What Friends Are For?

Job 2: 11-13

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home--Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

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It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming 'Let me out'

"Under Pressure" by Queen with David Bowie

Friends are a joy. Job has just lost everything. His wife was the opposite of help saying "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God and die." I put the emphasis on "still" because I can imagine her saying it that way. I can't decide whether she wants him to curse God to put him out of his misery or her own. Maybe that's a two-birds-with-one-stone deal.

But his friends hear of his plight and they come to see him, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They have come to grieve with their friend. They came to console and comfort him. They could see him from a distance, or they saw where his house was. They couldn't recognize him. All that their friend was is gone, all that remains is the shell of the man. They knew his suffering was great, so they did as friends would. They tore their robes and covered themselves with dust from the scalp down. They could tell his suffering was so great didn't say a word for a week ...if they had just left it at that.

Suddenly everyone tried to explain what had happened. They tried to explain the tragedy. They tried to put this great calamity into perspective. They failed miserably. They failed so miserably ultimately the Lord, the Voice from the whirlwind would tell them to be quiet. If they had just kept going while they were ahead.

They saw the terror of their friends grief, they could see him screaming "Let me out." They were simply present for a week and that was good. Nobody said try to make him feel better. Nobody said try to explain it away. Nobody told them to say a word, but alas the quiet ended and the remaining forty chapters of the book of Job unfolded, often with anger, rarely with compassion.

There is something to be said for just being present when a friend is in pain. More often than not, just listening to the screams and holding them in the pain and sorrow is what is needed.

The Losses We Mourn

Psalm 30: 8-12

To you, O LORD, I cried,
and to the LORD I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me!
O LORD, be my helper!”

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

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They put a parking lot on a piece of land
Where the supermarket used to stand.
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local Palais.
That's where the big bands used to come and play.
My sister went there on a Saturday.

Come dancing,
All her boyfriends used to come and call.
Why not come dancing, it's only natural?

"Come Dancing" by The Kinks

Nostalgia, mourning's seductive cousin. The song is the story of a young man who plays in a band remembering his version of "the day the music died," the day the local dance hall was dozed.

We all mourn this life, we all mourn differently. I call nostalgia mourning's seductive cousin because we still miss what we have lost, but nostalgia lacks the sense of dread that comes with other mourning. Since the dread, the sadness isn't present, we might hang onto those memories longer than is healthy. Mourning is an important thing, it's an important stage, but when it's more than a stage it can take hold of our lives and fail to let go.

Mourning itself is neither good nor bad. It needs to be experienced until its conclusion. They say we never "get over" some mourning, like the death of a loved one. But rather than "getting over it," this mourning is something we can get past or beyond, not get over. Mourning is a journey, one that we must never quit moving through. When we stop moving through the grief it becomes a stumbling block.

Nostalgia on the other hand is mourning that we enjoy so much we don't try to move beyond. Sometimes it becomes a fond memory, other times it becomes its own stumbling block.

The singer laments "the day they knocked down the Palais, part of my childhood died, just died." We all have that moment. It may be a school getting knocked down, it may be the spooky house in town burning, it may be when the corner soda fountain/drug store closed because the Mega-Pharmacy opened on the edge of town; it doesn't matter. We hall have these moments in our lives.

The girl mourns her youth being lost, the boy mourns his childhood. Psalm 30 puts this lament into cosmic perspective with praise for God's redemption, O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

Psalm 30 doesn't shame mourning, on the contrary, it celebrates mourning as one more thing that the Lord redeems. The Lord takes our sackcloth and clothes us with joy. The Lord turns our mourning into dancing and for this we give thanks and share joy forever.

No, if you are mourning a loss today, you may not feel clothed in joy. Your mourning isn't dancing, not yet. It can take a long, long time. But know, the Lord can take those longings and make them into a salve for your soul. Then there is joy. Then we will share the Lord's faithfulness.

Sing for Joy

Psalm 92:1-4

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

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Don't you feel it growin',
Day by day
People
Gettin' ready for the news
Some are happy,
Some are sad
Wo, we got to let the music play
Wo, oh yeah
What the people need
Is a way to make 'em smile
It ain't so hard to do if you know how
Gotta get a message
Get it on through
Oh now mama's goin' to after awhile

Wo, oh, oh, listen to the music
Wo, oh, oh, listen to the music
Wo, oh, oh, listen to the music
All the time

"Listen to the Music" by Tom Johnston recorded by The Doobie Brothers

Song does things that few others can do. Have you ever tried to speak loudly in a room that echoes? The distortion will get you. On the other hand, singing allows the words to ring clearly and truly. I'm not about to rattle on about harmonics and the like, I'm just not qualified. But I do know this, singing works when nothing else will.

I joyfully believe that the first lullabys were sung by the first of our ancestors. I believe songs of mourning rang in times of pain and distress. Songs of joy, I imagine these were saved for the most special of occasions.

Again I say that song involves the entire self in prayer. These songs of joy should not be saved for only special occasions. The psalmist reminds us "It is good to give thanks to the LORD,to sing praises to your name, O Most High." The Doobie's remind us "Gotta get a message, get it on through"

We are to declare God's faithfulness, and God is faithful. Especially at times when all around us dissolves like a sand castle at high tide, God is faithful. When the people are happy it is easy to forget that we need God, so we need to sing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. When the people are sad, well, then it's easy to sing songs of lament and longing to the Lord.

So rejoice, "For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy." What the people need is a way to make 'em smile. So share and love. Share when it is joyous, share when it is horrendous. Share, because God shared life with us first.

This is our message, this is what we are called to share, and "it ain't so hard to do if you know how." So let us declare the Lord's steadfast love in the morning, and God's faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. And let us listen to the music all the time.

Sometimes You Have to Fly

Matthew 2:13-14

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,

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Fly by night, away from here
Change my life again
Fly by night, goodbye my dear
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend

"Fly by Night" by Rush

Here’s a harrowing story. Imagine if you will, a man whose wife has just given birth. The last week of her pregnancy had been difficult. During that week they all had traveled a long way and when they arrived, medical services she needed were not available. Services were available, but they were denied, for no special reason they were sent packing.

Nearly the moment they got settled in what passes for a place, she gives birth, at least it seemed like an easy delivery. Maybe it was easier than most births, but then again he’s a guy; what do guys really know about the physical and emotional trauma of childbirth? In any event, it was the birth of a child without a doctor or even a midwife. It had to be harrowing for her no matter how easy it seemed.

This was followed by a great commotion. Visitors bringing gifts present them to the child, not the father, not the parents, to the child. There’s enough drama for an entire Broadway season happening in the ramshackle place. Finally the visitors leave and there is what will pass for peace and quiet. He’s finally able to get some shut eye.

His rest is anything but peaceful though. His dreams are racked by violent images. He is warned by his dreams to leave and leave quickly.

So his wife has just given birth, she was the “hostess with the mostest,” and she finally got the baby to sleep; now he is going to wake her up so they can pack up and to take the family across the border to a place that isn’t particularly friendly to immigrants from his neck of the woods because “The Man” is coming to get him. How long will they have to stay? The dream only says to stay until the next dream tells him to return, so God only knows.

This is the story of the birth of Jesus and the flight to Egypt. They certainly had to fly by night. Their ship wasn't coming, their lives were about to change again forever without pretense.

Jesus was sent as a baby to Egypt to live as a political refugee. Yes, I said our Lord was a political refugee. He was sent by The Father to a place where refugees of his faith, skin color, politics, and so on were not particularly welcome. It couldn't have been easy living as a refugee, but it was still living and that wasn't the case for other boys his age in the City of David.

If there is a point Matthew is strong on it is this, the life of Jesus is the blessing of prophecy fulfilled. He is the long awaited Messiah. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He tells us that there is nothing we can face that our Lord hasn’t faced himself. There is no pain or suffering he himself hasn’t faced. In these trials and tribulations he is God and God is with us; even when he was a refugee himself.  In our flights, Christ is with us.  After all, he precedes us in flight.  We're just catching up.

Wanted Dead

1Samuel 18:8-11

Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day on.

The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

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I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted dead or alive
Wanted dead or alive.

"Wanted Dead or Alive" recorded by Bon Jovi on "Slippery When Wet" written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora

The price on your head, it doesn't really matter how much because as long as someone is willing to pay, someone will be willing to collect. In old Westerns some outlaw might be offended, saying the price is too low. If there is someone intent on collecting, what happens next is bloody. No telling whose blood, but it will still be bloody.

Saul and David had just fought and defeated the Philistines, in fact, David had just killed Goliath in the biggest upset since the Rhonda Rousey loss? Or maybe the Holly Holm loss after that? At any rate King Saul is upset because David is getting all the attention. Suddenly the subject is the talk of the town, not the king. Jealous much? Yes.

So the spirit of jealousy and anger enter Saul and he plots against David. Never mind "Dead or Alive," Saul wanted David dead. He threw a spear at David not once but twice. Who lets a spear be thrown at you twice? David, that's who. Why? God knows, but David knows Saul is king and Saul's son Jonathan is like a brother, so maybe you let the first one slide. Especially since it missed.

We talk about evil spirits and we talk about spiritual warfare like they are distant and strange things. They aren't. The agents that work against the Kingdom of God are simple. They are things like envy, anger, jealousy, and hate. They take simple slights and amplify them beyond their meaning. They take one thing and make them a focus of all things.

In the end, it's like taking one beam of sunshine through a magnifying glass on an ant. It gives light, but when the light stays too long the ant burns. Saul took a slight and eventually it became his downfall, and the downfall of his son Jonathan too. Beware the evil spirits, especially the ones that seem so petty because they can be brought down like a sunbeam on an ant.

To paraphrase the words of Ruth, we are all of one God. Even when we disagree, even when we have a grievance, we are still of the one true God.

The Qualified and The Ordained

1Timothy 3:8-10

Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons.

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I'll learn to work the saxophone
I play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whiskey all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
And I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues

"Deacon Blues" by Steely Dan

So what does it take to lead the church? Paul says it's about behavior and attitude. To be serious does not mean to be dire, but it means to be attentive. It does not mean not to be fun-loving, but it does mean that there is a time and place for being intent to the job at hand.

Lying, cheating, and stealing are bad. Paul makes this clear. As for drunkenness, that's out. He isn't saying a glass of wine with dinner is bad though. Wine with meals was ordinary so he wouldn't stand against that. Making a living is one thing, being greedy another. Paul would not despise the rich, just those whose riches come on the backs of others.

Here's the fun one, holding fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience. One of the concepts of the mystery of faith is that our understanding ends up opening up an even more glorious depths of mystery. The more we know the more there is to know. We should seek God, and we should share what we know and what we learn; and it should always be done with the firm and certain knowledge that God is more than we could ever imagine.

In the end though, the Dan shows us that there are none among us without sin. There are folks who take drunkenness behind the wheel to dire consequences. Paul says "if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons." The Dan says there are those who pass the test and those who fail. I say that because of the mystery of faith, there are those who fail the test and will be ordained, they become deacons.

By grace and through the Holy Spirit the work is still redeemed. God bless Deacon Blues.

Shining in the Blindness

2Corinthians 4:4-6

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

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Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to look
Tell me will love be there
Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there

Whoa, lover let your light shine down.

"Shine" by Collective Soul

Here's a good question when it comes to why people don't see God in this world. It's that the world dulls our vision and makes us blind to the works of God. We see evil in the world. We see corruption and greed, but we don't see the people who fight crime and evil. We see what happens after natural disasters, and we thankfully see people coming to help quickly. What we see less of is the people who stay for long term recovery efforts because the world moves onto the next disaster.

We become slaves to the world around us. We become slaves to our wants and slaves to our feelings. We are fed by TV and the Joneses who show us that we need to pay attention to things that will build our place in the world, but not in God's kingdom.

It is when we become slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ instead of the world that we serve creation instead of mass consumption. It is when we leave the darkness of the world that we can see and share the light of God. The love that is in the water and in the air. The love that teaches us how to be present, how to speak, how to share and where to go. This is where love is. This is where love stays. This is the center from where love flows. That center is Jesus Christ. His light shines. Let his light shine down through us too.