An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

"If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (from Luke 11:1-13 ) At a healing group I led, someone asked for prayers for a friend whose child a severe cold. We all prayed for recovery of the child. The next morning about 10 a.m. the person called me asking if the child’s cold was healed. I replied that I didn’t know because I hadn’t called the mother yet. In today’s culture of instant response, the question was understandable. In Jesus culture, someone knocking at your door in the middle of the night broke all rules of basic hospitality, and personal dignity. The disciples were asking Jesus to be taught how to pray. Jesus tells a parable about persistently knocking until the door is open. Is persistence the lesson? Persistence may imply God is reluctant, unaware, and needing harassing by our prayers before God will do what we want. Must we bang on heaven’s doors to get...

"Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!" (from Psalm 25:1-10 ) Israel’s King David, a skilled warrior known for defeating Goliath, also led numerous other victories, expanding and securing the kingdom’s borders. Politically, he united Israel’s tribes, established Jerusalem as capital, and created a strong central government. Despite his successes, he made serious moral mistakes, like the Bathsheba affair and killing Uriah. David's trials included Tamar’s betrayal, Absalom’s revolt, and his death in battle. Nathan, David’s prophet, confronted him about the sin, and David repented. God’s punishments consisted of a series of family tragedies, including the death of his infant son and conflicts with his children. Our life journey isn’t King David’s, but that doesn’t me...

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things,  but few things are needed—indeed only one.  Mary has chosen the better part,  which will not be taken away from her.” ( from Luke 10:38-42 ) There’s a famous legend about Martha told after Jesus’s resurrection. Martha becomes a traveling preacher ending up in a small French that, unfortunately, has a chronic dragon problem. Martha slays the dragon which wins the whole town over to Christianity. In the same legend, Mary, on that same trip, starts a monastery in the wilderness. In this legend, they both complete their assigned roles in Christian history: Martha acts and Mary studies. Martha represents an active faith, while Mary represents a contemplative faith. Martha shows Jesus hospitality while Mary sits at his feet listening. They represent different parts of Christian discipleship and both are seen as positive characters. They are both doing good things. There is no villain in this story. T...

“Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you.” (from Luke 10:1-11 ) There’s a true story of a seminary professor who asked a class to imagine the most challenging part of accompanying the 70 on their mission journey. Most of the responses were predictable: no money, no change of clothes, no food, depending on strangers. One student said, “Eat what is set before you.” The student explained that his father was a pastor in a very rural, poor part of South Dakota and often invited to dinner mostly by farmers. On remote farms people often relied on whatever they could kill or catch, such as squirrels , rabbits, and other wild creatures, even for guests so the father instructed the family to eat what was set before them. He added, “We just never knew what we would have to eat.” If you search Luke, you’ll find that Jesus often attends a meal, but never gives a dinner party. In Jesus’ rules of hospitality, being a respectful recipient by grac...