Sunday, June 1

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 46; Genesis 6:11-22, 7:24, 8:14-19; Matthew 7:21-29; Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28

There are so many details contained in today’s Genesis passage that someone looking to engage the material could go in one of a thousand directions. What caught my eye today was one of those details that often gets overlooked in the telling of the story. It’s a detail that is usually treated as a prop and not a theological piece of the story. And what is that detail? The ark. I appreciate the ark on at least two theological fronts. First, I appreciate the purpose of the ark; it’s purpose was to preserve life in the face of difficult, life-threatening circumstances. And second, I appreciate the ark because it played a bridge-building role between Noah’s past and future. I see the ark in this bridge-building role because it was created from materials that existed in Noah’s pre-flood world and those very materials were the things that brought Noah and his family into their future. As people of faith, most of us have something in our lives that played a role similar to that of the ark: something that brought us from a troubled past into a brighter present and future. That something can be one of a million different things. For one of my friends, her ark was the song “Jesus Loves Me”. She had learned the song very early in life. Sadly, my friend was brought up in a very abusive household. Whenever she was in the midst of her abuse, my friend would turn to her ark by singing “Jesus Loves Me” in her head. With this simple affirmation in mind, my friend was able to get through the floodwaters that raged all around her. Eventually, she got out of her house and stepped onto the dry (and safe) land of her new world. My friend’s experience got me to wondering this: what is that aspect of your life that has been your ark? Is it a song, a friendship, or something else? I would encourage you to take a moment and give thanks for the presence of “the ark” and the various ways it has seen you through to the expression of your own new world. Til next time…

Saturday, May 31

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 1; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; John 12:24-32; Hebrews 12:18-29; Psalm 119:89-112

One of the hardest things to gain in life is a sense of perspective. This is especially true when “bad” or difficult things happen to us. We are usually so close to them that it is nearly impossible to step back and see the bigger picture. In today’s passage from John, Jesus reminds us of the importance of perspective when he talks about what happens with a grain of wheat. He says: “Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over” (John 12:24 – The Message). Of course Jesus’ most direct illusion was to what was going to happen with him. The point that Jesus makes, however, applies to other areas as well. Perhaps there is an area of your life where you are currently feeling discomfort: maybe it’s dis-ease in a relationship; maybe it’s frustration with your job; maybe it’s a general feeling of malaise. At these times it’s easy to lose your sense of perspective on whatever it is that you are facing and give in to anger and/or depression. Today, I would invite you to step back from the situation – allow that seed time to germinate – and then see where it takes you. The dis-ease in a relationship, for instance, might take root and finally get you to face dysfunctional patterns that have long been ignored and lead you into a healthier relationship. The frustration with a job might take seed and lead you to a new position that more fully engages your spiritual gifts and graces. The general feeling of malaise might take root and help you deepen your spiritual life as you search for meaning in new ways. Whatever the case, may you open yourself to receiving one of the many gifts our relationship with God gives us: a sense of perspective that is unlike any other. Til next time…

Friday, May 30

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 125; Leviticus 25:1-17; Matthew 7:13-21; Galatians 1:18-24; Psalm 9

I remember twenty years ago hearing how the dawn of technology was going to make our lives so much easier in the 21st Century. “We may have to work 40 hours a week now,” some folks said in the 1980’s, “but once computers arrive they’ll do all of the work for us!” Some went so far as to predict that the 40-hour work week would disappear all together only to be replaced by a 20-hour work week. That sure sounded good to me back then. Fast forward to the year 2008. So what happened? Have our lives been made easier by technology? Are 40-hour work weeks a thing of the past? I suppose the answer to those questions is “yes” and “yes”. Computers have undeniably made pieces of our lives much easier. And yes, 40-hour work weeks are a thing of the past. The only problem is that the 40-hour work weeks have not been replaced by 20-hour work weeks. Sadly, the 40-hour work weeks have been replaced by 60 and 80-hour work weeks. So much for life getting easier. Reading today’s passage from Leviticus made me wish that we modern folks had a better sense of the rhythm of life. The notion of working the land for 6 years and then letting the land and its laborers have a year of Sabbath in the seventh year makes sense. So too does the observance of a year of Jubilee every 50 years. While we may not have the cultural practice of such Sabbaths built into our routines these days, it’s increasingly important for us to find regular intervals of time for rest and renewal ourselves. Have you created such a rhythm in your life? If not, I would encourage you to spend time considering how you might pick up on the wisdom of our spiritual ancestors and find regular Sabbath time of your own. Til next time…

Thursday, May 29

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 106; Leviticus 23:23-44; Matthew 7:1-12; Galatians 1:11-17

In my teens and twenties, I spent a good amount of time working as a community activist. My special field of interest was human rights. I had what seemed to most an unlimited amount of passion and energy around these issues. As I look back on this period of my life now, however, I realize that I spent much of my time attacking those who saw things differently than I did. I was amazingly arrogant and felt as if I had all of the answers that would fix the world. Sadly I failed to realize that hidden in my obsession to fix the world was a desire to overlook the work I needed to do on myself in order to fix my own corner of the world. On some level, I guess, I hoped that if I could fix the things outside of myself then maybe – just maybe – I might feel better inside. Over the years I’ve learned to reverse my priorities and start by tending to my own need for healing and reconciliation first - before I try to advocate this for others. Of course, this is the very lesson Jesus was trying to teach me for years in today’s passage from Matthew 7:1-12. Stop worrying about the speck in your neighbor’s eye; start tending to the log in your own. I was a VERY slow learner in this regard. Today, I would invite you to explore your own life and see if there’s a situation where you have been perhaps lashing out at others instead of tending to your own life. It might be in a personal relationship where you’ve been trying to fix the other person instead of yourself; it might be in a political scenario where you’ve been railing against a party or a candidate instead of examining your own positions; it might be in relation to a cause where you’ve been attacking those whose values are different than yours rather than re-committing yourself to live your values. Whatever the area, this work could be some of the most transformative work you ever do. May God’s grace and peace be with you as you embark on the work. Til next time…