Being Tamed

The Reading:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions………  Titus 2: 11

"The Scream"   Alwy Fadhel    (coffee on paper)

Every Christmas Eve, we hear a passage from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to Titus.  It’s a strange story to be paired with the lovely Gospel of Luke because it had nothing to do with Bethlehem or the Holy Land, or Jesus’ birth. Titus had been left on the Mediterranean island of Crete to establish a Church there and Crete was a place of wild and rebellious people.  Titus was facing a nearly impossible job, and Paul's short letter was simply one of instruction and encouragement to a lonely missionary.

How is this passage relevant on Christmas Eve? Why include it here? Perhaps it's to remind us that the world is full of wild and rebellious people and life will be full of nearly impossible tasks. Or maybe it's to remind us that with the Grace of God, we can and will accomplish amazing things. Or that, whenever we face the impossible or find ourselves on the brink of failure, God will be right there with us. In other words, this passage is a gentle reminder that God became man; that God is an Incarnate God.

So, as you attend Christmas Eve services this weekend, listen not only to Luke’s lovely story about the birth of the baby Jesus, listen, too, for the still small voice of Paul, encouraging Titus, and reminding him that God is right there with him, as he is with each one of us.

Merry Christmas.  

Dismissed

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her is from the Holy Spirit."    Matthew 1: 20

"Dream Under a Desert Sky"    Stella de Genova

Joseph resolved to dismiss her quietly. That proves he was a nice guy; not out to bring disgrace upon Mary or her family. But she did show up pregnant -- and he KNEW he wasn't a part of that. .

And then the dream. And that angel. Surely a figment of his imagination. But Joseph took the risk; believed what the angel said.  He felt in his bones that something extraordinary had occurred.  "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, Joseph." . 

Wondering this week if God speaks a to us in our dreams anymore. Do we have the faith of Joseph? And how would the story be different if he had dismissed her quietly? 

Fear

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God. He will come and save you."   Isaiah 35: 4

                                           "Fear"                                     Ty Agha              

There is an annual list published of things Americans fear most.*  This year, 61.6% of those polled responded that “corruption of government officials” was their top fear. Number 2 (at 41%) was “fear of terrorist attacks." Other items on the “Top 10” list include: governmental restrictions on firearms and ammunition, Obamacare, and identity theft. (It would be interesting to see a list that people living in Syria or South Sudan might compile.)

By contrast, Scripture often beseeches us not to be afraid.  In a society rife with fear, Christians are called to confront their fears with faith. We are called to accept that God is bigger than our fears; to believe God’s promises. That is our faith made manifest.
"Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God. He will come and save you."

 C.S. Lewis wrote, "Gratitude looks to the past. Love looks at the present. Fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.”

Let us live Advent in the present.
Let us be people of Love.    

·       USAToday.com

Shoots...... and new life

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.   Isaiah 11: 1

A stump. You’ve seen one. What once had been a mighty oak,  a graceful elm, or a winsome ash became sick and died. And people with chainsaws came and carted away what was left, leaving only a stump. Ignorable. Inert.

But God promises us that what is dead will provide sustenance and shelter for that which is being resurrected.

              “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse,                                                              and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

In you, what has died? And what shoot, what quiet idea, is silently gestating in the deepest part of your heart?                            

What is longing to be born?

God promises all new life. 

Advent

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!   Isaiah 2:4-5

This Sunday, after we eat our Thanksgiving dinners and face the pandemonium that is Black Friday, we will enter into the season of Advent.  Advent means “before the coming” in Latin and it is the season of the church year where we consider Christ’s promise that He will come again.  To dismiss Advent as simply a “countdown to Christmas” or “four candles and a wreath” would be a grave mistake.

During Advent, the Church considers how the world will change when Jesus returns. We are called to self-examination and repentance as we think about how ready we are to stand before Christ upon His return. But it’s not all about dread; Advent calls us to glorious hope as well. We wait with joy and hopeful expectation because He promises that, when he comes again, wars will stop, dissension will cease, and an era of  peace will ensue. How ready are we for a dose of peace and an end to dissension?

His Law is Love and his Gospel is Peace.  O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! 

Light Bearing

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace. The Song of Zechariah

Light over Galena       L.Meade

God promises to bring relief to the tormented, the poor, the oppressed; to “shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

Those lines, somehow, are grafted into my synapses and mysteriously appear in my consciousness when things get rough;  a balm to my soul when my heart is troubled. This week. I’ve been wondering what it might be like to be the agent of such blessing. What would be like for me to bring such light into another person’s life? To carry the lamp of tender compassion into another’s distress or grief? 

And then I realized, it is most always another traveler who brings the light to me when mine has grown dull – often someone regular and rather unremarkable; often someone just like me, being God’s agent at work in the world. God uses regular folk, folks just like you and me, to bring a guiding light to others when they’re in darkness. God’s funny that way.  

Just regular folks like us. 

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent-- its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.  Isaiah 65: 24-25

None of us are perfect. There is no perfect candidate, no perfect government, no perfect solution. And we have a new President-elect this day; and neither is he perfect. The letter to the Colossians reminds us that there is no perfection except in Jesus Christ.

So whether you are celebrating or grieving today, let us remind ourselves that the goal is God: relationship with Jesus Christ, love for one another, and that we are all beloved of God. Perhaps the greatest challenge will be to live into the prophesy of Isaiah: the promise that the wolf and the lamb will come together, perfectly, in Jesus Christ. That is my prayer. 

Praise

Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. 

Psalm 149:1

An abbreviated Whispering this week, because I am on vacation.

As I've been traveling through the Rocky Mountains and the desert Southwest these last two weeks, I've seen God in many faces and in many skies and I've whispered "Hallelujah!" many times.  We're called to that; called to praise and sing songs to the Lord.

What does praising God feel like or look like to you?  What are your songs? And do you have any NEW ones?

Thanks for your prayers. May the peace of God bless each one of you this week.
Liz+ 

Invited Guests

Jesus was passing through Jericho. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him   Luke 19: 1-2

Zaccheus -- Cover Art for the groups Day Four

A CHIEF Tax Collector!  Big, powerful, rich, but short in statre. Oh, how I love this story!  The crowds knew Jesus by this time. He was famous; a traveling celebrity. And even those who were not particularly religious, even those whose temple membership dues had probably lapsed wanted to get a glimpse of the traveling Galilean, Jesus.

Zacchaeus has become the darling of Sunday School lessons because the he was short. So short, he had to climb up in a tree so he could get a decent look at Jesus. It’s almost comical, and yet youngsters are captivated by Zacchaeus because they can relate to being short and they can relate to climbing trees.

What we don’t remember from Sunday School, however, is that Zacchaeus was very rich and he was a tax collector and it is those details to which we must attend.  A rich tax collector: despised by the locals, shunned by the religious authorities, and envied by all. And this is the man Jesus stops and talks to. This is the man Jesus chooses to eat dinner with. Scandalous! Can you imagine the rolling eyes? The murmuring? The belligerent sniffles?

That’s how it is with Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t just pay attention to those who are sitting right in front of him, clamoring to walk right next to him. Jesus looks around – up into trees even – to spot the ones who might not deserve an audience with him. 

The Jesus Prayer

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.  Luke 18: 13

                     "Mercy"             Jackson Jim-George

There is a prayer going around retreat and spirituality circles over the past decade or so. It’s called “The Jesus Prayer” and it goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me, a sinner.” You may have used it on a retreat, or when trying your hand at the Anglican Rosary, or whenever you’ve needed a quick centering prayer, but the genesis of this prayer come from Luke’s Gospel. And in its original form, it did not address Jesus at all; it addressed Yahweh. It is the simple prayer of a Jewish tax collector who has become aware of how far he has strayed from his Creator. His prayer is simply this: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

It is in that closeness, when we sense the presence of the Divine, that we realize our own brokenness and our need for God’s mercy. It is in facing Love Itself that we realize how deeply our attachments to worldly things have confiscated our attention. The Celts call these encounters “thin spaces” where the veil between the heaven and earth is lifted, if even for a moment. And it is those times when we simply must face Love Itself and whisper, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Use it. Use it at the communion rail. Use it when you notice something beautiful or something disturbing or something that angers you. God longs for us to utter these words. Draw close.

Anger as Sad's Bodyguard

For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.        2 Timothy 4: 3-5

"Anger"           Aaron Paquette

I am sad today. Sad that truth is so often swept under the rug. Sad that our country is in such distress that we are all angry with each other, calling each other names, and showing intolerance for those closest to us. The phrase “accumulating for themselves teachers to suit their own desires” – while true – is less problematic for me than the phrase which follows it, “they will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.” Therein lies the sadness I feel.

When we stop listening, we are on dangerous ground. We gather up all sorts of “spiritual books” and accouterments to prop up the lies we chose to believe, but doing so only pulls us deeper into mythology of untruth. Untruths become one’s truth, one’s reality. Perhaps that is what makes me so sad today.

And yet, we have Paul’s sensible advice to Timothy to cling to. We may not change the mindset of those who fabricate truths for themselves and wander away.  We must simply be sober, endure the suffering these myths bring upon us, do the work of Jesus, and carry on.  And so we will.

Pray for us. 

Seeking Joy

Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
sing the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise.  Psalm 66:1

Joyful Noise             Nii Teiko Aryeetey - Ghana

As the long days of summer shorten, and the leaves on the trees begin to change colors, and the night air begins to feel crisp, we know we are facing change. The fact is, some people cannot bear this beautiful time of year and the gorgeous fall colors because they live in dread of the onset of winter with all its associated inconveniences. But the Psalmist reminds us to keep the rite of joy in our hearts always.

“Be joyful in God, all ye lands,” the Psalmist pleads, for God has created this mysterious cycle for us. Embrace all aspects of it. Look with wonder as the leaves transform themselves into the brilliant auburn colors without dread. For if you live in dread of winter, you will miss the show of fall.

Be joyful in God when the snow encapsulates us in our homes and brings us close together before the hearth, because we are made for each other. Be joyful in God when the ice begins to thaw, and the first tentative crocus reveals itself as a testimony to God’s plan: that new life will always emerge from death.

Seek after joy and it will surprise you. And in that instant, that instant where you discover it, look up, and thank God for this unfolding, ongoing, eternal joy that God has created for our pleasure. It is there. It is there waiting for us, inviting us into the eternal embrace of the Holy Trinity.

Be joyful in God. 

Enough Faith

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

                                                        Luke 17:5

Mulberry Tree      Vincent VanGogh

One of the subjects most often raised with clergy is the subject of faith. People will either ask questions such as, “How do I grow my faith?” or they will make comments like, “I wish I had your faith.” It’s an interesting conversation starter, because of what our Lord teaches about faith in this passage from Luke. Jesus says that if we only had an itty-bitty speck of faith (the faith of the tiniest mustard seed), you could make a mulberry tree uproot itself from the field where it grows and replant itself in an ocean far far away.  On other words, we have enough faith if we have any faith at all. 

Faith can’t be quantified. The issue isn’t about how much faith we need; it’s about God. It’s about believing that God can accomplish the unimaginable. It’s about whether we believe that God is great enough, powerful enough to accomplish miracles. We do not have to wrestle about how much faith we have; we only need to allow God to use what we have and offer it up willingly.

What is God asking you to do or be for the Kingdom this week? 

What's in yoru bowl?

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.  1 Timothy 6:6

We come into this world alone, and we leave it alone. What matters, is what we do between those two events: birth and death. Think of an empty bowl. That’s what you arrive with: nothing. During our lifetimes, we add stuff to that bowl. Things like relationships, money, possessions, children, cars, experiences, and probably lots more stuff. 

Our bowl will ultimately be empty again as our lives here draw to a close. It matters what we put into our individual bowls. Relationships matter. Experiences matter.  Ultimately, we must make an accounting. What’s in your bowl? Is it filled with nourishment or an ever-increasing pile of superfluous clutter?

And where is God in your bowl?

Blotted Out

Remember not our past sins;
let your compassion be swift to meet us; *
for we have been brought very low.  Psalm 79:8

Simon Berger

“Remember not our sins, O God; let your compassion be swift to meet us.”

How often do you think about your own sinfulness? Have you ever wondered if you’re “good enough?”  It seems that, in spite of trying to live a good life, we often succumb to sinful thoughts, behaviors, and actions. It is why we say a confession every Sunday during celebrations of the Eucharist. Having that time to confess, to take stock, keeps us in relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven whenever we return to God and face the truth about ourselves. Scripture tells us that every sin, except one, can be forgiven.*

God’s love is that complete; God’s compassion, boundless. So no matter where you are, no matter how far you have strayed, no matter how many relationships you have broken, you can be pretty sure that when you decide to mend your ways and turn back to God, God will be right there beside you waiting with outstretched arms.

It’s not too late. Return. You are loved. You are safe. You are God’s. 

* ·        For the unpardonable sin, see Matthew 12: 31-32.   

Rejoice

 `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.   Luke 15:6-7

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is a story of  God’s love. It reminds us that even when we have strayed and fallen, sinned and sinned again, God will pursue us.  God is not so much interested in judging us as God is eager to welcome us home. God follows us, waits for us, and celebrates with profound joy when we return.

God does the same for those the world deems incorrigible:  the really lost, the really corrupt, the really hateful.  As Christ’s hands and feet in the world, we welcome them too.

Who craves our attention?  Who silently longs for it? Who does not deserve it?
For I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who need no repentance. 

Marvelous!

I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.       Psalm 139: 13

S.L. Lowry

Can we thank God for being marvelously made? It’s hard for most of us. Prayers are generally petitionary, and thanksgivings often remain unsaid.  It is challenging to thank God simply for oneself. To wonder with awe at the very being of ourselves: that we respire automatically, that we communicate with one another, that our minds can perceive colors and solve problems.

Try it. Just thank God for you. For you are marvelously made. Thank God for the miracle of you, in spite of all the complaints you may have about the shape of your eyes or the color of your hair.  Leave the complaints for another day.

I will thank you, God, for I am marvelously made.    

Where is God?

What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me,

and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves?

They did not say, "Where is the Lord?”

The priests did not say, "Where is the Lord?"            Jeremiah 2: 5-6,8

Searching                        Agostino Arrivabene

Are we guilty of this?  Jeremiah accused the people of Judah of wandering far from God and not even noticing. Neither the priests nor the laity asked,               “Where is the Lord?” And therein lies the problem.

As we seek to follow Christ, it is important that we become bearers of the question, “Where is the Lord?”  Where is the Lord in the midst of our triumphs? Our tragedies? In the midst of everyday life? For it is in asking the question that we become more attuned to the presence of the Holy One.

This week, as you interact with the world and with your co-workers or partners, ask yourself, “Where is God in this?” In being intentional, we discover how close God really is. 

Standing Tall

Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 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.         Luke 13:10-13     

Farmers at Work                                                 Georges Seurat

On Sunday, we will encounter the passage of the woman who has been bent over for eighteen years. She comes to the synagogue to worship, encounters Jesus, and is healed. This is one of Jesus’ lesser known miracles, but a miracle nonetheless. 

How old were you eighteen years ago? Do the math. Imagine being in some sort of pain for that long. Pain that crushes you to the point of bending you in half. And while the woman's pain is of a physical nature, your pain may be psychological. Or spiritual. Pain we carry around with us (whatever the kind) will ultimately cause us to bend. Our pains weigh us down and less able to become what God dreams for us. 

What causes you to bend? What are you carrying with you that weighs you down? Guilt? Grief? Broken relationships? Lay these burdens at the foot of the cross and allow God to carry them for you. 

And stand tall.  

Reflection and Hope

What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?

When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured;

I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.   Isaiah 5: 4-5

Harvest             Duc De Berry    Samur, France

 

The prophet Isaiah tells the tale of his friend who worked hard at planting a new vineyard:: tilling the soil, removing the stones, planting the vines…. But, alas, when the vines finally started producing fruit, they did not produce the luscious, sweet grapes his friend had envisioned; it produced sour, wild grapes. So, vengefully, he vowed to tear it down, to let it be trampled and ultimately, be destroyed.

Life is full of disappointments. Our children may not turn out the way we hoped, or our career paths may have swerved of the beaten track. Our fortunes may have grown and then waned out of existence.  And our health, similarly. How do we deal with disappointment in our lives? How do we respond to unmet expectations?

We have two choices. We can trample down and destroy all that we have strived for, and reap bitterness and regret all our days, or we can turn and reflect and try to understand what happened, and learn from the experience. Bitterness and regret? Or reflection and hope? Where in your life do you harbor pain and bitterness? What does it cost you? And how might you leave that path behind and choose the better way?

I lift up my prayers. 

Treasure

“For where your treasure is, there your heat will be also.” Luke 12: 34

Sri Chimoy - c. 2005

Have you ever purchased something – a new car or a new brand of shoes -- and suddenly start noticing a lot more of that particular brand?  Once you’ve spent your money on a BMW or on Birkenstocks, you start seeing BMWs or Birkenstocks everywhere.  Our hearts and minds are hard wired to respond that way. I remember my first car was an Opel Kadett – never a lot of those around – but whenever I saw one, I felt like pulling the other one over and inviting the driver over for a cup of coffee.

So it is with wherever we place our treasure.  If we start donating more money to the poor, for example, we will soon start noticing the plight of the poor more acutely. If we spend a lot of our discretionary income on concert tickets, chances are, we’ll start listening to music more attentively. On designer clothes? Designer clothes.

To really discover what we treasure and where our hearts lie, we need only take a look at our credit card statements or at our checkbook registers. Where does our money go? This is what Jesus is asking his disciples this week.  Where are our hearts? On what do we spend our time, our talent, and our treasure?

Greed

"Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."   Luke 12: 15

Kathryn Cook

Let us not split hairs about greed. We are all wealthy by the world's standards. Greed is a different animal. It is an attitude.   

Jesus is speaking of the pernicious infection of greed upon the human soul. Its vorcious appetite can never be satisfied because greed is insatiable. The Roman poet Horace said, “He who is greedy is always in want.”  Greed is never quenched; never satisfied. It consumes our energy and blocks goodness and mercy from entering our hearts.

Jesus offers us the vaccine that inoculates against this infection. It is none other than the two Great Commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor.  As we live in the shelter of those two commandments, greed can never enter in.
   

     

"The highest wealth is the absence of greed."  – Seneca                                                                                   

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."      – Ghandi                                

"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."  – Erich Fromm

Our Father

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father, hallowed be your name.                      Luke 11:1-2

                           Painting 45E                           K. Robinson

In this land of rugged individualism where evangelical preachers beseech us to develop a “personal relationship with Jesus,” I am struck by the fact that our Lord, when he taught his disciples to pray, instructed them to say, “Our Father.”  It is as though Jesus was reminding them that God is not property – and entity held in the hands of the most pious, but a mystery to be held corporately, to be worshiped corporately, to be praised corporately.

“Our Father,” suggests that we are not beseeching God alone, due to our own merits or piety, but as a unifying act on behalf of humanity. It recalls the church “catholic” – small “c” – wherein we are all a part of something must larger than ourselves. When I pray with others, I feel the kinship and love of God as it links us together in a unifying mystery that makes relationships stronger, compassion more visible, and faith more visceral.

For this I give thanks.   

Fussing

The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it……” 

Luke 10:42    from Eugene Peterson’s The Message

Martha and Mary               JesusMafa - Cameroon

On Sunday, another of Luke’s perennial favorites, the story of Martha and Mary. Many of us have self-effacingly called ourselves “Martha” from time to time – and many preachers have extolled the virtues of aspiring to be like Mary – but the essential message of this charming tale is in how it speaks to perspective.

Most of us have responded as both Martha and Mary in different situations. There are times when we are busy and fussing and overwhelmed – and there are times when we are calm and intentional and focused. Each of us can exhibit both.  Jesus reminds us that focus and calm is the better way to attend to life.  

Frazzled nerves, hypertension, and nervous activity only exhaust and distract us, but if we bring God into  our daily tasks, the journey will be easier and more life affirming. How might we attend to mowing the lawn, preparing the meals, and preparing spreadsheets in ways that might honor Christ’s presence with us?  

We have choices. 

Semantics

But the lawyer, wanting to justify himself asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"  Luke 10:29

Beth Shemesh, Israel                    August, 2014

On Sunday, we will listen, again, to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Most of us have heard it many times before, and most of us understand that the “good” Samaritan did what was right for a bleeding and wounded man lying by the side of the road.  There’s the moral: be like the Samaritan.

But as I think about the story, I am struck by the lawyer’s initial question to Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer did not want an answer. He sought to quibble. He sought to spar with rhetorical questions; to argue for the sport of it. 

Jesus is not interested in semantics. Jesus seeks to give us sight so that we, too, might see the world through the eyes of God and respond as God would have us respond. Quibbling about how much or how many serves no purpose; it only delays delivering assistance to those who need it. 

Let us not be quibblers.  

Self-Importance

Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 2 Kings 5:11

                                                       Man Washing                                      M. Zimmerman

Naaman, an important General in the Syrian Army, was given permission by his king to go to Israel to seek a cure for his leprosy.  But when he arrived, Naaman was offended that the prophet Elisha would not come out of his house and wave his hands over him and maybe cite some magical incantation. Instead, Elisha simply sent a servant out to tell Naaman what he needed to do to be cured. Naaman stalked away, furious at Elisha’s social snub.

We learn something about pride in his passage. And about expectations. Naaman was an important man, but only in his own country. Here, he is only a pilgrim. And yet, Naaman needs something; he was the one with the leprosy. Surely he wanted it cured (that was why he had traveled all that way), but when the “cure” didn't match his expectations, he went off in a huff.

How do our expectations and pride get in the way of solutions that are offered to us? When we want to lose weight, we don’t want to hear “eat less and start exercising;” we want a “diet pill.”  And when we are in debt over our heads, we reject the invitation to cut up our credit cards and seek to involve the courts as we seek bankruptcy protection instead.

Sometimes, our prayers are answered with similar simplicity. Let us not complain about the results of our prayers. Instead, let us praise God for having heard us at all.

Being Neighbors

For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."              Galatians 5:14

"Neighbors"  Tew Nai Tong

The whole law? All 613 of the Jewish mitzvot? The Pharisees of the 1st Century were the arbiters of these 613 commandments, and policed their people accordingly. Imagine trying to remember all 613, much less enforce them! Paul points out that there is freedom in Christ, because, in Christ, the law can be boiled down to just one: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Well, that certainly makes things simpler. Or does it?

Loving our neighbors in a contentious election year is tough. Loving our neighbors when they crowd our neighborhoods and schools and judicial system is tough. Loving our neighbors when they do not speak our language or value our cultural norms is tough. 

But life is tough.

And yet, there stands our Lord, whispering, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s the simplest commandment of all, and the most difficult.

Where shall we start?

Unleashing evil

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.      Luke : 31-33

                                               Jesus drives the demons out of the Gerasene


The swine had been snorting and snuffling for food on that same plot of ground for years. They were unclean; un-kosher.  The demons, recognizing the purity and power of Jesus, begged him to let them enter the swine so that they might escape from the presence of God swiftly. So Jesus gave them permission, and literally, all hell broke loose. The swine rushed to the edge of the bank and jumped off the cliff and into the sea below, where they were drowned.

This story calls to light the ferocity and the unpredictable nature of evil. Evil is everywhere, and evil moves quickly, and stealthily, and intentionally seeks to bring mayhem and catastrophe into the world. We saw it in Paris, in Brussels, in New York, and this week we saw it in Orlando.

As children of God, we reject and condemn evil and speak loudly and courageously against it.  As we do, we proclaim boldly that neither powers nor principalities, nor death nor life, nor things present or things to come can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. .

Stand firm. 

Invitations

June 8, 2016

Give ear to my words, O Lord; *
    consider my meditation.

2 Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God, *
    for I make my prayer to you.

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; *
    early in the morning I make my appeal and watch for you.   Psalm 5: 1-3

                                                Crack of Dawn         -Vladimir Kush


The Psalm for Sunday is an invitation to prayer. Some of us may think that God is too busy setting the planets on their courses and preventing planes from dropping out of the sky to be interested in our prayers, but this is simply not true. Each of us, made in the image and likeness of God, are beloved by God. God wants to hear from us! God yearns to be  in conversation with us, and when we initiate the conversation, I imagine God twinkles with delight.

You are God's hands and feet in the world. Without dialogue, we easily stray off the paths that are laid out for us. When we begin and end our days with God, the paths will be made clear, and our hearts restored. The reverse is also true. 

Compassion

As Jesus approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep." Luke 7:12-13

                               "When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her."

It's still new and raw for me, being a widow; yet my being a widow carries very little of the baggage it did for first century women.  No, Jesus did not raise my husband from the dead as he did in Sunday's Gospel, but I can testify to the Lord's compassion. 

In the first few days, a cloud of prayers buoyed me up like one of those hydrofoil catamarans that ply the waters between Seattle and British Columbia. Family arrived. Casseroles arrived. Cards arrived. Bishop Lee showed up do do the funeral. But after the flurry, the evenings got long. The calls tapered off. The cards stopped arriving, Depression sank in, and with it, despair. It was then when Jesus was most present. 

On the precipice of despair, the phone would ring or an invitation to lunch would be extended, or the gentle kiss of a happy memory would float by. But mostly? Mostly Jesus was just there, stoking my hand, lifting the veil of darkness and whispering, "Do not weep; let me show you hope."  And hope is a gentle balm.