40 Days of Lent 2011: 2011

Monday, April 4, 2011

Monday's Halftime Blog

Daily Readings for Monday, April 4, 2011

I'm in Chicago today for three days of continuing education. My wake up call was at 4:30 a.m. I've been in class for nearly 8 hours. I'm finally relaxing in a hotel room and I don't think I can keep my eyes open much longer.

The story told in John's gospel lectionary reading today is the miracle of the feeding of the 5000. I've often thought that the miracle in this story is not that everyone was fed. Most likely the people who had gathered to hear Jesus preach were travelling and had food with them. Most likely the people saw the boy offer his meager lunch to Jesus and his disciples. The miracle is that the small act of one person inspired others to be generous with what they had.

And that's where I see the kingdom of God in this story. Jesus' message is one of community and in community people share what they have. The boy gave his lunch to the disciples so that they could eat. And this meal inspired the rest of the people gathered around Jesus to open their own lunch sacks and share - enough that there was plenty to go around.

The truth is that in community we have enough. We need to continue to learn to trust in the abundance of God's grace and to open up hands to share with others. Because with God - and in community with one another, we have all we really need.

Good night!

John C

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Sunday's Sermon - Being Children of Light

This is what I preached this morning. Forgive me for not typing out the one personal story and the joke...but somethings are just better in person.

God bless - John

“Children of the Light”

Ephesians 5:6-15

A sermon preached to the congregation at First Presbyterian Church in Hastings, Nebraska on April 3, 2011, the Third Sunday in Lent

So seldom do I encounter a pericope of scripture that I believe I can turn into a short sermon. But I think I can do this one in one sentence. Are you ready? Do you believe me? You don’t want to miss is it. Here is the sermon in one sentence: Because God has proclaimed that light is good, the apostle Paul wants us to live as good children of the light. Can I get an amen?

Live as the children of the light. This is the central message of our reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. It is what Paul is strongly urging the people in Ephesus to do: to live in light and not darkness. And it sounds like a pretty simple, black and white or dare I say, light and dark, case of straightforward biblical truth.

You, my dear people of God, are to live as children of the light.

What exactly does it mean when Paul urged the church in Ephesus nearly 2000 years ago…and the Spirit urges us today to live as children of the light?

Consider this: in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is quoted as saying “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Jesus says you are the light of the world. And he is speaking to a crowd of ordinary, everyday people, gathered on the Judean hillside. And consider that in the very beginning of our scriptures, in the book of Genesis, describing the creation of the world, it reads that “the earth was a formless void and darkness covered that face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” The light is proclaimed as good in the first sentences of our holy scriptures. Light is good.

So, in our holy scriptures, God proclaims that light is good and Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world. This is the light we are to live in (and out of) as children of God.

How then are we to live out our lives as children of the light? At first glance, this appears to be an easy task. Light is good; darkness is bad. Stay in the light. Don’t be in the dark. When I was a teenager I wanted my curfew to be a little bit later than my parents were willing. I am the youngest child and I was usually able to talk my parents into just about anything I wanted…but not this time. They simply told me – there is nothing you can do after midnight that is good and wholesome. Nothing good happens after midnight. The message was not that nothing happens in the darkness of night; but nothing good happens…and I couldn’t be a part of it. (As a parent I certainly understand now). Another way of thinking about living in the light is to be obedient, follow all 10 of God’s commandments all the time, not just some of them, some of the time, like when it’s convenient or easy. Or to be healthy, you know, eat 4-6 servings of green vegetables every day, get plenty of whole grains, limit your meat intake, get 30 minutes of cardio exercise three times a week; or to be conscious of the environment recycle, reuse, and reduce, and don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth, bring your plastic bags back to the grocery store; or to be spiritually obedient, you know to give 10% of your income to the church (all the time, not just in times of prosperity), and buy Girl Scout cookies (just don’t eat them all in one sitting, remember the healthy list), pray without ceasing, pray for others, to love your enemies, get involved in your church community (which if your Presbyterian means to be on a committee), there you will have to learn how to say no, and when to say yes. And there’s the in general list of being good – you know the one that says to study hard, to make nice with your in-laws, to not judge others unless you have walked a mile in their shoe. Have I covered everything that should be on the list of living as a child of the light? Is there a more exhaustive list of behaviors? How many ways are there to live as a child of the light and which way is the right way?

One of the problems with simply listing the ways to walk as a child of God’s light is that it, not only does it not seem like you will have any manner of fun, but it becomes a little bit like work’s righteousness. If you do these steps and follow this program you will have eternal salvation. It makes being good the point of the Christian life. It reduces our faith to simply trying to act good. Not only does God’s grace not work like this, it is just too difficult to keep track of everything one should or should not; must and must not, can and can not. Although it is true that the good news of Jesus Christ and the good life of transformed discipleship are inseparable, virtue alone does not place one in the presence of God. It is God’s grace that makes virtue both a reality and a blessing in our lives and in the lives of others. We live as children of the light in response to the good news of Jesus Christ, not as a way to guarantee our place in the kingdom of heaven. We live as children of light because God’s grace is abundant and plentiful.

The other problem is that life is seldom as black and white as I just made it out to be. We often encounter situations in life that are various shades of gray. For example, the bible is fairly clear on that the responsibility of those who have is to be generous. But the bible doesn’t say how generous or to what extent. 10% of your income (before or after the IRS gets their percentage)? 10% of what you own? Daily? At the expense of your own family? Your own well being? And what about when the fire department comes knocking? And the kiwannis pancake feed? And the state troopers? And the march of dimes? And the…well you get the picture. When one tries to apply some of the biblical principles into day-to-day living, it becomes difficult very quickly. As I have struggled to live out God’s calling on my own personal life, I have learned that there are many more areas of gray than there are of black and white.

For example, when I was in sixth grade, I got in trouble. Now, this might not seem like that big of a deal, but I got in big trouble when I was 11 years old. I got into the kind of trouble that embarrassed my family because I wasn’t from the kind of family that got into any kind of trouble. We belonged to the Presbyterian Church!

(Tell the story of MCs sixth grade birthday party that ended with a thrown tomatoe hitting a police car, thus ending the party early.)

Sometimes the circumstances of our lives make it difficult to live as God’s children of the light. We are undoubtedly influenced by the people we are with and the context of the situation.

Live as children of the light.

At the end of our scripture for today Paul ends with a quote that has puzzled scholars because they can’t find the source. It’s not a biblical quote (which is something that Paul did all the time). Paul says “Sleeper awake. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine upon you.” Some scholars have suggested that this came from the early church’s ritual of baptism.

Baptism has always lifted up the symbolism of life and death. In the early church, baptismal fonts were actually pools on the floor of the church – big enough for the pastor and the initiate to stand in. They were designed to be in the shape of the cross and they were oriented on the East-West plane so that one would enter the pool from the west, where the sun sets symbolic of the end of the old life. And one would literally get dunked – be submersed into the cross – and rise out of the pool in the East – where the sun rises, where each day begins anew, symbolic of the new life. Baptism was (and still is for us today) the dying of one’s self and rising of one’s self into Christ Jesus. It is our engrafting and our belonging. I know that it has become the norm for many of us to baptize our babies and I confess that I like to hold that little baby and sprinkle some water on – it makes for a wonderful moment in the life of the congregation.

But there is a part of me that wants to build that cross-shaped dunking pool to re-emphasize that in baptism, there is death involved. Our sinful ways are dying. Our dark days are coming to an end. In a very real sense, in baptism we are being raised to new life with Jesus Christ so that we can continue his work and the work of the church. Our baptism awakens the light within us.

“Sleepers awake and rise from the dead for the light of Christ shines in you!”

There is this sense that in our baptism and through our faith in Jesus Christ we become God’s light. This light grows with us as we grow and the truth is we have a responsibility to do something with this light. We are children of light because we have the light of Christ within us all the time.

(Tell the joke about the wealthy man from Florida without an hier. Punchline: I wanna know that name of the guy who pushed me in!)

Living as a child of the light is more that simply being good and following Jesus. And sometimes we need a little push to jump into it at full speed. Living as a child of the light is about changing the world around us. Recognizing that the light of Christ dwells within us – and that this light is good – we are called to shine that light into the dark and broken places of the world in ways that are relevant and make a difference.

You don’t need me to tell you this morning that there is darkness in the world. You can find out that there is something not right in the world by reading your local paper and watching the national news. There is much about the world that we live in that reflects brokenness. The world is changing rapidly around us and many feel left behind and disoriented. There are basic needs of humanity that are not being met. There are earthquakes and tsunamis and nuclear reactors breaking down in parts of our world, which doesn’t seem as small as it used to. And closer to home there are unknown futures, economic insecurities, changing times to worry about. You don’t have to look much further than your own front yard to know the reality that much of the world is in deep pain and brokenness; there is much around us that does not reflect God’s will for the world; God’s will for us. It is in this world, in the circumstances of our lives that we are called to shine the light of Jesus Christ.

Be light. We can make a difference. Our call as disciples of Jesus Christ is to bring light to dark places. This is what Christ’s disciples have always done. This is what the church has always done.

We do this in many ways, both big and small. You might not have what it takes to be president of the United States of America, but you can be an advocate for laws that are just and fair. You might not discover the cure for cancer, but you can hold the hands of someone who is dying, you can care for the young widow who can’t believe their partner is gone. You might not invent a vaccine that prevents the spread of a deadly disease in poor countries around the globe, but you can visit the sick and share your love with others who are suffering. You don’t have to go far and to big and amazing things to make a difference in the place that you are.

Remember, God says, the light is good. Jesus says you are the light of the world. Paul says Live as children of the light.

And so my friends, I urge you to recognize the good and holy light of Christ within you and to recognize the responsibility that you have with that light. Shine your light into the darkness.

Amen and amen.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Lazy Saturday

Daily Readings for Saturday, April 2, 2011

I'm struggling to find a topic today. Jeremiah is about loinclothes (and wet ones at that!) - no thank you. Romans continues to talk about the "wages of sin" and the "gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ" (Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."). And John's gospel continues to have Jesus reveal his true identity to a people whose hearts continue to harden and who cannot believe in his words.

Jesus is claiming that he is different than Abraham, greater than Abraham. In fact Jesus claims "Before Abraham was, I am." This is John's gospel which begins with the intro - "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God." It's important to the author of John that Jesus be linked to God in the beginning of creation. So it makes sense that John's Jesus says that he was before Abraham.

I guess what I find interesting about this exchange is how difficult it is for those who question Jesus to hear his words and to come to their own conclusions. It seems to me that they have already made up their mind about this Jewish Rabbi (that he is a blasphemer and a threat and must be eliminated) and there are simply unable to hear the truth about Jesus Christ and who his is.

And I wonder, do I have similar weaknesses? Do I have my own preconceived notions of who I think Jesus is, shaped by my cultural context and the world around me? How much of who I am do I bring with me to my understanding of Jesus? How much of who I am gets in the way of listening to Jesus' words today?

The folks questioning Jesus (who actually pick up stones to kill Jesus because of this claim to be before Abraham) are the established religious institution of the day. The are the authorities and those who hold power. And they cannot accept Jesus as God's son because they are so caught up in doing things the way they have always done them.

I am proudly part of the Presbyterian Church, but at times I wonder if we (and myself included) have become so comfortable with our understanding of the way God works in our world and for us that we are unable to hear anew the message of Jesus and God's spirit. I don't want to think of myself on the side of disbelief and doubt when something new happens. But I think that change is happening and it is difficult to always make sense of the new directions. Institutional change happens slowly (and I think that is a good thing, most of the time). My hope is that those of us who love our institution can be open to new movements of God's spirit in ways that continue to build up the body of Christ in the world.

Dear God, open my eyes and ears, my heart and mind, so that I am ready to hear new expressions of your love in the world. Give me a willing and ready spirit to follow you as you lead. In Christ's name - Amen.

John C

Friday, April 1, 2011

Friday - April 1

Daily Readings for Friday, April 1, 2011

Romans 6:1-2: ^"What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?"

John 8:37 b: "...because there is no place in you for my word."

I'm really enjoying the fact that the daily lectionary is working through the book of Romans because it seems like each little bit is packed with great stuff. Roman's really is a great theological read.

In chapter six, Paul is wrestling with the question of sin and grace. It is true, according to Jesus that grace covers all manner of sin. Every sin, big or small (if there really is such a distinction; in many ways sin is sin; our culture frequently elevates certain sins (like sexual misconduct in our current context), but I think to God, sin is anything that works to separate us from God, God's will and perfect desire for our life, and I believe God counts sin as sin, one is not greater or more grevious than another)...every sin, big or small is covered by the grace of Jesus Christ as his atoning death. So, Paul asks, should we sin bigger so that God's grace can be bigger? Should we continue to sin so that God's grace can continually be given to us?

Most certainly not. Once we have God's grace and recognize that we are forgiven, our response to live more aligned with God's will in our lives.

In seminary, I got to spend a January term class "following in the footsteps of Paul." Our class travelled to Greece and Turkey, visiting some historical places that Paul walked and lived. We visited places like Ephesus and Athens, Greece. One of the places that we visited was a ruin of a 2nd or 3rd century church. On the floor of the sanctuary was a built in baptismal font. It was built in the shape of the cross and was big enough to climb into and stand (to be "dunked" by the preacher). The arms of the cross were oriented to face East-West. Initiates entered from the West - symbolic of death - the west is where the day "dies." After being baptized, the newly received member rises out of the pool of water and the cross in the East - symbolic of new life. We were able to walk down into the font and one of my favorite pictures from the trip is doing a dance with my friend Ann and "dipping her" in the cross...pause for the camera.

The physical act of submerging oneself is a tangible way to be reminded of the theolgical truth that we die to ourselves and our rasied to new life through our relationship with Jesus Christ. That new life is marked by abundant grace and a new person - the old has gone, new life has come into being.

I also wanted to include the phrase in Jesus' answer in the John gospel reading: "because there is no place in you for my word." I don't really know what to make out of that, but I hope that in my own life, I am humble enough to make the room and space to listen and discern and wait for God to speak to me so that God's word can continue to dwell in my heart and be used to continue to refine me in God's image.

Dear God, thank you for grace. Help me to continue to learn to trust in that grace. Whenever I am prone to sin, I ask that your spirit continue to be at work in my life so that I might quickly repent and turn back to you. Make room in my heart for your life-giving word, your son, and your spirit. In Christ's name - Amen.

P.S. It's opening day for the Royals! Go Royals! (and yes, I am aware that this might be the only day my team has a winning record for the rest of the season!)

Thursday, March 31, 2011

I'm back - March 31 2011

Daily Readings for Thursday, March 31, 2011

Today is my first day back in the office after a seven day vacation. (I know what you are thinking - how can a preacher take 7 days off in the middle of Lent?!? For me part of the challenge of taking vacation time is learning to trust - both trust God who orders the days and is the one in charge of the important things and to trust others - those who I partner in ministry with to carry out the daily and weekly tasks of ministry).

I thought that I would be able to blog during the vacation, but the rhythm of days while travelling and "vacating" were just different enough that I couldn't (or wouldn't or didn;t) make the time necessary. I was at home all day yesterday and I thought I could spend some quiet moments in the afternoon at the computer, but my wife convinced me to go down into the basement and go through our stuff so that we could make a trip to Goodwill. We loaded up the van; it just feels really good to give things away that still have a purpose (but that we don't use). I think our closets and dresser drawers are next!

"Spring Cleaning" for me, often means starting in the basement - which in our house is used as a big storage place. And we frequently just move things downstairs to declutter the rest of the house. Periodically it is good to go through the accumulation and simplify things. Spring cleaning for me also means getting the garden ready to go. The past couple of days in Hastings have been damp and smell like spring. Today when Robby went outside for school, he physically stopped and took several deep breaths. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I'm enjoying the smell of the damp earth. It tells me that spring is coming soon!"

In Paul's letter to the Romans, we read: "If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17)."

The doctrine of justification by faith - there is nothing that we can do to earn our way into God's gracious presence and our salvation. We are saved by grace. To be made righteous is to have a relationship restored, or made right. According to Paul's logic, the relationship between God and God's people was broken by the disobedience of Adam. The only way to restore (make righteous) that relationship is through the person of Jesus Christ. Our faith in Christ restores our relationship with God. There is nothing more that we need to do.

How we live is our response to that good news. Today, my response is going to be to continue to hope in the newness of spring; the wet, smelly, slow coming that it is. And as I clean off the dust, give my possessions away, and plan garden plots, I will pay attention to the promise of newness that comes with this season.

Dear God, thank you for the good news of Jesus Christ. His death has restored my broken relationship with God. Help me to trust and believe in that good news so that I am free to live life out of a humble gratitude. Amen.

John C.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wednesday - Healing, work, Sabbath

Daily Readings for Wednesday, March 23, 2011

In John's gospel reading, Jesus heals. Miraculously heals a man who was blind, lame and paralyzed for 38 years (that's pretty specific for a biblical story). And Jesus asks the man - do you want to be made well? (I find it interesting that the man doesn't answer Jesus directly - instead his answer is a lot like describing what happens because he is not well. "I don't have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up and people always cut in front of me when I try to move myself." I suppose this means "Yes, Jesus, I want to be well." But what I find interesting is that it isn't a direct answer. And I think sometimes this happens to me - and us - as well. Jesus asks us "Do we want to be well." And our souls might be crying out - yes, I want to be made well - but we answer "I don't have time to sit still and know that you are God" or make other excuses that deny our need to be made whole.

Jesus hears the man and says to him "Stand up, take up your mat and walk." And the man does. It's a great story about the possibilities for healing and wholeness when one encounters Jesus.

But for the gospel of John, the story doesn't end there. There are some who are suspicious of Jesus (religious leaders and authorities who are threatened by his work and ministry) and they question the fact that Jesus cured and performed miracles on the Sabbath. Jesus answers: "My Father is still working; and I am working also." So Jesus has two strikes against him in the eyes of the "Jews who were seeking to kill him." First, he did work on the Sabbath; second, he claimed that God is his Father (blasphemy to Jews).

I was struck by the fact that Jesus says healing people is work. I began to create a job description for Jesus in my imagination. Heal the sick. Feed the hungry. Give hope to the poor. And quickly the lines between work and ministry began to blur. Now maybe it is because my "job" is also my "ministry" and "vocation" that I pay particular attention to job descriptions. But I also believe that one can serve God and live out a vocation doing any profession - the teacher, the engineer, the baker or candlestick maker - can all live out a live of ministry and vocation and call.

Jesus works on the sabbath - but his work is a ministry of healing and restoration. I'm all for sabbath time and the rhythm of sabbath because I believe that God's intention for sabbath is to help us connect and draw closer to God; a day set aside to delight in God's goodness and presence in our lives. But sabbath can also be a time to promote the healing and wholeness of Christ's ministry.

Dear God, thank you for my call and the claim that you have on my life. Help me to practice sabbath in such a way that I am drawn closer to you and your son Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Mea Culpa

Daily Readings for Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Morning Psalms 84
First Reading Jeremiah 2:1-13, 29-32
Second Reading Romans 1:16-25
Gospel John 4:43-54
Evening Psalms 25; 91

I don't really want to make that big of a deal out of the fact that I haven't blogged since Friday afternoon. I fell short before the second Sunday in Lent. For me, this addition to my daily exercize was to provide a big enough disruption in my day-to-day work and routine that I draw closer to God and experience a deep sense of renewal at Easter time - a God is alive kind of resorative proclimation for my own personal spirituality. And so, I acknowlege that I have fallen short and did not blog for three days in a row...but I continue to reflect on how much of the work that I do does (and does not) draw me closer to God.

I'm a sucker for a good biblical metaphor. It must be the preacher in me, but when I read the great metaphors in scripture something within in me thinks - That'll preach!

And thanks to Walter Brueggemann, I have a deep love for the book of Jeremiah. In many ways, Jeremiah is a metaphorical description of the church today. Jeremiah was written to the people of Israel who were in exile - strangers in a strange land. Much has been written about the fact that the church today (and especially the mainline, Western, Protestant church, like the PC(USA)) is in exile. The culture around us has shifted, the values of the "world" are foreign to the gospel message. To me, the prophet Jeremiah speaks a powerful message to our exilic church today because it calls us to hold those in power accountable and gives permission for a vibrant faith that is counter-cultural and subversive and somewhat underground.

The first part of the book of Jeremiah is pre-exile. It's easy to read this part of the text as Jeremiah's big "I told you so" to the people of Israle. For in the first part of Jeremiah, there are many warnings to change...or else. Our reading from the daily lectionary has this verse from the second chapter. Jeremiah 2:13:

¹³  for my people have committed two evils:
          they have forsaken me,
     the fountain of living water,
          and dug out cisterns for themselves,
     cracked cisterns
          that can hold no water.

It's part of the warning from the prophet to a people who have turned away from God. And for me, it's the metaphor that draws me to this text. God is the fountain of living water. Of course, God isn't a literal fountain. But God is the creator of all life and holds all of life in God's hands. The warning is that the people have turned away from the life giving power of God and have dug out water holes for themselves. Maybe God's water is to hard to get to; maybe the people think they can do the water business better. It smacks of all of the times that the people Israel, or the disciples of Jesus, or the church (filled with people like you and me) have tried to do things for themselves rather than trust in God. It hints of the idolatry of works and of trying to find a better way to God and salvation than through God alone.

Notice that the cisterns the people fashion for themself are cracked, flawed vessels that will hold no water. It's what happens when we try to do for ourself what only God can do. Our best attempts to be a god in our own life will always be deeply flawed. I think this is why when Jesus talks about discipleship he talks about the emtpying of ourselves. We need to get out of the way so that God and God alone is the one source of strength, life, and redemption.

Dear God, take the cracked cistern that is my own desire to do good works and transform it. Empty is and help me to let go of it so that I can return to you, the source of living water and the fountain of all goodness. May my life always reflect your glory, today and always. Amen.

John C.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday - March 18

Daily Readings for Friday, March 18, 2011

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

¹²So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. ¹⁴Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it, ¹⁵yet the LORD set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. ¹⁶Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. ¹⁷For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, ¹⁸who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing. ¹⁹You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ²⁰You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. ²¹He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. ²²Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven.

Today the Deuteronomy passage jumped out at me and I wanted to include the whole thing. It begins with a simple question - what does the Lord require of you? The question is asked to the entire people of Israel (remember - the small but mighty nation of God's chosing), but it is also a question that we should ask ourselves individually. What does God require of me? It strikes me that the answer begins with "only." This is the only thing(s) that God requires of you. Only to fear God (that's a good starting place). Only to walk in all his ways (notice the all - not some of God's ways; all of God's ways), to serve God with (again) all your heart and soul (not part of your heart or part of your soul - this means we can't have divided loyalties. You can't serve God and mammon; you can't serve God and "busyness;" you can't serve God and (fill in the blank). And (we're almost to the end of the list of things that God requires) to keep the commandments that God gives, for your well-being. (I like the idea that God has our best interests in mind when God gives the commandments. Serving God, as God's chosen people, is for our well-being, Deuternomically speaking). That's it - those are the only things that God requires of the chosen people of Israel, and by extension, you and me.

So, how are you doing?

It's really an impossible list of things to do at all times. I'm enough of a Calvinist to truly believe that there is within us a tendancy to disobey, to fall short, to turn away, and to sin. In my recent sermon, reflecting on the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, I tried to say that I don't think there is this personification of evil (wearing red with a pointy beard, horns, and a pitchfork). I think there is enough evil (fallen and brokenness) within our hearts that I don't need an projected entity to account for the bad choices I witness and experience in the world. I know my own heart (and desires) well enough to know that I sometimes willingly live in such a way that falls well short of God's glory and desire for my life.

But there in this passage are some clues as to how to attempt to live out God's requirements. I find them in the things that God claims to value and lift up. The care of the widow and orphans (those without a voice in our world) and the love of the stranger (or the other) because the people of Israel were once strangers - these are things that God values. And I believe that we honor God (praise God, love God) when we also remember to give voice to the voiceless, to advocate for those who have no power, and love and welcome the stranger.

Dear God- Thank you for the beauty of this day. Thank you for your call and claim on my life. Thank you for reminding me that your grace and love are real and certain. Thank you also for reminding me that I have a responsiblity to live my life as a greatful response to you. I ask for your grace and forgiveness when I fall short of your intention for my life and I thank you for new chances to again care for those in need and welcome those I encounter. Help me to always live as your humble servant. Amen.

John C

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Thursday - March 17th - Happy St. Patrick's Day

Daily Readings for Thursday, March 17, 2011

This morning, M had a doctors appointment, so I got spend an extra hour at home with E and A. I have a playlist on my Ipod that we made for E's dance birthday party and I plugged in the speakers and turned up the volume and had a dance party in my kitchen. It was so much fun that I almost forgot to do the one task M asked me to do - hang the laundry on the line. I think beginning the day dancing with my girls is a great way to start the day. Note to self - dance in the morning in the kitchen sunlight more often.

Psalm 27: 1-2 " The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Back when I was leading a Praise Band (believe me, it's not as cool as it sounds), I loved to sing a song based on this Psalm (by Robert Alexander; it can be found in the "New Song" resource put out by the PCUSA/Youth Ministry folks a while ago). Here are the complete lyrics:

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? (repeat)

The Lord is my strength, the strength of my life; Of whom then shall I be afraid?

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear?

If we truly believe in the providence and sovereignty of God, then we truly have nothing to fear. And yet it seems to me that fear dictates so much of our decision making process. Fear is used by some as a motivating factor - especailly in politics and religion. (i.e. If you vote for that other candidate, all your fears ill come true!) And I'm sad to say, but this is true from folks on all sides of the aisle. Repulicans, democrates, liberals, conservatives all have used fear as a way to either keep power or gain power. Why is it so hard to trust in God enough to move beyond fear?

On one level, I know that there is much in this world to be fearful of. Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Meltdowns. But I've always felt like worrying about things that are beyond my control is wasted worrying. I try not to waste time being fearful for things that I can't control.

Beneath this fear is, I believe a lack of trust in God's goodness and God's in-control-of-everything-ness (i.e. sovereignty). As for me, the Lord is my light, and I choose to not fear.

And it's worth noting that yesterday's date was 3:16, and I saw several Facebook posts list John 3:16. Today's gospel lectionary reading began with John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that God gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Amen.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Wednesday

Daily Readings for Wednesday, March 16, 2011

My friend Hansen has been reading the book "Love Wins" by Rob Bell and posting large chunks of it on his Facebook page. I understand that this book has created a minor flap among evangelical Christian circles because it promotes universalism. I haven't read the book (yet!) so I'm not able to comment on the book, but I do want to share this quote from the book (from Hansen's Facebook feed):

"Jesus did not use hell to try and compel 'heathens' and 'pagans' to believe in God so they wouldn't burn when they die. Jesus talked about hell to very religious people to warn them about the consequences of straying from their God-given call....(which is) to show the world God's love."

I've often thought that the hell is nothing more than separation from God and that when we are separated it is the result of our own choices. We chose to turn away from our "God-given call" sometimes by our concious or subconcious decisions.

As I read the scriptures from the daily lectionary today, it seemed like each one had something to say about the evil that lives in the hearts of people. And I really don't know if I have anything to say about all that.

From Psalm 5: For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

From Dueteronomy, chapter 9: Then I (Moses) lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin you had committed, provoking the LORD by doing what was evil in his sight.
From Hebrews, chapter 3: Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

So...let's see: God doesn't like evil doers. The Psalmist must have known some and experienced God's dealing with them to write about them. God's chosen people of Israel, in the 40 days that Moses was up on Mt. Sinai getting the 10 commandments, the chosen people decide (under the poor leadership of brother Aaron) to make a false God and worship it. The story says that God was so angry at Aaron that Moses had to prostate before God to intercede and prevent God's mighty wrath from smoting Aaron. And in Hebrews, we are warned to not have an evil and unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

As I understand Lent, it is a time to repent and move towards reconciliation. Repentance is an act of turning away from the things that keep us from God and turning towards those things which renew and restore and make right our relationships, but especailly our relationship with God. For me, Jesus is the one who has already interceded on my behalf. I do believe that God doesn't like evil doers and that it is within God's power to act against them. However, I think that God sent his son Jesus to the world to intercede on behalf of the sins of the world (mine included!). When we turn to Jesus, we are reconciled to God.

And turning towards the God I know through the person of Jesus Christ reminds me of my true vocation and God-given calling - to share God's love with the world. It's easy (easier than it should be) to turn away from God. It's easy to be distracted. And it's easy to see the reality of evil in the world. Bad things happen - around the world and in our personal lives. But when I remember that God has called me to share his love by being a witness to the goodness and mercy and grace and wonder, it gives me hope.

Dear God, by your steadfast faithfulness, remind me that nothing I can do will truly separate me from your love in Jesus Christ. Help me to turn away from the things that cause me to feel distance from you. Strengthen me to turn towards the things that draw me closer to you. And as I am reconciled to you through Christ, empower me to offer your love to a broken and weary world. Amen.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Addendum

Back when I was hoping to publish a "40 Under 40" devotional (40 devotions written by people under 40), I had begun the process of asking people to write a devotion. Two people - Kendra Grams and Erica Brooks wrote their devotional before I decided to do a daily blog instead. So I want to honor the work of Kendra and Erica by posting their devotionals here. I do hope you enjoy their good works:

Lenten Devotion by Kendra Grams

Please read: John 2:13-22

This story is a familiar one to many of us, but is still disconcerting in its own way. We are so accustomed to Jesus healing and soothing that it is somewhat alarming to picture Jesus, whip in hand, driving animals out of the temple and upending tables. I can’t help but think of it as a tantrum of sorts (after all, Jesus was human).

But why? Jesus says, “Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!” In other words, “Don’t make this a place of exchange (where the guiding rule is: I’ll give you this, if you give me that)!” This whole idea of putting conditions on things or expecting something in return is contrary to God’s way of being and thus doesn’t belong in God’s house. Jesus’ teaching and healing—and even the fact that Jesus came to live among us—are all about getting across this one message: God doesn’t set terms or expect something in return for God’s amazing gift of love. God’s love and care are unconditional. It’s so easy to forget God’s reality of unconditional giving, and moreover it’s hard to fully understand “unconditional” anything, in our capitalist and consumerist culture. But Lent is the perfect time to start anew and ask for God’s help in reaching out unconditionally to others.

Great Giver, help us to be more giving. Help us to step out of the marketplaces of life to demonstrate your love and care to others—unconditionally. Amen.

Devotion by Erica Brooks

Read Hebrews 5:1-10

When God came to Earth through His son Jesus Christ, He revealed what a sinless life would look like. Jesus set an example of love, peace, purity and faith for all of us to follow. Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully human with free will and earthly limitations. He did not passively follow a trail God set before him. He was fully tested by Satan and freely chose to follow his Heavenly Father, even though he knew it would lead to ridicule, torture and death.

God heard Jesus’ cries in the garden at Gethsemane. He answered Jesus’ prayers and display of submission with the greatest reward: a place at the right hand of his Father for eternity. Jesus’ suffering was necessary to make him a perfect example of reverence, obedience, and submission to God’s will. Had God spared him, a longer life on Earth would never compare to the reward God had in mind.

Here is the good news! Every challenge and every suffering we experience, either through tragedy or through sin is an opportunity to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s grace. He is eagerly waiting to reveal the plans He has for us. “‘For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the chance every day to choose you. Help me to give control of my life over to you and accept the grace you freely give. Give me opportunities to show others the evidence of your love. Amen

Tuesday - The Ides of March

Daily Readings for Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Morning Psalm 34

¹   I will bless the LORD at all times;
          his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²   My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
          let the humble hear and be glad.
³   O magnify the LORD with me,
          and let us exalt his name together.
This Psalm begins with an impossible ideal. To bless the Lord at all times and to continually have praises in ones mouth is a nice thought, but a really difficult reality. What does it mean to bless God at all times? Can God be blessed with all of our activity -- even the mundane and the day-to-day? I certainly believe that God can be found in the ordinary, everyday stuff of life. (Like Carrie Newcomer sings in the song "Holy As the Day is Spent" - "holy is the familiar room and quiet moments in the afternoon and folding sheets like folding hands to pray as only laundry can.") God most certainly is present in the ordinariness of our daily lives. But how do we bring God into all that we do. (In other words, does God really care about March Madness and who your Final Four picks are?)

I don't know if there is a way to bring God into March Madness. I don't know if God even cares about basketball or not. But I do believe that for us to recognize God in every part of our life there needs to be something internal within us that seeks God. I don't know if I can always have God's praise in my mouth (because sometimes I need to be frustrated or sad or angry - those are all part of the human emotions I have). But I do know that I can teach myself (maybe my heart?) to always be seeking God. And then it becomes less about bringing God into any given situation and more about recognizing the God who is already present.

As I look at my lengthy "to do" list today, I see things like "staff meeting" and "deacon's meeting." I have tasks like: stock sale prep, finish april 3/april 17 bulletin, go to post office and fill out vouchers. Some of those tasks it will be easy to see God already at work, others I will need to make an effort (like finding God in paperwork). One way to do this is, as the Psalmist said, praise the Lord always.

Verse 3 invites others to join in the Psalmist praise. "Let us exalt his name together." For me, there is something valuable about community, about belonging and about struggling together. I think it is easier to see God at work when the work is done together. One of my favorite Kathleen Norris quotes (from Dakota, I think), goes something like this: "I'd rather attempt something together and have it turn out completely wrong that I would to do something alone and have it turn out exactly right." There is something about being in it together that yields different results. And I believe better results because the point isn't always about our work turning out exactly right, it's about exalting the name of God along the way. And by doing that, I believe that we, together, allow our lives to give priases to God.

Maybe not as continuously as the Psalmist exorts us to. But if done together, I'll take it.

Dear God - Help me to seek you in all that I do, but especially in the communities and groups that I am blessed to be a part of today.
Amen.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Monday Morning

Daily Readings for Monday, March 14, 2011

Psalm 121 is my favorite Psalm. It's the evening Psalm for today. I like this Psalm because it reminds me of God's sovereignty and God's promise of care. God neither slumbers nor sleeps in God's care for the chosen people of Israel. God keeps us from evil and God is present in the doings of our day-to-day living. Those are the promises that I hear in Psalm 121.

I have a bible that fits in my back pocket. It came with a magnifying class shaped like a credit card (and I use to never think that I would need to use it...but I don't laugh any more). I take this bible with me when I go on trips and when I hike. One of my favorite places in the world is a Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center near Allenspark, Colorado called Highlands. Highlands is next to Rocky Mountain National Park; it's absolutely beautiful. There is a hike on Highlands property that leads to three wooden crosses. The best time to hike to the three crosses is before sunrise so that you can watch the sun rise over the mountains while sitting at the base of one on the crosses. And nearly everytime I've done this hike (which is too many times to count), I've had my pocket bible and I've read aloud Psalm 121 while watching the sunrise. "I lift my eyes up to the hills - from where does my help come?" For me, it is a powerful experience reminding me that all of life, including my own, is in God's loving hands.

The text from Dueteronomy today jumped out at me as well. Verse 18 and 19 - Do not say to yourself, "My ower and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today."

Because God has given people many gifts (intellect, perserverence, work ethic, imagination and creativity, to name a few), humanity is often doing amazing things. And it is easy to work hard and accomplish much, and feel entitled to boast about one's self accomplishments. This scripture reminds us that God is the one to whom credit is due. God gives us power to get weatlth - and to create and innovate and build and craft and so many other things. I hope that I remember to give God the credit for the work I do.

Dear God - Thank you for the sure and certain promise of your love and care. Help me to live in response to that love by trusting in you and living in hope and not anxiety. Thank you for the gifts and strengths that you have given to me. Do not let me forget that all that I am is because of your grace in creation. Help me to use my life and my vocation to reflect your light and love so that others may see your good works and your love. Amen.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, March 13, 2011, the First Sunday in Lent (Year A)

I haven't decided exactly if I am going to blog on Sunday's. I know that there are two ways to count the "40 days of Lent." If you count from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday there are 40 days, but you are sill a week out from Easter Sunday. If you count from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday and don't count the Sunday's in Lent (as Sabbath days) you get 40 days. Waffling between the two seems like quibbling to me (and for the record, I did walk to worship this morning - and I'm planning on walking to our evening Taize worship service tonight).

But since I have a lengthy reflection on today's lectionary readings (a.k.a. this morning's sermon), I thought I'd include it here as part of this Lenten reflection. It's a bit longer than most...and sometimes I think it's hard to read a sermon because it's meant to be spoken and I don't always stay on script. But here it is. Be blessed this Lord's Day. John C.

A sermon preached by Rev. John H.G. Curtiss

On Sunday, March 13, 2011

For the congregation at First Presbyterian Church, Hastings, NE

First Sunday in Lent; Also Lenten Prayer Partner Sunday

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon: “The Church’s Temptation”

Actions most often speak louder than words. There was a poster on the wall of my high school; I remember it because it was right next to my locker all throughout my senior year. The poster said: “Character means doing what is right even when no one is watching.” When we remember someone we have lost in our lives, we remember them for their actions. I was at the state basketball tournament this weekend and before the game started the announcer said, “Years from know, the score will have been forgotten; but they will remember how you played the game. Play with character.”

“Who are you?” and “Who am I?” are questions that most of us spend a lifetime trying to answer. These existential questions have many layers and there are many ways to answer them, but who you are is, at least in part, made up of your actions and your choices; what you do and what you don’t do.

Early in Matthew’s gospel, the author is trying to establish who Jesus is. Matthew wants us to know and to believe that Jesus is the son of God because if we know that, then we will can believe in the message – the good news – of Matthew’s gospel. Matthew’s gospel ends with the great commission, the commandment to “Go into all the world and baptize in my name. Teach them about obedience and about Jesus.” This kind of discipleship is what Matthew intends for those who read this book and the author believe that it is important to know that Jesus is the son of God. Throughout this gospel, we are reminded again and again the true nature and character of Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God. Matthew begins with the lengthy geneology. Matthew skips the stories about Jesus’ childhood. Matthew briefly includes the story of John baptizing Jesus (which emphasizes that Jesus is the son of God.. And then we have the story in chapter 4, a story that is meant to demonstrate for us who Jesus is, based on what Jesus does – and does not do. This little bit of scripture is meant to not only reinforce the notion that Jesus is God’s son, but also to give us the breadth and wideness of Jesus’ ministry, and our ministry as well.

This is an interesting story because the two main characters are Jesus and the Devil. This text is often used at the beginning of the Lenten season because it is set in the context of Jesus having fasted for forty days and forty nights. This language is intended to remind of the other characters in the bible who spend 40 days and 40 nights waiting for God to be revealed. Noah and his wife, children and the animals of creation waited through 40 days of rain. Moses waited on Mount Sinai. The people of

Israel

were led through the wilderness for 40 years looking for the promised land. The number 40 is intended to not only convey a really long time, but it also implies the promise that God is at work in a symbolic and special way.

The context of our story is this: Jesus was led away by the Spirit into the wilderness so that he could be tempted by the devil. The text says nothing about what kind of Spirit leads Jesus. To prepare for this temptation, Jesus fasts for 40 days. When people in biblical stories wait for 40 days, this is a good clue to the reader that something holy is about to happen.

Jesus is in the wilderness, after a lengthy fast, to be tempted by the devil. I don’t know if you’ve seen artist’s rendition of this scene, but so much of our Western mind and imagination has been affected by the notion of the Devil – personified evil – as the man with the red cape and the pointed beard, complete with horns and a pitchfork. Truth be told, I believe that most of our imagination about the devil and his work is influenced more by reading Dante’s Inferno than by reading scripture. The Devil is not this fallen angel who tries to lure people into service in his army of minions. The Devil is not the little man who appears on your left shoulder (next to the angel on your right shoulder) trying to tempt you into making a bad decision. (Reverend Bill made reference to the fact that he doesn’t give things up for lent because they aren’t sincere – because he knows that he will eat the Bing candy bar. I really want to have this charicture in my mind’s eye of Bill standing in the candy bar aisle with the devil on one shoulder – “eat the candy bar” and the angel on the other “don’t eat the candy bar.” But it’s just ridiculous.) I don’t think the Devil – if there really is just one spiritual entity – cares if Bill eats the candy bar or not. This is just an inaccurate description of what our scripture actually says about the Devil.

The bible describes Satan or the Devil as an adversary of God. It is simply one who opposes God or some translators say – one who serves as an obstacle in the path of God’s will. and perfect desire. That means that anytime we stand in opposition to God’s will or are an obstacle to God’s way then we could be described this way. When Jesus said to Peter “Get behind me Satan!” Jesus was telling Peter that he was an obstacle to God’s will for Jesus’ life.

The scripture says that the spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The devil comes to Jesus and tempts Jesus three times. And each time, what Jesus does – or doesn’t do – reveals to us more clearly that Jesus is the son of God.

These three temptations are also common temptations of the church today. When the devil tells Jesus that he has the power to turn stones into bread so that he can feed himself (he is famished from his fast, after all) is the temptation to be small and inward directed. Jesus has the power to feed himself, to use his power to meet his own needs, even great needs after such a long fast. But by not doing so, Jesus tells us that his power is meant for greater, bigger, other directed missions. Whenever the church, as we her members, focus on our own internal needs and whenever we put our finite and limited resources to serving our own needs only, the church succumbs to this temptation. And the result is that the church’s witness and mission in the world are greatly diminished. We only witness to ourselves and not to the world. We only serve ourselves and not the world. We only take care of our own, and not those struggling in our midst. When this happens, the church resembles something like a country club. (Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t have anything against the country club. I can only imagine the conversations at Lochland today at lunch; “Rev. John doesn’t like us” But Lochland exists to serve its membership – and it does a great job at that. And I know that there are inherent values to belonging. But the church exists for more, namely for God’s mission in the world. The church doesn’t exist to serve those baptized members on the books. I hope that the church can be a place where those of you can be refueled and refreshed and renewed so that you can go out and make disciples in a broken world that needs to know about the love and grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. It’s not all about developing a wide range of programs that only meet the needs of those who belong and who are already here. It’s about equipping the saints for the kingdom building work of God – and that kingdom building work takes place outside of the walls of the church edifice. Turn these stones into bread, says Satan to Jesus and feed yourself. Use your power to serve yourself. Anytime the church focuses solely on feeding herself, the church falls into this temptation and the mission of God is drastically reduced and made smaller.

For the second temptation, the devil takes Jesus to great heights and challenges Jesus to throw himself off the top – and trust that God’s angels will catch you. It’s a nice little writing trick – Jesus quotes scripture at the end of the first temptation to answer the Devil and so the Devil uses scripture – Psalm 91 – as part of the next temptation and challenge. The Devil is asking that Jesus put the promises of God to the test.

When I was a student at Hastings College and I was taking a difficult class, sometimes I would put off studying until the last minute, and often the very, very last minute. And honestly, this strategy did not work out for me. But I found that it did improve my prayer life because I would need divine intervention to help me get through the next test. My prayer would be something like this: “Dear God, if you help me pass this test, I will never procrastinate again.” I think many of us make choices that put us in a bind. And our prayers sound very similar. Dear God, if you forgive me this one time, again, I really will repent and change my ways. Dear God, if you get me through this, I promise that I will be different. I don’t want to diminish these prayers because I know that God listens and God has compassion, even if God isn’t going to help you with that calculus exam. But the slippery slope is knowing that God’s promise is true and that God’s grace is real, and then deliberately screwing up again because you know that God is always going to forgive you.

Let me put it this way: I believe that it is true that any one person can deliberately turn away from God, live their life in whatever way they choose fit, and then on their death bed, sincerely pray to God and ask God’s forgiveness…and God will grant it. I believe that God is that gracious. But I’m not going to encourage anyone to do this because so much of life is missed out when God’s grace and sovereignty are not included. This puts God’s promises to the test. As Tom Long writes: “Testing God’s promises comes not from trust, but lack of it. Trying out the promises of God to see if they really work is a sign not of sure faith, but of fundamental doubt (Matthew, 39).”

The church fails to resist this temptation when we hedge against God’s promises. When we rely upon our own resources, instead of upon God’s goodness, we fail to believe in God’s sovereignty. When our vision of the future is based upon our skills, hopes, and dreams, instead of upon the coming of God’s kingdom, than we are not trusting in the redemptive work of God’s spirit.

In the third temptation, the Devil offers to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The Devil tempts Jesus with ultimate power and authority and dominion over all. It is the temptation to find a quicker and easier way to God than the suffering way of the cross. Jesus knows that in the end he will have the authority of God bought through the cross. But Jesus knows that the price is to journey the path of suffering.

At the heart of this temptation is the sin of idolatry. Whenever the church bows down to that which is not God – hoping that this will fill our hearts – we succumb to this temptation. The way of Jesus is the way of the cross. The way of Jesus is the way of suffering. The way to God is through the crucified Jesus Christ. Anything else is not truly the way. This is admittedly a difficult path. The temptation is to take an easier road. The temptation is to fill our lives with other gods, hoping that they will fill our hearts enough. In St. Augustine’s Confessions he writes “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, O God.”

When Jesus resists these three temptations, we learn that Jesus’ ministry is as broad and as wide as the love of God. Jesus has the power to feed himself, but his ministry is to provide the bread of life for all who believe. Jesus knows that God’s angels would catch him when he falls, but his mission is to reach out his arms to others, to the world. Jesus knows that the power of God, and all God’s kingdom are already his, but his life is meant for the cross, so that the power of death itself could be destroyed.

And because Jesus’ mission and ministry is so broad, other-directed, and life-giving, our mission and ministry should be as well. We are also called to resist the temptation to limit God’s grace. We are also called to trust in God’s promises of goodness and mercy. We are also called to resist the temptation to follow anything other that than God we know if Jesus Christ.

Benediction: And so, my good people of God, as you prepare to leave this place and enter into the world and your daily lives, be prepared to resist the temptation to keep God’s blessings close at hand. Instead, go out into the world with open arms, ready to enlarge God’s love and mercy and grace by your love and compassion.

In the name of our triune God – our creator, our comforter, and our Christ – one God, now and forever. Amen and amen.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Saturday - March 12

Daily Readings for Saturday, March 12, 2011

¹⁴And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive. --From Titus, chapter 3.

The book of Titus is a letter written by the apostle Paul to Titus. It's not a letter to a church, but to an individual. Titus has been under the tutelage of Paul, but the time has come for them to depart. Paul has left Titus behind in Crete with a group of believers who will begin that task of "being community." The letter is filled with advice for young Titus as he begins this endeavor.

Towards the end of the letter, Paul instructs Titus to "let the people learn to devote themselves to good works" It's an interesting leadership strategy - to let people learn. It seems rather passive; not teach the people or instruct the people...but let them learn. I know that from my experience, sometimes more is learned through trail and error than through instruction.

But what I find most interesting in this brief command is that the people learn in order to meet urgent needs. The word urgent jumps out at me. It's not basic needs; it is urgent needs.

I have used a couple of (although somewhat trite) sayings to help keep me grounded throughout my ministry. Most weeks, I am busy (but I don't believe that is an affliction that only clergy suffer, most people I know are busy - in fact - many of us (and I'm certainly guilty of this) wear our busyness as a badge, somehow justifying our selfworth and importance). But it's true. I am busy. Many days there are more things left undone on my "to do" list then there are crossed off (I figure it's job security, right?!?). But whenever I get so busy that I feel overwhelmed, I give myself the space to step back and evaluate my priorities. Because I believe that if I am doing the things that I am called to be doing then there will be enough time in the day. I believe that God so ordered the world that there is the rhythm of day and night, of weeks and seasons and years. And I believe that God has a claim and a calling in my life. And I believe that God intends for me to live out (live into?) my vocation. And so, when I'm not getting it all done, I step back and evaluate and make sure that I am doing the right things. Maybe I am learning how to devote myself to good works (living out my calling) so that urgent needs are met (living into my vocation).

And that's not to say that I get it right all the time. For me, part of the evaluation process is learning how to be more efficient, prioritize better, and make better/more faithful decisions. And always, listening for God's guidance and assurance that what I am doing is what God intends for my life.

What it might look like if the church (and her members, me included), might learn to be better devoted to good works and meeting urgent needs?

Dear God, thank you for the opportunity to continue to learn how to devote my life to your good works. Help me to recognize the urgent needs that you are calling me to meet in my own life, witness, and ministry. Help me to have confidence in your sure and certain guidence as I listen to your voice and live my life in grateful response to your love, grace, and mercy. Amen.

John C

Friday, March 11, 2011

Friday - March 11 - 2011 - Third Day's a Charm

Daily Readings for Friday, March 11, 2011

Morning Psalm 22

¹   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
          Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
²   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
          and by night, but find no rest.

Okay, so today I'm realizing that this desire to be disrupted by a daily discipline is working. I'm up early today to post this because I'm in Lincoln, at my sister's house, attending the boy's state basketball tournament because my nephew plays this morning. I came with R and E, and E is a bit under-the-weather. She slept okay last night, except for between 2 and 4:30 a.m. And at 4:45, R started complaining - "She's touching me." I'm trying to finish this up before the choas of cousins swings into high gear.

I know that these words from Psalm 22 are words that Jesus uttered from the cross, hours before his death. And so I hesitate to compare my one sleepless night, where I cried out to God, but found no rest, to Jesus. It does however put some persepctive on suffering.

It's true - I feel like my one night of interupted sleep (I was in my niece's bed - so I got to sleep under the watchful gaze of a Taylor Lautner poster!) is causing me to suffer. I'll be with family all day, so I'll try my best to not be crabby. I'll do my best to not let me kiddos drive me nuts. I'll do my best...to not suffer. But all of this is really my choice. I chose to drive last night, even though I knew E had a fever. I chose to be here.

Jesus' suffering is so different. It makes that last paragraph look rather childish and whiny. (I get to see my family. My kids get to be with cousins - normally joyful proclimations!) Jesus suffers because of obedience. Obedience to God's will - not only for his life, but for the salvation of all. Jesus suffers because he is other-directed. Jesus knows it isn't about him - about one person's wants, needs, and desires. Jesus suffers because he is for the other - and the other is us.

And so, I'm going to take off my bad attitude, my need to complain, and my desire to go back to bed. And I'm going to attempt to delight in my family and the blessing it is to be with them. And I'm going to submit my need to control the day ahead and see what God has in store.

Dear God - Thank you for this day. Thank you for a warm place to lay my head at night and a large extended family that loves me. Help me to be loveable. Help me to set aside my own desires and seek your presence and your will for my life. Today and all days. Amen.

John C.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Thursday - March 10, 2011 a.k.a. Day Two

Daily Readings for Thursday, March 10, 2011

Dueteronomy 7, verses 6 and 7: "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you--for you were the fewest of all peoples."

I find the idea that God has a people that are claimed as "treasured possessions." It's nice to be claimed and treasured. It's nice to know that God has a chosen people - the people of the covenant who promise to always serve God and God promises to always be God.

But I find it especially intriguing that the text claims that the people were chosen because they were small in number. God didn't choose the biggest nation to be God's people. God "set his heart" on the fewest of all people.

It seems to me that there is something biblical about the blessings of smallness. When the shepherd looses one sheep, out of 100, he abandons the 99 in order to find the one lost little lamb. When the woman looses her coin, she abandons all in order to find the one small coin. When Jesus speaks about the mustard seed, he comments on the smallness of the seed - and what latent potential the small seed has. In Jesus' ministry, he only gathered 12 people around him to do his work - and even then he formed an "inner circle" of three that he spoke with most often. (And I know there is deliberate symbolism in the gospels - 12 disciples; 12 tribes of Israel.) Faith like a child (although you could argue about the "small-ness" of children's faith; in many ways a child's faith is bigger...and shrinks as one matures) is enough to move mountains and to be welcomed by Jesus in his lap.

The bible -- and God -- hold a special, blessed place for small. I believe this is counter to our current cultural context. Bigger is better to much of the world. Our culture values bigger bank accounts, bigger muscles (and other body parts - thanks to silicone and botox), bigger trucks, vans, and SUVS, bigger personalities, bigger houses and lawns, bigger burgers (Super-sized), bigger portions, bigger privileges, bigger drama, bigger...well bigger. If you buy into some of the dominant messages of the media, than you know that bigger is better on many levels.

The church sometimes falls into this trap. Bigger numbers in worship, bigger budgets, bigger buildings and programs that attract bigger groups. Bigger in everything except faith.

I think that maybe there is something to this notion that God has a special place for things that are small. And I think that when we get our porportions under control (and more appropriate) that being small has the potential to enlarge our faith.

There is a great song by one of my favorite singer-songwriters, David Wilcox, called "Hold It Up To The Light." It's a song about discernment. And there is a line that says something like, if the choice were always clear and easy, I'd never have a chance to exercize my faith." I think that when everything is large and big then it is more difficult for faith to be challenged and grow.

Dear God,
Help me to think small. Help me to curb my own desires to be more than you intend me to be. Heal my unhealthy boudaries so that your presence in my life might enlarge. Give me the faith to trust in you and follow in your ways. Amen.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Day One - Ash Wednesday

Daily Readings for Wednesday, March 9, 2011

As I read the daily lectionary readings, the opening of Psalm 5 and pieces from Hebrews jumped out at me.

Psalm 5 starts with the words: "Give hear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch (vs. 1-2)." One of the reasons why I love the Psalms and am drawn to them is because of the language of yearning. The author of the Psalms wants to know and to be known by God. In Psalm 5, there is a almost tangible desire to know that God is listening.

I know at an academic-all-in-my-head level that God is always listening and always hears my prayers. But at an emotional, heart level, there is a part of me that wants certainty and confirmation that God, my God, is listening to me and is affected by the trails, tribulations, and trivias. And I hear that kind of desire in many of the Psalms - a hurting and lonely voice, crying out to a compassionate God, hoping for an answer, or an assurance that the prayer has been heard.

Today begins the season of Lent, and since I have given up my car for the next 40 days, I bundled up and walked (temperature was in the teens when I left the house). As I walked (slipping and sliding in some places), I reflected on the pharse "O Lord, in the morning, you hear my voice." If you know me, you know that I am not a morning person. I am pretty much a grump until 9:30 or 10:00 and the coffee has kicked in. I wonder what my voice sounds like to God each morning? It's certainly not filled with praise and joy!

The Hebrews passage (12:1-14) had several phrases that jumped out at me as I read them this morning. I just want to record them here with a few impressions (since this is the first day of this lenten blog - I don't want to use all of my words!) Verse 4: "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Verse 12: "Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be be healed." I'm not sure why the idea of "struggle with my sin to the point of blood shed" captivates my imagination today. I guess I'm not sure how to imagine what that looks like on a practical level. I think about the sins that I am most prone to - pride, works righteousness, not trusting God enough, or making my problems bigger than they are (and therefore making God and my faith smaller), and I trust that God is working on me through my struggles with them. And I know that it is Christ's blood that redeems and forgives all my past (and continues into my presence).

And I like the idea at the end of Hebrews of lifting hands that are drooped and straightening up - the author if pointing me to look to Jesus.

Dear God, As I lift up my voice to you this morning, I am grateful to begin the holy season of Lent connected to you through the great cloud of witnesses all around me. As I repent of my sin before you, I ask that you would renew my heart and my soul so that I might delight with joy in your presence. Even as we journey to the cross together, may your love be so real to me in my daily life that I might be transformed into the likeness of your son. Amen.

John C