I have rarely preached on this passage for some reason.(Or the sermons were lousy and I repressed the memory) So it is important for me to try to work with it more closely.
1) we start out with one of the few places in the Bible where God speaks of knowing someone fully before their birth. After all, the OT usually seems to me to speak of this bodily existence as it s starting point. I wonder if the nephesh, the throat literally, but more like life force is behind this?
2)I love how call accounts often have some sort of resistance. i have a bit of trouble with folks who are so certain that god has spoken to them directly, or has confirmed their judgment. For me, the static on the line distorts the message.So maybe one could work on a sermon on discernment here, or getting clear on the will of God in our lives a la Ben Campbell Johnson. Alternately, how do you perceive the call of God in life? The signal move of the Reformation was its expanded notion of vocation beyond the clerical orders.
3) The responsive God engages in dialogue, but runs over the lad's objection on youth. is it because god sees it as excuse? God is having him live out his name for surely God is exalting this young man.
4)God also detects fear. Of course we are dealing with the divine therapist.Again, the struggle with fear is grist for the preaching mill and our own spiritual development. In small churhces, I detect a lot of fear as a motive force and obstacle.
5)God ordains Jeremiah in his role. How do we view and enact ordination in a meaningful way now?
6)Pay attention to this verse 10, as it will appear in various forms in this book.Notice with care the tension within it, and we do well to maintain that tnesion when we look at this book.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
sermon notes Jan. 27 Neh. 8, I Cor 12
Now I realize that most of you came in this morning thinking, I haven’t heard about Nehemiah in ages. It fits the new year, as it deals with rebuilding. Our sense of rebuilding here seems ot be a return to the glory days of this church where money flowed in, where we had more than triple our membership, and incidentally when Alton had a thriving business climate. That is a noble goal, but still we should ask what spiritual support, what attitudes and actions do we owe each other?Quite simply, it asks us to invite each other into our lives.
Nehemiah talks about the Christian task of renewing the Scripture every time we open it. When they book is read before the people, they had translators or interpreters there. I think of the house of the interpreter, as I am sure you all did, in Pilgrim’s Progress.Not only do thye need to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they need to rebuild a sense of community. Nehemiah ahs faced obstacle after obstacle in his building project, but he wants to build it into the community structure of Scripture. Here interpretation seems to be a communal process as well.
Nehemiah deals with the difficulties of a restoration, or better a reclamation project.Just as the rebuilding of the temple left many disappointed, the difficult process of rebuilding the walls of jerusalem, to make it a proper city again, brings to mind the slow comeback of New Orleans. When I was younger, habitat for Humanity spent a lot of time rehabbing older buildings but many groups switched over to an easier process of building from scratch.
In our time, I do not know if the rebuilding of a wall is the best image. I am honestly unsure about it. Part of being a community is having boundaries. On the other hand, Scripture indicates that
christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility.Building up the body of Christ.-energy source-exercise-permission-emphasize commonality and respecting differences. I tend to be concerned about spiritual health and disciplines. It is good for me to see the work of the spirit of God as penetrating every part of the church, the body of Christ. Yes, we have this magnificent structure and it costs money.Still, we ask what sort of body of christ does this magnificent church structure shelter? Is it part of a gilded age or is it extra ornamentation for Paul’s vision of the church says no to hierarchy and status concerns. The body of Christ has a sense of a home being more than a house. It has to include a recognition that we are in the same boat, on the same team. It calls for a real sense that we are so connected that the suffering of one, the joys of another, touch us deeply, even so deeply that it has happened to us.
Paul keep putting syn/together to start a series of words in this passage,to mean only together, only with each other.Yes, we are a diverse lot, but we are interconnected. As John Donne would say no one is an island. More than in It’s about a boy where Hugh Grant can assent to being part of an island chain. In our time, the move is ecological, where things fit together in an inter-related fashion.moves away from arrogance and envy and a tightly bound sense of privacy. I’m a private person, I like to mind my own business, and this radical call that everyone in the church is my concern alarms me, even if I weren;t a pastor called to just that spiritual fact. the old saw, a chain is as strong as its weakest link applies here. The strongest are not only bound to the weak but may seek to outdo one another in honoring those folks. (burden) How do we learn to allow ourselves to become part of the community?
Nehemiah talks about the Christian task of renewing the Scripture every time we open it. When they book is read before the people, they had translators or interpreters there. I think of the house of the interpreter, as I am sure you all did, in Pilgrim’s Progress.Not only do thye need to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they need to rebuild a sense of community. Nehemiah ahs faced obstacle after obstacle in his building project, but he wants to build it into the community structure of Scripture. Here interpretation seems to be a communal process as well.
Nehemiah deals with the difficulties of a restoration, or better a reclamation project.Just as the rebuilding of the temple left many disappointed, the difficult process of rebuilding the walls of jerusalem, to make it a proper city again, brings to mind the slow comeback of New Orleans. When I was younger, habitat for Humanity spent a lot of time rehabbing older buildings but many groups switched over to an easier process of building from scratch.
In our time, I do not know if the rebuilding of a wall is the best image. I am honestly unsure about it. Part of being a community is having boundaries. On the other hand, Scripture indicates that
christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility.Building up the body of Christ.-energy source-exercise-permission-emphasize commonality and respecting differences. I tend to be concerned about spiritual health and disciplines. It is good for me to see the work of the spirit of God as penetrating every part of the church, the body of Christ. Yes, we have this magnificent structure and it costs money.Still, we ask what sort of body of christ does this magnificent church structure shelter? Is it part of a gilded age or is it extra ornamentation for Paul’s vision of the church says no to hierarchy and status concerns. The body of Christ has a sense of a home being more than a house. It has to include a recognition that we are in the same boat, on the same team. It calls for a real sense that we are so connected that the suffering of one, the joys of another, touch us deeply, even so deeply that it has happened to us.
Paul keep putting syn/together to start a series of words in this passage,to mean only together, only with each other.Yes, we are a diverse lot, but we are interconnected. As John Donne would say no one is an island. More than in It’s about a boy where Hugh Grant can assent to being part of an island chain. In our time, the move is ecological, where things fit together in an inter-related fashion.moves away from arrogance and envy and a tightly bound sense of privacy. I’m a private person, I like to mind my own business, and this radical call that everyone in the church is my concern alarms me, even if I weren;t a pastor called to just that spiritual fact. the old saw, a chain is as strong as its weakest link applies here. The strongest are not only bound to the weak but may seek to outdo one another in honoring those folks. (burden) How do we learn to allow ourselves to become part of the community?
Week of Jan. 27 devotions
January 27 Ps. 19 does an interesting split between creation and the teachings of the Bible. they are joined as God is a god of order. I wish to emphasize the first part today. We live in an age of miracles.Often we say we see the hand of God in something pretty in nature. Take a moment to look at a picture of a galaxy. Take a moment to examine something of biological complexity. Take a look at the microscopic level. the consider that selfsame God love you by name.
Monday-I have heard a lot lately about people wanting to hear more about the “harsher” side of God.they actually sneer at the Scriptural description of God is love. They see power as the ultimate value, and so they wish to emphasize passages and events that proclaim that power. I understand the impulse, but fear that it projects our view of power too much on the divine.
Tuesday-”To see a world in a grain of sand/or heaven in a wild flower/Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/or eternity in an hour” (William Blake Auguries of Innocence) I have always loved these words, and they get at some of the mystic’s view of the world.Mystic see connections. Mystics can use the ordinary to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary. Where does the everyday give you an intimation of the divine?
Wednesday-Evaluations alarm us. It is as if we are afraid that the world ill be let in on the secret of our incompetence. We tend to hear the word as relentlessly critical and rarely complimentary. Iv e noticed how difficult it is to get people to agree on the basis for an evaluation. It seems to be open season on being not only critical but judgmental. I’m struggling with this, as I am being evaluated by our session at the same time I am evaluating a candidate for ministry under special circumstances.
Thursday-We’ve looked at I Cor. 12 lately and one insightful woman noted its emphasis on variety as an asset. So often, we look for uniformity as our security blanket. Variety may show us a better way, some lack we may now notice. As Justice Jackson said, “compulsory unification of opinion brings only the uniformity of the grave.” Where do you find diversity to be a threat? Where do you find it to add depth, richness, and novelty to your life?
Friday- My thoughts keep coming back to kindness lately. I think of the line from Hamlet: ”I must be cruel, only to be kind”, and it was adapted to a Nick Lowe song, “you’ve got to be cruel to be kind.” Perhaps it opens the door to what we call tough love. I just a good collection of stories by Pete hamill and he was put on a bus by a cop when he was hitchhiking the turnpike. The driver waved off the money; he says: “ I have always recalled the kindness.” What kindness have you received from a stranger? What have you offered?
Saturday is Candlemas in some Christian communities. since Christ is the light of the world, it emphasizes the use and blessing of candles. In some areas, someone who discovers a gift in the Epiphany King’s cake makes food for folks on this day. why do candles promote a spiritual sense, do you think? Do you have a person, a memory, an object that operates as a candle in the dark for you?
Monday-I have heard a lot lately about people wanting to hear more about the “harsher” side of God.they actually sneer at the Scriptural description of God is love. They see power as the ultimate value, and so they wish to emphasize passages and events that proclaim that power. I understand the impulse, but fear that it projects our view of power too much on the divine.
Tuesday-”To see a world in a grain of sand/or heaven in a wild flower/Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/or eternity in an hour” (William Blake Auguries of Innocence) I have always loved these words, and they get at some of the mystic’s view of the world.Mystic see connections. Mystics can use the ordinary to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary. Where does the everyday give you an intimation of the divine?
Wednesday-Evaluations alarm us. It is as if we are afraid that the world ill be let in on the secret of our incompetence. We tend to hear the word as relentlessly critical and rarely complimentary. Iv e noticed how difficult it is to get people to agree on the basis for an evaluation. It seems to be open season on being not only critical but judgmental. I’m struggling with this, as I am being evaluated by our session at the same time I am evaluating a candidate for ministry under special circumstances.
Thursday-We’ve looked at I Cor. 12 lately and one insightful woman noted its emphasis on variety as an asset. So often, we look for uniformity as our security blanket. Variety may show us a better way, some lack we may now notice. As Justice Jackson said, “compulsory unification of opinion brings only the uniformity of the grave.” Where do you find diversity to be a threat? Where do you find it to add depth, richness, and novelty to your life?
Friday- My thoughts keep coming back to kindness lately. I think of the line from Hamlet: ”I must be cruel, only to be kind”, and it was adapted to a Nick Lowe song, “you’ve got to be cruel to be kind.” Perhaps it opens the door to what we call tough love. I just a good collection of stories by Pete hamill and he was put on a bus by a cop when he was hitchhiking the turnpike. The driver waved off the money; he says: “ I have always recalled the kindness.” What kindness have you received from a stranger? What have you offered?
Saturday is Candlemas in some Christian communities. since Christ is the light of the world, it emphasizes the use and blessing of candles. In some areas, someone who discovers a gift in the Epiphany King’s cake makes food for folks on this day. why do candles promote a spiritual sense, do you think? Do you have a person, a memory, an object that operates as a candle in the dark for you?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thoughts on the 2nd Inaugural 1/25 column
Today, I was scheduled to help lead a study of a group of
men who have committed to a serious study of Scripture every Friday morning at
7AM. The psalms contain sacred history, a way of handing down important themes
and committing them to the memories of succeeding generations. Part of
community is the maintenance of shared values and vision.
In his second inaugural address, President Obama gave us a
version of civil history. He recovered the truth that governing can mix the
prose of policy with the poetry of rhetoric. He tried to steer a course between
ardent American individualism and our impulse toward community, mutual aid and
understanding. Whether you agree with his policies or not, I would think that
an objective observer would find it a compelling presentation. He wove important documents into a narrative
of our present and the arc of our common future. He took important historical
events to try to weave their pattern into our time and cast a vision of a
future.
The Russian literary theorist Bakhtin taught us that no text
is an island. All material swims in a sea of words and connections. Sometimes
we quote them directly. Other times, we hear their echoes distinctly. This
speech is a great example. It quotes directly from the Declaration of Independence
and quotes the first words of the preamble to the constitution, We the People
to serve as anchor and refrain for it.
We hear echoes of the great Lincoln Second inaugural with
its reminder of the lash of slavery that Lincoln
wondered was the very cause of the immense suffering of the civil War itself.
The emphasis on a security foundation for our citizens takes a cue from the
second inaugural of FDR.
He picked up the banner of equality as it has become
embodied in important social movements with the brilliantly alliterative Seneca
Falls (women’s rights: 1848), Selma
(the Civil right struggle of the 1960s), and Stonewall, ( the uprising of gay Americans in 1969). He
captured the sense of a march through history, and we bear its legacy.
The president and his writers grasp that traditionalism is
fealty to the dead hand of the past, but tradition is a living faith in the
principles of the past. Notice how they sought to finesse the generation gap by
“caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the
generation that will build its future.” So the see the need for us to honor our
tradition as a pole star but adapting methods and policies as required under
new and different circumstances.
I was impressed by his insistence that progress can be made,
but that we need to realize that it may not have 100 per cent approval. He
carries the notion that ideological purity cannot stand in the face of human
limitations. Still, imperfect, partial victories are what we can achieve. His
vision imagines responsive, adaptive,
active government. As any human institution, it will be flawed but it can have
achievements.
I caught at least three references to God. First he sees the
inalienable rights of the Declaration as gifts from god. Second, he uses the
image of god from gen. 1 as the basis for seeking global human rights and
dignity. Third, he again uses Gen. 1 to emphasize that we are called to care
for, to serve the well-being of this planet. He demonstrates that climate
change shows the futility of our thinking we can conquer or even subdue nature,
but we certainly have an impact on it. Just as he sees our lives are
inter-related, just as goals such as peace are inextricably bound to other
goods, such as justice, he see the natural order as an interdependent nexus of
relationships that ripple out in unexpected and unforeseen ways. In that sense,
the speech hangs together through its rich evocation of mutuality.
Monday, January 21, 2013
OT Notes. Nehemiah 8 for Jan. 27
When the book is read, I am not sure is thy have translators or interpreters. Anyway, the words needed to be heard and understood. I think of the House of Interpreter in the Pilgrim's Progress.
1)Note how long he read. What does it say that we get complaints about 3 readings and a psalm.
2)The people want to hear the word-it was one of the things that held them together as a people.
3) v) 6 certainly has a number of liturgical words and actions.
4) this was read in the early fall, the time for the festival of booth/tabernacles/dwellings.We are around the new year and soon the water ritual could have peen practiced in the pool of Siloam and soon Simchat torah would be celebrated. One of the Chaim Potok books, probably the firs tone about the artist as a young man has a great evocation of this celebration.
5) How could we develop a thirst for Holy Writ, or is it pure gift? Can we at least develop open minds and hearts toward it?
6_ The ending can be read in different ways-look at the working preacher piece by Patricia Tull. At any rate, it seems our worship[ either tries to force joy or more easily falls in a lamenting form, if not in words, in feel.
In a way, it could be a good blessing for people on the way to a graveside to a mercy lunch.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Sermon Notes january 20 is. 62:1-5, Jn. 2:1-11
January 20-John 2:1-11, Is. 62:1-5
Marriage and transformation are themes in today’s readings.In older translations, Beulah was left as a proper name, but we translate it as did the old Puritans, and it means married. or bride. Beulah land, in song was a Promised Land, a utopia, Marriage Land. Now I am not prepared to called mariage land a utopia, but I do love its reality and its promise. To get at the depth of the relationship of god and Israel, the image of marriage was used, and the pain of betrayal was therefore linked to adultery. Jesus too used bridegroom imagery and revelation speaks of the church as a bride. Celebration is bound up with the very image.
As I was working on this, we were getting ready for a wedding here, with all of the usual last minute checks to try to allay the jitters. At the wedding of Cana the wedding planner miscalculated, or they had awfully thirsty guests, and they run out of wine . As mothers will do, Mary asks Jesus to do something about it. His reply could either mean, it is none of our business, or get off my back. then like many sons, Jesus has said , no, but then proceeds to do as mother has requested. Jesus creates another 120-180 more gallons of wine for the feast, good stuff, as well. I hear a bit of an echo from passages where in Amos the wine will drip down the mountainsides like water, an image of transformation, celebration and abundance. I am not sure if I discern an echo of Communion here, but some do, and I will not accept the point, at least for this morning.
Not long ago, I used some popular song lyrics of some years back at a wedding.One that comes to mind is Marc Cohn’s True Companion.(need lyric sheet) .He also has a song, saving the best for last. No one gets married with the intention of betrayal or looking toward unforgiven hurts and disappointments. I’ve mentioned before that I admire the careful work of John Gottman in analyzing tapes of couples. usually we put his work in negative terms, but let’s turn them in the light a bit this morning. The fundamental martial virtue is respect for the other. the fundamental church virtue is respect as well. We get caught in old habits. You know that people are being accepted as part of a church when they are being treated as we treat family. the problem is of course that we treat them like family.
Sometimes, i wish that we could work more successfully of adding more notes of celebration in Communion services. Part of me craves for them to feel like wedding receptions. Have you noticed how people drink as if they are in a desert and eat as if they were on some arduous diet at wedding receptions? I know we cannot force a desire or feeling, but what if we craved the sacrament in just a hint of our craving for the hors d'oeuvres before the wedding feast? Look at people’s face fall when they realize their table isn’t next at the buffet line, and wonder why we don’t react that way in getting the communion elements. In communion we hear in the ritual God saying I delight in you. Don’t be desolate. Don;t feel forsaken, for I am with you always even to the close of the age.
Rilke called marriage a place where two solitudes meet and greet and kiss one another. At its best, marriage opens up a safe place to be ourselves and to be accepted, respected, and loved. In that light, it opens up a model of church life in a visionary framework. when slaves and freed slaves learned this passagem, they transformed it into Beulah land, sometimes heaven but also the heaven on earth that they saw as a time of freedom and a better life. (Hear the words of a spiritual,, Beulah land).
Marriage and transformation are themes in today’s readings.In older translations, Beulah was left as a proper name, but we translate it as did the old Puritans, and it means married. or bride. Beulah land, in song was a Promised Land, a utopia, Marriage Land. Now I am not prepared to called mariage land a utopia, but I do love its reality and its promise. To get at the depth of the relationship of god and Israel, the image of marriage was used, and the pain of betrayal was therefore linked to adultery. Jesus too used bridegroom imagery and revelation speaks of the church as a bride. Celebration is bound up with the very image.
As I was working on this, we were getting ready for a wedding here, with all of the usual last minute checks to try to allay the jitters. At the wedding of Cana the wedding planner miscalculated, or they had awfully thirsty guests, and they run out of wine . As mothers will do, Mary asks Jesus to do something about it. His reply could either mean, it is none of our business, or get off my back. then like many sons, Jesus has said , no, but then proceeds to do as mother has requested. Jesus creates another 120-180 more gallons of wine for the feast, good stuff, as well. I hear a bit of an echo from passages where in Amos the wine will drip down the mountainsides like water, an image of transformation, celebration and abundance. I am not sure if I discern an echo of Communion here, but some do, and I will not accept the point, at least for this morning.
Not long ago, I used some popular song lyrics of some years back at a wedding.One that comes to mind is Marc Cohn’s True Companion.(need lyric sheet) .He also has a song, saving the best for last. No one gets married with the intention of betrayal or looking toward unforgiven hurts and disappointments. I’ve mentioned before that I admire the careful work of John Gottman in analyzing tapes of couples. usually we put his work in negative terms, but let’s turn them in the light a bit this morning. The fundamental martial virtue is respect for the other. the fundamental church virtue is respect as well. We get caught in old habits. You know that people are being accepted as part of a church when they are being treated as we treat family. the problem is of course that we treat them like family.
Sometimes, i wish that we could work more successfully of adding more notes of celebration in Communion services. Part of me craves for them to feel like wedding receptions. Have you noticed how people drink as if they are in a desert and eat as if they were on some arduous diet at wedding receptions? I know we cannot force a desire or feeling, but what if we craved the sacrament in just a hint of our craving for the hors d'oeuvres before the wedding feast? Look at people’s face fall when they realize their table isn’t next at the buffet line, and wonder why we don’t react that way in getting the communion elements. In communion we hear in the ritual God saying I delight in you. Don’t be desolate. Don;t feel forsaken, for I am with you always even to the close of the age.
Rilke called marriage a place where two solitudes meet and greet and kiss one another. At its best, marriage opens up a safe place to be ourselves and to be accepted, respected, and loved. In that light, it opens up a model of church life in a visionary framework. when slaves and freed slaves learned this passagem, they transformed it into Beulah land, sometimes heaven but also the heaven on earth that they saw as a time of freedom and a better life. (Hear the words of a spiritual,, Beulah land).
January 20 Week Devotions
Sunday January 20 Ps. 36:5-10- is an extraordinary collection of images. the Wiseman bible class is just working on images in the Psalms. First just drink in this set of images. Pay particular attention to the ones in verses 7 and 8. Do you ever feel so moved in your spiritual life? Second, consider rewriting them with images that reflect the text but fit our contemporary situation more fully.
Monday-we celebrate today as Martin Luther King Day. I do realize that many bigots continue to resent this day. Today I wish to emphasize his religious faith as the impetus and core of his actions. Few grasped the essential prophetic message as justice in this world as fully as he. Few were as fervent in their prayer life for peace and for the inner strength to keep going. Recall that he died at 39.
Tuesday We are in the middle of a week of prayer for Christian unity.This is always problematic for me. Part of me sees us as so connected on essentials that I mourn all of hte effor tan dmoney that goes into so many church structures.On the other hand, all of these different churches can be seen as the flowering of diversity. I don;t see that many chruches claiming themselves as the sole vehicle for salvation any longer.
Wednesday-I just read a Facebook post by someone bragging about their spiritual humility. It reminds me of the Amish taking pride in their plain traditional clothes.It is a neglected virtuie, and it is difficult for ameruicans, as it seems to argue against ambition. I see it as being grounded, as the realization that we are all human beings and not gods. Humility is not equivalent to humiliation. Instead of abasement, it is a declaration of the equality of all being in the same boat.
Thursday-My new Theology Today has an editorial where it maintains that we need to be much more flexible about human forgiveness than we often are, as unattainable requirement. “Forgiveness can take place in many different ways and on a variety of timetables. Christians need ot be extended grace, not judgment, they are unable to forgive.” What does forgiveness mean to you? When have you been able or unable ot forgive?
Friday-I found the new Stassen book on a “thicker” view of Christ and the faith.He offers many examples of the reformed tradition’s insistence that god governs heaven and earth, all of life, not merely its “spiritual” dimension. He points out that those who are able to resist evil follow that precept. further, they are able to see other people as brothers and sisters in Christ and even seek the Christ within others.
Saturday-My new copy of Interpretation has the theme of embodiment. Kim (p.29) reminds us that the body of Christ is a “christic” body, as a way of life, even at risk of being broken for others. In other words, it calls for embodied prayer, embodied faith that works from the standpoint of belief but is not frozen there. We overemphasize the members/individual elements of the image, and I fear that we lose its corporate aspect of being held together
Monday-we celebrate today as Martin Luther King Day. I do realize that many bigots continue to resent this day. Today I wish to emphasize his religious faith as the impetus and core of his actions. Few grasped the essential prophetic message as justice in this world as fully as he. Few were as fervent in their prayer life for peace and for the inner strength to keep going. Recall that he died at 39.
Tuesday We are in the middle of a week of prayer for Christian unity.This is always problematic for me. Part of me sees us as so connected on essentials that I mourn all of hte effor tan dmoney that goes into so many church structures.On the other hand, all of these different churches can be seen as the flowering of diversity. I don;t see that many chruches claiming themselves as the sole vehicle for salvation any longer.
Wednesday-I just read a Facebook post by someone bragging about their spiritual humility. It reminds me of the Amish taking pride in their plain traditional clothes.It is a neglected virtuie, and it is difficult for ameruicans, as it seems to argue against ambition. I see it as being grounded, as the realization that we are all human beings and not gods. Humility is not equivalent to humiliation. Instead of abasement, it is a declaration of the equality of all being in the same boat.
Thursday-My new Theology Today has an editorial where it maintains that we need to be much more flexible about human forgiveness than we often are, as unattainable requirement. “Forgiveness can take place in many different ways and on a variety of timetables. Christians need ot be extended grace, not judgment, they are unable to forgive.” What does forgiveness mean to you? When have you been able or unable ot forgive?
Friday-I found the new Stassen book on a “thicker” view of Christ and the faith.He offers many examples of the reformed tradition’s insistence that god governs heaven and earth, all of life, not merely its “spiritual” dimension. He points out that those who are able to resist evil follow that precept. further, they are able to see other people as brothers and sisters in Christ and even seek the Christ within others.
Saturday-My new copy of Interpretation has the theme of embodiment. Kim (p.29) reminds us that the body of Christ is a “christic” body, as a way of life, even at risk of being broken for others. In other words, it calls for embodied prayer, embodied faith that works from the standpoint of belief but is not frozen there. We overemphasize the members/individual elements of the image, and I fear that we lose its corporate aspect of being held together
ON MLK 2013
When we think of the intersection of religion and politics, the right wing dominates. Indeed, the lunatic fringe that captures centrist attention often claims religious supports. Certainly, some remnants of religious left remain, but they are irrelevant as they command few in the churches. Martin Luther King was always a member of the clergy as his foreshortened life involved political life.
When I was a boy, I found King hard to grasp, but I did sense he was preaching more than speaking. King’s political life was animated by a faith tradition.How did he not burn out in his exhausting schedule? Prayer was his indispensable stronghold. Prayer helped him face his fear. Prayer helped him discern the path to take when uncertain. Prayer gave him energy beyond his exhausted heart and body to travel more miles, to give one more address, to face one more injustice, to march in the face of police baton and snarling dogs. Prayer helped lead him to realizations such as this: “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.” Look at the empathy for the enemy he was able to develop in that passage. Look at how he was able to avoid arrogant self-righteous qualities that people find so distressing in the religiously inclined. Notice how forgiveness does not come from being above someone but recognizing our common failings.
His goals were explicitly drawn form the prophetic tradition. He was keenly aware that God is the god of all life, everywhere, in every situation. The impartial god is a God of justice. the Creator God loves the fruit of divine labor. Not only was Amos 5:24 a clarion call to the future and its direction, ot was a call to enact justice, as best we can, even though we will always fall a bit short.
Scripture’s living voice moved him to the future. He could incorporate that which we think impossible on our own. “Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies. “(from "Loving Your Enemies")” This goes beyond “heart religion and feelings” but to the core of our being and activity. Instead of being romantic about us getting along, he fully admits we have enemies. He realizes that love is not only romantic sentiment, but a real active force that could transform a George Wallace in time. Instead of hectoring in the fashion of so many liberals, King here realizes that constant barrage of criticism only tends to make folks defensive and actually reduces energy for change. He looks to the creative energies toward change as emerging from a different position. he knows it is a pilgrimage, not instant change.
That pilgrimage is slow indeed. yet, we have moved a long way. i did not think that I would live to see an African-american president, the redemptive power of King’s program continues to give energy and a vision to a nation. His early death keeps his relative youth in amber, opening us to the best within us all.
When I was a boy, I found King hard to grasp, but I did sense he was preaching more than speaking. King’s political life was animated by a faith tradition.How did he not burn out in his exhausting schedule? Prayer was his indispensable stronghold. Prayer helped him face his fear. Prayer helped him discern the path to take when uncertain. Prayer gave him energy beyond his exhausted heart and body to travel more miles, to give one more address, to face one more injustice, to march in the face of police baton and snarling dogs. Prayer helped lead him to realizations such as this: “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.” Look at the empathy for the enemy he was able to develop in that passage. Look at how he was able to avoid arrogant self-righteous qualities that people find so distressing in the religiously inclined. Notice how forgiveness does not come from being above someone but recognizing our common failings.
His goals were explicitly drawn form the prophetic tradition. He was keenly aware that God is the god of all life, everywhere, in every situation. The impartial god is a God of justice. the Creator God loves the fruit of divine labor. Not only was Amos 5:24 a clarion call to the future and its direction, ot was a call to enact justice, as best we can, even though we will always fall a bit short.
Scripture’s living voice moved him to the future. He could incorporate that which we think impossible on our own. “Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies. “(from "Loving Your Enemies")” This goes beyond “heart religion and feelings” but to the core of our being and activity. Instead of being romantic about us getting along, he fully admits we have enemies. He realizes that love is not only romantic sentiment, but a real active force that could transform a George Wallace in time. Instead of hectoring in the fashion of so many liberals, King here realizes that constant barrage of criticism only tends to make folks defensive and actually reduces energy for change. He looks to the creative energies toward change as emerging from a different position. he knows it is a pilgrimage, not instant change.
That pilgrimage is slow indeed. yet, we have moved a long way. i did not think that I would live to see an African-american president, the redemptive power of King’s program continues to give energy and a vision to a nation. His early death keeps his relative youth in amber, opening us to the best within us all.
Monday, January 14, 2013
OT notes Is. 62:1-5
remember when Neil Young sang: old enough now to change your name/when so many love you, is it the same?" It reminds me of this passage. Look at Paul Hanson' evocative description of the setting in his Interpretation commentary on Is. 40-66.
I don't know how helpful the division between 2nd and third Isaiah is any longer. I find it more fruitful to look at the dense interplay of images that he then employs throughout and then maybe chart different emphases.
1) I sometimes attend a bible study where one of the leaders repeatedly argues for a "deist" god who doesn't do much with us. The first verse stands against that notion, of a God who will not rest until Israel's light will shine again.
2) With all of the jokes about marriage, it is difficult for us to grasp that for a land to be B eulah, married, as an aspiration. Look at it as the antithesis of the notion of being desolate and forsaken and it being married to the phrase, my delight in in her. Look at the new name for the entire people.
3) If times are not what they are hoped to be, the marriage metaphor becomes even more powerful. some people stress how much work marriage is, but maybe care is the better word.I think one could use this text to speak of early or late marriage. One could also use it as a powerful image to get at the notion of covenant that has become timeworn.
4) Why is the new name issue so important?
5) Are you willing to employ this image in baptism?
I don't know how helpful the division between 2nd and third Isaiah is any longer. I find it more fruitful to look at the dense interplay of images that he then employs throughout and then maybe chart different emphases.
1) I sometimes attend a bible study where one of the leaders repeatedly argues for a "deist" god who doesn't do much with us. The first verse stands against that notion, of a God who will not rest until Israel's light will shine again.
2) With all of the jokes about marriage, it is difficult for us to grasp that for a land to be B eulah, married, as an aspiration. Look at it as the antithesis of the notion of being desolate and forsaken and it being married to the phrase, my delight in in her. Look at the new name for the entire people.
3) If times are not what they are hoped to be, the marriage metaphor becomes even more powerful. some people stress how much work marriage is, but maybe care is the better word.I think one could use this text to speak of early or late marriage. One could also use it as a powerful image to get at the notion of covenant that has become timeworn.
4) Why is the new name issue so important?
5) Are you willing to employ this image in baptism?
Sunday, January 13, 2013
sermon notes January 13 Is. 4:1-7, Acts 8:14-17
I find it difficult to examine the baptism of Jesus year after year, but I can speak about how we are connected to Christ in our baptism. it is appropriate to speak about the beginning of our christian life as we mark the beginning of another new year, I hope. we speak of turning a new leaf for the new year. We may do some cleaning out, as I try to dispose of some books I have not consulted for a long while.
Our reading from Acts introduces us to the pushing of boundaries of Christian baptism. We find some of the issues in baptism being worked out as well. To what degree would baptism and the gifts of the Spirit connected, especially apparently charismatic ones? Baptism was no mere ritual, but a coming of age moment, a transition. Stores have January white sales, if I recall correctly.Baptismal robes are white to demonstrate a new found purity, or better yet, the chance to bleach our moral covering over and over again.Paul will make this more explicit than anyone when he sees baptism as a ritual death to the old and a celebration of the new birth of resurrection. for the baptized the past can be dead and buried, to give plenty of room for the new self to embrace fully this good life.We are not far along in January where we recall that Jesus was circumcised at 8 days old. following Col. 2, our tradition emphasizes the spiritual reality of baptism marking us as surely as circumcision for all Christians, women and men, young and old, across the board. So often we harbor grudges. Today I would like to notice how we also harbor painful memories of shame and guilt. We hold on to them quite tightly and damage our sense of self in the process. An old country song asked if God can forgive me then why can;t you. If God can turn the page on the past, why can’t we?
Is 43 is a favorite passage for many people. I like the intimate care here of god for a people and its members. Not only does god create, but like a master craftsman formed us. think of an artist in the studio. It promises the presence of God when we face troubles of many sorts. I just noticed that the creation aspect of us being formed and made is repeated. for Christians it is repeated in baptism, we are reformed, remade to once again start to claim for ourselves being made in the image and likeness of God and for us to start ot get through our thick hides that the same goes for others. Look at how Emmanuel, God with us, pervades this passage, wherever we go, we can find God right there alongside of us.there with us through the new waters of birth,God is with us in all of the threatening floods and all of the welcome draughts of refreshment.Do not fear, we hear again, just as the angels said at Bethlehem. God says I have called you by name. this is the Holy One we worship, the inexpressible one, but one who stoops to have a personal relationship with us.
Too often, we beat ourselves up over failures and failings, real or imagined. After a while we are subjected to so much judgment, so much criticism, that we internalize it and the person in the mirror does not match up with what we glimpse inside. God created us, formed us, labored over us. At least in worship this morning, allow yourself, to imagine, in the eyes of God, that god has pronounced us here, a masterpiece.
Our reading from Acts introduces us to the pushing of boundaries of Christian baptism. We find some of the issues in baptism being worked out as well. To what degree would baptism and the gifts of the Spirit connected, especially apparently charismatic ones? Baptism was no mere ritual, but a coming of age moment, a transition. Stores have January white sales, if I recall correctly.Baptismal robes are white to demonstrate a new found purity, or better yet, the chance to bleach our moral covering over and over again.Paul will make this more explicit than anyone when he sees baptism as a ritual death to the old and a celebration of the new birth of resurrection. for the baptized the past can be dead and buried, to give plenty of room for the new self to embrace fully this good life.We are not far along in January where we recall that Jesus was circumcised at 8 days old. following Col. 2, our tradition emphasizes the spiritual reality of baptism marking us as surely as circumcision for all Christians, women and men, young and old, across the board. So often we harbor grudges. Today I would like to notice how we also harbor painful memories of shame and guilt. We hold on to them quite tightly and damage our sense of self in the process. An old country song asked if God can forgive me then why can;t you. If God can turn the page on the past, why can’t we?
Is 43 is a favorite passage for many people. I like the intimate care here of god for a people and its members. Not only does god create, but like a master craftsman formed us. think of an artist in the studio. It promises the presence of God when we face troubles of many sorts. I just noticed that the creation aspect of us being formed and made is repeated. for Christians it is repeated in baptism, we are reformed, remade to once again start to claim for ourselves being made in the image and likeness of God and for us to start ot get through our thick hides that the same goes for others. Look at how Emmanuel, God with us, pervades this passage, wherever we go, we can find God right there alongside of us.there with us through the new waters of birth,God is with us in all of the threatening floods and all of the welcome draughts of refreshment.Do not fear, we hear again, just as the angels said at Bethlehem. God says I have called you by name. this is the Holy One we worship, the inexpressible one, but one who stoops to have a personal relationship with us.
Too often, we beat ourselves up over failures and failings, real or imagined. After a while we are subjected to so much judgment, so much criticism, that we internalize it and the person in the mirror does not match up with what we glimpse inside. God created us, formed us, labored over us. At least in worship this morning, allow yourself, to imagine, in the eyes of God, that god has pronounced us here, a masterpiece.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Jan, 13 Week Devotions
3-Ps,29 is likely influenced by the prayers of Canaan’s religion, as reflected in material at Ras Shamra. It has a primitive sound, does it not, all of the power of god roaring through nature. After all of that power, at the end, the blessing is for shalom:peace, health, well-being, security.where do you notice the power of God? where would you like to see the peace of God made manifest?
Monday-I was utterly bored at a meeting recently.I do not do well with that. I can read a book while waiting, but it is rude, even for me, to pull out a book during a meeting. So, I started writing out notes about these devotions, my next column, and some class notes.What do you do to combat boredom in an uncomfortable situation/ how do you combat boredom in your spiritual life?
Tuesday-I picked up a new book by Stassen on a “thick” description of Jesus in our time.What he means is meeting jesus in the full context and history of our communities.Jesus cannot be cheapened by merely being a slogan or a bumpersticker. the fullness of his life and teaching must be integrated into our time, our condition, our place. this is not easy; it takes reflection and work within Christian community.
Wednesday Our Book of Order does a good job outlining the work of deacons in a church.At leas tin the previous incarnation it says” the office is one of “sympathy, witness and service aft er the examle of Jesus Chrsit.” Among the qualities desired are “brotherly and sisterly love, warm sympathies, and sound judgment....to minister to any in distress within and beyond the community of faith.” It requires humility and an unwillingness to try to impose christian answers to a secualr society, but it does ask hwo we can move together.
Thursday- We spent a good deal of time working out a form for a worship grant.A number of exemplary quotes were in the materials including:”Witlvliet’s “Worship can serve as the source and summit from which all the practices of the Christian life flow. Worship both reflects and shapes the life of the church.” or Thomas Long: “the words of worship are like stones thrown into the pond; they ripple outward in countless concentric circles,, finding ever fresh expression in new places...worship as a soundtrack for the rest of life...playing in the background.”
Friday-I was recently invited to consider how the Psalms speak to us as we grow older.First, I think of Ps. 71 that directly speaks of growing older and looking back through a long life. More than that, one could read a psalm and apply directly to our current situation. another opportunity would be to take a psalm, say #13 and rewrite it in language comfortable for you that fits your circumstances right now. they are our prayerbook, and we do well to employ it regularly.
Saturday- A program on “living faithfully in trying times” is being offered in our area soon. It draws from recent work by Philip Carey.Carey wonders that the dominant american christian view is so self-centered that it misses important elements of the faith. Orthodox Christianity seeks god’s voice and will through engaging Scripture, more than “listening for God in one’s heart.” In other words, to deal ith the anxiety of an over-scrupulous piety, he urges us to keep a focus on Christ.
Monday-I was utterly bored at a meeting recently.I do not do well with that. I can read a book while waiting, but it is rude, even for me, to pull out a book during a meeting. So, I started writing out notes about these devotions, my next column, and some class notes.What do you do to combat boredom in an uncomfortable situation/ how do you combat boredom in your spiritual life?
Tuesday-I picked up a new book by Stassen on a “thick” description of Jesus in our time.What he means is meeting jesus in the full context and history of our communities.Jesus cannot be cheapened by merely being a slogan or a bumpersticker. the fullness of his life and teaching must be integrated into our time, our condition, our place. this is not easy; it takes reflection and work within Christian community.
Wednesday Our Book of Order does a good job outlining the work of deacons in a church.At leas tin the previous incarnation it says” the office is one of “sympathy, witness and service aft er the examle of Jesus Chrsit.” Among the qualities desired are “brotherly and sisterly love, warm sympathies, and sound judgment....to minister to any in distress within and beyond the community of faith.” It requires humility and an unwillingness to try to impose christian answers to a secualr society, but it does ask hwo we can move together.
Thursday- We spent a good deal of time working out a form for a worship grant.A number of exemplary quotes were in the materials including:”Witlvliet’s “Worship can serve as the source and summit from which all the practices of the Christian life flow. Worship both reflects and shapes the life of the church.” or Thomas Long: “the words of worship are like stones thrown into the pond; they ripple outward in countless concentric circles,, finding ever fresh expression in new places...worship as a soundtrack for the rest of life...playing in the background.”
Friday-I was recently invited to consider how the Psalms speak to us as we grow older.First, I think of Ps. 71 that directly speaks of growing older and looking back through a long life. More than that, one could read a psalm and apply directly to our current situation. another opportunity would be to take a psalm, say #13 and rewrite it in language comfortable for you that fits your circumstances right now. they are our prayerbook, and we do well to employ it regularly.
Saturday- A program on “living faithfully in trying times” is being offered in our area soon. It draws from recent work by Philip Carey.Carey wonders that the dominant american christian view is so self-centered that it misses important elements of the faith. Orthodox Christianity seeks god’s voice and will through engaging Scripture, more than “listening for God in one’s heart.” In other words, to deal ith the anxiety of an over-scrupulous piety, he urges us to keep a focus on Christ.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Is. 43:1-7
I've noticed a lot of ministers love, love this passage.
1) It's directed at Israel, but I do not see the harm in reading it personally as well.
2)Note well that we get both create and form together here. Is. uses creation motifs more than most.Look at how v. 7 frames the passage then.
3)Do not fear, the biblical motto, is always good to consider.
4) Calling by name is personal, not abstract knowledge.
5) Are the waters mythic? Is it an allusion to the Red Sea?
6) We can go on for a while about walking through fires.
7)Is. also likes to call god the Holy One.
8)We get a good sense here of redemption being related to being p[aid for in the sense of ransom or purchase.
9) v. 4-5 is a fundamental assertion of how g views us. it stands in stark contrast to how we often pciture god consciously or unconsciously.
10 Gathering is an image suitable for exile. How does it work now? for whom would it work?
1) It's directed at Israel, but I do not see the harm in reading it personally as well.
2)Note well that we get both create and form together here. Is. uses creation motifs more than most.Look at how v. 7 frames the passage then.
3)Do not fear, the biblical motto, is always good to consider.
4) Calling by name is personal, not abstract knowledge.
5) Are the waters mythic? Is it an allusion to the Red Sea?
6) We can go on for a while about walking through fires.
7)Is. also likes to call god the Holy One.
8)We get a good sense here of redemption being related to being p[aid for in the sense of ransom or purchase.
9) v. 4-5 is a fundamental assertion of how g views us. it stands in stark contrast to how we often pciture god consciously or unconsciously.
10 Gathering is an image suitable for exile. How does it work now? for whom would it work?
Jan 4 column
As all are breathlessly aware, January 6th marks
the end of the church’s Christmas season. The 12 days of Christmas end on
Epiphany, and it is a Sunday this year. When our girls were little, they loved
the name, as they pronounced it as epee-fanny, and the thought of a church word
being connected to something rude set them to giggling.
It is an ancient Greek word, literally to shine around. Our
word, fantasy is linked to it. Its
religious sense is that the light of the child Jesus extended to visitors from Israel itself.
it presaged the opening of a globe to the gospel message.
In ordinary parlance, we speak of an epiphany as a light
bulb moment. We have a light suddenly shine on an issue, and we see it more
clearly. It feels as if a flash of insight has occurred, or a moment when the
pieces suddenly click into place and a solution is discovered.
An epiphany can be unsettling. In a relationship, you catch
sight of just a look from your partner and you know, deep inside, that
dissolution is approaching, no matter what you do. We enter therapy in the hope
that the therapist can catch sight of some crucial incident that explains much
of our personal travails. You sit in church and realize that you do not belong
there anymore.
We crave an epiphany for something good and momentous.
“Could it be? she does love me.” Some folks have the thrilling sense of a
vocation, a calling, in their work life. the great paleontologist Stephen Gould
knew that he would study dinosaurs when he first walked into the Museum of Natural History
near Central Park when he was five years old.
Sometimes, an epiphany is seeing the world in a new way and
realizing that you will not ever look at things the same way again. Listen to
Mary Swan: “you realized that the crucial thing was
really something else. Something buried in a conversation, a description - you
realized that all along it had been a different answer, another person glimpsed
but passed over, who was the key to everything…And if you went back, as Jenny
sometimes did, they were there, the clues you'd missed while you were reading,
caught up in the need to move forward. All quietly there.”
A
Christian may call her sense of things coming together, discernment, or perhaps
the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The spirit is a force that is not coerced or
manipulated. the spirit alights on it s own timetable. I do think that we can
be open to the gentle whispers of the spirit. Far too often, we are so busy, so
harried, so resentful that we close off its promptings in the midst of our quest
to further our agenda.
A
seemingly small thing can be the occasion for epiphany. “Bloom where you are
planted” on an old homemade banner
caught my eye once, and it has never left me. I find moments of epiphany in
movies, where it is rarely a crucial plot point but an insight that surprises
me from the side. At this point, I would like my epitaph to be a piece of
Jewish wisdom: “we rarely solve problems, so we hope to help make a better set
of problems.” Thomas Merton had a moment of perfect clarity on the corner of 4th
and Walnut in Louisville
Jan 12 Column on careful speech
Recently, i was at a dreadful meeting, where I could feel my life draining away by the second. At one point, we were introduced to a document that spoke of ways of speaking in civil ways to each other. This is of vital interest to all of us, but maybe especially in churches. I am constantly astonished at how rudely people in churches speak to each other, especially in meetings. it is as if they feel as if they have an exemption from being polite due to being in church, or we revert to childish ways of speaking when we are in church meetings. In part, I think we secretly hope that conflict will not raise its head in church meetings, and our resentments show when they do.
Speaking clearly and calmly in conflict does not come easily to most of us. We all can use some training and help in learning this important social skill. I think of 12 step programs where in working the steps, people gather and learn how to share their story without jumping on someone else. In so doing, people become free to tell out loud, their inmost struggles and outward failures.David Marshall reminds me of using the principles of fair fighting in marital or other arenas. Just as boxing sets rules, we can decide what is out of bounds, what is below the belt. We can express ourselves without being hurtful. We can come to understand that different points of view are not assaults but merely expressions of one point of view.
While AA groups may reside in church halls, church meetings need much help here. My group, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has issued some helpful pointers to move church meetings in conflict from snake pits to respectful place of Christian community. they urge us to treat each other respectfully so as to build trust; we are urged l not ask questions or make statements in a way which will intimidate or judge others. Few things will shut someone down more than the sense that they are being judged harshly for a viewpoint.Like the World Cafe approach, we seek to learn about different points of view and data on the topic of discussion. Misunderstanding plagues us all, so we try to state what we think we heard and ask for clarification before responding, in an effort to be sure we understand each other. Instead of questioning people’s motives,intelligence or integrity; we attempt not engage in name-calling or labelling of others prior to, during, or following the discussion. Just as in AA, we share our personal experiences about the subject of disagreement so that others may more fully understand our concerns.
Rather than a focus on the negative or points of contention, we try to indicate where we agree with those of other viewpoints as well as where we disagree. Conflict does not have ot mean cutting someone off, or de-friending them as in the echo chamber we call Facebook, but we are asked to seek to stay in community with each other though the discussion may be
vigorous and full of tension; Not only do we admit our own fallibility, we will be ready to forgive and be forgiven. Further, we try to seek each person as made in the image and likeness of God, as a vessel of Christ, so we take their concerns seriously. We try to see that no one person possesses all wisdom, but that a group can move even beyond its individual actors toward collective wisdom.
Our politics have grown poisonous. We have gotten to a point where we can rarely agree on facts, let alone interpreting them. We label opponents and lose sight of each other as patriots and citizens. Free speech is valuable, not as it seeks the lowest common denominator, but that it offers a forum for us to speak, to be heard, and to listen to others with civility and respect.
Speaking clearly and calmly in conflict does not come easily to most of us. We all can use some training and help in learning this important social skill. I think of 12 step programs where in working the steps, people gather and learn how to share their story without jumping on someone else. In so doing, people become free to tell out loud, their inmost struggles and outward failures.David Marshall reminds me of using the principles of fair fighting in marital or other arenas. Just as boxing sets rules, we can decide what is out of bounds, what is below the belt. We can express ourselves without being hurtful. We can come to understand that different points of view are not assaults but merely expressions of one point of view.
While AA groups may reside in church halls, church meetings need much help here. My group, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has issued some helpful pointers to move church meetings in conflict from snake pits to respectful place of Christian community. they urge us to treat each other respectfully so as to build trust; we are urged l not ask questions or make statements in a way which will intimidate or judge others. Few things will shut someone down more than the sense that they are being judged harshly for a viewpoint.Like the World Cafe approach, we seek to learn about different points of view and data on the topic of discussion. Misunderstanding plagues us all, so we try to state what we think we heard and ask for clarification before responding, in an effort to be sure we understand each other. Instead of questioning people’s motives,intelligence or integrity; we attempt not engage in name-calling or labelling of others prior to, during, or following the discussion. Just as in AA, we share our personal experiences about the subject of disagreement so that others may more fully understand our concerns.
Rather than a focus on the negative or points of contention, we try to indicate where we agree with those of other viewpoints as well as where we disagree. Conflict does not have ot mean cutting someone off, or de-friending them as in the echo chamber we call Facebook, but we are asked to seek to stay in community with each other though the discussion may be
vigorous and full of tension; Not only do we admit our own fallibility, we will be ready to forgive and be forgiven. Further, we try to seek each person as made in the image and likeness of God, as a vessel of Christ, so we take their concerns seriously. We try to see that no one person possesses all wisdom, but that a group can move even beyond its individual actors toward collective wisdom.
Our politics have grown poisonous. We have gotten to a point where we can rarely agree on facts, let alone interpreting them. We label opponents and lose sight of each other as patriots and citizens. Free speech is valuable, not as it seeks the lowest common denominator, but that it offers a forum for us to speak, to be heard, and to listen to others with civility and respect.
Jan. 6 Devotions
Epiphany January 6-Ps. 72 is often read as an adjunct to the story of the Magi. Indeed, it is one of our sources for the transmutation of the Magi into kings.Afte rthe sorry spectacle of the fiscal cliff, look at how it judges a proper political regime.this is by no means infrequent in Scripture, and the same themes echo through the years. When have you had an epiphany, when the light bulb went off? How often has that happened?
Monday-Amahl and the Night visitors was an emblem of great TV in the fifties. I love the story of a poor family offering hospitality and the temptation of the riches of the three kings. In the end, as the mother struggles to think of a gift for the child whom the kings seek, Amahl offers his crutch, and in so doing, his leg is healed.I love that healing emerges from his desire to give, even as he has so little. From the outside what small gift could you offer god that from the inside is crucial for your life?
Tuesday-I had a dispute over art, of all things recently.Someone was praising what I thought was over the top emoting in a part. I was accused of having no feelings. That may well be, but I stood my ground. I maintain that art invites us into experience, and lesser art tells us what to feel. It;s the difference between evoking some response and demanding it.
Wednesday-We have our big statistical package to send into the national office at the end of the month. I find those sorts of chores annoying and time consuming. It is diffiuclt for me, but i do try at times to consider that god is in the details and to try to make a more spirutal offering of tasks that I do not find especially riveting or rewarding.
Thursday-Working on some material in Hosea, I was stunned to see how many serious translation concerns touch the book. Often the different alternatives all make sense.For instance 13:5 gives us that God fed us (Gk) in the wilderness or that God knew us (Heb.) in the wilderness. Of course,the meaning is changed, but either one can speak to us fuly in our time,
Friday -We have a church service this weekend at 3PM at College Ave. Pres. to consider the abomination of human trafficking.I can think of few things more despicable. What are sins that you would come close to considering unforgivable? This is a great of example of soical sin as opposed ot merely individual transgressions, as it depends on a whole structure of activities to allow it to occur and expand routinely. We often feel helpless in the face of such evil, and my prayer is that we find virtues within and among us to help combat this moral stain.
Saturday-Hospitality in churches has been in discussion of late. Lately, I am wondering if the issue is misplaced. It is less that we wish to include people but that we desire being part of community at all. Our american individualism militates against a sense of belonging to a group. We want both a sense of belonging and a respect for our privacy.What changes do you have to go through to allow yourself to part of a group? what are the obstacles you encounter? what is easy and difficult for you in opening up to a group?
Monday-Amahl and the Night visitors was an emblem of great TV in the fifties. I love the story of a poor family offering hospitality and the temptation of the riches of the three kings. In the end, as the mother struggles to think of a gift for the child whom the kings seek, Amahl offers his crutch, and in so doing, his leg is healed.I love that healing emerges from his desire to give, even as he has so little. From the outside what small gift could you offer god that from the inside is crucial for your life?
Tuesday-I had a dispute over art, of all things recently.Someone was praising what I thought was over the top emoting in a part. I was accused of having no feelings. That may well be, but I stood my ground. I maintain that art invites us into experience, and lesser art tells us what to feel. It;s the difference between evoking some response and demanding it.
Wednesday-We have our big statistical package to send into the national office at the end of the month. I find those sorts of chores annoying and time consuming. It is diffiuclt for me, but i do try at times to consider that god is in the details and to try to make a more spirutal offering of tasks that I do not find especially riveting or rewarding.
Thursday-Working on some material in Hosea, I was stunned to see how many serious translation concerns touch the book. Often the different alternatives all make sense.For instance 13:5 gives us that God fed us (Gk) in the wilderness or that God knew us (Heb.) in the wilderness. Of course,the meaning is changed, but either one can speak to us fuly in our time,
Friday -We have a church service this weekend at 3PM at College Ave. Pres. to consider the abomination of human trafficking.I can think of few things more despicable. What are sins that you would come close to considering unforgivable? This is a great of example of soical sin as opposed ot merely individual transgressions, as it depends on a whole structure of activities to allow it to occur and expand routinely. We often feel helpless in the face of such evil, and my prayer is that we find virtues within and among us to help combat this moral stain.
Saturday-Hospitality in churches has been in discussion of late. Lately, I am wondering if the issue is misplaced. It is less that we wish to include people but that we desire being part of community at all. Our american individualism militates against a sense of belonging to a group. We want both a sense of belonging and a respect for our privacy.What changes do you have to go through to allow yourself to part of a group? what are the obstacles you encounter? what is easy and difficult for you in opening up to a group?
Epiphany Notes 2013
Epiphany Jan. 6 Mt. 2:1-11, Is. 60:1-6
I don’t recall when I spoke on an actual. Epiphany Sunday .In the calendar, this concludes the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany's root sense is a shining out, and it means that a truth is made manifest, it has a spotlight on it.I have been unable ot lay my hands on a Wendy farley quote, but she says something to the effect that the Incarnation reveals the hidden truth that lies beneath the surface of a life.
As some of you are aware, I get a kick out of different parts of the Bible in conversation. The readings today are examples of taking the gospel story and noticing some similar material and making a new more detailed story.So the magi get linked with kings due to their gifts. They are given identities through the place names in the psalms. Camels get imported from the other biblical pieces, all linked by two of the gifts. Maybe one of the reasons many of us make New Year’s resolutions is the hope for an epiphany that will change our lives. I wonder if the Magi had an epiphany when they presented the gifts to the child they saw as a newborn king.
As some of you are well aware, I like movies. As I was working on this, I realized they feature an epiphany fairly often.that’s one of the pleasures of guessing the villain in a mystery. (Yearling life is fine, mighty fine, but it ain;t easy,or the Kid when the blind girl realizes the Tramp had gotten her to operation to gain her sight-You, or Bernstein recalling the girl with the yellow parasol in citizen Kane), or Meathead understanding Archie after he speaks of being abused by his father in a drunken speech )(I read the Gift of the Magi story at Methodist Village and the look of stunned amazement when the young husband realizes what thye have both done to amke a nice christmas for each other). We go to therapy hoping that a brilliant therapist will be able to unlock the key to our unhappiness and offer a clear, easy way out.
Forgive me if I have mentioned this last year, but one of my epiphanies in this story was looking at the three gifts of the Magi. We read of some of the gifts this morning but the only place where all three are in close proximity is in the building of the tabernacle in Exodus. In other words without realizing, the Magi were honoring a new type of king. More importantly, without realizing it, they were in the very presence of God Incarnate, in the child in front of them. Let me put it another way. The magi were known to be wise, but their wisdom failed them in going to the wrong place to look for the newborn king. Without realizing it, they were face to face with someone who deserved more homage than all of the royalty of history laid end toend. Yet, these outsiders stumbled into the very revelation of God.
The Magi were sages, counsellors for the powerful and the rich. Here they visit a poor family. They represent all of the outsiders who are drawn by the star of Bethlehem, including us. they also represent the importance of wisdom but also its fragility. they misunderstood the message of the star and almost sealed the early death of Jesus,perhaps before he could talk. I am sick of Christians being a laughingstock at the court of secular wisdom. Being fools for christ does not mean that we act and think foolishly. At its best, the church honors the wisdom we possess and then deepens it with the reflection and history of years of religious reflection and revelation.Dim bulbs shine little light.
I don’t recall when I spoke on an actual. Epiphany Sunday .In the calendar, this concludes the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany's root sense is a shining out, and it means that a truth is made manifest, it has a spotlight on it.I have been unable ot lay my hands on a Wendy farley quote, but she says something to the effect that the Incarnation reveals the hidden truth that lies beneath the surface of a life.
As some of you are aware, I get a kick out of different parts of the Bible in conversation. The readings today are examples of taking the gospel story and noticing some similar material and making a new more detailed story.So the magi get linked with kings due to their gifts. They are given identities through the place names in the psalms. Camels get imported from the other biblical pieces, all linked by two of the gifts. Maybe one of the reasons many of us make New Year’s resolutions is the hope for an epiphany that will change our lives. I wonder if the Magi had an epiphany when they presented the gifts to the child they saw as a newborn king.
As some of you are well aware, I like movies. As I was working on this, I realized they feature an epiphany fairly often.that’s one of the pleasures of guessing the villain in a mystery. (Yearling life is fine, mighty fine, but it ain;t easy,or the Kid when the blind girl realizes the Tramp had gotten her to operation to gain her sight-You, or Bernstein recalling the girl with the yellow parasol in citizen Kane), or Meathead understanding Archie after he speaks of being abused by his father in a drunken speech )(I read the Gift of the Magi story at Methodist Village and the look of stunned amazement when the young husband realizes what thye have both done to amke a nice christmas for each other). We go to therapy hoping that a brilliant therapist will be able to unlock the key to our unhappiness and offer a clear, easy way out.
Forgive me if I have mentioned this last year, but one of my epiphanies in this story was looking at the three gifts of the Magi. We read of some of the gifts this morning but the only place where all three are in close proximity is in the building of the tabernacle in Exodus. In other words without realizing, the Magi were honoring a new type of king. More importantly, without realizing it, they were in the very presence of God Incarnate, in the child in front of them. Let me put it another way. The magi were known to be wise, but their wisdom failed them in going to the wrong place to look for the newborn king. Without realizing it, they were face to face with someone who deserved more homage than all of the royalty of history laid end toend. Yet, these outsiders stumbled into the very revelation of God.
The Magi were sages, counsellors for the powerful and the rich. Here they visit a poor family. They represent all of the outsiders who are drawn by the star of Bethlehem, including us. they also represent the importance of wisdom but also its fragility. they misunderstood the message of the star and almost sealed the early death of Jesus,perhaps before he could talk. I am sick of Christians being a laughingstock at the court of secular wisdom. Being fools for christ does not mean that we act and think foolishly. At its best, the church honors the wisdom we possess and then deepens it with the reflection and history of years of religious reflection and revelation.Dim bulbs shine little light.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
OT Notes for Jan. 6 Is. 60:1-6, Ps. 72:1-7,10-14
Both readings have bled into Mt. 2 to add more depth to our images of Epiphany. (As the name suggests it is all about the light of revelation)
1) In Is. 60 we start with an image of light, not necessarily that of a star. Indeed it may be the Lady Zion is called to shine. Yes, I do think that this passage is the origin of that awful sound of rise and shine to get up after a hard night.
2) God's glory is connected to light, as in the light of the presence of god.
3) I hear apocalyptic elements in v. 2. Of course, one can turn it to a psychological or social state with ease.
4) Like moths to a flame, power will be drawn to restored Zion (see kings in v. 3 turned to Magi?)
5) v. 5 is moving to me. The word for rejoice is a heart enlarged, just like the Grinch.
6) Yes Adam Smith drew his name for his classic of capitalism from v. 5 After all, the Magi of old did counsel the rich.
7) gold and frankincense link us to Mt. 2 in older biblical readings. we then start to develop ethnicity. from the region mentioned here. (Arabian regions) Here is where the camels emerge as well.
Ps. 72-
1) Look at v. 1-4, 10-12 If applied ot our political leaders now, look at the hallmarks of political concerns here.
2) v5-7 move into a different ancient realm of thought. while power may seduce us into thinking of ourselves as quasi-divine, here it is meant. Look at how fertility is bound up with the life of the ruler. The ruler really is a quasi divine representative of divine favor for the nation. Still one could do well to be careful with sahdes of meaning of peace and righteousness
3) v. 10 gives us 3 kings with ethnic identity.the verbs match nicely with the homage paid in Mt. 2.
4) Note Sheba can be in a number of areas of the south.Note the link to one of the gifts in v. 15.
5)
1) In Is. 60 we start with an image of light, not necessarily that of a star. Indeed it may be the Lady Zion is called to shine. Yes, I do think that this passage is the origin of that awful sound of rise and shine to get up after a hard night.
2) God's glory is connected to light, as in the light of the presence of god.
3) I hear apocalyptic elements in v. 2. Of course, one can turn it to a psychological or social state with ease.
4) Like moths to a flame, power will be drawn to restored Zion (see kings in v. 3 turned to Magi?)
5) v. 5 is moving to me. The word for rejoice is a heart enlarged, just like the Grinch.
6) Yes Adam Smith drew his name for his classic of capitalism from v. 5 After all, the Magi of old did counsel the rich.
7) gold and frankincense link us to Mt. 2 in older biblical readings. we then start to develop ethnicity. from the region mentioned here. (Arabian regions) Here is where the camels emerge as well.
Ps. 72-
1) Look at v. 1-4, 10-12 If applied ot our political leaders now, look at the hallmarks of political concerns here.
2) v5-7 move into a different ancient realm of thought. while power may seduce us into thinking of ourselves as quasi-divine, here it is meant. Look at how fertility is bound up with the life of the ruler. The ruler really is a quasi divine representative of divine favor for the nation. Still one could do well to be careful with sahdes of meaning of peace and righteousness
3) v. 10 gives us 3 kings with ethnic identity.the verbs match nicely with the homage paid in Mt. 2.
4) Note Sheba can be in a number of areas of the south.Note the link to one of the gifts in v. 15.
5)
End of year column
Another new year approaches. Many of us make resolutions.
the interesting bet is how quickly so many of them can be broken. Judging by
the commercials, I would venture the guess that physical conditioning and
weight loss once again top concerns.Not surprisingly, I would like to be a note
for spiritual development. I do realize that we aim at integration of body,
mind. heart, and spirit. The spiritual seems to me to be neglected in our year
end work.
First, it can be a salutary experience to go through the past
year with an eye to matters spiritual. Consider making a chart of spiritual
highs and lows. Were they based on circumstance or did they emerge as bolts
from the blue? did you have any
significant insights into the human condition this year, especially within your
own perspectives? Did your horizon expand in a some new way?
Perhaps more importantly, consider using this time to create
a personal ritual of burying or disposing of the pain or regrets of the past
year. Some things deserve to be dead and buried. The faith offers pardon,
release, reconciliation. We crave a sense of peace, and that may be aided by
letting go of the pain of the past.
Obviously, the new year beckons for spiritual resolutions. As
we start to get a bit more daylight, we can be assured that the darkness will
not overcome the light. All of us are mangers for the light within us. Please
consider paying attention to creating or firming up some basic Christian
habits. For me, bible reading and reflection are critical. Note that reflection
is included, for the Bible is more than a collection of wise sayings but for it
to live within us, the Sprit may well require some serious and sustained reflection
on what you read or hear.
Please consider reading some quality religious material. I
realize that the stores and libraries are filled with religious ephemera but
consider asking a pastor for some quality material that could sustain you for
more than a trifling amount of time. I am constantly alarmed by the impressive
material people consume in every walk of life, with the exception of religion.
Facing adult issues may well require that we consume religious material
suitable for adult needs and sophistication.
Perhaps one could consider deepening prayer life. Most of us
are skilled and practiced at prayers of supplication for ourselves and maybe
prayers for those close to us in crisis situations. Consider using the psalter
to explore “every part of the soul” as Calvin said. Especially look toward
psalms of lament and praise. We live in a rut of the mundane, and we can use a
template to help us form prayers for the extremes in life, of both sadness and
joy. I have found it helpful to rewrite psalms into my own vocabulary and
circumstance. It gives a fresh dimension to the ancient form and give sthe
spirit room to breathe, move and live within. Some may find meditation alluring
and helpful. Some may wish to utilize their artistic gifts and pray through
careful words of others, or paint, sing, dance a prayer for our various needs
and moods. Enacted prayer has a long pedigree, and we may do well to avail
ourselves of those ancient arts. In our new 6PM service, we are being careful
to open those dimensions of prayer up to our people. To take some time with the
arts invites us into the creative process, including that of our Creator God.
2013 can beckon with more than a promise of fitting back
into 32 waist jeans or a size 5 dress. Colossians 3 speaks of clothing oneself
with virtues. If we pay attention to the nurturing and development of those
virtues, we may find that we are worth far more than a new fitness regimen. We
can see ourselves anew, with a life than deserves its light to shine for all to
see.
Dec. 30th Sermon Notes Lk. 2 and Col 3:12-17
Dec.
30 Lk. 2, Col.3:12-17
Less than a week after Christmas Day, and here we are reading of Jesus at 12. Those of us with children can attest that years do fly by, but this is remarkable speed. We have ancient documents that tell stories of the young Jesus, but this is the only account we have in our four gospels.We hold to the adult work of Jesus, but our imaginations crave to fill in the gaps of his youth.We get a hint of his end, notice he is lost for three days; it presages three days in the tomb.
We say Christmas is for children.The first thing that enters my mind is a squeal from a small child ripping through the wrapping paper to see what lies beneath. Part of post-Christmas sadness is realizing that they are growing up, and that this particular moment of presents will never be recaptured.
Our daughters went to a conservative Christian high school inIndianapolis
Many of us received clothes or a gift certificate for clothes for christmas. i usually scour ebay for penny silk ties fromHong Kong as one of
the presents to myself. Drawing on baptismal imagery of wearing a fresh new robe, Colossians speaks of clothing ourselves with virtues. we often use this passage as part of the Presbyterian wedding service. If you’d like to stick with christmas images, consider the virtues as decorations suited for this time of year and every day after. with the calendar year closing, consider, please casting off vices as if they were clothes you were getting rid of.Christmas is a time for clothing ourselves in compassion, it seems. I know of no other holiday that evokes such an outpouring of generosity as does this season.The poor become not only a visible annoyance but they are seen, for a while, as human beings.As a new year dawns, we get a series of resoulutions:to live in harmony with one another. Harmony is a watchword with all of the christmas music that we have heard. It is rarely a watchword in family gatherings.
As the calendar year draws to a close, it is a good idea to look back at where we need to be forgiven and where we need to forgive. I mean it at its basic level;to let go, to release.We need not go into 2013 carrying resentments, especially the petty ones that mar our Christmas life.Maybe instead of speaking of resolutions, we could speak of goals, if you are more business minded, or futurecasting if on the more poetic end of the spectrum.Already the commercials have started for us to make our physical health a priority for the new year. Please consider making spiritual health, vitality, wellness aas at least part of your hopes for the new year. Prayer is the soul’s true home, and we wander if we neglect it. This house of prayer is home for us.the truth is that we often leave Jesus behind at the temple. I was alerted to these words in a Bach cantata 124 by Grindal in the latest christian Century. “I shall not let my jesus go....I should cling like a burr to him/He is the light of my life/I shall not let my Jesus go.”
Less than a week after Christmas Day, and here we are reading of Jesus at 12. Those of us with children can attest that years do fly by, but this is remarkable speed. We have ancient documents that tell stories of the young Jesus, but this is the only account we have in our four gospels.We hold to the adult work of Jesus, but our imaginations crave to fill in the gaps of his youth.We get a hint of his end, notice he is lost for three days; it presages three days in the tomb.
We say Christmas is for children.The first thing that enters my mind is a squeal from a small child ripping through the wrapping paper to see what lies beneath. Part of post-Christmas sadness is realizing that they are growing up, and that this particular moment of presents will never be recaptured.
Our daughters went to a conservative Christian high school in
Many of us received clothes or a gift certificate for clothes for christmas. i usually scour ebay for penny silk ties from
As the calendar year draws to a close, it is a good idea to look back at where we need to be forgiven and where we need to forgive. I mean it at its basic level;to let go, to release.We need not go into 2013 carrying resentments, especially the petty ones that mar our Christmas life.Maybe instead of speaking of resolutions, we could speak of goals, if you are more business minded, or futurecasting if on the more poetic end of the spectrum.Already the commercials have started for us to make our physical health a priority for the new year. Please consider making spiritual health, vitality, wellness aas at least part of your hopes for the new year. Prayer is the soul’s true home, and we wander if we neglect it. This house of prayer is home for us.the truth is that we often leave Jesus behind at the temple. I was alerted to these words in a Bach cantata 124 by Grindal in the latest christian Century. “I shall not let my jesus go....I should cling like a burr to him/He is the light of my life/I shall not let my Jesus go.”
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