September 15

Today’s readings: (Psalm 32 & 38; Ezekiel 23:1-21; Luke 10:25-37; and Revelation 19:11-21)
I want to thank you for being patient with my entry from yesterday. I thought for a moment that perhaps I should clean it up and put a more positive spin on things, but then I realized one of my passionate commitments in my ministry is to be real with folks; hence, my openness in yesterday’s reflection. With that said, I was glad to return to my devotions and find one of my favorite stories – “The Prodigal Son” – as part of today’s assigned readings. The story is a favorite for many reasons. First, I love the passage leading up to it (Luke 10:27) that contains the greatest summary of the life we are called to lead: “Jesus answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with al your strength and with all your mind’, and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”). It simply doesn’t get better – or clearer – than that! I also love Jesus’ expansive use of language to make his point. In culminating the parable, Jesus could have asked a pointed question like “Who was the better person of faith?” or “Whose life best embodied the teachings of our tradition?” – which might have skewed things toward either the priest or Levite. Instead, he intentionally asked, “Which of these do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” – thereby putting the Samaritan on a level playing field with the others. Of course the Samaritan’s actions didn’t leave the playing field level for long J My favorite dimension of the story, however, is an often unexplored angle on the parable. It has to do with the question, “What prevented the priest and the Levite from stopping?” Most folks read the parable and conclude it was a generic sort of thing that prevented them from stopping (i.e. they were in a hurry; they didn’t want to get involved; etc). But what if it was something else that prevented them from stopping? What if it was the practice of their very religion that prevented them from stopping? The priest and Levite would have obviously been familiar with the holiness codes that forbid them from coming into contact with blood and body fluids. How ironic would it be if their religious understandings was the very thing that prevented them from extending God’s love and care to the Samaritan! Of course I see that a lot today. Folks in religious communities feeling entirely justified for denying ministry and care to folks who they consider to be an affront to their religious beliefs – people such as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered persons, people such as illegal immigrants, people, such as those who have committed a criminal offense, someone of a different theological/political orientation, etc. It’s amazing how many times the story of the Prodigal Son gets replayed these days. Today I’ll be spending some time exploring my own faith to see if there are any ways this happens in my life. I would invite you to consider the same thing for yourself. Til next time…

September 14

Given the hectic pace of my schedule the last couple of days, I had a difficult time initially connecting with today’s lectionary passages (Psalms 136 & 129; Ezekiel 16:53-63; Luke 10:17-24; Revelation 19:1-10). What I had particularly been wrestling with was a brutal reality check about the challenges of living out one’s faith in peaceful and joy-filled ways in community. You see during my 3 month sabbatical I was able to consistently live in a place of peace and thanksgiving – so much so that at times I practically forgot there were other ways to live. Over the last couple weeks, however, I’ve been reminded there are indeed other ways to live. At times in my interactions with others, I’ve allowed myself to surrender my feelings of peace for feelings of fear by buying into other people’s issues. At others moments, my experience of thanksgiving has been drowned out by voices of demand. So what do I do with these initial frustrations? Well, several hours after first reading the lectionary passages, I came back to the readings and the answer emerged from Psalm 136. In that Psalm which spends a good deal of time recounting the experiences of the Israelites, there is a constant refrain that is drummed into our heads at the end of each and every line: “[God’s] love endures forever”. Twenty-four times in all is that simple phrase repeated. I guess that’s a huge piece of our calls to ministry. In the face of competing demands, agendas, ultimatums, and dis-ease, comes the call to embody that essential truth: “God’s love endures forever”. May we go forth today with a renewed commitment to maintain our focus on that transformative truth as our lives become anchored in that love – no matter what! Til next time…

September 13

There were at least two streams that were prominently featured in today’s readings (Psalm 27 & 52; Ezekiel 16:35-52; Luke 10:1-16; and Revelation 18:15-24). The first theme involved the promiscuous women of the prostitute featured in Ezekiel and the feminized image of Babylon in Revelation. Of course I struggle with this theme because of the way it equates sexual expression/infidelity with unfaithfulness (it’s no wonder individuals like St Augustine picked up this and ran with it in subsequent centuries). I also struggle with the use of the feminine to embody the sins of (or become a scapegoat for) their respective communities. Those subjects, however, would be enough to pursue in a separate blog of its own. Instead, I want to focus on a second theme that was woven through Ezekiel and Luke. The second theme had to do with the sins of Sodom. One of my biggest beefs as a pastor is how ignorant most folks are about the Bible. Through their lack of knowledge, they allow other readers of the Bible (who often approach the Bible with a very specific agenda in mind) to twist the scriptures and have their actions go unchallenged. For the last few decades, for instance, we have heard many use the story of Sodom and Gomorrah used as if it contained one – and only one – purpose: to condemn gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. And yet this morning’s reading from Ezekiel has another take on the sins of Sodom: “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me” (Ezekiel 16:49-50). Of course my own progressive tendencies want to immediately unpack the phrase "detestable things", but I'll fight those tendencies for now. Instead, I'll take my time and energy and imagine if religious extremists invested the same amount of energy using the story of Sodom to attack arrogance, or apathy, or a lack of commitment to the poor that they used to condemn gay, lesbian, bisexual, and Transgendered people. What a thought! My insight today is to hear God’s challenge to enter God’s story in its entirety – rather than to sit back and pick and choose those parts (or those conclusions) that jive with my personal agenda: in other words, to hear and acknowledge the fullness and the richness of the text. A richness and fullness that far exceeds anything I’m capable of fully grasping. Instead of arrogantly or haughtily resting in my conclusions (see the above mentioned sins of Sodom), my time of devotion today has renewed my call to continue on the journey. Til next time…

September 12

Today’s readings (Psalm 53 & 81; Ezekiel 16:1-22; Luke 9:51-62; and Revelation 18:9-14) raise two issues for me as it pertains to our individual and collective ministries. First, one of the passages reminded of the importance of never taking your blessings/your ministry for granted. In the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet has God using words that compares the Israelites’ experience to that of a child growing up. In verse 22, after noting the exciting, giddy moments of newness in their live together: God laments that unfortunately, as you grew, “you did not remember the days of your youth.” That line reminded me of some of the conversations early in my ministry that I had with seasoned clergy colleagues who were clearly burned out and bitter. As someone who was almost denied the path to ordination, I remember wondering, “How could anyone lose sight of the awesome joy and privilege of one’s ministry and let it become overwhelmed with cynicism?” Five years later, I guess, I can see how the demands might pull some folks down that path. It’s important for all of us – lay and clergy alike – to remember those exciting, formative days of our “youth” and keep a sense of perspective about ourselves and our ministries. Second, Luke’s ninth chapter reminded me of one of what Eugene Peterson said in his book The Contemplative Pastor was one of the three qualities of an effective pastor. His third quality of an effective pastor was apocalyptic – meaning the pastor has a sense of urgency or importance about his or her ministry. This is exactly what Jesus is saying in verses 59-62 of the ninth chapter where he chastises those who want to first bury their dead and second say goodbye to their loved ones before departing on the path of discipleship. That dramatic teaching about discipleship grounds us in the importance of who we are called to be and what we are called to do. Needless to say, my time of devotion today has helped encourage me to keep a sense of perspective regarding my life and ministry – a sense of perspective that is nothing less than awe-inspiring and breathtaking. Now I just have to live into that perspective J Til next time…