Friday, November 21

Today’s Readings: Psalm 87; Isaiah 19:19-25; Luke 19:41-48; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Psalm 48

Last night, I started watching the movie “For the Bible Tells Me So”. In case you aren’t familiar with the film, it’s a film about how Christians have wrestled with the topic of homosexuality. The beginning of the film was particularly jarring for me for it contained clips of individuals like Anita Bryant, Jerry Falwell and James Dobson taking VERY rigid positions opposed to homosexuality. As I watched those opening moments, I wondered: “Will we ever be able to bring segments of the Christian community (i.e. the left and the right) together when they seem so far from one another?” While the polarization of some issues might cause us to feel as if we are the first people of faith who have wrestled with that devastating sense of separation, today’s passage from Isaiah reminds us we aren’t. Those words remind us that our spiritual ancestors had deep divisions separating them as well. While many of those divisions we face today are ideological – many of the divisions they faced were national. Israel had to feel as if the Egyptians and Assyrians were as far removed from them as I sometimes feel the Religious Right is as far removed from me. And yet today’s passage gives us remarkable hope that people living their lives in opposition to one another can in fact be reconciled. In laying out God’s vision for the coming day, Isaiah points us toward a hopeful future when the author noted: “No longer rivals, they’ll worship together, Egyptians and Assyrians!” (Isaiah 19:23 from The Message). As I read those words of boundless hope and grace, I was reminded of an error that I made in formulating the question I raised at the beginning of today’s entry. I made a mistake by asking, “Will WE even be able to bring segments of the Christian community together that seem so far from one another?” I say the formulation of that question was a mistake because I do not believe WE can do that. Too many of those on the far ends of the spectrum are WAY too invested in fanning the flames of intolerance against the other side for us Christians to ever dream of coming together. Individuals have made millions selling books criticizing “the other side”, broadcasting television shows attacking “the other side”, and basically helping individuals forge identities predicated not on who WE ARE but on how WE differ from THEM. Sadly, many of these folks from both the left and the right would have no clue who they are without contrasting themselves with their opponents. That’s why I saw we human beings will never be able to overcome the divides. So am I suggesting these divisions can never be overcome then? Absolutely not!!! In fact, I fully expect all of them to be eventually overcome. The difference is in who will overcome them. It won’t be US– it can only be God. You see I believe that if God can create a future that will bring Israel, Egypt and Assyrian together; then God could certainly create a time when Anita Bryant, Jerry Falwell and I can sit down together in a spirit of worship and praise. In fact, I long for that day. Today I ask you, “Are there any places in your life where you think the divisions and alienation between you and another are too great to overcome – maybe a relationship with a family member, a co-worker, or a member of your community? Have things become so bitter that you’ve given up all hope of reconciliation?” If you have, remember the radical vision of hope and inclusion laid out for us in Isaiah as we once again reclaim the conviction put forth in Philippians 4:13: we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Til next time…

Thursday, November 20

Today’s Readings: Psalm 58; Amos 8:1-14; Luke 19:11-27; 2 Peter 3:14-18; Psalm 14

In her recent book The Great Emergence, Phyllis Tickle gives a wonderful diagram that explains some of the tensions that have existed within Christianity. The diagram suggests historically there have been four quadrants in Christian community. The first quadrant (upper left hand corner) is for those who are liturgically minded; the second quadrant (upper right hand corner) is for those who are social-justice minded; the third quadrant (lower left hand corner) is for those who are charismatic minded; the fourth quadrant (lower right hand corner) is for those who are conservative/tradition minded. Each individual led spiritual lives most identified with one of these four quadrants. Denominations also tended to align themselves with one of the quadrants as well. The alignment of denominations looked something like this. Quadrant One, for example, was made up largely of Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans; Quadrant Two was made up of Methodists, United Church of Christ members, and Mennonites; Quadrant Three was made up of Pentecostals & Assemblies of God; and Quadrant four was made up of Baptists and Nazarenes. She says the tension in Christian community came from the fact that the core values differed dramatically between the first two quadrants and the last two. The first two quadrants (liturgical & social justice minded) were based on the value that right action is what matters most. This orientation is called orthopraxis. The third and fourth quadrants (charismatic & conservative/tradition minded) were based on the value that right belief is what matters most. This orientation is called orthodoxy. If you were to use the quadrants to try to chart where some of today’s readings might fit in, it wouldn’t take long to figure out that today’s reading from Amos would be located squarely in Quadrant Two – for as the prophet lists his accusations against the people, he focuses exclusively on their actions (i.e. “those who walk on the week”, “those who give little and take much”, “you who exploit the poor”). No mention is given to condemning those whose beliefs are not considered “right” or “correct”. Phyllis Tickle notes that what is happening these days is that individuals (and denominations, for that matter) are no longer restricting themselves to just one quadrant; their lives are starting to be informed by all four of the quadrants. This means that both individuals and denominations are struggling these days because elements of the faith that they long ignored (i.e. elements associated with other quadrants) are now being brought into their own location and they aren’t sure how to handle this. I see this as a positive development for I believe that right action stems from right belief (and conversely, right belief stems from right action). In other words, like those early prophets I believe that you can learn much about a person’s real beliefs by watching their actions in the world. In closing, today I would ask you this question: if someone were to secretly watch you from afar for a week, what would they learn about your beliefs based upon your actions? Til next time…

Wednesday, November 19

Today’s Readings: Psalm 37:1-40; Amos 7:1-17; John 12:20-26; 2 Peter 3:8-13

My life during the latter part of my twenties was a real challenge for me. I say that for several reasons. First of all, I was struggling to find the vocation to which I was called. I tried things from teaching to community organizing and nothing seemed to be that perfect fit. Second, I was consumed with trying to live out each and every one of my political/social commitments simultaneously; as a result, I was constantly feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Third, I was disgusted with the narrow-mindedness of the part of the country in which I was living. By the time I turned thirty I knew that things had to change; I just had no clue about how to make that change. I thought if I just worked harder at the same things I had been doing that everything would just magically turn around. Of course they didn’t. I wasn’t until I passed my thirties that I realized if I wanted things to change, I would have to change things – so I began to do that. I took a HUGE risk and applied to a seminary 1,200 miles away from “home”. I stepped away from the social service arena and tried working in a parish. I integrated my political/social commitments into my spirituality and added a profound sense of depth to my ways of being in the world. And what do you know? I gained a whole new life! Having lived through this, I certainly resonated with Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel reading where he said: “… anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let go, reckless in love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal” (John 12:25 from The Message). Perhaps there are areas of your life that you are rigidly clinging to out of habit or routine – pieces that cause you to feel as if your life is being/has been destroyed. Maybe it’s a relationship, a job, or a way of looking at life. If that’s the case, I would urge you to try living into Jesus’ words. If you do that, you just might get a taste of the resurrection experience in the here and now like I did. Til next time…

Tuesday, November 18

Today’s Readings: Psalm 75; Amos 6:1-14; John 12:9-19; 2 Peter 3:1-7; Psalm 118

It’s good to be back after a couple days of much needed vacation. My hope is that absence made the heart grow fonder and you’re back on board with joining me for my day reflections. As I was reading today’s Gospel text I was reminded of one basic reality: for many of us, it’s easier to connect with God during the good times than bad. In today’s Gospel passage, for instance, we see a community totally electrified in anticipation of Jesus’ arrival. And what contributed to that sense of anticipation? Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead. In the back of their minds, members of the crowd were probably thinking, “If Jesus can do that for Lazarus, imagine what he could do for me/us?!” It would be easy for us to stand back and call the individuals in the crowd selfish or self-centered for connecting with God in ways that were driven by what they could get out of the relationship. And yet, truth be told, many of us find ourselves in a same place. We get excited and nurture our connection with God when we want something (i.e. a healing or reconciliation) and greet God with cheers and waved palms. But what happens after we move through that place of anticipation and expectation? Are we still equally moved when we don’t stand in a position of want or need? Can we simply receive God on God’s own terms and joyously celebrate that? It would seem that is the goal of our spiritual lives – to rise above a relationship driven primarily by circumstance or need. Today I would invite you to explore the nature of your own relationship with God and see what that relationship is built on. In doing my hope is that you and I will arrive at a deeper and more mature relationship with our Creator – not a relationship where we are cheering one moment and shouting out “Crucify him!” the next. Til next time…