Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew chapter 7 verses 15 through 19:
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
On Saturday a group of us from church went out to the orchard east of town to pick apples. My kids spent about half an hour in scorching heat picking apples from the bottoms of the trees where they could reach and then putting them into buckets. Before I went to weigh and pay for the apples I sorted through the bucket and separated the apples good from bad. It was about half and half.
Discernment is a grown ups' job. There is judgment involved. I know Jesus said not to judge, but he also said to "Judge with right judgment," and to "the measure you give will be the measure you get".
Spiritually mature persons have learned to stop expecting grapes to come from thorn bushes and to stop trying to gather figs out amongst thorns. And in doing so they've spared themselves a lot of pain also.
We must learn to judge a tree by its fruit and come to the realization that just because a piece of fruit is low hanging and available doesn't mean it's good. In fact, if we aren't careful, it may be the one bad apple that could spoil our whole bunch.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Daily Leason for September 29, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew 7 verse 6:
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."
One thing we must learn to do in life is to guard our own hearts. Our value and worth as human beings is not subject to a referendum by the blood-thirsty and vicious. Our dignity as human beings is not determined by what others of hostility and malice think and say.
When we were children we wore our hearts on our sleeves and submitted ourselves to whatever insult any other mean-spirited child or adult hurled at us. We had not yet learned to protect ourselves. And unfortunately some of us later learned to protect ourselves in a negative way -- by becoming ourselves hard-hearted and mean.
But there is a more excellent way. The task of a spiritually mature person is to stay tender-hearted, but to also learn to protect their heart from the careless, mean, and abusive.
"Do not give what is holy to dogs," Jesus said. That doesn't mean don't feed or pet or be kind to them. It just means not to feed them with our sacred bread -- or our sacred worth.
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."
One thing we must learn to do in life is to guard our own hearts. Our value and worth as human beings is not subject to a referendum by the blood-thirsty and vicious. Our dignity as human beings is not determined by what others of hostility and malice think and say.
When we were children we wore our hearts on our sleeves and submitted ourselves to whatever insult any other mean-spirited child or adult hurled at us. We had not yet learned to protect ourselves. And unfortunately some of us later learned to protect ourselves in a negative way -- by becoming ourselves hard-hearted and mean.
But there is a more excellent way. The task of a spiritually mature person is to stay tender-hearted, but to also learn to protect their heart from the careless, mean, and abusive.
"Do not give what is holy to dogs," Jesus said. That doesn't mean don't feed or pet or be kind to them. It just means not to feed them with our sacred bread -- or our sacred worth.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 28, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew 6 verse 34:
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
In our present age of anxiety we are told to worry about everything under both today's sun and also tomorrow's. When I was a kid an alert message scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen meant something extraordinarily serious was happening. Now, there are alerts 24/7. Powerful interests pour millions of dollars into keeping us hyper-vigilant and hyper-anxious and hyper-tuned-in.
The antidote for all this is not to not worry. We do worry; and not to worry would not be human. Rather, Jesus teaches not to worry about things we have no control over. If we can't reach out and touch and tend to it, then we really ought not to fixate ourselves on it.
There is no need to borrow tomorrow's worries because it turns out today's worries are plenty enough. I can pretty much spend today up tending to stuff within my reach without wasting it worrying about what isn't. Whether it's gonna rain or shine tomorrow really ought not to interfere with an honest day's work today and a good night's sleep this evening.
Today I'm going to do something radical; I'm only going to worry about today and the troubles it brings me. That doesn't mean I'm not going to buy insurance; but it does mean I'm going to go ahead and take the peace of mind that comes with it.
I have plenty to worry about and take care of today; there is no need to borrow any more from tomorrow.
Besides, as the old farmer said, "Most of the things that people worry about are never gonna happen no-how."
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
In our present age of anxiety we are told to worry about everything under both today's sun and also tomorrow's. When I was a kid an alert message scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen meant something extraordinarily serious was happening. Now, there are alerts 24/7. Powerful interests pour millions of dollars into keeping us hyper-vigilant and hyper-anxious and hyper-tuned-in.
The antidote for all this is not to not worry. We do worry; and not to worry would not be human. Rather, Jesus teaches not to worry about things we have no control over. If we can't reach out and touch and tend to it, then we really ought not to fixate ourselves on it.
There is no need to borrow tomorrow's worries because it turns out today's worries are plenty enough. I can pretty much spend today up tending to stuff within my reach without wasting it worrying about what isn't. Whether it's gonna rain or shine tomorrow really ought not to interfere with an honest day's work today and a good night's sleep this evening.
Today I'm going to do something radical; I'm only going to worry about today and the troubles it brings me. That doesn't mean I'm not going to buy insurance; but it does mean I'm going to go ahead and take the peace of mind that comes with it.
I have plenty to worry about and take care of today; there is no need to borrow any more from tomorrow.
Besides, as the old farmer said, "Most of the things that people worry about are never gonna happen no-how."
Friday, September 25, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 25, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew chapter 6 verses 7 through 13:
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Prayers are not at all like college essays; there is no assignment of nor does one get credit for length and word count. In fact, when Jesus talked of long and wordy prayers he used a term "battologeo" which derived from the poet Battus, who was known for long and wordy poems. "Do not "battologeo" Jesus said. Or as some translations have it: "Do not pile up words."
And I know something else that can be piled up too.
Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. The prayer is simple and sparse. There is only one adjective in the prayer and it refers to God's name: "hallowed". Everything else is minimalistic; the requests are modest. A prayer for daily provision, for the forgiveness of transgression (as we've ourselves forgiven) and a plea to be led out of temptation and the clutches of evil. And before all this a prayer of surrender: "thy will be done".
How does it work? Therein lies the mystery hidden in God. Nobody can really say; nobody has the knowledge or the words.
Nobody except Battus, that is. If he were around he could probably tell us.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Prayers are not at all like college essays; there is no assignment of nor does one get credit for length and word count. In fact, when Jesus talked of long and wordy prayers he used a term "battologeo" which derived from the poet Battus, who was known for long and wordy poems. "Do not "battologeo" Jesus said. Or as some translations have it: "Do not pile up words."
And I know something else that can be piled up too.
Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. The prayer is simple and sparse. There is only one adjective in the prayer and it refers to God's name: "hallowed". Everything else is minimalistic; the requests are modest. A prayer for daily provision, for the forgiveness of transgression (as we've ourselves forgiven) and a plea to be led out of temptation and the clutches of evil. And before all this a prayer of surrender: "thy will be done".
How does it work? Therein lies the mystery hidden in God. Nobody can really say; nobody has the knowledge or the words.
Nobody except Battus, that is. If he were around he could probably tell us.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 24, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew chapter 6 verses 1 through 4:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
I am thinking now of one of those giant checks we see in photographs when some business is making a donation to some charitable organization or school. You can see those checks from the moon; and I always wonder how large the drive through teller machine must be where you can deposit it.
Those giant checks everybody can see are just fine for businesses trying to let the community know they are investing in the community; but Jesus was not at all impressed with those walking around with them in their back pockets and trying to drop them into the plate at the house of God. It's not that the house of God won't accept it -- I guarantee that the church will take it. But the deal, Jesus says, is that's the reward -- the satisfaction of having everyone know you gave it.
And what's wrong with that? Well, first of all in the end it ain't very much. It evaporates like cotton candy. As soon as it's tasted it's gone. Our picture with that big check in tote shows up for one day in the printed news and even less on social media. Then what? It's gone. Cotton candy in the mouth.
But there's another, deeper thing too; and that is that in choosing others' perceptions of us our reward we end up choosing to put all our self worth into the eyes of people who are neither capable nor fit to behold and judge such a thing rightly. The word we have for that is idolatry -- that is, the bowing down before something or someone made in the image of God but without the eyes of wisdom which allows God to see into the heart and know where there is pride, manipulation, and phonyism.
So what is the reward our Father who sees in secret will reward us with? Not outer adulation, which can be spun and manipulated by our personal P.R. professional known as the ego, but instead something much more intrinsic, lasting, unalloyed, and true. Just this, a thing we call: character.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
I am thinking now of one of those giant checks we see in photographs when some business is making a donation to some charitable organization or school. You can see those checks from the moon; and I always wonder how large the drive through teller machine must be where you can deposit it.
Those giant checks everybody can see are just fine for businesses trying to let the community know they are investing in the community; but Jesus was not at all impressed with those walking around with them in their back pockets and trying to drop them into the plate at the house of God. It's not that the house of God won't accept it -- I guarantee that the church will take it. But the deal, Jesus says, is that's the reward -- the satisfaction of having everyone know you gave it.
And what's wrong with that? Well, first of all in the end it ain't very much. It evaporates like cotton candy. As soon as it's tasted it's gone. Our picture with that big check in tote shows up for one day in the printed news and even less on social media. Then what? It's gone. Cotton candy in the mouth.
But there's another, deeper thing too; and that is that in choosing others' perceptions of us our reward we end up choosing to put all our self worth into the eyes of people who are neither capable nor fit to behold and judge such a thing rightly. The word we have for that is idolatry -- that is, the bowing down before something or someone made in the image of God but without the eyes of wisdom which allows God to see into the heart and know where there is pride, manipulation, and phonyism.
So what is the reward our Father who sees in secret will reward us with? Not outer adulation, which can be spun and manipulated by our personal P.R. professional known as the ego, but instead something much more intrinsic, lasting, unalloyed, and true. Just this, a thing we call: character.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 23, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from John chapter 11 verse 4:
"And having heard, Jesus said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.'"
The daughter of a reader of these daily devotionals just underwent transplant surgery. I told her today's lesson would be especially for them.
On Friday night Texas Tech University hosted the world premier of the opera "Breath of Life", which is about the spiritual mystery of heart transplant surgery. The opera was written by a man named Todd Frazier, whose father Dr. O.H. Frazier is chief of cardiopulmonary transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and has performed over 2,000 heart transplant surgeries.
I attended the premier and was especially captivated by one in line in the drama spoken by the surgeon in the operating room just after having attached the donor heart to the recipient's body. It is an intensely agonizing moment, as the work is done and now everyone must wait and wonder and trust that life will indeed come back into the recipient. At the moment of highest drama, the surgeon speaks these profound words: "The heart must remember to beat again."
When I heard that line I thought of my own work in the care of the soul, symbolized by the metaphor of the heart. When I have said and done all that I know to say and do in the care of the soul, there is then the moment of faith: I must have faith that life is still present; and the heart must be trusted to live again.
After the show I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Frazier and I asked him about that line. He said Todd took that line from an interview Todd heard his father give for a PBS special on heart transplant surgery. "I've done 2,000 of these surgeries," he told me, "and though we know a lot about the science, it's still a mystery how it works. The heart has to remember to live and the doctor has to trust that it will remember."
We cannot under our own power make another's heart beat again. If a heart is to beat again it must beat of its own. After all is said and done, at some point we have to step back, take our hands off and trust that the heart can indeed beat of its own and will remember how.
And as the good doctor said, how exactly that works is a mystery -- the mystery of life hidden with God in the very heart itself.
"And having heard, Jesus said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.'"
The daughter of a reader of these daily devotionals just underwent transplant surgery. I told her today's lesson would be especially for them.
On Friday night Texas Tech University hosted the world premier of the opera "Breath of Life", which is about the spiritual mystery of heart transplant surgery. The opera was written by a man named Todd Frazier, whose father Dr. O.H. Frazier is chief of cardiopulmonary transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and has performed over 2,000 heart transplant surgeries.
I attended the premier and was especially captivated by one in line in the drama spoken by the surgeon in the operating room just after having attached the donor heart to the recipient's body. It is an intensely agonizing moment, as the work is done and now everyone must wait and wonder and trust that life will indeed come back into the recipient. At the moment of highest drama, the surgeon speaks these profound words: "The heart must remember to beat again."
When I heard that line I thought of my own work in the care of the soul, symbolized by the metaphor of the heart. When I have said and done all that I know to say and do in the care of the soul, there is then the moment of faith: I must have faith that life is still present; and the heart must be trusted to live again.
After the show I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Frazier and I asked him about that line. He said Todd took that line from an interview Todd heard his father give for a PBS special on heart transplant surgery. "I've done 2,000 of these surgeries," he told me, "and though we know a lot about the science, it's still a mystery how it works. The heart has to remember to live and the doctor has to trust that it will remember."
We cannot under our own power make another's heart beat again. If a heart is to beat again it must beat of its own. After all is said and done, at some point we have to step back, take our hands off and trust that the heart can indeed beat of its own and will remember how.
And as the good doctor said, how exactly that works is a mystery -- the mystery of life hidden with God in the very heart itself.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 22, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew chapter 5 verses 33 through 37:
33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil."
"Do you so solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Well, do you?
Oaths are necessary in a court of law because a courtroom is a place where everybody knows somebody will be either lying or telling a half truth -- which, according to an old Yiddish proverb, is a whole lie.
There are other places where oaths are not supposed to be necessary because everybody is assumed to be telling the truth. Among these places include: our church, our place of business, and our home. When people resort to swearing they're telling the truth in any one of these then the whole culture of truth has already been lost. You might as well go ahead and hire a lawyer and tell it to the judge.
"Let your yes be yes and your no be no," Jesus said.
And my grandfather added, "And let your handshake speak for itself."
33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil."
"Do you so solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Well, do you?
Oaths are necessary in a court of law because a courtroom is a place where everybody knows somebody will be either lying or telling a half truth -- which, according to an old Yiddish proverb, is a whole lie.
There are other places where oaths are not supposed to be necessary because everybody is assumed to be telling the truth. Among these places include: our church, our place of business, and our home. When people resort to swearing they're telling the truth in any one of these then the whole culture of truth has already been lost. You might as well go ahead and hire a lawyer and tell it to the judge.
"Let your yes be yes and your no be no," Jesus said.
And my grandfather added, "And let your handshake speak for itself."
Monday, September 21, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 21, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from 2 Kings chapter 5 verses 1 and 9 through 14:
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper . . .9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is was a great thing the prophet had spoken to you to do, would you not do it? But he has actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Naaman is the great military leader of one of Israel's arch enemies, Syria. He is a mighty man with mighty victories under his belt. But he is also a leper, which makes him desperate -- desperate enough to go and seek out healing from a prophet of Israel. So with all his horses and chariots and no doubt in full military regalia, Naaman shows up at the prophet Elisha's house -- eager to be received. Elisha, however, refuses to receive Naaman or even meet him at the door. Instead he sends a messenger out to Naaman who tells Naaman that if he wants to be cleansed he needs to go down and wash in the most piddling little creek in all the Middle East called the Jordan. It was all a real insult to the mighty general's pride.
Most of us spend our lives denying our leptospirosis and the leprosies in our families. Pride stands in our way of getting the help we need. But at some point we get desperate enough to go down to Israel. And that's when the prophet's messenger comes out to ask us just how badly we want it, and tell us just how much pride we will need to put aside in order to get it. That's when he tells us we'll have to go even further down to Jordan.
And that's when we'll know just how bad we want it, when the general in us realizes he will either have to surrender or die.
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper . . .9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is was a great thing the prophet had spoken to you to do, would you not do it? But he has actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Naaman is the great military leader of one of Israel's arch enemies, Syria. He is a mighty man with mighty victories under his belt. But he is also a leper, which makes him desperate -- desperate enough to go and seek out healing from a prophet of Israel. So with all his horses and chariots and no doubt in full military regalia, Naaman shows up at the prophet Elisha's house -- eager to be received. Elisha, however, refuses to receive Naaman or even meet him at the door. Instead he sends a messenger out to Naaman who tells Naaman that if he wants to be cleansed he needs to go down and wash in the most piddling little creek in all the Middle East called the Jordan. It was all a real insult to the mighty general's pride.
Most of us spend our lives denying our leptospirosis and the leprosies in our families. Pride stands in our way of getting the help we need. But at some point we get desperate enough to go down to Israel. And that's when the prophet's messenger comes out to ask us just how badly we want it, and tell us just how much pride we will need to put aside in order to get it. That's when he tells us we'll have to go even further down to Jordan.
And that's when we'll know just how bad we want it, when the general in us realizes he will either have to surrender or die.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 18, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Matthew 5 verses 14-16:
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
The greatest gift I can give to another is to so let my own light shine that in my light they might discover their own.
To dare to let my light shine is to go ahead and apply when a voice in our heads say, "You aren't talented enough."
To dare to let my light shine is to laugh when laughter is deemed childish and improper.
To dare to let my light shine is to dance with my children, even when everybody is watching (thank you Brene Brown).
To dare to let my lights shine is to speak my truth, even when it conflicts with the wisdom of the age.
To dare to let my light shine is to preach -- without notes, and to trust the Spirit.
To dare to let my light shine is to stand next to those who are scorned, disdained, and treated with contempt, when they're friends and strangers and especially when they're blood relatives.
To dare to let my light shine is to just show up -- in spite of my fears.
These are just some of the ways I light my lamp so that others may see.
Hanging on the wall above the desk of one of the female pastors on our church is a quote by Marianne Williamson. It is a powerful word:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
I really love that. It's a grown up reflection on a song I -- and probably you -- learned as a child, which I would do well to sing every day:
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine . . ."
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
The greatest gift I can give to another is to so let my own light shine that in my light they might discover their own.
To dare to let my light shine is to go ahead and apply when a voice in our heads say, "You aren't talented enough."
To dare to let my light shine is to laugh when laughter is deemed childish and improper.
To dare to let my light shine is to dance with my children, even when everybody is watching (thank you Brene Brown).
To dare to let my lights shine is to speak my truth, even when it conflicts with the wisdom of the age.
To dare to let my light shine is to preach -- without notes, and to trust the Spirit.
To dare to let my light shine is to stand next to those who are scorned, disdained, and treated with contempt, when they're friends and strangers and especially when they're blood relatives.
To dare to let my light shine is to just show up -- in spite of my fears.
These are just some of the ways I light my lamp so that others may see.
Hanging on the wall above the desk of one of the female pastors on our church is a quote by Marianne Williamson. It is a powerful word:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
I really love that. It's a grown up reflection on a song I -- and probably you -- learned as a child, which I would do well to sing every day:
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine . . ."
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 17, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Psalm 74 verse 16:
"Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly lights and the sun."
Darkness belongs.
We love the light and want the light and intuitively know that "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all," (John 1:5).
And yet, the darkness still belongs. It is a part of our world; and it is a part of us. We are not to try to deny it or push it away, but rather to live with it, to be gentle with it, and, if possible, to befriend it.
In fact, the ultimate gift of living by the light gives us is the gift of walking even in the dark.
"Those who walk by the day see by the light of this world," Jesus said. And that is a gift of God. But Jesus was going to dark Gethsemane where there would be no light -- not from this world, anyway.
We do love and desire the light; sunny days are our favorites. But darkness is also a part of the journey -- a necessary part, which also belongs and has its own things to teach and gifts to give.
Neither the darkness of this world nor the darkness of our ourselves is to be denied, nor feared, nor run away from, but rather accepted, embraced, and walked toward. For the only way to really fully trust our light is to dare to enter into the fullness of our dark.
God's is the day; and also the night.
"Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly lights and the sun."
Darkness belongs.
We love the light and want the light and intuitively know that "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all," (John 1:5).
And yet, the darkness still belongs. It is a part of our world; and it is a part of us. We are not to try to deny it or push it away, but rather to live with it, to be gentle with it, and, if possible, to befriend it.
In fact, the ultimate gift of living by the light gives us is the gift of walking even in the dark.
"Those who walk by the day see by the light of this world," Jesus said. And that is a gift of God. But Jesus was going to dark Gethsemane where there would be no light -- not from this world, anyway.
We do love and desire the light; sunny days are our favorites. But darkness is also a part of the journey -- a necessary part, which also belongs and has its own things to teach and gifts to give.
Neither the darkness of this world nor the darkness of our ourselves is to be denied, nor feared, nor run away from, but rather accepted, embraced, and walked toward. For the only way to really fully trust our light is to dare to enter into the fullness of our dark.
God's is the day; and also the night.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 16, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 22 verses 5 through 8:
5 And Jehoshaphat said to [Ahab] the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 8 And [Ahab] the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.”
Now this is one of the great all-time stories, and one many kings and rulers wished they might have heard and taken to heart before going off to war. Here we're talking about the minority report.
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah and Ahab the King of Israel want to go off to do battle against Syria for a place called Ramoth-gilead. Four hundred prophets said, "Green light, easy easy; go for it." But something must have set uneasy in Jehoshaphat's spirit. "Isn't there anyone else to prophesy?" he asked. "Yes, there's Micaiah, but he's never has anything good to say -- he's a real Debbie Downer. But okay, I guess."
A messenger runs to get Micaiah and tells him the four hundred other prophets have all spoken favorably and implies he ought to also. "I will speak what the LORD tells me to speak," Micaiah says.
But when he came to the king, Micaiah surprised everyone. "Go on; triumph," he said, "the LORD is on your side." Everyone was stunned and began to celebrate. Young men were rushing off to kiss their girlfriends goodbye and join up.
But this time something felt amiss in Ahab's spirit. "Tell me the truth, Micaiah," he said.
And it must not have set right with Micaiah either, because afterward he spoke his vision: “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'" The meaning was clear. If Israel went to war it's soldiers would return without a king. For such a prophecy Micaiah was arrested and thrown into jail.
What courage it takes to speak our truth, especially when others are saying something else. Micaiah really had nothing to win in speaking his truth. Ahab wasn't going to change his mind. Israel was dead set on war. Micaiah had nothing to gain.
Nothing, that is, except his own soul.
5 And Jehoshaphat said to [Ahab] the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 8 And [Ahab] the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.”
Now this is one of the great all-time stories, and one many kings and rulers wished they might have heard and taken to heart before going off to war. Here we're talking about the minority report.
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah and Ahab the King of Israel want to go off to do battle against Syria for a place called Ramoth-gilead. Four hundred prophets said, "Green light, easy easy; go for it." But something must have set uneasy in Jehoshaphat's spirit. "Isn't there anyone else to prophesy?" he asked. "Yes, there's Micaiah, but he's never has anything good to say -- he's a real Debbie Downer. But okay, I guess."
A messenger runs to get Micaiah and tells him the four hundred other prophets have all spoken favorably and implies he ought to also. "I will speak what the LORD tells me to speak," Micaiah says.
But when he came to the king, Micaiah surprised everyone. "Go on; triumph," he said, "the LORD is on your side." Everyone was stunned and began to celebrate. Young men were rushing off to kiss their girlfriends goodbye and join up.
But this time something felt amiss in Ahab's spirit. "Tell me the truth, Micaiah," he said.
And it must not have set right with Micaiah either, because afterward he spoke his vision: “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'" The meaning was clear. If Israel went to war it's soldiers would return without a king. For such a prophecy Micaiah was arrested and thrown into jail.
What courage it takes to speak our truth, especially when others are saying something else. Micaiah really had nothing to win in speaking his truth. Ahab wasn't going to change his mind. Israel was dead set on war. Micaiah had nothing to gain.
Nothing, that is, except his own soul.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 15, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Psalm 61 verses 1 and 2a:
Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you.
I am thinking today of what the psalmist does not know.
It is obvious that he does not know that the earth or round. He thinks it is flat. He thinks it's flat and that there is an end and edge to it and that you can come to that end and that edge and stand there and not be able to go any further.
This is why the Bible ought not to be confused and used as a science book; the psalmist is not a scientist.
But what he is is faithful. And even in his geographical ignorance, his metaphor of there being an end of the world, makes a powerful spiritual point.
And the point is this: we may think we've come to our end, we may think we are standing at the edge of oblivion, we may think there is nowhere else we can go, and it's there -- right there at the place we believe to be our end -- that we do what the psalmist does; we cry out in prayer to God.
In a sense, all prayer is spoken in ignorance -- in fact, faith requires some level of ignorance because it necessitates us not knowing something -- not knowing if it is or isn't the end of the world. A faithful prayer is humanity's cry from what we think is the end of the world; answered prayer is the discovery that's it's really not the end of the world after all.
There's a lot the psalmist didn't know. There's a lot we don't know. There's always some limit to what we can know or see or foresee. We all come to some end.
And then there's prayer.
Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you.
I am thinking today of what the psalmist does not know.
It is obvious that he does not know that the earth or round. He thinks it is flat. He thinks it's flat and that there is an end and edge to it and that you can come to that end and that edge and stand there and not be able to go any further.
This is why the Bible ought not to be confused and used as a science book; the psalmist is not a scientist.
But what he is is faithful. And even in his geographical ignorance, his metaphor of there being an end of the world, makes a powerful spiritual point.
And the point is this: we may think we've come to our end, we may think we are standing at the edge of oblivion, we may think there is nowhere else we can go, and it's there -- right there at the place we believe to be our end -- that we do what the psalmist does; we cry out in prayer to God.
In a sense, all prayer is spoken in ignorance -- in fact, faith requires some level of ignorance because it necessitates us not knowing something -- not knowing if it is or isn't the end of the world. A faithful prayer is humanity's cry from what we think is the end of the world; answered prayer is the discovery that's it's really not the end of the world after all.
There's a lot the psalmist didn't know. There's a lot we don't know. There's always some limit to what we can know or see or foresee. We all come to some end.
And then there's prayer.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 14, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 21 verses 8 through 13:
8 So [Queen Jezebel] wrote letters in [King] Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.
Now here is an old trick to be on the lookout for -- especially when it involves people of political ambition.
When Queen Jezebel wanted to enlarge the palace grounds all that stood in her way was a humble vineyard owner named Naboth and humble plot of earth. When Naboth could not be bought off, Queen Jezebel hatched a devious plan against Naboth which involved an old and well-proven tactic -- question the man's piety and patriotism. Thus the false-charges were laid: that Naboth had cursed God and King. And for that he was tried, found guilty, taken out and stoned, and his property was turned over to the State.
They did it long ago to Naboth, they did it to the prophets, and they did it to Jesus also. Guaranteed somebody is plotting to do it today. It's just so easy.
So let us remember how easy it is before we cast our own stones, tweet our tweets, or get otherwise sucked in as unknowing participants in a smear campaign.
Let us remember Naboth's vineyard.
8 So [Queen Jezebel] wrote letters in [King] Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.
Now here is an old trick to be on the lookout for -- especially when it involves people of political ambition.
When Queen Jezebel wanted to enlarge the palace grounds all that stood in her way was a humble vineyard owner named Naboth and humble plot of earth. When Naboth could not be bought off, Queen Jezebel hatched a devious plan against Naboth which involved an old and well-proven tactic -- question the man's piety and patriotism. Thus the false-charges were laid: that Naboth had cursed God and King. And for that he was tried, found guilty, taken out and stoned, and his property was turned over to the State.
They did it long ago to Naboth, they did it to the prophets, and they did it to Jesus also. Guaranteed somebody is plotting to do it today. It's just so easy.
So let us remember how easy it is before we cast our own stones, tweet our tweets, or get otherwise sucked in as unknowing participants in a smear campaign.
Let us remember Naboth's vineyard.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 11, 2015
Today's lesson comes from Psalm 40 verse 2:
"He drew me up from the pit of destruction . . .
and set my feet upon a rock."
The great Biblical scholar Walter Brueggeman says the psalms are written from a point of either orientation, disorientation, or re-orientation -- that is, either from a time when all in the world is well, or a time when all that we know about the world is falling apart, or a time when a new world has been pieces back together.
Fourteen years today on September 11, 2001 America and indeed the whole Western world entered into -- or, perhaps more accurately, was thrust into -- a time of great disorientation.
I lived in New York City from February to August 2001. The summer of 2001 was wonderful -- hot and oppressively muggy in the city to be sure -- but also carefree. The Wall had come down in Berlin and we were under the impression the Cold War was over, Y2K had not killed us all, and no one had ever heard of Al-Qaeda, anthrax, Ben Laden, or ISIS. In the afternoons I would run south alongside the West Side Highway in Manhattan, looking down towards the Financial District where the two twin towers rose over the City like the legs of the Colossus. I don't know that I ever even once thought of terrorism that summer.
As I sat in my Dallas-bound plane that August, awaiting its takeoff and my return trip to Texas and then on to seminary, I wrote in my journal some final reflections on that Manhattan summer and ended with these now-hauntingly true words: "I can always go back to New York; but I'll never go back to right now."
We can never go back to August 2001; the world as we know it has changed. And truly, it is yet still too early to say if we are now in the time re-orientation or still, frighteningly, still yet just the early days of disorientation. If the psalmist were alive today it seems doubtful that he would now speak of peace and tranquility and the calm after the storm.
But perhaps what the psalmist would dare to speak is a word about foundation and deliverance -- that even as yet in the midst of disorientation and even destruction we have a deliverer, one who has always and will always rescue us from the pit and place our feet again on a firm foundation.
In the grievous days following 9-11, a service of remembrance took place in the Washington National Cathedral and Billy Graham was the preacher. In his sermon he quoted lines to an old and familiar hymn:
"Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, and help thee, and cause thee to stared,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
We know we cannot go back to the time before 9-11, and we are uncertain as to what time we are in now -- disorientation or re-orientation. But one thing is still sure, that all times are in the LORD's hands; and a second also, that so too are we.
This is the firm foundation which we stand on, and it shall never, ever be destroyed.
"He drew me up from the pit of destruction . . .
and set my feet upon a rock."
The great Biblical scholar Walter Brueggeman says the psalms are written from a point of either orientation, disorientation, or re-orientation -- that is, either from a time when all in the world is well, or a time when all that we know about the world is falling apart, or a time when a new world has been pieces back together.
Fourteen years today on September 11, 2001 America and indeed the whole Western world entered into -- or, perhaps more accurately, was thrust into -- a time of great disorientation.
I lived in New York City from February to August 2001. The summer of 2001 was wonderful -- hot and oppressively muggy in the city to be sure -- but also carefree. The Wall had come down in Berlin and we were under the impression the Cold War was over, Y2K had not killed us all, and no one had ever heard of Al-Qaeda, anthrax, Ben Laden, or ISIS. In the afternoons I would run south alongside the West Side Highway in Manhattan, looking down towards the Financial District where the two twin towers rose over the City like the legs of the Colossus. I don't know that I ever even once thought of terrorism that summer.
As I sat in my Dallas-bound plane that August, awaiting its takeoff and my return trip to Texas and then on to seminary, I wrote in my journal some final reflections on that Manhattan summer and ended with these now-hauntingly true words: "I can always go back to New York; but I'll never go back to right now."
We can never go back to August 2001; the world as we know it has changed. And truly, it is yet still too early to say if we are now in the time re-orientation or still, frighteningly, still yet just the early days of disorientation. If the psalmist were alive today it seems doubtful that he would now speak of peace and tranquility and the calm after the storm.
But perhaps what the psalmist would dare to speak is a word about foundation and deliverance -- that even as yet in the midst of disorientation and even destruction we have a deliverer, one who has always and will always rescue us from the pit and place our feet again on a firm foundation.
In the grievous days following 9-11, a service of remembrance took place in the Washington National Cathedral and Billy Graham was the preacher. In his sermon he quoted lines to an old and familiar hymn:
"Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, and help thee, and cause thee to stared,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
We know we cannot go back to the time before 9-11, and we are uncertain as to what time we are in now -- disorientation or re-orientation. But one thing is still sure, that all times are in the LORD's hands; and a second also, that so too are we.
This is the firm foundation which we stand on, and it shall never, ever be destroyed.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 10, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Philippians 2 verse 17:
"Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all."
I am reading The Diary of a Country Priest where the young pastor writes, "Somehow I can never quite believe that God will really employ me -- to the utmost: make complete use of me as He does of the others." Here is the young man struggling with his vocation and own sense of value in the world, and whether or not his life will make difference.
St. Paul, on the other hand, is an old pastor. Likely writing from somewhere in his 60s, and having traveled many a mile and seen many a success and many a failure, he is not so consumed with his own purpose and use -- especially in comparison to others. Paul has given it all up to God now, and he trusts God to know and to do what is best with him -- even if that means not being of any real practical use at all. "Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering," he says - meaning that even if what his life comes to is a superfluous ritual element in somebody else's sacrifice - "I am glad." He is glad because he knows his life is not about him; it is about God. And his gladness comes from being used --not necessarily fully, or effectively or "successfully" -- but as the LORD sees fit.
The old hymn says:
"Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!"
When we can get to the point of praying such a prayer as this then we have entered another realm. We have discovered the deep gladness which allows us to rejoice in all circumstances -- whether we seem to be making much of a difference or not. In other words, we have surrendered ourselves completely to God and what God deems fit.
I hope somebody will let me know when I get there . . .
"Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all."
I am reading The Diary of a Country Priest where the young pastor writes, "Somehow I can never quite believe that God will really employ me -- to the utmost: make complete use of me as He does of the others." Here is the young man struggling with his vocation and own sense of value in the world, and whether or not his life will make difference.
St. Paul, on the other hand, is an old pastor. Likely writing from somewhere in his 60s, and having traveled many a mile and seen many a success and many a failure, he is not so consumed with his own purpose and use -- especially in comparison to others. Paul has given it all up to God now, and he trusts God to know and to do what is best with him -- even if that means not being of any real practical use at all. "Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering," he says - meaning that even if what his life comes to is a superfluous ritual element in somebody else's sacrifice - "I am glad." He is glad because he knows his life is not about him; it is about God. And his gladness comes from being used --not necessarily fully, or effectively or "successfully" -- but as the LORD sees fit.
The old hymn says:
"Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!"
When we can get to the point of praying such a prayer as this then we have entered another realm. We have discovered the deep gladness which allows us to rejoice in all circumstances -- whether we seem to be making much of a difference or not. In other words, we have surrendered ourselves completely to God and what God deems fit.
I hope somebody will let me know when I get there . . .
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 9, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 17:
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Elijah was a refugee from Israel, a nation crippled by the political corruption of its government. He fled to a foreign country on the Mediterranean where he found refuge with a poor widow. Her resources were meager and she had her own son to take care of. Yet she took Elijah in, and using her flour and oil for baking she made him a small cake to fill his belly. He stayed; and somehow there ended up being enough for her own house and for this foreigner in it. Neither her jar of flour nor her jug of oil ran empty. The LORD provided. It was a miracle.
The same scene is playing out across the Mediterranean all these many centuries later. Refugees are in need and have turned to foreign countries and foreign people for help. Many of the countries and people want to help but wonder if there will be enough.
And the widow begins to bake her cake, hoping -- again -- for a miracle.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Elijah was a refugee from Israel, a nation crippled by the political corruption of its government. He fled to a foreign country on the Mediterranean where he found refuge with a poor widow. Her resources were meager and she had her own son to take care of. Yet she took Elijah in, and using her flour and oil for baking she made him a small cake to fill his belly. He stayed; and somehow there ended up being enough for her own house and for this foreigner in it. Neither her jar of flour nor her jug of oil ran empty. The LORD provided. It was a miracle.
The same scene is playing out across the Mediterranean all these many centuries later. Refugees are in need and have turned to foreign countries and foreign people for help. Many of the countries and people want to help but wonder if there will be enough.
And the widow begins to bake her cake, hoping -- again -- for a miracle.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 8, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Mark chapter 16 verses 17 and 18:
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
"Welcome to Kudzu." Those were the words the pastor greeted me with when I drove up into the parking lot of the first church I ever worked at. At the time I didn't know what he was talking about, but soon discovered Kudzu was the newspaper comic strip by Doug Marlette about the parson "Will B Dunn" in the little town of Kudzu -- a town so backwards, it was said, that even the Episcopalians handled snakes.
I never actually laid physical hands on a snake in that church. But I was ordained there. And that means I was there long enough to learn how to handle a few viperous individuals and to stomach their poison. And in fulfillment of the prophecy I also laid hands on them when they were sick, perhaps cast out a demon or two, and learned to speak in new tongues called NASCAR, and drag racing, and ACC football.
I thought Kudzu was a fictitious place; now I know better. It's really just church. And I thank God for it.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
"Welcome to Kudzu." Those were the words the pastor greeted me with when I drove up into the parking lot of the first church I ever worked at. At the time I didn't know what he was talking about, but soon discovered Kudzu was the newspaper comic strip by Doug Marlette about the parson "Will B Dunn" in the little town of Kudzu -- a town so backwards, it was said, that even the Episcopalians handled snakes.
I never actually laid physical hands on a snake in that church. But I was ordained there. And that means I was there long enough to learn how to handle a few viperous individuals and to stomach their poison. And in fulfillment of the prophecy I also laid hands on them when they were sick, perhaps cast out a demon or two, and learned to speak in new tongues called NASCAR, and drag racing, and ACC football.
I thought Kudzu was a fictitious place; now I know better. It's really just church. And I thank God for it.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 7, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Philippians chapter 1 verse 6:
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
Now here is an encouraging word.
We are not yet what we will be, but rather still works in progress. This means that there are parts of our character and personal development which are not yet fully formed. Though we may continue to struggle with the same old thoughts and habits we began with God is not done with us yet. He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.
I used to lead tour groups in New York City. One of our destinations was the Cathedral of St John Divine. Designed in 1888 and begun in 1892, the Cathedral's construction has been delayed by two world wars, 9-11, a large fire, and a wholesale architectural style change. Still not yet completed, the Cathedral is sometimes referred to as St John the Unfinished.
That's us -- saints still yet unfinished until the day of Christ Jesus.
And I remember the words engraved on the tomb of Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of Billy Graham -- words not from scripture but from a road sign she saw on the highway somewhere in North Carolina:
"Construction Now Completed -- Thanks for Your Patience."
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
Now here is an encouraging word.
We are not yet what we will be, but rather still works in progress. This means that there are parts of our character and personal development which are not yet fully formed. Though we may continue to struggle with the same old thoughts and habits we began with God is not done with us yet. He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.
I used to lead tour groups in New York City. One of our destinations was the Cathedral of St John Divine. Designed in 1888 and begun in 1892, the Cathedral's construction has been delayed by two world wars, 9-11, a large fire, and a wholesale architectural style change. Still not yet completed, the Cathedral is sometimes referred to as St John the Unfinished.
That's us -- saints still yet unfinished until the day of Christ Jesus.
And I remember the words engraved on the tomb of Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of Billy Graham -- words not from scripture but from a road sign she saw on the highway somewhere in North Carolina:
"Construction Now Completed -- Thanks for Your Patience."
Friday, September 4, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 4, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Mark 15 verse 23:
"And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. "
Jesus refused the myrrh; he refused to be taken out of his own misery.
I want to be careful here. There is a danger that we misread this lesson and draw from it a misleading conclusion. What is not to be concluded is the idea that the relief of suffering is a bad thing. For most certainly the relief of suffering is not bad -- especially at the end of life. We ought never to make an idol of our own or anyone else's suffering.
Rather, the point the text is getting at is that Jesus demonstrated extraordinary courage in his willingness to be near suffering -- so much so that He became one with it. At the cross He took on both the sin and also the suffering of the world. In that sense, it was not so much that he was experiencing his own misery but in fact the misery of all humanity. This is the full and ultimately devastating reality of Incarnation -- that the one who knew no sin or death became sin and death for us.
We are most Christ-like, not when we refuse to avoid our own pain, but rather when we chose to enter into the pain and suffering of others -- when we sit with the sick, when we bear the harsh words of the afflicted, when we stand on the side of the scorned and the oppressed, when we suffer the scandal and shame of the weak, vulnerable, aged, and dying.
To refuse the myrrh is to come and be near the pain and suffering of others. And it is to be near to Christ also; for it is with those who suffer and are in pain that He is always to be found.
"And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. "
Jesus refused the myrrh; he refused to be taken out of his own misery.
I want to be careful here. There is a danger that we misread this lesson and draw from it a misleading conclusion. What is not to be concluded is the idea that the relief of suffering is a bad thing. For most certainly the relief of suffering is not bad -- especially at the end of life. We ought never to make an idol of our own or anyone else's suffering.
Rather, the point the text is getting at is that Jesus demonstrated extraordinary courage in his willingness to be near suffering -- so much so that He became one with it. At the cross He took on both the sin and also the suffering of the world. In that sense, it was not so much that he was experiencing his own misery but in fact the misery of all humanity. This is the full and ultimately devastating reality of Incarnation -- that the one who knew no sin or death became sin and death for us.
We are most Christ-like, not when we refuse to avoid our own pain, but rather when we chose to enter into the pain and suffering of others -- when we sit with the sick, when we bear the harsh words of the afflicted, when we stand on the side of the scorned and the oppressed, when we suffer the scandal and shame of the weak, vulnerable, aged, and dying.
To refuse the myrrh is to come and be near the pain and suffering of others. And it is to be near to Christ also; for it is with those who suffer and are in pain that He is always to be found.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 3, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from James 4 verse 6:
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Grace is "free and unmerited gift". The sooner we discover this the sooner we put off all pride, judgement, account of wrongs, claim to rewards, enmity with neighbors, and hostility towards unbelievers and strangers.
Once we realize we are merely sinners saved by grace then humility begins to do its work. The word "humility" is the same word we get "human" from -- and also "humus". It is from the Latin humando meaning "burial" or "of the earth". To be humble is to remember that we are but dust, and that we will be buried, and that there is nothing we can do to change that. So in the end, only the grace of God can raise us up again.
Once we are humble enough to receive salvation as grace it is -- solely a gift from God, then our lesson today tells us God begins to give us "more grace." Among this might be the grace to forgive others as we've been forgiven, the grace to accept things we cannot change, the grace to love even when loving is hard and comes with a toll, the grace to say, "I may be wrong," and the grace to be kind to ourselves when we don't quite match up. These are more of the gifts God has for us if we're ever humble enough to receive them.
"All is grace," the country priest says at the end of his life "Diary of a Country Priest". All is grace -- including the free and unmerited joy of knowing it.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Grace is "free and unmerited gift". The sooner we discover this the sooner we put off all pride, judgement, account of wrongs, claim to rewards, enmity with neighbors, and hostility towards unbelievers and strangers.
Once we realize we are merely sinners saved by grace then humility begins to do its work. The word "humility" is the same word we get "human" from -- and also "humus". It is from the Latin humando meaning "burial" or "of the earth". To be humble is to remember that we are but dust, and that we will be buried, and that there is nothing we can do to change that. So in the end, only the grace of God can raise us up again.
Once we are humble enough to receive salvation as grace it is -- solely a gift from God, then our lesson today tells us God begins to give us "more grace." Among this might be the grace to forgive others as we've been forgiven, the grace to accept things we cannot change, the grace to love even when loving is hard and comes with a toll, the grace to say, "I may be wrong," and the grace to be kind to ourselves when we don't quite match up. These are more of the gifts God has for us if we're ever humble enough to receive them.
"All is grace," the country priest says at the end of his life "Diary of a Country Priest". All is grace -- including the free and unmerited joy of knowing it.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 2, 2015
Today's Daily Lesson comes from James chapter 3 verses 7 through 12
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
With the tongue we both bless and curse; and in the South we do both in one fell swoop. We say: "Susie Q, God bless her, what a ditz." A variant of this is: "Susie Q, God love her, what a ditz." We bless and pray for Susie and then dish on her. And if we're real sophisticated it comes out like this. "You know Susie Q, God bless her, but she can be a ditz. We really need to pray for her and I need to tell you why we do . . ." That's gossip masquerading as a prayer concern.
As our lesson says today: "These things ought not to be so."
The lesson also says no human being can tame the tongue, but I heard of a group that tried. Before it was shut down by the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer formed a small, "underground" communal seminary in a place called Finkenwalde. One of the rules at Finkenwalde was nobody could talk about anybody else without the presence of the other person being in the room. After WWII, Bonhoeffer's former students wrote about that time in seminary and admitted that the rule was absolutely impossible to keep; however, they said just trying to keep the rule totally reshaped the character of the Finkenwalde community.
I think I'm going to try to keep that rule today.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
With the tongue we both bless and curse; and in the South we do both in one fell swoop. We say: "Susie Q, God bless her, what a ditz." A variant of this is: "Susie Q, God love her, what a ditz." We bless and pray for Susie and then dish on her. And if we're real sophisticated it comes out like this. "You know Susie Q, God bless her, but she can be a ditz. We really need to pray for her and I need to tell you why we do . . ." That's gossip masquerading as a prayer concern.
As our lesson says today: "These things ought not to be so."
The lesson also says no human being can tame the tongue, but I heard of a group that tried. Before it was shut down by the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer formed a small, "underground" communal seminary in a place called Finkenwalde. One of the rules at Finkenwalde was nobody could talk about anybody else without the presence of the other person being in the room. After WWII, Bonhoeffer's former students wrote about that time in seminary and admitted that the rule was absolutely impossible to keep; however, they said just trying to keep the rule totally reshaped the character of the Finkenwalde community.
I think I'm going to try to keep that rule today.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Daily Lesson for September 1, 2015
Today's daily lesson comes from Psalm 26 verse 8:
O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
Last night our Leadership Team at church had an important meeting on an important subject. Though there was a clear difference of opinion in the room there was also mutual respect, holy listening, and a space for all to speak the truth as they see it -- even when their truth appeared to be at odds with others' truth. As I listened, I kept remembering and even praying Paul's words of confession: "We see through a glass darkly."
At the end of the meeting there were still a lot of diverse opinions; I don't know that anybody changed anybody else's mind. There was some agreeing to disagree. But there was also respect -- and the recognition that someone could see it differently from you and still belong deeply and fully to the Body of Christ. In other words, the people put into practice an old watchword of Christian unity: in necessariis unitas, in dubiis liberate, in omnibus caritas -- "in essentials unity, in mystery freedom, and in all things love".
As we concluded the meeting the chairperson called on one of the true pillars of our church to say the prayer. With quivering voice, he began with these words, "LORD, I know I loved this church; but I have never loved it more," and went on with a beautiful prayer which ended in a quote from the book of Acts: "See how they love one another."
Belonging to our church in all its diversity is not always easy, but it is good. And surely the presence of the LORD is in this place.
O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
Last night our Leadership Team at church had an important meeting on an important subject. Though there was a clear difference of opinion in the room there was also mutual respect, holy listening, and a space for all to speak the truth as they see it -- even when their truth appeared to be at odds with others' truth. As I listened, I kept remembering and even praying Paul's words of confession: "We see through a glass darkly."
At the end of the meeting there were still a lot of diverse opinions; I don't know that anybody changed anybody else's mind. There was some agreeing to disagree. But there was also respect -- and the recognition that someone could see it differently from you and still belong deeply and fully to the Body of Christ. In other words, the people put into practice an old watchword of Christian unity: in necessariis unitas, in dubiis liberate, in omnibus caritas -- "in essentials unity, in mystery freedom, and in all things love".
As we concluded the meeting the chairperson called on one of the true pillars of our church to say the prayer. With quivering voice, he began with these words, "LORD, I know I loved this church; but I have never loved it more," and went on with a beautiful prayer which ended in a quote from the book of Acts: "See how they love one another."
Belonging to our church in all its diversity is not always easy, but it is good. And surely the presence of the LORD is in this place.
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