Today’s Reading: John 3:1-17
I met the person who was to become my best friend in seminary at the start of the second quarter of my very first year of seminary. The gentleman’s name was Eric. And if any of you tell Eric I referred to him as a gentleman, I’ll deny it to the bitter end.
Eric and I happened to be going through painful breakups at the time of our meeting, and so that January of 2000 we made a practice of getting together every Thursday evening for dinner to see how we were holding up. That practice stretched through the month of January, then February… and before we knew it, our weekly get-togethers had stretched out over the ensuing nine years!
One interesting aspect of our friendship was that Eric and I were very different people. I had a call to parish ministry and was pursing my Master of Divinity degree; Eric had a call to teach and was pursuing a Ph.D. I was from the Pacific Northwest, Eric was from the Midwest. And I had the good sense to be a fan of Houston sports; Eric did not. Eric had the gall to be a Red Sox fan, but I digress. Anyway, it was those very differences that came to enrich and enliven our friendship.
Over the past nine years, I have learned many things from Eric about the nature of a true friend. One of the most important was the way true friends “support” each other. You see prior to my friendship with Eric, I thought friends were always supposed to "be there for you". By that, I mean they were supposed to agree with you! Eric didn’t always do that. Often, when I would finish telling a story about a difficult thing that had happened to me - and expected a pat on the shoulder and an, “Aw, that’s too bad…” –I would get a head shaken in total disbelief and a “What on earth were you thinking.” Eric was one of the first people in my life who could get real with me and challenge me. And while it took me a while to adjust to having a friend who could call me on my stuff, over the years I’ve grown more because of this friendship than any other.
In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, we are introduced to another two men who had formed an intimate association of their own: Nicodemus, a prominent leader of the Pharisees; and Jesus.
And how do I know their association with each other was relatively intimate?
Two reasons. First, the time of day (or perhaps I should I say “night”) that Nicodemus sought out Jesus. Let’s just say it was outside Jesus’ office hours. And second, the title by which Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus. It wasn’t exactly the sort of address most self-respecting Pharisees of the day would have used to greet Jesus. I probably couldn’t use their preferred title for Jesus in mixed company.
So how did this association affect the manner in which the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus unfolded?
Well, as one of the members of the Tuesday evening Sacred Grounds conversation group pointed out, Jesus was a little testier with Nicodemus than he was with others. When most folks started out their encounter with Jesus by peppering him with questions, for instance, Jesus typically showed a great deal of patience - and slowly worked with the person to gently open his or her eyes.
Not so with Nicodemus. After Nicodemus’ just third question, Jesus couldn’t contain himself. He got peeved, and challenged Nicodemus by noting, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics?”
And Jesus couldn’t stop there. Like a true friend, Jesus went for the jugular and called Nicodemus out by noting what was really going on through those questions. “… Instead of facing the evidence and accepting it,” Jesus noted, “you procrastinate with questions.”
And that takes us to the main point I want to leave you with this morning in regards to the passage. You see on most Communion Sundays, many of us want to hurry up and get through the Scriptural reading and sermon so that we can mosey on up to the Communion Table and have an encounter with the warm and fuzzy Jesus that we so desperately need –the one that offers unconditional love and unmerited grace. More often than not, what it really means is that we expect to meet that cosmic Yes Man who will accept - and leave us! - exactly as we are.
And yet, as this morning’s story reminds us, we better be careful about the Jesus we meet at the table. For in the midst of the unconditional love and the unmerited grace we find offered at the table, there’s something else waiting for us: the presence of the One through whom we can have the whole and lasting life – the One who came to put the world right. But in order to do that – in order to give us wholeness, in order to set things right - the living spirit of Christ will do to us what he did to Nicodemus. He’ll call us on our stuff.
Friends, on a Sunday when we celebrate Jesus’ standing invitation to open ourselves to being born from above, let us take a few moments to ponder those aspects of our lives that continue to tie us to those things down below – in hopes that we might have the courage once and for all let go of them and soar to those places that Jesus would lead…
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Saturday, June 6
Today’s Readings: Psalm 72; 1 Samuel 9:1-14; John 15:18-27; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Psalm 133
If I were to ask you, “What are some tools you could use to evaluate a person’s spiritual life”, lots of folks would respond by putting forward a list of things a person should be engaged in. “A spiritual person should have an active prayer/meditation life,” one might start by saying. “And a spiritual person should have a devotional life that connects his or her story with the sacred stories of one’s faith,” another might add. “And a faithful person should be a good steward and give generously to help others,” another might pipe in. All of things are certainly qualities that should flow naturally from one’s faith. But there’s a whole level of one’s walk that is left out of such a list. You see such a list would make it seem that the vast majority of a Christian’s life is lived in a vacuum: that it consists simply of things we do on our own. That’s not the case. An equally important part of our spiritual life ought to exist through our relationships with other people. Paul wrote in today’s passage from 2 Corinthians: “All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and [God], and then called us to settle our relationships with each other… We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them” (2 Corinthians 5:18 & 20 from The Message). My question for you to consider today is this: “If someone were to examine the interpersonal relationships in your life, what would the way you handle those relationships say about your faith?” Til next time…
If I were to ask you, “What are some tools you could use to evaluate a person’s spiritual life”, lots of folks would respond by putting forward a list of things a person should be engaged in. “A spiritual person should have an active prayer/meditation life,” one might start by saying. “And a spiritual person should have a devotional life that connects his or her story with the sacred stories of one’s faith,” another might add. “And a faithful person should be a good steward and give generously to help others,” another might pipe in. All of things are certainly qualities that should flow naturally from one’s faith. But there’s a whole level of one’s walk that is left out of such a list. You see such a list would make it seem that the vast majority of a Christian’s life is lived in a vacuum: that it consists simply of things we do on our own. That’s not the case. An equally important part of our spiritual life ought to exist through our relationships with other people. Paul wrote in today’s passage from 2 Corinthians: “All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and [God], and then called us to settle our relationships with each other… We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them” (2 Corinthians 5:18 & 20 from The Message). My question for you to consider today is this: “If someone were to examine the interpersonal relationships in your life, what would the way you handle those relationships say about your faith?” Til next time…
Friday, June 5
Today’s Readings: Psalm 21; 1 Samuel 8:1-22; John 15:9-17; 2 Corinthians 5:6-15; Psalm 10
One of my favorite all-time television shows is “Friends”. It’s probably because the cast members were all within a couple years of my age. The comedy definitely had a generational sense of appeal. One of the more memorable episodes for me was the episode where Phoebe and Joey debated the issue of whether or not it was possible for a human being to perform a truly altruistic act. The episode was titled “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS”. Every time Phoebe would identify a gesture she thought was selfless, Joey would show her something the individual got out of the act. Phoebe’s frustration grew throughout the episode until she reached the point where she began to question her belief that human beings were capable of performing altruistic acts. I thought of this episode as I was reading today’s passage from 2 Corinthians - for in the passage Paul wrote of the two states we human beings find ourselves thinking about: here on earth we live in an extended period of what Paul calls “exile”, and later on when we die we move into a period of what Paul labels “homecoming”. Many people base a large portion of their faith on one of these two states in hopes that their faith might personally benefit them. Those who focus on the period of exile focus on the benefits of their faith in the here and now. Such a theological line of thinking would suggest that those who are faithful will be blessed with material rewards in the here and now. Others who base their faith on the homecoming experience anchor their faith in the eternal reward that awaits them. In both cases, one’s faith can be driven by a “what’s in it for me” attitude. Paul suggests that’s an unhealthy spiritual approach; he suggests our faith should be based upon something else. “… Neither exile or homecoming is the main thing,” Paul wrote. “Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions.” (2 Corinthians 5:9 from The Message). So my question for you today is this: what is your faith based upon? Is your faith based upon a desire to please God so that you’ll be materially blessed in the here and now; is your faith based upon a desire to please God so that you’ll be eternally blessed in the hereafter; or is your faith based upon a desire to simply please God? Til next time…
One of my favorite all-time television shows is “Friends”. It’s probably because the cast members were all within a couple years of my age. The comedy definitely had a generational sense of appeal. One of the more memorable episodes for me was the episode where Phoebe and Joey debated the issue of whether or not it was possible for a human being to perform a truly altruistic act. The episode was titled “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS”. Every time Phoebe would identify a gesture she thought was selfless, Joey would show her something the individual got out of the act. Phoebe’s frustration grew throughout the episode until she reached the point where she began to question her belief that human beings were capable of performing altruistic acts. I thought of this episode as I was reading today’s passage from 2 Corinthians - for in the passage Paul wrote of the two states we human beings find ourselves thinking about: here on earth we live in an extended period of what Paul calls “exile”, and later on when we die we move into a period of what Paul labels “homecoming”. Many people base a large portion of their faith on one of these two states in hopes that their faith might personally benefit them. Those who focus on the period of exile focus on the benefits of their faith in the here and now. Such a theological line of thinking would suggest that those who are faithful will be blessed with material rewards in the here and now. Others who base their faith on the homecoming experience anchor their faith in the eternal reward that awaits them. In both cases, one’s faith can be driven by a “what’s in it for me” attitude. Paul suggests that’s an unhealthy spiritual approach; he suggests our faith should be based upon something else. “… Neither exile or homecoming is the main thing,” Paul wrote. “Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions.” (2 Corinthians 5:9 from The Message). So my question for you today is this: what is your faith based upon? Is your faith based upon a desire to please God so that you’ll be materially blessed in the here and now; is your faith based upon a desire to please God so that you’ll be eternally blessed in the hereafter; or is your faith based upon a desire to simply please God? Til next time…
Thursday, June 4
Today’s Readings: Psalm 27; 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; John 15:1-8; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5; Psalm 77
Lots of us carry baggage with us regarding things we learned about faith when we were very young. That’s because when we were young, the principles of our faith were presented in age-appropriate ways that tended to be rather black and white in nature. Instead of reflecting on those principles and thinking to ourselves, “That principle was helpful for me when I was 8 – but now it’s time for me to engage the principle and arrive at a mature understanding of it”; we hold on to that childhood belief. Understandably that decision causes us a lot of trouble in our spiritual lives as adults. Let me give you an example. As a child, many of us learn the cliché: “Everything happens for a reason”. Some of those reasons we understand; some we don’t. One of the ramifications of this belief is that we are taught that it is wrong to get upset and cry out to God from the very depths of our pain. Such a response, we are told would demonstrate a lack of faith. Instead, we are told to just suck it up (i.e. keep our mouths shut) and “trust God”. Thankfully, in today’s second psalm the psalmist puts such a notion to rest and instead demonstrates what I would call a mature faith. He gets real with God and holds nothing back. “I yell out to my God, I yell out with all my might,” the psalmist begins. “I yell at the top of my lungs.” Not exactly the kind of behavior a second-grade Sunday school teacher would approve. The psalmist then goes one step further by asking those difficult questions that our childhood Sunday school teachers would have told us were rude – questions like “Will the Lord walk off and leave us for good?” “Is [God’s] love worn threadbare?” “Has [God] angrily stalked off and left us?” It’s only because the psalmist was able to get, however, and practice a mature faith that he was able to let go of the pain he carried and move into a healthy relationship with God. Today I wonder if there is a part of your experience that you’ve kept out of your relationship with God – a part that you worried might cause you to lash out at God inappropriately if you accessed. If so, re-read today’s second psalm and use it as permission to “go there”. It’s only when we “go there” that we are finally able to leave remnants of our childish faith behind and grow into a mature faith that brings all of ourselves and our experiences into our relationship with God. Til next time…
Lots of us carry baggage with us regarding things we learned about faith when we were very young. That’s because when we were young, the principles of our faith were presented in age-appropriate ways that tended to be rather black and white in nature. Instead of reflecting on those principles and thinking to ourselves, “That principle was helpful for me when I was 8 – but now it’s time for me to engage the principle and arrive at a mature understanding of it”; we hold on to that childhood belief. Understandably that decision causes us a lot of trouble in our spiritual lives as adults. Let me give you an example. As a child, many of us learn the cliché: “Everything happens for a reason”. Some of those reasons we understand; some we don’t. One of the ramifications of this belief is that we are taught that it is wrong to get upset and cry out to God from the very depths of our pain. Such a response, we are told would demonstrate a lack of faith. Instead, we are told to just suck it up (i.e. keep our mouths shut) and “trust God”. Thankfully, in today’s second psalm the psalmist puts such a notion to rest and instead demonstrates what I would call a mature faith. He gets real with God and holds nothing back. “I yell out to my God, I yell out with all my might,” the psalmist begins. “I yell at the top of my lungs.” Not exactly the kind of behavior a second-grade Sunday school teacher would approve. The psalmist then goes one step further by asking those difficult questions that our childhood Sunday school teachers would have told us were rude – questions like “Will the Lord walk off and leave us for good?” “Is [God’s] love worn threadbare?” “Has [God] angrily stalked off and left us?” It’s only because the psalmist was able to get, however, and practice a mature faith that he was able to let go of the pain he carried and move into a healthy relationship with God. Today I wonder if there is a part of your experience that you’ve kept out of your relationship with God – a part that you worried might cause you to lash out at God inappropriately if you accessed. If so, re-read today’s second psalm and use it as permission to “go there”. It’s only when we “go there” that we are finally able to leave remnants of our childish faith behind and grow into a mature faith that brings all of ourselves and our experiences into our relationship with God. Til next time…
Wednesday, June 3
Today’s Readings: Psalm 131; 1 Samuel 6:1-18; John 14:25-31; 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Psalm 116
We live in a society that rarely gives us a chance to relax and catch our breath. It seems as if we’re constantly being pushed to achieve. In our professional lives, there’s the constant pressure to achieve more and climb higher up the corporate ladder. In our financial lives, there’s the pressure to acquire more money. In our personal lives, there’s the pressure to cultivate deeper relationships. Even in our spiritual lives, it’s easy to want to grow more in one’s faith. Rarely do we get the opportunity to step back and appreciate what we have at any given moment. In fact, some would consider such a move lazy. Thankfully, the psalmist isn’t one of those people. In today’s first Psalm, the psalmist noted: “I’ve kept my feet on the ground; I’ve cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mothers arms, my soul is a baby content” (Psalm 131:2). What a wonderful goal the psalmist sets before us – to reach a point in our lives where we can step out of the rat race and experience perhaps the most elusive state of all: contentment. Today I would encourage you to monitor yourself and see what sort of attitude you bring to life? Are you someone who is never satisfied with your life circumstance; or are you someone whose soul is like a baby: content? Til next time…
We live in a society that rarely gives us a chance to relax and catch our breath. It seems as if we’re constantly being pushed to achieve. In our professional lives, there’s the constant pressure to achieve more and climb higher up the corporate ladder. In our financial lives, there’s the pressure to acquire more money. In our personal lives, there’s the pressure to cultivate deeper relationships. Even in our spiritual lives, it’s easy to want to grow more in one’s faith. Rarely do we get the opportunity to step back and appreciate what we have at any given moment. In fact, some would consider such a move lazy. Thankfully, the psalmist isn’t one of those people. In today’s first Psalm, the psalmist noted: “I’ve kept my feet on the ground; I’ve cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mothers arms, my soul is a baby content” (Psalm 131:2). What a wonderful goal the psalmist sets before us – to reach a point in our lives where we can step out of the rat race and experience perhaps the most elusive state of all: contentment. Today I would encourage you to monitor yourself and see what sort of attitude you bring to life? Are you someone who is never satisfied with your life circumstance; or are you someone whose soul is like a baby: content? Til next time…
Tuesday, June 2
Today’s Readings: Psalm 135; 1 Samuel 5:1-12; John 14:15-24; 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; Psalm 115
Six weeks ago, we kicked off a confirmation class for some of the 13 & 14 year olds at our church. We spent the first three sessions exploring each expression of the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We paid close attention to images that sprung out of each expression that helped us explore various aspects of God. In focusing on God, for instance, we found a variety of images used in Scripture ranging from God as sun and shield to God as mother hen. In focusing on Jesus, we found a variety of other images used as well. These images ranged from Jesus as Lamb of God to Jesus as King. And in focusing on the Holy Spirit, once again we found there were a whole different set of imaged. These images ranged from the Holy Spirit as Advocate to the Holy Spirit as Counselor. As we finished our third session, each of the participants stepped back and saw that one of the beauties of our Christian tradition is that each expression of God adds another level or layer to our understanding of God. One of my very favorite images of God was used in the section on the Holy Spirit – and that image was taken directly out of today’s passage from the Gospel of John. That image? Friend. Today, I want to introduce something knew to my blog to highlight the power of that image. I want to include a link to a song that captures some of the sentiments Jesus was getting at when he said, “I will talk to the Father, and [the Father] will provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you…” The song is James Taylor’s rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend”. As you listen to it, I hope you’ll experience your relationship with God in new ways. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kkPeEGlJgY. Til next time…
Six weeks ago, we kicked off a confirmation class for some of the 13 & 14 year olds at our church. We spent the first three sessions exploring each expression of the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We paid close attention to images that sprung out of each expression that helped us explore various aspects of God. In focusing on God, for instance, we found a variety of images used in Scripture ranging from God as sun and shield to God as mother hen. In focusing on Jesus, we found a variety of other images used as well. These images ranged from Jesus as Lamb of God to Jesus as King. And in focusing on the Holy Spirit, once again we found there were a whole different set of imaged. These images ranged from the Holy Spirit as Advocate to the Holy Spirit as Counselor. As we finished our third session, each of the participants stepped back and saw that one of the beauties of our Christian tradition is that each expression of God adds another level or layer to our understanding of God. One of my very favorite images of God was used in the section on the Holy Spirit – and that image was taken directly out of today’s passage from the Gospel of John. That image? Friend. Today, I want to introduce something knew to my blog to highlight the power of that image. I want to include a link to a song that captures some of the sentiments Jesus was getting at when he said, “I will talk to the Father, and [the Father] will provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you…” The song is James Taylor’s rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend”. As you listen to it, I hope you’ll experience your relationship with God in new ways. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kkPeEGlJgY. Til next time…
Monday, June 1
Today’s Readings: Psalm 27; 1 Samuel 4:12-22; John 14:8-14; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 44
If I were to ask most people to name one theologian, they would probably give me the name of someone like Karl Barth or St. Augustine. That’s because folks have come to think of theologians as historical figures that have had lots of books published. Because many people think of theologians this way, they don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their own personal theology. As a result, they often end up simply adopt pieces of theology handed down to them by their family members or Sunday school teachers. This means they often don’t realize the implications of their beliefs. Let’s take the popular belief in a God that is completely transcendent. Many of us were taught the classical notion that God was a distant presence that lived far away from us in the realm of heaven. Consequently, we adopted spiritual practices in our lives that went along with the belief in a distant God. Our prayer time, for instance, was spent bringing this distant God up-to-date on the various happening of our lives. Even our practice of spiritual disciplines like prayer and devotion were affected by this outlook. Often we acted as if we were children whose parents were away - hoping we would be “caught” engaging in a positive activity when our parent(s) finally happened to re-appear in our lives. Today’s passage from 2 Corinthians challenges such a notion of a distant God. Paul wrote: “Whenever, though, they turn to God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are – face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a chiseled piece of stone” (2 Corinthians 3:16 from The Message). The question I have for you to consider today is what kind of theology do you carry with you? Do you see God in the classical sense as a distant, transcendent being – far removed from your daily life; or do you see God as an eminent presence in your life – one you encountered “face-to-face” and moment to moment? How you answer that question will strongly shape the ways in which you live out your faith. Til next time…
If I were to ask most people to name one theologian, they would probably give me the name of someone like Karl Barth or St. Augustine. That’s because folks have come to think of theologians as historical figures that have had lots of books published. Because many people think of theologians this way, they don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their own personal theology. As a result, they often end up simply adopt pieces of theology handed down to them by their family members or Sunday school teachers. This means they often don’t realize the implications of their beliefs. Let’s take the popular belief in a God that is completely transcendent. Many of us were taught the classical notion that God was a distant presence that lived far away from us in the realm of heaven. Consequently, we adopted spiritual practices in our lives that went along with the belief in a distant God. Our prayer time, for instance, was spent bringing this distant God up-to-date on the various happening of our lives. Even our practice of spiritual disciplines like prayer and devotion were affected by this outlook. Often we acted as if we were children whose parents were away - hoping we would be “caught” engaging in a positive activity when our parent(s) finally happened to re-appear in our lives. Today’s passage from 2 Corinthians challenges such a notion of a distant God. Paul wrote: “Whenever, though, they turn to God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are – face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a chiseled piece of stone” (2 Corinthians 3:16 from The Message). The question I have for you to consider today is what kind of theology do you carry with you? Do you see God in the classical sense as a distant, transcendent being – far removed from your daily life; or do you see God as an eminent presence in your life – one you encountered “face-to-face” and moment to moment? How you answer that question will strongly shape the ways in which you live out your faith. Til next time…
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