This Sunday our reading from the Gospel was Luke 9:57-62. This passage includes the "no place to rest", "let the dead bury the dead", and the instruction to not look back. Our Bishop emphasized not looking back on the old days as being somehow "glorified", "remembered better than now", and held in high esteem, because, basically, the best is yet to come.
While I do believe that our past has some worth to it, thinking of our personal past too fondly and too often, can indeed keep our eyes off the prize--the prize of eternal salvation.
Loving and believing in Christ is not something we make a commitment to do and then put on a shelf somewhere. (with our Bible perhaps? to be taken out on Sundays when we feel like going to church?) Maybe we feel in this belief that this commitment is enough for all time, because in our hearts we "know" we will keep the promise. Yet imagine saying to your child, your spouse, your parent, your sibling, I love you for all time, then going about your life thinking of yourself and maybe the "other" 10-15 minutes a day max. If life is all about YOU, then there is little room for anyone else, including Christ.
The promise to love and follow Christ, the call to "followship" as our Bishop referred to it on Sunday, is a promise that you are in Christ and Christ in you, all the time, no matter what, 24/7.
While the repository of truth, our Holy Bible, records and remembers the past life of saints and sinners, and serves us as a guide to life, it is the LIVING WORD in us, as believers, that calls us to the life.
There is definitely teachings in our personal past and in the past of Christ as He walked on earth to be valued and cherished. BUT this IS the day the Lord has made and we SHOULD rejoice and be glad in it. And along with this happiness for today, love the Lord and open your heart, not just Sunday, not yesterday, just now and don't look back.
Sometimes the path will seem impossible. Sometimes life will feel lonely. BUT, we are not alone, we have the love always there, and when we give it back we will feel the one thing denied to Christ on earth, Peace and Comfort. It's why He died--to give this to us.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Social Justice
A new movement in our country has claimed that Jesus Christ and God are not concerned with social justice. This is shouted and bandied about and the claim is that there are no instances of social justice in the Bible.
What do they suppose that Matt. 25:35-40 mean? When we see someone hungry, we feed them. Naked we clothe them. Homeless we give shelter. This is the pattern to be among the chosen, among the Sheep, among God's children. And that's one of many passages about caring for others. Reading the Bible further will only expand the Christian duty to care for those who can't care for themselves.
The argument comes in the idea that the "government" should not provide this service. Well, in conversation with a man who believes in the anti-social justice type of Christian, (and who incidentally has never attended Church or read the Bible), I said well then how do you feel about the government caring for incarcerated people? The reply was well that is JUSTICE, not SOCIAL JUSTICE, and the Bible is all for justice.
Maybe I'm missing something here. But I don't think so. I think that God wants us to think of him in all we do. Striping our government of caregiving functions would not be heroic, but would be the opposite. Not everyone can take care of his/herself. We have record unemployment. How such a movement can arise in a time of record unemployment, a time of rising bank foreclosures, and do so saying that it is NOT Christian to give is beyond my understanding. Please, if you read this and disagree, explain it to me so that I can understand. Because I want to love my neighbor, all my neighbors, even those who disagree with my point of view. I am having trouble understanding how to love haters.
What do they suppose that Matt. 25:35-40 mean? When we see someone hungry, we feed them. Naked we clothe them. Homeless we give shelter. This is the pattern to be among the chosen, among the Sheep, among God's children. And that's one of many passages about caring for others. Reading the Bible further will only expand the Christian duty to care for those who can't care for themselves.
The argument comes in the idea that the "government" should not provide this service. Well, in conversation with a man who believes in the anti-social justice type of Christian, (and who incidentally has never attended Church or read the Bible), I said well then how do you feel about the government caring for incarcerated people? The reply was well that is JUSTICE, not SOCIAL JUSTICE, and the Bible is all for justice.
Maybe I'm missing something here. But I don't think so. I think that God wants us to think of him in all we do. Striping our government of caregiving functions would not be heroic, but would be the opposite. Not everyone can take care of his/herself. We have record unemployment. How such a movement can arise in a time of record unemployment, a time of rising bank foreclosures, and do so saying that it is NOT Christian to give is beyond my understanding. Please, if you read this and disagree, explain it to me so that I can understand. Because I want to love my neighbor, all my neighbors, even those who disagree with my point of view. I am having trouble understanding how to love haters.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Loving the Unlovable
John 13:34 & 35 tells us that Jesus issued a new commandment to his disciples, to love one another and to be known for this love. Our Bishop focused his sermon yesterday on that love that we should have for one another, and on all the nuances of it.
Many times Jesus told us to love our fellow human beings, both lovable and difficult people, people who we deem may deserve our love, but especially people who don't. Anyone can love someone who loves back. But the challenge is to love the unlovable. For each of us, the "unlovable" one is different.
In light of the political unrest in the world, I feel a bit challenged to love my enemies. I also feel challenged to love people who think differently than I do. It is easy for me to love another "liberal". It is a challenge to love someone whose radical thinking is diametrically opposed to mine.
The new Tea Party movement challenges me to love. I don't have as many problems loving Muslims, Buddhists, and Taoists as I do loving fellow Christians who proclaim fundamental ideas that I see as twisted. I just got off the phone with a friend whom I gave this advice to: "You can't change what other people think. You can accept it, think differently, and go on with respect for a fellow human who happens to think in a way that is strange and even mean seeming to you."
When it comes to politics, then Jesus' challenge to love becomes an almost impossible task. But with Christ, all things are possible. Even loving the unlovable.
Many times Jesus told us to love our fellow human beings, both lovable and difficult people, people who we deem may deserve our love, but especially people who don't. Anyone can love someone who loves back. But the challenge is to love the unlovable. For each of us, the "unlovable" one is different.
In light of the political unrest in the world, I feel a bit challenged to love my enemies. I also feel challenged to love people who think differently than I do. It is easy for me to love another "liberal". It is a challenge to love someone whose radical thinking is diametrically opposed to mine.
The new Tea Party movement challenges me to love. I don't have as many problems loving Muslims, Buddhists, and Taoists as I do loving fellow Christians who proclaim fundamental ideas that I see as twisted. I just got off the phone with a friend whom I gave this advice to: "You can't change what other people think. You can accept it, think differently, and go on with respect for a fellow human who happens to think in a way that is strange and even mean seeming to you."
When it comes to politics, then Jesus' challenge to love becomes an almost impossible task. But with Christ, all things are possible. Even loving the unlovable.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Morning
It's Easter Morning and the Lord Has Risen Indeed. As we attended sunrise service this morning, I was in awe of the message given by our Bishop/Priest. Such a wonderful homily Ed gave today and a reminder of the unsung hero/ines among ourselves.
Women. Plain, young, old, pretty, sassy, wherever and whomever they are. When Our Lord was laid to rest in the tomb, the first witnesses were the women, the Marys, Joanna, and other women, the faithful. As a feminist liberation theologian, it was Easter music to my ears. Read Luke Ch. 24:1-11.
In so many ways, Jesus Christ respected and allowed women to be all they wanted to be, disciples, servants, learners, all among those that Christ forgave and loved. Christ took the love women had for him for granted, and rightly so, for we carry it still today. Discipleship was/is not a male only prerogative. As we fix the Easter Feast, as we plan our spring cleaning, as we serve the families we love, we can also REST in the love God has for us, the acceptance we know, and hope for the future of our daughters. By His death on the cross, we were equally redeemed. It has just taken more than 2000 years (and counting) for much of the world to get the message.
Women. Plain, young, old, pretty, sassy, wherever and whomever they are. When Our Lord was laid to rest in the tomb, the first witnesses were the women, the Marys, Joanna, and other women, the faithful. As a feminist liberation theologian, it was Easter music to my ears. Read Luke Ch. 24:1-11.
In so many ways, Jesus Christ respected and allowed women to be all they wanted to be, disciples, servants, learners, all among those that Christ forgave and loved. Christ took the love women had for him for granted, and rightly so, for we carry it still today. Discipleship was/is not a male only prerogative. As we fix the Easter Feast, as we plan our spring cleaning, as we serve the families we love, we can also REST in the love God has for us, the acceptance we know, and hope for the future of our daughters. By His death on the cross, we were equally redeemed. It has just taken more than 2000 years (and counting) for much of the world to get the message.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
It's been a Long Time
It's been a long time since I posted last. However, I have had a long spell of problems that were very difficult to work out...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. However, it does not say that I was a long way from Christ. Christ is my prop and my life and how I get through every day.
That being said, why blog now? My inspiration, my unsung hero today just took me to the place where I had to write. The hero of today is not exactly unsung, but his op-ed piece in today's paper might not be read by everyone in the world, and everyone could learn from it, right, left and in-between.
Garrison Keillor is the syndicated columnist and his opinion piece today titled "Renouncing Evil Powers and Anonymity" was one that gives great thought to something Christ taught. In Matt.6, when Christ teaches us how to pray, He says, "do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil", and thus tells us to not be swayed to evil.
We have long thought that familiarity breeds contempt...It's an adage we learned early. Today, Keillor suggests in his opinion that it is "isolation, social separation, that breeds contempt." I know that this has to be true, because people are basically kind and good and do have a need to love each other. God made us that way. Yet we hear many disparaging remarks made about others--that down deep only can come from fear of the unknown. Many people fear what they don't understand, and present that fear as hatred--it's what humans do when they can't do anything else. So, many, but not all people, hate gays, Muslims, Republicans or Democrats, environmentalists, foreign speaking people, mentally ill people, homeless, and the list goes on and on.
To turn away evil, to really get into the Christ mind set, there is a simple rule of thumb that we can test ourselves on: Ask yourself, "is this a loving thing to do? Is this a loving way to think?" Then we have the Christ rule before us as our measuring stick, our lightening rod, our guide.
And like Keillor today, we can all be heroes.
That being said, why blog now? My inspiration, my unsung hero today just took me to the place where I had to write. The hero of today is not exactly unsung, but his op-ed piece in today's paper might not be read by everyone in the world, and everyone could learn from it, right, left and in-between.
Garrison Keillor is the syndicated columnist and his opinion piece today titled "Renouncing Evil Powers and Anonymity" was one that gives great thought to something Christ taught. In Matt.6, when Christ teaches us how to pray, He says, "do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil", and thus tells us to not be swayed to evil.
We have long thought that familiarity breeds contempt...It's an adage we learned early. Today, Keillor suggests in his opinion that it is "isolation, social separation, that breeds contempt." I know that this has to be true, because people are basically kind and good and do have a need to love each other. God made us that way. Yet we hear many disparaging remarks made about others--that down deep only can come from fear of the unknown. Many people fear what they don't understand, and present that fear as hatred--it's what humans do when they can't do anything else. So, many, but not all people, hate gays, Muslims, Republicans or Democrats, environmentalists, foreign speaking people, mentally ill people, homeless, and the list goes on and on.
To turn away evil, to really get into the Christ mind set, there is a simple rule of thumb that we can test ourselves on: Ask yourself, "is this a loving thing to do? Is this a loving way to think?" Then we have the Christ rule before us as our measuring stick, our lightening rod, our guide.
And like Keillor today, we can all be heroes.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Bartimaeus
Today's reading, following the lectionary year, is about Bartimaeus. This unsung hero's story is found in Mark 10:46-52. In our guest priest's sermon today I had another aha moment.
When the priest told us just "why" Bartimaeus was the hero in this reading, he used last week's reading (Mark 10:35-37) in which John and James asked Christ to let them sit on his right and left side, as comparison. Christ asked John and James, just as He asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
In the case of John and James they wanted favor. In the case of Bartimaeus, he wanted sight.
But the aha came when I understood, when God spoke to my heart via this young priest, that the sight, is the insight to our own salvation. The sight that Christ is the Salvation of the world. The sight to understand that just knowing this isn't quite enough--but seeing it is everything.
It sounds simplistic when I say it this way, because we all, all God-fearing Christians, understand that Christ is our Salvation. But to SEE this is a bit different I think.
When God showed himself to Moses, Moses hid in a narrow crevice (Exodus 33:22-23) and God kept Himself from Moses direct sight. So too, sometimes we are out of direct sight. Sometimes we are even too far away. But when we, like Bartimaeus, can SEE that the way to all life is through Christ, our advocate, then something is lifted from the eyes of our soul, which are far too often turned inward. It is a seeing, not just knowing, but seeing, that what we want must come through Christ. And what we need is the understanding that only through Christ can the peace come. If we don't really GET IT, then we will ask for something like a lottery win, or health for ourselves, or even others. But when we do GET IT, it is by faith, and turning over to Christ, our lives which He gave His own for. This is the seeing that Bartimaeus got. Sure, his eyes were healed, but the seeing was really knowing the Lord as his Savior. And following Christ forever.
When the priest told us just "why" Bartimaeus was the hero in this reading, he used last week's reading (Mark 10:35-37) in which John and James asked Christ to let them sit on his right and left side, as comparison. Christ asked John and James, just as He asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
In the case of John and James they wanted favor. In the case of Bartimaeus, he wanted sight.
But the aha came when I understood, when God spoke to my heart via this young priest, that the sight, is the insight to our own salvation. The sight that Christ is the Salvation of the world. The sight to understand that just knowing this isn't quite enough--but seeing it is everything.
It sounds simplistic when I say it this way, because we all, all God-fearing Christians, understand that Christ is our Salvation. But to SEE this is a bit different I think.
When God showed himself to Moses, Moses hid in a narrow crevice (Exodus 33:22-23) and God kept Himself from Moses direct sight. So too, sometimes we are out of direct sight. Sometimes we are even too far away. But when we, like Bartimaeus, can SEE that the way to all life is through Christ, our advocate, then something is lifted from the eyes of our soul, which are far too often turned inward. It is a seeing, not just knowing, but seeing, that what we want must come through Christ. And what we need is the understanding that only through Christ can the peace come. If we don't really GET IT, then we will ask for something like a lottery win, or health for ourselves, or even others. But when we do GET IT, it is by faith, and turning over to Christ, our lives which He gave His own for. This is the seeing that Bartimaeus got. Sure, his eyes were healed, but the seeing was really knowing the Lord as his Savior. And following Christ forever.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Nobel Peace Prize
My very favorite parable of all is found in Matt.20:1-16. This is the parable of the Laborers in the vineyard. In this parable Jesus says in vs.14 and 15 "Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man.....Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?"
In the days since President Barack Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize our country's opinionators, from conservative talk show hosts to moderate columnists to the thousand of published bloggers have voiced their opinions on the "wrongness" of his selection.
I've been too hurt to post. Emotionally, I feel drained by the constant talk of it. And while I strongly feel that people do indeed have the right to their opinions and to speaking them publicly, I also notice that the negatives always seem to outweigh every other possible option.
While the 5 selectors of the Nobel Peace Prize are not God, by any stretch of the imagination, who knows for certain that their selection wasn't influenced by good and not evil? Why does a positive spin seem wrong? Why do so many people feel "incensed" by the committee's selection?
For my unsung hero/ine today, I nominate this 5 member committee that decides the Nobel Peace Prize. They certainly are "unsung". They are harangued and ridiculed.
Yet they may be far reaching optimists, God-guided, and fair minded people who follow a star we can't yet see. I would rather believe that than belabor a decision that is none of my business.
Like the owner of the vineyard, this committee decides who gets the prize. I feel that is, basically, the end of the story.
In the days since President Barack Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize our country's opinionators, from conservative talk show hosts to moderate columnists to the thousand of published bloggers have voiced their opinions on the "wrongness" of his selection.
I've been too hurt to post. Emotionally, I feel drained by the constant talk of it. And while I strongly feel that people do indeed have the right to their opinions and to speaking them publicly, I also notice that the negatives always seem to outweigh every other possible option.
While the 5 selectors of the Nobel Peace Prize are not God, by any stretch of the imagination, who knows for certain that their selection wasn't influenced by good and not evil? Why does a positive spin seem wrong? Why do so many people feel "incensed" by the committee's selection?
For my unsung hero/ine today, I nominate this 5 member committee that decides the Nobel Peace Prize. They certainly are "unsung". They are harangued and ridiculed.
Yet they may be far reaching optimists, God-guided, and fair minded people who follow a star we can't yet see. I would rather believe that than belabor a decision that is none of my business.
Like the owner of the vineyard, this committee decides who gets the prize. I feel that is, basically, the end of the story.
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