Living Like a Refugee

Matthew 2:13-15a

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

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You don't ha-ave to live like a refugee
(Don't have to live like a refugee)

"Refugee" by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the "Damn the Torpedoes" album.

The Christmas Story is a wonderful and glorious tale. And in Matthew's gospel it doesn't last very long, it begins in the middle of chapter one and ends in the middle of chapter two. That's all. The Christmas Story ends abruptly with Joseph's dream from the angel of the Lord warning him to  “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.” How long? God only knows... literally God only knows.

Of course, in the first century as well as in the twenty-second Egypt is not a good place for a Jew on the run. He would go to a place where he was not welcome. This allowed me to think about the racial and ethnic lines that were crossed with the simple words “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod."

The Holy Family had to live like a refugee. In a way, we are like refugees. It is said that we are not citizens of this world. We are citizens of heaven. In a way, that makes us refugees. We are refugees in a world that is not ours. Our hope is that our Lord Jesus Christ also lived in this world. He lived like a refugee. He lived like a refugee in Egypt and like a refugee in this world in general. There is no where that we can go that Christ hasn't also gone. That is truly our hope.

Because Christ has lived like a refugee, we don't have to live like a refugee, because we know where our home is.

The Wind Cries

Luke 1:26-33

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

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A broom is drearily sweeping
Up the broken pieces of yesterdays life
Somewhere a queen is weeping
Somewhere a king has no wife
And the wind, it cries Mary

"The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix

We are currently in the sixth month of the year according to the Jewish calendar. That makes the date of our dear Savior's birth nine months away. It seems like the wrong time to consider Christmas, but a nine-month pregnancy being what it is, the time is upon us to consider this passage.

So imagine you're a teenage girl. I don't mean eighteen or nineteen either, I mean thirteen, maybe fifteen if you're an old maid. You're a virgin because you've followed society's rules. Then you hear these magical words, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Can life get any better than that?

Then you hear these words, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” Have you ever noticed when people, even angels say “Do not be afraid” it's time to duck? Those may well be the international signal for “Look out!”

Mary was in for something different. She was a good girl, she did the right things the right way and suddenly everyone is going to think she's a whore! It's logical, it's sensible. Then again, God's wisdom is our folly and vice-versa. You can't blame her for thinking “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you” is a cruel hoax.

Mary was told of her son's future. She was told that he would be great, the Son of the Most High. She was told that he would have the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever. She was told of his infinite reign. It must have been a reassurance, but still...

Mary's life suddenly featured a broom sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday's life. It wouldn't be easy. She would eventually be shipped off to her cousin Elizabeth's house. There she would be blessed by Elizabeth and her child. It wouldn't be easy, but she would be blessed.

By her blessing the world would be blessed.

Her pregnancy would not be easy. She would be doubted by her betrothed and by her people. She would be forced to ride in the dead of winter in the wilderness. She would give birth in a cave and her baby placed in a feed trough. He would fulfill what the angel promised and more.

"And more" happens next week, Holy Week. Mary wasn't told about this. Surely it would have broken her heart then as much as it did thirty-some years later. And as it was on Easter Sunday so it is today, the wind cries Mary.

Where the Love of God Goes

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

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Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, from Summertime Dream

In ancient times, water was the embodiment of chaos. Genesis 1:6 mentions God building a barrier, a firmament, between the waters of order and the waters of chaos. God would later use the waters of chaos to wipe creation from the face of the earth in the story of Noah and the flood. The chaos of the sea is the home of the Leviathan, the ancient dragon of the sea. The Behemoth of Job is a creation of the seas and the waters. The abyss, the depths of the oceans and seas is the place of the bottomless, unfathomed, and unfathomably deep underworld. The sea has been considered the personification of death itself. Ultimately, the scriptural view of the waters and the seas and the storms and the winds is one of danger.

In our enlightened age, even for people who do not know this part of the history of or the mystery; storm-tossed waters continue to be a frequently used metaphor for the turmoil of living.

In 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, and in 1976 singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot recorded a haunting ballad in honor of and as a tribute to the ship and the men who lost their lives. He called it “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The Fitzgerald, labeled "the pride of the American Flag," was a giant ore freighter, 729 feet in length, and was the largest carrier on the Great Lakes from 1958 until 1975.

On November 10, 1975, the Fitzgerald was hauling a heavy load of ore to Detroit when it ran into a severe storm. This storm generated 27-30-foot swells. During the evening hours the ship disappeared from radar screens; apparently it sank in a matter of minutes. It now rests on the bottom of Lake Superior broken in two with the bow upright and the stern upside down still loaded with its cargo of ore and all 29 hands.

In Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad about the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, he asks: “Does anyone know where the love of God goes/When the waves turn the minutes to hours?” That’s quite a question, but it’s not the first time it has been asked. Both the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and this gospel reading remind us of one of the most well known stories of the Old Testament, the story of Jonah. In the case of the gospel, this literary flashback is quite intentional.

As the book of Jonah begins, Jonah receives the word of the Lord and does his level best to avoid his vocation. He buys passage on a vessel to Tarshish and goes below deck for a nap. By the fourth verse, the Lord made the sea boil with a storm. In the fifth, everyone on the vessel was praying to one god and another for deliverance. In the sixth verse, the captain of the vessel wakes Jonah pleading, “Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”

Here is the answer to Gordon Lightfoot’s question; the same question asked by the apostles; the same hope that the ship captain had when imploring Jonah to call on his god. The love of God is ever present. In this love lies our one peace. In times like these that doesn’t seem so very likely. In times like these, asking “where has the love of God gone?” or as it is asked in our gospel reading, “Teacher, don't you care if we drown?” are the questions that are on our minds. At times like these, we hope and pray the Lord will spare us a thought so we will not perish.

As one of the most problematic questions asked in scripture; its answer is one of the most wonderful. Jesus does not promise that there will be no more storms. He promises that he will be with us in the storms. Jesus doesn’t promise to end the pain. He promises to be with us while we are in pain. In Leipzig, Martin Luther was asked, “Where will you be, Brother Martin, when church, state, princes and people turn against you?” Luther answered: “Why, then as now, in the hands of Almighty God.” So it was with Martin Luther, so it was with Jonah, so it was with the apostles, so it is with us today. Our one peace is in the hands of Almighty God.

They're Playing Our Song?

Psalm 36:10-12

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.

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Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you.

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you.

Oh can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take.

"Every Breath You Take" by The Police, written by Sting, from the album "Synchronicity."

This is the third in a series of three songs that are not love songs. This may be the spookiest of all because for many people of a certain age you will hear them say "This is our song" or "This was our wedding song." To listen to the melody you can hear how seductive this song is. To pay attention to the lyric, well, you had better pay attention to the lyric.

This little ditty is a stalker's anthem! I wouldn't say it leaves the prior two days entries in the dust when it comes to creepiness, but when you consider the number of 1980's weddings that featured this song for the first dance, an honor the other two songs didn't hold, then it may win the race by a nose.

The singer is watching an old love, the singer is watching you, and everything you do. But the Lord protects. The steadfast love of the Lord is for those who know and salvation is for the upright of heart. The foot of the arrogant, certainly the stalker, we pray will not tread on me. We pray the hand of the wicked will be driven away. Yes,the evildoers will lie prostrate, unable to rise.

You belong to me? No, Psalm 24 teaches us the world and all that is in it belong to the Lord, but the Lord has never forced us to Love. That sort of love is coercion. If it were physical, it would be assault.

Our Lord does not demand love. Our all knowing all seeing God is not a stalker. Love is patient. Stalking is criminal.

Creepy Love Isn't Love at All

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. In the same veinThe Police had a tremendous hit with "Every Breath You Take." 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.

Belonging

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.”

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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 on "Livin' on the Fault Line" and a year later by Carly Simon on "Boys in the Trees." This version recorded by Michael McDonald.

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" creepy and 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.

Misundertanding and Sin and Special Music

Judges 2:11-13

Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped the Baals; and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord, and worshiped Baal and the Astartes.

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Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life

"Take Me to Church" written by Andrew Hozier-Byrne from Hozier's "Take Me to Church" EP

The Israelites weren't the most faithful of people before, during, or after the days of the Judges. They wanted a Judge to keep them in line. Maybe that's so they wouldn't have to keep themselves in line. Well, when a bad Judge ruled, the people strayed. They would worship the Baals, the Astartes, and the Asharas. Nothing like a good fertility god or goddess to keep the spirit fruitful.

Hozier's song isn't about church as the Body of Christ. According to him it's about institutions that undermine natural parts of being human, though he adds that the church has a pretty big legacy about doing just that. As for the video, Hozier didn't want to make the direct visual connection to the church and violence against humanity, thus the anonymous hooligans. But let's face it, from the worship of the Baals to crucifying people for being who they are, the church's reputation is less than sterling.

But what does Hozier mean by "natural parts of being human." The song lyric begins with a woman singing about worshiping in the bedroom. Presumably lovers worshiping one another. As for me, I say let love rule! There is no law against love. "Worship" without God is a step too far, but within a holy, committed union, let lovers worship one another for in this God who is love rejoices.

The video though shows two men, no woman. What does God say about a committed gay relationship. Scholars split. I lean toward love. I reject pedophilia and pederasty, force is not love. A partner who is not old enough to know about a committed adult relationship cannot agree to be a part of an adult loving relationship. But as it pertains to gay or lesbian lovers, as for me, I say let love rule! There is no law against love. "Worship" without God is a step too far, but within a holy, committed union, let lovers worship one another for in this God who is love rejoices.

Recently, some youth have sung this song in church during worship. To what end? Praise is the only answer, but why this song? Is it the melody. I get that. It's a haunting song. Play it on the piano, sing it well, maybe a cello like he did on Saturday Night Live, and it's a great song. No wonder it was a killer on the charts. Is it the lyric? I hate to say it, but I may be one of the last people on earth who listens to lyrics so probably not. The video is gripping too, but does this video get shown in church? Do people love the chorus, the lyric you hear several times? The first line and the last two are worshipful in a traditional sense, but when you sing "I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies/I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife," the point of that knife is pretty sharp. Is it as an act of shock or defiance that escapes a congregation filled with old people? Petulance will get you no where. (Believe me, I've tried.)

Well, here's a way to look at this within the Body of Christ, it's a sideways look at the lesson of Joseph. The lesson of Joseph was what his brothers meant for bad, God used for good. Hozier didn't mean ill for the church. That wasn't his point. So the lesson of Joseph doesn't apply. So whatever the singer intended, whether Hozier or the Youth Chorale, whatever they intended, use it. Hozier's "Take Me to Church" was never intended to be theology. It's a scathing indictment of people, humans who treat others violently, including the church. It's an indictment of sin, individual and corporate! If that works, use that. Is it a discussion on how gays and lesbians are treated? If you want to consider the video, use that. Is it something else, find it and use it.

Never forget, Israel kept being enslaved because they kept following bad Judges. Maybe that's a place to start. Violence in the name of the Lord is a lousy way to present the Lord to creation.

If Life Isn't about Our Stuff...

Luke 12:14

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

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Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and you're okay
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team

"Money" by Roger Waters recorded by Pink Floyd from "Dark Side of the Moon"

Hasn't anybody figured out yet that the love of money is the root of all evil. It isn't money itself, it's loving money above everything else. There's a theological word for that, its idolatry. Idol-a-try. When we put money, when we love money more than we love God, the we to quote another Pink Floyd song, are skating on the thin ice of hot life.

Jesus warns us, be on guard against all kinds of greed. Then Roger Waters gives us a primer on conspicuous consumption, and he does it with a look at wealth and poverty. Beware, watch out. Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

But look in your garage... A good part of my garage is filled with the things that don't go in the house. America has actually created a business where we have invented a place where we can rent an extra garage! Some people put extra cars there. Others put their boats there. Some have recreational vehicles there. Others use it as a spare garage. I know I did.

So, if life doesn't consist of our stuff, then what? Take a moment, look around and see. Your family? Your Lord? Even your dog! Life is built around relationships, that's what makes life. Wanting a relationship with a jet ski is the most pathetic thing I could imagine. No, it's people. It's friends. It's even that black lab who barks at strangers (when I wish he wouldn't).

I can't possess them. Or their love. Or their time. Those things are given, freely. Just as God gives and gives freely. Just as God in Christ gave himself freely on the cross so that we may have what does not spoil or rust, life eternal. Life to spend with family, friends, the dog, and of course God's own self.

That's better than anything money can buy.

Love that Waits

Song of Solomon 3:1-3

Upon my bed at night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer.

“I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.”
I sought him, but found him not.

The sentinels found me,
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”

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But if you loved me
Why'd you leave me?
Take my body
Take my body
All I want is,
And all I need is
To find somebody.
I'll find somebody like you.

"All I Want" written by James Oliver, Richard Flannigan, Mark Daniel Prendergast, Stephen Joseph Garrigan, Vincent Thomas May, recorded by Kodaline from "In a Perfect World"

The lament of missing love. If you loved me why'd you leave me? Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves.

We seek our lost love in the city streets. We seek our lost love in our memories. While on the streets, we even seek our lost love lost in our own thoughts. This passage from the Song of Solomon and from Kodaline's "All I Want" are both about romantic love. Lovers wander the streets. Praying for deliverance. The woman from the Song finds the King's sentinel's, but not her King. Kodaline can't find the object of their desire either. In the end they sing "All I need is to find somebody. I'll find somebody like you."

Have you ever noticed that "somebody like you" is never as good as "you?" Substitutes never substitute for the real thing.

I'm not saying you can never find true love again, I am saying finding a "substitute" is no substitute for the real thing. Hold out for the real thing.

This is love. This is the love God has for us. God wants us. God seeks us. God desires us. God knows our second best, our substitute selves aren't good enough for love.

Love is patient. How's that for the good news of the gospel in Jesus Christ, the love of God is patient. The love of God is unconditional. The love of God never leaves.
"

More Wisdom and Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:27-31 (NRSV)

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

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But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
There's nothing at all
But what a fool believes he sees

"What a Fool Believes" written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins and recorded by The Doobie Brothers from "Minute by Minute"

What a fool believes no wise man has the power to reason away. The wisdom of this world is rooted in what we see. "I'll believe it when I see it" has become the cry of a new generation. So much is this so that many won't believe the most obvious of truth without seeing it through the wisdom of their own eyes.

If the mysteries of our own world, like if the light goes off when you close the fridge, if these are questioned constantly, the mysteries of the eternal are well beyond our understanding. Yet, we seek to understand, we seek to see it with our own eyes.

Paul writes, "Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." There is no human sense to be made, no earthly wisdom to come from the wisdom of Christ crucified. Yet, "God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe."

"What a Fool Believes" is that love is real if only in the mind of the fool. The sentimental fool don't see, tryin' hard to recreate, what had yet to be created. Yes, maybe the man is delusional, but what if he is not? What if this is a love that may be real one day?

Casey, mighty Casey at the bat struck out. But he swung at the pitch. He went down swinging.

The fool for Christ has hope, not optimism. Optimism is based on what is possible for people. True hope is based on what God does with people. The hope of transformation, the hope of redemption. This is the foolishness of Christ crucified. Frankly, it's better than all the wisdom found on earth.

You Can't Judge a Book...

1Samuel 16:1, 6-7

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is now before the LORD.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

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You can't judge an apple by looking at a tree
You can't judge honey by looking at the bee
You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover

"You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover" by Bo Diddley

How many times have we heard it, you can't judge a book by looking at its cover. How many times do we look at the Call of David from 1Samuel and realize that this is one of the lessons?

Jesse's eldest son is named Eliab. His name means "God is my Father" in Hebrew. Now that's a name suitable for the King of Israel. On top of his appropriate name, he's Jesse's eldest son which makes him a prime candidate for Kingship. On top of that, He is tall and good looking. Appearance meant as much then as it does today when selecting a leader. But the Lord is not picking the new king on these criteria.

David is Jesse's eighth son, not even the seventh son who in numerology would have been a special birth. He's not the oldest. He's not the seventh. He is the selected.

The Lord will use his own criteria to select the leader of Israel, not human tradition or customs. It's the Lord's choice and the Lord does not judge a book by the cover. Then David is ordained, covered in oil by the old prophet.

So what happened next? What comes after the anointing? The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David and Samuel takes off. Really, nothing happens for a while and that too is God's plan.

We have to beware our expectations. It's not uncommon for us to have preconceived notions about people, notions which prove to be baseless. We rely on our customs and traditions to help us make decisions, customs and traditions which might have outlived their usefulness. We want to get up and go, we want to do something when the Lord wants us to wait.

It's not easy to break the molds of our automatic behaviors, but that is what the Lord calls us to do. David's selection and ordination break the expectations of his family. Soon he will do the same through the world.

Fathers and Sons

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.

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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)

"Carry On Wayward Son" written by Kerry Livgren recorded by Kansas on "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 younger 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.

Like the Queen You Are

Esther 7:1-3

So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me--that is my petition--and the lives of my people--that is my request.

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Well I'm gonna treat you like the queen you are.
Bring you sweet things from my candy jar.
You've got tricks you ain't never used.
Give it, Give it to me, it won't be abused.

"Wrap It Up" recorded by The Fabulous Thunderbirds from "Tuff Enuf" written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter

One of the ways to understand the story of Esther is that is shows how the Lord protects his own people, even without God's name being uttered. It's true, in the entire book of Esther God's name is never uttered, but all of the Jews in the story know that what happens is by the will of God. Folks who read it thousands of years later are to understand that nothing happens except by the hand of God too.

This makes Esther one of the most unique books in the canon of scripture.

The Jews are in danger, Haman wants to kill the Jews because Esther's guardian, her cousin Mordecai, insulted him. To kill the Jews Haman must convince the king to allow him to execute a horrendous plan. In an earlier thrilling turn of events, Esther becomes Queen. Mordecai convinces Esther to save her people, but that's not so easy either. Seeking an audience with the king can be dangerous, even for the queen.

As the old saying goes, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," so Esther takes that route. Her work is met with success and the king asks "What is her petition." She asks the king to save her people from Haman's wrath.

The king grants Esther an audience because she did what she needed to do to get that audience. He grants her wish because her request was just and because she treated her king with honor. Because she treated him with honor, he did the same. He treated her like the queen she is. Because she treated him with honor, her honor was not abused, it was returned in kind.

She and her people were saved.

Showing honor to the honorable brings honor. Giving God the honor brings honor too.

Not One, Not Two, But Three

Matthew 3:16-17

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

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One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one

"One" by Harry Nilsson recorded by Three Dog Night from their self titled first album

This reading is usually read on Baptism of the Lord Sunday, but today it has a message for Trinity Sunday. This is the first time in scripture that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are found together in scripture.

In this moment, when Jesus joins in our plight through the waters of human earthly baptism, in this moment the Spirit descends like a dove and the voice from heaven proclaim "this is my son." In this moment, literally all is right in the world. In our world it won't stay that way for long, but in this moment all is right.

Even in the place where God lives, one is the loneliest number. Even in the place where God lives two can be as bad as one, it's the loneliest number since the number one. But when the three-in-one come together, something special happens. God is lonely when God is one, it takes the eternal Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, to make God complete. Yet, even in Godly perfection, God wants more. God's overflowing love longs for a recipient. That's where we come in.

God has a plan for us. That plan begins in the creation story. God is so filled with love that the only way to make love complete is to share it. This is where creation comes in, God created everything so that love could be shared. God created humanity to share that love, to dance eternally with the three-in-one God. God created us to share the love.

God cannot exist alone and neither can we. One is truly the loneliest number. We need one another in community as the Lord needs the three persons of God. All of us together, we all need one another. That's the glory of the Trinity, and the glory of our place in God's creation.

Nothing Lasts Forever

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.

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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 things 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

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...

"I am... I said" written and recorded by Neil Diamond from the "Stones" LP

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 using the verb "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" is written in Hebrew 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.

What We Seek

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.

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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" written by Pete Townshend, recorded by The Who, released on "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy"

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.

Sympathy? Sure, why not...

John 1:29

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

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Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, have some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste

"Sympathy for the Devil" recorded by The Rolling Stones written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the album "Beggars Banquet"

The Devil doesn't need a press agent. He sings his own praises pretty well on his own. Throughout this song the Devil takes credit for some of the greatest travesties and miscarriages of justice known.

Lucifer takes credit for Jesus losing faith in his father and Pilate washing his hands. He takes credit for the Russian Revolution, the Blitz, and even the deaths of John and Bobby Kennedy. The devil dances with his fiddle while the world burns. There is joy and there is glee as the work of the opponent (the literal translation of "satan" from Hebrew) marches merrily along.

Lucifer loves himself and proclaims his victories. Cops are criminals, sinners are saints, heads are tails--Lucifer is in control and is in need of restraint. So show him some sympathy, show some courtesy, show some restraint, or else... or else sin incarnate, the embodiment of sin in this world will lay your soul to waste.

What the Stones play in ten minutes in this video John the Baptist negates in fifteen words. “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" That's it. John doesn't deny that there is sin, or that sin is a horrible thing. He doesn't even say when or how the Lamb of God will take away the sin of the world. But when he sees Jesus he proclaims  “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Our hope? Lucifer doesn't stand a chance.

Matthew 5:44 says love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Does this include Lucifer? Why not? Does this mean we should have sympathy for the devil? Knowing that, as John says, the Lamb of God will take away Lucifer, take away the sin of the world; we can afford to have sympathy. But we can't afford to fall for his tricks. The devil's gonna get his due, Lucifer will be defeated. The Lamb of God will take away the sin of the world.

Let Mick sing. Let him boast today. Tomorrow's gonna be a whole new ball game.

Mother Hen

Scripture Suggestion from Alton Key

Luke 13:34

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

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I can't see you, mama.
But I can hardly wait
Oh To touch and to feel you, mama
Oh, I just can't keep away
In the heat and the steam of the city
Ooh, it's got me running and I just can't brake
So say you'll help me, mama
'Cause it's getting so hard, ooh

"Mama" written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, recorded by Genesis off of the disc of the same name.

When Christians talk about the persons of the Triune God, we usually use the phrase "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." It has been used for centuries and has staying power. The reason we speak of Trinity that way is that The Lord has presented himself to creation as these three different persons.

There is the Father who creates in the book of Genesis (not the band). God the Father can also be found in many other places in scripture. There is God the Son who came to Earth in the person of Jesus the Christ. His place is in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels. God the Spirit is more elusive, as a spirit should be. The Spirit is the wind that blew across the chaos at the beginning of "In the beginning."

But here's something that is a little more difficult to get used to, God without this masculine image. Yes, how about God the mother? Yes, feminine imagery for God is found in scripture, it's not some politically correct plot, it's really there.

God the Son wants to collect all of God's children in the same way a hen collects her chicks under her wings. The hen uses her wings for protection, it's where the chicks hide from predators, severe weather, and other dangers. This leaves the hen in a vulnerable position. If a chicken hawk comes down into the barnyard, the hen (too big to be taken up herself) could be horribly injured or even killed. Still, the chicks will be safe.

Jesus speaks of the chicks not being willing to take shelter from the storm. This leaves the chicks to their own devices and their own wisdom. Not a good place to be for a bird without either the instinct or capability to survive.

Phil Collins sings, "So say you'll help me, mama." As usual, the scripture has nothing to do with the scripture. Yet Phil is calling for help. He's calling for help because he cannot take care of himself.

Thanks be to God who protects us like a hen protects her chicks. Thanks be to God for mothers who protect their children like a hen protects her chicks.

Slip Away on The Way

Nehemiah 9:20-22

You gave your good spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, and allotted to them every corner, so they took possession of the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and the land of King Og of Bashan.

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Carefree highway, got ta see you my old flame
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away
Slip away on you

"Carefree Highway" written and recorded by Gordon Lightfoot from "Sundown"

This is the part of Ezra/Nehemiah where the Prophet Nehemiah has taken the nation into the hills for the reading of the law. He is reading of the faithfulness of the Lord despite the faithlessness of the Nation of Israel. Forty years in the desert, forty years and they wanted for nothing, forty years on a carefree highway.

Right before this scene, immediately before this part of the reading, Nehemiah shares the tragic truth of the building of the golden calf and the nation's blasphemies. For the nation the way was carefree, but to the Lord it was anything but carefree. The Lord suggested giving up on the whole lot of them, and Moses stood firm on the people's behalf. Moses and the Lord were steadfast.
Because of that, the nation's clothing did not wear out for forty years. From their head down to their shoes, their clothing did not wear out.

The nation of Israel committed blasphemy and entered the promised land. Staying with the One who is The Way, the Lord, it is good to see the Lord, call the Lord "Old Friend," and slip away on the way.

The Politics of Dancing

Mullet Alert!


1Chronicles 15:27-29

Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

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The politics of dancing
The politics of ooo feeling good
The politics of moving
Is this message understood

"The Politics of Dancing" by Re-Flex written by Paul Fishman from the album of the same name.

The Ark of the Covenant is coming home! It's a time for celebration and dancing. Unfortunately, as with any parade, danger lurks on the open road. There has been a fatality. David left the Ark behind while creating standards and practices to make sure it made its way back to Jerusalem carefully and properly. But it's almost home now.

David's dancing in front of the Ark too. The Lord should be in the mood to celebrate the return of the Ark to the people of Israel so horns and trumpets and cymbals and lyres and harps should be met with dancing and rejoicing. In this theocracy, a place where the rulers of the faith are also the political rulers, the dancing that brings in the Ark is also the dancing of politics. Or is it the politics of dancing?

Of course, Michal, Saul's daughter, she wasn't too happy. Her father and brother fell at the hands of David's army. No matter how much David loved Saul and Jonathan, nothing could salve this truth. The politics of dancing was that she despised him.

Some churches love this singing and dancing tradition, some love it to the point that worship looks more like a Broadway show than worship. Then there are churches that are so reserved that the phrase "frozen chosen" is well known across the theological spectrum. It's time to remember that the pipe organ and piano were never mentioned in scripture, so when the worship committee says pipe and drum and dance don't belong in church it's time to remind them that they do, they certainly do belong. This is the politics of dancing, the politics of ooo feeling good.

We need to move some more in worship, but we still need to remember that worship is not a place where the congregation is an audience. God is the audience. The congregation is the "cast of the show." The pastor and worship leaders? They're the directors. If it makes you feel any better, Michal would hated it!

A Children's Kingdom

Suggested by Marie Andresen


Matthew 18:2-4

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

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Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away (dream away)
In the wind of change

"Wind of Change" written by Klaus Meine, recorded by The Scorpions on "Crazy World"

In the ancient of days, there was no person with less status than a child, a girl had less status than a boy. Our English reading doesn't tell us if the child was a girl or boy, nor does the original Greek. Regardless, the child is in the lowliest position in the society, one of submission. The child submits to all. There is no such thing as a spoiled brat among the Hebrew children. There isn't enough to go around to be spoiled and the culture doesn't allow brattiness.

So when Jesus tells the people that the people must be lowly like the child is lowly to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven he not only means they must submit to God, he also means they must submit to one another. How's that for something missing from our society today?

People say "I'll respect you when you show respect for me." Well think of that for a moment, if someone else's submission is a prerequisite for your submission, can you expect any different from them? If you do, you're a fool. If you expect their submission out of superior force then you had better expect to use that force some day. There is not mutual submission in that relationship. There is no love. There is no God, there is only power.

There is one other thing children have which adults tend to lose, wonder, the magic of the moment. The Scorpions talk about that "glory night where the children of tomorrow dream away in the wind of change." It is only when we remember those days, that wonder, that joy, that we can recover those dreams of the magic of the moment.

Human beings have become too accustomed to living in this crazy world to think that anything else is possible. As long as that attitude is in the prevailing wind we will never know the wind of change. It's time to become like little children and take in the wind of change.

Judgement, then No More Denial

Ezekiel 38:18-23

This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

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Red rain
Ohhhh
Putting the pressure on much harder now
To return again and again
Just let the red rain splash you
Let the rain fall on your skin
I come to you defenses down
With the trust of a child

Red rain is coming down
Red rain
Red rain is pouring down
Pouring down all over me

And I can't watch any more
No more denial
It's so hard to lay down in all of this

"Red Rain" written and recorded by Peter Gabriel from "So"

What in the world has Israel done? They have done something so bad that Magog of Gog has been dragged from his pit by the Lord by hooks in his mouth to lead a great and dreadful army against the nations of Israel. Does Israel have any idea what's coming? Let's face it, if they thought something bad was coming down the pike they had no idea this was coming.

Israel has returned again and again to the Lord. Read the books of Judges and Kings sometime. Good judge or king rules. Everybody's happy. The nation sins. Bad judge or king takes over. Everybody's unhappy. Israel repents. Good judge or king rules. Wash, rinse, repeat. They come with defenses down with the trust of a child and the red rain keeps coming down.

Sometimes, judgement keeps coming down.

And sometimes...

No more denial. When we repent we come to know what we have received, the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, is real. When we can't watch any more, when we can't deny the devastation that is wrought upon our world, we must turn from it. That is when we are ready. To feel the truth that God's grace has been present all along. The red rain continues to fall, it is hard to lay down in all of this, but it is so much better when we do.

The chaos that overwhelms our lives is the judgement which rains down on us. Is that judgement of God or does it just seem that way? Either way, it rains down. Then in the words of Ezekiel, "Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

In the words of Peter Gabriel, "No more denial."

You Might Think I'm Crazy

1Samuel 21:10-15

That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:

“‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands’?”

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”

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And it was hard so hard to take
(So hard to take)
(There's no escape)
There's no escape
Without a scrape
(Without a scrape)
But you kept it going till the sun fell down
You kept it
going

"You Might Think" on "Heartbeat City" by The Cars written by Ric Ocasek

The scene is set, Saul has tried to kill David not once, but twice. David loves Saul. David is all but a brother to Jonathan, Saul's son. Sure, David had more hits than Saul in the war, but he had more at bats too. No problem. Saul's getting older and David's the up and comer from Triple-A. It's the way of life in the Bigs. I guess Saul's throw isn't like it used to be and David could escape.

So David makes his way to Gath, the land of Goliath. He's afraid of King Achish and his guard too. So he does he first thing that comes to mind. He looks like a crazy man. It was pretty effective too. The amount of drool that he must have generated to make it run down and out of his beard must have been impressive. Frothy? Perhaps. What does it mean to "act like a madman?" What did he use to make "marks on the doors of the gate?" It's not like he had a pen or a steele. What could he have used? One guess is a rock. After that it gets crazy... and gross.

He kept it going till the sun fell down. He kept it
going.

Eventually, the King welcomed David into a chamber and gave him the sword of Goliath. He used it to help fulfill his destiny for Israel.

David got what he wanted. David became the ruler of Israel. With the exception of a couple of glaring exceptions, he was the man God wanted and needed him to be. He was the man God wanted. God was who David wanted.

The Cars sing "You might think I'm crazy, All I want is you." Doesn't sound crazy to me.

Freewill

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" recorded by Rush on "Permanent Waves" music by Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, lyrics by Neil Peart

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.

Not Quite Yet...

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.

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

"Venus and Mars/Rock Show" by Paul McCartney from the album "Venus and Mars" 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 2,000 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.

Holy Winds

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Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

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Call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road

"Call Me the Breeze" by J. J. Cale, recorded by Lynyrd Skinner from "Second Helping"

My favorite word in the Hebrew language is Ruach. There is an airy quality to the word that is appropriate because it means wind and breath. When you pronounce it, ru-aaaaach (heavy on the "a" light on the "ch") it sounds breathy, positively ethereal. It also means Spirit. So that wind from God that swept over the face of the waters is in truth the Holy Spirit of God.

Gotta love the breeze that creates, it continues to create, it keeps blowin' down the road. Even after six days of active creation of stuff and a seventh day where Sabbath is created, the breeze moves on down the road and continues the amazing work of God in all creation.

In Genesis, the breeze that blows across the waters, this breath of God, this spirit is imparted just before the light is created. It is the breath that blows across the chaos, across the darkness, across the void. This is the breath that precedes life. This is the breath that gives life to all creation.

This is the wind that comes off of the water in the morning. It’s the cool breeze that brings the dew to fall on the grass. It’s the summer breeze that rustles the leaves in the trees and tells us that all is right in the world. It is the Spirit that reminds us that God is in charge and regardless of the chaos of the world around us, it is the Spirit that says Emmanuel, God is with us.

The wind that blows across the waters of the formless void makes the form of our lives. And still, this wind calls us to listen and believe. When we stop listening to the word of God, when we quit feeling the breath of the Lord blowing across our faces, across our lives, we are not able to respond according to the Word. We instead pay attention to the words we hear from other voices.

When we stop listening to the voice of God, when we stop feeling the breeze on our faces and in our lives we stop forgiving and start retianing other’s sins. When we hear other voices, we do not hear the blessing of the Lord, “Peace to you.”

Temptation and Redemption

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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OPP, how can I explain it
I'll take you frame by frame it
To have y'all jumpin' shall we singin' it
O is for Other, P is for People scratchin' temple
The last P, well, that's not that simple

"O.P.P." written by Alphonso James Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Berry Gordy, Jr Anthony Shawn Criss, Keir Lamont Gist, and Vincent E. Brown; recorded by Naughty by Nature

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. 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 was 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 adultery is not hers, he faces his temptation by thinking below the waist. What follows is not on her head. This is why I don't highlight the second verse of this song where the woman is blamed for her part in the indiscretion. In this case she is without blame.

So she goes as called and she becomes pregnant.

David connives several ways to try to get out of his adultery. 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.

This is what happens when you fool with O.P.P.

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; it will be Solomon builds the Lord's 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.

The Hunter and the Hunted

Song suggested by Marie Andresen. An assist goes to the Reverend George Pabst for getting the ball rolling on this entry.


Matthew 7:15

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

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Burning the ground I break from the crowd
I'm on the hunt I'm after you
Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found
And I'm hungry like the wolf

"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran

Let's face it, as words in the English language go, ravenous doesn't get nearly enough play. When was the last time you used it in a sentence or in a conversation? It's been a long, long time. Honestly though, just as soon as the word came up on the page, images of that wolf separating the weak from the herd, isolating the prey, and springing for the kill take center stage in the imagination.

When it's used there is no question about its intent. Sure it deals with hunger, but there is also more than a little menace in the word. Ravenous, it's hungry turned mean. So when I hear "Hungry Like the Wolf" there's a lot going on in that little phrase.

The wolf hunts. The wolf goes for the weak. The wolf separates the young from the mother. The wolf snaps its jaws shut around the head of the lamb and scats off to consume its prey. Let's face it, the food chain, the circle of life, they're brutal.

So in biblical times the wolf was not seen as a particularly noble beast. In a society of shepherds you could hardly associate a hunter of the weak as noble. Particularly when your society is the weak and all around you are the big bad wolf.

Using this image, Jesus warns us, beware the false prophets. They come upon us disguised as one of us. They seem to want the same things, but what they truly want is to devour and destroy what God has created.

They wait and they bide their time. They're on the hunt. They're after us. They follow the scent and the sound of the young and the unsure. They also are on the scent and the sound of those who are too sure of themselves too. Those who are overconfident and those who have nothing to be confident about are just the sort of people the wolf hunts. The wolf hunts both the lost and the found.

So beware false prophets. Test the spirits. Matthew teaches that only the good trees can produce good fruit, fruit worthy of helping us grow physically and in faith. We won't find good grapes among the thorns so we shouldn't rely on good words from ravenous wolves. Don't rely on feelings to help judge the spirits either, because false prophets can infiltrate those too. Seek first the kingdom of God. It is the things of God that will satisfy us with good food and not make us fodder for the ravenous wolf.

A Holy Kiss

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.

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. As for Christ, he is 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.)

Bum Rush the Show

Galatians 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-when 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, 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 is 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.

The Time Has Come to Tell the World

Acts 1:6

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

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Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can't put it off another day
I don't care what others say
They say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today

"Time Has Come Today" by Joe and Willie Chambers recorded by The Chambers Brothers

Pink Floyd sings "Time is the same in a relative way but you're older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death." There's a pessimistic fatalistic attitude in our time that can't disagree with this statement. I guess if you look at life one day at a time with the only goal being the end of days, this is your song. It's tempting on a very bad day, but this is not our call. This view of time is not our vocation.

So the Apostles asked Jesus "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” The time is not for us to know, but Jesus shares two words with his disciples. He tells them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and they are to be God's witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They were called to share the Good News from the End of the World to their towns.

Well, we still don't know the time when Jesus will return in glory. So far everyone who has made that prediction was wrong. But the time has still come today. The time has come that we have been filled with the Holy Spirit. The time has come that we have been given the power of God. The time has come when we are called to share the word of God with the world.

We are called to tell the world that Christ has come, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. Scripture doesn't tell us to get ready, scripture tells us to be ready. So take the power we have been given and share the word with the world.

As the Chambers Brothers sing, there are people who will not listen. There are those who are so hard hearted that they may never hear, but there are still others who haven't listened in the past who may hear today. So share and know that it doesn't matter what others say, the time has come today!

A Promise of Hope

No video of this song, we just have to listen to this one...


Acts 2:21

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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When you turn around, needing somebody there
Who can give you love and show you good care
If there's a place inside you that's empty and cold

You may need my love, to have, to hold
Call on me, call on me, call on me, call on me
I'll be by your side to keep you satisfied

I want to keep you satisfied
Call on me, call on me call on me, call on me
I'll be by your side to keep you satisfied

"Call on Me" from Straight Shooter recorded by Bad Company written by Paul Rodgers

The Lord saves. The Lord wants to save. The Lord wants to keep us satisfied. How's that for a thought.

There are many, many days when all evidence points to the contrary. Oh so many days when the world wants to wash over us like a tidal wave coming from the cesspool of sinful life. There are days when the only hope is when the stain and wretch and horror of life only reach chest high. Hope, that's for other people. The love of God? It seems like more of a cosmic punch line than a promise.

Here's the wonder of this piece of scripture, Peter is quoting the prophet Joel. Joel is prophesying end times. Let's talk about a time when people envisioned a tidal wave in a cesspool... But Joel had one piece of Good News, just one--Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone.

There really isn't a time when we turn around when we don't need someone there. If we think there is there are two things going wrong: First we're thinking a little too much of ourselves; Second we don't see far enough ahead. We need love in our lives. We need the love of another. We need the love of the Lord. We need the love of the Lord's people. We need to be the Lord's people loving others. We need to call on the Lord.

The Lord cries "call on me." We need to cry and we need to hear because the answer comes. The Lord wants us to call. The Lord wants to respond. That is the promise of hope.

Broken Hearted

Exodus 32:7-14

The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

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Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Think it over

"Stop in the Name of Love" by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Edward Holland, Jr. recorded by Diana Ross and the Supremes

Here's an interesting story, the story of the changing of God's mind.

Moses is on the mountain with the Lord his God. Moses is learning. Moses is receiving the Torah, the law. He's getting the "Heavy Ten," the Ten Commandments. But more importantly, he is experiencing the most intensely personal relationship with God since Genesis. Moses is allowed to see the shadow of God, and for a human, that's all we can bear. And Moses is knee deep in the love and glory of God. He's getting God's wisdom, but above all else he is spending time getting to know the Lord. One more time-He's getting to know the Lord.

So Moses can just barely begin to imagine the Lord's disappointment when the Golden Calf is open for business. Weren't the people told to wait? Weren't the people told to be patient. Well, never mind, all that's out the door and the people have built an idol.

God is so upset that it's time to wipe the whole slate clean and try again. Moses can be the new Adam, first in line. Moses has already fallen, so nobody has to go through that again, but the Lord God can start over with someone who is discovering what it means to be faithful.

Moses says, "Stop in the name of love, think it over!" Moses asks God to, well, remember the Good times with the Nation of Israel. Moses asks God to consider "what the Egyptians will think." Moses asks God to remember the covenant with Noah not to wipe the nation out again.

God's mind was changed. God chose not to take a course of action because one good man interceded on behalf of a stiff-necked people. Or did he? It could be that the Lord never intended to wipe out the people. It could be this threat was made see how Moses would respond, and if this is so Moses passed with flying colors. God's heart, broken by the nation is salved by Moses.

We're still a stiff-necked people, but we also still have good men and women interceding on behalf of the world, and God responds. Thanks to those, like Moses, who pray; and thanks to the Lord God who listens.