Kings and Kingdoms

John 18:36-37

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

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No marigolds in the promised land
There's a hole in the ground
Where they used to grow
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Is the king of the world
As far as I know

"King of the World" by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen recorded by Steely Dan on "Countdown to Ecstasy"

Steely Dan often wrote in odd and exotic metaphor. Written in the early 1970's, this song was the Dan's vision of what could happen if the cold war suddenly got very, very hot. It's a post-Apocalyptic, post-Nuclear-Holocaust vision of what's left of the American Southwest.

It's a bleak and desolate place, there are few people and no marigolds. Just to make this more convoluted, marigolds historically represent Mary the mother of Jesus and Queen Elizabeth I. Being the Virgin Mary and England's Virgin Queen, marigold in this sense represents virginity. That's what they mean by no marigolds, no virgins. What they mean is the world is a place of extreme violence where no innocence survives. There is nothing short of rape and murder left in the world.

As for the hole, it represents the bomb crater, or worse.

Is it any wonder Jesus says he is not the from this world? Is it any wonder Jesus tells Pilate that he is not the King of this world? He's a king, he's just not the king of a world that is willing to blow itself up several times over or willing to kill God just to maintain the way we've always done things.

This is the horrible, violent, graceless sort of a world that only a human being can create. God made the world, but what has been made of the world is something else entirely.

Jesus says that those who belong to the truth listen to his voice. The next verse has Pilate asking "What is truth."

Truth walked the world. Truth shared not just his words and his works and his wisdom with the world, he shared his entire self with the world. The truth is that there is no sacrifice to small, no sacrifice too large for God. God seeks relationship with creation. God seeks the reconciliation of the world. This is the truth. God does not want the end that is oh so easy to see coming down the road from the early '70's.

Our Lord is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. The kingdoms that we create are not the kingdoms God would have us create. That is not what God wants for this world. Don't worry though, this is not the Kingdom God established. This is the truth Pilate could not see. This is the truth we must seek.

How to Spend

Mark 9:33-37 (NRSV)

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

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Spend it on love,
Spend it on the children,
Spend it on the ones who need it the most.

"Spend It On Love" by Bob Walkenhorst from "The Good News and The Bad News" by The Rainmakers.

Priorities, ultimately everything that ever gets done or undone is because of priorities. Is something too important to let go? Is something so routine that it is left for another day? When does yesterday's optional become today's urgent?

Jesus placed a high priority on the children. “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Whoever spends a dollar on a child spends a dollar for the Kingdom of God.

There are more than enough opportunities to spend money on things that do not point to love. Money spent on avarice and greed sure don't go toward love. Money spent on things that don't protect, defend, or educate a child are not spent on love. As Bob sings, "lottery tickets and beer" just don't cut it.

Just as important as money is time. People spend hundreds of thousands of hours working every year to "provide the finer things in life" for their families, the problem is that nobody gets to enjoy them. Wasting money is one thing, but time wasted can never be retrieved.

Bob Walkenhorst, lead singer and principle songwriter for The Rainmakers, was inspired to write this song after driving past a polling place on an election day many years ago. Going by, he saw kids holding up signs that said "Spend It On Us!" To be first, you have to be the servant of all, especially those who are the weakest of us all, the children. When future generations are blessed, the present generation is blessed too.

It's a Jungle

Isaiah 11:6-9 (NRSV)

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

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Hush my darling don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight
Hush my darling don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight

From "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," originally recorded as "Mbube," a 1939 African popular music hit. This version by The Tokens

Everyone wonders what paradise will be like. The images from John's Revelation about the New Jerusalem are always popular. With the gold, and the jewels, and the high walls it seems almost like God's perfect gated community. As wonderful as the images John gives us are, when saying "God's perfect gated community," it all seems a little too elite.

I prefer the images from Isaiah. The Jews of Isaiah's time were a people who knew their oppression. The prophet knew poverty. He knew what it was to seek justice. He knew what oppression was all about. He knew this, and he was shown what a wonderful life under a perfect king looks like.

What's joyous about this vision is that the predatory animals, the wolves, leopards, lions, bears, asp, and adder are not massacred in the name of saftey for the lamb, kid, calf, fatling, cow, and child. In the new kingdom under the protection of the New King, there is no need. There is no need.

We don't need to harm, kill, or destroy the enemy because with the New King, the predator and prey relationship will no longer exist. Darwin's "survival of the fittest" will no longer apply because the fittest of us all will provide for every need. There is no more fear. All are fed. There is plenty for all.

In our age, this not only applies to the bears and the cows, it applies to the bears and the bulls. Safety and plenty is available for all God's children, even to the point that excess is no longer necessary.

In a socitey that is consumer oriented, the view of safety from what will do us harm can be far more peaceful than a view of wealth and walls. It is better to live alongside those who were our predators than to build walls hoping they will never be breached.

They say "it's a jungle out there." But the kingdom to come is not the same jungle we are used to living in. It is a place of wonder and safety through the King of kings. Let us thank God that the King has been born and will come again in glory.

Ashes to Ashes

Ash Wednesday


Genesis 3:19
Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.

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Ashes to ashes, funk to funky

"Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie from "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" (1980)

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season of introspection, reflection, and repentence. Who says the season doesn't need better Public Relations?

Of course, we're more familiar with Ash Wednesday's naughty cousin, Mardi Gras. Given the choice between reveling like tomorrow won't come and wearing ashes hearing someone in a black robe say, "From dust you came and to dust you will return," who wouldn't take beer and beads any day of the week?

Of course, there's more to the choices than that, which is why I've been the guy in the black robe holding the ashes.

"From dust" is the curse laid upon humanity after the fall, after the first (the original) sin. Upon eating of the tree Adam and Eve learned of death, and they learned what it would mean to them, they would return from whence they came. When the only rule you had to follow was "Don't eat that," it's a mighty fall from grace to death.

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky.

Still, there is more to Lent than just ashes and fasting. Today, many of us will be reminded of this curse, this curse Jesus accepted as his own, the truth that the body will be put to the ground. We do this with the mark of the ash. Jesus did this by the agony of the cross. But in this agony there is mercy and there is grace.

A few years ago, when imposing the ashes, I was encouraged to say "You are a child of God. From ashes you came and to ashes you will return." This first sentence is the addition. It should be understood of course, and it should be repeated as often as possible. It's easy to remember pain and suffering. It's easy to remember work. It's easy even to remember the glory of what comes after the end. But without the joy of what comes with life in God in Christ, we are truly lost. And we are all children of God, that must never be forgotten.

As Adam and Eve were God's children we are God's children. As they were disciplined for disobeying we too are disciplined for disobeying, but the joy of life in God; that is something they could not forget and something we must always remember.

By the mercy of God, let us be marked as his. Marked by the ash, and by his blood. Marked that in life and in death we belong to God.

Ash Wednesday's Rowdy Precedent

Fat Tuesday, Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras


1Corinthians 15:32

If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”

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Oh the Mardi Gras, the memories,
Of creole tunes that fills the air
I dream of Oleander's in June
And soon I'm wishin' that I were there

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans
Since that's where you left your heart
And there's something more, I miss the one I care for
More than I miss New Orleans

"Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" by Louis Armstrong. This recording does not match the commonly found lyrics for this song. This version is from the 1956 Chicago concert.

Fat Tuesday, Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras--four different phrases pointing to one thing, one last blowout before Lent. In some places, Shrove Tuesday is a time to rid the household of fats and oils before Lent and it's focus on denial and pertinence. The main order of the day is a Pancake supper. It effectively rids the house of fats, oils and sugars, and bacon. In other places like Rio de Janeiro it's a bacchanalia that would make Hugh Hefner blush. Ah but New Orleans, New Orleans...

Louis Armstrong sang "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans." Wishin' that I were there... While Rio has a tradition that eclipses N'awlins, Americans do love le Quartier Français and Rue Bourbon, and who can blame them. That's a party. It's a party until midnight when the police clear the streets, when Mardi Gras yields itself to Lent.

Mardi Gras, where people take “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” as a personal challenge.

But with only human hopes, without a view toward the eternal, what is life? What is death? They are nothing. Nothing at all. Without God, with only human ambition, we are nothing. With only human meaning all Mardi Gras gives us is lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, and wrath. That's only greed and envy away from the Heavy Seven.

Well, I'm not going to say folks don't need a blowout from time to time. Though scripture has only bad things to say about drunkenness, especially as a way of life. Since Carnival can go from Twelfth Night to Mardi Gras, that's a bit too long for a party. But enjoy Mardi Gras. Enjoy the party. Have a flap jack. Enjoy a Hurricane, unless you can't handle your booze then don't. Just go people watching and have a wonderful time. But remember, Ash Wednesday is tomorrow, and that's a whole new ballgame.

That's what it means to miss the One I care for more than I miss New Orleans.

So Very Good to Be Here

Monday after Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday


Mark 9:2-6

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

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How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year.
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here.

"Wish You Were Here" by Roger Waters and David Gilmour recorded by Pink Floyd from the album "Wish You Were Here"

Imagine Peter singing this song. Imagine him singing it to the world. He had just seen Jesus transfigured, a fancy word that means to change appearance. He was so freaked out, so shocked, so terrified that he offers to do some carpentry, building booths for the heroes. He wanted to do them the honor of creating a place for them to be, but to what purpose? Perhaps he wanted them to stay around so that everyone could see what he was seeing. A table to hang out at like a book signing. It was good for them to be there, so it is good for us to be there too. That seems clear.

Imagine Peter singing this song. He knows himself and he knows who we are too. We are just two lost souls swimming in this fishbowl year after year. Thoreau said "I have traveled extensively in Concord" and this is Peter's point, we know our lives. We know our neck of the woods. We know what we know and it will take something dramatic to adjust our image toward something holy and this will do .

Imagine Peter singing this song. He knows Jesus and he knows his old fears. He knows where they came from and he knows those who share them too. He wishes we were there with him, seeing what he saw. He was terrified, sure, but this was new. This was different. This is shock and awe.

But this doesn't happen. There are no booths. There are no guided tours of Transfiguration Point. There is only the story. There is only the promise.

Why does Jesus only bring Peter, James, and John? Scholars give all kinds of reasons, and if you were interested in scholarly opinion you wouldn't be reading this. What Jesus did give them is exactly what they needed. He gave them the image that mattered to them. Peter wished we were there too, but this isn't our image. This image is for them.

Imagine Peter singing this song. Now ask yourself, what is the image that you would have Christ show you? Imagine and know that the image you see can be as real as the one seen by Peter, James, and John. This is the lesson of the Transfiguration. As Jesus' image changes, our image of Jesus changes too. As the image of Jesus changes, our faith in Christ deepens. As the image of Jesus changes, it ought to scare us to death too. Of course it should be scary, this is shock and awe.

Blinded by the Light

Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday


Luke 9:28-30

About eight days after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.

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He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Momma always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh, but Momma, that's where the fun is

"Blinded by the Light" by Bruce Springsteen recorded by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J."

This was the first track on the first album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It introduced us to a cast of characters the world had never seen the likes of before: Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer, a teenage diplomat, the all-hot half-shot, the fleshpot mascot, young Scott, and his lover and that's just the first verse!

They were all blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce; whatever that means.

On Transfiguration Sunday we have a trio who were blinded by the light. In our day and time; Peter, John, and James would look as wild and out of place as some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the East. On the side of a mountain they looked into the light and they saw the face of their Lord, they saw the face of the Lord change. (That's all "transfiguration" means, change face, no big deal.) As the face of the Lord changed they saw Moses and Elijah appear with him and they began to kibbutz.

Chatting with Jesus. Now that had to be amazing. The three of them, all of the apostles, all of the disciples, people--just plain folks had chatted with Jesus. When Jesus chats with these heroes of the faith, Moses who disappeared into the mountains and Elijah who was taken in the whirlwind, that's different. Peter wants to build shrines. He was so blinded by the light that he couldn't stay in the moment. He had to say something, even if it's silly.

There's a lesson for us, be present in the moment, every moment. You can never be sure when Jesus will take you aside and blind you by the light. When the light gets you, be there, listen, enjoy, praise God! Don't offer to do something. Offer to be there as long as the Lord is there too.

Don't be so blinded by life that we fail to be present when the Lord calls. We have to take to heart what Bruce sings, "Momma always told me not to look into the sights of the sun, Oh, but Mama, that's where the fun is."

Momma, the sights of the Son, that's where the fun is!