Wednesday, May 7

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 123; Ezekiel 7:10-15, 23b-27; Matthew 15:21-28; 1 Corinthians 16:10-24; Psalm 130

Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew contains one of my very favorite stories of Jesus. It is also one of the most controversial stories because it presents Jesus in a different light than most other stories. In most healing stories, Jesus responds immediately to the presenting need with love and compassion. Not so in today’s story. In today’s story, when the Canaanite woman approaches Jesus to request healing for her daughter, Jesus’ initially refused the woman’s request. Here’s where things get interesting in the scholarship regarding the passage. Conservative scholars argue that Jesus refused the woman’s request for healing because he was simply testing the woman’s faith. Other scholars, however, argue that through that refusal we get a glimpse into Jesus’ humanity; his refusal is a moment when we see Jesus manifest some of the cultural bias/prejudice with which he was raised. Given these two different understandings of the passage, most folks say the most crucial element of the story is what it has to say to us about Jesus. I disagree. I think the passage has to do with our perception of what it means to be “perfect” or “without sin”. You see when most folks think of Jesus’ nature, they assume that being “perfect” or “without sin” means that Jesus never changed; he was always in a state of flawlessness. That is one way of looking at things. Another is that being “perfect” or “without sin” would mean that one is always open to growth and change. Consequently, when one is confronted with one’s limitations, one would lay aside ego and will and work to overcome that limitation. I tend to looking at things from the latter perspective. In Jesus’ refusal to heal the Canaanite woman, I don’t see a hard-hearted person who lacked compassion; I see a person who was reflecting the values his family, friends, and authority figures had taught him. In other words, I see Jesus’ humanity. What’s most important is that in spite of these biases Jesus set an example for his disciples to follow: always be open to growth and change. Don’t let your biases hold you back. Today, I invite you to explore your attitudes. Are there those individuals you would find difficult to reach out to? Individuals who you think are beyond the bounds of healing? If so, follow Jesus’ example of faithfulness and open your mind and heart. If you do that, you too might bring healing to the most unexpected of places. Til next time…

Tuesday, May 6

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 59; Ezekiel 4:1-17; Matthew 15:1-20; 1 Corinthians 16:1-9; Psalm 61

I learned an important lesson growing up in a dysfunctional local church. I learned that there is a huge difference between serving God and serving self. Let me tell you how I learned that lesson. You see there was a couple in my local church who were seen by the people in our community as the backbone of the church. They gave generous financial contributions to the ministries of our church; they served on numerous committees and boards; and they devoted an inordinate amount of energy to support the day to day operations of the church. There was only one catch: they did these things as long as they got their way. If they didn’t get their way, then we saw another side of them. They often “ruled” through fear and intimidation. Rumor and innuendo were favorite tools of theirs in order to get their way. Today’s words from Matthew reminded me of this situation. In the passage, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah as noting: “These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshipping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy” (Matthew 15:8-9 – The Message). Of course, it would be easy for me to hear those words of challenge and think only of the couple from my childhood. To do so, however, would be a mistake. For I believe that whenever we come into community, each of us has our own challenge grappling with ego and personal agenda. I know I do. Today I invite you to examine your own heart and see if there are ways in which your ego and agenda are driving your attempts to live in community (religious or otherwise). Then, spend some time re-claiming the spirit of the simple prayer that Jesus’ taught us as together we pray “Thy will be done”. Til next time…

Monday, May 5

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 42; Ezekiel 3:16-27; Matthew 14:22-36; 1 Corinthians 15:45-58; Psalm 13

Last summer I turned 40. Since then I’ve been wrestling to learn a valuable lesson. The lesson is how to overcome co-dependence. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, co-dependence is where an individual’s boundaries are blurred and he/she ends up enmeshed with other people. Co-dependent folks, for instance, will often accept responsibility for other people’s feelings or choices. They often feel as if they are both the cause of other people’s problems and the cure to those same problems. Sounds absurd, right? I know it does to a non co-dependent person. To a co-dependent person, however, it makes perfect sense. Needless to say, such an approach toward life is totally overwhelming. Having lived with a co-dependent approach toward life for 40 years, it is a challenge (to say the least) to try to undo these thought processes that continue to haunt me daily. As someone wrestling to establish healthy boundaries, I LOVED today’s passage from Ezekiel. And why do I love it? Because it sets clear boundaries about who is responsible for what. The passage tells us of how Ezekiel received a clear message from God: when you receive a message from God, tell the people what I’ve said. That’s your job. End of story. The people’s job, then, is to pick up the message and run. You are not responsible for their choices after hearing the message; you are only responsible for sharing it. That’s the sort of clarity I love and need in my life. It’s easy for people of faith to slide into co-dependent patterns. We do so not for entirely selfish reasons – we do it because we so desperately want to reach and help people. And in our attempts to do so, we end up losing a healthy sense of balance and perspective. Today, let us give thanks for a God who understands healthy boundaries. Let us then honor God by following God’s examples and establishing healthy boundaries in our own lives as well. Til next time…

Sunday, May 4

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 1; Acts 1:6-14; John 17:1-11; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; Psalm 121

I’m generally not a big fan of using the phrase “God is testing me”. While I understand where such folks are coming from (I.e. the book of Job), my personal experience of God suggests that God just wouldn’t act so capriciously just for the sake of proving a point. Having said all of that, today is one of those days where it feels like I have a test. You see on my last day of vacation in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll return to the church in which I was born, baptized, and raised. I’ll go back because of the coffee hour following the service in which the church will celebrate my father’s 80th birthday. So where’s the test lie? Well, in addition to having been baptized and raised in the church, my candidacy for ordained ministry was also discontinued by my home church because I was gay. In the days after my candidacy for ordained ministry was discontinued, I told myself that I would follow the admonition in Matthew 10:14 that says if a group doesn’t receive your ministry you should shake the dust from your shoes and move on. I intended to; I thought that I would never go back. Today, however, on some level it feels as if I have a two-part final exam. The first portion concerned my willingness to set aside my vow not to return and be a part of a family celebration. I’m ready for that portion of the test. The second part of the “test” is much trickier; it involves my decision whether or not to receive Communion in the community that broke its covenant promises to me. For several days, I thought I would make the decision not to receive the elements because of this. Today’s lectionary passage from 1 Peter helped change my mind. Those words from 1 Peter 4:12-13 read as follows: “Friends, when life get really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner” (The Message). Those words reminded me that my Communion experience today will in fact capture the very essence of what the sacrament is all about. Today, as I kneel at the altar, I will know first hand some of the feelings of what Jesus experienced (I.e. pain, betrayal, brokenness). Today, I will also know in very powerful ways other aspects of Jesus’ experience: forgiveness, grace, and love. Aren’t those all of those feelings and experiences (both good and bad) what Communion is all about? Perhaps there are pieces of your life where you feel conflicted - pieces where you want to draw lines around and keep God out. If that’s the case, I would invite you to do what I am in the process of doing - lay aside your pride, ego, will and your pain and invite the healing and transformative presence of God in. If you do that, you just might find that the glory that the author of 1 Peter said lies “just around the corner“ is closer than you think. Til next time…

Saturday, May 3

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 11; Ezekiel 3:4-17; Matthew 14:13-21; 1 Corinthians 15:35-44; Psalm 139

I remember one Christmas when I was about 5. I was working with my mother as we decorated the Christmas tree. My mom tried to get me to work with the more durable ornaments on the lower portion of the tree (we had 2 cats and a dog so the durable ornaments HAD to be hung on the lower portion of the tree). I insisted, however, that I was old enough to work with the glass ornaments that were hung higher. When my mom stepped out of the room for a few minutes, I dove into the box with the glass ornaments and proceeded to try to hang one ornament up high. Wouldn’t you know the ornament slipped through my fingers and broke on the floor. That ornament was one of my mother’s favorite ornaments. So what did I do to rectify the situation? I did what any five year old would do: I grabbed a broom in the kitchen and swept the broken parts under the refrigerator. My mom came back into the room and we finished decorating the tree. Nothing was said about what happened. Several years later - when my family was decorating another tree - I remember what I had done many years earlier. I decided it was time to come clean, so I nervously told my mom what happened. She smiled and said, “I already knew that.” That day I learned an important lesson. It wasn’t that my mother’s love for me changed that day. No, her love for me was constant. What changed was my awareness of - and understanding of the depths of that love. I learned that she loved me for who I was - not for who I pretended to me. That same sentiment was captured by the psalmist in Psalm 139. In that passage the psalmist beings by acknowledging God’s role in his life: “I’m an open book to you”. The psalmist continues by observing “You know when I leave and when I get back, I’m never out of your sight.” So many individuals lead lives of hopelessness and fear as they struggle to come to terms with parts of themselves. They spend much time trying to prove or earn the love and respect of God and others. Today’s psalm calls us to realize that there is no reason to try to be anything other than yourself; for God already knows and accepts who you are. The only person left struggling to accept you is most often you. Today, I would encourage you to take time celebrating a God who knows and loves us: not for who God thinks us to be, but rather for exactly who we are. Til next time…

Friday, May 2

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 10; Ezekiel 1:28-3:3; Matthew 14:1-12; 1 Corinthians 15:29-34; Psalm 7

There are many roles that spiritual leaders of faith communities are called to play. At times, for instance, spiritual leaders are called to serve in administrative roles; at other times, they are called to provide pastoral care. One of the most important roles they are called to play is the role of the prophet. In my first few years of ministry I’ve found that the prophetic role is perhaps the least understood role of all the roles we pastors play. When most folks hear the word “prophet” spoken, they assume a prophet is merely someone who points toward, or predicts the future. Others hear the word and think of a prophet as someone who heralds gloom and doom for a community. Neither of those descriptions really get at what I feel is the heart of the call to be a prophet. The way I think of the prophetic role is to be someone who names things for a community. Through that naming process greater clarity is introduced into the situation. In today’s passage from Matthew, for instance, we hear a bit of John the Baptist’s history recounted. In that recounting, we are reminded of John’s courageous ability to name something of great important. You see in John’s day there were lots of folks who looked around and saw the nature of Herod’s relationship with Herodias (Herod‘s sister-in-law). And while they knew the situation was problematic, most folks were willing to simply look the other way. John was the one who finally stepped forward and named what was happening. Of course things didn’t turn out well for John personally (as they often don’t for those who claim their prophetic voice). And yet despite the personal outcome for John, greater clarity was introduced into the situation because of John’s courage to name what was happening. John’s community was strengthened in the long run. Perhaps there are ways in which God is calling you to assume a prophetic voice - to name some things that are happening around you in order to restore a sense of health and balance. If that is your call, take courage in knowing that while the ramifications of finding your voice might be difficult in the short term; the long-term health and well-being of your community (and your own peace of mind) just might rest upon your ability to do so. Til next time…

Thursday, May 1

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 96; Acts 1:1-11; Luke 24:46-53; Ephesians 1:15-23; Psalm 29

Today is known as Ascension Day in the Christian church. It’s observed as the day when Jesus finally ascended following his resurrection. The notion of the Ascension is important in my life for the following reason. Let me set its importance up for you. You see I can’t imagine how crushed the disciples were when they had to face their first time of separation from Jesus in the time following his crucifixion and burial. In fact they were probably surprised at how unprepared they were for living into the next stage of their individual and collective lives. The disciples were lucky, however. They received an additional 40 days of time “together” in order to do two things: heal and prepare themselves for the days ahead. The Ascension, then, represents for me an amazing expression of God‘s grace. The 40 days that lie between Jesus’ resurrection and final departure suggest that God doesn’t just throw things on our plate without regard to our circumstance or ability to carry them out; God often provides the time and space we need to process them. As we look back and scan the horizon of our lives, let us give thanks for those times when we too were given the space and time we have been given to deal with the challenges we have faced. Then, let us go forth with the healing and sense of vision we gained and live the lives God’s grace has empowered us to live. Til next time…