Tuesday, April 7

Today’s Readings: Psalm 71; Isaiah 49:1-7; John 12:20-36; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Psalm 143

Featured Readings: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Every political season, I observe a phenomenon that fascinates me. Candidates who run for office go to great lengths to call attention to their faith. In most cases, this means they talk about their Christian faith. The way the candidates talk, it makes it sound as if the Christian faith is synonymous with words like “power” and “privilege”. That’s an interesting way to look at our faith – for it stands in direct opposition to the way Paul talked about it in today’s reading from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. In that passage, Paul wrote: “Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of ‘the brightest and the best’ among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies’?” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27 from The Message). It would be interesting to hear a candidate talk about their faith in this way: “Yes, I am a Christian. But that doesn’t make me better than others. It just means I recognized I needed God’s grace and mercy to help me deal with all of my shortcomings.” What a statement that would be! All of this makes me wonder how you view your call. Do you feel you were called because you were someone special, or do you believe you were called because you were in need of all God has to offer? How you answer that question will go a long way in shaping how you live out your call. Til next time…

Monday, April 6

Today’s Readings: Psalm 36; Isaiah 42:1-9; John 12:1-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; Psalm 142

Featured Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

If you spend a little time flipping channels on the television, you’re bound to run across a televangelist before too long. Many folks who evaluate televangelists evaluate the quality of their ministry by either the words that are said or the special guests that are included during the program. I tend to evaluate them using two other standards. First, I look at the facility from which they are speaking; and second, I look at the name of their ministry. The facility from which they speak tells me a lot about the values of the ministry. It tells me, for instance, whether they equate being “blessed” with having material rewards. As you might guess, I’m not a fan of the prosperity gospel approach. Second, I look at the name of the ministry because it’s a great indicator of how big the televangelist’s ego is. If the ministry is named after the televangelist, it tells me who is at the center of the ministry. So what’s all of this have to do with any of today’s readings? Well, today’s reading from Isaiah gives us a vision of the One who is to come. That vision goes something like this: “He won’t call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right” (Isaiah 42:2-3 from The Message). While I’m aware these are qualities associated only with the coming Servant (the one whom we Christians acknowledge to be Jesus), I also believe these qualities should be embodied in those who call themselves followers of this servant. As we focus on the culmination of Jesus’ journey this Holy Week, I would encourage you to look for things that tell us not just about Jesus – but things that also tell us about the lives those who would call themselves followers of Jesus would lead. Til next time…

Sunday, April 5

Today’s Reading: Mark 14:1-Mark 15:47

This morning in our faith community we will be reading two entire chapters of the Gospel of Mark – chapters 14 and 15 – during worship. This will replace the sermon. Instead of reading Scripture in its usual manner, however, we are doing the lengthy passage using 14 readers to bring the passage alive. As I pulled together the dramatic reading this week and assigned roles to individuals ranging from Jesus to Pontius Pilate to Peter, something power happened inside of me. I was reminded of a story I heard told in seminary by one of my professors who had spent time in a Greek Orthodox faith community. A young person who had just arrived in the community came to the priest one day and said, “Father, I don’t know if I can stay in this faith community.” “Why?” the priest asked. “Because of those times during service when we say one of the creeds. Those creeds contain things that I personally don’t believe. So I’m thinking I should find a place to worship where I believe everything they ask me to say.” “My friend,” the priest said, “you’re confused. The creeds aren’t about you. They are about the community.” And a lengthy conversation ensued between the individual and priest that unpacked the priest’s assertion in a way that only folks from an Orthodox tradition can completely understand. So why am I talking about creeds this Palm/Passion Sunday morning? Well, the experience of hearing the Passion Story read - not by one voice but by many - reminds me that the Passion Story is not about us individually as well. The stories are narratives that make the most sense when they are connected to – and through – faith communities. And here’s why that’s important. Over the years I’ve seen so many folks wrestle with the Passion Story exclusively from an individual perspective. They spent their time deciding which parts work for them and which parts don’t. They hold onto those parts of the story that work and abandon those parts that don’t. Sadly, by reading the story in isolation, they make the Passion Story about themselves. I believe the Passion Story is much larger than any one person’s likes and dislikes. Experiencing that story in community reminds us of that. Today, instead of leaving you with a question like I often do, I think I’ll leave you with a challenge. And here that challenge is: this week fight the urge to make the Passion Story simply about you. Seek out a community experience of the story – a Palm/Passion Sunday service, a Maundy Thursday service, a Good Friday service, a Great Easter Vigil, or an Easter service - and be reminded of the larger dimensions of the story. It may lead you to uncomfortable places as you are forced to confront dimensions of the story with which you are uncomfortable. But correct me if I’m wrong here, I don’t believe our faith was meant to leave us in places of personal comfort. Til next time…

Saturday, April 4

Today’s Readings: Psalm 9; Lamentations 5:1-22; Mark 13:28-37; Romans 11:25-36; Psalm 44

Featured Reading: Mark 13:28-37

Back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, one of my youth group leaders was very taken with the notion of the End Times. She was particularly fond of the work of Hal Lindsey. Consequently, she used every opportunity to literally put the fear of God in us as she would show us portrayals of what some predicted the End Times would look like. I couldn’t understand why such things fascinated her. Her single-minded focus on the End Times pushed many of the kids in our youth group away from God rather than toward God. As I look back now, I realize that a huge piece of her obsession with such things had to do with her desire to achieve certainty with her faith. She loved the idea of being able to predict exactly how and exactly when things would “come down”. Such an approach stands in stark contrast with what Jesus said in today’s reading from Mark. “But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout, for you don’t know the timetable” (Mark 13:32-33 from The Message). While we may not have the luxury of certainty – Jesus leaves us with something else: an invitation to live each day in a state of readiness. The next time you feel yourself craving certainty about those things you can’t control (tomorrow), remember Jesus’ words and focus on what you can control (today). Til next time…

Friday, April 3

Today’s Readings: Psalm 114; Lamentations 4:11-22; Mark 13:14-27; Romans 11:13-24; Psalm 94

Featured Reading: Romans 11:13-24

There are certainly many challenging aspects of the recession that we have been living through for the past several months. Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects is that it has revealed where we have placed our faith. Lots of folks (including myself) have watched as the value of their 401k’s and pension plans have plummeted over the past year. It was a truly shocking development as they assumed the stock market would provide generously for their futures. Other folks had been in long-established jobs they assumed they would hold until retirement. Needless to say they were horrified to learn that not only was their position eliminated - but the entire company was unexpectedly gone. “At least we’ll always have the stability of the value of our home if things get really bad,” they thought to themselves. If they are anything like me, they’ve watched as the value of their home has plunged by nearly 15% as well. The recession has been painful for so many of us because it reminded us the danger of placing our faith and our sense of security in human things. In today’s passage from Romans, Paul plays with the imagery of a tree in order to discuss our faith. And in doing so, Paul reminds us of what the root of our tree ought to be: God. Today, in the midst of the challenges of your life, I would ask you: “What serves as the root system that anchors and feeds your tree?” Til next time…

Thursday, April 2

Today’s Readings: Psalm 68; Lamentations 4:1-10; Mark 13:1-13; Romans 11:1-12; Psalm 113

Featured Reading: Mark 13:1-13

As a man, I realize I will never completely understand what goes on for a woman in the process of childbirth. This is especially true when it comes to the idea of conceptualizing how women are able to put up with the amazing amount of pain involved in actually giving birth. A cynical notion of explaining how women deal with the pain would be to say, “It’s the drugs they give you that pull you through.” I think it’s a little more complicated than that. The women I’ve talked with about the process all say roughly the same thing: it’s not the pain one experiences in the process of childbirth that defines the experience – it was the wonderful baby that came at the end of the process that defined the experience. The author of today’s passage from Mark makes a similar point. He makes no effort to deny that there will be pain involved in the process leading up to the culmination of days. In fact, he spells out that pain in some detail. And yet the author refuses to let that pain be the defining experience. Instead, he points out the beautiful thing the lies at the end of the process: salvation. Perhaps you are living through a particularly difficult time in your life right now. You might even be struggling to decide whether the pain you currently feel will be the defining aspect of your life. If that’s the case for you, remember today’s words from the Gospel of Mark. Use those words as a reminder that something better lies before you beyond the pain – if only you can “stay with it”. Til next time…