Talking and Listening

Warning-F-Bomb dropped at the 4:50 mark.

Psalm 83:1

O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

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I think you're trying to put me through some kind of test
I'm begging you baby won't you give it a rest
You talk about people that you don't even know
Keep it up baby I'm gonna pick up and blow

"You Talk Too Much" by George Thorogood

Sometimes, sometimes the reason we don't hear God's voice is that we're too busy flapping our lips to hear anything else. We pray God will not be silent but we don't let our Lord get a word in edgewise.

I know God is far more patient than the protagonist of this song. For this I'm thankful. I am glad God never tells us to give it a rest. I am glad that my (our?) incessant prayers will never cause the God of all creation to pick up and blow. But sometimes, don't you imagine God wants to tell us all to hush and listen for a moment?

I've never gotten that "word of the Lord" in so many words, but...

The Lord our God only wants what is best for us, but to receive what is best we must receive. If all we do is give our prayers we may never receive. Prayer is best a two-way street. We are called to offer our prayers to God. We need to offer thanksgiving. We need to praise God. We need to offer our petitions. We need to consecrate our very lives to the work of the kingdom. And to do all of this we need to listen at least as much as we speak.

There's an old saying, we are given one mouth and two ears so we should listen twice as much as we speak. That's not bad thinking. It's another way of saying we talk too much and need to listen more. This means we need to take the time to listen, truly listen to what the Word of the Lord has in store for us always.

Yes, we need to pray, we even need to use words when necessary, but do we have to talk so much. Yes, this requires patience. Yes, this requires waiting, and the dividends are priceless. Let's let God have the last word, it is his after all.

Baptized in Your Love

Ephesians 4:4-6 (NRSV)

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
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I would be a fool to let you go
With you I'm reborn
I'm no longer torn
Yeah
I refuse to loose my heart and soul
I have to be Strong

I don't want to know emptiness
Take me down to the water
Wanna be baptized in your love
Far away from the loneliness
Take my heart and wash away the fear
Let me be baptized in your love

Baptized, by Lenny Kravitz, from Baptism, 2004

There are several different images the church uses when describing the sacrament of bapitsm.

There is the bath. The waters of baptism are seen as the cleansing, the washing away of sin and rising clean in the presence of the Lord our God. Many cultures and in many faiths, the symbol of ritual washing-oblation-is still very, very important.

There is the womb. The waters that we come from are the waters of the second birth in the presence of Christ. As we come from the womb of our mothers, so too do we come from the womb of the church in the waters of our baptism.

There is also the tomb. In the ancient world, water was often seen as a place of danger and death. So when we rise from the waters, we rise from the death of an old way of living in the world and living in the presence of God.

But another image which is quite glorious is that of our baptism into the Church, the community of the Christ. The hope of our calling is the one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Life is often filled with emptiness. Seems ironic doesn't it? "Filled with emptiness." It is a feeling we have become all too comfortable with. In a way, we have become comfortable with this discomfort. Again, ironic, isn't it? But in Christ we are reborn. In this rebirth, in these waters, it would be foolish to return to the emptiness, to the discomfort.

We want to be baptized in the love of God. This love takes us far away from the loneliness we know in this world, so we ask god to take our hearts and wash away the fears. This is cleaned in the waters of our baptism. This is what dies in the tomb of baptism. This is our rebirth into a life worth living.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Proverbs 8:34-36 (NRSV)

Happy is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the LORD;
but those who miss me injure themselves;
all who hate me love death.”

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The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

"The Waiting" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from Hard Promises

In a society that runs off of drive-thru restaurants, one-stop shopping, and the internet-ready personal communication device (rhymes with y-phone or crackberry or mandroid); we are a society that is not prone to waiting. I offer it up as a simple fact, but the proverb offers a take on waiting that the 21st century world (particularly the West) is not comfortable with. Tom said it best, the waiting is the hardest part.

The proverb teaches us that those who wait on stuff, the internet, the dishwasher, and so on wait on things, just plain stuff; but "happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors."

Patience is a virtue, but who wants virtue in the age of instant gratification. Waiting on the Lord can seem like a gruelling process. The Jews have been waiting for 5,000 years for the savior. Christians have been waiting almost 2,000 years for the savior's return. Whether you wait for the first of second coming, the wait has been a long time. But everyday, there are times--moments at most--when the Spirit of God breaks into our world and God's peace and grace can be seen in creation.

These moments are as fleeting as a notecard or email that says "I Care." It is the smile on the face of a child. It is the peace on the face of someone who has compassion. It is the fact that "angels unaware" surround us. Still, waiting is not easy, but Tom has advice for that too, "You take it on faith, you take it to the heart."

I Believe in Your Song

Psalm 27:13-14

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

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Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
And rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along
Makin' me strong

Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock n roll
And drift away

"Drift Away" by Mentor Williams. This version by Dobie Gray reached #5 on the US Pop Charts. The version by Uncle Kracker reached #1 four times.

What a lovely saying, I believe in your song. Just to hear Dobie Gray sing it creates a warm feeling of love and acceptance. It's a feeling of joy and love and support that is beyond wonderful.

The Psalmist sings, I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord. The goodness of God will be seen. The singer doesn't deny the presence of sin, there's no mention of sin at all. There is confidence though, confidence that the goodness of the Lord will be seen in the land of the living. We are called to wait and be strong. We don't wait for the next big thing. We don't wait for some new fad or something, we wait on the Lord. We wait being strong and letting our heart take courage. This is the only way to wait for the Lord.

It's a wait that may give us impatience, but that's just an attitude. We could use an adjustment. We are to believe in God's song, in rhythm and rhyme and harmony. It's a pity that the melodies and rhymes of the ancient songs are lost, but the one who inspired the words is still at work.

There is a beat that frees the soul. Believe in the goodness and begin to see the goodness of the Lord. Then let's get lost in the song and drift away to a place of hope; a place without fear.

Gotta Change

2Corinthians 7:9-10

Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.

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This can't go on,
Lord knows you gotta change.

Evil Ways by Santana

Repent, literally means turn away or turn around depending on your translator.

We know a way of living our lives, a way that we are comfortable with even if it's destructive. Self destructive, destructive to others, we can become comfortable with things that make us very uncomfortable. Really, it's staying with the devil we know over the devil we don't. But then, there are times in our lives, what some call a "moment of clarity" when the way we live our lives grieves us. There comes a moment when we come to know that there is more to life than the way we live it. But where does that grief come from?

What Paul calls "a godly grief" is a product of the Holy Spirit knocking on the doors of our lives. Scripture tells of a still small voice, but there are times when this voice comes with the roar of a tornado. It comes through loved ones. It comes through circumstances. It comes in dreams in an otherwise peaceful sleep. It can even come in dreams that make the night even more peaceful.

But this grief is of no use unless this grief leads us to that repentance. It's when we stick with the devil we know that we fail to listen to the leadings of the spirit, when we neglect the godly grief. At this point, we have to be reminded that turning to salvation brings no regret. This is what it means to say that God is concerned with us before we are concerned with God. Turning to salvation is our call, our holy vocation.

There is one big difference between Carlos' lyric and God's love though. The song has the words "You gotta change your evil ways, baby, before I stop loving you." This is true of the man whose house is dark and pots are cold, but this isn't true of God's love.

God will never stop loving you. God will never stop loving us. We are called to love God, we are called to change our evil ways not to earn God's love but to respond to God's love. God came, lived, was killed, and rose again from the dead to take sin from the face of the earth, from the face of we who walk the earth.

It is our call to feel the godly grief of our lives to turn away from what's not godly to what is. This gives God joy, but failing this will not make God love us less. It just means there is more godly grief from the heavenly Father on the horizon.

The Touch of God

Luke 18:15-17

People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

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Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I
I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I

"Touch Me" by The Doors

I can't tell you when it started, it was probably longer ago than anyone would care to imagine, but touching is getting a bad rap. I read recently that some consider "hugging" to be a "gateway contact" to sex. Some even advocate what is known as the "Christian Side Hug," a shoulder-to-shoulder hug where the only embrace is hand to upper arm. A brief squeeze is permitted with the Christian Side Hug, but one day someone is going to hug too hard or too long and the whole thing will need to be reevaluated.

In Christ is the manifested grip of God on our lives. God's hold on us is embodied in Jesus' touch. There is something pure in God's touch, something that is often missing in our time. There is an innocence that is shared between the arms of God and these children that is sorely lacking in our time.

Jesus says that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” So we are all supposed to receive the kingdom with the innocence of the infants handed to the Lord by their mothers. We are called to come in a purity and innocence that our lives betray. But we are still supposed to come. We may never come in such purity, but it is still how we are called to come.

Jim Morrison sings of how he's going to love you. He sings that he is going to love till the heavens stop the rain and till the stars fall from the sky. He loves and holds, it is another way to envision a holy touch.

Morrison exuded sexuality, this is true. But when we examine God's love in touch, we can see what that means to us in Jim's words. We must remember though, Jim's words are meant for grown-ups who want to act like grown-ups. Jesus' words are meant for people who want to be children of God. For that, we need to be like children first.

Being Satisfied

John 14:9-11

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.

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Hey, hey, hey,
That's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones

We live in a consumer society. If we can't see it, touch it, smell it, taste it, use it, and pass it then we really don't know. If we can't consume it then we really don't believe. There are dozens of reasons why this it true. One of the reasons is that we have seen and heard so many lies that we don't care to trust anymore.

False prophets will do that.

In this passage, Jesus has just told the disciples that their hearts should not be troubled. They don't have to be troubled when they believe in God and believe in Him. Jesus lays out the visual images of the great and wonderful kingdom where all believers will be citizens. Subjects to the King of kings now, we will be subjects in the Kingdom of Glory forever. But then Thomas and Philip get all "Triple A" on Jesus and ask for directions.

Are they not buying into the imagery? Are they looking for the Kingdom to be founded on Earth here and now? Unless they were witty enough to ask for metaphorical directions to the metaphorical dwelling place (which is doubtful) they were asking Jesus to program the GPS and send them to their place in the Son. Give them credit, they tried. Oh they tried and they tried and they tried and they tried. But of course, if they were looking for a room with an ocean view, they were disappointed.

Philip finally gets tired and asks to speak to the Lord's manager, the next guy up the corporate food chain. He want's satisfaction and if he sees the Father he will be satisfied. Jesus answers, "Don't you know me?"

"Don't you know who I am?" is the cry of every "D-List" celebrity who ever got arrested. but this is not what Jesus asks. From friend to friend, Jesus asks Philip if after all this time did he still not understand what was going on. The kingdom was breaking all around them. Signs and wonders surrounded them. The words, the works of Jesus don't come from him, they come from God above! They are the words of the Father. The father is with them.

And even if they don't get that everything they had done had come from the Father, they just needed to remember everything they had done together and that should be enough.

We seek satisfaction, when satisfaction lives all around us. This is the cry to stop and smell the roses, this is the cry to see that even in the quietest moment God reigns and be not just satisfied, but joyful.

Looking in the Wrong Places

John 14:8

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

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You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" bu U2

Philip wants to see the Father. If you think "Doubting Thomas" was a tough nut to crack, Philip wants to see the Father. So what has Christ done? By this point of John's gospel Jesus has done a good deal.

He has healed the Royal Official's son. He has healed the man at the pool called Beth-zatha. He has fed the 5,000. He walked on the water and healed the man who was blind from birth. That's just a sample of the miracle stories.

He has also answered the many challenges of the rich and the powerful. He has touched the untouchable. He has brought Lazarus back from the dead and he has entered Jerusalem triumphantly. After all of this, Philip wants to see the Father. When is "enough" enough?

This is actually a harsh judgment on Philip, because we still ask this question everyday. We want proof. Our society, with instant internet and news access from all over the world, we want to see the proof for ourselves. It is no longer enough to hear the testimony of those who know, people want to experience it for themselves.

Jesus has broken the bonds and loosed the chains. Sin and death have no claim on us because he has carried the cross of our shame as only he can. Only Jesus can do this, Jesus who walked the Earth as God in flesh and bone. Jesus has done what we cannot, and still we want to see the Father. We want proof. Why? Because we still haven't found what we're looking for.

Our problem is that we tend to look in the wrong places. People treat their bodies like trampolines. People look for solace and salvation in a needle and bottle. People hide inside of caves and cloisters looking for something within themselves that was never there. It is when we look to what is there, when we look for Christ, then we will see the Father at work in the world and in our lives.

Future, Love, Paradise

Start the video at 2:25 because for some reason it restarts from there. Thanks.

Matthew 5:3-12 (NRSV)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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But if only you could see them
You would know from their faces
There were kings and queens
Followed by princes and princesses
There were future power people
Throwin love to the loveless
Shining a light 'cause they wanted it seen

Well, there were cries of why
Followed by cries of why not
Can I reach out for you
if that feels good to me?

And the riders will not stop us
'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise
No, the riders will not stop us
'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise (paradise, yeah)

Future, Love, Paradise, by Seal, from Seal (1991)

The image of the grand procession is one of the greatest glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. Imagine the Kings and Queens followed by Princes and Princesses, who (and this is so wonderful) shine the light because they wanted it seen.

These good Kings and Queens don't shine the light for their own glory, they shine the light for the benefit of their subjects. They shined the light to throw love to the loveless. What a wonderfully glorious image-love to the loveless. This is what the Lord wants us to do with the light given in Jesus Christ-to share it with others, others in need. God wants us to share love with the loveless.

This call is given for one simple reason, those who face adversity receive blessings in accord with what they faced. The poor in spirit will receive the kingdom. The mourners comforted. The meek will inherit the earth. Those starved for righteousness will be fed--and filled. The merciful will receive mercy. The pure will see God. The peacemakers will be God's children. Those persecuted for righteousness’ sake will receive the kingdom of heaven.

The light shines--because the Lord wants it seen. And when the light is seen, those who have held it in the name of God's righteousness will bask in the glow of God for all to see. They will bask not so that those who oppress and abuse others may be condemned by it, but so that they too may see it, and know to follow.

This is how God's grace spreads throughout creation, one light at a time being shared with someone who needs to see the light.

Get You a Woman

Genesis 2:18-22

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

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Leroy, boy, you're my friend
You say how and I'll say when
Come and meet me down the street
Take a seat, it's my treat
You may not ever get this chance again
That empty feeling's just about to end.

We gotta get you a woman,
It's like nothin' else to make you feel sure you're alive.
We gotta get you a woman,
We better get walkin', we're wastin' time talkin' now.

Todd Rundgren, We Gotta Get You a Woman

There's a lot of hay that can be made about the sexist imagery in both the scripture and the song. I'm going to acknowledge that there is hay to be made and leave it in the field because there is something far more important said in both of these. It's as simple as this, we humans are not meant to be alone.

God knew that, Adam knew that too when he started naming stuff. There were a lot of good things in creation, shoot, all of creation was good. Still there wasn't a partner to be had in all of creation. So the Lord God made it so.

It is still not good for any of us today to be alone. We are called to live in community. That means the church. That means family. That doesn't mean that there are not times when we need a sabbath from one another. But there must still be a place where that person can be at home for support and love.

Just one more note about the language. The Hebrew word for "helper" is used in scripture several times. Usually it is used for kings and rulers meeting other kings and rulers. These helpers are peers and they are powerful. Where one is powerful, two together can meet the world come what may. In Genesis, the man's powerful peer helper is the woman. Together they are more than they are separately. This is the partner the Lord God intends us to have and the partner the Lord God intends us to be.

How badly do we all need that sort of partner, as Todd sings, And when we're through with you, we'll get me one too.

Hospitality--Care for the Angels

Hebrews 13:2

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

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You've got to fly (Fly high)
Fly to the angels
Heaven awaits your heart
And flowers bloom in your name
You've got to fly (Fly high)
Fly to the angels
All the stars in the night
Shine in your name

"Fly to the Angels" by Slaughter

In this world, lives intersect and then they go their separate ways. This truth is so simple it's almost meaningless. It happens everyday. Is it the parking lot at the store? Is it in some line somewhere, whether it be Micky D's or the DMV? Is it someone who comes to where you work because they need what you can provide? Or is it vice-versa, you go to their office because you need something?

There are a million answers to this quandary, that's why it's almost meaningless. Maybe meaningless is the wrong word, random is much, much better. But there are other times when that person you meet in the fleeting moment is not so random, and the moment is not so fleeting.

The basic 90's power ballad, I love those over-produced, over-emotional, over-wrought songs; I really do. This is a great one. It's about that moment when lives that once were intersected are now separated, and there's regret. There's remorse. Let's face it, he's mourning. Did they break up? Was it something more permanent? The song really doesn't say, but there is inconsolable grief in Mark Slaughter's words and voice.

There is one thing he does seem to know though, he knows he has been with an angel. In this one shining moment of his life he was with an angel. At one time they were strangers, but now he knows that he was with an angel. He may not have known she was an angel at the time, but he does now.

There is only one way in this life that we can avoid remorse, and that's to live every moment to the fullest. Only by showing love and care-hospitality if you will-can we avoid remorse and regret. Separation should always cause grief and mourning. If we did not love we would not feel those emotions. But regret only comes when we fail to do as we ought.

Only in showing love and hospitality to strangers do we affirm that we show love and hospitality to those we see everyday. Only by living fully in the moment can we experience the touch of angels in our lives. Be aware, be alert, and always respond in love and care-in hospitality. Then the angels will bless you too.

Value of Information--Information of Values

Thanks for the request Andrew!


Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 (NRSV)

I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

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Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

"Dust in the Wind" by Kerry Livgren from "Point of Know Return" by Kansas

Greed was a sin, a sin that eventually played in the death of Judas. But vanity, oh vanity, there's a sin for the ages.

The teacher in Ecclesiastes has a point about the thirst for wisdom, chasing the wisdom of the world is an unhappy business, a vain pursuit. All that we do, all that is done under the sun; all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

We live in the "information age." We constantly seek information, thinking that more and better information will increase wisdom. Many say that they have to see it themselves, do it themselves before they will believe. Everyone wants the hands on experience, not trusting the word or deeds of another.

We hope that more information will lead to better wisdom. It is unfortunate that more often than not, more information leads only to a better quality of chaos. All of the information in the world does not lead to wisdom, synthesis of information around a compass is how information points to wisdom. And perhaps there is no greater wisdom than knowing that all of our information seeking is vanity and a chasing after wind.

All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see. The pyramids have been around for thousands of years. But of the ancient wonders of the world, what others still exist? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? The Colossus of Rhodes? The Lighthouse of Alexandria? Dust in the wind, each and every one.

The greatest monuments of the ages now just memories. Ecclesiastes reminds us that the great wisdom of the world is not found in the vanities of our lives. It is found in the value of a friend because two are better than one. When one falls, there is another to lift the stricken.

It is reverence, humility, and contentment that are to be prized above all else. Service not to the things of the world, but to the Lord who created it is where wisdom lies.

It's easy to say that the one with the gold rules, but it is better to give the gold for the Kingdom of God than to keep it for the Colossus who will fade into distant memory.

Oh, Very Young

1Samuel 16:10-13

Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

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Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth
For a short while

"Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens

This is how David is anointed King. The Lord has told Samuel the priest that one of the Sons of Jesse will be the next King of Israel. This is kind of dicey though since there is currently a king of Israel. At any rate, the Lord will leave a new king in the land.

So The Sons of Jesse go before Samuel. One at a time until seven pass by and none of them are to be anointed. Don't misunderstand, they all have standing. The eldest son would have been a traditional choice. The seventh son would have been a good choice, especially among those who love the numerology. Each of the sons were handsome. Each of them were strong from work. But none of them found the Lord's favor.

Yes, there is one more. He is young and he is in the fields keeping the sheep. He is ruddy, has beautiful eyes and is handsome. The Lord picks him. From that day forward, the Lord came mightily upon David.

David lives into the blessing he receives. Not every day mind you, there are some things that would have been better left undone, but even his mistakes had holy consequences. So it's a question of either serendipity or the work of the Holy Spirit, "Oh very young, what will you leave us this time?"

When we consider what can be done, we have to remember that what we think is important, what we think is needed for success is sometimes just that much smoke. Sometimes what we think is vital is just window dressing. The skills we think are requires sometimes build walls that get in our own way. Instead, we need to be open to what God is doing in our lives and our world. Because only by the Holy Spirit, will great things ever happen.

The Splendor of Youth

On the passing of Dick Clark


1Timothy 4:12

Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

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I remember when rock was young
Me and Suzie had so much fun

"Crocodile Rock" lyrics by Bernie Taupin, music by Elton John

Dick Clark, the "World's Oldest Teenager," has died. Clark wasn't the first to host American Bandstand, but in every way he was the most important. He took the show from a small Philly broadcast to national exposure. From national exposure he took the show to Los Angeles. From LA he took it to the world.

Something important happened after the move to LA, a conscious decision was made by Clark and the producers to fully desegregate the show. The talent on the show had been integrated for years, but only after moving to LA did black and white kids dance side by side. For much of the nation this was a big deal, but it didn't seem to be to the kids on the show. Hooray! The youth find something to congregate around, in this case the music, and they came together in ways adults couldn't.

It was a time when rock was young and fun. It was a time when there were riots in nearly every major American city. It was a time when blacks and whites danced together.

Paul encourages Timothy, let no one despise your youth. It's easy for the fuddy and the duddy to do things and believe things because that's the way it has always been. It's the nature of growing not more mature, but growing older. Paul reminds Timothy that he has a place in the church and in the world. It is a place where by his speech and conduct the world will see his love, faith, and purity.

There is no subterfuge in Timothy, there is only sincerity. There is no hidden agenda, there is only the gospel. Timothy lives seeing love and grace and peace in the way only the young who have not been injured by the world can live it. This is worth remembering. This is worth recapturing.

Suzie leaves the singer for some "foreign guy," but the Lord will never leave. Nostalgia for the good old days of "Crocodile Rock" has no place in the faith. Living into those days of God given innocence and potential, now that's worth the risk.

Paul says let no one despise your youth. By the grace of God, let us instead imitate his speech and conduct in love, in faith, and in purity..

God Is Faithful

1Corinthians 1:4-9

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind--just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you--so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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If you would give me all,
as I would give it to you
Nothing would be,
nothing would be,
nothing would be
No matter where you go
There will always be a place
Can't you see in my face girl,
oh girl don't you

"No Matter What" by Badfinger

Paul gives thanks to God because the Corinthians have been given the good gift of God's grace in Christ Jesus. By God's grace Paul gives thanks that they have been enriched. They lack nothing, all they have received has been through the work of Christ, in life and on the cross. It is through the power of the resurrection that they have the bounty and abundant gifts of God.

God is faithful. It is God who says to the world, no matter where you go I will always be with you. God is faithful blessing us with the holy presence, especially when we deserve it least. God is faithful, giving his blessing.

In return though, God wants us to give our all in return; just as God has given all to us. Badfinger sings, "If you would give me all, as I would give it to you. God knows we can't, that's the nature of sin. But God knows that and still God has given all; even blood upon the cross, God has given all.

Still, God is faithful. Especially when we don't deserve all God has given. For that we should all give thanks every day.

Two Women in Dire Circumstances

Genesis 38:12-26

In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died; when Judah’s time of mourning was over, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she put off her widow’s garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He went over to her at the road side, and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” He answered, “I will send you a kid from the flock.” And she said, “Only if you give me a pledge, until you send it.” He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she got up and went away,and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find her. He asked the townspeople, “Where is the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?” But they said, “No prostitute has been here.” So he returned to Judah, and said, “I have not found her; moreover the townspeople said, ‘No prostitute has been here.’ ” Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not find her.”

About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant as a result of whoredom.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “It was the owner of these who made me pregnant.” And she said, “Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” Then Judah acknowledged them and said, “She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not lie with her again.

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You grew up where young girls they grow up fast
You took what you were handed and left behind what was asked
but what they asked baby wasn't right
you didn't have to live that life,
I was gonna be your Romeo you were gonna be my Juliet
These days you don't wait on Romeo's you wait on that welfare check
and on all the pretty things that you can't ever have and on all the promises

"Point Blank" by Bruce Springsteen from "The River"

Here is one of the truths of the ancient world, the "state" did not help take care of its citizens. Of course, what we understand as a "state" or "nation" didn't exist in that day or time either, but that's another point for another day. Instead of the "state," it was up to individual families to take care of themselves.

In a society where men held most of the power, this left woman, orphans, widows, and the like at a great disadvantage. In this time, to protect widows and keep the names of all of the sons alive in the nation; if a son died, his brother would take the widow and when they conceived, the male heir would be the dead brother's son.

In this instance, Tamar was married to Judah's son Er. Er died without leaving an heir so his brother Onan was responsible for producing Er's son through Tamar. Well, Onan wasn't pleased with the prospect of siring his brother's son so he would not plant his seed in Tamar's fertile soil. This ticked off the Lord who put Onan to death. Judah's third son, Shelah was then responsible, but he was not yet old enough. Tamar was told to wait so she did; but Judah did not fulfill his responsibility to provide a son for Er by Tamar.

In our reading, we see Shelah is now ready, but Judah is not going to fulfill his responsibility to his son's widows nor to his son's lineage. So being a little randy himself, Judah finds Tamar thinking she's a temple prostitute. They get to "know one another in a biblical way" and Judah leaves his ring, cord, and staph as collateral to guarantee he'll pay the prostitute a kid from the flock.

You read how this ends, Judah learns of Tamar's pregnancy and suspects whoredom (which by the way is in truth what she was forced to do to guarantee not just her future but the name of her husband as well). She is brought in to be burned for her actions. Before this can happen, she shows Judah that he is in fact the sire of his own grandson because he would not fulfill his family responsibilities.

Women grew up fast in those days, and they grow up fast today too. Women are found in situations nobody should find themselves in because of dire circumstances. We have read Genesis, Springsteen sings of a woman whose life has taken horrible turns.

Bruce sings of a woman whose life has taken such tragic turns that he sees as her hoping without hope that tomorrow everything will be alright. But she knows that tomorrow's fall in number in number one by one. She finds she's dying doesn't even know what from.

Like Tamar she only waits for the promises that she never knows will come. This woman, like Tamar, has a choice. She could wait in despair or she could do the most drastic thing she could think of to ensure her future. Tamar was almost killed for her deeds, as for this woman... she's a lot like Tamar. As Bruce sings, "You're walkin' in the sights, girl of point blank and it's one false move and baby the lights go out."

Tamar lived because Judah, her father-in-law knew what she did was right. We need to pray for women everywhere who are living in Tamar's situation yet today. We need to act so that their fate never ends like the song, "bang, bang baby you're dead"

The Sting of the Reaper

1Corinthians 15:54-57

When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Come on baby (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby take my hand (Don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby, I'm your man

"Don't Fear the Reaper" from Blue Öyster Cult's "Agents of Fortune" (1976)

Who is the one who calls us to come with Him? When it is our Lord Jesus Christ we enter into new life, eternal life.

Often when we think of eternal life, we think of length. To live eternal life is to live forever, often this life is spoken of as what comes after death, but eternal life is more than life after death. Better than life after death, it is real, true life that is had while living. Yes, eternal life is not just what comes later. The Lord intends us to live eternal life now.

As BÖC encourages us, we don't have to fear death with the One who gives us eternal life, but that is because we don't have to fear life anymore, not death. When we live our lives in the fullness of the Lord, what we experience is so much better than what came before it is difficult to compare one to the other.

When we live life in Christ, we live as a community. We live as God's people. We no longer seek power from one another, all we need we have. We no longer have to fear it all coming to an end because we live every day in the fullness of the one who created the day. Death loses its sting because we have no regrets for today when we live the eternal live on earth.

Yes, the eternal life of heaven will be wonderful. There will be peace and glory and worship beyond imagine. But we are not to live this life as if it is a weigh station to eternity. We are to live this life as a practice for eternity.

And while we will never reach that perfection, practice makes more perfect than living the life God does not intend for us.

Seeking What God Has For Us

1John 4:1 (NRSV)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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Well they say that time loves a hero
But only time will tell
If he's real he's a legend from heaven
If he ain't he was sent here from hell

"Time Loves a Hero" by Little Feat

Faith is a sticky thing. We are called to do as the Lord tells us, but since the Lord has yet to send email as an answer to prayer, it can be tough to discern which way is right sometimes.

We have to remember that the greatest heretics of the Church were just men (yes, at the time it was only the men who made great heretical history) who thought they had it right and they were doing the will of the Lord.

Only time will tell they say. If he's real he's a legend from heaven, if he ain't he was sent here from hell. While it is true that time will tell, we don't have the witness of history when we seek to do the will of the Lord in our lives. So we need something more than the rear view window.

Seeking the Lord is how we test the spirits. Do the spirits bring the fruit of the Spirit? Galatians reminds us that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruits of the Spirit. There is no law against such things. If the spirit brings these things, then it passes the test.

By extension, things that do not pass muster, indiscretion, gossip, sloth, stinginess, gluttony, these things don't come fromt the Lord and bring no good. Times when it seems that hate is the right thing to do, there must be another way, and there is.

Listen to the Lord, test the spirits, seek the Holy Spirit.

Death, Law, and Grace

1Corinthians 1:54-57

When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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So where to now St. Peter
If it's true I'm in your hands
I may not be a Christian
But I've done all one man can
I understand I'm on the road
Where all that was is gone
So where to now St. Peter
Show me which road I'm on
Which road I'm on

"Where to Now, St. Peter" by Elton John

Elton John's music often flows between beautiful, haunting melodies and lyrics that betray those lilting sounds. Here's an example. The glorious sounds of the piano melody and the story of a soldier dying on a foreign battle field mix like oil and vinegar. Like oil and vinegar, when they mix they make something more than when they stand alone.

The problem with the lyric, from a Christian point of view, is that this soldier has done all one man can. It's a problem because there is nothing we can do to earn a way into heaven. When we try to justify ourselves through the law, we cannot. When we stand before God, or as the popular image, St. Peter, and we seek to justify our lives, according to the law all we would hear is "Really, that's all you got?" The power of sin and death is in the law, so when we try to justify our selves and our lives through the law we lose.

But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we lie on our respective battlefields, when our perishable bodies put on imperishability, and our mortal bodies put on immortality, then what is written is fulfilled, death is no longer death. Death has been swallowed up in victory.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Death is no longer an issue because it has been beaten. So where to now St. Peter? If we try to justify ourselves by the law we live in death. When we rely on the grace of our Lord, when we accept the gift of new life purchased with his death and redeemed with his resurrection then we live.

That leaves one more question, what road are we on?

The Strangle of Greed

Monday after Easter


Matthew 27:4-5

He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But [the Chief Priests] said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.

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The road I cruise is a bitch now
Ya know ya can't turn me round
And if a house gets in my way
Ya know I'll burn it down

You ran the night that you left me
You put me in my place
I got you in a stranglehold baby
That night I crushed your face

"Stranglehold" From 1975's "Ted Nugent"

If you want to peg one of the seven deadly sins on Judas Iscariot, it would be impossible. Everyone on earth has been hooked by all seven of them at one time or another, and Judas' sins are probably the most public of sin since the Original. Was he deceived by envy? Was he prideful? Was he greedy? Scripture certainly pins greed squarely upon his chest.

Judas took thirty pieces of silver to betray the Lord and he did it with a kiss. It didn't take long for "Judas Kiss" to enter the language as a term of betrayal.

Forgiveness comes from the Lord. If no sin is unforgivable, then this sin wouldn't be unforgivable. What scripture tells us is that Judas did not even seek forgiveness from God. Instead he went to the temple elite. The same men who paid him to betray Jesus would not offer him absolution from the sin they asked him to commit. Pilate washed his hands of Jesus' death, but it was the temple leadership that washed their hands of Judas.

Sin had a stranglehold on Judas, and on the leaders who exploited him. Judas was not able to live with his sin. Based on the silence of scripture, evidently the leaders were. Judas tried to receive absolution by returning the payment for his betrayal. The leaders were not willing to take it back, afterall, it was blood money.

They provided the silver that fed his sin, but were not willing to accept his repentance. Of course, they weren't able to either.

Pardon my French, but let's just say the road Judas cruised was a bitch. His own sin and the sin of the men who tempted him put him in his place. In the end it was sin's stranglehold that took Judas to the noose.

What if Judas had sought forgiveness from the Lord instead of the temple elite? Sure, he wouldn't have been worthy but none of us are worthy. Would it have changed Judas' life? I have to believe that yes, it would have changed his life. I believe that absolution is as close as the kiss from Jesus, but most of us wallow in our own version of the Judas kiss. If Judas can find absolution in God, then who are we to say our sins are too big?

I would like to imagine when Judas received his eternal reward, Jesus kissed him again. Jesus forgives. Jesus knows what happened and why it happened. Sin had a stranglehold on Judas, strangling that ultimately went to his throat. It is the Lord who releases the hold of sin on our lives, even the life of Judas.

Ted sings, "Some people think they're gonna die someday, I got some news you never gotta go." Here's what's funny, Jesus proved that even God can die. He also proved that God can overcome death. When death is defeated, all other bets are off. So while Ted may be right, we know that only with God, all things are possible.

Julian's Lament, Paul's Psalm

Psalm 80:4-7

O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.

You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.

Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors;
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

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Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

"Hey Jude" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded by The Beatles

"Hey Jude" was written principally by Paul McCartney for John Lennon's eldest son Julian. Lennon's divorce with his first wife was filed and John had begun his relationship with Yoko Ono. Any child of divorce will say watching a parent date is difficult. Watching it as the son of a Beatle amps the difficulty exponentially.

Paul gives Julian license to be sad. Paul gives him license to feel. Paul gives Julian license to accept his situation and his feelings. Paul gives Julian license to begin to make it better.

The Psalms of Lament are a special set in the Psalter. Israel is miserable because the Lord is angry. When the Lord is angry there ain't anybody who's happy. They know they are the object of the Lord's anger and because of that they will be the subject of their neighbor's scorn. This can't be an easy time to be a member of the nation.

But they know one more thing, they know the source of their salvation. They know that only the Lord can restore them to favor. They pray the Lord not remember the deeds of their ancestors. They pray the light of the continence, the face of the Lord shine. Only by the Lord is restoration possible.

God knows when we are hurt. God knows when we are angry. Here's the Good News, God is a big boy. God can handle our pain and disappointment even when we direct it against the one who does not deserve it, God's own self. When we finish a season of lament, God is ready for us to seek restoration. God's work of restoration is already done for us in the work on the cross.

This is how we take our sad songs and make them better. We let the Lord into our hearts and then we can start to make it better.

Bring the Living Water

John 4:7

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

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Somebody bring me some water
Can't you see I'm burning alive

"Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Etheridge

Burning thirst, we all know it, the woman at the well knows it better than most though.

She went to the well at noon. Anyone who went to the well to get water knew to go in the morning and in the evening. The air was cooler and so was the water. The only reason not to go then was if you wanted to avoid everyone. This woman wanted to avoid everyone.

She had had five husbands, and the man she now lived with was not her husband. Scripture doesn't say what happened to the other five. Was she abandoned? Was she divorced? Was she a widow? Was it a combination of the three? Anyway you slice it, she was seen by the other women as unseemly and as a rival for their husbands and sons. Today we would say she was bullied. Because of their bullying, she decided she'd rather get her water at the worst time of day rather than see the other women.

One fine day, Jesus was at the well when she arrived. He was burning alive in the midday sun and asked her for water. Now this just didn't happen. Across time and space, society collectively gasped when this happened. She knew any conversation between them was dicey for the both of them and asked how he could ask her for water.

This is when Jesus tells the world about the living water, the water that will become a spring of water gushing up with eternal life in all the people. She wants to know how to get some of that, who doesn't? So he tells her.

He tells her that the time is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, just like the Father wants. This is when the woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming and when he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” So Jesus said to her, “I am he.”

Jesus tells her not just that he is the living water but that he is the Messiah she awaits. He says so using the holiest phrase in the Old Testament, "I AM."

It's time to think of this as a call to evangelism, to share the Word of God with those we love and those we revile. We are all burning alive, and the only thing that will satisfy the thirst is the living water of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Great I AM.

It's time to hear the world cry out "somebody bring me some water, somebody give me a drink" and bring the only water that satisfies. We need to bring the living water of Jesus Christ.

Thirst

John 19:28-29

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.

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Let me die like a man
No one understands
Let me pray that a poor man`s brave

Smacked that horse in the ass
With my last dying gasp
My brother could hear me say

"Gimme Some Water" by Eddie Money

The story of a dying man who wants nothing more than water; cool, cool water. A man and his brother need money to pay for their dad's medical care. The elder brother gets in a card game to get money; probably a crooked game, maybe he's just got a lousy poker face. He shoots a man on the Mexican border. Years later, little brother catches up and rides with him. They will meet the same fate, a long white rope and a hangman's tree; after all, the sheriff always gets his man.

Trying to get what they need for their father's life, they die together on a tree.

Jesus was looking to save a life too, in exchange he gave his own.

It's not uncommon to feel thirst before death. I don't know why, but I'm told it's true. It's true for hanging men in a desert and it's true for a crucified man on Golgotha. Thirst, it's a fully human response to the final situation. It's a biological response, not a spiritual one.

In Jesus, there is not strictly biological response, their must be a spiritual one that accompanies. Jesus thirsts because his body is responding to his pending death. Jesus is thirsty. Jesus is so fully human that his body is thirsty. There's no "super-human" thing going on here, he's fully human and very thirsty.

The good news is for us in our thirst, Jesus provides the living water that never goes dry. Yes, our bodies will thirst, but our lives don't need to be parched.

The Sound of Thunder in a Hard Rain

Thanks to Vicke Bailey for the song suggestion.


John 12:28-30
“Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.”

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And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin’
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin’
Heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin’
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall

"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" by Bob Dylan

"I heard the sound of thunder, it roared out a warnin'." It's funny how people hear things. Some hear the roar of a wave that can drown the world. Others hear drummers while others hear whispers. Some starve while others laugh. Some hear poets and others clowns while some say it sounds like thunder, others say it sounds like the voice of an angel.

It isn't the message that changes, it's how people hear it; if they hear it at all. The voice from heaven says I have glorified my name and will do it again. The people heard the voice, but some heard thunder and others the voice of the angel.

This is when Jesus tells the people this voice has come for their sake, not his. The Lord Jesus has a relationship with his Father. They have an outstanding relationship that while they are separate persons, they share the same essence. They are both fully divine. So Jesus does not need to hear the Father's reassuring words. He hears them constantly in every fiber in his being. The voice wasn't for him, it was for us.

The Lord God tells all with ears to hear that he will glorify his name, he will glorify himself again and again. He will glorify his name constantly without ceasing. This is to reassure us. We live in a hectic, dangerous world, not so different from 2,000 years ago, and God will glorify his name. We can rest assured God will do as he says and glorify his name.

Funny though, some hear it as thunder and others as the voice of an angel. That's the difference, how are we going to hear it. A hard rain's a-gonna fall, Bob Dylan says so. How are we going to handle it when it comes. Will we hear the roar of a wave, a hundred drummers, or a thousand whispers? Will we be there for the one person starving or with the people laughing? Will we hear thunder or angels? The voice is there. The decision is ours.

War and What Follows

Matthew 24:4-8 (NRSV)

Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

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Someone told me love would all save us
But how can that be, look what love gave us
A world full of killing, and blood-spilling
that world never came

And they say that a hero can save us
I’m not gonna stand here and wait
I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles
Watch as we all fly away, Hi-ii-igh!

"Hero" performed by Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott from the "Spiderman" soundtrack and released on Nickleback's "Silver Side Up" (2001)

"A hard rain's gonna fall." Who talks like that anyway? I heard that expression somewhere in my youth. I took it to mean that the day will come when all that we know and do, especially the wicked, will be swept away like the flood. "A hard rain's gonna fall." You better believe it!

There will be wars, and rumors of wars. This comes from scripture, and I know there are statistics somewhere that tell us how many armed conflicts are being fought everyday. I wonder when the last day was that there was no declared war anywhere on earth. I'm not even counting random violence, I mean good old fashioned wars and rumors of wars.

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places." I can think of fewer things that sound appealing to me. Now not only will there be nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom--not only will the political strife get nasty--so will hunger and natural disasters. Sure, much hunger in this world is caused directly or indirectly by political strife, but natural disasters are a completely different ballgame.

So this must take place, but it's only the beginning. It's birth pangs as when labor has just begun, not contractions at three-minutes apart. This is the beginning, not the end. But as with birth pangs, something new will come from the pain and sorrow, new life.

The world is killed with killing and blood spilling and we need a hero. Fortunately, the world has a hero. Our Lord comes not as a king who will subdue his enemies by his might, but as a babe born in a stable. He comes as a man who dies as a criminal nailed to the cross.

He is the hero who can save us. The song talks about not waiting for someone to come. The song talks about taking charge and taking hold of the wings of eagles and soar beyond this world. So to must we, we must be careful of the wings we take though. Let us hold to the Lord. By His life and death and resurrection we can soar like on wings of eagles.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Matthew 6:28-30

And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

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Top coat, Top hat,
And I don't worry cause my wallets fat.
Black shades, white gloves,
lookin' sharp, lookin' for love.
They come runnin' just as fast as they can
cause every girl is crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.

"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top

Ah, the story of "Dressed for Success" is one that we can all appreciate. I have heard that you should never dress for your current joy, you should dress for your next job. I have heard that there's nothing like a fifty dollar shine on a ten dollar pair of boots. I have heard it said that pastors should always dress well to project an air of professionalism because successful professionals only want to associate with other successful professionals. I have heard that you should always wear a belt, carry a handkerchief, and have a dime on you so you can make a call if you need to.

Then again, that last bit came from the late 70's when there were pay phones and calls were just a dime. Sometimes the best advice falls out of favor, it just doesn't matter any more.

I have also been told that the Lord our God was crucified atop a garbage heap wearing only a covering for his loins. What does our God consider "dressing for success?"

Jesus tells us that God loves all creation. It can be seen in a field of wildflowers. Such tableau of color, such a variety of texture, such a glorious aroma comes from the love the Creator has for creation. If this is what God does with dirt and sun and water, imagine how God dresses us?

What we wear everyday? That's the emperor's new clothes; God dresses us in love. We are created to be in a loving relationship with God. God's love overflowed so bountifully and so graciously that we were created to share that love.

Yes, there are times when we feel like we have been strapped to the tree of woe wearing nothing but a loin cloth and three nails. We feel like we have been forsaken by God. Yet, even in all of this, our promise is in redemption. Our promise is that there are people who are sent to shine the light of Christ. Our promise is that it is there. Our promise is that even in our faithlessness God has faith in us.

Even in the darkness, that's worth having faith in. Believe me, I know.

Standing in the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:26-28

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

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You don't care for me
I don't care about that
You gotta new fool, ha!
I'd like to laugh at

I have only one itchin' desire
Let me stand next to your fire.

"Fire" by Jimi Hendrix

Let's start with this, Nebuchadnezzar did not dislike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Shoot, among the Jewish exiles brought to Babylon they were among the King's favorites. The only exile mentioned more in the book of Daniel was Daniel. But still, he's a king and a pagan king at that, so he had his own god and built a statue of the god and decided that everyone had to bow before the statue. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego just couldn't do that and this is where it all began.

Nebuchadnezzar didn't dislike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but what king can take sass from his slaves?

So the furnace was lit and was set to burn seven times hotter than normal. It burned so hot, the men who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the fire were burned to death putting them into it. But there was not a singe mark nor even the smell of fire on the three when they came out of the furnace. What was odd was that while only three went into the fire, and only three came out, scripture tells us that there were four in the fire.

Nebuchadnezzar knew when he was licked and demanded anyone who blasphemed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be torn limb from limb. Nasty. Back to that sass thing, the King knew he couldn't sass the Lord.

The joy is that the power of the Lord is so wonderful that it protects the disciples. In the fires of this age and every age, God protects. Against the kings of this age, against those who worship other gods (and yes, there are many who still worship other gods like money, power, fame, and prestige) our God protects us. It doesn't mean we won't ever be thrown into the fire, but it does say that God is with us when we are.

We have all faced some hot, hot fires in this age; but still, when we are assembled, even in the fiery furnace, God is there with us.

That's Not Funny

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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.

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As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.

I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love

"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" by Nick Lowe performed by Elvis Costello

There is something terribly odd about the Gospel in our day and time. The Gospel was written for a band of God Fearers who were outside of Roman and Pagan society and not really a part of the Hebrew society, not anymore. They really didn't fit into any niche that existed at the time.

Now it's all different, or is it.

It wasn't written for people generally like me, an affluent (certainly by the world's standards if not by American standards), man of Northern European descent. In our world, this makes me one of the "insiders."

The Church as it began had no legal status and little protection. The Apostles, those who were first sent with the Word of the Good News were easy targets. Other followers of Jesus paid the ultimate price of their faith too.

The faith we know became generally accepted at the time of Constantine when he had a dream that his army would be victorious if they painted crosses on their shields. This was affirmed by his wife who was a baptized Christian. Of course, this wasn't enough for Constantine to live wet, he was never baptized. He still knew which side of fame's toast the butter went on, he might have believed-or he might not have, but he surely knew that there was power in the blood.

From there, the church began to exercise its own power and authority until it was so entwined with the government that the empire came to be known as the Holy Roman Empire. Separation between church and state? It never existed before the United States. Christian rule over the politics of the Empire started so long ago that to us it never seems out of place.

In less than 500 years, the church went from being an outlaw and outcast group to the rulers of the "modern, civilized world."

Funny thing about power, power corrupts, even the church.

That's a lot of history to say only one thing, in a world that values power and stuff, we need to take a page from Paul's letter to the Philippians. Rejoice! How often do you hear of peoples in world capitals (or in the power structures of the church) scream and rejoice!? As much as this oversimplifies power and faith, it does not seem a stretch at all when reading what comes from the power brokers of either the government or the church.

People concerned with getting and keeping power never let their gentleness be known to anyone. Nor do they seem to want to bring anything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Supplication? Please.

It's time again to ask the musical question asked by Nick and Elvis and Paul and Micah and the prophets and the apostles: What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?

It's not that we can quit asking the musical questions "Is all hope lost? Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?" Surely there is, but we need to ask, what is the cure of these ills. Where is the salvation that cures the world?

"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." We need to get back to the basics.

Idols on Fire

Luke 21:5-6

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

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Burn down the mission, Lord,
If we're gonna stay alive.
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven,
See the red flame light the sky.

"Burn Down the Mission" by Elton John

There is something historical about this bit of scripture from Luke. Something that just gets written off as exaggeration. When we read "not one stone will be left upon another" it's easy to write it off. Well, that is what happened.

When the temple was burned, all of the gold gilding that was on the walls melted. Then it flowed into the deep recesses of the foundation. To get all of the gold, the Roman's slaves would have to remove all of the stones to get the gold that fell into the nooks and crannies and into the foundation. By the end there was not one stone left upon another.

The temple in Jerusalem burned, and it burned so hot that gold ran like water.

The people loved the temple. It was beautiful. It was holy. And in a way it became an idol. To some the temple and the earthly things it stood for were more important than the the Lord who sanctified it. When things get more important than God, they become idols.

What is it that we love? Is it the church building? Is it the stuff inside the building? Let me ask my fellow Presbyterians, is it our polity? Or maybe I should ask was it our old polity? Sometimes, to get past the things we love about God, we have to burn down the mission so that all we have left to love is God.

Everything else can be a guide post, but only the grace and peace of God is our hitching post. Everything else can become an idol. We need to discover our idols and burn them because the last thing we want to hitch our lives to are our idols.

Thwarting the Will of Pharaoh

Exodus 1:15-19

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

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Why; our backs are now against the wall
Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage
Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage
Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage
Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage

"Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys

In the beginning of Exodus, we learn that time had passed. So much time had passed that there wasn't a king in Egypt that remembered Joseph or what he did to save Egypt. Also since the death of Joseph, the Hebrew nation had grown mighty in number. So between forgetting the historic relationship between the two nations and Israel growing mighty in number, Pharaoh worried Israel was becoming "mighty" within his borders. He worried that if the Sons of Israel had become too mighty that they would conquer Egypt, and that's no position a monarch wants to be in.

So what did he do? He demanded the infant sons of the nation of Israel be slain by the midwives while their mothers were on their birth stools. How nasty is that? Pharaoh expected the midwives to use the knives which would cut the umbilical cord to slit the newborn's throat. Pharaoh expected the midwives to wrap the umbilical cord around the throat of the boys and strangle them. Pharaoh expected the midwives to obey, but they did not.

It's easy to understand their fear, they feared God. Who wouldn't? Slaying a baby immediately after the mother gives birth has got to be among the nastiest, coldest evils a person could ever do. When you see God after this little thing, you'll have some 'splaining to do. It's also quite a tyrant could expect a subject to do this. If the king could expect a midwife to slay a baby it's hard to imagine what else the king is capable of doing. It's easy to understand that they would fear Pharaoh.

They would have been foolish if they hadn't feared God; and they would have been foolish if they hadn't feared Pharaoh. The midwives had two fears, one for each course of action. Each action could have cost them their lives. But there are differences in their fears.

Fearing Pharaoh they could die. Lying to the king is never a way to make friends and influence policy. They could have died. Once.

Fearing God, they feared the one who could take their life and so much more. In the end they chose to fear the One who could give them life as well as take it away. They feared the One who gives life, and because they did they were rewarded with children of their own.

Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage! Because the midwives chose to thwart the will of the King of Egypt, because they chose to sabotage the will of Pharaoh they saved the lives of many Hebrew boys, including one we know as Moses. Le chiam to the sisters who helped preserve the law.

The Source of Wisdom

Ephesians 1:17-19

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

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I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

"Sail on Sailor" recorded originally by The Beach Boys. This version features Brian Wilson with Matthew Sweet and Darius Rucker.

Paul has a well developed theology of wisdom. This is extended in his greeting to the Ephesians praying that they may be given a spirit of wisdom from the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul doesn't want them to be wiser in the ways of the world, he wants them to receive only the good gifts of God.

Paul's hope has never changed either, that we all increase in wisdom, but there's a lot more of the earthly variety of smarts out there today than there was 2,000 years ago. Paul would be amazed that the wealth of human wisdom is now doubling at a rate of every ten years, and soon will be down to doubling every two. He would be amazed at things like the internet to store and share human knowledge. Amazed, but not impressed.

So much stuff and so little of it wrapped around wisdom that matters. As the old song goes, we ride the unsettled ocean of intelligence, not wisdom. Sometimes it's restful, more often it's frightened, unenlightened deep commotion. There is so much commotion that our choices are to sail through or get swamped. Both Brian Wilson and the Apostle Paul knew about this from their many journeys.

So we are to seek God's wisdom, not the wisdom of the world. Facts are the junk food of wisdom, God's word is bread for our life's journey. We seek this gift so that our hearts may be enlightened knowing the hope of God's glorious wisdom; these riches Paul calls the inheritance of the saints. This is the gift for all who receive God's wisdom.

The Value of our Stuff

Luke 12:16-21

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

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They were all impressed with your Halston dress
And the people you knew at Elaine's
And the story of your latest success
Kept 'em so entertained

"Big Shot" by Billy Joel from 52nd Street

This biblical land owner appears to be endowed with all of the best qualities of the protestant work ethic. He is hard working and diligent. He is wise; a long term planner and strategic thinker. He saves, he doesn’t squander his wealth. He doesn’t seek to go out and buy the best new toys from the first century Monkey-Ward catalog, he is ready to build new barns and store his crop for many years. Even if he was just lucky; even if he had great seed, prepared soil, favorable weather, and the best luck in the world; chance favors the prepared and he was definitely prepared.

Reflecting on the bounty, he tells his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” This rich farmer has just made a major deposit in his ancient Individual Retirement Account and life is good. He is a small business owner who has done all of the right things. As soon as he makes a new place for his stuff he’ll be ready to take a breather. His earthly debts are paid off and he is ready to take a little time with his family. That’s the plan, a plan that would make any investment specialist proud. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry. Friends, let’s face it, this guy could not be more typically American unless he baked an apple pie and invented the hot dog.

This farmer is not the vain woman from the Billy Joel song, but they do both love their stuff.

This is where we come to the harsh reality. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry is found in the Old Testament books of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah where it isn’t a blessing. It’s a foreboding of impending doom. The mistake that he has made is that he has received a great blessing and chosen to sit on his hands and on his wealth.

Resting on his laurels watching the world go by sitting on the veranda in his porch swing is not the life God calls him to live. This is not the life we are called to live either. Our call is not to rest on God’s blessings; our call is to do God’s will with these blessings.

Good and bad come from the use of riches, not the riches themselves. To the ancient Greeks, riches were seen as blessings from the Gods. The Greek word for “riches” shares the same root as the words “fill” and “full.” Riches, the filling of the barn if you will, were seen as a blessing from God. Still, riches were not to be confused with the blessings of God. Things like “wealth of wisdom” or “wealth of grace” were not promised in these riches.

It’s not riches, but our attitude toward riches, the way we use riches that is important. The rich farmer in the parable is the man who embodies the American dream, but with one fatal flaw. He wanted to use his riches, the bountiful gifts of a gracious God, for his own comfort instead of for God’s kingdom. When we trust our lives to the security of riches instead of the richness of God, we trust in something that is fleeting.

As the farmer learns, life can be over in a flash. Our lives can be demanded of us in any given moment. When this happens, Jesus asks, “Who will receive the blessings that have been trusted to you?” One blessing will last; the other will become dust in the wind. We have received so many blessings, and often they are squandered on things that don’t last until the next season, just like a Halston dress.

Ours is not to squirrel away the blessings we have received into new barns because these riches are fleeting. We are to seek the greater blessings, the blessings of God. We are not to store up treasures for ourselves but are to be rich in the blessings of God.

Forty Days

Exodus 24:15-18

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

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On the road for forty days,
Last night in Little Rock
Put me in a haze.

"We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad

There's an interesting thing about the number forty in the bible. When talking about a length of time like forty days or forty years. Saying "forty days" didn't necessarily mean 960 hours. It didn't necessarily mean 57,600 seconds. Sometimes it was just an expression meaning "a long time."

This isn't a heresy or a reason to doubt scripture, we have expressions like this in English too. When we talk about a "month of Sundays" we aren't talking about 30 Sundays. It would take seven-and-a-half months to get that many Sundays, so we don't mean it literally. I once heard the expression "a handful of months." The guy who used it meant "four or five." How many fingers are there in a full hand? Four, five with the thumb. That's also what he meant by "a handful of months," four or five.

In all of these examples, the number spoke to the people who said it originally. While forty days could mean forty truly calendar days, it could also mean a long, long time.

On the road for forty days... You gotta imagine that to a band that was making its musical bones in the late 60's and early 70's, forty days seemed like a sex and drug razed eternity on the road. If you've ever been to Little Rock in the midst of a huge tour, it would put you in a haze too.

Moses spent forty days on the mountain in the midst of the glory of the Lord. To the people in the valley, those Moses left behind, it appeared like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain. How glorious is that? Your representative, the man who stood between you and Pharaoh is now in the glory of the fire of the Lord.

Here's the problem... It appeared to them like a devouring fire, so how did they know Moses was not devoured. The voice of the Lord did not cry out to the people "No sweat, everything's fine in here." There was no reassurance. While they were blamed for not waiting upon the Lord, their fears were understandable. Misplaced, but understandable.

Moses entered the cloud. GFR went to Omaha. The nation went to the land of milk and honey. The band went home. While there is a lot of history for both Israel and Three Dog Night, let's leave it at this: after a long forty days, they finally went home. Isn't that what all of us really want?

Go and Make Disciples

Matthew 28:18-20 (NRSV)

Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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You don't know me but I'm your brother
I was raised here in this living hell
You don't know my kind in your world
Fairly soon the time will tell
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see

Takin' it to the streets

"Takin' It to the Streets" by Michael McDonald from "Best of the Doobies" 1976

In grammar, there are actually verbs that act like nouns, they're called participles. The reason they exist is to describe action, not be the main actions themselves.

In Matthew's Great Commission, there are glorious participles--baptizing and teaching. These are things Christians are called to do. But these aren't the main verbs in the passage. The main verbs are go and make, specifically "go and make disciples." Why is this so important?

Often Christians get tied up in the baptizing and teaching where what we are supposed to get tied up doing is "to go and make." Baptizing and teaching are important elements of "to go and make," that's why they get the big mention as a part of the Great Commission. But the first thing we are to do go and then make.

The Great Commission is not a cry for everyone to go to Africa or Asia and be missionaries. But it is a cry for us to get off of our couches and take it to the streets. The world is filled with people who do not know the grace and peace of the Lord. Sure, people are always to talk about death and hell-the sort of heavenly fire insurance. But if that were all there was to being a Christian it would be a sorry wait for death.

No, we are called to take the faith out into the world. Michael McDonald wrote, "I was raised here in this living hell; You don't know my kind in your world." We were all born into a world that is damaged, a world that is in shock and pain. This world reacts like a wounded animal. We were born into this living hell, but by God's grace we are saved through faith. The world does not know the Lord, nor does it really know the Lord's children.

Take the faith. Take it to the streets. Take it to the people who are still living in hell. Take it to those who need justice. Show it to those who persecute the innocent. Feed the hungry. Shelter the impoverished. Seek justice. Love kindness.

Do this not because it will buy fire insurance, but because the Lord lives. Do it because the Lord is alive in your life. Do this as a response to the freely given gift of grace you have received.