Saturday, May 10

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 45; Isaiah 11:1-9; John 16:25-31; Acts 1:15-26; Psalm 85

In our non-traditional worship gathering last Tuesday, we worked/worshipped with a piece of scripture that set up tomorrow’s celebration of Pentecost. That piece of scripture was John 14. One of the lines our worshipping community struggled with was Jesus promise that the Holy Spirit would come and “make everything plain to [us]” (John 14:25 – The Message). The group wrestled with that scripture because many felt like even after the coming of the Holy Spirit things weren’t made plain to us – especially regarding the role and work of the Holy Spirit. They acknowledged the Holy Spirit is probably the least understood expression of God. I had a little different take on what it would mean to have everything made plain. I was reminded of my take in today’s passage from John 16. In that passage, Jesus followed the disciples’ comments with these words: “I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace” (John 16:31 – The Message). My take on these two passages is this: the coming of the Holy Spirit doesn’t assure us we’ll suddenly intellectually understand every aspect of God; the coming of the Spirit instead makes our understanding of ourselves in relation to God clearer. That clarity of understanding brought about by faith is what brings that sense of being unshakable and assured – that sense of being deeply at peace. On this weekend when we once again celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit let us consider the unimaginable ways in which things are made known regarding our relationship with self and God and then give thanks for the peace and assurance that flows out of this knowing. Til next time…

Friday, May 9

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 57; Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; John 16:12-24; Acts 1:9-14; Psalm 84

It’s easy to miss a shift in theology in the scriptures if you aren’t paying attention. A good example of this is embedded in today’s reading from Ezekiel. Let me set that theological shift up for you. In the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), a pattern is established that indicates the sins of the parents will in fact be visited up their children. Passages like Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 5:9, and Exodus 34:6-7 makes this clear. By the time we get to the Ezekiel, however, the message has changed. Ezekiel 18:20 says point blank: “a child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent” (NRSV). Theological shifts in Scripture raised a tantalizing question: “Does God change God’s mind or do human beings change in their understanding of God?” I’m sure it would be nice if I could lay that question to rest once and for all, but I’m not arrogant enough to believe I can do so. Regardless of how one answers that question, it’s important not to miss an even more basic point: if we are truly faithful, we will have open hearts and open minds that will continue to lead us into ever fuller understandings of God. The good news about this is that if you accept such a premise, your entire life will be a period of growth full of excitement and change as you grow in your understanding of God. The bad news about this, I suppose, is that it means you have to be willing to do your spiritual work. You can’t just rest on your laurels (or the things you learned in Sunday school at the age of 8). Today I give thanks for two things: a God who is larger than the confines of our minds at each and every stage of our development; and those courageous pilgrims of the faith who acknolwedge this and remain responsive to the continued leadings of the Spirit. Til next time…

Thursday, May 8

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 122; Ezekiel 11:14-25; Matthew 15:29-39; Acts 1:1-8; Psalm 87

One of the great challenges we face in our spiritual journeys is getting use to the notion that things don’t always happen according to OUR time frame. It’s easy, for instance, to think to ourselves: “I know that I’ve made mistakes in the past, but now I’ve got my act together. Why haven’t things started to go my way?!” What I’ve noticed is that often OUR time frame doesn’t give us time to gain a sense of perspective about the issue. We may, for instance, go through a painful breakup that is devastating to us. A few weeks following the breakup, we’ll cry out, “When will the pain ever end?” And then a year later, we meet someone and starting experiencing the fruits of a healthy relationship that we never thought was possible. Or we may get fired or laid off at work and think to ourselves, “I’ll never be able to find another position as good as this one! What’s the point in going on” Then, six months later, we find ourselves in a position that is more meaningful and rewarding than we ever thought possible. Time after time, the circumstances in our lives remind us that things don’t often happen according to our schedule. The disciples found themselves in a similar position in this morning’s passage from Acts. As they gathered together for the last time with Jesus, immediately their minds turned to THEIR time frame and caused them to cry out, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?” Jesus answer to them – Jesus answer to US – was short and to the point: “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is [God’s] business” (Acts 1:7). Today, as you perhaps struggle with a challenge in your life and find yourself obsessed with the question “When”, I invite you to turn to this morning’s passage from Acts and remind yourself there is another time frame involved in our lives besides our own. Perhaps that will give you a greater sense of peace and patience. Til next time…

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…