Monday, February 11

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 135; Jeremiah 10:1-10; Matthew 9:1-9; Galatians 3:21-29; Psalm 115

One of the challenges we progressives face is maintaining a sense of perspective about the changes we help effect in the world. For instance, it’s easy for us to work on matters of inclusion in the church, and then end up bragging about how we were the first to welcome or recognize a particular group of people. I’ve never understood that sense of pride or accomplishment. For when I hear that, my mind always returns immediately to today’s passage from Galatians: “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26-28 – The Message). In light of this Scripture, then, individuals and communities that are welcoming should not be proud of their accomplishment. After all, they’re just doing what they are supposed to. Instead, it should be the communities that first separate people and then exclude certain groups that should be ashamed of themselves - for they have rejected God’s vision for the world. As you go into the world today, I invite you to consider the composition of your world. Is your world composed exclusively of the equivalent of Jews or non-Jews; slaves or free; male or female; straight or gay; legal or illegal resident; Democrat or Republican? Or does your world reflect the true nature of God’s vision and include folks from all social locations? Til next time…

Saturday, February 9

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 74; Leviticus 26:27-42; Matthew 8:23-34; Galatians 3:15-20; Psalm 65

Have you ever noticed that stories that have unexpected endings often get folks riled up. I think lots of folks hate unexpected endings because we human beings like to have a sense of where things are going. We like to be able to anticipate how things will turn out. Expected endings give us a sense of control. If unexpected ending frustrate you, then you probably didn’t connect with today’s passage from Matthew. For in that passage everything is sailing along as expected until you get to the very end of the story. Most folks would expect the story to end with Jesus receiving the love and adulation of the crowd. So how does the story really end? Matthew 8:34 tells us: “And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region” (NIV). Why would they plead with Jesus to leave the region after he had done so much good? Probably because Jesus did the unthinkable – he upset the status quo. Over the years I’ve noticed that lots of times folks in difficult circumstances often cling to those circumstances rather than seek healing and change. For instance, they stay in abusive relationships; they continuing living as a slave to their addiction; they continue to try to derive a sense of self-worth by being a people pleaser. Why do they do those things? Because the familiar (even if it makes you miserable) is better than the unknown. So where do your loyalties lie? Are your primary loyalties to maintaining the status quo at all costs, or do they lie somewhere else? Somewhere where the healing spirit of Christ might actually effect change and take you to a new place? Just a little something to consider. Til next time…

Friday, February 8

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 106; Leviticus 26:1-20; Matthew 8:14-22; Galatians 3:6-14

Today’s passage from Galatians addresses one of the longest standing tensions without our faith tradition; the role faith plays in our spiritual lives vs. the role works plays in our spiritual lives. I know this debate causes angst for many. For me, however, the relationship between faith and works has always been fairly straightforward. Maybe that’s because I’m not smart enough to make it more complex than it currently is for me. That would have to be the topic of another blog entry J Anyway, as someone who works best in the concrete rather than the abstract, I think of our relationship w/ God like the relationship we have with our significant other. The question in this context becomes this: do you do things like buy the other person flowers, treat the other person to dinner and a movie, save up for months or years to go on a vacation with the other person in order to fall in love with them (this would be the law-based/works based approach) OR do you do these things as the natural expression of the love that is already in your heart? Important point to make here for those who think proponents of the faith-first approach are advocates of the old “anything goes” approach: in both scenarios works follow. The difference between the two approaches lies simply in what produces the works: self interest (“I want to be saved so I’ll be good and reap the rewards”) or love of God (“I’m so head over heels in love with God that I can’t help but respond with expressions of that love”). In Galatians 3:11, Paul put is a little differently than I (“Clearly no one is justified before God by the law... – NIV), but the point is similar: faith – the living, breathing, sustaining RELATIONSHIP with your Creator – is foundational. The question for you to consider today is this: what is foundational in your connection with God. Faith? Works (law based approach)? Or something else? Til next time…

Thursday, February 7

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 37; Leviticus 25:35-55; Matthew 8:1-13; Galatians 3:1-5

One of the most challenging aspects of living in a relationship is communication. What often makes communication so difficult is that each partner will often have VERY different understands of words or concepts that are spoken. Let’s say, for instance, that members of a couple are planning on meeting up somewhere after work, and one member says, “Be sure to be on time.” For one partner “on time” might mean be at the location 10 minutes early; for the other partner, “on time” might mean simply leaving work by the agreed upon time. Consequently, if a relationship is going to work, regular check ins are required to make sure you have a similar understanding of the words or concepts used. This is certainly true in our relationship with God as well. Take the issue of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Galatians 3:1, Paul writes (using Eugene Peterson’s The Message): “… it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives.” Some have read Paul’s admonition to have the crucified Jesus as the focus of their lives and concluded this suggests that our relationship with Jesus means we are one the winner’s side – therefore, we are called to live triumphant lives where payback is the dominant theme. Others have read Paul’s admonition and come to the opposite conclusion – that a focus on the crucified Jesus means living lives of self-emptying, sacrificial love and humility. Grace and thanksgiving are often the dominant themes here rather than victory. Same phrase – “the crucified Jesus in clear focus”: VERY different conclusions. As we head into day 2 of Lent, what does that six word phrase mean to you? How is your life reflective of your understanding of that phrase? Til next time…