Thursday, December 11

Today’s Readings: Psalm 100; Hosea 11:8-12; Matthew 23:13-22; Philippians 4:4-7; Psalm 86

When I was younger and in my full-blown activist stage, I use to joke that my definition of hell was being in the same place as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell for eternity and my definition of heaven was NOT being in the same place as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell for eternity. That “joke” was a sad attempt by myself to mask the pain and frustration the public ministries of these two individuals had caused me. As I have gotten older and matured (at least I hope I’ve matured), I no longer repeat that joke. In many ways that joke took our human standards and values (i.e. when dealing with opinions that are polar opposites, one has to be right and one has to be wrong) and projected them onto God. That’s a tragic mistake to make. As I have grown in my understanding of my faith, I’m able to better connect with the wisdom contained in today’s passage from Philippians that points us toward a much different reality. As we continue to live into the realm of God, the author notes: “Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:7 from The Message). I can now lay down my “worries” about who is theologically right and who is theologically wrong from a human perspective (Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell or myself) and look forward to a time when Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell can sit down WITH myself in God’s absolute truth and grace and celebrate the One (and only One) who was right all along: God. What a sense of peace and wholeness that vision of God’s reign brings! Til next time…

Wednesday, December 10

Today’s Readings: Psalm 78; Hosea 11:1-7; Matthew 23:1-12; Acts 13:16-25

Lots of folks have issues with aspects of the Scripture. Some, for instance, will rebel against some of the positions it takes on social issues (i.e. its treatment of women and its position on same-gender sexual activity). Others will rail against its endorsement of violence against those viewed as God’s enemies in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. I have a different issue with some pieces of Scripture. I wrestle with the way some present God in an anthropomorphic way that makes God look and act no different than you or I would (i.e. if we like God and treat God well, then God will like us and treat us well; if we don’t like God and don’t treat God well, then God won’t like us and treat us well). It’s nearly impossible for me to connect with a God whose capacity for love and mercy is no greater than our own. I love those pieces of Scripture, then, that point us toward a God whose capacities are far greater than our own – pieces like today’s reading from Hosea. As today’s passage from Hosea culminates, the prophet tells us that God says: “I can’t bear to even think such thoughts. My insides churn in protest. And so I’m not going to act on my anger. I’m not going to destroy Ephraim. And why? Because I’m God and not a human. I’m The Holy One and I’m here – in your very midst” (Hosea 11:7 from The Message). So how do you see God? Do you see God as a being whose capacity for love and mercy is similar to our capacities, or do you see God as a being whose capacity for love and mercy is far greater than ours? Til next time…

Tuesday, December 9

Today’s Readings: Psalm 80; Hosea 10:1-12; Matthew 17:9-13; Acts 19:1-17; Psalm 36

It’s certainly understandable that many of us find ourselves in situations where we want to take shortcuts in life. When it comes to Christmas, for instance, it’s easy for us to think that we can capture the Christmas spirit if we simply watch a favorite Christmas movie on television, bake holiday goodies to share with loved ones, or attend a social gathering with family, friends, or co-workers. On the surface, these are all activities that people engulfed in the Christmas spirit might partake in. Here’s the difference, however. Folks who have the Christmas spirit do these things because they already have the Christmas spirit within them; they don’t do these things in order to get the Christmas spirit. In today’s reading from Acts, we are introduced to another group of people who got things a bit mixed up as well. In that passage we met a group of itinerant exorcists who were enthralled with the miraculous things that Paul could accomplish. Instead of taking the time to build a relationship with the One who could empower them to do those miraculous things, they tried to take a short cut and do those things without first building the relationship with God. Needless to say, things didn’t turn out so well for them. While it’s easy to sit back and criticize the exorcists for their approach, it’s not uncommon to run into modern day versions of these folks. These folks want to bypass - or completely ignore – God in their day-to-day life; then life throws them a curveball (i.e. they face a sudden illness or a period of unemployment); and they expect a magical fix to solve their problems at hand. During this season of Advent when we are blessed with the opportunity to slow down and contemplate the conditions of our heart in anticipation of the coming of the Christ child, my prayer is that we will use this time to continue to build a healthy, vital relationship with the God of Jesus – not a “relationship” dependent on what rabbit God can pull out of the hat for us. Til next time…

Monday, December 8

Today’s Readings: Psalm 40; Hosea 8:11-14; Matthew 20:20-28; 1 Peter 1:13-25; Psalm 32

I was recently talking to an individual preparing for ministry. We were talking about some of the sacrifices a person makes when she/he responds to her/his call to ordained ministry. Now some of those sacrifices individuals make are pretty obvious to most folks. Other of the sacrifices, however, are not. One of the less obvious sacrifices a person called to ministry makes is the way the one’s call affects one’s experience of the holidays. This is particularly true of Christmas. You see growing up, most of us got lost in the experience of the joy and wonder of the Christmas season and could lose ourselves in a variety of experiences ranging from long coffees with friends to spontaneous shopping trips with family members to attending a variety of worship services and special events. Once you step across the threshold into ordained ministry, however, your life change dramatically. Instead of having these special moments for ourselves, our lives become focused on helping other people have those experiences of joy and wonder. Many of us clergy are lucky if we can even find time to get our Christmas cards out by the middle of January. So what got me thinking along these lines? It was Jesus’ comments to the mother of James and Zebedee when she asked if her boys could receive places of honor next to Jesus. Jesus responded to the “boys” themselves in the form of a question: “Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink” (Matthew 20:22 from The Message). Of course, most of us focus on the radical implications of discipleship when we read those words (i.e. the willingness to give up our life). And that certainly is a part of what Jesus was getting at. But I don’t think that’s all Jesus was getting at. The implications of REALLY putting God first in your life fan out in a thousand different directions. And sometimes the things those implications ask us to give up are far more personal and far more difficult than we ever imagined! Today, I would invite you to sit with Jesus’ question to James and Zebedee: “Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?” Think about the implications of that question – the various aspects of your life that Jesus’ question would reach. Til next time…