Notes 2 WSam. 1

2 Sam. 1 1) What is some wonderful rhetoric that moved you in your lifetime? 2) I don’t trust this as sincere material. I hear a lot of political machination here, as David is setting the stage for greater legitimacy.On the other hand, it is an instance of remarkable literary self-possession to be able to compose a lament that works on so many levels. 3) One could have some fun “discovering” the book of Jashar and reading from it in a sermon, perhaps. 4) David is a eulogist here as well. What lines do you try to draw with eulogies and balance of traits, along with facts? when can and should they stretch the accuracy of a life a bit? 5) We are in the middle of rhetorical power here, “how the mighty ones have fallen.’ Did David hear echoes of his words haunting him as his career progressed? 6) the anointed Saul has no anointing of his shield any longer. 7) as a dirge, it also mentions mourning rituals. What do you appreciate and dislike aobut our current rituals of mourning?

Column on civil political speech

It seems to me that a number of the loudest voices for wanting the Ten Commandments posted seem to be more than happy to violate the command against false witness, at least in politics. Perhaps, they feel that lying is permissible, even expected, in politics. Perhaps, their hatred of the very idea of a President Obama blinds them to accuracy. They are pre-disposed to see things in a negative light and are pleased to believe any negative account of his presidency and want others to share it. I have been influenced by old fashioned political reform movements. They hold to a notion of a world of ideas where accuracy matters. They said that truth was the best disinfectant for political corruption. They believed that if the people were well-informed, then the cream would rise to the top, and truth would triumph. One of my great disappointments in the age of new media is the race to the bottom. We have a wealth of facts at our fingertips, and we do not lift a finger to find them. Instead, the news programs have devolved into shouting talking heads who look for punch lines and labels. The shrillest voices broadcast their venom on the internet and talk radio 24 hours a day. I continue to shake my head at ideas that were out of the popular imagination a generation ago that would cause someone’s sanity to be questioned, are now part of political parlance routinely. I was afraid that this new age would threaten to drown us in a deluge of facts, but instead, facts have been thrown to the back of the media bus in favor of the phrase-making of sophistry, or in current parlance, advertising. Instead of gathering good data, instead of carefully analyzing it, we pass along lies right and left over the communications superhighway. Fund raising letters raise blood pressure as art form, all to get us to contribute, not on the basis of policy, experience, or history, but wild accusation. The Supreme Court opened this Pandora’s Box even wider with its decision to make sure that such speech is well-funded, under the ridiculous notion that “money talks.” Go on that great time vacuum, Facebook, and look a the political bile poured out in almost every posting. Rarely does it contain good information, but every new ways of calling one’s opponent nasty names. This new landscape of information is being constantly hyped, but at what cost are we throwing away literacy skills for propaganda. Art invites us to think, but propaganda tells us what to think and to feel. it cannot brook disagreement, since it is incapable of engaging in rational discourse. Over and over we see the terrible truth of a dictum of propaganda, say the same big lie over and over, and it will be accepted. Propaganda turns data into mere opinion, so it reduces political thought to mere preferences. A generation ago, we feared advertising political campaigns as if they were marketable products like soap. That fear of manipulation was not well-placed, as we seem to be more than willing to accept views that comport with our prejudices without any manipulation or pre-conscious chicanery. Where so many things claim or time, we appear to have given up on the time and work involved in making clear policy decisions. Slogans and labels are so much easier. For those few who claim moralistic grounds for their political misbehavior, I would remind us that slander is still a sin, as an outgrowth of the command against false witness. It is a deeper sin when it undercuts the needs of the public and not the reputation of a single individual. For people who claim to follow the way, the truth, and the life, it is a social crime to so devalue the truth.

Sermon Notes June 24 Mark 4:35-41, I Sam. 17

I love the story of the stilling of the storm. I particularly like the detail in Mark that Jesus speaks along with the healing of the treacherous weather, “peace be still.” In the movie Good Will Hunting, the genius who has become of patient of a widowed teacher and therapist, played by Robin Williams, latches on to a paint by numbers picture of a fisherman struggling through a storm.(It seems to be a combination of different Winslow Homer pictures, the Gulf Stream and Fog Warning and maybe some impressionist work on fisherman).Few things make us feels so powerless as a desperate struggle on the water. The disciples are frightened. Jesus is asleep, like Jonah during the storm. Jesus acts as a classic calm presence in the crisis. It appears that Jesus can sleep through anything, or maybe he had just witnessed an early version of golf. He does not respond to their anxious blaming in kind, but does the work that needs to be done. (Of course, I would think that is easier for Jesus as he can actually do something about the storm).We are in mythic territory here, as God is a god of storm, and ancient gods of ancient Canaan, such as Baal were storm gods as well.In those- Neptune quiets a storm in the Aeneid. My mind almost immediately moves toward the internal storms we all face. It coudl be the sudden storm of a bad diagnosis.It oculd be the daily sailing through a stormy relationship. Sturm und drang the Germans say. about emotive, romantic art that reflects the turbulent inner seas of us all. In the Big Book of AA we read:’as we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves that we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day,”thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions...We do not tire so easily for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.” One of the oldest symbols for the church was a little boat.The waves sometimes seem so big and our boat seem so small, like the fishing vessel in the George Clooney movie, the Perfect Storm. We were already swamped in the waters of baptism.David did not have such an advantage in facing Goliath. He too shows the calmness of Jesus as he selects five smooth stones as the taunts echo in the valley. He seems defenseless as he could not move in the heavy armor offered him. In 12 step programs, detachment is one of the tools.It can take much practice and personal power to learn that, to be able to disentangle one’s mood from circumstance or the attutdes of others. I was not prepared for the welter of emotions that accompanied our daughter's wedding. some I expected: overweening pride in our daughter, a wistful turning of the page as her back turned toward me as she faced her soon to be spouse, I was in an emotional storm surge. We all face storms, internal and external; we all face Goliaths at some point. Ethan is given spiritual weapons to fight the good fight today, as we too have been granted. In baptism, we are all given five smooth stones as warriors in the spiritual realms. the god of all, the god of creation has pledged to be a loyal companion to Ethan, and to us, all of our lives. Deep in the valley of Elah, in a storm, or on the heights, God has pledged eternal loyalty to the cause of kindness.

Devotions Week of June 24

Sunday June 24-P. 9 is one of our selections for today. What strikes me is the concern for the troubled. “the Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed…for the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.” To what extent do you permit this psalm to influence political positions? Monday-I saw the movie Prometheus and was most disappointed in its insipid plotting, even though it was a visual delight at times. A friend told me that I have too high a standard for movies. Part of me thinks that a high standard does doom one to disappointment. On the other hand, when that aspiration is reached, it is a marvel. This is especially significant when a movie addresses a basic question: from where do we come? Tuesday-My appointment with the radiologist was rescheduled for today. It will be routine, but a soupcon of anxiety appears as I made the appointment. Facing a fear often drains some of its power away. My mother feared check-ups as “they will find something if they look for something.” Sometimes fear prevents us from having needed check-ups. What would result from your spiritual check-up this year? Wednesday-I grow uncomfortable with a new excuse I hear for not attending church: uncomfortable. What does comfort level have to do with worshipping god? What does comfort level have to do with keeping the Sabbath holy? Where do we use that as a socially acceptable excuse for any other form of human interaction. let alone divine and human interaction? Thursday-Is God’s forgiveness like a delete action on a computer? When scripture speaks of sins being washed away or blotted out, it may be a good image. Certainly, we hold that punishment of sin is so touched. Still, certainly the ripples of sin radiate outward. Perhaps, a better image is that of healing a wound, only to a relationship. Forgiveness allows a wound to heal to a scar. Forgiveness permits reconciliation. it exists in spite of not being deleted, but forgiveness does not permit the wound to define a relationship. Friday-I never learned to dance a ballroom step, but our daughter had me learn the basic waltz steps for her wedding. Being unrhythmic and self-conscious does not help. Part of life is learning the steps to our own particular dance and finding the freedom to vary the steps a bit when we know the style and steps that suit us best. Practice may not make perfect, but in time, the steps become our own. I don’t think I will ever be comfortable on a dance floor, but in G od’s grace, I do learn some of the steps to a better life. Saturday-Our Presbyterian General Assembly convenes today. Our denomination certainly needs prayer for discernment and wisdom. Still, it is a noteworthy act that pastors and elders gather in equal numbers to help chart a course for the church in the years to come. I love the idea that church assemblies are sings of representative democracy. In the Presbyterian system hierarchy, if it does exist, is temporary. it is a shining example that God’s spirit rests on all of us in due course. That too is god’s choice, not our achievement or even aspiration.

Notes i Sam. 17

I Samuel 1717 1)the valley of elah (oak) was a movie of recent vintage –see 2 Sam. 21:19 for Elhanan as the victor over Goliath. 1) One way to go this familiar story is to link Goliath to the powers and principalities. 2) When in your experience has the small won an unexpected victory. 3) What ways can we regard the 5 smooth stones, as resources at hand that we often pass by? 4) Goliath and David are both champions for their respective sides. who are such champions in our time, in a less martial context? see the movie Troy for champions. 5) Do you have a bit of Goliath and David within you? 6) Notice David runs toward Goliath. what does that tell us about facing fears or challenges sometimes? 7) I love that the armor does not fit. What does that tells us about appropriate gear? 8) some think that the God of hosts (that is a heavenly army) was a most ancient name. 9) What are the goliaths in society, in economics, and in your relationships?

Devotions Week of June 17

Sunday June 17- Ps. 20:3 fits a father’s Day blessing: “may the Lord grant your heart’s desire, and fulfill all of your plans.” Contemporary fathers seem to me to be making up their role on the fly, as the old roles have fallen in respect and as models. That is a tough task. May discernment and clarity become part of the daily outfit of being a father, along with the ties and BBQ aprons that seem to sprout as presents.. Please consider praying for fathers this week. Monday-VBS is this week. I like how we try to engage different aspects of learning to be centered on our biblical themes. I love how we utilize the nature Institute as a setting for considering God as Creator and our responsibilities toward that creation. w eget so much help; it is a real community commitment. Do you have memories of VBS as a child? What impresses you about it at this stage in your life? Tuesday-2 Cor 5:17 was one of the readings on Sunday, “so if anyone is in Christ, new creation is here; everything old has passed away, see everything has become new.” Paul gets so excited the grammar breaks down a bit in this hymn to a new chapter in human life. In baptism, every day holds new spiritual promise. We need not be burdened by the guilt of the past. Where do you crave newness in your life right now? Wednesday- Preparing for my trip last week, I tried to be efficient and load a lot of work into a short space. If you go too far with that, it becomes an enemy and actually decreases effectiveness and efficiency. Jesus does not seem to be in a hurry in the gospel narratives. His time was so short in his ministry, yet, he goes about with supreme attention to the moment at hand. He takes time to pray throughout the narrative flow. Thursday- I go back to the radiation specialist today. I have healed fairly well after the radiation, but am a bit disappointed that I am not all better yet. We want thing sot be instant in general, especially when in pain. One of the reasons I grew a garden when the girls were younger was to show them that some things take time and cannot be rushed. Not only physical healing, but spiritual healing may well be of the same character. Sanctification is a lifelong process. Friday-The days are already now growing shorter, as the solstice has past. Will you look at daylight as more vital, as the days grow shorter? Does it have an impact on your mood, as the sands run out of the hourglass of our own lives? Does less daylight push you toward making more of the light? Consider reflecting on the image of light’s duration in terms of one’s spiritual life. Saturday-We have a memorial service today. Memory is one of our most precious gifts. It comes close to bringing an image back to life. The grief literature has been emphasizing continuing bonds with our loved ones. Some emotional wounds may be closed, but memory helps a relationship persist. We look at pictures and images come storing back into our lives. it is often a bittersweet experience, those memories, but one well worth taking in our own inner journeys.

I Sam 15:34-16:13

I Sam. 15:34-16:13 1) Saul fails to honor the hideous herem of mass destruction and total war. Why would Samuel grieve? After all, he has just hacked Agag to death. We do well to examine and admit the violence in our own Scriptures as well as those of other faiths, such as Islam. At the same time, merely mentioning violence does not condone it, and some criticism of the biblical text may tend in this insipid direction. 2) What does it say about God’s being sorry over the selection of Saul. (recall that we have conflicting views on Saul’s selection in I Sam. 9 Note good excursus on ambivalence toward government at 407 of New Interpreter's bible. ). 3) Apparently God acts from a sense of closure. he wants Samuel to act and stop being paralyzed by his grief over Saul. (Whenever Hebrew narrative repeats something, pay attention.) 4) What do you think of god’s cover story for Samuel? Why are the villagers afraid? 5) The comments on appearance are priceless. As the youngest, David (beloved, but by whom?) continues the theme of reversal of oldest first that flow through the bible. Look at the names of the brothers. How do we judge by appearances, but God judges from the heart? Eliab=God is my father Abinadab-father is noble/generous Shammah=astonishment but could also be related to loss or could be short for God is there as in Ezekiel 6) Israel struggled with being a chosen people. To what degree did David struggle with being a chosen one? 7) was this a private anointing? 8) Eiab=God is my father Abinadab-father is noble/generous Shammah=astonishment but could also be related to loss or could be short for god is there as in Ezekiel