Wednesday, January 23

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 5; Isaiah 4:9-20; Matthew 8:18-27; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Psalm 65

Two entries ago, I railed about one of my biggest frustrations in the development of our tradition. That was the energy that entered our tradition when the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and set in motion energies that threatened to stamp out diversity within our faith tradition. One of today’s readings raised another frustration of mine about the development of our Christian tradition as well. The second frustration has to do with the way some Christians have come to view the physical world around us. Some have read the accounts of creation contained in Genesis and concluded that since God gave humanity dominion over the created order we could do with it as we liked. One of the tragic results of this approach is global warming. The 65th Psalm provides another model for how we might view creation. Starting in Psalm 65:9, the psalmist cries out: “Oh, visit the earth, ask her to join the dance! Deck her out in spring showers, fill the God-River with living water. Pain the wheat fields golden. Creation was made for this!” (The Message). What beautiful words! Today, I invite you to think about how you approach the physical world. Do your patterns of consumption further tax an already overburdened planet, or do your actions (i.e. your simplified lifestyle and your commitment to recycling) point the planet toward a long overdue time of healing and reconciliation? My hope and prayer today is that we all grow in our appreciation of the natural world so that we might ask the earth to join us in our dance of redemption. Til next time…

Tuesday, January 22

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 47; Isaiah 44:6-8, 21-23; Luke 7:18-23; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; Psalm 4

Yesterday, I spent my time in the entry talking about my frustration how the political world influenced the development of Christianity. Today, I’m struck by another way in which our larger cultural values here in the West (especially here in the US) have shaped the development of our tradition as well. In reading 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, I was struck by the opening verse: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (NIV). The verse got me to thinking about how the story of Jesus looks from the outside. Here’s an individual who – at the age of 30 – received a call (very late in life by the world’s standards). He then gathered around him a group of 12 (very small group of supporters by the world’s standards). He then engaged in his ministry for three years (very short career by the world’s standards). As a result of his on going conflicts with the religious and political authorities, he was crucified next to criminals (very demeaning by the world’s standards). On so many levels this story of Jesus would appear foolish to the world. And yet for Christians the power of the story is that God works through those circumstances and uses them to provide what to us is an unparalleled work of redemption. And how have churches in the West (particularly in the US) shaped themselves over the past two millenna? To reflect the values of the cross? No. Instead, we have constructed our faith communities based on the values of this world. In the era of mega-churches, for instance, our buildings are large, elaborate, and ornate. We have developed paths to leadership that separates people (lay vs. clergy) instead of integrate them. And we define communal success in earthly terms (i.e. number of members and the size of budget) rather than spiritual terms. So how do we get back on track and look a little more foolish to the world? We do that by returning to the power of the cross. Today I encourage you to spend some time thinking about how that return would look in your life. I look forward to journeying with you back to the cross as we rediscover its powers in new ways. Til next time…

Monday, January 21

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 59; Isaiah 43:14-44:5; Luke 3:15-22; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Psalm 141

As someone who LOVES studying history, I’m shocked how little history most folks know. This is especially true when it comes to the history of our own faith as Christians. One of the most important turning points in the development of Christianity occurred in the early 4th Century when the emperor of Rome, Constantine, converted to Christianity? And why was that important? Because it changed the way our faith was both perceived and defined. Before the emperor’s conversion, for instance, Christianity was a faith that was practiced on the margins of society. Once the emperor converted and issued the Edict of Milan, Christianity became a faith that enjoyed societal privilege and status. In many circles this changed the way the Gospel was proclaimed. Some people (especially people of privilege) started minimizing the radical, Liberative elements of the faith and instead used the Gospel as a primary defender of the status quo. Another huge shift that occurred had to do with the way differences were handled in Christian community. Prior to the emperor’s conversion, people were actually relatively safe to express different understandings of their faith. That’s why they had things like the Donatist and Arian controversies. Differences not only existed but were acknowledged by people of faith. What a concept!!!! Once the emperor converted to Christianity, however, theological difference became the enemy. One of the emperor’s jobs was to “enforce doctrine, root out heresy, and uphold ecclesiastical unity”.[1] Sadly Constantine did a great job of this as he set in motion a dynamic that crushed and shamed expressions of difference within the body of Christ over the past 1,800 years. Today’s lectionary reading from 1 Corinthians was a breath of fresh air for me in that it reminded me that for the first four centuries of our faith, God gifted us with different understandings of their faith (yes, I am one of those radicals that believes differences are not of the devil but of God J). Of course as with many gifts from God, they are not easy to receive. So today’s passage lays out for me a wonderfully pastoral perspective on how we can live with these differences. We aren’t told to physically or spiritually crush these differences. Nor are we told to vilify those who see things differently. No, instead we were given these words: “You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common” (1 Corinthians 1:10 – The Message). Imagine how differently the history of our faith would have unfolded if we had embraced the spirit from this passage. Things like the Inquisition would have never happened. Today, on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I invite you to think about ways in which you could participate in a process whereby diverse – I don’t mean theoretically diverse here, I mean TRULY diverse – people of faith can come together and cultivate this life in common. Perhaps then we can undo some of the sins some Christians have committed over the past 2,000 years in the name of Jesus and move a bit further along in our realization of God’s reign here on earth. Til next time…
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_and_Christianity

Sunday, January 20

Hi there: After a hectic weekend of ministry, I am exhausted today so I'm going to have to take a day off. I'll see you back here tomorrow! Til next time...