The Mainline Minister

What's a friend worth?

2012-02-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week Facebook filed for a $5 billion IPO. That's a lot of money, but Facebook and its money people believe there's a boat load of money - multiples of $5 billion to be exact - to be made through social media. Given the number of people who use Facebook and the time spent there, I suspect they're right. Like hundreds of millions of others, I've got an FB account. It's been a nice way to stay in touch with some old friends who live far away. It's also been useful to me in my ministry. But something about this week's IPO has me on edge.

Relationships are fundamental to who we are as humans; for Christians, relationship is at the heart of the Trinity. Facebook, and the web in general, are supposed to help us come together yet all too often they do the opposite. Who amongst us hasn't experienced all the glories of passive aggression via Email? On social media sites, people can and do post comments they'd never share face to face. And, back to email, at least as a point of departure, gossip in the digital age has assumed a dynamic unimaginable in the past - who needs a telephone tree when you can blast the latest dish or rumor to fifty, 100, 1000 people?

I won't claim to be saying anything revelatory here, but I will confess that I'm bothered, and in a way that I haven't been before. Don't be surprised if you read more on this from me. In the meantime, I think I'll go talk to someone.

As Linus Was Saying ...

2011-12-25T06:27:00.000-08:00

One of the great moments in Yuletide storytelling occurs in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." When asked what the Christmas story was all about, Linus offered the following from Luke:

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Take a few moments today to reflect on these words and the great gift of which they tell. Then rejoice!

Merry Christmas!

Are We There Yet?

2011-12-24T06:58:00.001-08:00

Anybody who has ever traveled with a child (or been a child who has traveled) is familiar with that most insistent, expectant, hope-laden question: Are we there yet? Those simple, eager, sometimes desperate words are filled with anticipation, yearning, desire. All too often, the answer is "no." And when the query has been made multiple times, the "no" may be curt, sharp, lacking in warmth.

Happily, none of that will be going on today. As we complete our Advent journey, and ask the question, "Are we there yet?" the answer is a joyful "just about" -- if we're thinking of tonight's candlelight services and tomorrow's festivities (and service!). But if we're thinking about something more elemental - God's presence -- then the answer is "Yes!" We're in God's presence, indeed, we've been there all along, because God, motivated by and defining love, came searching us out, each of us and all of us, so long ago.

Almost

2011-12-23T18:31:00.001-08:00

We're almost there ... almost at Christmas. So let's enjoy our final moments of Advent. The hour may be late, but this last full day of the season of preparation has yet to come to a close. If you have a chance, take a moment and sit quietly. Reflect on your Advent journey, on how God has been in present in your life, on what it means to embark on a voyage of spiritual discovery with Emmanuel. Then, when you are done, give thanks to our Creator for not only inviting us on this journey but for being our steadfast companion, in good times and bad.

Bonsai

2011-12-22T07:58:00.001-08:00

This morning I paid a visit to the dentist. And while I was in an office just a few steps from the green in downtown Lebanon, I also found myself on the Upper West Side, in the waiting room of Dr. Hiram Angfang, the family dentist. It was never clear to me why we went to Manhattan to have our teeth checked and cleaned, but I didn't mind. Rides on the subway, a trip for pizza after the appointment (my dad always led these expeditions), an excursion down to Times Square in all of its squalid 1970s glory beckoned. Throw in piles of Highlights for Children and colorful fish in the aquarium and one had an always satisfying experience. But if you asked me to recall just one thing about Dr. Angfang's office all these years later, it would be the bonsai tree. Small, delicate, beautiful, and resilient, the little tree held pride of place in the waiting area. For a kid, that Bonsai was magical - trees were supposed to be, well, big. And this one was most definitely not. Yet it was a fine, proud arboreal specimen, one I remember after more than forty years.

This is a season of memories, some happy, some not, some cherished, some resented. We will hold or push away our memories, as individuals and as a community. Some of the things we will recall will serve to divide us from others, others will alienate those who ought to be reconciled. Into this jumble comes the memory of the Christ-child, the one who brings us hope, grace, and joy. Like the Bonsai, the baby was small, delicate, beautiful, and resilient. And the memory of him will be with each of us forty years and beyond, indeed will be with us forever, as long as we're willing to make room for him in our hearts.

Darkness

2011-12-21T07:22:00.001-08:00

How appropros today's forecast is: cloudy, cold, with a 100% of rain this afternoon. This weather is just what's needed on the shortest day of the year; not only will we enjoy more darkness than on any other day of the year, the elements will join in the effort to dampen our spirits. Woo hoo.

Of course, there is an upside to all this: Tomorrow there will be more daylight than there is today. The skies will be clear. Things will be better. My weather app tells me so and I believe it, even though almost three decades of New England living tell me to take any prediction involving weather with a grain of salt. Still, I'm optimistic, I have faith.

And what is faith? In Hebrews 11 we are told that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith is what animates our longing, our yearning, our anticipation for Emmanuel, the Christ-child, who was promised to us long ago. Each of us desires to experience love incarnate, to meet the Word made flesh. In just a few days, we'll join together with song and story to commemorate the fulfillment of this gift from our Creator. And we'll do so with faith and optimism, without regard for the weather.

Emmanuel

2011-12-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to extend an invitation. Set aside a few moments, find a quiet place, then sing aloud (or read in silence) "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." After doing this, meditate on and pray about your desire to encounter the one who comes to you and me and the world, God-with-us.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Pilgrim Hymnal 110

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

And order all things, far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And cause us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Kings

2011-12-19T07:42:00.001-08:00

The news arrived yesterday of the death of two political figures: Kim Il Sung and Vaclav Havel. The former was an odious tyrant who oppressed and exploited his people, the latter a man who embodied his nation's yearning for freedom. About as far apart as two leaders can be in values, temperament, and priorities, and legitimacy, they did share in common one thing: their mortality. Even at the pinnacle of power, their reach was limited, their influence finite. Their finitude stands in contrast to that of the king whose arrival we anticipate at the end of this week: the ruler who appears as an infant, the one who assumes a throne to serve, the monarch who equates power with service.

Home Stretch

2011-12-18T09:59:00.001-08:00

If you've ever run a race, you're familiar with the home stretch. You've run almost the whole distance, but that last bit needs to be covered before the finish line is crossed. I always found myself focused in those moments and always wanted to go out strong, inevitably finding some well of energy on which I could draw so I could end on a strong note. As a result, I always found myself able to be fully present in the final stages of a race, whether it was a 5K or half marathon. In many ways, it was when I felt most attuned to what was going on.

We're in the home stretch of Advent and Christmas is just over the horizon. I hope that each of us can be fully present to this season of anticipation and preparation over the next few days. If we are, crossing the finish line -- arriving at the manger in Bethlehem -- will be that much more enlivening and fulfilling.

Shift

2011-12-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Can you feel the impending change? Today is the final day of the last full week of Advent; tomorrow we'll begin the run up to Christmas. This afternoon offers a respite, a chance to catch our breath, to take a moment to think about John's proclamation of who he was (I am the voice) and the One he was heralding (He who is speaking a word of hope, grace, salvation). I hope you'll find a time to sit or walk, pray or think, a time in which you'll be able to step back and marvel at the journey on which God has been leading us this Advent season and throughout our lives.

Raffie and Richie

2011-12-16T16:47:00.001-08:00

This morning I was in Cambridge and, having some time before a meeting, I stopped in at one of my old breakfast haunts from my Div School days. The last time I was there, I weighed a good 50 pounds more than I do today. When I went in, I took a stool at the counter, and was given a menu like anybody walking in off the street. But after a little while, Raffie and Richie, the short order cooks, having exchanged some knowing glances and sotte voce comments, both looked me in the eye, smiled and said it was good to see me. They readily, and a bit sheepishly, confessed they didn't recognize at me first; I told them I wasn't surprise given the passage of time and my weight loss. We talked a bit, I enjoyed my breakfast, and off I went to my next engagement.

I think my experience this morning offers a glimpse of what it's like to wander into God's presence, especially during Advent. No matter how much time has passed, nor how much we've changed, God will always welcome us, embrace us, and make us feel that we've never left. So, as we await the arrival of the Christ child, let's not forget that we, too, are on a journey, that our arrival is anticipated and eagerly desired by none other than the One who created the universe -- and who made each and every one of us.

Rain

2011-12-15T08:12:00.001-08:00

With apologies to Raymond Chandler, today's weather is the stuff the blues are made of. The skies are a leaden gray, the intermittent rain cold and unwanted. All I want to do is say, "blah."

"Blah."

I've done it. Do I feel better? Not so much. Which suggests another tack might be in order.

Looking at the sky again, I recall the imagery from Luke of angels bursting forth through the sky, breaking into our world to announce the birth of the Christ child.

Advent, the time of waiting, is a moment to remember that something different, something grander is coming. That's not just an empty statement; it's the truth. And we know this is the case because what's to come is promised by our faithful God -- who has already made good on his commitment to us.

So, "Blah?'' Not on your life. How about "Wow!"

Priorities

2011-12-14T07:05:00.001-08:00

A glance at my desk diary told me I didn't have the time. Meetings. Sermon prep. Christmas services. Etc. Etc. Etc. But the advice from a fellow parent to attend the Advent singing that begins the day at Chip's school was compelling. So this morning I drove to Quechee and slipped into the auditorium with Chip. The kids entered the room, spiraling around the candles with the oldest on the outside, the youngest at the center. Songs ensued, some quiet, some boisterous, all geared to Advent, culminating with Dona Nobis Pacem. It was a joy and blessing to be present. For while the rest of my day may be a bit more crowded and hectic, the time amidst those young singers grounded me for the day ahead, reminding me of my priorities this Advent season: to slow down and be present in God's moment.

Gratitude

2011-12-13T08:30:00.001-08:00

'Tis the season of gift giving, we are told. Repeatedly. Endlessly. Ad nauseum. That perfect something -- whether it's a widget from the hardware store or a diamond from Tiffany's -- is just waiting to be placed in the hands of that someone special in your life (Your beloved? Your mom? You, perhaps?). And with all of this come the all-too-familiar cries of rampant consumerism, of how we've lost sight of the "reason for the season" as the corny phrase has it. So what to do?

Throttle back on the shopping? Sure.

Give things that show thoughtfulness rather than spending capacity? Definitely.

But here's an additional idea: look at the seasonal gift giving frenzy as an opportunity to practice gratitude. Every time you get something, even that family fruitcake or those neon purple socks, say thank you. Like you mean it. Then reflect on other things in your life for which you wish to give thanks, especially God's grace and love made known to us in Jesus.

Gratitude. Give it a try!

Crystal Clear

2011-12-12T10:29:00.001-08:00

The sun is shining bright, the sky's a crisp blue, and everything is sharp: a picture postcard-quality December day. The light is the kind that makes the heart soar and the spirit sing as all is brought into sharp relief.

Bringing things into sharp relief: that's what Advent can do for our perspective, too. We prepare ourselves for the arrival of the One who illuminates the Way, who, through word, action, miracle, example, shows us what we need to know to lead lives of clarity, purpose, and grace.

Look around, enjoy the view, and give thanks for what God is showing you, me, us, this day.

Welcome

2011-12-11T11:32:00.001-08:00

During Advent, we prepare to welcome the infant Jesus into the world and into our lives. But as we do this, we should ready ourselves to not only welcome but to be welcomed. The Christ child, after all, came to usher in God's Kingdom, to signal to each of us, whether we were born in a manger or a palace or some place in between, that there is a place in God's new community of love, grace, and hope for everyone. So as we welcome Jesus, let us always remember that he welcomed us first.

Rest

2011-12-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday, the day of rest, the Sabbath, according to Genesis and is still recognized and celebrated as such by Judaism. This was originally the Christian day of rest, too, but for a variety of reasons theological, ecclesiastical, and competitive, the early church moved the Sabbath to Sunday. Advent strikes me as a great time to break out of our routines, including the one that assigns a specific day to rest and by implication suggests resting on the other days is somehow inappropriate. Resting isn't lazing about or being idle, it's a time to take stock, to reflect on God's good creation, on the kingdom that is breaking into the world.

Please join me today -- and on all the other days with and without the word "sun" in them --- in finding time to rest, give thanks and praise, and thus prepare ourselves to welcome God into our lives.

Shaking Things Up

2011-12-09T07:50:00.001-08:00

If you have a moment, take a peek at Sunday's reading from John's Gospel (John 1:6-8, 19-28). It's clear that the rabble rouser has come to town, ready to shake things up. But John's not stirring up trouble just because he's a rebel. Instead, he's trying to clear a path for Jesus. During this season of preparation, we're called to do the same, to shake things up, to stir the pot. We may focus on our community -- or we make turn our attention inward. Either way, by rocking the proverbial boat, we're readying ourselves for the arrival of Jesus and the transforming love and grace he offers.

So don't just sit there -- shake things up!

Surprised by Snow

2011-12-08T09:20:00.001-08:00

The forecast tipped me off days ago about the potential for wintry weather. The weatherman prepped me for 4 to 8 inches of snow -- and thus all the inconveniences that might ensue: hazardous driving, school delays or closures, lots of shoveling. I prepared myself. And then ...

A crusty, light snow. Decorative, really. Easy to remove and navigate. Everyone was off to school and work on time.

So, another Advent surprise and reminder: we so easily allow ourselves to be consumed by fear, doubt, worries, the things that can go wrong. But when we let this happen, we risk missing the small joys, the little reminders of God's love all around us.

We read in the Gospels that we are not to worry, that God is in charge. Advent is a time to step back, slow down, and wait -- wait for God's design for creation and for our lives to unfold. As we do this, I pray that each of us is surprised -- by joy, by grace, even by snow.

Too Much to Do, Too Little Time

2011-12-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those days (again) where one meeting leads to another that leads to a lunch that leads to a ... You get the picture. It's all been good, worthwhile, and fulfilling. But there's been barely a moment to catch my breath.

Which, oddly enough, may be a good thing.

Why? Because it's a reminder that time for reflection is something we can't take for granted. Schedules, demands on our time, preoccupations, distractions can all keep us from slowing down. Yet if we're not intentional, if we don't take the time to be present in and for Advent, we risk losing sight of the sacred, the holy breaking into our world. God is coming to us -- but God may not do so with fanfare. Instead, like the thief in the night, he may be stealthy, quiet, and, if we're not paying attention, we may never even notice he's arrived!

Children

2011-12-06T05:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the feast day of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children and the inspiration for Santa Claus. In this season when we hear lots about the wonders and magic of childhood but see marketing machines treat our little ones as consumers and read in the sports pages of awful things being done to kids by those they trust and respect, it's important to pause and give thanks for and pray for the children in our midst. They are a blessing, a responsibility, a joy, a challenge. And it was in the form of one that God came to us. In this season when we are encouraged to give, let's give the gift of love and caring to our young ones, whether they're the kids in our own or boys and girls on the far side of the world.

Never Too Late

2011-12-05T18:31:00.001-08:00

My day began early - very early as I had a board meeting in Boston and wanted to avoid sitting in morning rush hour traffic on Route 92 -- and never quite seemed to slow down. Now, though, I have a chance to reflect, to pause, to catch my breath. While late evening is a time to be tired, it's also a time when our defenses can be down and distractions put aside, enabling us to open ourselves in new ways to the Holy Spirit, which sometimes approaches us gently, subtly, even stealthily.

I pray that during this Advent season you will be graced with evening moments when you can set aside your cares, your worries, your schedule, and lose yourself in the quiet, stillness of the hour. Because when you do lose yourself you way you will be blessed by what you find ...

Music

2011-12-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

It's the second Sunday of Advent and millions of churchgoers around the world will be sitting in their pews grumbling, "Why can't we just skip to the Christmas carols already?" I'm sympathetic to these impulses -- the music of Christmas often has primal associations for us, evoking hopes, dreams, memories, aspirations. But while it may not all be as singable, the music of Advent can stir deep emotions -- and satisfy the singer -- too. Whether it's the grand "Lo! He comes with clouds descending," the gentle "Of the Father's Love Begotten," the thumping "On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry," or the intimately familiar "O come, O come, Emmanuel," there's something for everyone. So, enjoy the moment. Be present in Advent. Sing the music of the season with joy and gratitude. You'll be glad you did. And, when Christmas comes around, those carols will be enjoyed that much more!

Seeking

2011-12-03T11:33:00.001-08:00

We talk about waiting during Advent: we wait for Christmas, we wait for the Christ child. But waiting need not mean being idle. It need involve sitting on our hands and doing nothing. It should be a synonym for passivity in our spiritual lives. As we wait for the Christ child, as we prepare for joy incarnate to break into our world, we can seek out God's love -- in those around us, among strangers, in the community, through service, prayer, reading, song, wherever, whenever, we're ready to be be alert. So let's look, listen, wait -- and seek. God comes to us -- and delights in our coming to God.

Coffee

2011-12-02T07:56:00.001-08:00

This morning I enjoyed a cup of coffee with a member of our church. We had a chance to catch up on each others' lives, share the latest news about our families, share a few jokes, and, of course, talk church. The time we took from our schedules was a gift, not just because of the company we shared, but because meeting gave each of us a chance to slow down. As I consider this Advent, and reflect on the year that's past, I see that there are more people, in the church and beyond, with whom I would like to have coffee or lunch or whatnot. I write this not out of a sense of guilt, but gratitude and possibility. So, rather than offer a New Year's Resolution, I'm offering an Advent Aspiration: to take more time to enjoy that blessing of the company of the members of my community -- whether it's the one I experience in church or it's the one beyond. Perhaps you'll join me in grabbing a cup of Joe? My treat!

Opening Doors

2011-12-01T08:09:00.001-08:00

It's December 1, which means people around the world will begin opening little doors on Advent calendars as they count their way down to Christmas. If one is using a new calendar, one never knows what one will find behind the flap. The door behind which one discovers the unexpected: what a wonderful image to carry through Advent! During this season of waiting and watching, of being alert and awake, we can be surprised in ways large and small as we open ourselves to encounters with God, through prayer, reflection, reading, service and interaction with others. So crack open the door, take a peak at what's behind -- you'll be amazed and blessed by what's awaiting you!

Springtime

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today's bright sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s have me thinking about spring. Walking about this morning, I felt as if a peek at the calendar would reveal a date in mid-April, not late-November. While this may seem odd approaching the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, it actually strikes me as being spot on during this season of Advent.

Spring has long been associated with rebirth -- and what is it we celebrate on Christmas? The birth of the Christ child -- and with the arrival of that infant in a manger, the rebirth and renewal of creation. You see, Advent isn't just about readying ourselves to remember an event from long ago but preparing ourselves to celebrate a new beginning, a new birth, God's new spring, this very day.

Stillness

2011-11-29T05:03:00.000-08:00

One of the first things I do each morning is take the dog out to start his day (though at this time of year, "day" seems like a misnomer given how dark it still is at 6:00 am). Today, I was struck by the stillness, of a world that had yet to rouse itself before hurtling forward into whatever lay ahead. The silence provided time to think and reflect and, unbidden, the refrain of "O Come, O Come Emmnuel" presented itself:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come
To thee, O Israel!

Emmanuel -- Jesus -- is coming. Finding a still place, a silent moment, if even only for a moment, can help us prepare for his arrival.

Looking

2011-11-28T05:03:00.001-08:00

Monday. The start of a new week. Some of us have gotten off to a fast start, others are dragging. Calendars for the week ahead may be full to overflowing or they may be achingly empty. Whatever the pace or tempo of the days ahead, though, we each share th same Advent opportunity: looking for signs of God's love breaking into our world. I hope you will join me in taking a few minutes each day of this Advent season to look for, and then reflect upon, these signs.

What Are You Waiting For?

2011-11-27T06:02:00.001-08:00

What Are You Waiting For?

Today's Gospel reading, from Mark 13, has been dubbed the "Little Apocalypse" by biblical scholars -- and with good reason. Jesus speaks of the world upended, of a cosmos transformed. This is most surely NOT the stuff of our secular Holiday Season, when we are encouraged to believe our biggest concern is which box store we should visit at 4 am for an extra 10% discount on that thing we really, desperately, achingly "need". No, Mark's Gospel points us to something bigger, something more unsettling -- and ultimately far more rewarding: God's new creation--right here, right now. Love incarnate is coming, but we need to be ready to accept it into our lives. Hence, the season of Advent, when we ready ourselves for the arrival of the Christ Child.

What are you -- what am I -- waiting for? A bargain? Or a new way of living? Advent invites us to the latter. Let's accept the invitation!

Stop the Yuletide Madness!

2011-11-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

"Felize Navidad," move over. Justin Bieber's singing "Little Drummer Boy."

I kid you not.

I don't make this stuff up.

Really.

Just four seconds of the hour's musical wunderkind singing "Little Drummer Boy" this morning made me desperately long for the morning of December 25 and the return to regular programming on the radio.

Of course, this may be a sign from above, offering us yet another reason for us to reclaim Advent from the wider culture!

Who Would Jesus Waterboard?

2011-11-13T05:08:00.000-08:00

For almost four weeks my muse has gone missing. Thanks to the GOP presidential contenders, she is back, full-throated.

So, why the sudden chattiness? Well, chalk it up to the quesiton from a viewer to Herman Cain: do you support the use of torture. Mr. Cain replied "no." But then he added a "however" -- he's for the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," including waterboarding. So, too, were others on stage including Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry. I single these three out, though, for a particular reason. Cain, Bachmann, and Perry have all made big stinks about their Christian faith. I didn't need to spend three years at HDS to find myself wondering how one squares fidelity to the teachings of Jesus with the approval of "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Do any of these people honestly think Jesus would be okay with waterboarding? Do they really? If they do, I'd love to hear them offer an explanation because I just don't see it. Given that Jesus, our teacher, our savior, our Lord, died on a cross, you'd think that people who claim to be his followers would be extra sensitive to any action that inflicted pain and degradation on any of God's children.

And Now A Word From Our Underwriters ...

2011-10-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Living here in the Upper Valley, I have the distinct privilege of being able to turn on my radio and enjoy not one but two public radio begathons. And, thanks to the miracle of the internet, if the blandishments of VPR and NHPR aren't enough, I can encounter the virtual tin cup proffered by WQXR in New York. Now don't get me wrong: I understand the need to raise money to pay the bills. And I know government funding provides only a small portion of any public radio station's budget. But it just seems to go and on. And on. Even after I pledge.

Is there any way I can get it to end?

Or, at least, be so brazen about getting people to pledge gifts or time during church over the next month? (Just imagine, a pitch, after every hymn and prayer. Yep. The seventh circle of Hell ...)

God in the Grocery Store

2011-10-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

This morning I ran into a parishioner in the grocery store. We talked about recent developments in her life and with her family. I've done this with her before. And, I've had other moments with members of our church in this store. Sometimes it's early in the morning, other times a few minutes before closing. Sometimes our exchanges are lighthearted, other times they involve intense conversations. Always, though, I feel the presence of God. What about you? Do you ever have ministry moments at the store? Maybe at the gym? Your favorite coffee shop? If so, I'd love to hear about them.

Looking back, looking ahead

2011-09-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Alas, nothing profound today (but hopefully interesting!).

The workmen have started erecting the scaffolding around our bell tower and on the roof as part of this fall's shingling and painting project at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon. Last week they used a giant cherry picker to gain access to the top of the meetinghouse. In the early 19th century, or "the olden days" as my son likes to refer to the past, oxen and very long ramps stretching to the town green were used to get the bell into place. Today we'd just park a crane next to the building and hoist the bell. Modern construction and preservation technology greatly eases caring for a legacy property like FCC; using modern tools we've been able to peak into (and behind) corners, measure the potential impact of vibrations from construction on ceilings and trusses, and grapple with issues that would not have occurred to those who build the place in the early 1800s (lead paint, anyone?).

All this is a good thing. In an evermore transient world, old landmarks are to be valued. But as we tend to our historic building, I'm glad that we're doing so not because we're fixated on the past (though we take pride in what our forebears have achieved) but because we want a place where we can do the ministry to which God is calling us today.

Troy Davis

2011-09-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

Last night the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis, who had been convicted of killing Mark MacPhail, a Savannah police officer, despite a multitude of questions surrounding both evidence presented and evidence not presented in the case. Davis' execution is but the latest instance in which the death penalty has been applied even though there were reasonable doubts regarding the person to be executed was actually guilty. Statistical and anecdotal evidence suggesting innocent people are being put to death by the state has given rise to debate as to whether, under these circumstances, the death penalty should be used or set aside. This is all well and good and needs to be explored. But I believe that Christians have an obligation to take this discussion one step further: should the state be in the business of killing criminals at all?

Strip away talk of "ultimate sanctions" (a bloodless euphemism for execution) and "deterrence" (there's no evidence that the death penalty serves as one) and we're left with vengeance. Jesus, of course, taught us that in our lives we're often faced with a stark choice between vengeance and forgiveness. We will only find healing and peace through the latter. Given our "tough on crime" culture, this kind of talk can seem very much out of step with the prevailing zeitgeist. Cop killers and other odious figures should be punished, not coddled, right? Yes, they should. But do we really need to punish others in ways that diminishes our common humanity? Jesus would tell us no. Jesus came to be with us, indeed, died on a cross for us, because he sought to help us be the people God wants us to be.

Killing Troy Davis, even if he was guilty, did nothing to bring back Mark MacPhail, did nothing to make us safer, did nothing to heal our society. All Davis' execution did was make us a little bit less human and did nothing to make us be the people God wants us to be.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Look Back

2011-09-21T06:38:00.001-07:00

It's been 24 hours since the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law passed into history and the Republic still seems safe. Discrimination never does our nation proud and I'm glad that we've closed the book on this long, pointless, harmful chapter in our history (did it ever make sense while we were at war in Iraq to be dismissing Arabic-language specialists when we were suffering, and still are, from a shortage of personnel with this kind of expertise?).

Given the ultimate purpose of the military is to defend the nation and, let's be honest, if necessary, kill the enemy, who you love seems completely irrelevant to pulling the proverbial trigger. The UK and Israel, countries with armed forces that have repeatedly proven themselves in combat, have long allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the ranks without any adverse effects. I have no doubt that this will be true of our armed forces, too.

In an era when we're fighting two unpopular wars, pay is lagging, and benefits are about to be trimmed, I, for one, am especially grateful to anyone who is willing to put on our nation's uniform.

My Pal Richard Dawkins

2011-09-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

The New York Times ran a profile of evolutionary biologist and uber-atheist Richard Dawkins in this morning's Science Times section. Prof. Dawkins, an Oxford don, knows a lot about biology and is a brilliant scientist, but knows squat about religion; his rants against God show an understanding of religion and theology that are as simplistic (and, dare I say, simple-minded) as the approach to science shown by a number of religious and political figures on the right.

None of this is news, really. But it is puzzling. Why does somebody like Dawkins abandon any sense of intellectual nuance when discussing something of which he disapproves? Surely he can do better than his standard "religion is the source of all evil" schtick (especially since it was religion, of the Roman Catholic variety to be exact, that invented the enterprise of which he is currently a part).

Today's story makes me wish there were compelling religious figures who could command the same level of press and respect (although I'd like it to be warranted) when discussing topics beyond their area of expertise. You know, a Martin Luther King or Bishop Tutu. Just sayin' ...

John Calvin, Zombie Slayer

2011-09-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, a book titled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was published, launching an unexpected but highly popular (not to mention very lucrative) genre in which literature and the undead were mashed together. The success of PPZ inspired Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer (I kid you not). Given my interest in pop culture and my ecclesiastical responsibilities it seems to me that church history could prove a fertile field for this kind of book (Puritans v. Witches? A natural!). I'm thinking I could start off with John Calvin, Zombie Slayer ... though Zwingli, Zombie Zapper is awesomely alliterative...

9/11

2011-09-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ten years on, and the wounds are still so raw for some. For others, the event seems to have faded into the background.

As I reflect on the past decade, what I feel most is sadness, especially about what could have been. Do you remember the sense of unity, of purpose we experienced as a nation in the immediate aftermath of the attacks? During those September days, it seemed that great good could come out of our pain, that, to use church-talk, we could experience resurrection. It wasn't to be, though. Instead we chose to travel another path. But maybe someday it could be, can be. We can always opt for the Way of Jesus.

On this 9/11 anniversary, it's clear to me that if there's anything the institutional church should be focused on it's not worrying about survival or focusing on relevance but finding a way to turn those intimations of the kingdom of God that we glimpsed into a reality for all people.

Go to Hell!

2011-09-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

Boy, am I looking forward to using that as a sermon title later this fall!

But, seriously, what are we to make of hell? Rob Bell's book "Love Wins" has stirred up a lot of controversy in evangelical circles for questioning the view of hell that has prevailed in so many quarters of the faith for so long. This is a good thing. People should be talking about - and questioning - core concepts like the afterlife. It's part of being a Christian, after all. (Ever notice how Jesus loved to ask questions?)

One reader of this post asked if I had other books to recommend. Two I'd suggest: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (the best conception of hell I've encountered) and N.T. Wright's Simply Christian, which does a great job of exploring the basics of the faith and then tackles what that means for how we live our common life as members of the church.

Back. Again.

2011-09-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

In case anyone's been wondering, I last posted an entry in April.

That's right. April.

Surely this has earned me a place in Blogger Hell.

Blogger Hell. Surely you know it? In case you don't, it's the place where the only other posters are people seeking financial assistance in securing legacies from Nigerian dictators ("Provide me, dearly beloved sir, your social security and credit card numbers and I promise, really, truly, honestly, that I'll share my $45,000,000 inheritance with you) or offering various medications that will, um, enhance certain parts of my life (this is a family blog so, no more will be said). Is there a way out of this place, this seventh circle of Internet perdition you wonder?

Honestly, I don't know. But if there is, I'm assuming it involves doing a better job of updating this blog.

And speaking of hell, if you haven't read Rob Bell's book "Love Wins," I recommend you do. It's a quick but substantive read that you'll find well worth your time.

Aftermath ... and Prologue

2011-04-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

It’s been wet and raw today in the Upper Valley. The thermometer reported a temperature of 36 degrees. Some cars have sported snow on their hoods. A gray day makes it hard to believe that Easter is tomorrow.

The idea of new life, of a spiritual spring must have seemed similarly distant to the friends, disciples, and family of Jesus the day after his crucifixion. True, new relationships were already being formed: Mary and the Beloved Disciple would be there to support each other as Jesus has encouraged from the cross. But the reality that everything would be changed beyond recognition, that death had not had the last word, was still not evident.

It’s hard to put ourselves in the proverbial shoes of those first followers of Jesus but it’s worth trying. In doing so, we can open ourselves to the full power of what we will celebrate tomorrow. So, try to be fully present in this day of reflecting on what Jesus has meant in your life, of mourning the crucifixion, of wondering what is next now that Jesus seems to be gone for good. Give it a try. And who knows what surprise you’ll experience tomorrow …

Seven

2011-04-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Seven Last Words

The First Word: Father, forgive them

Luke 23.32-34

32Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus^* there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. (³⁴Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’)^* And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

The Second Word: With me in paradise

Luke 23.39-43

39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding^* him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?^* Save yourself and us!’ ⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ ⁴²Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into^* your kingdom.’ ⁴³He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

The Third Word: Woman, behold your Son

John 19.26-27

²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

The Fourth Word: My God, why have you forsaken me?

Mark 15.34-35

³⁴At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’^* ³⁵When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’

The Fifth Word: I thirst

John 19.28-29

28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.

The Sixth Word: It is finished

John 19.30

³⁰When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The Seventh Word: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit

Luke 23.46

⁴⁶Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.

Reflection

On Good Friday we recall the crucifixion of Jesus, the moment when darkness overwhelms the earth. The desire to escape from this moment is strong, but it must be resisted. Instead, we need to confront what happened on the cross. Only by doing so can we fully appreciate how lost humans can be, how deep God’s love for us truly is, and why we are need of God’s grace. So take a moment or two to stand at the foot of the cross with Mary and the Beloved Disciple. Consider what has happened. Reflect. Mourn. Pray.

Who's On Trial?

2011-04-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Luke 23.1-25

Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’

When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.

Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.’

Then they all shouted out together, ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!’ (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’ But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.

Reflection

On this Maundy Thursday we’ll focus on the Last Supper. We’ll note the depth of Jesus’ affection for his companions. We’ll see a demonstration of the power of service and being served as we recall the washing of feet in the Upper Room. While we’ll be sad, we can draw comfort from these images of friendship and devotion. But lest we become too comfortable, too maudlin, we have this reading from the breviary to remind us of where everything is headed: the cries of “Crucify, crucify him!”

Those who had only days earlier lauded Jesus now call for his death. Their expectations had not been met, their dreams not been fulfilled and so they turn on the man they thought was their Messiah. In doing so, they demonstrated not that Jesus was a false savior, but that they were indeed in need of salvation. Fortunately, while they turned on Jesus, he didn’t turn on them. Pain. Brokenness. Being lost. Jesus understands what we deal with. And, though we may find it all too tempting to turn away from him when the chips are down, when we most need him, he comes to us.

Fallible and lovable

2011-04-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

Luke 22.54-71

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’ They kept heaping many other insults on him.

When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They said, ‘If you are the Messiah, tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.’ All of them asked, ‘Are you, then, the Son of God?’ He said to them, ‘You say that I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!’

Reflection

And so Peter experiences his own special hell. He’s followed Jesus for three years, he’s confessed him as his Lord, he’s declared that he’d stand by his friend no matter what. Yet at the moment of crisis, he faltered. How easy it would be to dismiss Peter as a fair-weather disciple, as someone who needed to man up. Of course, if we did that, we’d just show that we hadn’t been paying attention to anything Jesus has been saying or doing.

Jesus knows we’ll stumble, he knows we’ll mess up. The big question as we travel the Way is what we’ll do next. Will we turn back? Give up? Will we try another route? Or will we persevere? If we do the latter, we’ll find Jesus is waiting for us, ready to give us another opportunity. He knows we’re fallible, that we’re not perfect, that we’re not human. And that points to one of the glories of our God: he loves us for who we are. Love like that demands, no, deserves, a response, our response.

Rest

2011-04-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

A Prayer for Compline

Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.

From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.

O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death.

Reflection

Compline, the nighttime office of the church, provides a moment of reflection and contemplation at the end of the day. On this Tuesday of Holy Week, after the excitement of Palm Sunday, and before the tumultuous events that we’ll recount beginning on Maundy Thursday, it seems right to take a moment to catch our breath, pause, and prepare ourselves for what is to come.

May God, who sanctified rest by creating the Sabbath, watch over you and yours this evening.

Friend or Foe

2011-04-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

Luke 22.1-23

Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.’ They asked him, ‘Where do you want us to make preparations for it?’ ‘Listen,’ he said to them, ‘when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, “The teacher asks you, ‘Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ” He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.’ So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.

Reflection

The contrasts in this passage couldn’t be starker: Friend, enemy. Loyalty, betrayal. Sacrifice, self-interest. Service, conspiracy. Good, evil. We have here two models of living. There’s Satan’s, rooted in lying, greed, and perversion. Then there’s Jesus’, which is founded on truth, sharing, and salvation. Put that way, it would seem easy to choose the way of Jesus every time. But the reality, for Judas and for many others, perhaps even you and me, is that the temptations to follow the path of Satan, are ever present and never to be ignored.

Convenience, status, cash, fear, ignorance, you name it—all can distract and draw us away from the life Jesus would have us lead. This story is a powerful reminder that if we are not careful, thoughtful, and faithful, we can all too easily lose the gift of grace and hope given to us in and through Jesus.

After the Parade

2011-04-17T12:51:00.001-07:00

Matthew 21.33-46

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Reflection

This is the Palm Sunday lesson for Vespers, the evening service. This morning we read Matthew 21.1-11, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The people rejoiced while the leaders reacted warily. In these verses, Jesus shares a parable – one that is pungent and all but impossible to misunderstand.

Jesus came to the capitol not to lead an insurrection but to tell the truth. The authorities are wary of what he has to say but the refrain from acting because the people are with Jesus. Soon enough, though, that will change. When it becomes clear that Jesus isn’t the kind of Messiah they desire, that he is challenging not only those in power but everyone, they will feel as threatened as their leaders, and they, too, will turn on Jesus.

It’s a cautionary lesson for us all. We proclaim our devotion to the Messiah, but what, really, do we want of him? What, really, are we willing to do for him? What, really, are we willing to let him do in us and through us? The hosannas have faded and we’ve now begun our Holy Week journey. As we travel, we are each called to consider these questions prayerfully and faithfully.

Light

2011-04-16T10:11:00.001-07:00

John 12.36b-end

While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’

After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. This was to fulfil the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

‘Lord, who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’
And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said,
‘He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’

Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.

Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.’

Reflection

As I write this, the sky is overcast, a featureless gray. It brings to mind my time as a student in upstate New York. There, the clouds would move in over the valley and Cayuga Lake. And then they’d just stay. For months, it seemed. Then, the sun would break through, and everything would change. Everything seemed clearer, more vivid, more alive.

That’s what the light John tell us about is like. It changes everything. It changes us. But we can’t take its presence for granted. Instead, we have to seize the moment; we have to open our hearts and minds now—right now—to the great gift that has come to us in Jesus. If we don’t, we may lose the opportunity to be transformed. We may think we’ll be ready later, that there will be a more convenient time. If we believe these things, we’re fooling ourselves. There will be new distractions, additional claims on our time and loyalties. The time to let the light of the world into our lives is right now, this very moment. Because the clouds are moving in again.

Sounding Off

2011-04-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

John 12.20-36a

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, ‘We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’

After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

Reflection

Some heard thunder, others were sure it was an angel. Different people, different experiences of God. Who was right? Jesus’ answer: it doesn’t matter.

Some of us will hear the voice of God as thunder, others will think it’s an angel. Some will hear a quiet murmur, others a lyric symphony. What matters isn’t how one experiences God (there are as many ways as there are people) but that one has experienced God, recognized that God has come, and done so for the sake of God’s people.

That’s Good News – whether it’s proclaimed loudly and shared in a whisper.

Unexpected

2011-04-14T09:41:00.001-07:00

John 12.12-19

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!’
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!’
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, ‘You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!’

Reflection

And so it begins. Not just the Passion, but the upending of everything we know, everything we’ve come to expect.

We may be at ease with the familiar hymns and liturgies, but we shouldn’t be too comfortable. If Easter is about anything, it’s about a new way of being, one that sets asides all of our assumptions in favor of God’s. The weak are given strength, the poor are nurtured, the mourner is given hope, death retreats in the face of life.

In a few days we’ll recount Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. As we do so, let us remember why he was there: not to be feted as a king, but to give his all that we may have new life.

Asking Questions

2011-04-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

John 12.1-11

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Reflection

Whenever I hear people questioning the relevance of Scripture to the lives we lead today, I think of passages like today’s reading from John and find myself wondering what they’re talking about. There’s so much going on here that’s familiar, so much that speaks to our world. How do we deal with the poor? What do we make of hypocrisy? How do we treat those we profess to love? How do we live in this day that God has made?

There’s pathos and excitement in this story. The crowds are turning to Jesus – but we know that soon enough they’ll turn away. If we were among their number, which way would we go – the easy way or the Way of the Cross? One way to know is to answer the questions above and there’s no better time to do that than during Lent.

Fearing the Future

2011-04-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

John 11.45-end

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, ‘What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.’ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.’ He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?’ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Reflection

The future had arrived and people were scared. The Romans were more directly involved in running the restive province than ever before and the Jewish people were fractured over what form the community – both civic and religious – should take. Leaders squabbled. Things did not look good.

Into this mess came Jesus, who preached about God’s new creation and through signs showed what that new creation was about. Some responded with enthusiasm. Others with curiosity. And, as we know from this passage, others with fear.

It’s easy at this remove to condemn Caiaphas and his cohort. Why didn’t they embrace Jesus and his message of love? Why, instead, did they sell Jesus down the river?

As we ask these questions, we would do well in our own age of fear and anxiety to consider how we react to threats to the familiar, to accelerating change. Not so we can acquiesce in doing what is wrong but so we remember just what kind of strength is needed to do that which is right.

Watching and Keeping

2011-04-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer your foot to stumble; he who watches over you will not sleep.

4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,

6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall keep you from all evil; it is he who shall keep your soul.

8 The Lord shall keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.

Reflection

Reflection. Introspection. Self-examination. Prayer. Contemplation. Discipline.

These are some of the things we do during Lent. They’re not always easy. At times, they can be downright hard. Those are the moments when we can use some encouragement, the kind that is found in Psalm 121.

Wherever we are, whatever we do, God is with us.

When we fall, when we stray, when we get lost, when we are confused, God is with us.

When we make amends, when we start over, when we come home, God is with us.

Count on it.

Voicing Concerns

2011-04-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

John 12.20-33

Reflection

“Now my soul is troubled.”

Jesus is in Jerusalem and the end is approaching. He’s teaching and preaching, glorifying God. And as he readies himself for the encounter that will change everything, he admits that he is uneasy. Wow. Even Jesus finds that following the Way can be challenging.

This could be disturbing—Jesus having doubts? Maybe not fully on board with what’s unfolding? What kind of Messiah is this? Or, it can bee seen as refreshing, even empowering: Jesus here shows us that honesty and questions are part of the genuine life of faith. Jesus’ recognition of being troubled enables him to steel himself to do what God would have him do. He knows that God is aware of his concerns, that God hears him and is with him, that what he is doing isn’t taken for granted.

These verses remind us that the life of faith isn’t always easy, that there are times when we struggle with what’s going on in our lives and with God. They also remind us that these struggles are to be welcomed—for they are signs that we are in a true relationship with the One who created us.

Conviction

2011-04-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 11:1-16

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’ For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.’ And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Reflection

One the eve of the last regular week of Lent, my attention and thoughts are increasingly drawn to Holy Week, and all it represents. We – or at least I – have needed these days of reflection and contemplation to get ready for what’s about to unfold: the entry into Jerusalem, the last supper, the crucifixion – and, finally, joyously, the Resurrection.

All of these events will be recounted and re-enacted through liturgy, prayer, and song. Yet as powerful as these can be, they are not the same as having been present 2,000 years ago. We need something to connect us, something to make words and rituals come alive. That something is our faith, the faith with which we have been blessed by God.

It is our faith, our “conviction of things not seen” that brings the Easter event alive for us. It is faith that enables us to experience the presence of the Risen Lord in our lives. And it is faith that gives us – me – the humility and confidence to acknowledge the need to spend a little more time preparing for the amazing act of grace and love that is unfolding around us.

By Our Side

2011-04-08T07:26:00.001-07:00

Psalm 102

A prayer of one afflicted, when faint and pleading before the Lord.
¹ Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you.
² Do not hide your face from me
on the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily on the day when I call.

³ For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
⁴ My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
I am too wasted to eat my bread.
⁵ Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my skin.
⁶ I am like an owl of the wilderness,
like a little owl of the waste places.
⁷ I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
⁸ All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes like bread,
and mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰ because of your indignation and anger;
for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹ My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

¹² But you, O Lord, are enthroned for ever;
your name endures to all generations.
¹³ You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to favour it;
the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For your servants hold its stones dear,
and have pity on its dust.
¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord will build up Zion;
he will appear in his glory.
¹⁷ He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and will not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
¹⁹ that he looked down from his holy height,
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die;
²¹ so that the name of the Lord may be declared in Zion,
and his praise in Jerusalem,
²² when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

²³ He has broken my strength in mid-course;
he has shortened my days.
²⁴ ‘O my God,’ I say, ‘do not take me away
at the mid-point of my life,
you whose years endure
throughout all generations.’

²⁵ Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but you endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
²⁷ but you are the same, and your years have no end.
²⁸ The children of your servants shall live secure;
their offspring shall be established in your presence.

Reflection

This psalm begins in a place of abject pity. The one offering the prayer is distraught, beaten. The sense of being without hope is almost palpable. Then there is a shift. From the utter hopelessness of the psalmist we pivot to the glory of God, the one who created the universe. The contrast is striking. One has nothing, the other made everything. But the contrast is nothing compared to what comes next!

Rather than dwell on the gulf that seems to separate the created and Creator, the psalmist makes an astonishing assertion: that the King of Heaven is with the lowliest, most lost of his people. In a world ruled by absolute kings claiming divine sanction for their every whim, these words were a source of comfort and power to those who heard them. Everything the world said about the exercise of power, of the worth of those without a name, is set aside. God, the true king, embraces the lonely, the lost, those who mourn, those in need. God, the true king, embraces you and me.

Some Things Never Change

2011-04-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Psalm 53

1 The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness; there is no one that does good.
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God.
3 They are all gone out of the way; all alike have become corrupt; there is no one that does good, no not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as if they ate bread, and do not call upon God?
5 There shall they be in great fear, such fear as never was; for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly.
6 They will be put to shame, because God has rejected them.
7 O that Israel’s salvation would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Reflection

This psalm reads like it could have been written today. Books arguing that there is no God are on the best sellers list. Our economic and political systems are being gamed, enriching and empowering those who already have a lot at the expense of everyone else. And people are still hoping for salvation.

The witness that the Christian community offers today is vital. Yet we operate in an environment in which many question whether the life of faith has anything to offer. They see how far too much of the wider church conducts its affairs and think they want nothing to do with hypocrisy, exploitation, intolerance, irrelevance. That’s why during Lent, we in the church universal have a special call to ask how we can help meet the needs of our brothers and sisters.

The message of hope, the Good News of God’s love is needed now as much as it’s ever been needed. Let’s pray that through our actions and words we point to the way of Israel’s salvation – and not the path followed by the corrupt, the evil, the foolish who are all too often celebrated by our society.

The Reverend Professor

2011-04-06T17:47:00.001-07:00

Today’s reflection comes at a late hour.

I headed down to Cambridge this morning for the memorial service of Peter Gomes, my preaching professor. I studied other subjects with Peter while I was at Harvard Divinity School, but as it was his seminar on extemporaneous preaching that has had the greatest practical impact on my ministry I think of him as my preaching professor. That said, he was many other things, too.

It was noted more than once today that Peter Gomes was a Republican in Cambridge, a gay man in a straight society, a black Pilgrim, a son of Plymouth who spoke like one of the Queen’s subjects. In addition he was a traditionalist in all the best ways, a collector of art and antiques (and interesting people and friendships), an accomplished minister and professor, and a devoted son of Harvard. But to this list I would also add that he was a disciple of Jesus Christ and an apostle of the Gospel. Peter took the Good News seriously. His teaching, his preaching, even his showmanship were all designed to bring the message of the Gospel to people in a way that commanded their attention.

That leaves me wondering: what do you, what do I do to bring the Good News to the attention of those we know and those we encounter? How do we share the story? It’s something each of us can do, whether we’re lay or ordained. We need not be as eloquent as Peter; few people are. But each of us has gifts with which we’ve been blessed by God; we can use words, actions, presence, service, talents to share the Gospel in ways that will make a difference in the lives of others.

Like Peter, each of us can be described in many different ways. But during this Lent, during a time of reflection, I am reminded that like my late professor, we are truly blessed when we are called disciples of Jesus.

My Way

2011-04-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

John 10.1-10
‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Reflection
Free association is a funny thing. As I read this passage, I could hear Frank Sinatra singing
“My Way.” This song recounts a life lived to the fullest, one in which the protagonist always followed his own star. “My Way” is a great song and Sinatra’s rendition is memorable. But that doesn’t change the fact that this familiar entry in the American Song book is in many ways the antithesis of everything this passage is trying to tell us. The life of faith most definitely is not about doing things “my way” – it’s all about doing things God’s way. And to do that, we must submit, we must surrender, to the will of the One who made us.

The idea of submission, of surrender, is central to Christianity. It’s also one of the most challenging aspects of our faith. We like to be in charge, believing that is the way to freedom, but Jesus tells us that if we want to know true freedom we will let God take the lead. We think we know what’s best for us but Jesus reminds us that what we think is best can often lead us to destructive places and outcomes. We like to think we’ve got it all figured out, but all too often we’re in the dark. Fortunately, we are never alone.

As we move through this Lenten season, let’s give thanks for the shepherd who loves us as he leads us.

Reliable

2011-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Psalm 70
1 O God, make speed to save me; O Lord, make haste to help me.
2 Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; let them be turned back and disgraced who wish me evil.
3 Let those who mock and deride me turn back because of their shame.
4 But let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; let those who love your salvation say always, ‘Great is the Lord!’
5 As for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God.
6 You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.

Reflection
So often in today’s world the message to the poor and needy is that they’re not worth helping, that nobody cares. Yet this Psalm reminds us otherwise. God, Creator of the Universe, can be called upon. God, Creator of the Universe, can be relied upon.

God can be relied upon. Thank heaven! For as we reflect on this good news, it’s important for us to remember that “poor and needy” includes not only those who are without food or shelter, but those who mourn; those who worry; those who seek meaning in their lives; those who have a deep, yet unmet, need for spiritual wholeness and healing. In short, the poor and needy aren’t “them” but “us.” You and I, at some point of our lives, will surely be poor and needy. And at that moment, let us pray that we will have the courage to turn to God as the Psalmist did: with honesty, with confidence, and with faith.

Called By Name

2011-04-03T05:22:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 43.1-7

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’

Reflection

“I have called you by name, you are mine.”

This is what the God of Israel – our God – says to his people. Each of us has been named, each of us counts. This what quite a claim for the author of what has come to be known as Second Isaiah. After all, these words were written during the time of the Babylonian Exile. At a time when it would have seemed reasonable to think God no longer wanted Israel, the people – and by extension, you and I – are told otherwise. Just when things seem darkest, just when we have lost hope, at the moment we feel most alone, God is claiming his people: Israel, you, me. Powerful.

We as the church can honor God by adopting this assertion as our charge. We can work harder to reach out to those in our community who are alone, who are struggling, who are ill, who may feel set aside or forgotten. In the name of the God who came to us in love, we can call them by name, and remind them that they are his – just as we, too, want to be reminded that we belong to, and are cherished by, the One who made us.

Thanks!

2011-04-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of our sin,
your light breaks forth like the dawn
and your healing springs up for deliverance.
As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help,
sustain us with your bountiful Spirit
and open our lips to sing your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.

Reflection

This prayer of thanksgiving is found at the beginning of today’s breviary. Giving thanks to God for God’s healing, saving, sustaining action in us and among us is a powerful way to prepare ourselves for the day ahead, for the discipline of Lenten introspection, and for confronting the challenges of life. By doing so, we remind ourselves that it is God, not ourselves, who makes new life possible. This recognition of our dependence isn’t limiting but freeing – it enables us to remember that we are not alone, that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is always with us.

Put Down That Rock!

2011-04-01T05:08:00.001-07:00

John 8.48-end

The Jews answered him, ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.’ The Jews said to him, ‘Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, “He is our God”, though you do not know him. But I know him; if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Reflection

As I read these verses, the form of the exchange caught my attention. Jesus’ opponents don’t make accusations; they ask leading questions. They don’t want to charge Jesus; they want him to incriminate himself. When Jesus rejects the notion that he has a demon (and ignores the charge that he’s a Samaritan), his foes try a different tack, setting Jesus up against Abraham. When that doesn’t work, they finally set aside the questions and pick up rocks with which to stone him – even before he’s left the temple.

That last detail is especially disturbing. Those who claim to defend the true faith in God are ready to defile with violence what is supposedly God’s house. This inclination, to use a term that isn’t much in vogue in mainline churches, is Satanic. Evil can manifest itself in subtle ways. It can do its greatest damage under the guise of protecting the sacred when in reality its only goal is subversion of the holy. We in the church (not just FCC, but any and every church) must always be on guard lest we succumb to this particular temptation. Lent, of course, is a great time for us to look into our hearts, gain perspective, and set aside any of the rocks we’ve been preparing to throw.

You Can Handle the Truth

2011-03-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

John 8.31-47

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’

Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.’

They answered him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does.’ They said to him, ‘We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.’

Reflection

Do we want to be free? Really free? That’s the unasked question that haunts all of us who read this passage.

Our society talks about freedom, choices, and liberty. But Jesus isn’t talking about the right to choose one’s leaders, or, far less consequentially, to pick the latest cell phone model, something marketers spend a lot of time trying to convince us is of paramount importance. Instead, he’s talking about being free to live as God would have us live. To live that life requires us to acknowledge the truth: we’re not in charge, and our priorities need to be set by God. Accepting this reality can be tough. Indeed, it brings to mind that great scene from “A Few Good Men” where Jack Nicholson snaps, “You can’t handle the truth!”

Sometimes, it may seem we can’t handle the truth. But one of the messages of Lent is that we can, if we’re willing to take a step back and prepare ourselves. Fortunately, we’re not alone – we have our church, we have our faith, and, most important, we have God to help us.

The truth? We can handle it!

Which Way?

2011-03-30T03:42:00.001-07:00

John 8.12-30

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’ Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’ Then the Jews said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Reflection

Jesus says, “but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.” This is as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. Part of the reason is because we don’t know where we come from or where we’re going.

In a society where the focus is on the individual and one’s self-fulfillment, it’s easy to forget that we didn’t fashion ourselves but that we come from God. And once we lose sight of where it is we come from, it’s all too easy to lose our way forward. We humans have a penchant for occupying ourselves with the ephemeral rather than the eternal. This has been especially true for the modern world and its consumer-driven economy.

During Lent, we have the chance to pause, take a breath, and remember who made us, where we’re from and where we should be headed – a life of faith rooted in the love our Creator. Once we do that and get our bearings, we’ll be able to see where Jesus has come from, where he’s going – to God’s new Creation, and see that he’s inviting us to join him.

Throwing Stones

2011-03-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

John 7.53-8.11

Then each of them went home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’]]

Reflection

As I read this passage from John, I found myself focusing on one phrase: Jesus’ admonition to the crowd – ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ All too often in life, we find ways to concentrate on others’ failings and not our own. This isn't surprising, though. It's easier, and seemingly far more satisfying, to pay attention to the shortcomings of others!

Jesus teaches us that we should be more concerned with what we’re doing, with our own failings. Doing so may be hard, even painful. But it's the way to healing, wholeness and true satisfaction as we find forgiveness and reconciliation.

Preconceived Notions

2011-03-28T10:02:00.001-07:00

John 7.37-52

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” ’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, ‘This is really the prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Messiah.’ But some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’ So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why did you not arrest him?’ The police answered, ‘Never has anyone spoken like this!’ Then the Pharisees replied, ‘Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.’ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, ‘Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?’ They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.’

Reflection

While I’m a proud fan of Boston’s baseball team, there is one part of being a Red Sox fan that makes me cringe: chants, t-shirts, bumper stickers and other media proclaiming that “Yankees Suck.” It’s crude. It’s unnecessary. And, it’s all too often untrue (it’s surreal to hear this being chanted when the Sox are trailing the Yankees in a game). The New Yorkers may be our unlovable foes to the South but head-to-head, they have it all over the hometown team in the W-L department. Still, that doesn’t stop many fans from sharing this sentiment.

Today’s reading from John reminds us that never letting the truth get in the way of one’s preconceptions has an ancient pedigree. The Pharisees just “knew” who the Messiah was supposed to be, what kind of background he’d have, where he’d call home. It didn’t matter that God could choose to act in ways that upended human expectations. Beliefs were beliefs and reality wasn’t going to get in the way!

This story should encourage us to be open-minded in our faith, to seek inspiration from all sources (it’s God’s universe, after all), to never discount or diminish someone because he or she doesn’t fit our notions of what a “Good Christian” should look or sound like. God surprised us in Jesus – and God continues to surprise us today.

Fortitude

2011-03-27T09:04:00.001-07:00

2 Corinthians 1.1-11

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted to us through the prayers of many.

Reflection

At first blush, it might seem that Paul is both complaining - he’s suffered so much spreading the Gospel (sigh) – and boasting – he’s suffered so much spreading the Gospel! But he’s doing neither. Instead, he’s sharing a foundation of his faith: that even during the worst of times, God has been with him.

A platitude? Sure. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. During this season of Lent, we are called to delve deep into our hearts and souls. This can be daunting, frightening. Yet God is with us, just as God is with us during all the difficulties of our lives, supporting us, embracing us, loving us.

Faith and Thought

2011-03-26T08:10:00.001-07:00

John 7.25-36

Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’ Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?’

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, ‘I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’ The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, “You will search for me and you will not find me” and, “Where I am, you cannot come”?’

Reflection

One of the raps against Christianity in some quarters is that it, like all religion supposedly, requires blind faith, a figurative checking of one’s brain at the door to the church. This passage reminds us that the truth is different.

Throughout his ministry Jesus did and said things that forced people to think. His parables, his sermons, his riddles all challenge his audience – and through the Gospels that includes you and me – to look at things differently, with new eyes and a fresh perspective. And even when the evidence is right before us, we may still find ourselves puzzling things out!

Faith is indeed a precious gift given to us by God. But so too is our curiosity, our intellect, our passion to know and understand. During this season of Lent we are called to ask ourselves questions about what we have done and what we have left undone, about those things that separate us from God and one another. By using our minds we will deepen our faith.

Penitence and Praise

2011-03-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

Psalm 113

1 Alleluia.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord, O praise the name of the Lord.

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens. R

5 Who is like the Lord our God, that has his throne so high,
yet humbles himself to behold the things of heaven and earth?

6 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ashes,

7 To set them with princes, with the princes of his people.

8 He gives the barren woman a place in the house and makes her a joyful mother of children.
Alleluia.

Reflection

To me, this psalm and its uninhibited praise serve as a reminder of just who it is we’re preparing ourselves to meet at the end of Lent. Our penitence and reflection may, indeed should, lead us to uncomfortable places as we engage in self-examination. But the purpose of those exercises isn’t to sadden us; they are meant to free us from that which impairs our relationship with the One who created the universe, who will conquer death itself – and who has named and cherishes each of us.

Our God is one who has given us much to celebrate. So take note of the words of the Psalmist and “give praise, you servants of the Lord, O praise the name of the Lord!”

Definitions

2011-03-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

John 7.1-13

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ (For not even his brothers believed in him.) Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’ After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, ‘Where is he?’ And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, ‘He is a good man’, others were saying, ‘No, he is deceiving the crowd.’ Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

Reflection

Here we read that there were those who believed him to be a good man while others thought he was a deceiver. Right from the start, Jesus was a source of controversy. What defines a good man or woman? Following God? Worshiping regularly? Doing good works? Living a righteous life? Perhaps it is all of the above.

One thing seems clear: people couldn’t recognize Jesus as the Christ without understanding Jesus the man. And that remains a challenge today as it has for the past 2,000 years. As with our forebears in the faith, we bring differing perspectives, we contend with distractions, and we confront those who are dismissive of our beliefs to our quest to know Jesus. Still, we persevere—the journey may be difficult at times, but it one worth continuing since the ultimate goal is full participation in God’s new creation.

A historical note: This passage offers a reminder that the Gospels need to be read with care and attention. John wrote that people were scared to speak openly about Jesus for “fear of the Jews.” What he doesn’t note is that these people were also Jews, a reflection of the division and complexity within Jesus’ own community.

No Pain, No Gain

2011-03-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

John 6.60-end

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.’ He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Reflection

Anybody who has ever tried to get in shape is familiar with the old saw, “no pain, no gain.” It’s just not possible to be fit unless one is willing to actually invest time and effort in staying that way. The bike has to be ridden, the exercise done, the laps swum, the miles run. As corny as it sounds, there’s a reason it’s called a work out!

This passage from John reminds us that the life of true faith also requires work, that in the words of “many of his disciples … ‘This teaching is difficult …’” Many decided it was too hard and drifted away. Some, though, recognized that there was only path to spiritual health and that was through Jesus – Peter, who has his moments of towering denseness, here sees things with acute clarity: “Lord, to whom can we go?” he observes. “You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter doesn’t focus on the hard work of being a disciple. Instead, he focuses on the outcome: new life, eternal life, a result that is worth making any effort and enduring any difficulty. Fortunately, as we continue our spiritual training, we are not alone. Like those who prepare for a marathon as part of a team, we have friends in the church and beyond to whom we can turn for support when the going gets tough and we need a reminder that Jesus has “the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that [he is] the Holy One of God.”

Body and Blood

2011-03-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

John 6.52-59

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Reflection

Talk about a loaded passage! Filled with meaning, these verses point us to the heart of the eucharist: the new life we experience in Christ.

These words, though, are loaded for another reason. Misunderstood by their neighbors, Christians were accused of drinking human blood and eating human flesh as part of their rituals. In one of the ugliest ironies of history, Christians, who were persecuted on account of this blood libel, would level similar charges against Jewish communities once they had become the majority. The blood libel haunts the church and all who proclaim Christ to this day. Followers of the Prince of Peace should be sharing Good News, not spreading deadly lies yet all too often, claiming to act in Jesus’ name, have done the latter.

As we contemplate this history during Lent we are reminded of the words of the Old Testament, “I was once a stranger.” As much as we might feel like insiders, we should never forget that in some way, we are outsiders. As secure and confident as we may feel, humility is called all of our dealings with God and with our brothers and sisters. Only then can we truly appreciate the bread and wine brought to us by Christ.

Got bread?

2011-03-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

John 6.41-51

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

Reflection

I was in a great mood yesterday. Then I saw the forecast for today: five or more inches of snow, followed by rain. For heaven’s sake! It’s supposedly spring! After the winter we’ve been through all I could think was “Make it stop.” Of course, given everything that’s going on in the world and how quickly whatever accumulation we receive will go away, it didn’t take long for me to admit that there are more important things to worry about, things that actually matter.

That’s what Jesus is telling his complaining interlocutors. Focus on the real bread, he says. Put aside the distractions, the false promises, the things that will keep you from leading a life of meaning, from leading the life God intended for you. Instead, look to what will help you live. These words speak to us today as much as they did to people in the first century, especially during this season of Lent. During theses weeks of prayer and reflection, we are afforded an opportunity to clear the decks so we can pay attention to and act upon the things that truly matter in our lives and in our relationship with God.

Faith

2011-03-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Matthew 8.1-13

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.

Reflection

The stories of the leper and the Centurion show us faith in action. Notably, one might argue that neither man had reason to turn to the God of Israel, the God of Jesus. The leper suffered from a terrible illness; given human nature, it would have been just as likely for the leper to turn on God in anger and resentment. The centurion was a Roman, a foreigner with his own gods. Yet both men chose to take a risk, to place their trust in hopes in God that God might help them. Are we willing to overcome our doubts about what God can do in our lives, to have confidence in God? This Lent is the time to ask ourselves the question – and to pray for the strength to be able to answer ‘yes’!

Hope!

2011-03-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 11.1-10

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Reflection

This passage from Isaiah reminds us of what we’re working towards during the Lent: the triumph of hope over despair, peace over chaos, and life over death.

In God’s new creation, all of the pain, the violence, the dysfunction we take for granted will become a thing of the past. Sounds improbable? Perhaps. But is it any less probable than God coming to be one of us and giving himself that we may know new life?

As Christians, we are realists, familiar with all that can go wrong, beginning with ourselves. But our realism is leavened with hope. For we know through our experience in Christ that all things are indeed possible: including a day when “the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard lie down with the kid … for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

What are we looking for?

2011-03-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

John 6.16-27

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’

Reflection

Have you been looking for God? If so, what are you hoping to find?

This story from John reminds us that while we may think we’re looking for the things that are important it’s possible that we’ve missed what truly counts. In our society, with its focus on getting and having, it’s all too easy to critique materialistic impulses, especially if we’re members of a faith community. After all, we church types have it all figure out, right? We’re looking for Jesus.

That’s great, we’re told in this story, but before we’re able to feel good about ourselves, the zinger comes: when we’re looking for Jesus, what is it we’re hoping to find? Are we willing to be unsettled by what we discover about ourselves? About what Jesus expects of us?

What are we looking for? And what are we hoping to find? These are good, if challenging, questions for this Lenten season!

Forvigen, Forgiving

2011-03-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Genesis 42.18-28

On the third day Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die.’ And they agreed to do so. They said to one another, ‘Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.’ Then Reuben answered them, ‘Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.’ They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. He turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before their eyes. Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This was done for them.

They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed. When one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging-place, he saw his money at the top of the sack. He said to his brothers, ‘My money has been put back; here it is in my sack!’ At this they lost heart and turned trembling to one another, saying, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’

Reflection

The breviary from which our Lenten passages have been drawn offers readings for three hours of the day: lauds (morning), vespers (evening), and compline (night). To this point, all of our readings have been those for the morning. Today, since this reflection is being sent out in the evening, I have chosen a passage for Vespers.

Today’s Scripture is drawn from the encounter between Joseph, Pharaoh’s right hand man, and his brothers. These verses are powerful, filled with raw emotion. Most striking is the centrality of forgiveness to the unfolding story, both for those being forgiven and for the one offering the forgiveness. This Lent, as we look to make amends and set right our hearts, I hope that each of us will be blessed to both forgive and be forgiven.

Honesty

2011-03-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 6

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your wrath; neither chasten me in your fierce anger.

2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak; Lord, heal me, for my bones are racked.

3 My soul also shakes with terror; how long, O Lord, how long?

4 Turn again, O Lord, and deliver my soul; save me for your loving mercy’s sake.

5 For in death no one remembers you; and who can give you thanks in the grave?

6 I am weary with my groaning; every night I drench my pillow and flood my bed with my tears.

7 My eyes are wasted with grief and worn away because of all my enemies.

8 Depart from me, all you that do evil, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

10 All my enemies shall be put to shame and confusion; they shall suddenly turn back in their shame.

Reflection

This psalm is wrenching in its honesty. The fear, the concern, the bluntness, the grief that are expressed are gripping. Yet also to be found here is hope.

Hope?

Yes, hope. This psalm reminds us that when we pray to God we are engaged in a relationship, one that is rooted in trust, honesty, and mutuality. There is a place for praise and supplication. But in our prayer life there is also space for venting, fear, concern. There is nothing we can’t bring before God, who is always with us. And knowing that, there is hopefully nothing we can’t confront during this season of reflection and penitence.

Hope and Perspective

2011-03-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

John 5.19-29

Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomsoever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son, so that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.

‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Reflection

This passage offers hope and perspective. Hope, in that Jesus holds out the promise of new life to those who follow him. Perspective, in that he reminds us that even he cannot do anything without God.

At this moment in time, when so much seems to be awry in our world, when our culture tells us that it’s all about the individual, we are blessed through Scripture with both hope for the future and perspective for the present. Through John’s Gospel we are reminded that the life of faith offers us something powerful and enriching: a way of understanding the world, a Way for living life.

Focusing on What Really Matters

2011-03-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

John 5.1-18

After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” ’ They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

Reflection

How often do we miss the point? Someone may have a compelling argument to make, but we don’t like his choice of words. Another person may work to focus our attention on a pressing need, but we are distracted by her background or politics, the way she dresses or the people with whom they associate.

We are reminded in this story from John that to be true disciples we must focus on the sharing the Good News and caring for God’s people. Ritual, our faith communities, Lenten disciplines are important only insofar as they help us do these things.

As we move deeper into Lent, let’s pray that God will help us maintain our focus on the things that truly matter.

Public Displays

2011-03-13T06:09:00.001-07:00

Luke 18.9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

Reflection

Talk about a cautionary tale for those of us who engage in Lenten disciplines!

Throughout the history of Lent, all too many Christians have been like the Pharisee, taking pride in the virtue they show by giving up or taking on something to mark the season, giving thanks that they are not like others who don’t have such discipline. It’s a temptation to which we can all too easily succumb.

However we observe Lent, we should never lose sight of why we do so: to focus on our need and desire to draw closer to God, to clear the decks so we can be honest with ourselves about those things that are distracting us from our relationship with the one who made us, to ready ourselves for Easter.

Faith When It's Needed Most

2011-03-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

John 4.43-end

When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.

Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Reflection

As we think about the people of Japan, coping with the destruction wrought by an earthquake and tsunami, it’s worth remembering the royal official who turned to Jesus for help. Confronted with the imminent death of his child, the man looked to one who had a reputation for working miracles – and when told he wouldn’t believe unless he saw signs, he responded not with agreement but a request that Jesus help his boy. Rather than succumb to despair, the man turned to faith. He chose to believe that he was not alone, that there was one who would stand by him.

Watching video of an unfolding natural disaster can leave us feeling powerless and alone. We might yearn for divine intervention to set everything right. Our faith encourages a different response. We are not powerless and our God is not a magician. Instead he is one who has come to share our lot, to offer us a source of strength and comfort during dark and trying times.

Let us not be fooled by events into thinking our Creator is a myth or remote, uncaring deity. Instead, let us turn to him in prayer and love, knowing that he is Emmnuel, God with us.

Mealtime

2011-03-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

John 4.27-42

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’

Reflection

Tucked away in this rich passage is Jesus’ observation that “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.” How counterintuitive! Our culture tells us that we are nourished when we receive something. Not so, Jesus teaches us. It is by doing, by serving, that we are fed.

Bearing this in mind, while Lent has formally started, it’s not too late to take up a discipline during this holy season! Pray, serve, study, it doesn’t matter. Just figure out what it is that takes you out of yourself and helps you complete God’s work.

Living Waters

2011-03-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

As part of this series, I will often reflect on the passage of the day from the New Anglican Breviary. I invite you to read the Scripture, then the reflection that follows.

Pax,

Steve

John 4.1-26

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, ‘Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John’— although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized—he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’

Reflection

What a story for the beginning of our Lenten journey! After all, who heading into the desert isn’t worried about running out of water?

Jesus, as he so often does, offers us counsel that both instructs and comforts: what we need to sustain us, he tells us, is the living water that comes from embarking upon a relationship with God. In these times, when there are so many false substitutes for the truth and love we know in Christ, this reminder is especially welcome and most definitely needed.

“But what good is this living water?” some might ask. The answer comes in the latter part of the story: when we are in relationship with God, we can be honest with our Creator and ourselves. With that honesty comes the freedom to participate fully and freely in God’s new creation.

And So Lent Begins ...

2011-03-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Ash Wednesday - March 9

And so Lent begins.

Tonight, I and others from First Congregational will travel across the Connecticut River to White River Junction in Vermont to participate in the annual Upper Valley ecumenical Ash Wednesday service. Given that during our time together we will recall through word and deed that from dust we have come and to dust we shall return it seems especially apt that we will lay aside denominational identity in favor of our common call as Christians. After all, in the end, we are first and ultimately children of God.

Pass the pills, another take

2011-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Over the past year I've made quite a few visits to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to see parishioners. Yesterday, I returned to DHMC -- but this time, as a patient. It was interesting to see how this side of the hospital worked. Fortunately, I only have good things to report: everybody was helpful and professional.

For those not in the know, I found myself with an awful pain in my ear and a temp north of 105 degrees yesterday morning. That last bit of information resulted in an instruction by the physician on duty to head over to the Emergency Department, which we did. The docs declared that I had an ear infection, and that it was in impressive one, too.

Now, I don't know about you, but my experience with ear infections has usually involved very small children. And, indeed, it is very small children who most commonly suffer from said malady. However, I learned two things yesterday: adults can get ear infections and you should never, ever doubt anything a child with an ear infection says about how much discomfort he or she is in. I've broken my foot playing basketball and what I felt in my ear blew that pain away!

The health care team put me on an IV drip to restore fluids and began a course of antibiotics. They also let me sleep, a very good thing. I was rather amused when the discharge nurse began to talk with me about the situation in the Middle East.

So, is there a moral to any of this? Just that we should never, ever take the availability of quality health care for granted. In many other parts of the world, an ear infection is allowed to play itself out. One night of a sharp pain in my ear was bad enough. Enduring that for days? No thanks!

Pass the Pills, Please ...

2011-01-06T11:01:00.001-08:00

The latest issue of the Christian Century includes an ad encouraging readers to make their Amazon purchases through the magazine's "Buy from Amazon" link. This isn't a novel approach to raising money; many organizations participate in the on-line retailer's referral program. So why comment? Well, the ad poses the following question: "What are CC readers buying?"

The answer: a particular book; tie-dyed slippers; turtle-shaped chocolate molds (I kid you not); and ... sleeping pills.

Sleeping pills. That got my attention. Now, I'm sure this item's inclusion was random. But maybe it wasn't, at least on some level. You see, the majority of the Century's readers are clergy. And the ministry can be a stressful line of work. So I found myself wondering: what's keeping my clerical colleagues awake at night? Sermon prep? Worship planning? Imbalanced budgets? One of any number of institutional crises in the wider church? Too much caffeine during the day? Something I haven't thought of?

All that said, I probably shouldn't spend too much time worrying about this issue. After all, there are far more pressing things demanding my attention. Like the interest of some ministers in tie-dyed slippers and turtle-shaped chocolate molds ...

It is a Good Yule to Die!

2010-12-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

File today's post under "I couldn't make this up."

Going where no Christmas season production has gone before, a theater troupe in Chicago has staged, I kid you not, A Klingon Christmas Carol (see here for more: http://www.cbtheatre.org/CHI-works/KCC2010-CHI/KCC-CHI-2010.htm).

This is easily the weirdest confluence of pop culture icons I've encountered. Scrooge and Worf tossing back egg nog after a no-holds-barred bathleth competition.

I can't even begin to imagine how Charles Dickens would react to this twist on his beloved Yuletide tale ...

Alternate Reality

2010-12-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

It's always disorienting to read or hear the "argument" that the Civil War was about Southern "rights" and the desire of freedom-loving people to resist the oppression of an overbearing Federal government. But the weirdness reaches whole new levels when the "case" is put by a New Hampshire resident writing to the Valley News, the local paper that serves Lebanon and the surrounding region.

The desire to rewrite history, or inhabit an alternate reality, brings to mind Daniel Patrick Moynihan's observation that we're all entitled to our opinions, we're not entitled to our own facts. While I agreed with the late Senator from New York, I fear that far too many people don't. And that is very, very scary when one considers the implications for our national common life: If we can't agree on fundamental facts, how on earth are we supposed to discuss and debate issues? And if we can't do that, how are we supposed to address the many challenges that confront our society?

Would You Believe?

2010-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

While watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday, I noticed that the Herald Square entrance to the famous store was sporting a new accessory: a BelieveMeter. This device was part of the overall theme of "Believe." The one we were supposed to place our trust in was none other than jolly 'ole Saint Nick.

I didn't notice the meter moving, but I did wonder what it would be like to have one of these gizmos in church. Perhaps I'd be able to gauge the spiritual commitment of the congregation. I'd be able to use this Metric to determine which programs and ministries were working and which needed to be retooled. I could look at the meter after hymns and determine which songs were boosting peoples' faith. The more I thought about this, the more I wanted one.

Then a question came to mind: what happens if the meter drops after I preach?

Hmmm. Maybe I'll just leave the meter to the marketing guys at Macy's ....

The Twit Who Tweeted

2010-11-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know that I worked for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts for more than two years, I am happy to report that none of the bishops I've met or worked with were remotely capable of the mind-blowing insensitivity and professional malfeasance displayed by the Rt. Rev. Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden, England.

For those of you with more important things to follow like the kerfuffle involving full body scans or how many oodles of dollars the latest Harry Potter pic brought in last weekend, the skinny is this: Bishop Pete has a Facebook page; he also likes to use Twitter. Using both channels, His Eminence made a variety of disparaging remarks about the royal family, took a pot shot or two at Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton, then wound up by predicting their marriage would last seven years. See here for more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8153944/Royal-Wedding-Bishop-who-said-nuptials-wont-last-seven-years-suspended.html

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of marital counseling would this guy give. He sure doesn't seem very pastoral to me. If he's being snarky about the Royals in public in this manner, what is he saying about his parishioners in private?

It's one thing for a Briton to be a republican; the UK is a free country and one has that choice. It's another thing for an ordained cleric to be a boor; regardless of one's denomination, a member of the clergy is called to care for and about others.

Don't Touch My Junk

2010-11-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

By now everyone is familiar with the immortal declaration "Don't touch my junk!" by an outraged passenger who was about to receive a pat-down by a TSA employee.

Even though I no longer fly for work, something I used to do with great regularity, I empathize with the sentiment. There's something frightfully un-American about what's been going on at our airports. And, at even deeper level, what's been transpiring is dehumanizing.

We're supposed to be free people in this country; instead, we're all being treated as suspected terrorists.

Our country was founded in part on a recognition of the value of the individual; the process of checking in for a flight degrades people.

We say we're going to beat the terrorists; instead, we surrender our civil liberties in the name of freedom.

Something is very, very wrong here.

While people speaking out and posting YouTube videos is encouraging, I wonder what is really going to change in the long run. My fear is not much.

And that, dear reader, is very sad.

Christmas in October? Say It Ain't So!

2010-10-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

I was surprised when I walked into Home Depot last night – Wednesday, October 6 – and saw the large display of Christmas decorations for sale. Surprise turned into consternation when, a half hour later, I saw Advent calendars for sale at Borders.

Now, I’m at risk of dating myself, but I remember when the Christmas seasonal items didn’t go on sale until after Thanksgiving. Now Christmas, er, excuse me, “Holiday” decorations are being pushed before Columbus Day! The implications of this are staggering. Does this mean my Advent calendar will have 80+ plus little windows to open? Should the Santa on my front lawn be given a costume for Halloween? Before we know it, decorations and holiday paraphernalia will be on the shelves, ready for purchase, in the summer.

All of this brings to mind the old Crazy Eddie “Christmas in August” spots I’d see on TV when I was growing up outside of New York. What was intended to be a spoof is in danger of becoming reality, proving, once again, that life can be stranger than fiction.

Clothes Minded

2010-09-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post contains absolutely no profound thoughts!

Readers may recall that I recently ordered a clergy shirt and collar. They arrrived in the mail today and I decided to try them on. I must confess, I was a bit weirded out when I looked at myself in the mirror. Who is this guy? I wondered. I looked so ... ecclesiastical! Funny that I've never thought this when donning my robe or stole.

One discovery I made on putting on the collar: I think I know why my Congregationalist colleagues have left the wearing of this bit of clerical garb to our Catholic and Episcopalian brothers and sisters. They're not easy to get on! One has to fumble with buttons and things and, in the process, if you're like me, use language that is most assuredly not sacred.

I plan to debut my new shirt at next weeks Apple Festival, when I'll be grilling hot dogs on the lawn in front of church. Hopefully, people will think that a minister manning the barbecue is fun!

Mad Dogs and Protestants

2010-09-08T15:08:00.001-07:00

Good Congregationalist that I am, I wear a black academic robe, liturgical-seasonally appropriate stole, and shirt and tie in the pulpit. No chasubles, no miters, no albs for this preacher. And no dog collars – you know, those white bands worn with a black shirt that are usually sported by clerics of the Roman Catholic and Episcopal persuasions. Until now that is.

I finally broke down and ordered the shirt and collar today, not because of some dormant High Church tendencies (fear not, friends in Lebanon, incense is NOT coming to a church near you), but for the church’s upcoming Apple Festival at which I’ll be grilling hot dogs.

Come again?

No, there’s nothing ecclesiastical about manning the barbie. But it occurred to me that people would get a kick out of seeing a minister at the grill and wearing a collar will be a lot easier than going out in my robe.

Besides, those collars are part of our Free Church sartorial heritage. We just moved away, while others kept them. Indeed, since I’ve recently seen pictures of Baptists wearing collars, I think I’ve got the green light to do so myself.

Not in My Name ...

2010-08-26T06:46:00.001-07:00

This morning's NY Times carried a report about the plans of Pastor Terry Jones to mark Sept. 11 by holding a Koran burning (see here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/us/26gainesville.html?_r=1&hp). I find Mr. Jones's plans disturbing, both an American and as a Christian.

There is something fundamentally un-American about burning books. Since the earliest colonial days our body politic has thrived on the free exchange of ideas, good, bad, silly, dangerous. Not every notion is equal, not every belief sound. But the way to counter an idea that one finds objectionable is to refute it with logic, passion, and a good, persuasive argument. When I think of book burnings, I think of Nazis and 1930s Germany. That is never a good association.

As a Christian, I am even more troubled. Jesus was all about truth telling and he didn't pull punches. But I just can't see him condoning the burning of another faith tradition's holy books. After all, what Mr. Jones plans to do is not exactly a way to demonstrate the boundless love of God for all people.

Ultimately, this issue has nothing to do with how one views the Koran. It's about how one believes Americans and Christians ought to behave.

The Sacred and the Profane

2010-08-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

The more I think about it, the more I'm disturbed by the brouhaha over Park51, the proposed Islamic community center modeled on the 92 Street Y that would be built a couple of blocks away from ground zero. The reason? An already existing neighborhood establishment called the New York Dolls Gentleman's Club. For some reason, the people who are incensed by the idea of Park51 have yet to utter a peep about the club.

Now, I'm not going to question why people are criticizing the proposed center. In fact, I'll assume that everybody is guided by the purist of motives. But if people are indeed concerned about the desecration of a sacred location, one might think that they'd be disturbed by the presence nearby of a place where lap dancing and other forms of sexual entertainment are the order of the day. Then again, one would expect people to be outraged by the idea of building a casino next door to the hallowed battlefield at Gettysburg, yet that project seems to have garnered a surprising amount of support.

Something is very wrong here. If you ask me, we certainly have strange notions of what constitutes profaning the sacred in our post-Christian, post-religious age.