Blood

Hebrews 9:22

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

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How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long?
How long?

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2

Purified in the blood. That's the way of the Old Testament. Blood Atonement is also a way for Mormons. In fact, when Utah legalized death penalty again in 1976, the first execution was of Gary Gilmore who chose firing squad over hanging in accordance with the Mormon concept of blood atonement.

The lamb of God, this is one of the titles Jesus is known by. He was the paschal lamb slaughtered for the sins of creation. He was the paschal lamb whose blood makes all clean again.

The U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" isn't exactly based on the Bloody Sunday of 1920 or of 1972, it is based on both and on so much more. It's the lament of a man crying "How much violence must we endure? How much violence must we inflict? How long must this continue? How long must we sing this song? How long?"

In a world where sin lives and breathes, the answer to this question is forever. But in the world of the resurrection, in a world where Jesus has won victory over the grave, it happens bit by bit. Bono knew this writing this song, he sings:

The real battle yet began
To claim the victory Jesus won on...
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The battle is won in Christ. What we have to do now is believe it and start living like it.

The View from Inside

...with thanks to Sister Madness, Janine Zabriskie, for the great song suggestion


Jonah 2:1-10

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

“I called to the LORD out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.

You cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.

Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
how shall I look again
upon your holy temple?’

The waters closed in over me;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head
at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
O LORD my God.

As my life was ebbing away,
I remembered the LORD;
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.

Those who worship vain idols
forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.

Deliverance belongs to the LORD!”
Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.

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When I think of heaven
Deliver me in a black-winged bird
I think of flying down into a sea of pens and feathers
And all other instruments of faith and sex and God
In the belly of a black-winged bird.
Don't try to feed me
'Cause I've been here before
And I deserve a little more

I belong in the service of the Queen
I belong anywhere but in between
She's been crying and I've been thinking
And I am the Rain King

"The Rain King" by Counting Crows

The Lord gave Jonah one job, go to Nineveh and tell everyone that their world is about to crash about their ears. Have you ever noticed that the prophets get all of the worst jobs? Let's face it, they do. More often than not, they are told only to share the worst possible news with people who don't want to hear it.

Then again, if the folks who needed the news were obedient to the Lord to begin with, would they really need the reminder?

Jonah decides to buck the trend. He heads off in the other direction, he heads off to sea. Of course, the will of the Lord will not be thwarted. The Lord will be obeyed. A great storm rises and Jonah is below decks taking a nap. He is so satisfied with his decision that he just might figure he has two choices, die in Nineveh while spreading the news or die at sea. Death is death and it seems he decided to meet death on his terms rather than the Lord's.

Well, you know the story, Jonah leaves the ship, the hard way, and ends up in the belly of the fish. There he begins to lament. He sees that it is not the same, dying while doing the Lord's work must be better than the alternative. He ends with crying out "Deliverance belongs to the LORD!" Jonah knows who is to serve and learns it from the belly of the big fish.

Adam Duritz has seen his own pain, and he sees it from the belly of the black-winged bird; flying, diving into a sea of pens and feathers. He knows his own big fish experience. He knows like Jonah knows. He know his God and sees the good works of God's creation and he sees them in the belly of the black-winged bird.

Oddly, they come to the same conclusion. They both know their roles. Adam Duritz sings about the Rain King in service to the Queen. Jonah knows he's the prophet of the Lord. They both come to learn where they belong and who they belong to.

Both of these stories tend to lead to the same questions: Who do you serve? What's your role? The answers to those questions make life worth living.

Naked

Genesis 3:8-11a

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked?

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And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

"Everybody Knows" written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, recorded by Leonard Cohen and a host of others, originally released on "I'm Your Man"

Adam and Eve had the knowledge, knowledge they did not need to have. But they had it now and there was no turning back. That was when our melodrama changed to stage right with the entrance of the Lord God walking into the garden. This new knowledge give Adam and Eve all sorts of insight. They knew they had lost their perfect connection with the Lord God. They knew they had done wrong. They knew they disobeyed. They knew they disappointed the Lord God. They knew they were in trouble.

Everybody (both of them, but still it was everybody) know that the plague is coming and that it's moving fast. They knew they were naked and they knew they were more than nude, they were naked. They were laid bare before the Lord God. Death was coming. Their sin was naked before the Lord God. All they had was shame and fear. They had no idea what was coming next. So they hid.

It's our first reflex too when we are caught. Shame, fear, denial, "fight or flight," the reactions are numerous but they are just that, reactions. It is up to us to act, not react. Yes the plague is coming and moving fast. It is truly an artifact of the past, sin. We are creatures bathed in sin, individual and corporate. Our selves and our communities are covered in a sinful nature that is impossible to escape, those who don't know are foolish or ignorant.

Only in Christ, through the Lord God, in community with the Holy Spirit can we live in and through that plague. Only in this can we live in and not of the world, the plague. It's coming, it's coming fast, it's here. Everybody knows. This is not a chicken little moment. God is asking where we are. It's time to stop hiding.

Are You Going to Eat That?

Suggested by Marie, actually it was more of a dare...


Acts 10:9-16

About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.

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I wish I was in Tijuana
Eating barbecued iguana

"Mexican Radio" Written by Charles T. Gray, Marc Moreland, Oliver Joe Nanini, and Standard Ridgway Funsten, recorded by Wall of Voodoo on "Call of the West"

Have you ever been offered something to eat that you just look at and want to say, "er...No thank you, I just ate!" If you say no, here's a word for you, tripe. If that didn't work, how about escargot? It just takes one word, or maybe two, to make you think again.

Some animals and parts of animals have such a weird reputation that the TV show "Top Chef" once did a street vendor challenge using entrails. People were making meals of pig ears, cow brains, and yes, tripe. The judges said the tastes were good, though some much better than others. Still, the "tripe fajita" will never catch on at Taco Bell.

Let's not even discuss what happens when foodie Andrew Zimmerman shows up with take-out.

The Jewish dietary restrictions were many. In the day though, one of the reasons for the restrictions was food safety. Undercooked pork and poultry still cause disease today. Storage of raw foods was another matter. What other animals ate was another restriction that could make someone sick if consumed. Bottom feeders beware, it may not be safe to eat.

Peter almost brags to God that he has never eaten anything that is unclean. But God tells Peter to kill and eat. Yeah, some of this stuff isn't in the same time zone as kosher, but you can eat it now. Peter then almost boasts to God that he's never done that! Unclean food has never passed his lips. So God tells him that “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”

In Peter's time, it was very obvious that God is doing something new. Some of the old restrictions were being changed, and that was all in the plan. Yes, now we can have bacon wrapped lobster tails stuffed with shrimp... and God love us for it. Crawdads, the mudbug is now on the menu so get ready to suck the heads. Catfish, it may not have scales but it is very tasty. At one time you could get Rocky Mountain Oysters at Coors Field in Denver, strangely, it tasted like shrimp. At least it does to me.

We can even go to Tijuana for barbecued iguana if we wanted, and it's all good.

God is doing something new. This was obvious to Peter and it should still be obvious today. God continues to do something new. We are called to be a part of that work, and if we can do it with a hot dog that'll be fine too. It doesn't have to be Hebrew National.

The Wealth of Value

Psalm 52:6-7 (NRSV)

The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
“See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!”

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Your everlasting summer and you can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last
Well, you wouldn't know a diamond if you held it in your hand
The things you think are precious I can't understand

"Reelin' in the Years," written by Walter Becker and Donald Fegan recorded by Steely Dan from "Can't Buy a Thrill"

All that glitters is not gold. Fool's gold is another way to say this. Where do you place your trust? This is a question to be answered.

It's easy to place trust in wealth, with wealth it would seem that everything else could be much, much easier. But scripture and anecdotal evidence of lottery winners say different.

There are scores of stories about lottery winners who took their new found riches and promptly ruined their lives. The old tale of the lotto winner who declared bankrupcy is known nation-wide. Professional athletes and entertainers who sign huge contracts and become bankrupt overnight are a sad truth. Stories of people who are swindled by offers that are too good to be true are all over the news. The latest internet swindle is only a mouse click away.

Between irresponsible spending, poor investments, and trusting people who had no earthly reason being trusted; these stories happen all too often. And they happen to people who place too much value on wealth--instead we need to place more wealth in value.

The value we must trust in is the grace and peace of the Lord. We are to trust in what God creates and not in what we collect. Frankly, there are too many times when we human beings have trouble discerning what is good for us and what is not. As The Dan sing, "you wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hand." What we consider precious often is just fool's gold.

Our refuge is in the Lord. The Lord alone is all that will last.

The Plaintive Cry

2Samuel 22:7

In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.

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It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan from the soundtrack to "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid."

The plaintive cries of a man who dies violently. He's got a badge and where he's going he won't need it. He's got guns and where he's going he won't need it. He knows he's about to die and there's no solace for him. Why? Who knows. "The bad guy got him and town's not safe" is a good bet, but it's only a guess. But there is mourning in the words, and mourning in almost everyone who sings this song. It's the kind of mourning that hints that there is more death coming, and the man is saddened.

Of course the Guns 'N' Roses version really doesn't show this, but Axl Rose has never been one for remorse or regret.

In this song, this song of David from 2Samuel, David rejoices that the Lord does hear and did deliver him from his enemies and from Saul. David begins by praising the Lord, his fortress, his deliverer, his rock, his shield, his stronghold, his refuge, the horn of his salvation, his savior and his God. His Lord saves him from violence. His Lord saves him from his enemies. His Lord is worthy to be praised.

His Lord saves him from his enemies. His Lord saves him from death. He cries to the Lord and the Lord hears his cries.

The Lord hears cries. The Lord hears the plaintive cries of the people. The Lord listens and pays attention. The only negative thing that can be said is that the Lord doesn't respond the way we want or in what we might call a timely manner.

Yet here's the truth. We knock on heaven's door. We don't particularly want to die. We especially don't want to die when there's still what we would consider "work to be done" on the table.

God hears our cries. Sometimes the story will end like it did for David, the greatest grandfather of our Lord. Sometimes it's like this nameless man who dies with his boots on. Both knock on heaven's door and neither is a failure. David claims the Lord as his God and savior, and so must we. As for the rest, knocking on heaven's door by the grace of God takes care of that.

A Better Society through Homogeneity!

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

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We've taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It's one for all, all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why

We are the priests
Of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers
Fill the hollowed halls
We are the priests
Of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life
Are held within our walls

"The Temples of Syrinx" Lyrics by Neil Peart, recorded by Rush from the "2112" album.

In 1976, the Canadian rock band Rush created the signature record of the first part of their career, 2112. It's the story of a dystopian (dystopian is the opposite of Utopian) society that is the product of a galaxy-wide war that resulted in the union of all planets under the rule of the "Red Star of the Solar Federation." By 2112, the world is ruled by the "Priests of the Temples of Syrinx" who control "the words you hear, the songs you sing, the pictures that give pleasure to your eyes," and so on.

So what's the fundemental difference between the Lord our God and the Computers of Syrinx? It's easy, Rush's dystopian society is based on an externally conceived and controlled society built to bring the masses into line for maximum benefit to the people in control. It's forced on the people, and when the one man, the Star Man, tries to do something different he's rebuked and eventually commits suicide.

Our relationship with God is different. We were created through God's overflowing love to share creation with the Lord. God's love is so great that we are asked to consider if the Lord will take care of the birds of the air in grand fashion, imagine what he will do for us. This has always been God's intention, that we share creation with God. Yes, sin gets in the way so we do not live as God intended, but that's not God's fault is it?

The Lord God has been with us since the beginning. Can't say the same for these priests.

The gifts of the Temples of Syrinx are "held within our walls." God's good gifts are for available to us here and now. It's up to us to seek them and accept them with God's love and blessing.

February 1, 2012 (that would be 2-1-12) was "Rush Day." A day when fans of the band celebrated their music. Today I invite us to contemplate a vision of what life can be when we live controlled "for the benefit of the people" instead of the life of freedom, peace, and love God has created us to live. It's the difference between control and love. It's a view where everybody is the same, homogeneous, a view that ends in death--at least for one Starman. Our God creates life in many colors, it is to our shame and harm when we try to make it all black and white.

Let's live the better vision.