Saturday, June 21

Today’s Readings: Psalm 107; Genesis 19:1-17; Matthew 26:57-68; Romans 8:1-8

One of the challenges in engaging scripture is to look at the entirety of a particular story and not just one particular aspect of the story that suits your needs or personal agenda. Today’s story from Genesis is a good example of why it’s important to look at the whole. There are some who have looked at the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah and concluded that the passage is about one – and only one thing: a condemnation of homosexuality. They use a literal interpretation of a portion of the passage to conclude that. Ironically, there is another literal dimension to the passage that many of these same folks leave out; the portion of the story where Lot offers his two virginal daughters to the crowd in an attempt to appease them. Interestingly enough there is no mention of a condemnation of Lot’s offer. Therefore, if you were to draw absolute moral conclusions from the story based upon just a literal reading of the text, you could conclude that such an offer could be considered morally acceptable. I don’t think that’s the case, however. “So what IS the point of the story then?” you might ask. The point is one that carried through all aspects of the story: God’s children are called to live hospitable lives. That point is what motivated Lot to take in the angels/men. That point is what motivated Lot to risk life and limb to protect his guests. That point is what motivated Lot to go to radical lengths in order to appease the surly crowd. In other words: hospitality matters! Ironically many individuals and churches who regularly read the text violate the basic principle of hospitality in the hostile way they treat Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered individuals. In other words, in their passion for a so-called literal reading of the story they completely miss the point of the story. So what can we take from today’s story? Many things. The one I’ll take away today, however, is the importance of not missing the point – not becoming so focused on my own narrow interpretive agenda that I lose sight of what really matters in the larger scheme of things. I hope that’s a lesson that connects for you as well. Til next time…

Friday, June 20

Today’s Readings: Psalm 1; Genesis 18:16-33; Matthew 26:47-56; Romans 7:21-25; Psalm 28

Lots of folks these days equate being faithful with being submissive and unquestioning. I can certainly understand why they make this equation since it is generally a good thing to be willing to submit oneself to God. Today’s passage from Genesis, however, presents another perspective on what it means to be faithful. In the passage we hear the story of an exchange between God and Abraham concerning the fate of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In that exchange, Abraham – who would later be used as a model of faithfulness by Paul in his letters – conducts himself in an unexpected way: Abraham openly challenges God. Now some folks would read the story and draw the overly broad conclusion that the story’s sole purpose is to communicate the lesson that one can be faithful and still challenge or question God. I certainly believe that that is one important lesson from the passage. But such a broad conclusion would miss out on an important dimension of the story. You see Abraham didn’t challenge God simply as a knee-jerk act of defiance. Nor did Abraham challenge God simply as an act of ego or self-will. No, Abraham’s challenge was grounded in something else: compassion for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. That, I believe, is what ultimately transformed the interaction between Abraham and God from a power play into an act of faithfulness. As you and I struggle to understand what it means to be faithful within the confines of our daily lives, my hope is that may we might have Abraham’s strength and courage of conviction so that we too might be willing to wrestle with God in order to better understand what it means to live a life of faithfulness. Til next time…

Thursday, June 19

Today’s Readings: Psalm 12; Genesis 18:1-16; Matthew 26:36-46; Romans 7:13-20; Psalm 6

If I were to ask you, “As a follower of Jesus, what act would you say constitutes a betrayal of Jesus?” chances are you would say something big. For instance, you might say that a follower of Jesus would betray Jesus by killing someone. Another might say that a follower of Jesus would betray Jesus by robbing someone or embezzling large sums of money. Certainly committing such grievous acts would constitute a betrayal of all that Jesus stood for. Today’s passage from Matthew gives me another perspective on this matter of betrayal. In that passage, the disciples’ betrayal of Jesus wasn’t a large, egregious act; their act of betrayal was relatively small and intimate. When Jesus left the disciples alone in the Garden of Gethsemane while he went to pray, he gave them one simple instruction: “stay here and keep vigil with me” (Matthew 26:38 – The Message). So what did the disciples do? They betrayed Jesus’ instruction by falling asleep. In fact the disciples did this not just one time but three times! So what does this have to say to those of us who consider ourselves Jesus’ disciples today? The passage reminds us that - like those first disciples - our betrayals of Jesus often lie in small, intimate acts in our own lives. For instance, we stand by silently as a co-worker tells a racist/sexist/heterosexist joke and perhaps snicker so our co-workers will think we fit in. Or perhaps we scrape a vacant car in the parking lot and then drive off without leaving a note on the windshield. We might even take our frustrations at the office out verbally on our loved ones at the end of a long day. To use the language from Matthew 26:40, all of these examples represent small instances when we “fall asleep” rather than “staying alert”. My hope for all of us today is that we might stay alert so that we don’t find ourselves committing acts of betrayal – big or small! Til next time…

Wednesday, June 18

Today’s Readings: Psalm 132; Genesis 17:15-27; Matthew 26:26-35; Romans 7:7-12; Psalm 128

The notion of sin isn’t something that we talk about much in progressive faith communities. If we do, it’s usually in a corporate context (i.e. Enron & Halliburton) rather than an individual context. Why is that? Ever since the days of first the Renaissance and then the Enlightenment, many of us have chosen to focus more on our perfectibility and less on our shortcomings. Being a both/and person rather than an either or person, I don’t like to get pushed 100% into either camp – either arguing in favor of the Reform notion of the total depravity of human beings or in favor of the Enlightenment notion of humanity’s perfectibility. Instead, I like to use a phrase that bridges this gap. I like to talk about “what human beings are capable”. I believe that phrase reminds us of both aspects of our human nature. So why am I talking about sin today? Well, the issue came up for me in Today’s reading from Romans. That passage talks about the unexpected work of the law (or what Peterson paraphrased as “the legal code”): “The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me. Without all the paraphernalia of the law code, sin looked pretty dull and lifeless…” (Romans 7:9 - The Message). So what was Paul getting at? Well, for me when you reduce the notion of sin simply down to whether or not you follow the rules, you entirely shift the focus from human nature (“what human beings are capable”) to self-will. How does that happen? If sin is only a matter of following rules, our response to breaking a rule is to redouble our effort and try harder not to break the rule. Little - if any - thought is paid to the larger issues that lay behind your violation of the rule (i.e. motivations such as greed, self-will, lust, etc). In short, sin becomes all about me and my inability to follow a rule. Of course we think we are strong enough to correct any matter so we move on on our own – “seduced” by the notion that we alone can overcome it. When we look at sin from a larger perspective, however, (the “what we human beings are capable”) the issues become larger, and outside help is needed. That outside help would be God. And instead of exclusively turning inward, this perspective would lead you toward God as well. So what is your perspective on all of this? Do you see sin as simply an individual short-coming, or do you see aspects of sin as being larger than just yourself? How you answer those questions will strongly shape not just your sense of perspective on life, it will determine the direction your spiritual life leads you as well (inside, outside, or some combination of both). Til next time…

Tuesday, June 17

Today’s Readings: Psalm 41; Genesis 16:15-17:4; Matthew 26:17-25; Romans 7:1-6; Psalm 55

Lots of folks use different markers to gauge the growth or progress they experience during a given year. Some folks use New Year’s Eve/New Year’s as a time to look back over the past year and make resolutions for the year ahead. Other folks (like teachers or pastors) use a school or program year to both look back and plan ahead. I tend to use my birthday as that occasion. Given that today is my 41st birthday, I’ve taken some time to both look back and glance ahead. One thing that struck me was how many major decisions/commitments I’ve made during the past year. Here’s just a partial list of some of the decisions: I moved my political party registration outside of the two party system and became a member of a third party; I incorporated more “Green” practices into my daily routine; I become a vegetarian; and I shifted my paradigm for what it means to be church from a mechanistic to an organic view. It makes me tired just thinking about all of that. It also makes me think that it just might be possible to teach new tricks to an old dog after all! All of this makes me wonder what lies ahead in my 41st year. Technically, I’ll be beginning my 42nd year, but 41 sounds a little less painless right now. Thankfully, today’s reading from Genesis gives me a good principle to guide me in all of the years ahead. That principle is summed up in God’s words to Abraham when God says: “… live entirely before me, live to the hilt!” (Genesis 17:1 – The Message). Aren’t those awesome words! What I’ve noticed is that the older I get, the less worried I am about trying to make my decisions and commitments into other people’s decisions and commitments; I’m doing a better job of keeping my focus where it belongs – on my own attempts to live before God. I figure in doing that I’m hopefully setting an example to encourage others to do the same thing. I’ve noticed the more energy I spend doing my work (as opposed to trying to manage/manipulate others into doing THEIR work), the more likely I am to live my life to the hilt. Thanks for sharing the past year with me! Your prayers and support have greatly blessed my 40th year. Til next time…

Monday, June 16

Today’s Readings: Psalm 20; Genesis 16:1-14; Matthew 26:1-16; Romans 6:20-23; Psalm 126

I’ve noticed over the years that when it comes to an individual’s motivation for leading a spiritual life, most folks fall into one of two camps. The first camp consists of those who want to lead a spiritual life because of the benefits it brings a person in the here and now (i.e. I want to live a spiritual life that will bring me peace, joy, and hope today!). The second camp consists of those who want to lead a spiritual life because of the benefits it will bring a person later (i.e. if I lead a spiritual life I’ll go to heaven; if I don’t lead a spiritual life I’ll go to hell). I’m someone who definitely falls into the first camp. I cultivate a spiritual life because of the way it affects my life each and every day of my life. I say all of this because it might help you understand why I so appreciate Paul’s words to the Romans in today’s passage. In talking of the decision to turn toward a life oriented toward God and not sin, Paul wrote: “But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!” (The Message). That verse spells out for me perfectly the benefits I find by focusing primarily on the here and now rather than the here-after. So what is your primary motivation for leading a spiritual life? Is your commitment to leading a spiritual life lie rooted in all of your todays, or is that commitment lie rooted in all of your tomorrows? Til next time…

Sunday, June 15

Today’s Readings: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; Genesis 18:1-15; Matthew 9:35-10:8; Romans 5:1-8

I was having a conversation this week with a friend Steve, when he started telling me about an epiphany he had recently. Steve talked about his experience at a concert he had attended a few weeks ago. The seating for the concert was general seating which meant there were no pre-assigned seats. You got your seats on a first come first serve basis; so Steve and his friends showed up early - hoping to grab the very best seats available. As they walked through the doors, they saw there were two options that seemed most feasible: they could either sit in the middle of the tenth row, or they could sit off to the left in the fifth row. They opted for the seats in the fifth row since they were closer. For the first half of the show, Steve couldn’t let go of wondering whether or not they had chosen the right seats. He kept thinking about how much better the experience might have been if they had sat in the other seats. Finally, a thought popped into his mind. “What if the experience isn’t determined by OUR seats, OUR location? What if the experience is bigger than us?” With that, he was finally able to let go of his worries and enjoy the show. That conversation reminded me of another person who was bound and determined to think that her seat in life was the determining factor: Sarah in today’s passage from Genesis. All she could think about were the limited options available to an elderly, barren woman whose primary social value lie in her role as host. Then Sarah too had an epiphany that reminded her that the possibilities for her life were larger than her location. With that, she began to open herself to a whole new set of possibilities for her life. Are you in the same situation as Steve and Sarah? Have you convinced yourself that there is only so much you can accomplish given your location in life? If so, re-read today’s story from Genesis and open yourself to the idea that God might birth amazing and miraculous things through you as well. Til next time…