Radical Love

Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Forty eight years ago today, these words from the book of Romans were lived out by a group of people seeking life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These people were led by a Baptist minister from the south, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was on this day, August 28, 1963 that Rev. King led the March on Washington and delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.

What an amazing speech. Each time I read it I see something new, I understand something deeper, I am inspired and I am humbled. In my lifetime, albeit barely for I was only three months old, there was an uprising of the oppressed that has, just as Rev King predicted, gone “down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”

I have met people who were on that march and who heard Rev. King that day. I have heard people speak about being there. I have friends for whom that march was a turning point in their lives. This is history that is meaningful to me in an immediate and relevant way. It is also hope for a future that I can grapple with and make sense out of. Furthermore, it relates to me now as I look around and see the plights of which Rev King spoke. I understand his metaphors, his references, and his idioms.

So much of history we understand as stories from the distant past. We relate to them in a more detached way and try to apply their theories or teachings to our lives today. This is especially true of our most ancient sacred writings. The Bible that guides us and helps us shape our lives was written so very long ago and over a long span of time. It has been translated, interpreted, and retranslated. We work hard to understand the various writers, their audiences, the way their cultures worked, their metaphors, allegories, references, and idioms. Our lives are so much different now. Medicine, travel, communications, food, and so many other aspects of our lives are beyond what our ancient sacred writers could have anticipated. We look for the core values presented in these writings and build our lives on them.

Sometimes it’s a struggle to attach our lives to our sacred writings. We try to figure out how what was written so long ago can be relevant for us today. Even out of our reading today from Romans, something that seems pretty core-value oriented, I have heard a variety of interpretations. Some have used parts of this passage in counseling to insist that an abused woman stay in her home. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”

I have heard leaders tell those who are victims of racism to not stand up for themselves but to let God handle it. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them.”

These kinds of interpretations only serve the powerful. They leave those who are oppressed and struggling; those who are victimized and abused with no autonomy or agency. But that is not how Jesus lived. Neither did Paul or Peter live that way. Our Christian ancestors were people of action. They addressed injustice. That was part of the good news. After all, in Luke chapter 4 we hear Jesus proclaim, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." This is the good news!! It’s also a lot of work … a lot of action!!

Martin Luther King, Jr. took on the call of Christ. He spread the good news through his speaking, preaching, writing and actions. From his “I Have A Dream” speech I think we can understand the heart of what Jesus proclaimed in Luke and what Paul wrote to the Romans.

There was an urgency with which Jesus, Paul, and Rev King spoke. Jesus says the spirit of the Lord is upon him. We know from other times in scripture that when the spirit of the Lord is on someone they act with passion, intention, and urgency.

Paul writes, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Dr. King writes, “We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

Now is the time. Do not lag in zeal. Be ardent in spirit. God sends us to proclaim and take action. Understanding what was happening with the oppressed in Jesus’ time and Paul’s time is not always easy. As Christians today here in the United States we don’t have the same obstructions to our faith. We freely come and go to church. We can have conversations about our different denominations, argue about theology with one another, and generally assume that we can live out our Christianity in the open. Jesus and Paul did not have the same luxury. Both got into trouble with some frequency. Sometimes they had to sneak away because people were coming after them to send them to jail, beat them or kill them. This is troubling and we can appreciate what they went through, but it is not our experience.

Dr. King’s speech, spoken only 48 years ago, was delivered to our people. He spoke of how the Emancipation Proclamation was signed 100 years prior, and yet, he said, “we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” Although much has improved in the last 48 years, when we look around we can still see “manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” holding our sisters and brothers of color. In spite of the fact that we have a black president, that Oprah is one of the most celebrated and wealthy people in the world, and that we laud the accomplishments of Nelson Mandela, still Sunday morning worship is the most segregated time of the week. It is still too often true that when a white person and a black person walk into a hospital, the white person will be seen first. It is still too often true that when a person of color is shopping and a white person is shopping, the person of color is followed as if they are going to steal.

This brings alive to me the words of Paul, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” Here is the relevance that we need to attach our lives to these ancient scriptures. Rev. King was reaching backward and forward, holding together these ancient commands with our present day trials. He applied the core values from the messages of Jesus and Paul to the needs of the day.

There is a caution though. With a zealous heart and spirit many have succumbed to the use of force and violence to bring about the peaceable kingdom of God. This doesn’t work. Jesus knew that. Paul knew that too. He writes to the Romans, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” Paul also says, “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God.” Sometimes our emotions become so strong that we think whatever we do for the cause is the right thing to do. Be zealous, but don’t let your zeal confuse you. In our attempts to be good allies with the oppressed or when we are working for our own liberty, we can do foolish things that are not spirit led.

Rev. King knew this too. He said, “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. “

Jesus, Paul, and Rev King espoused non-violence as a way for people of faith to address oppression and violence. As we unfold the stories of Paul and Rev King in parallel, let us consider the words of Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of the Nobel Committee. In his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize presentation speech to Rev. King he said,

“He is the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races.
Today we pay tribute to Martin Luther King, the man who has never abandoned his faith in the unarmed struggle he is waging, who has suffered for his faith, who has been imprisoned on many occasions, whose home has been subject to bomb attacks, whose life and the lives of his family have been threatened, and who nevertheless has never faltered.”
To this undaunted champion of peace the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament has awarded the Peace Prize for the year 1964.”

Paul says of himself when writing to the church in Corinth,

“I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.”

Jesus, Paul, and Rev King were willing to go through whatever had to happen as they came against violence and oppression. I do not believe that we all have this kind of calling. Some of us are called to work at the foundations, offering support and strength. Others of us are called to assist with the details. Still others have a calling to prepare the way. Whatever the calling, the core values of Christ remain. We hear these values in Paul’s words today and we hear them and see them in the life of Rev King.

Paul’s words are inspiring and challenging, but sometimes they sound so far away. It is easy to consider them theoretical and ideals. Looking at the ministry of Rev. King we see these ideals and theories put into practice. We are challenged in a different way, in a practical way. It makes me wonder for myself, “Can I make this my life? Do I have what it takes to be the follower of Christ that I want to be?’ Then I look at Rev. King and realize that I have to at least try. I read the words of Paul and remember Christ’s words of good news in Luke. I know that I am standing on the shoulders of centuries of the good witness and faithfulness of the children of God who said, “Yes.”

Then I wonder, where am I going to find the strength? Where are we going to find the strength? Where did they find their strength? For me, the strongest answer is love. Not emotional love that comes and goes depending on circumstances. Not that which is called love but is often guilt or acts of will. I find my strength in the radical love of God. I see the love of Christ toward us as he endured the cross. I see the love of Christ in Paul as he endured beatings, prison, and more. I see the love of Christ in Rev. King as he endured bomb threats, prison and attacks on his life.

Paul’s instruction to the Romans is his instruction to us today. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” In 1st Cor 13 Paul writes, “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing”

We don’t even have to like one another to love one another, although it is much more pleasant when we do. We don’t have to know one another to love one another, although it is much more inspiring when we do. Radical love is showering each other with mutual affection and honoring one another above ourselves. Radical love will cause us to run out in the middle of the street to save a child from an oncoming car. We don’t always call that love, but I contend that it is. Radical love will lead us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Rejoicing and weeping with people means that we have heard their stories, we are honoring their experiences, and we are one with their response. How can we take on the call of Christ to “proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,” without first weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice? Without radical love, how can we “Live in harmony with one another; … not be haughty, … associate with the lowly; … not claim to be wiser than (we) are?” Radical love enables us, as far as it depends on us, to “live peaceably with all.”

Living peaceably with all is the dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is what Paul wrote to the Romans. Living peaceably with all is the good news that Jesus proclaimed. It isn’t just a theory or an ideal. It isn’t something so far off that we cannot attach our lives to it. Living peaceably with all is the goal of our Christian faith. When we live in radical love, we will find the strength and the passion to live this dream and to proclaim this good news.

As he wrote to the Ephesians, with Paul I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory, God grants you strength in your inner being with power through the Holy Spirit. I pray that Christ dwells in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”

Welcoming

Text: Mark 9:30 - 41

Jesus was having some private teaching time with his disciples. He wanted them to understand that his fate was the cross and resurrection. I can understand why the disciples had a difficult time understanding what Jesus was telling them. Or maybe they didn't want to understand what Jesus was telling them. After all, things were going so well. They were miraculously feeding thousands of people, healing the sick, raising the dead, delivering people from demons, and whenever Jesus got into a scrape with the lawyers or religious leaders, he always got out of it. That he would talk about being betrayed and killed just didn't make sense. And what did "rise in three days" mean?

They understood what was important to them. Figuring out who was going to be the greatest amoung them ... that was the important stuff. I can hear their argument. One of them boasts of how many sick people they've healed. Another boasts of how often Jesus confides in them. Another boasts of how much scripture they know. Then someone counters the one who claims to have healed the most with a higher number. And so it goes ... one boast after another; a counter to this statement and that claim. I'm the greatest. No, I'm the greatest. Their heads and hearts were full of what lay ahead of them for the future ... the glory, the power, the admiration of people everywhere. They were the in-crowd.

Finally they came to the house where they were staying. Every one of them probably thought they made some very good points as to why they were the greatest. Jesus knew what was going on. He knew that they hadn't understood a word of what he was saying because of their distraction. Here they were, all puffed up with their own importance ... that is until Jesus asked them about what they were arguing. Then silence fell on them. They knew they were wrong. Jesus tells them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." He could see the confusion on their faces so in the silence of the disciples’ embarrassment, Jesus draws a young one near. He uses the example of being welcoming ... of being hospitable. He identifies himself with the child. The disciples were treating him as a kind of celebrity and enjoying being his entourage and gaining their own acclaim. But Jesus explains that being first means caring, giving, and sharing. Jesus explains that those who care for the weakest and most vulnerable are in effect caring for him. Consequently, those who care for him are caring for the one who sent him.

At this point, the disciple John blurts out that they saw someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus and they tried to stop him, because he was not one of their in-group. I honestly can’t believe that John thought that would bode well with Jesus after the teaching on welcoming even a child and the whole idea of the last being first. Hadn’t John realized they were being chastised for arguing about who was greatest? And yet, here he was being proud that they found this outsider and attempted to put the kibosh on his ministry. They still didn’t get it. Since the metaphors and gentle teaching methods aren’t working, Jesus resorts to plain old correction. "Do not stop him,” he says. “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

As detached as these teachings sound, they are all about the same thing. The kingdom of heaven on earth is not about who is the greatest and who is the least. It is not about evaluating someone’s ministry or life based on whether they are a part of your special group. The kingdom of God is about having a servant’s heart. It is about welcoming the weakest and most vulnerable.

Welcoming a child seems like a basic idea. How can this be a deep theological lesson? Well, in a way, it is basic. And yet it is easy to relegate the care of a child to their guardian and to pass them by without a thought. They have guardians who are supposed to tend to their needs and make sure they are safe, so there is no need to welcome them. But what if we did? What if we welcomed the children around us? To welcome means to take pleasure in their presence and to let them know. Welcoming a little child means bending down, listening carefully, taking time, and respecting the child as a person.

But it isn’t just children. Remember that this teaching began with Jesus saying that, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." There are so many people that we pass by without noticing. It is easy to pass by someone and not really think of them as a person. This is especially easy with those who are the most vulnerable. It takes time to respect everyone as a person. It takes thought to consider the context of someone’s life.

And it’s easy to turn this lesson around. For those of us who are not the most vulnerable it may feel like our personhood is being taken away from us. We might think, “Hey, what about my life? What about someone paying attention to me? What about me being made to feel important and respected?” I think this is what happened in John’s head when he blurted out about trying to stop the guy casting out demons. Maybe he thought it wasn’t fair that someone else could perform a miracle without having to spend the time in mentorship with Jesus. He and the other disciples were paying their dues and so should everyone else. According to Jesus, that’s not how it works.

Jesus said, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” This is a radical statement. All too often we believe that those who are not for us are against us. Believing the teaching of Jesus means not investing so much in the idea that we have to know who is against us. It means not focusing on the notion of us and them. Instead we can focus on welcoming the little children, the vulnerable, and those whose life and ministry may be different than ours but equally glorifying to God.

It is easy to get into the habit of looking for who is doing things the right way (our way) and who is doing things the wrong way (not our way). When we hear the teaching of Christ that, “Whoever is not against us is for us,” we end up with a lot more people for us than against us. And we end up being for a whole lot more people than we are against. This is great in theory, but in practice we might be a little put back to find out who isn’t actually against us. Like the disciple John, it can disturb us when folks don’t live like we do and yet claim to be one of us. We can be particular of whom we become compared to or associated with.

Take, for instance, our desire for church growth. We want the church to grow in numbers and in passion. We want God to be glorified because of the faith and works of this church. As the Holy Spirit moves in this congregation, do we have certain ideas of how we want our church to grow? Are there certain ways of living out faith and performing works of ministry that are more or less acceptable? Or do we have open spirits and minds?

It can be difficult for new people to enter a community that has a long history of doing things a certain way. It can also be difficult for a community to let go of the certain ways they do things. If our community is to grow, we have to be flexible to the moving of the Holy Spirit. We have to listen carefully, take time, and respect everyone as the person they are. Jesus drawing near the little child can be our example of how to be welcoming. The disciple John can be our example of how to not be critical and proprietary. Our community will change in many ways as we grow in number.

As we continue to look forward, let us remember that we are not seeking to become the greatest, but rather we must seek to become the least and to be servants of all. Those who are most vulnerable we must welcome with love and respect. Things will not become out of control because of change, but we may be pushed outside of our comfort zone. The more we are open to the gifts and wisdom that others have to offer, the more opportunities we will have to thrive. When we mix the gifts and wisdom that we have in this community already with those who desire to share their gifts and wisdom with us, we will find God being glorified in beautiful and diverse ways – ways that are unimaginable to us now.

Believe this with me. Be open to the possibilities. Let us continue to imagine anew who we are and who we are becoming. Our own diverse wisdoms will surface in new and wonderful ways. As people come to our community, let us honor them with our care and be excited to hear their wisdoms. The more we listen and share, the more we welcome one such child in Jesus’ name, the more we welcome Christ and the one who sent Christ. The revelation of God in our midst will increase as we increase our welcome and rejoice in the ministries that unfold around us.

Think On These Things

Texts: Matthew 15:1-20 and Phil 4:8 – 9

Matthew 15:1-20
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat." He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, "Honor your father and your mother,' and, "Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.' But you say that whoever tells father or mother, "Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,' then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' " Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

As I think about the question that Jesus asks, “Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition,” I wonder, why is it that our traditions can become more influential in our lives than the commandment of God? How is it that we can become so easily distracted by the expectations and norms of our culture and forget the deeper values of God? Is it easier to find a loophole? To what purpose? How does taking support from your parents and giving it to God (whatever that means) benefit the child in question?

Speaking of being a child, I can’t help but remember that sometimes when I was given a task by my mom I would balk at doing it. I would cry or make excuses to get out of whatever the chore was. In response my mom would yell and insist. Eventually I would do what I was supposed to do, but we would both be wrecks by the end of it. I look back and wonder why I did that. I didn’t do it much, but when I did, the whole rest of the day was bad. One time my mom said to me, “If you had just done what I asked when I asked you’d be finished by now and out doing what you really want to do. But here we are, still arguing. Why are you wasting your time?” I’m not saying that this was the end to my procrastination, but it helped bring me around.

I think sometimes we waste our time finding loopholes and looking for reasons to get out of things like loving people, giving each other the benefit of the doubt, honoring God, and finding things worthy of praise. But to what end? Why is it tempting to make sure that everyone around us honor the traditions of our systems and norms rather than we ourselves honoring the deeper values of God? Why is it more difficult to think about what Philippians 4:8 recommends we think about; whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, and commendable? Do we look for failure rather than excellence? Do we look for what we can condemn rather than what we can praise?

I don’t think we are bad and evil people. I don’t chalk any of this up to some phantom original sin. But it does seem to me that it is surprisingly easy to drift into these bad habits.

It’s true that some things that happen in life and in the world are terrible. I’m not suggesting that we hide our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is alright. It isn’t that every moment we should have something positive to say. It’s about where we begin our thought process and the ruminations of our hearts. What is our launching pad? Do we look for the way to get out of something or the fault in the story or activity? Or do we look for the excellence and want to see what is praiseworthy?

This passage challenges me to think about the intersections between our imminent existence and our transcendent existence. Washing hands doesn’t benefit us spiritually and the food we eat passes through our bodies, but the intentions of our hearts and the words that come out of our mouths can heal or harm us. How we move through space, the choices we make, our thoughts and the ruminations of our hearts are intertwined with our spiritual aspects and have spiritual outcomes as well as earthly outcomes.

I wonder what it means to think of our mouths as one of the liminal spaces between the imminent and the transcendent. Proverbs 18:20 and 21 instructs “From the fruit of the mouth one's stomach is satisfied; the yield of the lips brings satisfaction. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

James 3:1-10 instructs us even more fully:
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

Wow. Who knew that our mouths had the potential to be so dastardly? But not just our mouths have this potential. Our fingers do as well, especially the way written communication has grown. It seems to me that our fingers have the same potential to be the rudder of the ship of our lives.

James, it seems, is at odds a bit with Jesus and Paul. James put the responsibility on our wills and our actions. Jesus and Paul indicate that the root of the concern is where our minds and hearts go. This is much harder to control. Can we control the ruminations of our hearts and the way our minds process? If we realize where our hearts and minds are drifting then we can have some control, but even the Dali Lama can’t meditate all the time.

This is deep work. It is what I think Paul was talking about in Romans when he wrote, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect. When I think about mind transformation for the purpose of keeping the deeper values of God, I think about a scene from The Matrix. It’s the one where Neo is fighting the agents and for the first time he sees them as code rather than as their illusion of solidness.



It isn’t until our minds and hearts are transformed that we can truly pilot the rudder of our ship, our communication devices of tongue and fingers. Jesus said, “For the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God.” Our religious traditions and cultural expectations can nullify the word of God. I find the hope of transformation in the words of Philippians 4:8 and 9;
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

By these meditations I believe we can begin to more clearly see the code that underlies the distractions. We won’t be struggling against the traditions or expectations that distract us, but rather we will be more able to flow in the commandments of God.

Face Time With God

This one is from 08-07-11

1 Kings 19:7-13
The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched Elijah, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." Elijah got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life to take it away." The angel said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Have you ever heard the sound of sheer silence? It’s more than just the sound of a quiet room or a quiet field. There is no computer humming in the background or the quiet swish of butterfly wings outside. The closest that I have come to sheer silence was on a visit of the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. There were only a few of us on the tour. The tour guide asked us if it would be alright if he turned off his flashlight and we all stayed quiet for 30 seconds. We agreed. The darkness and the silence was beyond anything that I’d ever experienced before. Had it gone on much longer it might have been maddening. I almost felt swallowed up.

The passage we read says Elijah heard the sound of sheer silence – the silence was so loud. He wrapped his face in his mantle because he knew God was in the silence. Paul Simon had nothing on Elijah. The mantle that Elijah wrapped his face in was a cloak-like garment. It was used as outerwear in the cold and as a blanket at night. A mantle also represents the symbol of preeminence or authority. Elijah was a prophet of prophets. He had authority. Yet, amidst the silence of God, Elijah covered his face with that symbol of authority, humbling himself.

You see, Elijah was having a rough time. A really rough time. His life was being threatened by King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. She wanted to kill him because he had killed the prophets that she liked. Elijah ran away scared into the wilderness and sat under a tree. There he prayed, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." In other words, he said, “Take me now. I give up! I thought I was better than this but I’m just like everybody else. I can’t go on.”

God sent an angel to him to give him food and drink. Then Elijah went on a trek up the mountain of God called Horeb. The word of the Lord came to him with a question, “What are you doing here?” Twice God asks Elijah this question. The second time was after that silence. Elijah answered the same way each time. He tells God that even though he is doing everything right, they still want to kill him. God promises him safety and tells him what to do.

Here’s another story about a guy who climbs a mountain to visit with God. Well, not just any guy and not just any prophet. Here we pick up on last week’s story about Jesus feeding the thousands of people.

Matthew 14:20-27
And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

It seems that prophets like to take treks up mountains to visit God … especially when they are upset. The truth is, Jesus was having a rough time too. There was reason that he wanted to get away in the first place, before the crowds followed him. He had just found out that his cousin, John the Baptizer, had been beheaded by King Herod. He just wanted some time alone to deal with his loss. But the crowds gathered around him and his heart went out to them. After healing all those who were sick Jesus fed the crowd. Remember that? Now, finally, he sends his disciples away in a boat and dismisses the crowd. Then he climbs the mountain to pray. He’s not as desperate as Elijah was, but he needs to get with God.

Jesus knows that his disciples in the boat are in rough waters, but he needs to have time with God. It isn’t until early in the morning that Jesus walks to them on the water, scaring them more than the rough seas did. The story picks up from here about Peter walking on the water and falling in. Then there’s the lesson about faith. After that they reach Gennesaret and once again the sick are brought to him and he heals them all.

The ministry of Jesus is action-packed. It’s easy to skip the part where he simply climbs a mountain so that he can stop and pray. There is nothing about a voice coming from the sky or Jesus crying out. We only know that he is alone and praying. He’s aware of his friends, but he seems to know that he’ll get there soon enough. They can take care of themselves. He needs this time with God. He takes the time.

How often do we take time to just be with God? Do we wait too long, like maybe Elijah did? Seriously, it seems to me that Elijah waited until it was almost too late. He wanted to die. It’s true that Jesus pushed himself when he saw the crowd and had compassion on them, but then he got away. He knew he needed to have some face-time with God. Elijah wasn’t looking for face-time. He just prayed that God would take him. Instead God had an angel play the part of a nurse for him, giving him food and drink.

Jesus knew why he was there. He needed to grieve. He needed to pray. He needed to be in the presence of Divine Love. Yes there was still a lot of work to be done. Yes, he could have taken care of his friends in the boat. But he knew he needed to get his perspective back.

There is a lot of work for us to do. We have friends and loved ones who could use our help. But we must take the time to be with our Divine Love. It’s too easy to get overwhelmed. Keeping our perspective is crucial. We can’t do our dreaming for the future that we need to do if we don’t have some face-time with God.

Stop. Pray. Listen. Climb your mountain and get away from the needs that press in upon you.

If you are overwhelmed with worry, find a way to rejoice in the presence of God. If you are overwhelmed with grief, share your heart’s sorrow with God. If you are in a cycle of go go go, relax with God. If you don’t know what to do or how to pray, come talk to me. We’ll figure it out together.

Today as we prepare ourselves for communion, think about the love of God reaching toward Elijah as the angel gives him a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. The angel said to him, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you."

Think about Jesus taking the time to be in the presence of God, his heart in grief over his cousin’s death. When it was morning he got up and began again the work that was set out for him.

This week, as you go about life, take time to stop, pray, and listen. Reach out to the one called the Morningstar, the Rose of Sharon, the Presence, Provider, and Comforter. Reach out to the One Who Loves you far beyond what you can imagine. Listen for the silence of God’s presence and the love that it contains.

God Asks ...

I'm behind in my posting. This is from 07-24-11

1 Kings 3:5-12
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

In the section of Matthew that I’m about to read Jesus is angry. He is angry at the leaders of the people. Just prior to this section these leaders were plotting to entrap him with their questions. Jesus saw through it and with great wisdom turned the questions back on the heads of those who were seeking to entrap him. Now Jesus is giving them a piece of his mind.

Matthew 23:16 – 26
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, "Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

We’ve been talking about dreams the last couple of weeks. Well here’s an interesting one. In a dream by night God said to Solomon, "Ask what I should give you." This wasn’t a regular dream by night. This was a God-touched dream. And later in the chapter it is said that the people “stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.”

King Solomon was a beloved leader. His wisdom was known internationally. He dealt with his people fairly and he built the Temple of the Lord his God. He was humble before God in the dream, and God responded by giving him much more than he asked for.

Let’s contrast this with the leaders that Jesus is telling off. Jesus is accusing the leaders of his time with having poor judgment. He indicates that they are also selfish and power-hungry. They do not understand the bigger picture. They are like a cat in the way that when you point at something the cat looks at your finger rather than at the thing at which you are pointing. They are short sighted. They get distracted by shiny objects … like the gold on the sanctuary or the gift on the altar. Jesus says they should be focusing on the sanctuary and the altar.

These leaders obey the law by tithing their spices and herbs, but they neglect the weightier matters of the law such as justice, mercy, and faith. They make sure that they look good on the outside, but Jesus tells them that they are dirty on the inside, stained with greed and self-indulgence. Faith doesn’t lead them to tithe. Mercy doesn’t lead them to care. Justice has no bearing on how they make decisions.

Please note that guilt and shame are not to be our motivators. Faith in God, mercy for others, and a desire for true justice are to lead us and inform our actions.

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes did not have the same mindset as Solomon. They were not in awe at the task given to them by God. Solomon didn’t ask for riches. Jesus accused the Pharisees and Scribes of being greedy. Solomon didn’t ask for the life of his enemies. Jesus accused the leaders of his day of not practicing mercy and justice. In humility Solomon told God that he was just a little child, but the Pharisees and Scribes were called self-indulgent. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes wanted only what was best for them. Solomon wanted an understanding mind to discern between good and evil.

If God had said to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes "Ask what I should give you," what would they have answered? Long life? Riches? The life of their enemies? Probably all of these.

What if this question were posed to us? "Ask what I should give you." What would we answer? Depends on the day, right? Some days we might have the big picture in mind. We might not be as distracted by the shiny things. Other days … well, we might not ask for the lives of our enemies, but we might ask to outlive them. We might see riches as the way out of all the troubles in our lives. We might be thinking in a more self-indulgent and short-sighted way. It’s a good thing that God doesn’t ask this question anymore. Or … does God?

Mark 10:46 – 52 They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart, get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Matthew 20: 29 – 34 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What would you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.

This story is also told in the Gospel of Luke with one blind man and Jesus healing him by saying, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” In it also, Jesus asks the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” In three of the four gospels Jesus asks the blind man what he wants.

Here’s another story.

Mark 10:35 – 38a James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And Jesus said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.”

Well this is interesting. John and James, the sons of Zebedee … Jesus nicknamed them the sons of thunder … acting more like the Pharisees than followers of Jesus. While these disciples went on to do great things as Christians, they had a rocky start. Their nickname might have come because of a little suggestion of theirs that is found only in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9. Some folks in a village that Jesus and the disciples were going through did not receive Jesus. It says, “When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.”

I know this may seem like a tangent, but I think it shows us how easy it is, in the name of God, to end up short-sighted and self-indulgent. James and John asked for the life of their enemies. They wanted the riches of sitting next to Jesus on their own heavenly thrones. If they hadn’t taken seriously the rebukes of Jesus, they could have ended up as Pharisees. Contrarily, if the Pharisees had taken the rebukes of Jesus seriously, they could have ended up disciples. Instead Jesus called them blind guides and blind fools. They should have taken a lesson from Blind Bartimaeus!

This is the lesson I hear from Solomon: when you start thinking about what you want from God, pause for a moment. Reflect on who God is to you. Solomon said to God, "You have shown great and steadfast love.” Solomon based his request on who God was to him and to his father, David. He also took seriously the task that lay before him.

I hear a lesson from the blind man that Jesus healed. Call out with your whole heart and be honest. Jesus heard the faith in his cry. He heard others telling him to shut up. Bartimaeus son of Timaeus knew exactly what he wanted and knew why he wanted it from Jesus. Bartimaeus, and the other blind man, believed in Jesus. They didn’t go their own way after they were healed. They got up and followed Jesus. They already knew his teachings. They believed what he had to say. I believe that they wanted to see him and to follow him. The blind men could see better with their faith than the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes could see with their eyes.

It isn’t just us asking God for this and for that. God says, "Ask what I should give you." Jesus says, “What is it you want me to do for you?” We know this isn’t a Christmas list. This is a more basic, at the foundation of who you are, kind of question. This question asks about the more weighty matters of how we want to live our lives.

Solomon asked for an understanding mind and the ability to discern. Jesus emphasized the importance of living a life of faith, mercy, and justice. The blind men called out in faith and asked to see. What is it that you want God to do for you?