We see our need. We see what God has done that only God has done. We see the futility of the worlds solutions and the brilliance of God's bold plan. We see that scarcity is a plot and abundance - God's abundance - is what we are made for. Good passage for Thanksgiving Day. When we see with the eyes of our hearts we see how thankful we should be for all that God has done, is doing and has promised to do.

Luke 19:11-27
Jesus parable of the ten pounds. One slave is given ten pounds, one five and one is given one. The ten and the five pound recipients double their gift and return it to their master. The one, in fear, hides the one and is glad to return it to get it out of his hands. Going backto the observations from the Ephesians passage the fearful slave saw with the eyes of fear rather than the eyes of his heart. He embraced scarcity rather than the abundance of God's gift. It is not about socking it away (our gifts, talents and abilities) in order to presever them - it is about seeing what God wants us to do with these gifts.

Thanksgiving 2010
An odd Thanksgiving for us, but a good one. Our natural rhythym is to go to Julie's parents home for Thanksgiving and to share a big meal on Thankgiving Day with her family including her brother. Christmas is usually at our house and we without fail assemble again at that time. You come to take this for granted. Utnil this year when Julie's mom has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Went through an eight hour surgery two weeks and one day ago and, after being home from the hospital over the weekend, went back in on Tuesday. We scrambled a bit. Ordered a Thanksgiving dinner takeout from Cracker Barrel which we'll use as the basis for the big meal on Friday (into Saturday). And just the four of us had Thanksgiving Dinner at Cracker Barrel in Berea. Her mom was released from the hospital in the early evening and is home now. Following our Cracker Barrel meal our family went and saw the new Harry Potter movie. So I'm thankful for J.K. Rowling and for Cracker Barrel and for a Dr. with communication gifts and good commons sense. I'm thankful for Julie and Cameron and Eliza. I'm thankful that I get to put up with children who argue with each other as I know I'll miss it when they don't anymore. I'm thankful for days when things are not as they should be, for odd Thanksgivings if you will, because they point out how magnificent so many family gatherings have been and how richly God has blessed us.

Getting On Board With God's Plan - November 24, 2010

2010-11-26T06:51:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 24, 2010
Psalm 78:40-72
Zechariah 12:1-10
Ephesians 1:3-14
Luke 19:1-10

Ephesians 1:3-14
Lots of talk here of purpose and plan. God's purposes and plans. Talk of wisdom and insight. God's wisdom and insight. As to us, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of our grace."(v.7) We begin to have some awareness of God's purpose and plan when we can begin to have some experience of our need for forgiveness along with the stunning realization that God has provided precisely this thing that we need.

Luke 19:1-10
The story of Zacchaeus, which is kind of a very specific version of the passage from Ephesians 1 above. Zacchaeus begins to have some awareness of God's purpose and plan - and his role in that purpose and plan - when he meets Jesus and is confronted with his need of forgiveness and gratefully accepts that gift and has his life transformed.

Favor and Unity - November 23, 2010

2010-11-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 23, 2010
Psalm 78:1-39
Zechariah 11:4-17
1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Luke 18:31-43

Zechariah 11:4-17
Zechariah serves as a shepherd with two staffs. One he names Favor, the other Unity. He breaks the one called Favor, symbolizing the breaking of the covenant. He then accepts payment of thirty pieces of silver, tosses it into the temple treasury and breaks the staff called Unity - anulling the ties between Judah and Israel. No precise correlation to be made, but find the amount (thirty pieces of silver) interesting and am curious about how Judas might have reflected on this passage as he took his thirty pieces of silver and thought about the breaking of the unity of his relationship with Jesus.

Lifestyle Passages - November 22, 2010

2010-11-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 22, 2010
Psalm 37
Zechariah 10:1-12
Galatians 6:1-10
Luke 18:15-30

Psalm 37
"Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret - it leads only to evil."(v.8)
Lots in this Psalm about the consequences of wickedness and a long-term perspective on what faithfulness brings as opposed to what wickedness brings. The above verse is one that encourages the avoidance of anger, wrath and fretting. Anger and wrath I think are pretty clear in our minds in terms of their potential for connection with evil. Fretting is one where it may not be so obvious, yet it surely is there. When we fret, when we are anxious we respond increasingly out of fear and fear clouds are judgment and can lead us to bad choices which have a way of piling one on top of the other.

Galatians 6:1-10
"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. so then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for th good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith."(vs.9-10)
Like the Psalm above this is a long-haul, lifestyle passage. Doing what is right is not a glib instruction, it's hard work. We pray that we can stay with it and not grow weary of it - if it were easy and required little we would not need to worry that we might grow weary. The need for doing what is right is constant - the call is to work for good in all things with special attention to the way that begins within the family of faith. I don't find tha to be an "if you get nothing else right, get the family of faith right" type instruction as much as I hear it as an "if we are unable to get the family of faith right, how will we ever reach beyond that family" kind of question.

Luke 18:15-30
The story of the rich young ruler which fits with the above as a lifestyle question that the young ruler asks of Jesus. Jesus speaks of how hard it is to do the right thing, especially when we have great resources (because rather than share our tendency is to hang on), but he offers hope when the people who are listening start to question whether faithfulness is even possible. ""'What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.'"(v.27) Aim to do what is right and good and lean not on ourselves, but on God for the strenght needed for the endeavor.

I'll Have The Statue of the Ox Eating Grass - November 21, 2010

2010-11-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 21, 2010
Psalm 106:1-27
Zechariah 9:9-16
1 Peter 3:13-22
Matthew 21:1-13

Psalm 106:1-27
"The made a calf at Horeb
and worshiped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass."(vs.19-20)
Hmmmm. When you say it like that it doesn't seem like such a good choice.
It's funny how when we say out loud the things that we give priority over God it comes out sounding pretty much like these verses. God grant us wisdom.

Zechariah 9:9-16
Prophecy that foreshadows the events of Palm Sunday.

1 Peter 3:13-22
"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil."(v.17)
If we our suffering, why are we suffering. Is our suffering the result of disobedience and being out of step with God's will or is our suffering the result of fidelity to God and striving to follow Jesus. It sounds odd to rate the relative merits of various types of suffering, but I think it makes good sense. Suffering, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Suffering that we are experiencing because we are making the choices that God would have us make and trying to live the way that God would have us live will surely have a whole different feel to it than suffering which comes from separation from God's will and plan. The one is a suffering that is superficial and while it may be deeply painful there is a deeper resevoir of hope beneath it. The other is a suffering that makes each day another journey through misery.

Matthew 21:1-13
Matthew's Palm Sunday account wherein we see Matthew utilizing the Zechariah passage and pointing to prophecy fulfilled in the actions and person of Jesus.

Preached today on...
Used the Luke 23:33-43 and Colossians 1:11-20 passages to preach this morning. Basic thrust that faith is very often about relearning definitions of what we imagine to be familiar terms. King for instance here, on Christ the King Sunday, is reshaped for the people of Jesus day and for us. The people are looking for David - powerful poltiical and military leader - and instead we have the story of the crucifixion with the mocking of Jesus as King, the sign placed on the cross and two criminals, one to either side of Jesus. One who understands his kingship and one who does not. And the Colossians passage which describes Christ's ministry in beautifully poetic language, demonstrating how death on a cross is truly the act of a King.

Prayer - November 20, 2010

2010-11-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 20,2010
Psalm 60
Malachi 3:13-4:6
James 5:13-20
Luke 18:9-14

James 5:13-20
Encouragement to pray whether suffering or cheerful. No matter our circumstance, tending to our relationship with God is critical.
Nothing more than noting a coincidence, but interesting that in the Malachi passage, the last passage of the Old Testament there is mention of Elijah and here in the last passage of the book of James there is the mention of Elijah as well. Again, no correlation is suggested, beyond reminding again of the shadow cast by the giants of the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses, David and the one mentioned here - Elijah.

Luke 18:9-14
The Luke passage is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple. Where the James passage exhorts us to pray, this passage indicates both a poor attitude for prayer (the Pharisee) and a preferred attitude for prayer (the tax collector).

James Talks Advent Sort Of - November 19, 2010

2010-11-20T16:50:00.001-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 19, 2010
Psalm 147
Malachi 3:1-12
James 5:7-12
Luke 18:1-8

James 5:7-12
"Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord."(v.7)
James urges the followers of Christ to be patient in their waiting for his return. This is an interesting passage to come across with the beginning of the liturgical season of Advent a week and a day away. Advent has become the preamble to the celebration of Christmas and when we think of the Advent of Christ it seems most often to be the coming (or Advent) of the Christ child that is in our minds. Of course Advent points not only to remembering the Advent of the Christ child, but ahead, to the future, to the coming of Christ. I wonder how many of us actually have the sense of urgency and anticipation about Christ's coming that would ever lead us to feel impatient. The people James is speaking to our impatient for the Lord's return. Two thousand years later we've become accustomed to waiting. Used to it. Yet God's time is God's time and we are reminded by this passage perhaps that Christ's return can be anytime - our call is not to live with a sense of panic or impatience, but to live for certain with expectation that Christ who came will come again.

November 18, 2010

2010-11-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 18, 2010
Psalm 108
Malachi 2:1-16
James 4:13-5:6
Luke 17:20-37

Psalm 108
Just a great Psalm of praise, particularly vs.1-6.

Malachi 2:1-16
God commends the leaders for "true instruction" and for walking in "integrity and uprightness". Leaders who cause "many to stumble" are taken to task. It is a sobering passage for pastors and for teachers - for anyone serving in a leadership position in the church. God has expectations that our effort will be our best effort and that our intent will be service to God not building up of ourselves.

James 4:13-5:6
John McCain drove around in a campaign bus that was known at the "Straight Talk Express" - here is real straight talk....
"Anyone then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin."(4:17)

Giving Our Best, Giving Thanks - November 17, 2010

2010-11-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 17, 2010
Psalm 68:1-10
Malachi 1:1-14
James 3:13-4:12
Luke 17:11-19

Malachi 1:1-14
"Would you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not wrong? Try presenting that to yoru governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favor?"(v.8)
Nice verse for stewarship season. The gifts we would be embarrased to give to anothr person whose opinion we value we are not at all embarrased to offer to God. Whatever our best is is what God expects.

Luke 17:11-19
Jesus heals ten lepers and one of the ten is moved to thank Jesus. In the Malachi passage the issue is witholding our best from God. In this passage it is a similar issue - God has done great things for us and how thankful are we. Do we go on blithely with our day or do we stop and offer thanks and praise. I know too often my answer would be I give less than my best and I receive blessings from God for which I fail to offer thanks.

Life Abundant (And a Mention of Bruce Springsteen) - November 16, 2010

2010-11-16T23:47:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 16, 2010
Psalm 42
Habakkuk 3:1-18
James 3:1-12
Luke 17:1-10

Psalm 42
"My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?"(v.2)
"Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?"(v.11)
These verses have fundamental truths which I think apply to every person. Every single person. My soul thirsts for God. It does. Even when I'm behaving badly or being selfish or rude or some other unattractive thing my soul thirsts for God. I think yours does too. Everyone's soul thirsts for God. It's how we are made. It is how God made us. We thirst for our maker. We don't always seek the right answer to that thirst. The thirst is there, but we sometimes throw other things at it, hoping to find something that will stick. Sometimes hoping to find something that seems potentially less demanding than God appears to be. When we seek that which is not God to fill the space that only God can fill we find ourselves cast down. It is disquieting. When we drink deeply of God, of God's word and of the things that God is leading us to our souls are more likely to fill at peace, a peace that passes all understanding. That is the life abundant. And when we neglect our relationship with God that is when the disquiet and discontent begin to take root and grow.

The Promise
Looking forward very much to hearing "The Promise", a collection of 21 songs that did not make it onto Bruce Springsteen's 1978 classic "Darkness On The Edge of Town". "The Promise" contains a couple of studio versions of Boss songs that were hits for other people - "Because The Night" (Patty Smith) and "Fire" (The Pointer Sisters). Springsteen fans have long known that there are myriad tracks that exist out there in a vault somewhere. My fear has been that we'd never get them until Bruce died. I like this way much better. Very anxious to sort of time travel to a place in time that I suspect will feel a bit like a bridge between "Darkness" and "The River". And very confident that Bruce's "Darkness" benchwarmers will be better than virtually anyone's very best.

The Faith Works Thing - November 15, 2010

2010-11-16T23:25:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 15, 2010
Psalm 43
Habakkuk 2:1-20
James 2:14-26
Luke 16:19-31

James 2:14-26 and Luke 16:19-31
James makes his assertion that faith without works is dead and Luke shares the parable about the rich man and Lazarus wherein the rich man finds himself in an uncomfortable spot in the afterlife. The point of the parable would seem to be that what happens in this life matters. Our actions in this life matter and have consequences. Which points to the heart of what James is saying. I find the doctrinal issues that arise from the book of James to be beside the point. James is not tearing down the role of God in salvation; James is stating that recepients of God's grace live changed lives. Not to earn their salvation, but because it is categorically impossible not to. And those changed lives now prepare us for life in God's kingdom to come - prepare us to hear the message of faith that the rich man, from beyond the grave, wants for someone to go and tell his family.

What's My Motivation? - November 14, 2010

2010-11-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

Lectionary Readings for November 14, 2010

Psalm 14
Habakkuk 1:1-2:1
Philippians 3:13-24
Matthew 23:13-24

Philippians 3:13-24

“Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”(v.12)
Why do we try to be obedient? Why do we try to sin less and love God more? At times I think the message the world has received from the body of Christ is that we do these things because they are good for us. We do them because if we can get them to the “enough” point we are more likely to spend eternity in heaven rather than in hell. I very much want to spend eternity in heaven, but a motive as selfish as living an obedient life in order to get myself there rather defeats the purpose of obedience. Paul is great in this verse – “I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Life is most fully life as God intends when we live in accord with God’s intent AND when we recognize what Christ has done for us that we 1) couldn’t have done for ourselves and 2) wouldn’t have known to ask or seek remedy for left to our own devices. As graceful recipients, rather than as folks seeking to avoid hell, we live, striving to obedient and to follow Jesus.

Matthew 23:13-26
Another passage that focuses on the inner life – pointing us to the core of what we do and why we do it. Superficial behavior may be good or bad, may be obedient or disobedient, but beyond the act there is the intent. Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees here, but I think it blends well with the theme above from the Philippians passage. Our obedience is obedience at a surface level if it is the result solely of self-interest. Our obedience is more deeply rooted when we get our motivation right.
“First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.”(v.26)

Not Most - All - November 13, 2010

2010-11-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 13, 2010

Psalm 39
Joel 3:9-17
James 2:1-13
Luke 16:10-17

James 2:1-13 and Luke 16:10-17

“For whoever keeps the law, but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2:10)

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” (Luke 16:10)

These two statements make for some interesting interplay between these two passages from today’s lectionary. James says you fail at one point in the law and you are guilty. Luke has Jesus saying that an inclination towards being faithful in the small things indicates an inclination to be faithful in large things as well. I think these two passages work nicely together and have a couple of points that jump out at me. One is that our actions matter and that it is our actions with which we must first be concerned. It is not our job to judge the actions of others, but it is our call to be aware of our obedience or lack of obedience in our own lives. A daily review of the ways in which I have been at odds with God’s law, the ways I have been honest with myself about my sin are important. What I do with what is entrusted to me matters. Whether it is great or small it is my opportunity to be faithful. Second, everything matters, everything counts, stewardship or obedience – either one – are whole life issues. Being obedient in ninety-percent of my actions (and I’m not claiming that by any stretch) would not lessen my culpability for the one percent. Our whole life matters. Faithfulness with many things is not the same as faithfulness in all things. God desires faithfulness in all things, great and small.

Forgetting Who We Are - November 12, 2010

2010-11-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 12, 2010
Psalm 105:1-22
Joel 2:28-3:8
James 1:16-27
Luke 16:1-9

James 1:16-27
"But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like."(vs.22-24)
The person who looks in the mirror and goes away and immediately forgets what they look like is an evocative image. If we remember we are children of God we will act like children of God. If however we only experience connection with God in worship or during a time of devotions - a specifically religious moment set aside for that purpose - and fail to carry that interaction with God out into our lives we will forget what we look like - we will forget that we are chldren of God. The call to be doers of the word is a call to be useful in the world, but it is more than a call to serve others - it is also a call to be true to who we and to live our lives as what we were made to be - children of God.

What's going on...
For the first time since I began this in August I got a few days behind beginning on Wednesday. That corresponds with a significant event in our family, my mother-in-law, Joy Hager, underwent an eight hour surgery to remove cancer on Wednesday. As I type I am in her hospital room during the overnight hours. She is recovering pretty well, but this is not going to be a short recovery. Following the initial recovery from the surgery itself there will be chemotherapy. Your prayers are appreciated for her recovery.

Desire, Sin, Death - November 11, 2010

2010-11-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 11, 2010
Psalm 128
Joel 2:21-27
James 1:1-15
Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

James 1:1-15
"When that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death."(v.15)
After beginning with the instruction to consider trials of any kind "nothing but joy", James draws this passage to a close with the above verse about desire leading to sin leading to death. James is such a sturdy, practical, relevant book. Looking forward to making my way through James again - always good territory to review. As with the desire, sin death trajectory, what James describes carries the weight of credibility in that the hard things he says ring very true when compared with my experience of life. And that voice in my head - ir is it my heart - that agrees with James that I am much better off when I can corral things at the desire stage, because what comes next will be sin and then things are really headed in a bad direction.

Keeping the Sense of Urgency - November 10, 2010

2010-11-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 10, 2010
Psalm 55
Joel 2:12-19
Revelation 19:11-21
Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10
Jesus asks which one of us having a hundred sheep and missing one of them wouldn't go all out looking for the lost one. My guess is a number of us would not go searching right away. He asks what woman having ten coins and losing one wouldn't turn the house inside out looking for the missing coin. Again, I'd guess several of us would be just find with nine out of ten unless we really needed that tenth coin. Point being, we may be content with things at a level which is fine for us, but which disappoints Jesus. Our sense of urgency in sharing our faith may be at a place where we are comfortable, but may fall short of what Jesus anticipates. These parables call us to that sense of urgency for the one opportunity before us rather than to be complacent and happy with ninety-nine out of one hundred or nine out of ten.

Yeah, I Know My Transgressions Alright - November 9, 2010

2010-11-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 9, 2010
Psalm 51
Joel 2:3-11
Revelation 19:1-10
Luke 14:25-35

Psalm 51
""For I know by transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me."(v.3)
Sin is really not a huge mystery to us. When we slow down for a moment and examine our choices and our actions and our motivations it does not take a lot of in depth analysis to know that much of the weight we are dragging around is the residue of sin. I do know many, if not all, of my transgressions and sin does have a way of getting out in front and leading. Which is why this is such a great Psalm. Many times confession of sin is viewed as a trip to the woodshed. It's time to fess up and take our whipping. Except it's not that at all. Rather it's time to be honest about the extraneous stuff we are hauling around that is holding us back from being the people we want to be and more important the people God made us to be. Psalm 51 is a wonderful, holistic exploration of sin and confession and how it can free us for God's plan and purposes.

Joel 2:3-11
Joel continues with the theme of confession and forgiveness. Repentance and grace. Joel has just pronounced judgment on behalf of God, but follows with these words:
"Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing."(vs.12-13)
Joel tells us that God is not poised and anxiously waiting to punish; rather God is prepared to restore right relationship and allow us the awesome opportunity to experience grace and new beginnings.

Now - November 8, 2010

2010-11-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 8, 2010
Psalm 5
Joel 1:15-2:2
Revelation 18:15-24
Luke 14:12-24

Luke 14:12-24
"'Come for everything is ready now.'"
The final word is maybe the most critical. Now. Everything is ready - now. I am presently reading a book by Bill Hybels entitled "The Power Of A Whisper: Hearing God, Having The Guts To Respond". Hybels basic idea is that God is whispering to us on a regular basis - are we listening. The book is full of great illustrations of folks who took major steps in their lives - sometimes risky steps - because they listened to the whispers of God. What this passage impresses on us is the importance of both listening and acting in a timely manner. The window of opportunity in any particular situation may be large or it may be small. There may be time to come at it leisurely or it may be that God means now.

Loving and Sharing the Imperfect Church - November 7, 2010

2010-11-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 7, 2010
Psalm 50
Joel 1:1-13
1 Corinthians 14:1-12
Matthew 20:1-16

1 Corinthians 14:1-12
Rob Warren, a good clergy friend here in the Louisville area who possesses an excellent sense of humor, once posted on their churches sign a message something like the following: "We Aren't Full of Hypocrites: We Have Room For More". I love this and never grow tired of repeating it. It's great in a number of ways one of my favorites of which is I think it works as a bit of a defense of the church. As a person who loves the church it feels at times as though there is no end of people who want to take shots at the church. For instance, the church is filled with hypocrites. Well, yes, yes it is. And maybe there are folks who would make the argument that the church is devoid of hypocrites, but as long as there are people in it we will struggle with hypocrisy in one way or another. The quick summary of much of the critique of the church is that it is imperfect and filled with imperfect people. And again, I'd say yes, it is surely imperfect and filled (well, maybe filled isn't the right word, filled may be too optimistic, peopled is probably better) with imperfect folks. The goal of the church is not, in my estimation to airbrush away any signs of our sinfulness so that we may seem to be very near to perfection, but rather a place where people who are sinful, yet hopeful, selfish, yet compassionate, idolatrous, yet faithful can come together and aim at being something more than what we would be on our own. I would not argue that we should be content with our sinful ways and fallen natures, but that it is in coming together and being honest about these less attractive attributes that we together can move a little closer to being the kingdom people God desires us to be. It is important for those of us who are active in congregations to understand some of the misconceptions about what is going on in our gatherings or what some may believe we are aiming to accomplish with our worship and meetings and bazaars and potlucks. One of our centrals tasks as followers of Jesus is building up the body.
Paul uses that phrase several times in the 1 Corinthians 14 passage which ostensibly is about speakingin tongues and prophecy and the relative merits of the two. One could get caught up in the argument between tongues and prophecy, but I'm drawn to a phrase that is used as the yardstick for both of them, the critical piece for evaluation of their purpose and efficacy - building up the church. Verses 4, 5 and 12 all contain some variation on this phrase. Paul in this specific argument I believe gives us a broader measure for everything that we do as communiites of faith. Be it a prophetic word or tongues or Tuesday morning prayer group or a yard sale a basic question should be does it build up the church. Does it communicate the mission and ministry of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world and does it help those who may be on the outside looking in at our congregations understand better what we are about and invite them to join us in the journey.

The Best Company - November 6, 2010

2010-11-07T01:49:00.000-05:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 6, 2010
Psalm 59
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Revelation 18:1-14
Luke 14:1-11

Zephaniah 3:14-20
"The Lord has taken away the
judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in
you midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.(v.15)
Great reminder here - "The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more." This is similar to a theme I'll be highlighting tomorrow in worship from Haggai. In the Haggai passage the people are despondent and despairing about their future as symbolized by the temple. They have a memory of what it once was and they are pretty sure it can't be that again. They don't have the energy. They don't have the resources. They don't have the faith. Haggai's prophecy sounds very similar to Zephaniah's in pointing out to the people that whatever is against them, God is for them and really that is game, set and match. There is nothing better than knowing that God is with us.

A Beautiful Spot Where Pharisees Do The Right Thing - November 5, 2010

2010-11-06T04:05:00.000-04:00

Daily Letionary Readings for November 5, 2010
Psalm 109
Zephaniah 3:8-13
Revelation 17:1-18
Luke 13:31-35

Luke 13:31-35

The Dominus Flevit Church is a small chapel on the side of the Mount of Olives with the above pictured very striking view of the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock. It is supposed to be on the spot where Jesus stood looking at the Temple and more generally at Jerusalem and spoke the following words of lament: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"(v34)
The spot is truly striking and one of my favorite locations in the Holy Land. I can remember being there with our tour group in 2001, when I traveled there with a good friend as part of a group of clergy. What I can remember most vividly is the person who led the devotional talked about how they were having a wonderful experience, but very much missing their family and how their words brought tears to my eyes as I realized how much the words hit home with me and how much I was missing my wife and our two children that particular moment. Something about that quite visceral moment overlooking the Old City has stayed with me and whenever I read the story of Jesus lament over Jerusalem I remember that feeling of being struck by the absolute beauty of what I was seeing and at the same time the absolute sadness of missing the people who were so far away and so important to me.
How hard must it had been for Jesus to look at a city teeming with people, people he loved so much and who he knew would summarily reject him and seek to take his life. How hard especially when he could look across that valley and literally see the ground he would have to cover in order to set in motion the events of Holy Week, the events that would lead to his arrest and crucifixion.
Don't miss the words of v.31. As I read them they are a bit of a bright spot and point to something that we should factor in to our thinking about the Pharisees. Often times the Pharisees are the bad guys in the gospel stories. They are out to get Jesus, to trick him, to trip him up. And yet he hangs around with them regularly and discusses faith with them regularly. They are his nemisis at times, yes, but they are also, I suspect, his friends at times as well. "At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, 'Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.'"(v.31) These words can be interpreted perhaps in a variety of ways, but they sound to me like words of warning from one friend to another. Take care - you are in danger. The Pharisees are not two dimensional villains in a set piece. They are living, breathing folks who have some very bad moments in the gospel accounts, but who also undoubtedly have some good moments as well and who I also would say undoubtedly are represented in the group that Jesus would have counted as his companions and friends.

God Is God And We Are Not - November 4, 2010

2010-11-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 4, 2010
Psalm18:1-20
Zephaniah 3:1-7
Revelation 16:12-21
Luke 13:18-30

Psalm 18:1-20
This Psalm is not unique, but is a great representation of one of the characteristics of a number of the Psalms. Here the Psalmist creatively combines the Lord's concern with the specific, individual life of the writer and the cosmic majesty of what it means to be God. The Psalm is an acknowledgement of God's help, but it moves past being a thank you note to God to being effusive praise for God who is so much more than a magic helper waiting to solve our problems. Here is the creator God in all of God's glory and majesty and here is the great good news that this awesome and spectacular God cares deeply for individuals like us. After a particularly grand and powerful description of God's might we land on v.19 - "He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me." With all that is virtually beyond the ability of words to describe about God's nature the Psalmist leads us to a point that Scripture's story draws us to again and again - this amazing God has a deep and abiding love...for us.

Zephaniah 3:1-8
"Ah, soiled, defiled, oppressing city!
It has listened to no voice;
it has accepted no correction."(v.1)
This verse marks a sharp contrast to the theme mentioned above in the Psalm. God, who is the creator and whose power can truly only be discussed in words that attempt to convey an idea of power on a grand and cosmic scale takes note of us and cares for us. On the other hand, the prophet here describes a city, Jerusalem in this instance, that imagines itself to be grand and powerful on a great scale and which is indifferent to it's creator. God who could easily have not a care for us instead loves us. We who depend on God for everything live at times as though we are beholding to no one.

Luke 13:18-30
The Luke passage kind of draws this together as Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God and about the narrow path that leads to God's kingdom. His closing words in this passage drive home the point that it is not power - real or perceived - among people that leads one to the God's kingdom. Rather it is about obedience and aiming to follow Christ on that narrow path. "Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."(v.30) In the shadow of election day and the echoes of acceptance and concession speeches these words of Christ have a particular relevance. Much of politics is about the trappings of and exercise of power. Too often it becomes simply about gaining and maintaining power. Jesus is clear - the power is a tool among other tools, the decisive and all important factor is not the measure of power, but the desire to be obedient. While mentioning politicians as examples I'd be remiss if I did not confess that the first person I need to hear Christ's call to obedience is me. Praying today that we all will be a little more obedient and Christlike today then we were yesterday.

Times When Healing Is A Bad Thing - November 3, 2010

2010-11-03T13:44:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 3, 2010
Psalm 145
Zephaniah 2:1-15
Revelation 16:1-11
Luke 13:10-17

Psalm 145
Several verses quoted out of sequence. First from the second half of the Psalm...
"The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. (vs.14,15)
A great promise that God will be with us in hard times, particularly when we are most in need, when we are looking to God. An earlier verse from this Psalm gives us a clue how this happens.
"On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate."(v.5)
When we take the time to meditate on God's wondrous works and on all the ways God reveals God's majesty to us in our daily lives we find an awesome God for sure, but I believe we find more. We find an awesome God who cares for us. In the midst of all the striking things that God has done when we meditate on God's actions we become aware that God cares deeply about us and is undeniably active and at work in our lives. God is always those things - active and at work in our lives - but we can easily ignore or choose to overlook the presence of God. Being in tune with that work in our regular meditation helps us to experience God at those times of crises, hopelessness and despair in our lives - the times when we are "bowed down".

Luke 13:10-17
Yesterday's Luke passage contained the story of a fig tree that no longer bore fruit. The suggestion was made that we may have some "fig trees" in our lives that are not bearing fruit and perhaps what such a passage might be asking us to do is to evaluate and consider doing away with such trees so that we could put our energy in other, more productive directions. A friend commented that one of the places we may encounter fig trees is in the life of the church. I agree. And believe that it's a good discipline to do as Stan Ott, of the Acts 16:5 Initiative suggests and not simply repeat last years programs again this year because we did them last year. The church can surely be a place where traditions become entrenched and we continue doing things over the years sometimes for little reason than that we've been doing them for a long time. There is certainly nothing wrong with longstanding traditions, but all of them are worthy of examination at least to ask why we are doing them and what purpose we believe is being accomplished in their being done. Today's Luke passage features Jesus healing a woman who has been bent over, unable to stand up straight for many years. Jesus heals her - he frees her from her ailment - and trouble ensues. Jesus has, again, healed on the Sabbath. Some traditionalists are angry with him. Which raises the question how do you get angry with someone for healing someone in any circumstance? Here it is because it runs headlong into a tradition - the Sabbath is a time when no work is to be done. Those who are angry are unable to look past the bottom line of the tradition to examine the content of the action. In a way it is a similar message to yesterday's - we do ourselves no favors when we are so tied to a course of action that we are unable to actually see what the course of action is leading us to do AND what it may be keeping us from doing.

Is It Time To Get Rid Of A Fig Tree Or Two? - November 2, 2010

2010-11-02T14:34:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings For November 2, 2010
Psalm 28
Zephaniah 1:14-18
Revelation 14:14-15:8
Luke 13:1-9

Luke 13:1-9
Jesus tells this parable about a fig tree that doesn't produce figs. The man who owns the vineyard is upset. The tree hasn't produced for three years - he wants it removed. The gardener asks for an extension. One more year. "If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not you can cut it down."(v.9) You can do several things with this story, as is often the case when Jesus tells a parable. We can imagine ourselves in the place of the fig tree. God has put us here to bear fruit. Grace is extended when we are not bearing fruit and we are given additional time. But there is a day when fruit will be expected. Another way of coming at this story though is to ask where the barren fig trees are in our lives and what are we doing with them. How much of our time and energy is wrapped up in efforts that do not bear fruit, which actually may be more life taking than life giving. Why do we keep pouring ourselves into these activities? Habit? Duty? A sense that there is hope for the fig tree? Perhaps the gardner's solution is one that might be helpful to us. Give it a year (or pick your own time frame) and then reevaluate. Perhaps by leaving some of our less fruitful activities behind we might find a new and lifegiving activity or passion that God has planned for us.

All Saints Day - November 1, 2010

2010-11-02T01:09:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 1, 2010
Psalm 2
Isaiah 26:1-21
Revelation 21:9-22:5
Matthew 5:1-12

Revelation 21:9-22:5 and Matthew 5:1-12
These two passages seem appropriate for All Saints Day, a day specifically placed to remind us of those who have gone before us, lived the faith and left us a legacy for which we can only be thankful. The Revelation passage is one of vivid hope. The light of God's coming Kingdom will be brighter than the sun - it's a glorious passage in which the light illuminates the hope of the book of Revelation. It seems that Revelation is forever being explored by those who would use it as a biblical version of tea leaves as though if one looks at it just right, with just enough imagination and creativity and divine inspiration one will know with great specificity what the completion of history will look like in a highly literal way. To which I can only think, what? Without traveling much farther down that road I'd simply point to passages where Jesus implores us to keep awake because he could return at any time, combined with passages where he suggests that it's not for us to know with precision what the end will be like. Revelation is not a road map wrapped in a secret code - it's good news and here in this passage is the good news - the very good news that inspired all those saints who we remember. The words of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 of course also point us to the lives of the saints who have gone before us - to the way they lived their lives, the way those lives inspire us and push us to be more and more the people God created us to be. Thanks be to God for the folks who did the day after day work of living grace filled lives and for the hope that calls us forward into each new day and to God's glorious future.

Receiving Grace and Dispensing Something Else - October 31, 2010

2010-11-01T01:50:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 31, 2010
Psalm 22
Zephaniah 1:1-6
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13
Matthew 18:21-35

Matthew 18:21-35
A friend was just commenting on the disappointment she felt when she encountered mean-spirited and ugly attitudes and actions from folks who profess to be Christian. Those sorts of statements are painful because it not difficult to imagine what she mentioned taking place and because it's not all that difficult to imagine being guilty of such behavior. What she says is important, not because we Christians are ever going to be perfect, but because it would seem that we who have experienced and acknowledge experiencing the awesome depth of the grace of God might, hopefully exhibit that grace in our dealings with others. Today's Matthew passage makes a similar point. A man, a slave, owes a great debt which his lord forgives. That slave, newly free of debt, encounters a fellow slave who owes him money. With a complete lack of a sense that he understands that magnitude of what the master has just done for him he demands of his fellow slave, "Pay what you owe"(v.29) all the while seizing him by the throat. How is it, that we who experience mercy and grace from God so often fail to extend grace and mercy in our relationships?

What Do We Treasure? - October 30, 2010

2010-10-31T00:32:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 30, 2010
Psalm 24
Nahum 3:8-19
Revelation 13:11-18
Luke 12:32-48

Luke 12:32-48
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."(v.34)
Coming on the heels of the words about worry serving no good purpose this verse piles good logic on top of excellent common sense. That which we prize the most will certainly be the place where our heart finds itself tied up the most. There are so many wonderful things in life that it is easy to slip from the enjoyment of that which God has provided to being obsessed with the preservation and care of those things. The answer, which began earlier on in Luke 12 is to not be consumed with worry about our things. Today's reading begins with the admonition to "not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."(v.32) Our predicament is that we too often find ourselves wanting our stuff more than we are desiring God's kingdom. And again the answer lies largely in the spiritual disciplines. Prayer, Bible reading, serving God and others...the things that keep us focused on God, listening for God and striving to follow God. Personal discipleship. Michael Slaughter is th pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio and author of one of my favorite books "Momentum For Life". In it he offers a template for personal discipleship that goes like this -
D - Devotion To God
R - Readiness For Lifelong Learning
I - Investing In Key Relationships
V - Visioning For The Future
E - Eating and Exercising For Life
I can't recommend the book highly enough - it's great. And if we are acrtively pursuing these five areas we will find ourselves more inclined to be seeking the kingdom and putting our treasure in our relationship with God which will land our hearts in a very good spot.

Worry Less - Aim For God's Kingdom - October 29, 2010

2010-10-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 29, 2010
Psalm 26
Nahum 2:13-3:7
Revelation 13:1-10
Luke 12:13-31

Luke 12:13-31
"And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?"(v.25)
I'm pretty sure that the answer to the question is no - worrying won't add a bit to the span of my life. And yet worry I do. Typically about things that don't merit the attention and beyond not adding any length to my life, serves absolutely no practical purpose at all. It goes beyond not being constructive; it's inconsistent with the faith I profess. God surely does care for us and provides for us and walks with us all of which I believe and which suggests that worry is a waste of time. Aiming to worry less and to do as Jesus suggests and "Instead, strive for his kingdom...."(v.31) Striving for God's kingdom - there's a purpose with great upside.

Touching On Bullying - October 28, 2010

2010-10-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

Psalm 104:1-23
Nahum 1:15-2:12
Revelation 12:7-17
Luke 11:53-12:12

Luke 11:53-12:12
With bullying very much on folks minds in the last little while it may be that we could speak of the Pharisees in this passage as bullies. They are "hostile" towards Jesus. They are "lying in wait" for him. A crowd gathers around and Jesus speaks to his disciples - in front of the crowd - one presumes in a voice loud enough for the disciples, the crowd AND the Pharisees to hear. And gives us one method of dealing with bullies. Call them out.
"Beware the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops."(vs.1b-3)
Whatever we plan, for good or ill, God knows. Whatever our attitude, for good or ill, God knows. Whatever our intent, for good or ill, God knows. Jesus speaks so that those who would plot and scheme and lie in wait and plan traps will be confronted with the truth. They may fool whoever they are able, but God will not be fooled. This strategy, clearly, cannot help every person being bullied. Sometimes the bullies have too much advantage and words such as this would not come. But as they come from Jesus, they should come from people of faith and they should be spoken as reminders to any who would bully - plot - scheme - mistreat another - that however elaborate the plan may be, God knows the heart of what we have done.