Today’s Readings: Psalm 107; Joel 2:23-30; Luke 16:19-31; 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Today’s reading from Joel raised issues that were huge for me during the course of my sabbatical last summer. As I hinted at yesterday, I am a non-creedal Christian who puts my emphasis on my relationship with God rather than in a profession of certain doctrine or beliefs. Because of this, I have always had a strong appreciation for the Holy Spirit. Needless to say, I loved the way today’s passage from Joel talks about the expansive spirit of God. Verses 28 and 29, for instance, talk about God’s spirit moving across a variety of social barriers including gender (“your sons and daughters shall prophesy”), age (“your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions”), and social location (“even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit”). Amazing! In sitting with this amazing passage I realized that the challenge of Joel’s call is not for me to sit back and criticize those who – from MY perspective – have constructed barriers that would limit God’s expansive Spirit. Rather, my challenge is to examine the barriers – attitudinal and otherwise – that I have constructed to keep out those who differ from me! I would invite you to do the same as together we move ever closer toward realizing of the Reign of God – even if it’s only in our hearts for now. Til next time…
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September 22
Today’s
While I am generally not a big fan of labels, I have learned that there is one label I could use to describe my faith that is quite telling. That label is that I am a “pre-Constantinian Christian”. While there is much I could say to unpack that particular label, for the sake of space I’ll just say pre-Constantinian Christians are Christians who are comfortable with both theological diversity and the notion of a separation between church and state. The vast majority of Christians who are portrayed in the media, however, are post-Constantinian Christians who are less comfortable with theological diversity and the separation of church and state. Consequently, over the years I’ve come to deeply appreciate Jesus’ words in today’s passage from Luke 12:4-5. Here’s how Eugene Peterson translated that passage in The Message: “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies [emphasis added]. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life – body and soul – in [God’s] hands”. While I may not be able to roll back the hands of time for seventeen centuries and recreate a time when there was a greater degree of diversities within the Christian community, I can raise my voice to challenge the popular assumptions that being a Christian means (1) you have to belong to a certain political party; (2) hold a particular belief about reproductive rights or same-sex marriage, or (3) understand the nature of Scripture in one particular way. While my spiritual convictions may not always be popular, I can take heart knowing that if I live my life with integrity, things will be well with my core being – my soul. In what ways are the religious bullies of our day threatening to silence you or call your sincerity into question? May prayer is that God will grant us the strength to live out our faith with integrity – whatever the cost. Til next time…
September 21
Today’s Readings: Psalm 50 & 40; Hosea 2:2-14; Luke 11:37-52; Revelation 21:18-27
A few days ago, I professed my love of the prophetic literature found in the Hebrew Scriptures. I guess I should have qualified that a bit, for the book of Hosea is a challenge for me to say the least. I struggle with Hosea’s language (i.e. back in yesterday’s reading from Hosea 1:2 as found in The Message: “Find a whore and marry her. Make this whore the mother of your children”) and characterization of relationships (i.e. Hosea 2:4: “I’ll have nothing to do with her children, born one and all in a whorehouse”). Needless to say, the passage challenges my sensibilities in many ways. As I was finishing today’s passage from Hosea, however, one verse struck me that helped me experience the book in new ways. The second half of verse 13 of the second chapter reads (this time in the NIV): “’She decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,’ declares the Lord.” This language is clearly the intimate, passionate, and intense language of a jilted lover. It was interesting for me to think of God’s love for us in those terms: intimate… passionate… intense… As I’ve wrestled with the frustrations I alluded to in yesterday’s post involving my dark night of the soul period, I realized those are the very words I would use about my experience of God right now. Intimate. Passionate. Intense. Today, across the millennia, Hosea invites you to perhaps think about what words you would use to describe your relationship with God. Would you use those words? Or would you choose others? I’ll leave you to ponder adjectives on your own. Til next time…
A few days ago, I professed my love of the prophetic literature found in the Hebrew Scriptures. I guess I should have qualified that a bit, for the book of Hosea is a challenge for me to say the least. I struggle with Hosea’s language (i.e. back in yesterday’s reading from Hosea 1:2 as found in The Message: “Find a whore and marry her. Make this whore the mother of your children”) and characterization of relationships (i.e. Hosea 2:4: “I’ll have nothing to do with her children, born one and all in a whorehouse”). Needless to say, the passage challenges my sensibilities in many ways. As I was finishing today’s passage from Hosea, however, one verse struck me that helped me experience the book in new ways. The second half of verse 13 of the second chapter reads (this time in the NIV): “’She decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,’ declares the Lord.” This language is clearly the intimate, passionate, and intense language of a jilted lover. It was interesting for me to think of God’s love for us in those terms: intimate… passionate… intense… As I’ve wrestled with the frustrations I alluded to in yesterday’s post involving my dark night of the soul period, I realized those are the very words I would use about my experience of God right now. Intimate. Passionate. Intense. Today, across the millennia, Hosea invites you to perhaps think about what words you would use to describe your relationship with God. Would you use those words? Or would you choose others? I’ll leave you to ponder adjectives on your own. Til next time…
September 20
Today’s Readings: Psalm 1 & 87; Hosea 1:1-2:1; Luke 11:27-36; Revelation 21:9-17
The language used in the last portion of today’s Gospel reading really resonated with my recent experiences. This is the portion of the passage (Luke 11:33-36) that uses the analogy of a light and the bushel. The notions of light and darkness feature prominently in this passage. During my sabbatical, I had the chance to explore the mystic stream of the Christian tradition. One of the things I read was a collection of St John of the Cross’ work. One of his works that was excerpted in the collection I read was St John’s The Dark Night. Reading the work brought an interesting insight about light and darkness – epseically in regard to what can initiate periods of darkness in the soul. St John talks of a process of cleansing or purging one’s soul and a period of darkness that often descends as a result of this purging process. He wrote: “Moreover, the soul should leave aside all its former peace because it is prepared by means of this contemplative night to attain inner peace… that former peace was not truly peace because it was clothed with many imperfections… it seemed to be a twofold peace, sensory and spiritual… this sensory and spiritual peace, since it is still imperfect, must first be purged; the soul’s peace must be disturbed and taken away [emphasis added].” In a sense, these words have related to the challenges of my readjustment following my sabbatical experience. The peace, joy, and clarity which I experienced during my sabbatical was both a gift and a challenge in that it called me to live into new awarenesses and ways of being – things not necessarily easily transferable into some of my old patterns and routines. As a result, at times over the past month some of my soul’s peace has indeed been disturbed and taken away. Today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke invites me to look forward to that time when my “whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark” (Luke 11:36). St John of the Cross’ words, however, gave me a sense of perspective about the challenges of working through unavoidable periods of darkness to fully experience that light. Til next time…
The language used in the last portion of today’s Gospel reading really resonated with my recent experiences. This is the portion of the passage (Luke 11:33-36) that uses the analogy of a light and the bushel. The notions of light and darkness feature prominently in this passage. During my sabbatical, I had the chance to explore the mystic stream of the Christian tradition. One of the things I read was a collection of St John of the Cross’ work. One of his works that was excerpted in the collection I read was St John’s The Dark Night. Reading the work brought an interesting insight about light and darkness – epseically in regard to what can initiate periods of darkness in the soul. St John talks of a process of cleansing or purging one’s soul and a period of darkness that often descends as a result of this purging process. He wrote: “Moreover, the soul should leave aside all its former peace because it is prepared by means of this contemplative night to attain inner peace… that former peace was not truly peace because it was clothed with many imperfections… it seemed to be a twofold peace, sensory and spiritual… this sensory and spiritual peace, since it is still imperfect, must first be purged; the soul’s peace must be disturbed and taken away [emphasis added].” In a sense, these words have related to the challenges of my readjustment following my sabbatical experience. The peace, joy, and clarity which I experienced during my sabbatical was both a gift and a challenge in that it called me to live into new awarenesses and ways of being – things not necessarily easily transferable into some of my old patterns and routines. As a result, at times over the past month some of my soul’s peace has indeed been disturbed and taken away. Today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke invites me to look forward to that time when my “whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark” (Luke 11:36). St John of the Cross’ words, however, gave me a sense of perspective about the challenges of working through unavoidable periods of darkness to fully experience that light. Til next time…
September 19
Today’s Readings: Psalm 122 & 122; Ezekiel 43:1-12; Luke 11:14-26; Revelation 21:1-8
There was a theme that ran through two of today’s readings that I found particularly comforting given the challenge of the last couple of days. The first came from today’s reading from Revelation, and it had to do with the vision of the new city. The passage contains one of my favorite images of promise in verses 3-4: “Now the dwelling of God is with [humanity], and [God] will live with them. They will be [God’s] people, and God [Godself] will be with them and be their God. [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Most folks experience this sense of hope only in the future tense: usually in conjunction with either the afterlife and/or end days. The Gospel of Luke picks up this theme of hope and moves it from one tense (the future) to another tense (the present). In reflecting on his healing of a possessed man, Jesus challenges his critics with these words in verse 20 of chapter 11: “…if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you [ emphasis added].” This shift from the past to present tense is significant for me because it invites me to live not only in anticipation for the future but in a place of joyful experience - in the here and now! Today I invite you to stop for a moment and reflect on your experience of God’s Reign. Is it something that you hope for in the future? Or is it something that you get a taste of in some shape or form in the present? In other words, in what tense is your sense of hope located? Til next time…
There was a theme that ran through two of today’s readings that I found particularly comforting given the challenge of the last couple of days. The first came from today’s reading from Revelation, and it had to do with the vision of the new city. The passage contains one of my favorite images of promise in verses 3-4: “Now the dwelling of God is with [humanity], and [God] will live with them. They will be [God’s] people, and God [Godself] will be with them and be their God. [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Most folks experience this sense of hope only in the future tense: usually in conjunction with either the afterlife and/or end days. The Gospel of Luke picks up this theme of hope and moves it from one tense (the future) to another tense (the present). In reflecting on his healing of a possessed man, Jesus challenges his critics with these words in verse 20 of chapter 11: “…if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you [ emphasis added].” This shift from the past to present tense is significant for me because it invites me to live not only in anticipation for the future but in a place of joyful experience - in the here and now! Today I invite you to stop for a moment and reflect on your experience of God’s Reign. Is it something that you hope for in the future? Or is it something that you get a taste of in some shape or form in the present? In other words, in what tense is your sense of hope located? Til next time…
September 18
Today's Readings: Psalm 78; Ezekiel 34:17-31; Luke 11:1-13; Revelation 20:7-15
The daily lectionary readings from the Hebrew Scriptures for the last couple of months have been grounded in the words of the prophets. I suppose this is since the lectionary is building up and pointing us toward Advent and Christmas. This generally hasn't been a problem for me since I love the prophets. The only downside of the steady diet of the prophets has been an overwhelming sense of gloom and doom as most of the readings have pointed toward the destruction of Israel and Judah because of their sins (particularly their sins of idolatry and infidelity to God). Needless to say, I was suprised to dig into today's reading from Ezekiel and hear words of hope and promise for a change. The words that best exemplified that sense of hope and promise were contained in the later half of verse 28 from chapter 34: "They will live in safety and no one will make them afraid". In the days that have followed September 11th, 2001; we live in a world that is constantly on alert - a world where colors have become equated with levels of threat. We also live in a world where politicans prey on our fears by pitting one group against another (i.e. straight vs gay, resident vs illegal alien, Republican vs Democrat). All of this makes me wonder: What would it be like to truly live into the Reign of God as reflected by Ezekiel's words - a world where WE will live in saftey and no one will make US afraid? With God's help, let us pledge to find out. Together! Til next time...
The daily lectionary readings from the Hebrew Scriptures for the last couple of months have been grounded in the words of the prophets. I suppose this is since the lectionary is building up and pointing us toward Advent and Christmas. This generally hasn't been a problem for me since I love the prophets. The only downside of the steady diet of the prophets has been an overwhelming sense of gloom and doom as most of the readings have pointed toward the destruction of Israel and Judah because of their sins (particularly their sins of idolatry and infidelity to God). Needless to say, I was suprised to dig into today's reading from Ezekiel and hear words of hope and promise for a change. The words that best exemplified that sense of hope and promise were contained in the later half of verse 28 from chapter 34: "They will live in safety and no one will make them afraid". In the days that have followed September 11th, 2001; we live in a world that is constantly on alert - a world where colors have become equated with levels of threat. We also live in a world where politicans prey on our fears by pitting one group against another (i.e. straight vs gay, resident vs illegal alien, Republican vs Democrat). All of this makes me wonder: What would it be like to truly live into the Reign of God as reflected by Ezekiel's words - a world where WE will live in saftey and no one will make US afraid? With God's help, let us pledge to find out. Together! Til next time...
September 17
Today’s Readings: Psalm 51 & 117; Ezekiel 23:36-49; Luke 10:38-42; Revelation 20:1-6
What an amazing 24-hour period the last day has been. It’s been a time of worship, study, joy, and sorrow. It was a day that started with two wonderful, life affirming worship services and ended with the unexpected death of one of our church members. It’s at times such as these – intimate and vulnerable moments of transition – that your faith takes on added dimensions. It was in this space of reflection that today’s Gospel lesson struck a chord for me. The passage told the story of Jesus’ arrival in the home of Martha and Mary. In the story, Martha and Mary represent two very different approaches toward life and faith. Martha is like me – task oriented and focused. Mary is like how I want to be – present in the moment with an amazing ability to spiritually prioritize. The part of the passage that most resonated with me was when Jesus confronted Martha after her complaints against Mary with these words, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (NIV of Luke 10:41). As I reread those words, I heard those words calling out to me: “Craig, Craig, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed…” Today, those words invite me to stop and consider where my attention is turned: to the many things, or to the one thing. We’ll see if I can turn my attention to the one thing – at least for one day. Perhaps you’ll consider joining me in this endeavor. Til next time…
What an amazing 24-hour period the last day has been. It’s been a time of worship, study, joy, and sorrow. It was a day that started with two wonderful, life affirming worship services and ended with the unexpected death of one of our church members. It’s at times such as these – intimate and vulnerable moments of transition – that your faith takes on added dimensions. It was in this space of reflection that today’s Gospel lesson struck a chord for me. The passage told the story of Jesus’ arrival in the home of Martha and Mary. In the story, Martha and Mary represent two very different approaches toward life and faith. Martha is like me – task oriented and focused. Mary is like how I want to be – present in the moment with an amazing ability to spiritually prioritize. The part of the passage that most resonated with me was when Jesus confronted Martha after her complaints against Mary with these words, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (NIV of Luke 10:41). As I reread those words, I heard those words calling out to me: “Craig, Craig, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed…” Today, those words invite me to stop and consider where my attention is turned: to the many things, or to the one thing. We’ll see if I can turn my attention to the one thing – at least for one day. Perhaps you’ll consider joining me in this endeavor. Til next time…
September 16
A day that began at 5:00 AM for me is finally finishing at 10:00 PM. It's been a long, challenging day. Unfortunately I'm too tired to write a reflection on today's text (actually, I delivered a sermon on the texts instead). Anyway, I'll get back with my schedule tomorrow. Til next time...
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