A Huge Theological Leap

An email, from a chronologically advantaged person like me, was all about the weird life we are experiencing these days.  Here is the comment she made:

“I have never experienced so much silence.  So few visits with friends.  It just seems so lonely.”

As I read her words it occurred that we are all, by our very nature, created to be in relationship.  It began way back, in the beginning, when God made someone for Adam to share his life with.

In the Gospels it is clear that Jesus needed companions to share his ministry.  When they were prepared to go out and gather more folks into the kingdom; Jesus sent them out two by two — not one traveling alone.

The Gospels are replete with examples of how we need each other to function in healthy ways.  Taking care of our neighbors — even if we don’t know them.

But today we are asked to stay in our own safe homes; excluding family and friends in the name of fear.  Fear of being exposed, or exposing others, to this crazy virus.

It is effecting not only private relationships; it also includes all activities such as sports events, funerals, wedding and other group function.

In many ways it is “an all for yourself” culture. 

The writer, of the email I quoted, expresses a very common problem — exclusion.

So now I am going to take a huge — big, big — risk here:  Jesus ministry was all about inclusion.  

He didn’t follow the purity ritual. 

He didn’t think twice about helping someone who was labeled “unclean.”  

He resisted the Pharisees complaint about the disciples not washing their hands. 

Or eating unlawful food. 

Or helping a person on the road beaten, robbed and left for dead.

Or entering the house of a Gentile, a person deemed unclean, and eating with them.

Jesus’ mission was to gather the “clean" and “unclean,” “worthy” of “unworthy" into one circle.  Crossing all kinds of boundaries that limited relationship.

How many times did Jesus tell his followers: “Don’t be afraid?”

Jesus didn’t allow fear to rule his active living.

Another big jump:  throughout history those who wanted power and  control used fear to keep people in line.  I can’t help but wonder if there is some of that activity going on in the United States today.

Call me crazy.  

Yet, it is an honest wonder.

"I Am The Vine,..."

Friday I left you with this verse:

Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.(John 16)

This morning I offer another passage about joy.

⁹As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.(Jn. 15)

Joy -- a soft, silent exhilaration that offers the distinct possibility of  shalom.

The love the God’s grace offers each of us is the precious gift of joy.

A love that, brings joy, can never be described as: “vanity and chasing after the wind.”

The promise of joy, peace, was brought into the world at Jesus’ birth.  Though out his ministry he taught, modeled and spoke of this most extraordinary possibility.

When we attempt to live with the love of Jesus as our goal, our core value; we just begin to be a gracious presence.

And do you know what? 

Most of the time we are not even aware of what we are doing.

It is only years later when a memory floats across our mind do we understand how God works.

Several months ago a friend said to me: “Do you know how many lives you have touched?”  The unswear “no” quickly popped into my thoughts.  Since that phone conversation I have often thought about what my friend said.  Then just last week I had a confirmation of how I apparently touch others lives.

She had lost her love of sixty some years.  He had not been well for sometime.  She had asked me to write a letter about how I knew Cal — what I knew about him — for his memorial service.  Her reaction to that letter; and the words she use about me were a wake-up in my mind.

God uses each of us to offer his grace to others.  And through the years we do that by what we do, the way we do it and the words we whisper touch others in a most profound way.

And we do not even realize it at the time.

We don’t realize it because it is God silently working in us; to touch others.

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit…….Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing…… 12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.(Jn. 15)

How Do We live This Life?

What are the things in your world, and the world at large, that cause us to think we are “not good enough” in God’s eyes?

What are the rules, that we think, God mandated for being faithful? 

And who was it that set the rules in place?  
                                                               Was it really God?

And have the rules changed in the last 2000 plus years?

No, not much has changed.

⁹ What has been is what will be,

   and what has been done is what will be done;

   there is nothing new under the sun. 

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it is said,

   ‘See, this is new’?

It has already been,

   in the ages before us. Eccl. 1)

History repeats itself with the habits of human behavior.

The Preacher “is the primary biblical voice insisting that religion taken out of context is vanity.  He will admit to no pleasure, possession or piety to an independent existence.  He strips us of religion so we might be dressed for God.” (p. 206 As Kingfishers Catch Fire)

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus takes one entire chapter to make clear his feeling about the religion of the Pharisees and scribes in chapter 23.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; ³therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. ⁶They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi…..... 13 ‘But woe to you, (Matt. 23) 

In theological circles, as well as other circles, the word religion is used over against faith. 

Religion are the rules, rituals and habits of tradition, that are place before — above — faith.

The assumption is that if we follow all these many stipulations we are being faithful. They are what we do -- are suppose to do -- to please God.  To make ourselves look good.  Most of the time we do all of these things inadvertently .

The Preacher would label these things  “All vanity and a chasing after the wind.”

Have you ever chased wind?  

                                          
 Think about it.

                         How does it work for you?

The word Jesus uses in Matthew 23 is hypocrite.  A person who says one thing and does the complete opposite.

Here is the deal:  

Following all the rules, offering sacrifices, is not what God asked of us. 

7 So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.(John 19)

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

God has gifted us with a life that is to be lived fully in His name.

How then we do we do life?

What makes us right with God?

                                              Gratitude.


Gratitude that brings joy to our living

. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.(John 16)

Ecclesiastes Continues

The Preacher hits on one of my main soap box topics. 

The danger?  “We get so busy running a religious institution that we have no energy or attention left over for prayer…...We treat the whole business of religion as something we are in charge of, to administer and complete.(p. 204 As Kingfishers Catch Fire) 

The nonsense of Christianity's departure from the awesome love of Jesus /God, who came to give us a way of living that allows freedom for every individual.

Jesus came in order to uncomplicated God’s gift of life.

He came to deconstruct ancient assumptions of what God truly wanted for his human creations.

He came to remove the road blocks that side tracked them into thinking they had more power and authority over. 

Over —superior — above yielding to, or being influenced by others.  Showing an overly high opinion of one’s self.

What Jesus asked is that we believe.  

                                                        Very simple.

A request that does not make rules and rituals that moralize or demand hackneyed thinking and behavior.  

Over and against the Love and acceptance of God.

Though history we have succumbed to a lack significance though unoriginal and trite ways of thinking

Jesus “entered out history to exhibit the reality of God, the power of creation, the miracle of forgiveness. the drama of mercy, the thrilling pulsations of wisdom lived out in daily discipleship.)p. 205 As Kingfishers Catch Fire.)

What makes us right with God?

                   Simply living in gratitude.

                                  Gratitude that brings joy to our living.

²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.(John 16)

I believe that God fully Intended us to live in complete joy.  The joy of freedom from all else than a trusting faith in God's love for each of his children.

So forget all the vanities and the chasing after the wind.

"All Is Vanity And a Chasing After The Wind"

I was reintroduced to Ecclesiastes this morning.  

Ecclesiastes is a very short book in the middles of the Bible. I would almost bet that most of you have not read much of this book.  

However most of us are familiar with the third chapter:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 

² a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 

³ a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

⁵ a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 

⁶ a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 

⁷ a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 

⁸ a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace. (Eccl. 3)

I was first introduced to Ecclesiastes the first summer I started back college at age forty.  When we were assigned Ecclesiastes I had a difficult time understanding why is was included in Scripture.  After my second read I decided it was full of nonsense.

…and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. (Eccl. 1:14)

It took me a lot of time, over the years, to come to understand that Ecclesiastes was a kind of parable.  A graphic way of getting folks to see the error of their ways in day to day living.

Eugene Peterson has a wonderful way of interpreting this small, but powerful, book. 

“The Preacher (Ecclesiastes) is soap and water to clean us up.  We get clean of the dirt and grime of the cluttered piety we suppose as faith and the yelling and  blasphemies we supposed were religion, and we wash them down the drain……

There is an incredible amount of sheer bilge in religion.  There are shoddy morals and slovenly thinking.” (p. 201-202 As Kingfishers Catch Fire )

As I read Peterson’s words it was much clearer to me.  The Preacher is talking about one of the key reasons God come to earth in Jesus skin.  

Too adjust the thinking and living of the Hebrew people who had created so many unfounded rules for being God’s people.

What do you suppose that some of those rules are in todays world?

Tomorrow I will touch on the many vanities that only complicate our faith. 

God Is Acting

This morning I looked at my I-pad and the news clip said:  “They have been missing for months.”  The news clip was referring to the two young people, from Idaho, who were all of the sudden no where to be found; and yet their parents went to Hawaii.  

I put my head back on my chair thinking:  God I have no way to pray about people who can kill children. 

I have no way to pray about what is happening to people’s minds today. 

I have no way to pray for what is happening in our world. Or our national and world leaders.

I stoped for a moment and then my prayer went in a different direction: But what I am sure of is that you are in the midst of it all creating and acting in ways I have not clue about.

So my prayer is simply this, Thy Will Be Done.

Thy will be done is the one prayer I can hold on to.  It is the only prayer that make complete sense to me.

If I didn’t believe that God was actively at work I would lose all hope for our world.

But I do trust, with all of my being, that something good and constructive will come out of this time in our history.

What occurred to me as I wrote the above is: our world population has a huge amount of learning to do.  We need to stop trying to control situations that are meant for only God’s wisdom.  

What exactly those ‘situations’ are, is not in the realm of my imagination.  But something in me feels that we have over stepped our bounds.

Maybe we have interfered in areas of creation that were meant to be left to God’s wisdom. 

That is what is going on in my mind this beautiful sunny morning.

Enlightens Our Hearts

¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,…

A few weeks ago I was writing about Jesus’  commissioning of the disciples; telling them: ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these thing,…(Lk. 24)

When I read a passage, from Ephesians 24, I thought to myself, "self," Paul is doing exactly what Jesus was asking of the eleven — go and witness. 

I am thinking Paul had a much clearer vision of Jesus’ request than the disciples, who stood face to face with Jesus.

You see, Paul didn’t have the privilege of walking and talking to Jesus.  He met him in a much more dramatic way.   A more violent and momentary way.  You can read the story in Acts 9.

In many ways Paul came to faith the same way we have — second hand.

I read somewhere, years ago, that Jesus’ request entailed more that mere information “to be rehearsed.”  Rather it was a commission to reenact — carry-out - Jesus’ story.

Teaching all that Jesus said and did by living Jesus’ love, mercy, compassion forgiveness and manner of being.  So that others might demonstrate what Jesus’ taught.  

Doing it all by the power of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus had done.

A commission, by the way, that the disciples saw as impossible.

Paul did not think it was impossible.

My point is, it is not what we know.

It is not a matter of how much we believe.

It is not even about whether our faith is strong enough or not.

It is about an old vision of living in a way that actually does see peace as possible.

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. ²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.(Eph. 1)

Sometimes The Spirit Is Not So Gentle

⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised;(Lk 24)

This last Sunday, May 31, we celebrated the birthday of the church — Pentecost.

The day the God’s Original Wireless Designed was set loose in the Disciples.  

And they dared to speak.

Peter, the realistic one, the one who denied Jesus, one of the ones who hide behind locked doors in fear of the Jews.

Now stands brave and bold in front those he once hid from, and fearlessly speaks. 

Witnesses, unafraid, to what he knows as truth.

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 

22 ‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— ²³this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. ²⁴But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.(Act 2)

He is speaking to all those who have gathered to witnessed the Spirit’s mighty power.   “All” nationalities, yes even the Jewish leaders.

And he begins to take his responsibly — his privilege — of accepting Jesus commission to go and witness to all the world.

Reading about this extraordinary event, I encourage you to go back to before and after Jesus was arrested and crucified.  When this same man denied he even knew Jesus.

Think about when Jesus came among the disciple, as they hovered in fear that first Easter night, when Jesus breathed on them and said; “receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn 20)

And their reaction was to go fishing.

That same Peter, after a violent wind and tongues of fire invaded his skin.  Was transformed from fear to courage and spoke.

Sometimes God needs to be a bit more forceful with we strong minded people.

If the Holy Spirit can connect with a strong minds such as Peter’s.  Imagine what it can do for you and me.