A Rock and Roll Devotional

Stormy Weather

2012-02-19T01:30:00.000-06:00

Matthew 18:23-27

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

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Ridin' the storm out, just waitin' for the fall out.

Ridin' the Storm Out, REO Speedwagon

Hemingway described guts as grace under pressure. Let's just say that in this moment, this moment of ultimate pressure, Jesus shows grace where everyone else is running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Let's not blame them. Several of the disciples were fishermen and the rest were land lubbers like the passengers on the S.S. Minnow, and the three hour tour was about to come to an end. So where is the Lord, where is the master? He's taking a nap in the rear hold during a severe thunderstorm and a small craft warning. He's asleep.

Just waiting for the fall out, Jesus is taking a nap. Time to get him up!

Give him some credit for grace under fire, I know people who can't go to sleep unless everything is just so, and Jesus is asleep in the back of a boat on a heap of ropes, nets, and ballast. Takes guts, or rather, it takes confidence. More than that, it takes faith.

So what do the disciples say to Jesus, "Lord, Save us! We're perishing!" God love the writers of the gospels, I would have been yelling bloody murder at any one with ears to hear. The words Jesus would have heard from me would have made the sailors on the crew blush. What do we get, "We're perishing!"

So Jesus rebukes the sea. He scolds the sea into behaving! What does he say, "stop it?" Whether what he said was wonderfully understated or ominously bold, it must have been impressive.

Then the men who were so recently riding the storm out ask “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” What kind of man can control the elements. Well, the answer for us is easy, the man who can do this is God who walks the earth and rides the boat. What it says to us is that Jesus is God who cares when the world is crashing around our ears. If he can control the elements, imagine what God does to take care of our concerns.

Who Gets Hurt

2012-02-18T01:30:00.000-06:00

Yeah, it's country, but it's right.

Exodus 20:18

Neither shall you commit adultery.

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You keep telling me, baby
There will come a time
When you will leave her arms
And forever be in mine
But I don't think that's the truth
And I don't like being used and I'm tired of waiting
It's too much pain to have to bear
To love a man you have to share

"Stay" by Sugarland

If you come to this blog just to read the words, thank you, but this time please watch at least a bit of the video. Look at the pain in the eyes of vocalist Jennifer Nettles. I mean look at it. This song is the story of a woman who is having an affair with a married man and her pain. Look at it.

Scripture says "you shall not commit adultery" but why? (Pretty obvious, but go with me here...) Yes, it messes with the family unit, no doubt about it, and that's a bad thing. Families are stronger when a wedge isn't driven into the log splitting it into pieces. But that's not what this song is about.

This song is about the "other woman." It's about the pain she experiences. She wants more, or by the end of the song wanted more. She knows he won't leave his wife and it's tearing her up. She's in pain. At the moment, in this perspective, we aren't imagining the couple's situation, we're in her shoes. Because of this song's hard lyrics and Jennifer Nettles' emotionally raw performance we can imagine it.

It's easy to imagine the pain and horror of a family coming apart, that's the plot of nearly every "cheating spouse" story ever told. Rightly this is the horror of cheating on your partner, but it is only one of the horrors of adultery. But there's another player in this story too. It's the horror of a woman who is hurt being the third point in the triangle.

Here's the thing about sin, it causes everyone who is touched by it to hurt. Even when it's a situation that begins so right when it turns wrong is goes so very wrong. Know this from the look on Jennifer Nettles' face and the tears in her eyes, because of sin everyone hurts, even those we don't tend to think of being hurt.

Saved by Grace

2012-02-17T01:30:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

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If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I'm buried 'neath the sod
But the angels won't receive me

Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry

"If I Should Fall From Grace with God" by The Pogues

The fear of all God fearing people, falling from God's grace. It's the ever present worry that we won't be able to live up to God's standard, and when we don't we fear that we will fall from grace, lose salvation. We fear we will be buried 'neath the sod but the angels won't receive us.

Fear not! The cry of all scripture from God to the people, fear not! God love us, God loves us. God is so rich in mercy that while we were still living a life ripe with trespasses, life filled with sin, God is so rich in mercy that we were made alive through Christ, saved by grace through faith.

The wonderful thing about grace is that we cannot earn it by our works. Grace is a gift freely given. If we had to work for it then it would no longer be grace, it would no longer be a gift. It was given before we even had the opportunity to try to earn it. Let me say again, the free gift of God's good grace was offered before we had the opportunity to try to earn it.

Our good works aren't like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." If we open enough chocolate we won't find the Wonka Golden Ticket to get us beyond the factory gates. This is salvation by works, we are saved by grace through faith.

Yet we were created to do good works. God has made us in Christ Jesus for good works to become our way of life. So if our good works aren't for our salvation what's the use? Our good works reflect the light of Christ in the world. Our good works show God's light in the world.Our good works aren't for our glory, but project God's love onto a needy world.

Saved by grace through faith shows God's merciful kindness to creation. Merciful kindness, in the words of a famous theologian, God loves us not despite who we are, but because of who we are. Live into God's grace not because it will get us anything, but because we are thankful for everything.

Salvation and the Preacher Man

2012-02-16T01:30:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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Can't no preacher man save my soul

"Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars

Here's a fact for people who don't understand Christianity and preachers who are too full of themselves: Can't no preacher man save any soul. I mean any soul. That's all there is to it, it's as easy as that.

The preacher man does no saving. Jesus is the source of salvation. It is by God's grace alone, shown on the cross, that we are saved. Salvation means nothing without faith. Without faith, salvation still means everything to God, but nothing to those without faith.

People expect some sort of magic or some such nonsense, preacher man gonna save (or try) to save a soul. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sometimes it's the preacher man who thinks something the preacher does is gonna save (or try) to save a soul. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Foolishness or ignorance or arrogance are the only things that give this lyric any sort of traction. There is nothing, nothing, that can separate us from God. But that's not because of our doing, it's because God won't allow it.

So go ahead, enjoy the old expression "God doesn't want me and the devil's scared of me" but know that's a lie and the only person who is fooled by it is the person who says it. No preacher man can talk you into your own salvation, but that's fine. God is still there and God with Christ raises us up and seats us in the heavenly realm, the eternal home of the triune God. This is God's immeasurable loving kindness, it has nothing to do with us.

Creepy Love Isn't Love at All

2012-02-15T04:45:00.000-06:00

Psalm 36:5-9 (NRSV)

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

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Into this night I wander
It's morning that I dread
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread
Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride
Cause nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes...

"Possession" by Sarah McLachlan, from Fumbling Towards Ecstacy

There's something about creepy love songs. First, they aren't love songs at all. They are stalker anthems. They are about obsession and possession and abuse. This is not a light use of the word abuse. Second, they are seductive. The Police had a tremendous hit with "Every Breath You Take" which is in the same vein as this song. It's such a big hit that people still say "it's our song" without realizing how creepy it is.

Sarah's "Possession" is a great song. The lyric, the vibe, the tune, especially the performance makes this a great song. But like the ocean, wonderful, glorious, and dangerous as a storm or rip tide; there is an undercurrent to this song that is just plain creepy.

Nobody knows that better than Sarah who in another performance said this song was her attempt to get into the head of the 1% of fan letters that comes off this way. Yes, she says almost all fanmail is wonderful and encouraging, but there is a tiny sliver that is not right.

In fact, a fan stalked Sarah, writing these words in letters to her. While awaiting trial, the man sued her for using his words in her song. Creepy and creepier.

Our God is all knowing, all creating, all powerful. In the hands of someone with evil intent, these are not good qualities. It is with thanks to the Lord that we come to know God as a wonderful and caring Lord; the Lord of our refuge and strength; the Lord of plenty by whom our hunger is satisfied and our thirst quenched. In the Lord, we live in the light of God's love.

It is said that when a door is opened, the light spills into the closet, the darkness does not spill into the room. We live in your light, we live in the warm glow of your love.

Love that is not obsessive. Love that is self-giving, even unto the point of the Son's death on the cross.

Anni La Dodi

2012-02-14T01:58:00.000-06:00

Song of Songs 6:3

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine

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"Don't you know I was made to love her,
Built a world all around her"
Yah! Hey, hey, hey.

"I Was Made to Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, 1973

The Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, is just that-a love song. Song of Songs is a term like King of Kings, it's a superlative. This is the greatest song, the greatest hymn in all scripture. Thus, it is the Song of Songs.

Scholars have debated since it was written about exactly who the beloved is. Is the beloved one of the wives or concubines of Solomon? Is the beloved the Lord-the song a love offering from Solomon.

Is the song a hymn for the people to sing to the Lord? Is it a hymn from the Lord to the people? Which is right? Which is wrong?

Somewhere there is a truth, there is an answer to this question. But the good news is that from where we sit, where we live, the answer is not that important. What if it is a song from a man to a woman? Or to the Lord? Or from the Lord? What if it is all of these things and more? What if it is a song of love from the creator to the creation?

If like on the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" show we went for the audience lifeline right now, there could quite possibly be a close race between each of these choices. So I say don't worry about it. Treat the song like a love song from the Savior. And a love song to the Savior. Treat it like a song to the love of your life.

Just know that this is the song of love, the greatest song of all times. And there is enough love to go around for all of these answers.

Freewill

2012-02-13T01:30:00.000-06:00

Mark 1:21-27, 40-45

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

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I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill

"Freewill" by Rush

Here's something that doesn't always come to mind when reading the first chapter of Mark's gospel. Near the end of this chapter, Jesus enters the local synagogue and begins teaching. As he's teaching a man with an unclean spirit came, cried out and told the world who Jesus is, the Holy One of God. Jesus told the spirit to be silent and come out. Jesus commanded the unclean spirit, telling it to shut up and get out. This is important, the spirit knew who Jesus was and the spirit obeyed Jesus like it didn't have a choice.

Later in the same verse, the man with leprosy was healed. Jesus told him to not share what happened with anyone and to go to the temple to complete the cleansing ritual and as a testimony to the temple priests. The man didn't do this. He did the exact opposite, he told everyone but the temple priests.

So what's at stake here between the unclean and the cleansed? The unclean spirits are controlled. They are subjugated. They are discarded. In the cleansed man the disease is lifted and his response is a choice. Sure, he makes the wrong choice, the exact opposite of what Jesus tells him to do, but he makes a choice.

Jesus gives freewill to those he loves. To the unclean, to the evil, to that which cannot be redeemed, there is no choice. To those he has come to redeem, to restore, to cleanse; to us he has given a choice. We can do as he asks or not.

So if it's a difference between being forced into submission and being led into a love relationship, I'll take the choice. I'll take what Jesus offers, I'll take freewill.

The Butterfly Effect

2012-02-12T01:30:00.000-06:00

2Kings 5:1-3

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

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Butterflies are free to fly

"Someone Saved My Life Tonight"

This story from 2Kings (which ends at verse 14) has some heavy hitters. There's the kings of Aram and Israel. There's the General Naaman. The prophet Elisha makes an appearance at the end too. But the whole thing gets started with a little girl who tells her mistress if her master the General will see the prophet in Samaria he can be healed.

In Chaos Theory, there is a concept called “the Butterfly Effect.” The general idea behind the effect is a minor change in circumstances can cause a large change in outcome. The events have nothing to do with each other, but the effect is based on the supposition that a brief flutter on the other side of the world can cause dramatic consequences thousands of miles away.

What we have here is a young girl, someone with no power at all who tells her mistress, shoot, her owner, about matters of public health. She has no standing in the household and her very speaking can be her death; so it must take huevos as big as all outdoors to insinuate herself on her master's health. But she does and by this, the King of Aram knows there is a prophet in Israel.

Small actions can have great effects. This is the butterfly effect, and in the kingdom of God butterflies are free to fly.

Love Is

2012-02-11T01:30:00.000-06:00

Genesis 3:6-9 (NRSV)

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

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?"

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Ours is not to reason why
As we fall from way up high
Into the water (Into the water)
Like a lamb to the slaughter.

"God's Mistake" by Roland Olazabal, Tears for Fears, from Raoul and the Kings of Spain, 1995

The chorus of this song tells us that love is "God's Mistake." Is there a more harsh reading of God's love than this? God makes a mistake and that mistake is love? Not any speciific love either, all love, the best love. That's just plain harsh. But there is, even if flawed a logic to this.

Imagine God creating us and placing us in the garden without love. Without love, God would have felt free to, would have been forced to control humanity from the first moment of creation. Without love, God could play with humanity the way a child plays with dolls. Without love we would have simply been playthings for God and we would not known any different. But instead, we were created in love, in the image of God.
We were created to tend to creation and enjoy God. But here's the twist, the only way we could have been guaranteed to be obedient is to be created either without either love or free will. Without the love of God and the freedom to love God that freely given, we would not have been able to sin.

Without God's love, we would just be playthings, puppets, we would be without value. But we would not be able to sin.

Because of God's love, we were able to fall from way on high. Because God created us to love freely in return, we are able to misuse this freely given gift. I suppose God knew this possibility from before the beginning, still God chose to love freely give us the opportunity to return that love just as freely.

Here's the twist, and it may feel like the twist of a dagger. Because we can choose to love, we can choose to sin. We were not given one without the other. To love without giving love's object the option to refuse love is abusive. It's stalking. It's far worse than that.

But if Love is God's Mistake, it is only because it is also God's greatest gift. Love is a risk worth taking.

A Very Freaky Gospel

2012-02-10T01:32:00.000-06:00

Judges 16:6-9a (NRSV)

Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes your strength so great, and how you could be bound, so that one could subdue you.” Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that are not dried out, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone else.” Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not dried out, and she bound him with them. While men were lying in wait in an inner chamber, she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a strand of fiber snaps when it touches the fire.

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She's a very kinky girl,
The kind you don't bring home to mother.

"Super Freak" by Rick James

In the story of Samson and Delilah, this dialogue where Delilah asks and Samson lies is repeated three times before he tells her the truth of how to subdue his strength. In the first lie, Samson is bound with fresh bowstring. In the second, he is bound with new ropes that have never been used. In the third, his hair is pinned into a loom.

In each of these stories, Delilah cries, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” This is Samson's cue to escape the trap and kill the Philistines. The third of these stories ends as Samson awakens to Delilah's screams. Only after these three false starts does Samson tell the truth and Samson is subdued.

One of the things Pastors often hear is that holy writ is so old, and so ancient that it has precious little to do with life today. Often this is code for "scripture is not very interesting or relevant." Look at this story again. When we read it, often we assume that when Samson is bound he is asleep and it's Delilah who awakens him to the threat of the Philistines. But that's not true.

Look again, no where in Judges 16:6-9a does it say Samson slept? It doesn't say Delilah wakes him. Those things don't happen until verse 14.

Often, people say that scripture is stale, stodgy, sterile. There's nothing like today's life and time in it. Well let me just say this about Delilah, "She's a very freaky girl." Samson seemed to like her freak too. If he was awake while Delilah bound him with bow string and then with new ropes, and scripture doesn't mention sleep until the hair-pinned incident, this story gets a much kinkier twist.

It then also goes deeper to remind us of this tried and true lesson--We are not punished for our sins, but by our sins.

There is a lot of scripture we never see because we think we've seen it all before. Beware, and be alert. There are a lot of things we gloss over because we think we already know.

Run for the Prize

2012-02-09T01:30:00.000-06:00

1Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.

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You'd better run.

"Run Like Hell" lyrics by Roger Waters recorded by Pink Floyd.

Alright, so just what is the prize? It would surely seem easy enough to guess, it could mean eternal life, the resurrected life of Jesus. But we're talking about the writing of Paul here, and fewer were more aloof than Paul in his writing.

My Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (volume 1, page 638 for those of you who want to look this up says that this is "the prize of conflict which a man can win only if he throws in his whole self and all his resources, namely, the resurrection to eternal life (this mention from Philippians 3:11). So yes, the answer is the resurrection to eternal life. To take another Pink Floyd title, have a cigar.

What is infinitely more interesting is the way the word used in scripture that we define as "prize" makes added reference to the way the runner in this passage has to train and has to race. The rest of this passage from 1Corinthians makes sure the point is made, to win you must train--you gotta work hard to win. But here, just in the description of the prize itself, to gain the prize you must, I say must, commit your whole self and all of your resources to the goal.

The faith, and the prize of the faith, is not something we can do for an hour a week and leave the remaining 167 hours for anything else. Life in the faith is more than just a way to kill an hour on Sunday before going to dinner with the family, or that thing you miss so you can see the game.

Faith is a 24/7 proposition. We have to live our life not just fully in the name of the Lord we have to commit to work harder to develop more to gain fruitfully to win the prize. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, Paul says this too, but we are called to do more than just wait on the bus of salvation. We need to take a walk.

I guess the only true way we can avoid the devil is to run like hell.

Four Friends

2012-02-08T01:30:00.000-06:00

Daniel 1:3-7

Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

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They are one person
They are two alone
They are three together
They are for each other

"Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash from "CSN" (1969)

Four men, four friends. They were among the men who were sent to Babylon during the exile. They knew their nation was subdued. They didn't know if they would ever see home again. By the end of this passage they didn't even have their own names anymore. All they knew is they had their Lord and they had one another.

They were brought into the compound of King Nebuchadnezzar to share their knowledge and insight. First though, they were trained, we might call it indoctrinated, into the ways of the Chaldeans. They were taught their language and literature. This taught them how to think like their captors. This took three years, three years of being some of the best kept captives in Babylon.

Never forget, being the best kept captive still means you're a captive.

In their exile, in their captivity, they could have tried to live "every man for himself." but they didn't they were four together. Together they kept the faith even in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that couldn't have been easy. The Book of Daniel will eventually show this was not easy. Yet, through their faith in the Lord and their friendship, they persevered together. This is the hallmark of community, this is the mark of a Godly enclave.

Sandbar Theology

2012-02-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the smartest man I know, Michael Jinkins, for inspiring this one.

Matthew 7:24-27

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!”

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I enjoy this life as a jester
Seems to keep me movin' around
Like the wind that blows
Tide that flows
Have my ups and downs

All a part of some strange plan I'm sure
Start a new chapter each day
Honey, love gets lost, time gets tossed
'Cause we've both got our own different ways

I feel like I'm stranded on a sandbar
Stuck in my tracks like a street car
Playin' it for all that it's worth
I'm just payin' for my sins on earth

"Stranded on a Sandbar" by Jimmy Buffett from the album "Volcano" (1979)

As Michael Jinkins writes, "The gospels don’t have much nice to say about sand." This is the most particular reference, when the storms come there is little sand does that supports a structure. When the tide flows and the wind blows Jimmy Buffett sings of personal ups and downs. As for the walls of your house, well, there are just downs.

I went to Miami Beach for a conference about 20 years ago. As you can well imagine from the name of the town, everything was on the beach, and I mean everything. There were fences on the beach. There were swimming pools on the beach. There were restaurants on the beach. There were 30 story hotels and apartments on the beach. That's when Matthew's warning crossed my mind. How do huge hotels survive in a foundation of sand. So I asked a cabby.

He told me that before the hotels were built, tremendous concrete piers were poured as a foundation. I don't know how many cubic yards of concrete has to be poured to turn a "beach" into a "rock covered with beach," but I'm sure it is both many and as of today enough.

But that's enough about engineering.

The second stanza of the first verse of Stranded on a Sandbar is the lament of a man whose life not really in a good place. His relationship is failing because they both have their own different ways. Evidently she's moving on, but he isn't because he's stranded on the sandbar. He's stuck in his tracks and unable to move. But for some reason, he believes that standing still is a form of atonement and he's playin' it for all it's worth.

Being in a place where being swept away with the rush of life is no form of atonement. It's really not much of a way of life either. Being swept in the tide is little more than a good way to be cast out to sea without the benefit of Jonah's great fish.

We instead are called to seek the rock of ages, the rock of our faith. That is where we build our great foundation. Without a solid foundation, everything we have and everything we do will be for naught as it blows away in the wind with the sand. As Michael Jinkins writes, in the sand what is here today is gone tomorrow. It's better to place our trust in what is here always. The foundation of the Lord our God.

Without Ceasing

2012-02-06T01:35:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NRSV)

Pray without ceasing.

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We've got to pray
Just to make it today.

"Pray" by "MC Hammer" from "Hammer, Please Don't 'Hurt Em" (1990)

For better and for worse, much rap music deals with personal success, and bragging about it. This is different. Yes, Hammer boasts about making money and rhymes, but there is more to this 1990 hit. It also deals with the roots of the vine, not just the fruit.

Hammer says "I won't forget my people or my town or my ways, and on my knees every night I'm still gonna pray." Yeah, leaving poverty is great, but leaving poverty and leaving everyone else behind is worse. (While his heart may have been in the right place, the sustainability of how he took care of his friends' poverty is another matter.)

Pray without ceasing, this is Paul's command. This is how Paul wraps up his instructions in this, the oldest known piece of Christian literature. Yes, 1Thessalonians predates every other word in the New Testament, so when communities were considering what it meant to be Christian, this is the first word they received from any apostle of the Lord Jesus.

And Paul tells the world to pray without ceasing.

Let every motion of your life be a living prayer. Dedicate every motion, every iota of being to the Lord. We can't live every moment on our knees, but when we are on our feet, we are to be remembering the one who gave us our feet. This is how to pray without ceasing. This is how we live our lives in remembrance of the one who gave everything for us. But not only are we called to ask, we are called to listen and respond.

Prayer works both ways, and as the old saying goes, we have one mouth and two ears and two eyes. We need to listen and watch more than we speak. Pay attention, then with two hands we can respond the the call of the Lord.

Fly

2012-02-05T21:42:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 40:27-31 (NRSV)

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free
Oh, Lord, through the revolution

"Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller, 1976

Flight, it has captivated humanity since the first birds took to the air. The majesty of flight has made us imagine taking to the skies since the times when we jumped off of the picnic table wearing a blanket for a cape. If you didn't jump from the picnic table, surely you jumped on the stairs, off the bed, or off of some sort of playground equipment. It's only human to want to take flight. It's only physiology and gravity that prevents it.

We imagine the V of geese flying across the skies. Hearing the honks, seeing the formation. They fly that way so that the goose at the head does the lion's share of the work. The rest draft behind the one in front like a line of cars at Daytona, but without a pit crew.

The geese fly as a team, one counting on the next to keep the formation to make the way easier for the rest of the gaggle. Then, the lead goose will drop back into the formation, and a new leader will take the point. This way, a stronger goose is always in the front. This way, they lift one another.

Isaiah assures the nation of Israel that they will be lifted , they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. They will be supported by the head of the church, the Lord God. The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. God will not grow weary, They will be strengthened by the power of God.

Such a promise does not come without great responsibility. We are lifted to freedom. But even freedom in God comes with a price. Think of it as "No One Left Behind."

Feed the babies who don't have enough to eat. Shoe the children with no shoes on their feet. House the people livin' in the street. This is the mission, this is our vocation, to take the Word of God into the world not just by our voice, but with our hands. Oh, oh, this is the solution.

Forty Days

2012-02-04T01:11:00.000-06:00

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

2012-02-03T01:30:00.000-06:00

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.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

Who Can It Be Now?

2012-02-02T01:30:00.000-06:00

Luke 11:9-10 (NRSV)

So I say to you, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

Revelation 3:20 (NRSV)

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's not the future that I can see,
It's just my fantasy

Oh...Who can it be now?

Men at Work, "Who Can It Be Now?" from "Business as Usual" 1981

This piece from Luke contains the promise that when we knock the door will be opened. Revelation reveals to us that Jesus is the one at the door knocking, and when we answer He will come and eat with us.

Who can it be knocking at my door? Scripture tells us that we are supposed to knock. We are supposed to pray for the coming of the Lord in our lives. We are promised that those who ask will receive and those who seek will find. What's funny about this is that we are not promised that we will be given what we ask nor will we find what we sought.

Scripture promises that when we ask and seek we will receive and find things which benefit us. Since no parent will give a child gifts that are bad for them, "how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" With apologies to Janis Joplin, we are not promised we will get a Mercedes Benz.It is rather as The Rolling Stones promised, you can't always get what you want but you just might find you get what you need.

This is the future, this is the fantasy which is available to us all. Jesus knocks upon the doors of our lives. To receive all of the joy of a Christian life, we need to answer the door. When we do and when Jesus enters; he will come and eat with us and us with him. We are told we will partake of a banquet with the Messiah.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

A Better Society through Homogeneity!

2012-02-01T01:30:00.000-06:00

Happy Rush Day-- 2-1-12

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?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

2112 is 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.

You Silly Little Dreamer

2012-01-31T00:20:00.000-06:00

Genesis 37:5-8 (NRSV)

Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I could see something
You can see anything you want boy
If I could be someone-
You can be anyone, celebrate boy.
If I could do something-
Well you can do something,
If I could do anything-
Well can you do something out of this world?

Dreamer by Roger Hodgson from Crime of the Century by Supertramp (1974)

Joseph had dreams, oh my did he have dreams. He dreamed of his place in God's creation. He dreamed that his brothers sheaves of grain would bow to his in the field. Then he dreamed that the sun, the moon, and the stars were bowing to him. His father thought enough to remember these dreams. His brothers thought it was time the dreamer be taught what a nightmare would be like.

The story continues, Joseph is held by his brothers, sold as a slave, thought dead by his father. Joseph became a slave to the Captain of the Egyptian Guard, and jailed when framed for a crime he did not commit.

Joseph waits in jail for years, and interprets two more dreams. Years again later, he comes to the attention of Pharaoh as an interpreter of dreams, but Joseph knows that it is God who gives interpretation to dreams.

Joseph becomes what we would call the Prime Minister of Egypt where years again later, Joseph's brothers come, bowing before him, because they need what only he can provide.

In a way, to paraphrase Roger Hodgson, Joseph saw something, Joseph became something, Joseph did something out of this world. Faithful in the light of all that pressed before him, he went from favored son of Jacob to slave to the favored son of all Israel. Through this, Joseph knew what others meant for harm, God could use to redeem his nation.

His life was in danger, and he stood his ground, but only the ground the Lord put before him. He did a difficult job, but only the job the Lord called him to do. He saved many peoples, the peoples of Egypt, Israel, and presumebly a good many Egyptian trading partners.

Dreams can be the things of God which are glimpses of things to come. Roger Hodgson sings "You can see anything you want boy." The road can be tough, but when it is God's road, it is the only road to take. When it is God's road, it is the way to discipleship. The road to discipleship which prepares us not just for the trials of this world, but for something glorious. Again, Roger Hodgson sings, "If I could do anything-Well can you do something out of this world?" He's right, why would we want anything less?

It All Begins with a Celebration!

2012-01-30T01:30:00.000-06:00

Exodus 5:1

Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah, another day of living, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of livin', yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of life

"I Just Want to Celebrate" by Rare Earth

So that's how it all begins. Yes, Israel is oppressed in Egypt. Yes, Egypt is in fear of Israel and their sheer numbers. Yes, there is one to set free the nation, Moses. Yes, there is one who stands in his way, Pharaoh.

Moses shows up and says "Let my people go, we just want to celebrate another day of life." Well, I'm not going to go into the entire Exodus to make a tremendous theological point, I want to make a smaller wonderful point instead.

The Lord wants us to celebrate! The Lord wants us to celebrate our worship! How often is worship truly a celebration? There's a continuum here. Worship can be drier than leather left to cure in the desert for a full summer, and worship can be so over the top that it's entertainment instead of celebration. These extremes are just that. One binds people (while trying to bind the Holy Spirit) and the other tries to be so "relevant" that it means nothing.

Maybe Moses and Rare Earth have something together. Moses calls for a celebration to worship the Lord. Rare Earth celebrates another day of living. Let us celebrate living in the light of the Lord and let's do it one day at a time. Each day, every day.

Beware the extremes, because the Lord is the most extreme God we can ever celebrate. Our additions are just gilding the lily.

Faithful Friends

2012-01-29T01:30:00.000-06:00

Luke 5:18-20

Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...

"I'll Be There for You" written by Phil Solem and Danny Wilde, recorded by The Rembrandts. This song served as the theme to the NBC television series "Friends."

Jesus was in town healing the people. The scene could be described as a melodrama-there's the good guy-Jesus, the bad guys-the Scribes and Pharisees who will describe Jesus as blasphemous, and even the femme fatale-the sick and injured who needed healing. Melodrama also has one more important character, the crowd. The audience provides dramatic punctuation to the proceedings--and this crowd fulfilled that qualification.

So a group of men bring their friend to be healed. They rip a hole in the roof to lower their paralyzed friend into Jesus' lap. Jesus was so impressed with the friend's faith that he had to do something. When the rain starts to pour, when the roof begins to crash in, when stricken with paralysis-good friends are hard to find, but they were there for him.

So he forgave the man's sins. He didn't heal him, he forgave him his sins. Suddenly the crowd is in shock. They've seen healings before, but never did it turn into absolution of sin! Is that even possible?

Jesus calls the man "friend." What a friend we have in Jesus. A friend who will be there when the world crashes all around us. When the rain starts to pour, when the roof begins to crash in, when stricken with paralysis-a friend who is able to forgive our sins. Thanks be to God Jesus is there for us.

Jesus is there for us, let us be there for Jesus too.

Bad Company

2012-01-28T01:30:00.000-06:00

Luke 6:13-16

And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bad company
And I can't deny
Bad company
Till the day I die
Oh, till the day I die
Till the day I die

"Bad Company" written by Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. This version recorded by Five Finger Death Punch.

The song begins with a mellow riff and the lyrics "Company, always on the run, Destiny is the rising sun." Yeah, I can imagine this lyric applying to the first Apostles of Christ.

And what a group they are too! There's a zealot, who believed in the radical overthrow of Rome alongside Matthew,the former tax collector thus nominally a Roman collaborator. That couldn't have been comfortable. There were a bunch of fishermen. Until the advent of "The Deadliest Catch" on The Discovery Channel have you ever heard a positive thing said about commercial fishermen? Thomas would eventually be known as "Doubting Thomas" and there's nothing for me to add about Judas Iscariot that scripture doesn't already say.

Frankly, they were bad company! They were a semi-disreputable group behind a Rabbi who stood against what the good people thought the synagogue and temple should stand for.

Here's the tricky part, they were right. As diverse as they were, they followed the right leader. As much as they came from different parts of the nation, temple, and synagogue they came together in the name of Christ to serve the Lord and serve the Lord together.

They didn't always agree with each other, but with Christ at the center, nothing could come between them and the Lord, even betrayal.

We could all learn a lot from this.

The Midnight Special

2012-01-27T01:30:00.000-06:00

Acts 16:25-34

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, you wake up in the mornin, you hear the work bell ring,
And they march you to the table to see the same old thing.
Aint no food upon the table, and no pork up in the pan.
But you better not complain, boy, you get in trouble with the man.

Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine a everlovin' light on me.

"The Midnight Special" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival

There are two ways to consider the experience of the prisoner seeing the light of the special. The first is that it is quite possible that that sight could drive a man mad. Every night, after lights out, just when the noises of the night might settle a bit, in comes the light of freedom, shining on your wall, shining in your eyes, and there is nothing a man can do but watch it go by, knowing that it's going to happen again and again and again. Doing time can't be easy, but this reminder freedom may be too much to bear.

But then again, there is always the light of hope. This seems to be the way of the man in the song, waiting for "the Midnight Special shine a everlovin' light on me."

Paul was in this situation. He and Silas were in prison, it was about midnight, and they were singing Psalms. With all of the noises I can imagine around a prison, I can't imagine singing the Psalms at Midnight, but there it is.

Suddenly, an earthquake causes the doors to fly open and the chains to be loosed on all of the prisoners. The jailer, the man trusted with the care of the prisoners knew that if everyone escaped, his life was forfeit. He even drew his sword before even looking because who expects loosed prisoners to stay in their cells? Not that guy for sure.

This is where the witness of verse twenty-eight cries out in the night, "But Paul shouted in a loud voice, 'Do not harm yourself, for weare all here.'"

Paul stayed and Silas stayed because the witness they had to share with the world was more important than running out. Paul and Silas stayed because what they needed to do they could not do as fugitives. They had more important work to do and trusted God that it would not mean leaving them in this jail.

By this witness, the kingdom of heaven became richer. Because these men did not lose hope, the kingdom of heaven became richer. Don't lose hope. The kingdom of heaven is here.

Thirty Days Hath September

2012-01-26T01:30:00.000-06:00

Acts 16:19-24

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hear the train a comin'
It's rollin' 'round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine
Since, I don't know when.
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
And time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a-rollin'
On down to San Antone.

"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

So the little girl's owners were now busted. Paul and Silas might as well had burned down their factory. Isn't it the truth, when you're different from the people of the land and you rake a little muck you're gonna end up in jail. It's a story as old as scripture.

They invoked the name of Rome against these Jewish men saying they were bringing unlawful customs and disturbing the city. The crowd attacked them, the magistrates attacked them. They were stripped and beaten. They were imprisoned and "kept securely." This means they were tossed deep in the prison and bound in stocks. Stuck in their own version of Folsom, they were in no place to see the sunshine.

In our day and age, Christians are the virtual majority, nominally if not actually. We are the crowd and the magistrates. It's when we see nuts and wackos that we begin to worry.

As disciples, we need to discern the message of prophets to see how they line up with what Christ wants in our world. I believe when we do this, we will be much more suspect of the people who represent the society and accepting of the people who look like they don't belong.

Just like in Acts 16. Real disciples may not see the sunshine, but they may have a far better grip on the Son-shine than most others.

Witching Season

2012-01-25T01:30:00.000-06:00

Acts 16:16-18

One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I look over my shoulder,
What do you think I see?
Some other cat looking over
His shoulder at me
And he's strange, sure he's strange.

You've got to pick up every stitch,
You've got to pick up every stitch,
Beatniks are out to make it rich,
Oh no, must be the season of the witch,
Must be the season of the witch, yeah,
Must be the season of the witch.

"Season of the Witch" by Donovan

Most of the time, the day passes in a relatively uneventful fashion. More often than not, the day goes as expected. Sure, there will be the periodic blip on the radar, but nothing that is too far out of everyday experience. And then some days, everything is a little off center.

Paul and Silas were heading to the place of prayer when a girl just went nuts! She had a "gift" of divination" and told everyone with ears to hear that “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” And she just kept it up! She was a dog with a bone and was not giving it up!

She was like the head of a circus parade telling everyone what was behind her, and Paul and Silas were not amused. So Paul exercised the spirit within her, ending her season as a seer.

Here's something odd, the girl is telling the truth. She's doing the right thing, but she's doing it for the wrong reason. She's telling the world the truth about Paul and Silas, but that spirit knows it will be nothing but a pain for Jesus, his apostles, and his disciples when shared poorly. So by the Spirit of Christ, the bad spirit was called out the girl.

This is our call, not just to do the right things, but to do them the right way. When we do them in a way to bring scandal to the gospel, God can keep us from doing it at all.

Rollin' the Bones, Castin' the Lots

2012-01-24T01:13:00.000-06:00

Acts 1:24-26

Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

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Always in a hurry, I never stop to worry
Don't see the time flashin' by
Honey, got no money
I'm all sixes and sevens and nines
Say now, baby, I'm the rank outsider
You can be my partner in crime

But baby, get it straight
You got to roll me and call me the tumblin'
Roll me and call me the tumblin' dice

"Tumblin' Dice" by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards recorded by The Rolling Stones

In my faith tradition, the selection of church leaders can be a long and convoluted process. The selection of either Deacons (a ministry of compassion) Elders (a ministry of leadership) begins with a nominating committee. They prayerfully consider those in the congregation who the Lord wants to serve the church. That's right, it's not who they think should lead, they are to discern who God has already called. If they accept the Committee's nomination then the congregation elects them... or not.

Don't get me started on what it takes to ordain and install a Minister in my denomination. There are books written on that subject.

In Acts, the eleven know it's time to be twelve again. They have a set of qualifications. The new 12th will be "one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." (Acts 1:21-22) They know who it should be, they just don't know how to pick between the two they finally identified, so they cast lots.

They take a "rank outsider" and make them a full "partner in crime." They do this by rollin' the bones, tumblin' the dice, castin' the lots. They trust not in chance, but that by this humanly random act the divine will intervene and show them the way. They trust the sovereignty of God to take dominion over the lot.

I'm not saying you should flip a coin in the name of the Lord, but I am saying that to make important decisions we must first consider what is important to God, as the eleven did when nominating the 12th. Then let God show you the way. Have faith, trust in the word of the Lord, and know God is always in control.

Temptation and Redemption

2012-01-23T00:56:00.000-06:00

2Samuel 11:1-3(NRSV)

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, “This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

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Tempted by the fruit of another
Tempted but the truth is discovered

Squeeze, Tempted, by Difford and Tillbrook

Anybody who doesn't know that parts of the bible could make Soap Opera stars blush doesn't know the bible very well. This is one of the stories we learn because it is so sordid. Sure, King David should have been out in the field with the troops, it was the time of year when kings went out to battle, but David did not. So he sees this really hot woman and he has to have her.

First lesson: Don't pin this one on the woman. Bathsheba did not have a real choice in the matter. She could either go to David or she could die for disobeying by not going to the king. These are her choices. "Appealing to the better nature" of an ancient king was not in the cards.

David calls her knowing Bathsheba is the wife of Uriah the Hittite. The adultry is not hers, he faces his temptation by thinking below the waist. What follows is not on her head.

So she goes as called and she becomes pregnant.

David conives several ways to try to get out of his adultry. To David's frustration, Uriah the Hittite remains honorable to his king and his men in the field and does not partake in the comforts of home, if you know what I mean.

David finally to free himself from his shame gets Uriah killed in battle. David all but kills Uriah himself. The prophet Nathan discerns this and calls David on his sin. Nathan tells David of the consequences of his sin too, Bathsheba will miscarry.

Tempted by the fruit of another, tempted but the truth is discovered.

Yet ultimately, this relationship begun in sin will bear fruit and good fruit too. David and Bathsheba will have a child. They have a son and name him Solomon. The wisest of all the kings of Israel, Solomon builds the temple.

This is not an encouragement to go and sin so you can bear a wise son, that's probably a one time only thing. What this does show, that temptation exists. Seeking deliverance from evil is the better way to live.

Yet, through the work of the Lord, the sins of the people can be redeemed for God's purpose. God is sovereign, God is in control, even when we're out of control.

Ladder of Dreams

2012-01-22T01:01:00.000-06:00

Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

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Dream until your dreams come true.

Dream on by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry recorded by Aerosmith

Dreams, we all have them, particularly when we are young. There's something about age and experience that relegates our dreams to a place of nostalgia. At one time when you asked a young boy what he wanted to be when he grew up he would say a cowboy, and when you asked a young girl she would say ballerina. Well, we need more than cowboys and ballerinas in the workplace so some dreams deserve the mantle of nostalgia. Some dreams are still worth dreaming.

The dream known as "Jacob's Ladder" was a dream worth having. Jacob saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending. With the Lord beside him, Jacob is promised that his offspring will be as vast as the dust of the earth spreading to all corners so that all the families of the world will be blessed. Yes, Jacob and his family is to be a blessing to all the earth.

As a member of the many tribes of the gentiles, Christians are grafted into the tree of life and the family of Jacob through the blessings of Jesus the Christ. We are all, all children of the Lord our God and by the Lord we are to bless the world not to scourge it.

The place to begin this is to look again up the ladders of our dreams. What were our dreams? What are our dreams? What is more noble? What is more in accord with the words and acts of God and God Incarnate.

Remember, we are not God, we aren't even God on Earth, that job was taken over 2,000 years ago. What we are is the eyes, ears, tongues, hands, and hearts of God, we are the Body of Christ. So dream. Dream again your better dreams, dream again the dreams of peace and joy. Dream until you hear those wonderful words Jacob heard, "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go." Dream, dream until your dreams come true and know God is with you.

The Bigger They Are...

2012-01-21T06:09:00.000-06:00

1Samuel 17:1-7 (NRSV)

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him.

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And I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave

So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine
And then the harder they come
The harder they fall, one and all
Ooh, the harder they come
Harder they fall, one and all

The Harder They Fall by Jimmy Cliff from the album and movie by the same name. Island Records, 1972

We're familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Goliath has even come to English as a way to describe someone who is huge and strong. Yet as we think of this giant, we can not think of him without a hint of vulnerability.

Goliath depended upon everything that was his--strength, size, armor, weapons, people, connections, even an intimidating voice. The people knew when to be afraid too, and Goliath scared all of the men of Israel.

David had none of these things. David was the least son of his father. David was the shepherd, in this passage he begins as the errand boy. His brother even accuses David of coming to the battlefield to be a spectator. But when Saul seeks someone to take on Goliath, David replies, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Jimmy Cliff sings about the powerful who will take what does not belong to them. He sings about the Philistines on his doorstep and cries out "But I'd rather be a free man in my grave, Than living as a puppet or a slave." Jimmy Cliff knows the same thing David knew, "the harder they come the harder they fall." The lesson of David continues to teach us "the harder they come the harder they fall."

There is danger and there is fear in our lives, but through the Lord who saves us from the paw of the lion and the bear, the eternal live the Lord promises is safe from all earthly dangers. David and Jimmy don't promise us we will come out of this unscarred, but the Lord promises these scars don't last.

You Think You're So Smart

2012-01-20T00:20:00.000-06:00

Matthew 5:21-22 (NRSV)

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.

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If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by
You're thinking like a fool, cause it's a case of do or die
Out there is a fortune waiting to be had
If you think I'll let it go, you're mad
You've got another thing coming
You've got another thing coming

"Another Thing Comin'" by Judas Priest from "Screaming For Vengeance" (1982).

Matthew 5:17-48 is Jesus' commentary on The Law. Jesus makes sure the people know that he does not replace the law. He will say that every "jot and tittle" is still part of the law. Jesus fulfills the Law. He is the Law Incarnate, the Law in Body & Spirit. Since He is the law, he is in a special position to interpret the Law.

What Jesus tells us is that we think we might understand the law, we may have a grip on every "jot and tittle," but we do not know the law. To know Jesus is to know the Law. Now that the Law walks the earth, there is a time to help fix some of those nasty misunderstandings that had reared their ugly heads over the past several centuries.

Starting with murder, we know what murder is--it's killing somebody with malice and forethought. In its own way, using the word "murder" instead of "kill" opens the door to the difference between murder and taking a life in self-defense or in war or by manslaughter. But if that's where the difference between murder and killing ends, you've got another thing coming.

Jesus tells us that slaughtering the reputation of a brother and sister is a form of murder. Even calling someone a fool will bring upon us judgment. This radical reinterpretation of the Law continues and challenges the priests of the day. And it must continue to challenge us today. If we think we understand all the law says to us still today, look out, you've got another thing coming.

Jesus could have very easily said the words sung by Judas Priest: "If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by, you're thinking like a fool, cause it's a case of do or die." Jesus does not sit around. He teaches. And when the time is fulfilled as the Law is fulfilled, He teaches us the ultimate lesson. He doesn't sit around; he climbs to the place of the skulls and dies. Then he does even more. He lives.

Ghost Riders

2012-01-19T01:30:00.000-06:00

Revelation 6:1-8

Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, "Come!" And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, "Come!" I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!"

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, "Come!" I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.

As the riders loped on by him, he heard one call his name
If you wanta to save your soul from hell aridin' on our range,
Then cowboy change your ways today, or with us you will ride,
Tryin' to catch the devil's herd, across these endless skies

"Ghost Riders in the Sky" by Stan Jones. This recording by The Outlaws

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Anyone who can tell you what the Revelation of John truly absolutely means is either lying, delusional, or experiencing an apocalyptic dream themselves. Frankly, none of these options provides much reverence.

With the opening of the seals in Revelation Six, calamity, one greater than the next, rode across the face of the earth.The first four seals bring what are commonly known as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." These horses, the white, red, black, and pale green horses bring bow, sword, scales, death and hades to meet creation. And they will have their way.

But imagine if you will, hearing this in the wind as they blow past, "Cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride." We have a word in English that isn't nearly as flowery but it means the same thing. Repent.

It is never too late to turn from the things that harm ourselves and others. It is never too late to turn toward things that benefit. It's never too late to turn from greed and turn to love. It's never too late to make amends. It's never too late, unless of course you hear the riders call your name. Repentance is the first step toward redemption.

Giving with Love

2012-01-18T10:09:00.000-06:00

1Corinthians 13:3

If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we're on our way back home

"Give a Little Bit" by Roger Hodgson originally recorded by Supertramp

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We are constantly being asked to give. People who want a cleaner planet ask us to "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!" Scripture tells us to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. I won't tell you these aren't good ideas, these are great ideas. Give! Give! Give!

But attitude is just as important as gift. If gifts are given with an uncaring heart, they aren't gifts at all. They're obligations. Gifts, true gifts are given with love. So if I give everything and do not have love, I gain nothing. Truly, if I give everything and do not have love I have given nothing.

Give a little bit of your love to me and I'll give a little bit of my love to you. If I have one problem with this song lyric it's the order. Love risks, true love gives first. I guess the poetry and flow of the song is better as it's written, and it's a beautiful song; but love risks.

Love is worth risking everything.

Love Opens All Doors

2012-01-17T02:40:00.000-06:00

Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

I have the only key to your heart
I can stop you falling apart
Try today, you'll find this way
Come on and give me a chance to say
Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
Only one thing's gonna set you free
That's my love

Let My Love Open the Door, Pete Townshend, from Empty Glass, 1980

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Ask, seek, knock; this is a very specific order; ask, seek, knock. There is logic to the sequence. It is important, maybe most important, to ask first before seeking and especially before knocking. Ask first, what is important? What do you want? Is it really worth wanting? Will this build or tear down? Sure, Ecclesiastes reminds us that there's a season for each of these things, but we need to know whether this is the season for building or tearing. If everyone who asks receives as scripture promises, is what we ask for worth receiving? If it's not, what's the bother.

From asking we must then seek. This isn't like the television commercial where we sing the company jingle and what we want magically appears. God is great, but God will not be some magician who snaps a finger and what we want appears. There is seeking involved. So if you ask you will receive, but seeking is important.

In these two elements, asking and seeking, when we are in accord with what God wants for our lives then what happens will happen in accord with what God wants for us too. I would love to promise that it will happen immediately, oh my, I would love to promise that, but that hasn't been my experience. There is still hard work. There is still hard prayer. There is still seeking help when needed. There is bucking the crowd when that's needed too.

But God has the key to our heart. Even when we deny God, God does not deny us. We are God's children even if we reject our Heavenly Father. God can help us from falling apart, God provides the folks who support us and assist us that keep us from falling apart.

Pete sings,

Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for

Imagine, God lives for us, for relationship with us. God loves us so much he sent his Son so that we might know the extent of God's love and want for us to be close.

We can all agree with Pete, there's only one thing that will set us free.

Friends, ask, seek, and knock--Let God's love open the door.

May Your Dreams Be Realized

2012-01-16T02:00:00.000-06:00

Romans 8:18-21 (NRSV)

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

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Sleep, sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realised.
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain, let it rain
Rain down on he.

MLK from The Unforgettable Fire by U2

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Within all of us there is a dream of freedom. This is the dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for all African-Americans, all Americans, and all humanity. In King's words, "Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" (Excerpt from the speech popularly known as "I Have a Dream" delivered by King on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.)

King's dream comes a little closer every day for the Children of God. King's dream slips away a little bit every day for the children of the fall. Of course these two groups are not exclusive, actually they're identical. We are all born of sin and redeemed by God. This is what makes the yearning for King's dream more diffuclt. We are instruments in the hands of God for Christ's everlasting kingdom on earth; and we are prisoners of our own demise.

On this day, on the birthday of MLK, we remember the sufferings. We can remember fire hoses directed at protesters. There were fights. There were arrests. There were lynchings. The ultimate price was paid by many in this war so fought so that truly all people could live like we were created equal. The battle is not won yet either.

As great as the sufferings are; freedom, peace, and liberty for all God's children is worth the price, and it's the price Christ paid too.

Both prices are way too high, so let us act and live and work as those who have been purchased at great cost.

Just a Regular Guy, and So Much More

2012-01-15T03:30:00.000-06:00

John 1:43-45

The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

I'm just an ordinary average guy
My friends are all boring
And so am I
We're just ordinary average guys

"Ordinary Average Guy" by Joe Walsh

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One of the questions answered in the great councils of the church during the first 500 years of the faith was "Is Jesus God or is Jesus human?" There were many variations on this theme offered. One was that Jesus was God wearing human flesh like a shell. It's the Halloween costume version of Jesus. Honestly that doesn't cut it.

The final "formula" they could agree to was that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. From a "mathematical formula" point of view, it's not easy to fathom. How could the Lord be 100% God and 100% man? From a math point of view that's impossible. Of course, all things are possible for God.

Fully human doesn't set well with everybody. We want God to be a superman, someone who cannot be harmed the way we can be harmed. That would be way too vulnerable. As far as that goes, I think that's the point.

Being fully human, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of Joseph. He's just an ordinary average guy. He gets up, goes to work, comes home, picks up the dog poo, cleans out the garage. He's just like all of us, he's normal, he's average, there is nothing special or distinct that makes Jesus any different. If you cut him, he will bleed.

But also, as Philip tells Nathanael Jesus is the one about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote. He is the one who is to come. He's different than we are. He is God.

Ultimately, Jesus as a person was just like we are, but without sin. He was exposed to sin, he was tempted to sin, but unlike us, he was without sin. He is God, this we need to always remember.

On the other hand, we must never forget that he was just an ordinary average guy with ordinary average guy needs and responsibilities. Because of this, Jesus can sympathize with our everyday live.

Jesus is just a regular guy, and he's so much more--he's also the Christ. This is worth remembering.

Good Days

2012-01-14T02:00:00.000-06:00

Exodus 14:21

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.

On a good day, I know it ain't every day
We can part the sea
And on a bad day, I know it ain't every day
Glory beyond our reach

"Wiser Time" by The Black Crowes

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It's amazing what constitutes a "good day." It could be your team winning the game. It could be getting through the traffic light that always get stops you. It could be a "thanks" from a friend or co-worker.

Something that always makes the day a "bad day" is when the people of Israel cry out to “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” That will make you get a "do-over" on the day.

What these two things have in common is what controls a day being good or bad. Those things are external events. Some are good, the kind of thing you want to have happen everyday. The other, well who couldn't live without the nation crying for our heads on a platter.

What makes a day better is the true and certain knowledge of Emmanuel, God with you. The Lord knew what was on Moses' plate, the Lord could hear the initial wails and Moses crying to the whirlwind praying for salvation. It is the coming salvation that makes the day fine.

What was a bad day became a good day with glory beyond our reach. That's the way it should always be.

Basket Case

2012-01-13T01:30:00.000-06:00

Exodus 2:1-4

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Uh, yuh, yuh, ya

Grasping to control
So I better hold on

"Basket Case" by Green Day

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There's the old saying that you're only paranoid until they are out to get you. Moses could be in this boat, or basket if you will.

Neither the Pharaoh nor anyone else in power "remembered" what Joseph had done for the people of Egypt, all they knew was that by the grace and hand of the Lord the Jews had grown large and powerful, despite being held in slavery. It made Pharaoh nervous so he decided to decimate the population by ordering the death of newborn males.

Paranoia? Not when they are out to get you.

When Moses was born, his mother saw something and knew he must be saved. So she made Moses the first biblical basket case. Not abandoned, not completely, his sister Miriam waited to see what would happen. Moses was taken into Pharaoh's home, raised by Pharaoh's daughter, and wet nursed by his own mother.

If there is one thing to hold onto, it's not that our actions or luck will save us. There always seemed to be a plan in place for Moses, even when every plan was going to thunder. No matter how strange the events of his life unfolded, it kept adding up to glory.

Grasp for control, no, better just to hold on. It could be a bumpy ride, but it can also be for the glory of God.

What We Can Control

2012-01-12T00:30:00.000-06:00

1Timothy 6:13-16

In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time--he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Hello, hello, remember me?
I’m everything you can’t control
Somewhere beyond the pain
There must be a way to believe

"What You Want" by Evanescence

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It's as easy as this: There are things we can control in our lives and things we cannot. The trick it to always tell the difference between the two. The single thing we have absolutely no control over in this life is the workings of God. The Lord our God is the one and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. God alone has eternal dominion over the workings of this world, no other.

God bless the people who think they control their own destiny because their control is limited, and probably more than they think. God bless those who say "God would never..." because when we say that we try to limit God. When we think we will do things on our own time we discover that our only guarantee is that time eventually runs out.

AS the song goes, God is everything we cannot control. But here's another question, whose pain is it, beyond whose pain is the way to belief. Here's the trick answer, it is our pain, and it is God's pain.

We suffer from pain and disappointment. Sin, our own and others, is the source of our suffering. It is also the source of God's suffering. God came to earth to testify to Pilate and felt the pain of the cross. Yet he is without sin. Yet he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; and this is good. This is to our benefit.

So when our Lord calls "Hello, hello, remember me?" we can take the words of Paul to Timothy and say "Yes Lord, we remember and we know you are in control."

Distance and Closeness

2012-01-11T04:30:00.000-06:00

Jonah 3:3-5 (NRSV)

So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

Hey everybody, don't you feel that there's something
But you know in a moment it is gone

"It's a Long Way There" from the first album by The Little River Band

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jonah's mission was to tell the people of Nineveh that they were about to be overthrown, destroyed. That's it. That's what he spent three days and three nights in the belly of the large fish trying to avoid. With reason, it wasn't a great task.

Imagine telling a large city of people their way of life, their city, their lives were about to come to an end. Forty days more and that's all. Nineveh was so large that it took three days to walk across. It was so large that after the first day's walk, when he made the proclamation, he caused a stir that followed him the rest of the way across the city. It was a long way across the city, but for the Ninevites it was a longer way to God. They had forty days, then after that it would all be gone.

You see, Jonah's message, the one he received from the Lord promised nothing for the Ninevites but destruction. There was no message of peace or mercy. Still, the people of Nineveh believed God; proclaimed a fast, and everyone, put on sackcloth.

When Jonah finished his journey he built a booth and waited to watch the destruction from the front row. But it did not happen. He was in the desert waiting, but thankfully a vine grew to protect him. Then it died.

Jonah was ticked, after all, when a prophecy goes unfilfilled, the prophet looks like a loon. But Jonah was reassured him that as much as the Lord cared for the vine that grew over his shelter, so much more did he care the the city of Nineveh and all it's inhabitants.

It was a long way across Nineveh, and it must have seemed like a much longer leap of faith in the Lord to save a people who were promised no salvation at all. But such is a leap of faith. Faith that the Lord saves, not because they believed in God, but because God believed in them.

What Smells?

2012-01-10T01:53:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

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Ooooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell
Ooooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you

"That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

This song was written about Gary Rossington, the guitar player holding a cigarette in this video, after he wrapped his car around the aforementioned oak tree. When his car was approached, all anyone could ask is "What's that smell?" The best answer was probably "rock and roll excess."

The smell of cigarettes and whiskey, the smell of cocaine and gasoline, the smell of oak and rubber, it must have been something to behold. That's before allowing any other sense to help us perceive the situation. Smells, the smell that surrounds an event can be as powerful as any other way we can sense what's happening.

In church, some folk talk about "smells and bells." Some lament that they can overwhelm worship, others lament that they're missing from the church. It's a pity when the smells leave worship because they were so important to the beginnings of worship. The smell of the sacrifice, the smell of the incense, the smell of the oils; all of these helped us remember who we are and whose we are.

Let's remember, frankincense and myrrh were two of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child. Aroma was that valuable and that important. Smell is an important trigger of memory, so when we lose the smell of worship we lose something that could help us remember the Lord all week long.

Christ himself was a sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice, the last sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God whose blood took away the sin of the world. He gave himself up for us and for the world as a fragrant offering to God. Of all of our smells, the smells of worship should remind us of his life and our new life in Christ. Incense helps us recall those memories.

Lynyrd Skynyrd sings of the smell of death surrounding us. Christ offers the smell of life. Yes, put down the whiskey bottle and take your foot off the gas, and relish the smell of life that we are called to wrap around ourselves.

Telling Others Who God Is

2012-01-09T00:53:00.000-06:00

Acts 8:27b-31 (NRSV)

Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tell me all your thoughts on God?
'Cause I would really like to meet her
And ask her why we're who we are
Tell me all your thoughts on God
'Cause I am on my way to see her
So tell me am I very far -
Am I very far now?

Dishwalla, Counting Blue Cars, from Pet Your Friends, 1995

The question Jesus asks us is "Who do you say that I am?" The question others ask us is "Who do you say Jesus is? Who do you say God is?"

So, how do we answer this most wonderful and most puzzling of all questions?

The first, the very first place we start is with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of John declares the Holy Spirit will teach us everything, and remind us of all that is said to us. (14:26) When we are asked to share the faith of Christ, the Spirit empowers us to share. It is the words of the Spirit we are invited to share. As tempting as it is to overstep the teaching we have been given, it is for us to pay attention to the teachings of Christ as we are reminded by the Spirit.

Know that people usually don't want to hear the theology of Augustine, Luther, or Calvin. (Darn!) People want to know about the difference being a believer makes and continues to make in your life. People want to see where the rubber meets the road, as Dishwalla sings, "Tell me all your thoughts on God? 'Cause I would really like to meet her." People don't care much about theory of God, they want to know about God in the life we live.

A final thought to leave this deals with the band calling God "her." Chapter III of The Second Helvetic Confession teaches "We believe and teach that God is one in essence or nature, subsisting in himself, all sufficient in himself, invisible, incorporeal, immense, eternal, Creator of all things both visible and invisible, the greatest good, living, quickening and preserving all things, omnipotent and supremely wise, kind and merciful, just and true." (See, I told you that people don't want to hear from theologians!)

Being "incorporeal" as the confession states, God is without a body. Being without a body, God is neither male nor female. So when the band sings about God as a she, don't get upset.

If we chew the fat of language, we never get to the meat of who God is. That is what people want to know. Start where the people are, that's what Philip did with the Ethiopian. Talk about who God is, who Jesus is, who the Spirit is. Tell the people what you know, not what you don't. Talk about the difference the triune God makes in your life.

This is what people want to know.

Love Rains-Love Reigns

2012-01-08T07:52:00.000-06:00

Today the Church celebrates Baptism of the Lord Sunday.

Mark 1:4-11 (NRSV)

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you withe the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

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Only love
Can bring the rain
That makes you yearn
To the sky
Only love
Can bring the rain
That falls like tears
From all high

Love, Reign O'er Me, by Pete Townshend, from Quadraphenia by The Who

A love greater than anything we could ever hope to imagine or understand. Love that comes from the one The one who is more powerful than anyone who has ever walked the face of the earth. The love that makes you yearn to the sky.

In the water there is birth, and in the water there is rebirth. In the water there is life and in the water there is death. In the water there is the warmth of being washed and in the water there is the peril of being washed away.

This is the water, this is the sacrament Jesus ordains when he participates as he is baptized in the waters of the Jordan

Yet if you ask “why does the fully human, fully divine Son of God and Son of Man need a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins?” This good question has a very good answer; Jesus does not need this baptism for himself. Jesus chooses this baptism not for his needs but for ours. In his baptism, Jesus identifies himself with the Church, the church which he is the cornerstone. Being fully human, he knows we need this baptism, being fully divine, he ordains it for our sanctification.

Tears fall from on high; these tears are the waters of our baptism. These are the waters John bathes us in while we are confessing our sins. These are the waters of our birth as we leave the womb, just like the fully human fully divine Jesus left the womb of his mother Mary. These are the waters of the tomb, the death and new life we come to in the water, at the cross and in the resurrection.

As God's love rains, God's love reigns.

Fathers and Sons

2012-01-07T07:11:00.000-06:00

Luke 15:11-20 (NRSV)

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself withb the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)

Last verse and chorus from "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas from Leftoverture (1976)

The story of the Prodigal is one of the most beloved in scripture. But often we forget what "prodigal" means. Prodigal means generous. We talk about the prodigal son when we talk more about the wayward son and his progigal father.

The younger son wants what is due him, he wants his share of the family estate. The father is under no obligation to give it to him, yet he does. This most likely left the family cash strapped since the father had to liquidate one-third of his holdings, the traditional division for a man with two sons.

The younger son leaves the family home, and takes up with fast women and hard living. It's the makings of every trust-fund baby sob story you've ever known. The young man finally is forced to feed pigs-the opposite of kosher. He isn't even allowed to eat the pods he's using to feed them.

He sucks up his pride and goes home where he will say to his father "I have sinned against heaven and before you." He's just hoping to get a job from the old man.

But his father sees him from far away and meets the son along the way. His father runs to him and hugs him. Then the young man says his piece, "I have sinned against heaven and before you."

Here's the amazing thing-the moment the young man was forgiven was when his father ran to him and hugged him. The father moving to the son was the moment the father bestowed his forgiveness. The apology and remorse had nothing to do with the Father's forgiveness! The son was forgiven before he even opened his mouth.

God offers us, the wayward children of creation, forgiveness before we even know to ask for it. Nothing equals the splendor, life is no longer empty, heaven waits. Heaven waits not for the day we leave the earth, heaven waits on the hill waiting for the son. Heaven waits and runs to us when we turn toward the Father in faith.

Nothing Lasts Forever

2012-01-06T03:23:00.000-06:00

Genesis 35:16-21

Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel was in childbirth, and she had hard labor. When she was in her hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid; for now you will have another son.” As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to phrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar at her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. Israel journeyed on, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain,
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

November Rain, by Axl Rose recorded by Guns N' Roses from Use Your Illusion I

Jacob loved Rachel. She was beautiful and he was in love. Joseph loved her enough to work as what we might call an indentured servant for fourteen years so that he might have her for his wife. Fourteen years, what have you done in your life for fourteen years. Not public schooling, that was thirteen if you went to kindergarten. Not college unless you're a medical doctor or professional student. Jacob worked for fourteen years so that he might have the love of his life.

Of course, the star-crossed nature of their love is what makes their story memorable. Rachel's father Laban insists Joseph work seven years before marriage, then he gets Leah, the older sister, not Rachel because "giving the younger sister in marriage first, that's not the way we do in this neck of the woods." Laban insists Leah have her wedding week, then he can marry Rachel... for another seven years service. It goes from bad to worse.

Then Rachel has difficulty giving conceiving a child. Finally, she conceives a son, Joseph. Then she conceives another, but this would be their earthly undoing. Rachel dies in childbirth. As she passes, she names her son Ben-Oni, child of my sorrow. Jacob renames him, Ben-jamin, son of my right hand. What is horror and sorrow is turned to joy.

Sorrow, pain, horror, all in the name of love. Tragedy falls the life of the great patriarch. Still, Jacob finds not the silver lining in the cloud, but the joy that will one day come instead of the pain that is now in his life. He will not dwell on the sorrow. He will not pin his son with a name of sadness. Even as his most favored bride dies, Jacob can remember...

So never mind the darkness

We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

It is by God's presence and strength that the cold November rain will pass beyond the baptism of our tears.

THE I AM

2012-01-05T14:30:00.000-06:00

Exodus 3:13-14

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

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I am, I said
I am, I cried
I am...

Neil Diamond, "I am... I said"

Proof-texting is a form of biblical interpretation where a verse is taken out of context to make an unrelated point. It's as old as the hills and no matter how irresponsible or how dangerous it is, me just "saying so" is not going to stop proof-texting. This is where I plead guilty to proof-texting myself, but not in the usual way.

Neil Diamond's "I Am...I Said" is the story of a man on his own who is living a pretty good life. He's bi-coastal, he loves LA and he loves NYC, but then he ends up being lost between the shores. In his own way the singer has become a man without a country, a man without a home. He's alone and he's lonely, but into the void that mocks him he cries out, "I am!"

This has nothing to do with The Great I AM.

I mean nothing .

One of the lovely things about the Hebrew Scriptures is that the use of the verb "to be" is limited to the Lord alone. Humans do, God is. Only the Lord is. This is possible because Hebrew has a grammar structure that allows you to say someone is without saying someone is. English doesn't have anything like that, but Hebrew does. So if we notice there are "I am's" all over scripture for people you're right, but the only time the word is written is when it pertains to the Lord.

Who is the Lord? That's easy, the Lord is. Everything that we can ever associate with being, and more that we can't imagine is wrapped up in the Lord who Is. Neil Diamond's mythological singer is alone in a void a void of pain, anguish and frustration. For the Lord it's just the opposite. The Lord is in all places and time. The Lord is present. There is no void, the Lord fills the void.

In the Lord we are not as Diamond sings, "I am lost, and I can't even say why." In the Lord, we aren't lost--we're found. We are right where we are supposed to be. We belong to God. We are members of the community of faith. We are right where we are supposed to be.

Thanks be to the Lord who Is.

Thank You

2012-01-04T00:12:00.000-06:00

Genesis 3:22-24 (NIV)

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

1Corinthians 15:45-47 (NIV)

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stiff all in the collar
Fluffy in the face
Chit chat chatter tryin'
Stuffy in the place
Thank you for the party
But I could never stay
Many thangs is on my mind
Words in the way

I want to thank you
falettinme
Be mice elf
agin

Thank you
falettinme
Be mice elf
agin

Dance to the music
All nite long
Everyday people
Sing a simple song
Mama's so happy
Mama start to cry
Papa still singin'
You can make it if you try

Sly & the Family Stone: "Thank You (Fallenttinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"

Ah, the fall. The moment after Adam and Eve were deceived into sharing the fruit of the vine and falling from grace. The horror and the pity, I like what George Burns said in the 1980's movie "Oh, God." Adam and Eve were just teenagers, they didn't have the savvy to take on the serpent. Oh well.

Then again, God knew all along that something would happen to gum up the works with creation. If it wasn't one thing it would be another and this is it, the biggy, eating the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil so they would know as much as God. Whoops, that does qualify as the biggy.

But since God knew all along that something would happen, something would have to change, he sent his Son. He sent his Son as the second Adam, the Divine Reset Switch so that all creation would be reconciled to the Creator.

In the beginning we were all living in accord with the Lord, but that changed. In Christ, it changes back. In this we are to say one thing, thank you.

Lord our God, Thank You Fallenttinme Be Mice Elf Agin.

Faith and Belief

2012-01-03T02:52:00.000-06:00

Mark 9:24(NRSV)

Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

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You could say I lost my faith in science and progress
You could say I lost my belief in the holy church
You could say I lost my sense of direction
You could say all of this and worse, but
If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do"

"If I Ever Lose My Faith" by Sting from Ten Summoner's Tales, 1993

So let's start here, because this is suddenly the elephant in the room, Sting sings "You could say I lost my belief in the holy church." This may not be the most uplifting thing ever written in a devotional, but it goes to a place devotion needs to go.

People often put their faith in things that do not deserve devotion. The greedy have a faith in wealth that is not healthy. The vain put faith in looks that is not wise. Gluttons of all stripes place faith in the object of their abuse that can become the object of their addiction.

There is a difference between having "faith" in the church and faith in the Head of the Church. The church is made up of people, people who are sinned and fallible. The Head of the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is fully human and fully divine; all human and all God. Jesus is not only more God than we will ever be, but he is more of a person than we will ever be. In him alone must our faith rest.

As Sting sings, "If I ever lose my faith in you, there'd be nothing left for me to do."

When the man brings his demon possessed son to Jesus, Jesus says, “All things can be done for the one who believes.” The man then cries “I believe; help my unbelief!”

As people, imperfect human beings, we will never be able to fully believe, not to the extent that Jesus is able to believe in us. Often we think of this verse as Jesus scorning the father, "If you believe your son will be healed." The man's answer certainly seems to follow this logic.

But what if Jesus is instead saying, "I believe in you, I believe in humanity, and because I believe, all things can be done." The acts of Jesus do not depend on us having enough faith. Jesus has enough faith in us to do the miracles that show us life.

Still, our lives are plagued with uncertainty and pain. Sting sings, "Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world." We may be lost, but Jesus finds us--both in our belief and in our unbelief.

The Church can be a wonderful thing. In its most gloirous state it is the Body of Christ on earth. But it is better to have faith in Christ, the creator over the creation.

What We Seek

2012-01-02T07:02:00.000-06:00

Hebrews 11:4-7

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I asked Bobby Dylan,
I asked the Beatles,
I asked Timothy Leary,
But he couldn't help me either.

They call me the seeker,
I been searchin' low and high.
I won't get to get what I'm after
'til the day I die.

"The Seeker" by The Who

The heroes of the faith not only had faith, they were faithful. They treated their faith as a noun, a thing to be had; and as a verb, a thing to do.

By faith Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice. Even after his death, his faith still speaks. Enoch's faith pleased God such that he did not experience death. Noah was warned by God that of the oncoming flood to build an ark because of his faith. By Noah's faith, a world condemned was saved.

While attributed to Enoch, this could be true of all of these heroes of the faith, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

So who should we ask, what should we seek. Evidently it's not Bob Dylan, or the Beatles, or even Timothy Leary. Whenever we seek the advice of someone here on earth, we get their words, their opinions, their instructions. There are some wise men in this world, but none is without sin. Even Abel, Enoch, and Noah. These three remind us to seek who they sought, God.

Roger Daltry sings that he won't get what he seeks 'til the day he dies. Well, this much is true. It is when we meet our maker that the grand questions are answered, but there is still time before the end of time. This was shown by Abel, Enoch, and Noah.

Of course it isn't always easy and fun. Abel was murdered and Noah was mocked. But by their faith they are still honored by God and their names are still remembered. Have faith that in seeking God alone that the answers to what we seek will be answered. Able, Enoch and Noah received blessing, reward, and vocation by their faith. So too will we.

When It All Began

2012-01-01T00:30:00.000-06:00

Genesis 2:4b-9 (NRSV)

In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground-- then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground,a and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this garden
This lovely garden
I build a temple of love
Walk with the Father
Won’t be a bother
To touch the Earth as it was

I Build This Garden For Us by Lenny Kravitz, from Let Love Rule, 1989, Miss Bessie Music, Virgin Records

If we have learned anything from The Sound of Music it is that we should start at the very beginning. It is after all, a very good place to start. When it all began, it began when the Lord created. The Lord didn't have to create, the Lord chose to create, and a glorious creation sprang from the Lord. In it, a garden was built for Adam (the Hebrew word for "a man") to live.

What a wonderful and glorious relationship: creation, created, creator; forever in a dance of love and joy. In this beginning, the Lord builds the garden and the man builds a temple to the love the Lord gives. The ethereal dawn of all creation comes through in glowing and flowing music, a joining of guitar, organ, and dreads.

But beware the foreshadowing, Lenny Kravitz sings about touching the earth as it was. Yes, as it was. Even in this idyllic recreation of the garden, we know that it didn't last. But this knowledge should not stop us from remembering. It must not stop us from remembering.

Yes there is a glory we do not live in today, but this does not stop the glory from breaking into the world. We can never stop the Lord from showing us God's glory in God's time. God's glory can still be seen in flashes. It just seems like we can barely see it, like something out or our vision--out of the corner of our eye.

We broke the rules, we ate the fruit, we are disciplined. It is said "don't do the crime if you can't do the time," but it is also said, "do the time, don't let the time do you."
Yes, the glory is real, and this is true because the Lord built this garden for us. What temple of life do you build in response?

Lucky?

2011-06-27T01:23:00.018-05:00

1Samuel 23:19-24

Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon. Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD for showing me compassion! Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. Look around and learn all the hiding places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I've got to run to keep from hidin',
And I'm bound to keep on ridin'.
And I've got one more silver dollar,
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no,
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider.

"Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brothers Band

There's an old expression, "I'd rather be lucky than good." Another that goes with it should be "chance favors the prepared mind." When you put these two things together, they say that "luck," as it is, complements preparation. If you're ready for anything, when the unexpected happens it wasn't quite as unexpected to someone who has prepared as it is to someone who hasn't.

So if you want to say you don't believe in luck, chalking it up to preparation, that's fine.

One of the key narratives of 1Samuel is Saul chasing David through the countryside. Saul is the one who is lucky at least once when David could have killed him, but didn't. Saul was King and David is faithful. Sometimes though, especially when Saul was losing his mind, faithfulness is just the foundation of a kingdom rotting from the top-down.

David is running because he is being chased. He's got his men. He has allies. He has provisions. He's got to run to keep from hiding. He's got one more silver dollar. And he's not going to let anyone catch him. He may seem lucky, but in truth he is prepared.

David has one more thing in his side. He has been blessed by God.

David has been anointed. He has been called to be the next king. So as Saul is chasing David, suddenly there is word that the Philistines have attacked. Instead of leading the army against David, he has to lead it against the invaders and protect the kingdom.

Is this coincidence, luck, or the hand of God saving David? Is it serendipity or the Sovereign Lord taking care of his own?

David knows, to God goes the glory.

What Friends Are For?

2011-06-26T08:07:00.001-05:00

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

Signs

2011-06-25T01:11:00.000-05:00

Matthew 16:1-4 (NRSV)

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

~~~~~~~~~~~

She broke her wishbone and wished for a sign
I told her whispers in my heart were fine

Set Adrift on Memory Bliss by PM Dawn from "Of the Heart, Of the Soul, and Of the Cross: The Utopian Experience"

Who doesn't want a sign from the Lord? For one, I would really like to have a glimpse at the master plan so that I mess things up less often. How many times do I seek to do the will of God only to find what I "discern" to be the plan turn to thunder. Well, it's often enough so that the word "discern" should always be in quotation marks. I want to do the right thing, but I want signs.

The Pharisees and Sadducees all wanted signs so that they could believe. Signs and wonders are all around us, and they wanted a sign of their own. As if it would have done a bit of good. Folks who are skeptical about signs would be skeptical if a tree grew from their noses.

The signs are all around us. They reveal the truth of Jesus every day in every good way. And somehow, the things which are devistating can still be redeemed in the grace and love of the Lord. That's the hard part, even what we would call garbage is used for the glory of God.

So let us go to our prayer closets, our quiet places, and for God's fine whispers in our hearts, and prepare to act on what we receive. Remember, we all seem to want the "burning bush" experience, it's just that fewer of us want the "go to Pharaoh" experience that usually follows it.

Lust for Gold

2011-06-24T13:26:00.000-05:00

Mark 10:17, 19-22

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ ” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forget your lust ... for the rich man's gold
All that you need ... oh, Lord, is in your soul
You can do this ... oh, baby ... if you try
All that I want for you my son ... is to be satisfied

And be a simple kind of man
Be somethin' ... you love and understand
Baby, be a simple ... oh, be a simple man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can

"Simple Man" by Ronnie VanZandt and Garry Rossington

It's easy to want the good things in life. Who doesn't like a nice house and car? Who doesn't like good food and drink? Who doesn't feel glad when the season of want ends and the season of plenty begins? Well, in America these things are seen as the fruit of labor that is repaid in gold.

So what must I do to inherit eternal life? For this rich man, he didn't have to steal or kill to eat bread every day so breaking those commandments was unnecessary. Since most wealth in the ancient world was inherited, honoring his father and mother would have been a part of walking through his house every day.

As for false witness, defrauding others, and adultery, I'll take him at his word. He's done the minimum required. Good for him.

Ronnie VanZandt sang of a man receiving the word of God at his mother's knee. "All that you need is in your soul. All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied." Everything you need is given to you. Everything else is gravy-and no matter how yummy gravy is-and that's not always good for the soul.

Simplicity, the simplicity that comes with discarding earthly concerns about wealth and power and seeking the nest egg of life in Christ is where life lies. All else is just fancy things that tarnish over time. Life in Christ is the one thing that lasts forever.

Foolishly Bewitched

2011-06-23T04:29:00.011-05:00

Galatians 3:1-5

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?--if it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She's a witch of trouble in electric blue,
In her own mad mind she's in love with you.
With you.
Now what you gonna do?
Strange brew -- killin' what's inside of you.

"Strange Brew" by Eric Clapton, Gail Collins and Felix Pappalardi recorded by Cream

We're people! We like shiny things! We like things that just grab our attention and refuse to release us! How else can we explain disco, pet rocks, and fast food? We get bewitched and that's all there is to it. Steven Covey calls this "non-important/non-urgent" noting all along that they are still interesting, more interesting than real work. It's just fluff and filler.

Of course I say this to you from a keyboard attached to the internet and if you're reading this so are you. It's horrible to become your own best example, but I have just done that.

Paul warns the church that they have become bewitched by the law and those who practice it. The law gives us wonderful guidelines that help us in our lives. But taken to extremes, they take us far past freedom and right into control. Law controls, law can't love.

It is Christ who saves by love that frees us from the controlling ties of the law. Christ didn't die for the law. Christ fulfilled the law before his death and resurrection. Christ's death showed what he knew all along, the law doesn't bind the way people want it to bind. In the law's mad mind there is love in the law, love that controls like an abusive lover. This is not the love of freedom in Christ.

So our choices are to believe Christ or to believe prophets who tell us that by law and restriction we can be free. Bewitched? Pray not.

Follicle Power

2011-06-22T14:50:00.029-05:00

Numbers 6:5

All the days of their nazirite vow no razor shall come upon the head; until the time is completed for which they separate themselves to the LORD, they shall be holy; they shall let the locks of the head grow long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My hair, flow it, show it
Long as God can grow
My hair

"Hair" by James Rado and Gerome Ragni recorded by The Cowsills

What's interesting about the nazirites, and Samson in particular, is that there is no real explanation about why no razor shall come upon the head. It's pretty easy to understand why they should avoid a carcass or wine and strong drink, but no shave or haircut seems almost arbitrary.

There are two answers I like, the first is to show obedience and the second is to be set off to anyone who sees the nazirite.

As for obedience, maybe this is the story of Samson in a nutshell. God was faithful when he took food, drink, and women that no nazirite should take. God still blessed Samson with great strength even though he broke nearly every vow a nazirite takes. But it was when his hair was cut that his strength, and lo his freedom, were taken. Only at the end of the story, when Samson returns to God and his hair returns to his head is his strength restored.

So which came first? Hair or Faith? While they returned at the same time, It is probably only by faith that the power of his vows and the power that came through his vows returned. It just took the same amount of time to regrow the hair.

Something that is true, and still true among Orthodox Jewish men whose face and scalp has never seen a razor, is that their appearance sets them aside from other men in the community. This standing does not come from their hair, but their hair represents who they are in the community. It's a sign, a symbol. It represents that they are holy, set apart for the work of the Lord in the community.

Let my life show God is in control. Let my hair show I am obedient. Let my hair show all power comes from God. As the song goes: My hair, flow it, show it/Long as God can grow/My hair.

God Is Faithful

2011-06-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

The Blessed Call

2011-06-20T14:01:00.000-05:00

Some songs, particularly older ones, don't have produced videos, in these cases I have to make a choice of display videos. For several odd reasons, none having to do with the devotional, this is the best available.

Romans 8:15b-16
When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If life gets hard to understand
And your whole life is way out of hand
Come to Poppa
Come see your poppa

"Come to Poppa" by Earl Randle and Willie Mitchell recorded by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullit Band

The days are tough, they're absolutely crazy, and they have been since the first cavemen wondered if they would get enough game to last the winter. The only difference between then and now is that we don't have to hunt and everything's a lot faster. But here's the promise, no matter how tough things are, God is there. We are used to the phrasing of "God the Father," but there's a difference between that and "Abba," a wonderful difference.

"Abba" is the ancient Aramaic equivalent of the American English word "Daddy." In Ireland they would say "Da." "Papa" is another way this could be said. The difference is an innocent lack of formality. It's a word that is not formal, it's not "father" it's "daddy."

When we cry out "Abba" we put ourselves before the Lord like children, dependent for all things. Yet we aren't coming as beggars, we come as sons and daughters. We come not out of honor or because the father is the patriarch. We come to "Daddy" out of love and joy.

We jump into the outstretched arms of the Lord.

Abba is our blessed call to God. This is how we come to the Lord when life gets way out of hand, coming with love and joy and confidence. Thankfully, that's just how God wants us to come.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

2011-06-19T06:58:00.000-05:00

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.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Face it, 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); 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."

You Can't Please Everyone

2011-06-18T01:39:00.020-05:00

Matthew 11:16-19

“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But it’s all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself.

"Garden Party" by Rick Nelson with the Stone Canyon Band

Jesus gives the word to this generation. He rightly tells the crowd that they expected one thing and got something completely different. This did not please them.

The crowd played the flute, but John did not dance.
The crowd sang a dirge, but Jesus did not mourn.

This isn’t code speech at all. When the holy people got John the Baptist, they didn’t want his harsh words and chilling indictments. John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.” The people expected one thing and got another. Instead of “shining, happy people” they got the prophet in a leather poncho eating bugs. While the bugs he was eating were within Jewish dietary requirements, they surely weren’t the kind of food the temple leaders ate.

When the holy people got Jesus, they wanted someone who was a more reserved, more reverent. The last thing they wanted was some drunken glutton drawing attention to himself, especially considering the low-life’s he was hanging out with. He’s way too far out on a limb dealing with sinful men and (shocking) sinful women.

When the holy people met both men, they would have preferred someone who would tell them what they wanted to hear, what they expected to hear.

Isn’t that always the way it is?

As sure as the people were unhappy with the oddball prophet from the wilderness, they weren’t too happy with the one who followed him either.

You just can’t please everybody, can you? You act like an Old Testament prophet and the people tell you to lighten up. You lighten up and the people tell you you’ve gone too far and need to reel it back in a notch.

John just doesn’t fit in with what the mainstream establishment considered to be proper. Jesus doesn’t fit in with the mainstreamers either and upsets all worldly wisdom. In the end Jesus reminds the crowd that “wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

As Nelson sang, you can’t please everyone. Jesus says, “You say John had a demon and I’m a glutton and drunkard who hangs out with tax collectors and ‘sinners.’” Rick sings ya got to please yourself. Jesus doesn’t go there though.

Instead of pleasing himself Jesus is concerned with pleasing the Father. “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to the little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

Jesus sings, ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please the Lord.

John prepares the way. Jesus calls the tune. Jesus and John show there are times to mourn and times to dance. It is up to us to follow whatever music or Lord calls.

The Blessing of "And"

2011-06-17T02:46:00.054-05:00

Genesis 32:24-30

Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jacob wrestled the angel
And the angel was overcome.

"Bullet the Blue Sky" by U2

Jacob got his name because he was born holding on to his twin brother's heel. Jacob also means "He supplants." That's not the kind of name you want in this life. You'd always wonder if he was coming to supplant you next. And that's what got Jacob into trouble with Esau. Jacob had supplanted Esau taking his older brother's birthright and his father's blessing, and it almost got him killed.

So years later, Jacob went to meet his brother, sending before him a generous gift. He was hoping this gift would help his brother forget. The night after he sent his gift, and the night before he went to meet his brother, Jacob wrestled with the angel. Did he grab the heel?

This was when Jacob became Israel. This is when the birth of the nation truly began. This is when the people of God started to become the people of God, this is when the reign of God took the face of a people. Not with a great battle, but with a limp.

The clip is from the movie "Rattle and Hum" and at the beginning of this clip Adam Clayton says something I strongly agree with, "There are people who would say that you shouldn't mix music and politics, or sport and politics, or whatever; but I think that's kind of bullshit."

On the side bar of this blog I am a bit more diplomatic saying, "It is said that there is a difference between the sacred and the secular, the holy and the profane. As for me, I say those are false separations. If we believe that all things come from the Lord, we must believe all things come from the Lord."

Everything comes from God. The power of a people, the power of a nation. There is separation between church and state in America, but there is no separation between God and God's people. This is what must be remembered. We must strive to be a nation of "and" not a nation of "but." In eternal life, a life we can embrace on earth, there is more than enough for all.

Jacob has striven against God and won, for that he was blessed. Imagine what can happen when sport and politics and art and God come together for something greater? That will be a blessing.

Not Quite Yet...

2011-06-16T01:51:00.000-05:00

Mark 11:11 (NRSV)

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting In The Stand Of The Sports Arena
Waiting For The Show To Begin

"Venus and Mars" by Paul McCartney from the album of the same title by Paul McCartney and Wings (1975)

The smallest things make all of the difference sometimes. Jesus and the apostles and the disciples enter Jerusalem on the back of a colt upon a way strewn with cloaks and palms. Cloaks on the ground are traditional for the entry of the Kings of Israel. The colt takes the nation of Israel back to Jacob's blessing to his son Judah.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem days before his last supper. He knows there isn't much time left. He knows it is late. Still, he knows that there are times for action and times for patience. Jesus comes and soaks in all that is the Temple before going to Bethany for the night. Plenty is about to happen, but it isn't going to happen right now.

Jesus is the show, but even he is waiting for the show to begin. The opening act, the entry into Jerusalem has come to pass. It is what we call the triumphant entry. Still, Jesus knows that this is the start, not the end.

Now, nearly 1,980 Easters later, we wait for the next triumphant entry. We wait for the show to begin, and patience is a virtue. But let us follow Jesus who got up the next morning and did the work the Father called him to do. Let us as the sons and daughters of the Lord join in the work the Father called his Son to do.

Limited Knowledge

2011-06-15T02:10:00.018-05:00

1Corinthians 8:2-3

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well now I don't read that daily news
'Cause it ain't hard to figure
Where people gets the blues
They can't dig what they can't use
If they stick to simple
They'd be much less abused

Say I know a little
Lord I do know a little 'bout it
I know a little
I know a little 'bout it
I know a little 'bout love
Baby I can guess the rest

"I Know a Little" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ah to watch the news on TV, I can think of nothing more discouraging. There seems to be a pattern that works, get enough people yelling at one another and people will watch. If this formula didn't work than PBS News would have much higher ratings.

Paul writes that knowledge puffs up. Listen to anyone on talk radio and you will find that's true. TV and radio are filled with people who know and puff themselves up by their knowledge. The puffing up is even measured. They call it ratings. They call it "good" demographics. They call it advertising rates. They call it advertiser prestige.

These pundips (a combined word of "pundit" and "dip$#!^") share news that we have no control over. They will tell us we have power, power focused through the kingdom of a radio or TV show. Their power is in their voice which ultimately becomes a clanging symbol.

What people need is love. Not some undefined general love, but true love for neighbor and self. I'm not talking about being selfish or enlightened self interest either. I'm not saying a rising tide lifts all ships either because a lot of little dinghies get caught in the wake of the supertankers.

I'm talking about the love of God that allows us to accept the free gift of grace by faith in God. I'm talking about sharing the sacrificial love we see in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm talking about the love that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm talking about a love we can't share until we learn to accept it ourselves--and that may be the toughest part of all.

I can say I know a little about love, and that would be true. As for guessing the rest, we don't have to guess at all. The ultimate example of love is found in Christ and is available for us all.

Busy Day? More Like the Whole Week!

2011-06-14T09:25:00.014-05:00

Genesis 1:31-2:3

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

you had a busy day today

"Tiny Dancer" by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin

Creation, it's the one thing that God does that we cannot do. There is a saying about the testament written in Hebrew: "People do, only the Lord is." This is because the only time the verb "to be" is used in the Hebrew text is the "I AM." Yes, you will find more forms of "to be" in English translations, but you won't find the verb in those places in the original Hebrew text.

A busy day? God had a busy week! So busy that on the seventh day God created rest. God created a day to be separate from all others to be used to recuperate from the week. How important is this for us? God rested! If God rested, and surely we are not as resilient as God, then of course we need to rest!

Exodus 20:11, dead center in the Ten Commandments, reminds us how important this is saying, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it." By the way, consecrated, or "made holy," is a fancy way of saying "set aside." The Sabbath day was set aside for rest.

We live in a society that is too busy for its own good. Many of our most common diseases are caused by stress. There is so much "keeping up with the Joneses" that we can't even keep up with our own obligations any more. The only cure is rest. You've had a busy day today, so remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Which Way Are You Going

2011-06-13T01:07:00.034-05:00

Joshua 24:16-18

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I really want to know is
Are you gonna go my way
And I got to, got to know

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz

The question Lenny asks is obviously Messianic. This isn't to say that Lenny's the Messiah, but it is asking the listener to imagine the Messiah asking the ultimate question. Imagine the Messiah asking "Are you gonna go my way?" What is the answer?

In this passage, the tribes are renewing their covenant with the Lord. Joshua reminds them of where they came from. He reminds them of Abrham who became Abraham. He reminds them of the time in Egypt ending with the Exodus and the Law. Joshua ends his part of the liturgy with the famous affirmation "as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Imagine hearing the question "Who will you serve?" Imagine hearing the question "Are you gonna go my way?" Joshua asks the people this question. Their answer is recorded in these three verses. The Lord has done much for us. The Lord has lifted us from slavery. The Lord has done great signs in our presence. The Lord has protected us all along the way. So the only answer we have is "we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

Joshua asks, Lenny asks, the Lord asks: Who will you serve? Are you gonna go my way?

On this day after Pentecost we are called to answer, "Yes, we will go your way. We will serve the Lord for he is our God."

Heere Odda Hilldidda Hildhiruhah

2011-06-12T01:04:00.003-05:00

Pentecost

Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

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A bow bow

Heere odda hilldidda hildhiruhah
Juuuyr adda hilldadida jigguwah
Hieere odda hittomamma jizzowazzah
Hoow bawlda hillowowa howahwah
Heere odda hilldeninne hilldennine
Hiiire odda hillimoney hilluwowahwah
Dwiire odda higgunama shuppobup
Deare odda hildumama hithuivha
Peurr onna hillimona hillduwiva

"Rubber Biscuit" by Johnson and Adam R. Levy, recorded by The Blues Brothers

Speaking other languages, this is what many consider the primary sign of the Pentecost. Sure enough on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit fell upon their place like a rush of violent wind and divided tongues appeared on them with one tongue resting upon each of them. What a day this must have been.

It must have been a very frightening day. Tornadoes have been vicious this spring all over the Eastern United States. Wild fires have burned enough land in West Texas to be visible from space. People romanticize the Pentecost when it must have been very, very frightening. Wind and fire would have been known to the Hebrews living in the Holy Land and they would have known them as a dangerous combination. Tornadoes, fires, we say how glorious this was, but for the men in the room it must have been a holy terror.

Many today say the benchmark of the Pentecost was the giving of the gift of tongues, the ability to speak in other languages. The purpose of this gift was to allow the disciples to take the Word of God to people from other cultures. It was a spontaneous gift. It was also created so that the person who heard the tongue heard it either as gibberish or in their native language. It was a way to take the word to cultures that had not heard it before.

We are lucky in our time. Because of folks like Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Gideons, the word is being spread to people all over the world in their native tongue. Folks at Google and Microsoft, among many, have software that allows translation the written word (not nuanced, but still translated). In this way, the written word continues to have its own version of the gift of tongues.

In his discourse on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul implores us to seek the greater gifts of God. In this respect, as for the gift of tongues perhaps it is best to seek this gift to share the Word of God with other. And given the differences between peoples here at home, perhaps the tongues we need to seek to speak are all in our native tongue. This is how we speak truth to the powerful and the oppressed, to old and young, and to rich and poor.

Wanting and Being Wanted

2011-06-11T01:39:00.000-05:00

2 Peter 1:3-11 (NRSV)

His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

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I want you to want me
I need you to need me
I'd love you to love me
I'm begging you to beg me

"I Want You to Want Me" by Rick Nielsen from "In Color" by Cheap Trick

There is a praise song called "People Need the Lord," and it is true enough, but imagine this, the Lord needs people too. It is important to understand that if the Lord did not desire a relationship with people then people would not have been created. The Lord is a loving God who created humanity because of a want to share grace with the creation. Humanity did not have to be created, God wanted to create humanity.

Yes, it is our call, our vocation to sing to the Lord, "I want you to want me," but before we could ever do this, it was the Lord who sang us into existence singing those same words to us. The Lord wants us to want God.

We are called to pray without ceasing because God wants us to need something greater than ourselves and our own devices. God wants us to seek-beg if you will-because in seeking we reach for things that are greater than ourselves.

God loves us in grace and peace. God loves us and creates us by a love as abundant as an overflowing stream. God's love is without end and it is in this love that humanity was created. Yes, God wants us to love in return--and love not just the Lord but all that the Lord created.

Creation screams I want you to want me, not I want you to use me. In this way, the words of Peter's letter are affirmed. As we respond to the call, the vocation, the election of the Lord our God we will not stumble, we will not fall. "For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you."

This kingdom not only waits for us on the other side of this life, but by responding to God's call to love in this life, the kingdom of God can be made known and shown in our lives too.

Remember the Sabbath

2011-06-10T01:28:00.015-05:00

Exodus 20:8-11

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

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Monday morning feels so bad,
Ev'rybody seems to nag me
Coming tuesday I feel better,
Even my old man looks good,
Wednesday just don't go,
Thursday goes too slow,
I've got Friday on my mind

"Friday on My Mind" by The Easybeats

Scholars say the Ten Commandments can be broken down in to three groups. The first is how we relate to God, the second is how we relate to creation, and the third is how we relate to each other.

The first division is easy to find. Starting with "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me" makes that pretty obvious. The Lord is our God and that's that. The Lord has saved us before and continues to save us. What's better than that?

The final third is easy to pick out too. You shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, or covet are pretty obvious to what we have to do to have a civil society. When these obvious sins break into society, creation has hit the downward skids.

How we deal with creation is more nuanced. To keep something holy is to set it aside for a specific purpose. Scripture calls us to set aside the Sabbath. The Lord made the Sabbath so that we may rest. The Lord made the Sabbath so that the beasts of burden can rest. The Lord made the Sabbath and the Jubilee so that the land can rest. This is how we are called to relate to creation. Sabbath worship is our response to God's good gifts including creation and rest.

We are to be active, God creates and we are to follow God in what was created. But God rested too. Jesus took time from around his disciples to go and to be on his own to pray, rest, recover, and rejuvenate. God calls us to follow this example in the Sabbath. We are called to take time in the midst and presence of God to rest and recover.

Sabbath isn't the time to go out and party. It's a time to be with God and God's people. It's a time of prayer. It's a time to worship. Further, it's a time to anticipate with joy. Even all week long we should wait with joy for the Sabbath to come together as the community of God. It's good to have Friday on our minds.

Looking and Seeing

2011-06-09T03:23:00.002-05:00

Acts 9:3-8

Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

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Every time I look at you
I go blind.

"I Go Blind" written and performed by 54-40. (The Hootie and the Blowfish version was recorded ten years later.)

In Scripture blindness was a special kind of affliction. It wasn't treated as a physical ailment, it was considered a spiritual illness, an indication of sin.

Samson's life proved this. Even though a powerful judge of Israel, he was not attentive to his Nazirite vows. When he was taken by the Philistines one of the things they did to him was to blind him.

When Jesus and his disciples came upon the man who was born blind, they asked who sinned to cause his blindness.

Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ, for this he was blinded until the Lord lifted his blindness.

Blindness, in the case of two of Samson and Saul was a result of sin. Samson and Saul were filled with pride. Samson carried his fair share of vanity to boot. But because of their blindness, because they recognized the sin in their lives through their blindness, they sought the Lord in new ways. Their new faith in the steadfast God brought them to a new relationship with the Lord. They both approached the Lord in contrition and obedience. They did what they were called to do. They fulfilled their vocation.

It can be pointed out that their obedience led to their violent deaths. Samson died at the destruction of the Philistine temple which he brought down on all who attended the party held to shame him. Paul's death is not reported in scripture or history, but he was presumed to be beheaded at the hands of Nero in the mid first century. Yet, they both met their fates with their faith fully known. They met their faith fulfilling their missions on earth.

The Lord is never a fan of sin, but the Lord can use us even in our sin to accomplished the work of the kingdom. That's powerful.

As for the man born blind, it was the Lord who opened his eyes, which cost him his spot in the temple and in the community. His blindness was not the result of sin, yet to accept vision and the Lord cost him all that he had.

It is better to be like the man born blind than like Samson and Paul; born blind and given sight than to think we can see and be blinded.

Changes Changing

2011-06-08T03:07:00.004-05:00

Malachi 3:6-7

For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?”

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Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

"Changes" by David Bowie

Here's the problem we face as individuals and as the church. We're changing all the time. God never changes. Sometimes we improve and sometimes we don't. God never changes. What makes it difficult is when we change in directions that move toward God and away from society. That's very difficult. What's even worse is the thought that hundreds of years of conventional wisdom rooted in scripture can suddenly be wrong.

The church has dealt with this in the past. In fact, about every 500 years the church faces this in earnest. In the fifth century it came with the writing of the Nicene Creed. One stupid little Latin word, filioque (it means "from the Son"), caused a stink that broke the church into two parts, the Church of Rome (we call it Roman Catholic today) and the Orthodox Church. Half of the church says the Holy Spirit comes from the father, the other half says the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and from the Son. Splittsville!

Five hundred years later it was something else. Five hundred years after that it was a little thing we call the Reformation.

God never changes, we change. It has actually happened since the beginning. Acts 15 describes The Jerusalem Council where Peter wanted the gentiles to be more Jewish and Paul said in Christ we are all Jewish enough. God never changes. We change.

It's happening again all over the world. In the last 100 years, churches with their European roots have begun ordaining the children of African slaves, women, divorced people, and the latest hot button, homosexuals. Each of these changes have caused cracks in the face of the church-some smaller some larger. On both sides of the splits, people say that they are right and the opposition is wrong. In the worst of these, some call themselves faithful and the others unfaithful. Some Godly and the others ungodly.

God never changes and this is the only reason we don't perish.

God says we all have turned from the faith. God says we have turned from the faith since the beginning, so nothing is new under the sun. We have turned from the statutes of God since the first statute, "Don't eat that!" Our salvation is that when we change and when we don't, God doesn't change better than us.

We need to return. We need to return to the Word and we need to return to the Lord. But this is where we must beware, because as we turn we must decide whether we are turning toward or away from God. Regardless of the choice, someone will say the choice is good where others will say it is bad. No sweat, the Lord will judge.

On the Second Day

2011-06-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

Genesis 1:6-8

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

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I'm looking at myself, reflections of my mind,
It's just the kind of day to leave myself behind,
So gently swaying thru the fairy-land of love,
If you'll just come with me and see the beauty of

Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday afternoon.

"Tuesday Afternoon" by The Moody Blues

Tuesday, the second day of the week. Early in the week, much work still ahead, but still time for reflection and preparation. It this comment about creation or the 21st Century work week?

On the first day, God said "Let there be light and there was." With separating the light from the darkness God created night and day. Until then, the earth was formless and void. Darkness was the order of life--yet even in the darkness the Breath, Wind, Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.

On the second day, God created a dome, a firmament, that separated the water of life from the water of chaos. This division was called the sky.

God looked upon the earth, and all that existed was water and sky and water. It must have been a wonderful place for reflection and new life. It was seemingly like the womb of creation, from these waters comes life.

Life exists only because the Lord whose love overflows any ability to capture it choose to create it. Life exists because God's wanted to share that love and chose creation to receive that love. It's the sort thing that would make the perfect reflection for an afternoon on a hillside looking at the sunshine and thinking about God. It's the sort of image that can help us leave ourselves behind and consider the love of God.

Imagine a reflection in the waters of the earth, even before there is land, to consider the reflections of our minds in the beauty of God's good creation. Imagine a love that is not fairy-land but very real being shared with all who seek it.

So yes, the comment about it being early in the week of the Genesis creation story is so true; but so too it's timely to consider praise so early in our week. God's grace is free, but how can we enjoy it if we do not give praise to the one who gives it? So take some time and see the beauty of God through God's gracious actions. Tuesday afternoon is a very good time of the week.

Getting Nowhere Until Going Somewhere

2011-06-06T02:16:00.016-05:00

Ephesians 2:12b-13

Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

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People on their own are getting nowhere,
I am on the road to see,
If anything is anywhere and waiting, just for me.

"It's a Long Way There" by The Little River Band

Paul sends this letter to the church at Ephesus. This is not a Jewish community, it's a gentile community. These people had no knowledge of the Lord until hearing about Jesus. Some might have actually heard him speak. Some might have seen him in Jerusalem. But it is far more likely that the people of Ephesus heard of him than personally heard him.

They were strangers to Christ, as we were strangers to Christ. We, well, most of us, are alien from the commonwealth of Israel. We are gentiles. We are not the children of the original covenant. We are not members of God's first selected race of people. Salvation to all peoples comes from the Jews, through the person and work of Jesus, and then to the nations. There was no hope for us in the world.

There was no hope until Jesus the Christ invited us to be spliced into his salvation by his blood.

Gentiles were once people on the road and getting nowhere. Gods that were worshiped were worthless pieces of wood and stone. They were myths with feet of clay. Ultimately they had no real power of their own. The same is true today with the idols we still hold dear, things we worship that put us on the long road to nowhere.

Thanks be to God that there is something, someone who is waiting for us. The Lord God welcomes us into his fold by the blood of Christ. We were once far off and are now in the breast of God. It's a long way there, but its a trip worth taking.

A Teacher with a Lesson

2011-06-05T00:01:00.002-05:00

Titus 2:7-8

Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.

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Well the dawn was coming,
heard him ringing on my bell.
He said, ``My name's the teacher,
that is what I call myself.
And I have a lesson
that I must impart to you.
It's an old expression
but I must insist it's true.

Jump up, look around,
find yourself some fun,
no sense in sitting there hating everyone.
No man's an island and his castle isn't home,
the nest is full of nothing when the bird has flown.

"Teacher" by Jethro Tull

Teachers, Paul was the most influential voice of the early Christian church. His teachings flow to us today though the many epistles which remain in the New Testament. Some of his teachings are popular, some-particularly some of his teachings about the role of women-are not so popular. Above all, he teaches that our actions will reflect our words. Others will judge our walk with Christ by our acts of peace, grace, and mercy. Jethro Tull teaches some very interesting concepts in the song "Teacher."

"Jump up, look around" begins by saying we must be active, we must be participants in the community. We can't be good Christians living like hermits. We must participate in the community. Yes, there is a time to go off to a quiet place. There is a time for reflection and rest, but that time can't last forever. The three persons of God live in community and we are called to live by that example.

"Find yourself some fun, no sense in sitting there hating everyone" is a call to enjoy the community. The life of occasional sorrow is inevitable. God comforts those who mourn, but we cannot stay like that forever. Bitterness is often a way of life for people, and it's a horrible way of life. God does not hate, not even God's enemies. Jesus prayed for his enemies, there was no bitterness. Life, even the life of Christ, was too short for that.

"No man's an island and his castle isn't home." Our home is not here. Our home is not what we can buy with the money we earn. Our ultimate home is a gift of God's grace. What we have here is temporary. What we have here is ultimately folly. The song also reminds us "the nest is full of nothing when the bird has flown." What is here today is gone tomorrow.

Instead of the bitter solitary life of someone holed up with their earthly wealth and sorrow, we are called to present ourselves to the world as models of good works. We are to present the teaching of the faith in integrity, gravity, and sound speech. By these things there will be nothing that can be said against us. Our walk with the Lord will not be impeached on earth or in heaven.

What Appears to Be Insane

2011-06-04T00:20:00.001-05:00

Acts 26:24-25

While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.

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Welcome to my breakdown.
I hope I didn't scare you.
That's just the way we are when we come down.

"Welcome to My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper

One of the most difficult things about being a Christian is that to the world we're all kind of crazy. We believe in love. We believe in redemption. We believe no one is beyond the reach of God's redemptive work. Where this gets crazy is that if we believe no one is beyond redemption we had better believe that no one is beyond redemption. The moment we put limits on God's redeeming work, we put limits on God.

Sharing this truth has put Christians in a pickle since the beginning of Christ's ministry. Men left the family business. Men left their homes and families. Followers suffered scorn, ridicule, pain and even death. What's crazy is that they continued their mission!

We can always depend on the Holy Spirit to give us the words we need to share the Good News, but we can't guarantee people will be ready to hear it, or at least to accept it. Festus heard the word, but he was not ready to hear it. He declared Paul out of his mind. "Too much learning is driving you insane!" Festus was scared, frightened by the words Paul spoke and he could not fathom them. Instead he declared the Apostle coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs.

Friends, share the good news with your neighbors and you will risk the same rejection. Jesus tells us that we will be rejected by some, but he will never reject us. When people call us crazy we need to welcome them to our breakdown. It's just the way people often hear the word of God when it first comes down to them.

That's fine too, we aren't alone. Many have been called that sort of crazy before the Apostle. Many have been called that sort of crazy for speaking the sober truth. In Christ there is no nightmare, there is no breakdown--it'll just look that way to some people.

A Holy Kiss

2011-06-03T03:51:00.001-05:00

Romans 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

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You don't have to be rich
To be my girl
You don't have to be cool
To rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your

Kiss

"Kiss" by Prince recorded by The Art of Noise with Tom Jones. This version is Tom Jones and his band.

Everyone knows what a kiss is, but what makes a kiss holy? The simplest definition of holy is "set aside for particular service to God." This is what makes communion holy, it is a meal set aside by the Lord who calls us to share it until he returns in glory.

But what makes a kiss holy?

This section from Romans is where Paul wraps up the letter. In this section he sends his greetings to the people of the Church at Rome who have supported the cause of Christ, and him in particular. Paul greets and thanks many, many people. Some of the names are Latin, some Greek, some Asian. Paul greets people from all over the globe at the church in Rome.

It's also the source for a joke from the movie "Dogma" where Kevin Smith introduces the world to the 13th Apostle Rufus. Verse 13 contains a greeting to Rufus who is chosen in the Lord, but that's for another day.

Paul greets them all and bids they greet one another with a holy kiss. A kiss of welcome to all of God's disciples. He asks them to kiss one another with a kiss set aside for the Lord. He isn't asking them to develop a kiss that would rival a fraternity handshake, he is asking them to set aside time and action to welcome and greet one another in the name and the sight of the Lord.

Paul reached out to all sorts of people in this chapter from Romans. It's easy to imagine that the people he greets can be rich and poor, cool and geeky, man and woman.

Tom sings of not needing to be compatible with a particular sign, presumably a zodiac sign. The only sign he is more compatible with is the sign of the cross. This a sign that was set aside so that we will all know and remember his holy life.

That's all he wants, our time and our

Kiss. (Think I better dance now.)

Misunderstanding

2011-06-02T01:32:00.027-05:00

Matthew 20:20-22a

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking.”

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I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by The Animals

Leave it to a proud Mama to want the best for her boys. Leave it to Jesus to know that what is best is usually not what is easiest. Jesus knows what is best, there is no doubt about this. Yet it is only Jesus who knows where the best is going to lead all of the apostles.

Mama asks, Mama wants Jesus to say that her boys will sit in the greatest places of honor, at the left and right hand of Jesus in his kingdom. The problem is Mama doesn't know the path the kingdom will follow. Jesus knows, he knows so well that he tells her she doesn't know what she is asking.

Jesus asks James and John if they are able to drink from the cup he is about to drink. They boldly say yes, they are ready to drink from his cup. Again, they don't know the cup he is talking about, so he tells them they don't know what they are asking.

We know that the cup Jesus drinks from he offers to his disciples. The cup is the cup of the new covenant sealed in his blood shed for the forgiveness of sin. The cup is a sign of new life, but life that comes at a great cost, the life of the one who offers it to his disciples. They don't understand the cup he drinks, nor the cup he offers.

The last throne Jesus sits upon on this earth is the cross. There are two other men, one to his left and one to his right. It's quite sure that Mama didn't have this throne nor this kingdom in mind when she asked her sons to be at this left and right hand. She didn't understand the cost of the kingdom either.

Their intentions were good, they just didn't understand.

But as Jesus points out, they will know. They will know the joy of sharing the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will also know the horror of dying in the name of the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will absolutely know what it is like to drink from his cup.

Mama didn't understand nor did her sons. The good news is that they came to understand. They came to understand that what they thought was wrong and what was revealed was right, and better. It just wasn't the easiest.

Heights of Beauty

2011-06-01T02:16:00.000-05:00

Psalm 48:1-2

Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What will we do there? - We'll get high
What will we touch there? - We'll touch the sky
But why the tears there? I'll tell you why
It's all too beautiful, It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful, It's all too beautiful

"Itchycoo Park" by The Small Faces

God bless the '60's, the decade gave us a definition of "high" that had nothing to do with physical elevation. This is just a part of what the Small Faces give us. While the drug reference is without equivocation, looking at it from a slightly different place will help out this devotion.

Instead of considering this from the end of a bong, imagine it instead from any state of altered consciousness. When we get there it will be so wonderful and so glorious that it will be impossible to stand. We won't be able to handle all of the beauty and joy at once. There will be too much glory to be able to tolerate. It's all too beautiful, our only choice will be to cry for joy in the vision of the high and mighty.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of God. Beautiful in elevation is the joy of all the earth. It's so wonderful that our only real expression of joy is to cry. The heights of God's beauty are beyond all we can ever hope or imagine.

In the presence of God, our place in creation will be different. We will be on the holy mountain of God in the joy of all the earth. We will be in the presence of God Almighty. The only true emotional response will be tears of joy.

What's even more glorious will be the one who will dry our tears.

Seeing the Other Side

2011-05-31T12:10:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Colin Gage for the suggestion.

Acts 7:55-60

But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.

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Life is like a mountain railway
With an engineer that's brave
You must make a run successful
From the cradle to the grave
Watch the curves, the hills and tunnels
Never falter, never fail
Just keep your hand upon the throttle
And your eyes upon the rail
Blessed Savior Thou will guide us
Till we reach that blissful shore
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore

"Life's Railway to Heaven" by Charles Davis Tillman and recorded by The Amazing Rhythm Aces

Saint Stephen had some real guts. He was brought before the council to speak to his beliefs and his actions. So he told them.

The council loved most of what he had to say. And why not? He was recounting the faith, he was recounting Moses, the father of the faith. He was telling them what he knew and what he knew too. I imagine the council was a little smug at this point, thinking this Stephen, this "disciple of Jesus of Nazareth" was denying this rebel rabbi and coming back to the faith.

That is until he came to the end of his observations. Stephen ended his speech saying, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”

This is when their question and dismay turned to blind anger. This is when the stoning began.

"Life's Railway to Heaven" gives us the wonderful vision of the successful run of this life, a look at the path that runs to the other side. A run that from cradle to grave; through curves, hills, and tunnels; never falters nor fails. It's a life that moves straight ahead, the only direction a train can travel on a track to make any progress.

Saint Stephen knew where his path would take him. He knew where his trip on the mountain railway would lead. He was a brave engineer on the steam engine that was burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit. He knew the track would take him to his death. And he was confident that in Jesus death in this world was just a station to pass through before being with his Lord forever.

He left this world with the angels in their praise of God forevermore. And more, his prayer was that God would not hold the sin of the men who stoned him against them. Stephen had faith in repentance. Stephen had faith in the one who calls us all to repentance. By his faith he was able to see to the other side. That's the great thing about life's railway to heaven, God is willing to accept all who tie their tracks onto his and is ready to fuel their engine by the eternal Spirit of God.

The Way Home

2011-05-30T02:23:00.007-05:00

Memorial Day

2Corinthians 5:6-10

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All the places I've been and things I've seen
A million stories that made up a million shattered dreams
The faces of people I'll never see again
And I can't seem to find my way home

"Far From Home" by Five Finger Death Punch

The nation has been in foreign wars for over ten years now. It's way too easy to talk about the divisive politics attached to these wars, but one thing must be done. We must honor and respect the men and women who voluntarily put their lives on the line.

If people of this country learned one lesson from Vietnam it's that veterans were treated poorly upon their return and this must never happen again. Never should a returning soldier be treated shamefully by the people they have chosen to defend. Never.

The soldier sees the million shattered dreams and faces of people dead and injured. This not only shatters the dreams of the dead but of all those surviving. This makes the path home a difficult one for so many.

But we can be confident that in the grand scheme we walk not by the ways of the world. Our bodies are the temporary vessels that carry us here and now. We work to please God because we will be judged by God. God will judge us by how we treat those who defend us.

There are some who can't find their way home. It is up to us to shine the light of God so that the way be made clear. We don't shine it, but we reflect it. That is our vocation.

Fighting Against

2011-05-29T10:36:00.000-05:00

Acts 14:1-3

The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No kiddin',
I'm ready to fight

"Boom Boom, Out Go the Lights" written by Little Walter recorded by the Pat Travers Band

Here's the bad news. It's much easier to stand against something than it is to stand for something. All anyone needs to stand against something is to have something to stand against and a forum to let it out.

This is actually why some people prefer the Gospel of John. John's gospel stands against the Jewish leaders of the temple, but since it just says "the Jews" it's easy and lazy to lump everyone together and cry out "when I get her in my sights, boom boom, out go the lights."

The difference is that Paul and Barnabas spoke for something, they spoke for someone, the Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke of his sovereignty. They spoke of his works. They spoke of his grace and peace. They spoke of the wonders and the glory of God.

The temple leaders just said "We've never done it that way before!" and stirred others against the men who bring the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.

It's easy to be against something, it's tougher to be for something. Jesus gives us something to be for, glory be to God.

Shining in the Blindness

2011-05-28T01:47:00.000-05:00

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

The Great Escape

2011-05-27T00:20:00.023-05:00

Acts 24:27

After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and since he wanted to grant the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And the County Judge who held a grudge
will search forevermore
for the band on the run.
Band on the run

"Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney

Paul was imprisoned for raising a ruckus with the leaders of the temple. Acts 23 puts it this way, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead." Paul was imprisoned because he was preaching the resurrection in the temple and as it was some years earlier, the Pharisees were having nothing to do with it.

The Pharisees conspired to have Paul killed. Nothing as elaborate as the scam that killed Jesus, the time for subtlety was done. They wanted this quick and simple. But with Paul, again a man smarter than the run of the mill Pharisee, he made use of everything at his command. This time he made use of his Roman Citizenship. He demanded to be tried by Rome instead of by the locals. If the temple leadership had been connected to any Roman Citizen's death, there would be Rome to pay.

So Felix, the local leader kept Paul in jail, but that's not the only reason why. Felix's wife was Jewish, so if Paul was killed under his care Felix would have an angry wife. Felix also enjoyed speaking with Paul, even though Paul frightened him; not unlike the case of John the Baptist. Also, Felix was hoping for some bribe money.

So this county judge held a grudge, and held Paul in prison.

Yet, all this time, Paul's faith was not shaken. This is because Jesus was not shaken. We are tossed and turned by the strong and the powerful, but when we remain with the one who is stronger and more powerful, we will be tossed, but we will not be forsaken.

The other Paul was on the run for other reasons.

Innocent Children

2011-05-26T03:42:00.000-05:00

Matthew 2:16-18 (NRSV)

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because Hell, Hell is for children
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess
Hell Hell is for children
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh

"Hell Is for Children" by Pat Benetar from "Crimes of Passion" (1980)

The passage is about a King being so insecure that he forces "the slaughter of the innocents." Yes, this passage is commonly called, "the slaughter of the innocents." The song is about child abuse. In an interview Pat Benetar was asked if this song was written about an experience in her life. She said "No, thank God."

King Herod was the Praetor, the Chief Magistrate, of Judea and he had been in power for over thirty years and you didn’t accumulate and keep that kind of power in the Roman Empire without knowing how to quell a rebellion or two. But Herod was more. On top of his winning personality Herod was angry, vengeful, and brutal.

So when the three wise men tricked him by returning to the east along a different route, Herod knew there was only one thing to do. Kill 'em all. So he consulted his advisors and they figured out the maximum age of the new-born king. He then sent a detachment to Nazareth where any child who even remotely close to the decided upon age was massacred. This is the slaughter, the slaughter of the innocents.

Before he could walk, even before he could take food from beyond his mother’s breast, Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God and Son of Man is surrounded in blood and death.

There are many who walk wounded in life. They are victims of abuse. They are hurt, they are uncertain. Literally, they are gun shy. But we can take one piece from this, even our Lord lived in a time when child abuse existed. Even our Lord lived when children were treated so very poorly that slaughter was possilbe.

This may make no immediate difference, but as Christ was living when this was happening in Judea, He lives today. In this, there is truth.

Nothing and No One

2011-05-25T01:07:00.027-05:00

Philippians 2:19-24

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy’s worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'cause nothing compares
nothing compares to you

"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince recorded by Sinéad O'Connor

Paul wrote this letter from Rome where he was imprisoned for the ruckus he raised in Jerusalem. By the time of this writing he had been imprisoned for two years. Prison in ancient Rome is not like America today. In Paul's situation, he was responsible for providing for his own expenses. The better the money, the better his prison experience. This is why churches supported him while he was in prison. In about 62AD, the Philippians sent a man named Epaphroditus to Rome with the church's support. Paul sent him back with this epistle.

In the letter, Paul praised the worth of his fellow traveler Timothy. Timothy was a good friend and a confidant. They were like father and son on the road together. Mentor and protégé. To Paul, no one compared to Timothy.

In our lives, we have a father figure, God the Father. There are many whose father did not give them good gifts. These are victims of abuse and violence. They are victims of emotional and physical terror. These are people who when they are told of "God the Father" have no idea what a good father is like. These are people who may reject the message of the triune God because of an earned bias against fathers in general.

The good news is that there is no one on Earth who compares to God; Father, Son, or Spirit. Nothing compares to the Lord who gives good gifts. Nothing compares to the Lord who gave us his Son to mend a relationship humanity broke to begin with.

Nothing compares to the Lord who sent his Son and who will send his Son again. We cannot know the day or the time, but with confidence in the word of the Father we can say the Son will return.

Paul promises he will return to Philippi. This was a promise he could not keep. But the promise of new life from the Father of us all, this is a promise kept. Nothing compares to the Father who promises eternal presence.

A New Thing

2011-05-24T03:05:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once I used to join in
every boy and girl was my friend.
Now there's revolution, but they don't know
what they're fighting.
Let us close out eyes;
outside their lives go on much faster.
Oh, we won't give in,
we'll keep living in the past.

"Living in the Past" by Jethro Tull

God says "I am about to do a new thing." Tull says "I don't care, I'm not falling for it." Guess which has more staying power? Even if Jethro Tull can last forever, God has eternity as a head start.

God never changes. This is true. What is also true is that God has never stopped creating. We talk about a love of "the good old days," a time when things were simpler. This could be true, it could be just as true that "the good old days" were just the days that we were unaware of all of the changes happening in our lives. Ignorance is bliss.

Tull says that there's revolution, but we don''t know what we're fighting. That's true as far as it goes. God says not to be beholden to nostalgia, don't remember the former things or consider the things of old. There's comfort in "the good old days" though. Remembering what we learned on our parent's knees, but these words are only as useful as they are to perceive the new thing God does.

God says "I am about to do a new thing" and we need to look with an eye to what is happening. Yet Tull has one thing right, God builds on the foundation laid over eternity. So there is value to what God has done in the past, because that is where the future takes its root.

But beware, if we choose to live in the foundation we will never see the Son.

Belonging

2011-05-23T09:41:00.032-05:00

John 18:8-9

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You belong to me
Can it be, honey, that you're not sure

"You Belong to Me" written by Carly Simon and Michael McDonald recorded by The Doobie Brothers and a year later by Carly Simon

Belonging is a wonderful thing unless it becomes terrifying, and the line between the two can be very, very narrow. There are many songs that eerily straddle this line. Sarah McLachlan's "Possession" was written about a fan who stalked her. She used some of the words from his own letters that takes creepy to a whole new level. The Police's "Every Breath You Take" isn't quite as creepy, but the number of people who use it to describe their own relationships have either failed to look hard at the lyric or are themselves frightening stalkers.

"You Belong to Me" belongs in this group. Like the other songs, the melody is wonderful and lilting with just a bit of menace. It also has that one little lyric that when stretched becomes evidence at the trial. What this song is about is a singer who has been dumped by their lover. The other has found someone new in their life and is on their way to the "happily ever after." This isn't good for the singer. The singer wants their lover back. Shoot, you can't be someone else's lover, you belong to me.

You belong to me, can it be that you're not sure?

What's different about Jesus is that first of all, we do belong to him. We belong to God. The difference is that God is not a possessive lover. In Jesus, God emptied himself. He did not use his holy status to lord over us. He used it to save us. He gave himself so that not one of us was lost.

Yes, we belong to God, but it is God who gave himself for us. It isn't that God hoards us, God gives himself to us and everything to our life.

Kings and Kingdoms

2011-05-22T01:52:00.034-05:00

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

Steely Dan often wrote in odd and exotic metaphor, sometimes not so much. 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. What they mean by no marigolds is no virgins. What they mean is a world of extreme violence where nothing short of rape and murder are the norm.

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 put God on a cross to kill him.

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.

I Feel Fine

2011-05-21T00:24:00.000-05:00

I had planned on using this song when I ended this blog, but I just couldn't resist using it today.

Matthew 24:30-36

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's the end of the world as we know it,
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it,
And I feel fine.

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by REM

Scripture tells us there will be a time when the world as we know it will come to an end. It also says there will be a time when heaven and earth will pass away. It will happen with the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory. It also says that no one knows when this will happen except for the Father. Harold Camping says "o contraire."

Camping leads a radio, print, and internet ministry called www.wecanknow.com. Camping contends that not only can we know when this will happen, but he has discerned when this is going to happen. When you ask? Let's just say that if you are reading this devotional after Noon Eastern Time then you were not gathered among the believers at the rapture. Sorry.

Mocking rapture predictions with their long history of inaccuracy is easy, after all, not one prediction has come true yet. Camping himself is among this number when his prediction of rapture in 1994 did not happen. That is unless of course the rapture has happened and we've been left behind. That's an eerie thought, but that's also my point.

Guess what? The rapture is predicted for today and that's fine with me. It's fine because I don't have confidence in men, or in their predictions. I have confidence in God. I am confident that we are saved by grace through faith and all of the rest is a weird little smoke screen to fulfill some sort of odd agenda.

I am confident in the word and the works of the sovereign God who in the person of Jesus the Christ tells us that only the Father knows when this will happen. I am confident that I am saved by grace through faith. So whether or not this is the end of the world, I feel fine.

As for Camping's confidence, in just the last month wecanknow.com has taken down the link to the donations page. Of course if you want to send them money on Sunday, you still can.

Beware

2011-05-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Matthew 6:25-27

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watch out now, take care
Beware of the thoughts that linger
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you
In the dead of night

Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what you are here for

"Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison. This video is from George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh."

It would seem right to connect this passage with Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" except that the sentiment and the song are both vapid. Scripture and the work of the Christ are opposite.

"Do not worry" sounds easy enough, but turning on the news or picking up the paper gives ample worries. Tsunami, earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes-there's a lot to worry about and this is just the "natural disaster" category. Pile nuclear meltdowns, terrorism, economic woe, drugs, crime, and the like makes "don't worry" sounds like "put your head in the sand." It makes "don't worry" sounds like "don't be concerned," but I disagree.

When "Don't worry" sounds like "disengage from life" we've missed the boat. Disengaging is the last thing Jesus wants.

Jesus points out that the Father provides for the birds of the air. What Jesus doesn't say is that while God provides the birds have to go collect. They don't sow nor do they reap, but they still have to dig up worms. They still have to peck bark to find insects in trees. They still have to collect twigs to make shelter and then they have to build it. It's a two part process: God provides, and the birds use what God provides. God provides, but God doesn't provide pre-fab.

God has provided us with what we need to be concerned and with what we need to take care of those concerns.

George Harrison tells us that we need to watch out for are the worries linger, thoughts that wind up bringing hopelessness inside our head. He knows that this comes at the dead of night. He warns us that sadness hits and hurts. Sadness makes us sore, but that is not what we are here for. George had concerns, but he did more than rent his clothes and shake his fist at God.

The video footage is from "The Concert for Bangladesh." George Harrison and friends in connection with UNICEF presented this concert in August 1971 to benefit victims of the 1970 Bhola cyclone and victims of atrocities suffered during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. George was worried, but he did not put his head in the sand. He did what he does best, play music, and through ticket, record, and movie sales collected nearly $250,000 (in today's dollars that's $3,250,000) to help relieve suffering. Doing so, George Harrison invented the first modern benefit concert.

Worry is a waste, but disengaging from life is inexcusable. Being concerned is another matter, but only when we do something about it. God leaves what we need all around us to do His work. We are called to do it.

Best of the Best

2011-05-19T01:57:00.000-05:00

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going, I'm going where the water tastes like wine
Well I'm going where the water tastes like wine

"Going Up the Country" by Canned Heat

The wedding at Cana was the site of Jesus' first miracle. This is where Jesus performed the miracle more people may know than any other, turning water into wine.

First century weddings are the same sort of production numbers we see today. There are wedding planners and banquet masters and pit masters and all manner of servers and clean up crews. What isn't like today is that it was harder to organize a wedding in Jesus' time than it is today. Yes, this is a message to anyone who has ever dealt with a bridezilla, it was tougher 2,000 years ago to put together a wedding.

A part of what was more difficult is that it was impossible to tell everyone "the service starts at 4:30." Yes, not having clocks made that impossible, but more than that, it was nearly impossible to predict when everything would be ready. So in the first century the wedding didn't start until everything was ready. That was the starting time, not some scheduled hour.

As embarrassing as it is today, in the day it was even more embarrassing to run out of food and wine. Beyond embarrassing, it would have been an even worse slap to business concerns, family members, and the church. So when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus was very concerned for this new family and their standing in the community. She wanted her son to do something about it.

Jesus objected, but finally took care of this new family. He had the servants draw water into ritual washing jars and told them to take a dipper to the banquet master. There he declared it the best wine.

In his way, the banquet master told a tale of the society. Bring out the good stuff early and when everyone's drunk, bring out the Mad Dog 20/20. So the banquet master was amazed that the wine that was coming out long after everyone was well on their way to three-sheets-to-the-wind, the best wine this catering professional had ever had was being served. He was amazed! He was surprised! He also probably thought it was a waste to give such good wine to a bunch of folks who wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

That's what Jesus does. He gives the best to the best to us, even though because of sin we can never really appreciate it. Even though because of sin we can never really appreciate it he gives us himself. What a gloriously generous gift he gives of himself, only the best of the best.

Being Satisfied

2011-05-18T03:00:00.008-05:00

John 14:8-11

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

From the Throne of Heaven to the Cross

2011-05-17T01:33:00.000-05:00

Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

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Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key

But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time, oh no
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home

"Can't Find My Way Home" by Steve Winwood recorded by Blind Faith

We think of a throne as the embodiment of full and complete power. Thrones are held by kings and queens who reign supreme power over their realm. This should be especially true of the King of kings who sits on the throne of heaven. The King of heaven is the one who is the great creator. It is from this throne that all things were created, by him and through him and for him.

The cross was the exact opposite. It was a place of shame. It was a place of pain. Those who were lashed to the tree of woe were left there while the sun burnt the flesh to the jeering crowds while the burden of breathing eventually became insurmountable. It is the most exquisitely brutal form of death the Roman Empire inflicted upon its prisoners and was how the King of Glory met his death. This creator God upon the throne was lifted to die upon the cross.

It is this God; Father, Son, and Spirit; it is the king upon the throne who is executed like a reviled rebel. Of all of the most outrageous things, this is the way it was meant to be. God on the throne creates life, God on the cross reconciles life. Life comes from God, through God, and back to God. In the end, it's not God who suffers a horrid transition, it's us, we suffer the transition from children of the garden to children of sin back to children of the risen Lord.

God came down from the throne and entered life in the body of a Jewish man from Nazareth. In his changes we are changed more. When we sing that somebody holds the key to life, we know that this is true. The holder of the keys to the kingdom is God. When we deny this, when we deny God's role in our creation, when we deny God's role in our reconciliation; when we deny this we can't find our way home.

We look, we seek and we hope to find. But it isn't until we finally see the firstborn of all creation, the God who holds all things together, the one who is constantly looking for us that we find our way home. Everything else is just a waste.

Rocked on the Water

2011-05-16T03:46:00.000-05:00

Jonah 1:4-6

But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. The captain came and said to him, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”

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The road is filled with homeless souls
Every woman, child and man
Who have no idea where they will go
But they'll help you if they can
Now everyone must have some thought
That's going to pull them through somehow
Well the fires are raging hotter and hotter
But the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now

"Rock Me on the Water" by Jackson Brown

Jonah got rocked on the water for one simple reason, The Lord told him "go and warn the city of Nineveh that it wasn't going to end well... soon" and Jonah said, "Er, no." Instead of heading off into the desert he headed off to the sea.

Everybody on that ship was heading off on their way. They had no idea who their fellow passenger was, nor did they have any idea where this trip would take them. They didn't know that they had signed onto a vessel that was doomed because of one man's disobedience. So the Lord brought up a great storm on the sea. They were tossed like they were no more than a cork. The seamen prayed to their own Gods to still the sea and their Gods were worthless. Jonah on the other hand knew what was happening and he took a nap.

How's that for confidence in the Lord. Jonah knew he was being disobedient to the Lord. He knew this danger was the consequence of his disobedience. He was so confident in the Lord and that the coming of the Lord's judgment would come that he could sleep in the midst of pending doom.

Everyone on the boat knew they were going down. They even dumped their cargo so that they wouldn't be swamped by the roaring sea. These harmless souls prayed to their ineffective Gods that they would pull them through this somehow. The captain, knowing Jonah followed a different God, told him to pray to his God for salvation.

Well, Jonah knew what was happening left the boat which saved the crew. Then he was rocked again on the water. Jonah was rocked and God was there. The Lord was present and the Lord provided. It didn't go like Jonah wanted or desired, but the Lord provided. Maybe Jonah is the ultimate example that we don't have to like what God's doing, and that's fine with God. But it is better to go with the tide than to get rocked.

Well Respected Men About Town

2011-05-14T01:42:00.000-05:00

Matthew 23:5-7

They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.

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'Cause he gets up in the morning,
And he goes to work at nine,
And he comes back home at five-thirty,
Gets the same train every time.
'Cause his world is built 'round punctuality,
It never fails.

And he's oh, so good,
And he's oh, so fine,
And he's oh, so healthy,
In his body and his mind.
He's a well respected man about town,
Doing the best things so conservatively.

"Well Respected Man About Town" by The Kinks

There is something noble to be said for doing the right things the right way. It's a principle of business popularized by W. Edwards Deming in his business dealings in Japan after World War II. At this time "Made in Japan" meant shoddy where today it means high and consistent in quality. It was Deming who brought this mindset to the Japanese, after his concepts were rejected by American business.

If there is one thing wrong with doing the right things the right way it's that it allows for only slight incremental improvement. It doesn't move toward great leaps of innovation. While both are important, it would be like making cars a little more cost effective while Star Trek transporters are being invented and developed. No matter how much more improved the car becomes, it will become nothing when transporting takes hold.

The Pharisees knew their faith. The Pharisees knew the ways of the Law and the Prophets. The Pharisees were the Sons of Moses. They were the heirs of Abraham. Their God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In this, they took to the trappings of their station. They make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.

Their world built on everything that was oh so good and oh so right was about to come to an end. Their faith that never fails built on punctuality of ritual cleanliness and blood sacrifice were about to become obsolete. They built their faith on the trappings and requirements of God, not on God's own self. They kept the law without keeping the one who created the Law.

God was about to reveal something new and their conservative faith would not recognize it. This is something we face daily. God revealed himself new in Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus who was the Messiah. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to see and participate in God's work on earth. We must take this seriously. Not because God is changing, but because God continues to create. If like the Pharisees we hold the law like a gate post, we will never follow the guide posts God places along the way. This is the way of new life in Christ.

Money for Nothing

2011-05-13T04:30:00.000-05:00

Mark 12:41-44

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

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That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb

"Money for Nothing" by Dire Straights (this version from "The Prince's Trust" concert 1986 featuring Sting, Brian May, Elton John, Phil Collins and Howard Jones)

It's easy for rich people to make a splash. Press conferences and over-sized checks and loads of appreciation for largess. Now, these are pretty splashy. The folks who benefit from these donations certainly appreciate that someone somewhere cares enough to help out.

The video above is from a fund raiser for The Prince's Trust. This charitable trust helps about 40,000 young Brits every year with training and mentoring. It's one of many trusts and organizations that seek to offer a hand up instead of a hand out. It's more to help people out of poverty than just to help maintain a minimum quality of impoverished life.

In 2010, UK's The Charity Commission reports the Prince's trust took in £36.4 million and spent £30.0 million on charitable activities. This quite impressive and deserves cheer. Of course according to E!News, the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William Windsor cost £43.0 million. So relatively speaking, how generous is the Prince's Trust?

The Pharisees were always happy to see the rich men come in and make a grand spectacle of their offerings. It is always a grand and wonderful sound to hear the sound of coin falling into the treasury. That ain't working, that's the way you do it. They loved the benefits of this too. They loved sitting around the courtyards of the rich drinking good wine and living well. The benefits of being friends with the rich are much better than the benefits of hanging with the widows--if you're only interested in life you hold in your hand and put in your belly that is. If that's all you're interested in then these guys ain't dumb.

Jesus is interested in more though. He wants disciples who are willing to give all they have. The rich guys give from their riches, the widow gives everything. In this she gives more in two mites than the wealthy in their riches. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Give thanks to those who give much, but more should be shown to those who give all. Life in Christ never leaves us in dire straights.

Bum Rush the Show

2011-05-12T04:17:00.000-05:00

Glatians 3:27-28

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

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What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be

"Fight the Power" by Chuck D and Flavor Flav from Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy

Rock and roll does anger very well, and every beat of angry rock can easily be met with angry rap. It is said that freedom delayed is freedom denied, Chuck D says "Power to the people no delay."

It's amazing how many believe one people to be superior to another in the eyes of God and man. Somehow, people forget that in Paul's writings-in Christ discinctions between people disappear.

If Paul had been asked to make a better list of those in whom there is no distinction, He would not have written a disclaimer worthy of a car ad on TV. Something like: “there is no distinction between people; including but not limited to Jew and Greek, Israelite and gentile, slave and free, men and women, black and white, rich and poor, homosexual and heterosexual, oppressor and oppressed, western and eastern, Middle Eastern and European, Catholic and Protestant, ninety days same as cash with approved credit, dealer retains all incentives.”

Given this, anger seems to be a logical response. When those who are powerful put themselves above others, they put themselves not beside God but in place of God. We are called to judge behavior, there are both right and wrong things to do. But as the children of God, we are all the judged not by another person, but by the High Priest of the Faith; the Prophet, Priest, and King--the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anger that burns city blocks, not productive. Anger that riles against injustice, that is the anger Jesus himself showed in the temple, that's something no moneychanger will ever forget.

Looking for Signs

2011-05-11T13:56:00.002-05:00

Mark 8:11-13

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

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"If God was here he'd tell you to your face, Man, you're some kinda sinner"

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

"Signs" originally written and recorded by the Five Man Electrical Band, this version by Tesla

Signs, everybody wants a sign. Thomas doubted the stories of the resurrection. He wanted to see Jesus' hands and side and put his hand in the holes. Granted, he just wanted to see what the other apostles had seen, but still, he's not taking anybody's word for it, he just wants to see it for himself.

These are cynical times. People want to see the President's "long form" birth certificate. Then when it's seen people still don't believe. People rejoice that Osama Bin Laden is dead, but then demand to see the body before believing it's true.

The Discovery Channel has made stars out of the hosts of "Mythbusters." One of the myths they debunked was "we never landed on the moon." Still, people won't believe until they see astronaut lunar debris for themselves and will still say "they brought this stuff six months before opening the moon for tourism."

Americans have always been a skeptical people. It probably began with the revolution. It's reflected in the Bill or Rights. After all, the main articles define governmental rights, but where are the rights of the common man? That's right, the Bill or Rights. It probably turned the corner from skeptical to cynicism during Watergate. Where all governments have their shady actions, President Nixon took this to new extremes.

So the Pharisees want their signs. Jesus tells them that their generation will receive no sign.

In truth, Jesus had shown them a sign, the incarnation. Emmanuel, God with us is the sign sent to this generation. God with us is the sign sent to all generations. It was first seen in the person of the Father in the Garden of Eden, it was seen again in the person of the Son in the Garden of Gethsemane, and is seen in our own gardens in the divine wind that blows across all creation, the Holy Spirit.

We all want signs, it's only human. The glory and the joy of God is that the signs of God in the world are found all around us. We find them in a hand from a neighbor. We find them in the hugs and kisses of a loved one. We find them in the warmth of the sun and the refreshing breezes of our own gardens.

What stands between us and this glorious revelation, let me tell it to your face, it's sin. Sin will be in our way until Christ comes again. In the meantime, Christ breaks into our world every day in every moment. Live intentionally and see that Christ is in the world. Those are the signs worth seeing. Those are the signs worth following.

The Chaos of Water and Life

2011-05-10T03:34:00.000-05:00

Matthew 8:23-27

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

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Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown

Riders On the Storm by Jim Morrison on LA Woman by The Doors

Sometimes, things are taken out of context, and sometimes we don't know the context because we don't know the history or the culture of the context. In this scripture, there is both missing context and missing history which makes this tougher to interpret.

For example, the middle two verses of Riders on the Storm seems to be the story of a roadside hitchhiker psycho serial killer. But it is wrapped in such a soothing lilting melody that the terror of the lyric is hidden. So when Jim starts singing about a killer on the road whose brain is squirming like a toad, the psychodelic image overrides the dangerous image. Sometimes the scariest things are in our imaginations. Sometimes they are in plain sight and sound.

In Matthew's telling of the calming of the storm, one of the things we don't realize is that first, Matthew wrote for the first Jewish Christians, when we read this Gospel with 21st century eyes, we miss the first century imagry.

For example, the sea holds a special meaning for the Jewish disciples. To them, the sea was a place of danger. Not only did they know the dangers of the sea fishermen knew first hand; they also knew from the creation story that the waters were the place of chaos. The waters were a place of danger and death. Their worst known and unknown fears were before their very eyes in the middle of a small craft advisory.

Through this, Jesus slept, he slept! But when the disciples call upon him, Jesus calms the raging fury. When they ask "what kind of man can calm the storm?" they are also asking "what kind of man can smooth the chaos and defeat the powers of death?"

Indeed, who?

The Doors sing of a people, the house we're born into, the world we're thrown into. It's a dangerous world with the Boogy-Man waiting to get you when you least expect it to happen. Yet in all this danger, there is one who conquers the chaos. There is one who takes our fears and sets them aside. The boat is being swamped, but in Christ we will not perish.

Seeking and Being Sought

2011-05-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

Psalm 37:7

Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.

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I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

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

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

Wanting in and of itself isn't a bad thing. It's how advancements are made. Necessity is the mother of invention. If you're happy with everything then there's nothing else you want. But this life is not all that there is, and as people of Christ we want more. Of course as creatures infected with sin, there's more stuff we want that's not good for us than what is good for us.

The evil in our society always seem to have more and better stuff. But we are still called not to fret over their success. So that leaves the rest of us wanting and wondering. We seek the better things yet we strive to live a better life than a robber-baron. We might shake hands with the devil, but we are also called to tell him that we don't want any. The tongues of the angels are more of what we are to seek, these keep us warm at night. U2 has this part right.

U2 also has this part right which comes from the end of the song:

I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
But yes I'm still running

We know what we believe in. We know the source of our salvation. We know salvation comes by grace through faith. But still we run. What do we run from? More U2 shows us:

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

Our only answer is to be still and know that as we are seeking what we are looking for, God seeks us at the same time. God seeks us from the cross cast in our sin and shame that breaks our bonds and looses our chains. So we do need to seek, we need to seek the face of God. The Good News is that God seeks us too.