The Shepherds' Incredible Commission

"The shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God

for all they had heard and seen,

as it had been told them."

(from Luke 2:1-20)

The shepherds' incredible commission goes from the field to the city to the world.

It begins with them gathered in a pasture tending to their flock when the night sky suddenly bursts forth with the glory of the Lord.

To the terrified shepherds, the angel of the Lord brings them peace telling them their Savior was born in Bethlehem.

Amazingly, the shepherds are chosen by the Lord to receive a message of Good News for all people, given a sign, and commissioned to find the child in a manger.

Searching for something extraordinary in an ordinary event will be a sign from God which they might not recognize right away. 

Seeking in unlikely places and finally finding the manger just they had been told.

With that discovery, and their mission complete, the shepherds, returned to their fields, praising God for what they had seen and heard.

Wait. What? the Savior in a manger?

With no room in the inn, where did Mary and Joseph have go?

Most likely, they rented a space in a small guest house with two levels, an upper for people and a lower for animals.

The manger is the last space available for Jesus.

Incredible as the shepherd's commission may seem, it assures us that God is already at work to remake the world as a realm of blessing for all through Jesus.

Jesus’ birth is good news for all people: those who might be marginalized, oppressed, or absent where good news is often proclaimed.

The shepherd's commission encourages us to enlarge our vision of God’s purposes, and to join God in the movement of a renewed world by looking in unlikely places for God's presence. 

In your prayers, ask God to reveal unlikely places disclosing God's purposes.

God With Us.

Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God with us."

(From Matthew 1:18-25)

As Elaine and I move closer to Christmas, we feel a deep need to know that God is with us.

One deeply loved relative suddenly succumbed to alcoholism and another was called home to the Lord.

I am sure we're not the only ones experiencing deep losses that surface painfully at this time of year.

That's what make this passage so meaningful.

Matthew isn't stating facts, he is confessing his faith in God keeping promises.

God's promises to Israel and the whole world begin with the Creation story which includes the Spirit blowing across the waters and the birth of Adam.

In this passage, the Spirit is active again creating in Mary what Matthew understands as "new Adam".

The primary promise God makes to David is creating descendants forever, not just to Israel but all of us.

That is why Jesus is named Emmanuel, "God with us".

Matthew's confession of faith is that the God who created long ago, is still creating and will continue to create in order to redeem and renew creation and all of us.

God’s continuing creations and promises are seen most fully in the baby Jesus, born of Joseph and Mary. 

Matthew's confession of faith is that Emmanuel speaks words of mercy, hope and grace to all who listen. 

So, like all who are experiencing a dark time of the soul, I am confident the Lord will speak those words. 

What Are You Expecting?

And John to him,

“Are you the one who is to come,

or are we to wait for another?”

Jesus answered them, “

Go and tell John what you hear and see."

(from  Mt.11:2-11)

What are you expecting?

Ed was a lover of jazz who had an informal jazz band. For his 80th birthday, his sons gave him tickets to hear the Preservation Hall Jazz band in New Orleans.

In his mind was some form of a concert hall with a stage and seats.

Instead, he found a small building squeezed between other small buildings in the French Quarter.

Instead, he sat on a bench. The remaining 100 people either sat on benches, floor cushions, or stood.

It wasn't his expectation, but he saw and heard Preservation Hall's fantastic jazz.

John the Baptist ended up in a prison cell because he was expecting Emmanuel.

From his prison cell, John heard about Jesus' ministry so he sent his disciples to ask, “Are you Emmanuel, the Messiah, to lead us from captivity?” 

Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you see and hear: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised."

Jesus says to tell John what you see, a different kingdom than you were expecting.

Jesus’ answer asks all of us what we are expecting. 

What alternative are you expecting if you are confined to one of life's prison cells like addiction?

What alternative are you hoping for when if feels as though the cards are stacked against you during chemo?

The Good News is that Jesus is coming to ease your suffering, to show you an alternative to your life's stacked deck.

Jesus is coming but it may not be what you expect.

Jesus is coming to heal the condition of all God’s people, as described in Isaiah.

Jesus is coming to fulfill God's promise of hope.

Repairing Your Spiritual Road

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

This is the one of whom the prophet

Isaiah spoke when he said,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

(From Mt.3:1-12)

Willie Nelson's early life was an incredibly rough road.

I enjoy "On the Road Again" sung by this gravel-voiced, pig-tailed singer wearing a red bandana.

 

However, his idealistic song about being on the road with friends making music like a band of gypsies, is far from his real life.

Abandoned by his mother and his father, Willie was raised by his grandparents.  

Growing up in the Depression, Willie, at age 13, decided it was time to build his road for the future. 

From the wilderness of this inequity, he worked through high school by singing and playing his guitar in dance halls, taverns, and honkytonks. 

John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness calling people to repair their spiritual roads for the coming of the Lord.

John says to prepare for a truth-telling time at the coming of the Lord.

Repent, confess your sins by turning from the status quo of violence, injustice, and bigotry

Repent. Turn around. Change your mind.

Repair your spiritual road by joining the movement to build God's Kingdom through resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.

Repair your spiritual road by filling in the potholes of illiteracy by searching the scriptures for knowledge and wisdom.

John calls us toward the wilderness, a place of danger and testing, but also moves us into the safety of God's care.

It's in the wilderness, away from the stuff of human traditions and powers, where we may see and hear God’s call to repair more clearly. 

By the Grace of God, we walk a straight path from the ways of this world to practices appropriate for the time of God’s coming through Jesus' teachings.

Remembered by Jesus

Then the criminal said, “Jesus, remember me

when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you,

today you will be with me in Paradise.”

(from Luke 23:33-43)

Who deserves mercy?

On September 30, 2015, the state of Georgia executed Kelly Gissendaner, who in 1997 murdered her husband, Douglas.

While in prison Kelly converted to Christianity and demonstrated that hers was a genuine conversion. 

She earned a theology certificate from Emory University, ministered to other inmates with a message of God’s love giving them hope when they desperately needed it. 

As her execution date approached, a group of former inmates transformed by Kelly’s prison ministry joined many others who pleaded the state for clemency.

The group included correctional officers, Pope Francis, and supporters using hashtag #kellyonmymind, and even Kelly’s adult children who had lost their father because of Kelly’s actions. 

All appeals that Kelly’s sentence be commuted to life in prison were denied. 

Who deserves mercy?

Kelly, after her murderous action?

The Appeals Board for denying the request

Who deserves mercy?

The Jewish leaders heckling Jesus, the soldiers taking his clothes, the criminal on the cross mocking him as Messiah??

When I came to my 80 years past birth, I also came to my Jabbok River, my holy place, and wrestled with my wounds and "thorns in my side" and now limp through life.  

One of those thorns is wondering whom I have unintentionally wounded and left limping.

We each have our story of standing on Jabbok's banks at midnight. Perhaps it's struggling with addiction, seemingly unbearable loss, aging issues,  or figuring out what to do next with my life.

Who deserves mercy?

When the criminal honestly asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom, Jesus said, that today he would be with him in forever in God's presence.

"Today", Jesus said, and gave out endless mercy way beyond what the criminal asked. 

In Jesus kingdom, salvation is available even to people who should receive the most extreme punishment for their sins.

Who deserves mercy? 

In Jesus kingdom, anyone who asks.

Are You Ready?

Therefore you also must be ready, 

for the Son of Man is coming

 at an unexpected hour.

(from Matthew 24:36-44)

Are you ready?

Are you ready for the spiritual journey that's coming?

Jesus says, "Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left."

I was standing in my yard listening to the septic technician explain how the malfunctioning pump system in the turkey mound works. 

It never occurred to me that one of us may be taken and the other left behind.

That's how it was in the days of Noah. 

People went about life as usual, right up to the moment when the floods came: two in a field, two grinding meal.

Are you ready to be on the ark with someone you hoped would be adrift on a raft?

There the person stands, so now what?

Jesus says that's how it's going to be when the Son of Man comes.

Keep in mind, though, that in Jesus day it was better to be left behind than taken prisoner by the torturing Romans.

It's only by Grace that our spiritual journey moves forward when we realize Jesus is talking in twos. Two working in a field. Two grinding meal. Two friends. Two co-workers. 

Jesus is talking about relationships in our spiritual journey, which is a description of God's realm. "Love one another. As I have loved you" (John 13:34).

I get that, but now what?

Well, isn't it finding a way to ask my neighbors how I can help them be ready?

Isn't it about reaching outside myself and affirming God's grace with someone and greeting them saying, ‘Peace be within you” (Psalm 122:8).

Are you ready for this step in your spiritual journey?

By God's grace and Jesus' love, you will move forward.

Rumors, Wars and Insurrections

‘Nation will rise against nation, 

and kingdom against kingdom; 

there will be great earthquakes,

and in various places famines and plagues; 

and there will be dreadful portents 

and great signs from heaven.'

(from Luke 21:5-19)

I for one, rejoiced on November 9 when the mailings, posters, social media posts, and TV ads ended. 

I am finished with the distortions, accusations, and dehumanizing of political candidates.

As a Christian with a core theology of peace, I am deeply disturbed by the violent acts and threats against candidates, poll workers, and volunteers who are simply trying to perform civic duty.

It's in Jesus' Sermon on the Plain that I find hope. 

Jesus is talking to people who are trying to make sense of the destruction of the temple by the Romans in year 70, which was the equivalent of 9/11.

In short, the Jews' world of 70 was a broken world like ours is post-election.

 So, I read this scripture as a reflection on what happened, not a prediction of future events.

Jesus is using apocalyptic literature which uses unsettling language and images to reassure the faithful so that, even in their broken world, they keep their trust in God.

When bad things happen, don't be terrified by conspiracy theories about God's judgement, or other disasters.

Instead, Jesus says, trust in God's presence in our lives even in the midst of hardship and persecution.

Jesus, with his firm belief in God's hope and faithfulness, reassures them, and us, that even when it feels as though the world is collapsing around us, God is present.

Knowing God's presence and power,use this unsettled time to persevere as my disciples by feeding the hungry,clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless and loving your neighbor as yourself.

As I write, the world is still broken, but I believe the world is also full of God’s grace and love.

Therefore, I remain full of hope that no matter the brokenness of the world I see, God is present.

The Unburdened

“But I say to you that listen, 

Love your enemies, 

do good to those who hate you, 

bless those who curse you, 

pray for those who abuse you.

(from Luke 6:20-31)

For 30 years I stood before a congregation on Sunday leading worship.

I saw all types of people: the poor, the grieving, the comfortable, the wealthy. 

When the text for the Sunday included the Beatitudes, I felt a little odd trying to reconcile a blessing in being poor, hungry, hated, crying, or outcast.

Since the word blessed comes from the Greek word makarios, meaning “unburdened” or “satisfied” I feel those words make more sense: unburdened are the poor, satisfied are the hungry.

In the same way the word "woe" comes from the Greek ouai, meaning something like "heads up!" "Heads up you rich people!!!

It's as though Jesus is saying, "heads up to you living comfortably, things are about to change."

Heads up and consider what happens if the things you assume are advantages are actually counterfeit blessings.

Don't be tricked by them!

What Jesus seems to be saying to the crowd is that things operate differently in God's reign and you can see how it works by watching me.

The people crying and living with loss, grief and hopelessness, you will not be forgotten but will experience joy.

The satisfied among you can share immediately God's kingdom, but only as much as you take part in Jesus' calling to truly are for those who are poor, hungry, hated, crying, or outcast.

What a blessing that is, to live with people who share the values as Jesus, to "do to others as you would have them do to you".

God’s Presence and Refuge

Kerak Castle, al Kerak, Jordan

"God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake

 in the heart of the sea."

(from psalm 46)

I am writing this reflection the day after the violent attack on Paul Pelosi which, although is shocking to me, is not surprising.

It feels as though the foundation of the sane society I grew up with is changing and shaking as it becomes more violent, racist, and divided.

Kerak Castle is a mighty fortress atop a firm foundation in al Kerak, Jordan

Built in 1149 CE by Crusaders, captured by Muslims in 1189, it changed hands over the centuries and used in World War I.

It's location, dominating the surrounding area and protected by deep ravines, made it an ideal defense.

Damaged by a recent earthquake, the ravines, part of its strength, could now cause its destruction. 

The mighty fortress with the firm foundation, could now collapse.

As I reflect on the event, Psalm 46 is a source of hope beginning with "God is our refuge and strength".

It proclaims the Word of the Lord, God’s protection, is greater than any fort we build, is a strong, steadfast promise.

That's why, when I'm struggling with something, prayerfully searching the scriptures brings me a sense of God's hope.

Having gained a sense of hope, I read God is "a very present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear."

Verse 10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God!"  Meaning to stop and wait patiently before the Lord. (Psalm 37:7) 

In the midst of the chaos around us, when we stop and wait patiently, God will proclaim, "I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth." therefore I will not fear.

I don't know when the next shocking, but not surprising event will happen, but I know God's a refuge and strength therefore I have nothing to fear!!!

Pharisees, Publicans, and Prayers

"He also told this parable

 to some who trusted in themselves

that they were righteous

 and regarded others with contempt: 

‘Two men went up to the temple to pray,

 one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector."

 (from Luke 18 9-14 )

This very familiar parable is not about the good guy and the bad guy. 

It's based on the center of Jesus' teachings, The Great Commandment: "You shall love the Lord you  God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." (Lk. 10:27) 

To understand this, let's be clear about Pharisees. 

They were a Jewish resistance movement emphasizing obedience to the law of Moses in order to make God’s benefits visible and accessible for all who were Jewish. 

Pharisees lived meagerly and shunned excess and so were not legalistic, rigid, and elitist.

Instead, they paid attention to the oral tradition interpreting the spirit of the Torah, so they played an essential role in ensuring the theological and spiritual continuity of Judaism.

We also need to be clear about Publicans (tax collectors). 

Roman officials offered Publicans contracts to collect taxes in places like neighborhoods and markets. 

The Publicans collected taxes as well as their own fees and if you didn't pay these extra fees you may get into a lot of trouble in the form of "accidents".

Publicans were considered dishonest collaborators 

So there they are.

The Pharisee, going above and beyond what was required in fasting and giving, is righteous.

The Publican, showing repentance and humility probably because of his sense of wrongdoing by demanding money unjustly from his community.

Jesus says the Publican is justified, meaning his relationship with God is restored.

In the parable the Publican is justified which must have come as a complete shock to the listeners.

Love of neighbor, then, is an important indicator for recognizing the connection between Jesus and the Pharisees in their conversation.

This parable, then is not about the Pharisee and the Publican. 

It's about us.

Do we in our daily lives keep love of God and neighbor first?

Mustard Seeds and Mulberry Trees

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 

The Lord replied, “If you had faith 

the size of a mustard seed, 

you could say to this mulberry tree, 

‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you'

(from Luke 17:5-10)

I can empathize with the apostles who asked Jesus, "Increase our faith!" as people suffering from Hurricane Ian.

As I watched people wading through floods, surveying damage, and enduring without power, they probably wondered how much faith was needed to make it through their experience.

The apostles had seen the works that Jesus had done and the determination he had to live as the Holy one of God.

As apostles, they knew their mission was to carry on Jesus' work and that they needed more faith to build God's kingdom as he was.

And so, they asked for more faith.

So, Jesus uses the images of a mustard seed and a mulberry tree to help them understand they are asking for the wrong thing.

Jesus understands it's not about having 25% or 50% more faith instead it's about using what you do have such as a seed.

For me the song: "Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow" better describes how faith grows.

It seems to me that a person feels their faith growing as you move forward with a life based on prayer, which leads to action, which proclaims the kingdom of God.

I think about faith as practicing what I know, considering appropriate action, and by grace, my faith will grow in breadth and depth as I work to build God's kingdom.

I don't believe I'll ever plant a mulberry tree in the ocean, but I'm confident that, by God's grace, my faith will grow.

Faith Making Us Well

In the parable of the Ten Lepers, Jesus said to one who returned praising him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

As I visualize this story, I see Jesus going through a place similar to the southern border towns of Texas.

There are two boarders here. The first is physical: the Rio Grande which separates a safe place from unsafe places.  

The other is a vague area of cultural and social life differing from the physical. The people in this area are the outsiders representing unsafe places.

These people, like the lepers, are crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” because they are suffering mental isolation and poverty. 

 Jesus, who is more interested in healing than physical and cultural borders, tells them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  

They are healed, one returns praising Jesus who says, “Your faith has made you well.

What I see here is that Jesus has changed the meaning of a border. 

He changes it from the people and places we usually consider sacred and worthy to a place where God shows up to heal and liberate.

The outsiders are now part of the community and liberated from prejudice. 

Now I visualize all sorts of people gathering for Sunday worship calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

So, God shows up in our worship as we hear the Word and gather at the Table surrounded by song and music.

All this is bringing us healing and freeing us from spiritual isolation and poverty.

Thanks be to God for the gift of this healing, liberating story.

Connecting to God Through Nature

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;

    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Psalm 96:11-12

Charlotte Rhodes Memorial Butterfly Park is one of the "must stop" places on our annual Acadia NP retreat.

The quiet and the butterflies remind me that God constantly renews our souls. 

Yes, it's a long nine-hour drive to Acadia via interstates and state highways to Southwest Harbor and the beginning of our spiritual renewal.

Christian tradition views the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection.

A butterfly represents an insect who "dies" as a caterpillar, is buried in the cocoon, and emerges in a new life. 

Butterfly Park allows you to meander through the flowers, watch the butterflies, sit on one of the park's benches and absorb an inlet's beauty.

From a bench, one may catch glimpses of butterflies flitting from one bloom to bloom.

As Cleland Boyd McAfee might describe the park in his hymn, this a place of quiet rest,

near to the heart of God.

The setting and the butterflies seem to transcend the moment and renew one's soul.

This is the blessing of Butterfly Park.

Although butterflies aren't mentioned in Psalm 23, quiet waters, and green grass are part of restoring one's soul.

Shortly, the "trees of the forest" will be providing a colorful reminder of a new cycle's beginning.

It seems to me that whether you are sitting in a window overlooking God's creation or sitting quietly in its midst, you are making a God-connection. 

Through nature you are connecting to God and opening yourself to God's renewing power.

A Seeking God

 “Which one of you, 

having a hundred sheep

 and losing one of them, 

does not leave the ninety-nine 

in the wilderness and go after 

the one that is lost until he finds it?"

(from Lk. 15:1-10)

In the days of my youth, I was a counselor in a boy's camp located on the beautiful shores of Lake Seymour, Vermont.

The campers bedding included flannel sheets and two woolen blankets due to the cool evening weather.

It was a hot summer night and the campers were sleeping. 

During bed-check, two campers seemed tucked under wool blankets. The other counselor and I pulled off the blankets to find no campers.

We began anxiously searching wondering what trouble they managed to get themselves into.

We found the them skinny dipping at the camp's overnight campsite totally unaware of the dangers of swimming in the dark. 

The lost were found.

Jesus, however, is telling this parable with a much deeper meaning.

Jesus is talking about the depth of God’s love. 

Searching for lost sheep was dangerous in the hilly Judean mountainside was a dangerous undertaking.

There was little hope of finding it dead or alive because of predators such as leopards, jackals, hyenas or foxes.

Yet against all odds, the shepherd finds it alive, shoulders it, and brings it home to the rest of the flock.

Jesus' story is a reminder to us that God’s love is so great God will search tirelessly in the rocks and crannies of life to bring us home. 

Acadia Images of Psalm 8

This week Elaine and I are in Acadia National Park. It's here that for years we come to renew our spirits from the every-day life we lead. I hope these images and words from Psalm 8 will give you some renewal also.

Psalm 8 

O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

    Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

   and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Commitment to Jesus

 “Whoever comes to me 

and does not hate father and mother,

 wife and children, brothers and sisters,

 yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

(from Luke 14:24-33)

I wonder why Jesus is making such a harsh statement when his ministry was about love of God and neighbor?

Consider this:

Imagine yourself at a Billy Graham Crusade.

There is lots of singing, and a challenging message that concludes with an invitation to come forward and make a commitment to Jesus.

You respond to the invitation, go forward, and are met with one to the team who then explains the next steps you have to take.

It's a first century setting like this in which Jesus makes statements about the sacrifice of being a disciple.

He's using the word "hate" as a hyperbole to stress the importance of discipleship.

We sacrifice according to our priorities. 

Jesus says the Kingdom of God he proclaims and the kingdom life of which he is an example should be a priority even with its difficult choices.

When we pray: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” then we need to make the sacrifices and set the priorities to bring it about.

This will have consequences.

When I began talking with some church members about abortion, my point of view was not well received.

Yet, I believe that I must continue speaking out for my point of view because that's how one lives in God's kingdom.

I respect other's points of view because in God's kingdom love of God and neighbor take priority.

At some point I may experience a verbal crucifixion from someone with a different point of view, but I know that when I love and serve God as Jesus declares, crucifixion will lead to a new, transformed life of peace.

A Place for Everyone

Chocolate is Missing

For all who exalt themselves

will be humbled,

and those who humble

themselves will be exalted.”

(from Luke 14:1,7-14)

Leave it to Jesus to turn things upside down. 

In this story, Jesus is encouraging low-status believers who are trying to negotiate their way through the complicated, oppressive Roman society.

There was a place for everyone, but everyone had to know their place.

Jesus, to help people understand what living in God's kingdom was like, often used the image of feasting. 

In God's kingdom, all are welcome no matter what your social or economic status is in society.

Jesus teaches how important humility is because practicing it points to God's mighty grace. 

It works like this.

One of the first places you can find me after worship is the refreshment table spread with all sorts of goodies.

First, I scan the table for Chocolate.

You may not call this table a feast, but I assure you there are all sorts of items on it. 

We've had French Toast with sausage links and syrup, or someone's special pie, or overbaked cookies, or donated Oreos, or quiche.

This is what God's kingdom is like, since person's social or economic status doesn't matter, everyone is welcome at the table.

All one needs to do is make choices and join the folks sitting together talking about their lives, society, or the world conditions.

This is fine for Sunday when hospitality is an expectation and a norm.

But the real test of our hospitality is practicing it on Wednesday in Walmart when no one is watching.

As Spirit-filled people of God we are different from the world because of our testimony.  

It’s how we handle life that shows the world what the God's Kingdom is like.

Freed from Ailments

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said,

 “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 

When he laid his hands on her, 

immediately she stood up straight

 and began praising God.

(from Luke 13:10-17)

Currently there are a lot of news reports about the law describing various actions, opinions, and projections about what will be the next event. 

Each report about the law seems to be based on a right/wrong principle without any middle ground for discussion.

This scripture from Luke got my attention with the phrase "free from your ailment".

It got my attention because I see the tensions in the news reports as an ailment from which our society needs to be freed.

Consider the woman for a moment. 

For eighteen years, she has viewed the world from waist level, she hasn’t been able to look anyone in the eye for a long time.

Probably, she is a faithful, law-abiding member of this synagogue since she’s there worshipping on Saturday, even with the effort it took attend.

Jesus sees her, stops teaching, calls her to him, tells her she is free from her ailment, and touches her.

She stands up straight praising God.

The well-intended synagogue leader reminds Jesus the healing could be breaking God's law.

Jesus points out that, in this instance, freeing the woman from her aliment takes priority over the law.

While I think God's kingdom may come before the news reports of freedom from our world's ailments, I am confident there is healing taking place.

I am confident of the aliments being healed because I see it every Sunday.

Folks arrive at church needing to be freed from all kinds of ailments weighing down their souls.

People with vastly different points of view, enter the church, and giving Grace priority, worship together.

Jesus touches our lives through singing, prayer, hearing the Word, and breaking bread at the Lord's table.

Because Jesus touches our lives, we stand up straight praising God.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Looking to Jesus

"Let us run with perseverance 

the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus 

the pioneer and perfecter of our faith"

(From Heb. 11:29-12-2 )

Helen H. Lemmel wrote this song while experiencing trying times in her life, one being blindness.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus", one of my favorite gospel hymns, begins like this:

"O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim."

At 55, Helen heard an impressive statement: "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will see that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness."

One biographer wrote that she said “I stood still and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody." The verses were written the same week dictated by the Holy Spirit.

In other words, her eyesight was failing, but she saw Jesus in her singing.

One of my core convictions is that singing is the voice of a soul-conversation with God expressing our deepest needs and greatest joys. 

When we need perseverance because we're just hanging on, a song is a soul-conversation with God sharing the hope of enduring the race. 

To celebrate God's presence in our faith journey, a song of praise lets God know our deepest gratitude.

And certainly, being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses singing in a congregation on Sunday, is expressing hope in God's vision of a new creation.

So with them, we join Jesus, pioneer of our faith, with all the voices that have gone before and the voices yet to come singing of that hope in Jesus and God's new creation.

Fear Not

My Preaching Bible

“Do not be afraid, little flock,

 for it is your Father’s good pleasure

 to give you the kingdom."

"For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also."

(from Luke 12:32-40)

Don't be afraid?

Looking around I see plenty to fear as violence erupts in our everyday lives, society, and the world. 

I see fear on the faces of children running from a school shooting and someone with a military rifle shooting into a crowded concert.

I've encountered the violence of racism, dealt with domestic and sexual abuse both physically and psychologically.

This hardly looks to me like the kingdom of peace God desires or promises. 

I know, Jesus' followers feared plenty from persecution by Roman authorities: destroying property, inciting hatred, imprisonment, to name a few.

I know, Jesus tells his "little flock" not to fear because God will be delighted in giving them the kingdom.

Sell your stuff, Jesus says, pack your bags, light your lamp, stay alert, the Master will invite you his table when he arrives.

In other words, be ready for God's call to Gospel action.

For me, my Preaching Bible is the spark lighting my lamp and counseling me to stay alert for God's call to Gospel action.

Jesus' stories, teachings, and life help me see Gospel action opportunities and increase my energy to act through healing, justice, love, grace, peace, etc.

Gospel action is courageously bringing our fears from our own experiences to Jesus knowing God will give you the peace of the kingdom you need.

I can assure you from my own experience, God is present receiving your fears then giving you your needed gifts for peace.

Listen Up People!

"Hear this, all you peoples;

give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

both low and high, rich and poor together.

My mouth shall speak wisdom;

the meditation of my heart

 shall be understanding."

(from Psalm 94:1-12)

One the many blessings of my Vermont ministry was a burial in Hope Cemetery, created around 1895, one of the most beautiful rural cemeteries in the world.

The 1918–1919 Spanish flu, along with Gray Lung, a form of Silicosis, increased the death rate and need for tombstones.

Realizing death could be right around the corner, many sculptors created a monument to display their skills. 

In other nearby cemeteries, I would gather with the family around a grave with only a temporary marker or a small stone with a family name and date.

The contrast was significant. 

Whether beautiful monument or simple stone, the "low and high, rich and poor together" were gathered in grief and mourning.

And so, God calls all  people to give ear, to listen to wisdom and understanding.

 

Listen, then, to Jesus' parable.

Jesus' parable of the rich fool teaches that secured life does not depend on possessions, but on trusting our life to God.

Jesus is saying the rich fool lost his soul to gain earthly possessions that will not benefit him in the afterlife.

The wise person is the one who is “rich toward God,” which means generous towards others in need.

Greed is the moral opposite of generosity. 

We worry about the future instead of trusting God, who holds the future. 

Greed destroys us, but generosity blesses us. 

Greed destroys as the rise of gas prices and inflation resulting from greed and unfaithful stewardship show as companies jack up prices more than necessary to gain unethical profit. 

This psalm and Jesus' teaching invites us to reflect on what we do with our possessions, which are God's gifts.

Jesus Teaching On Praying

"He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.

   Your kingdom come.

   Give us each day our daily bread.

   And forgive us our sins,

     for we ourselves forgive 

everyone indebted to us.

   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’."

(from Luke 11:1-13 or Matthew 6:9-13 )

Who taught you how to pray?

For me, probably my mother taught me this prayer: 

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

Angels watch me through the night,

and wake me with the morning light. Amen.

This bedtime prayer didn't mean much to me because my image of angels related to Christmas Trees. It was fine with me if they were flying around guarding my presents under the tree.

For us and the disciples it is Jesus.

When a disciple asked Jesus to teach them about prayer, it was more likely something other than a technique, or position, or pattern. 

As Jews, they already knew these things.

It seems to me they wanted to learn more about Jesus’ love for God and his intense desire to see God’s reign come to complete realization.

They wanted to discover what love for God and neighbor looks like. 

The disciples wanted a prayer showing what Jesus thinks God and the promised kingdom is like. 

The disciples wanted a prayer they could share demonstrating their passion for God and the promised reign of God

So, Jesus gave them a prayer based on encouraging love for God and neighbor by describing the ways God has shown the meaning of steadfast love.

Jesus teaches his theological convictions that God hears, provides, forgives, protects, and expects generosity to others.

Sometimes I worry prayer doesn’t do much. For me, the Lord's Prayer is Jesus’ reminder that God hears my words, silences, and anxieties, is generous.

I'm thankful that Jesus followed up his teaching urging me to persist in prayer because with God, the door is always open 

First Pray, Then Wait

"All the paths of the Lord are

steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his 

covenant and his decrees."

(from Psalm 25)

First Pray.

During worship when people ask for prayers, the most common types call upon God for relief from some personal suffering. 

prayers calling upon God for relief from some personal sufferings are the most common in the psalms

On the other hand, people share deep seated prayer concerns needing long-term resolutions only God can resolve.

Deep seated prayers include ending cancer, the Ukraine War, hungry, homeless, and other social injustices.

And so, we pray.

Then wait.

And then we wait. 

Waiting for answers may feel like Noah adrift 40 days as we faithfully wait continually praying for resolutions to the deep-seated pains of humanity. 

It seems to me there are two ways to wait.

The first is passive by asking, "How Long O Lord? 

This strikes me as being impatient because God hasn't acted in the time frame I desired. It's an "I'm expecting God to do something because I asked."

The second, is actively "following the paths of the Lord."

A path to begin with Wesley called "searching the Scriptures" which suggests faithfully reading the Bible. 

An excellent way to do this is reading from the Lectionary daily. This offers a psalm, Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel. 

A portion of this path includes the Lord's Prayer, prayers of your own and prayers based on deep-seated needs of humanity.

Finally, I feel, communion is a path of the Lord that nourishes and sustains, as we wait.

Breaking bread, sharing the cup, with the work of the Spirit among us is God's active sign of presence and healing.

Since God is the God of salvation, this is how we wait: faithfully and hopefully.

Secure in God's Hands

"You show me the path of life.

In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

(from Psalm 16)

When I am looking to draw closer to God's presence, places I choose are mountains or hills with panoramic overviews. 

Another place I go when I am looking for a greater sense of God's presence is by water. Sometimes it's the "still waters" of a lake or gentle stream. Other times it's by the vastness of the sea. 

By sitting quietly and absorbing the awesome beauty, I sense God's presence. I sense a peace that passes understanding.

Perhaps, though, you may not have mountains, hills, rivers, lakes or the sea nearby.

I believe reading the Psalms is another way to draw closer to God. They describe human thoughts and feelings with a desire to create an intimacy with God.

For a moment, imagine yourself as someone who feels a need for God’s protection and refuge.

You open your Bible to Psalm 16 and begin reading.

You are joining with others who have prayed, sung, chanted or studied these words since the 5th century BC.

Like them, you are asking God to keep you safe because you know that no matter where you are, you can find refuge in God.

You know this because God has provided a portion and cup and boundary lines.

So you bless God for the gifts of counsel and conscience that kept you from the wrong paths in life.

Looking at the ways God has kept you safe, you praise God whatever the future holds, because you know you are secure in God’s hands.

Being Clothed in Christ

There is no longer Jew or Greek,

there is no longer slave or free,

there is no longer male and female;

for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

(From Galatians 3:23-29)

Stanley stood before the font. 

As one of the underprivileged worshippers in my middle-class, small-town church, this was a major event.

 

He was 65 and had led a hard life, of which town folk were aware.

Now, he and his wife were in charge of a teenage granddaughter whose parents were in jail. 

At the font, I asked him the traditional questions, he leaned over, I poured a small amount of water over his head and called on the Holy Spirit to enter his life.

He was now clothed in Christ beginning a new relationship before God.

For Stanley, this was a very significant event.

He couldn't read and memorized the entire service so he would know what to say when.

For me, clothing him in Christ felt as though I was washing away the dirt of his soul giving him a new beginning.

For the church, Stanley was beginning a new life in which they could surround him in love and support as he became a new member. 

Through his baptism and work of God's Spirit, we were being transformed into new creation right now.

Paul's vision of the Galatian church was to be a people who reveal love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

Paul’s vision of the church is that all nations—in their God-given voice praise God with one voice.

Paul's vision of the small Galatian church continues today as the lives of believers are transformed through baptism.

God’s Spirit is at work transforming the lives of believers by showing baptism is making it possible.

Reflect on your baptism. How has God's Spirit been transforming you?

Love of God and Neighbor

“You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your strength, 

and with all your mind;

and your neighbor as yourself.”

( from Luke 10:25-37)

I wasn't expecting it, but I wasn't surprised when it happened.

In the sharing of joys and concerns during worship someone said, "I thank God for the Supreme Court's decision."

You could feel the tension as some people braced for what might come next.

The pastor handled the situation gracefully reminding people we are a congregation where love for one another comes before politics.

Several thoughts struck me about the incident.

First is the idea of God and the Supreme Court being connected. In my quick search of the Scriptures I could not find the words "Supreme Court".  

Second, my understanding of a core belief of the Christian faith lies in the answer given to Jesus when asked about the most important law.

Above all else, love God and your neighbor. 

Third are my thoughts about prayer. 

God answers prayer, but not necessarily when we pray or what we pray for. 

God changes things, which could mean God may change the person praying.

God is Mystery, so we may not recognize an answer to prayer.

Fourth, my thoughts about the church. Based on my readings of Paul's letters and the pastoral letters, the church is a witness. It demonstrates God's love as shown through Jesus' life, death, resurrection and teachings.

Last, I am assured of this in the liturgy we use each Sunday as we hear the scriptures, pray the prayers, sing the hymns, and offer ourselves as people of praise and thanksgiving.

We live in difficult times, but I am certain God is with us!