Daily lesson for October 31, 2014

Today's lesson comes from Luke chapter 12 verses 13 through 15:

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, uwho made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

It really is astonishing how often and how heated are the disputes between heirs after the passing of a patriarch or matriarch. I have seen arguments over cash, CDs, books, businesses, art, guns, clothes, cars, and even cats and dogs -- no birds yet.

One day in a counseling session with a son locked in an inheritance dispute with his brother after the death of their father.  As I listened it dawned on me that what they were arguing about we often call "belongings". It occurred to me that what these boys were longing for, and what they had "been longing" for all their lives, and what they were still "longing" for was a healthy relationship with their father. They were "longing" for him to tell them, "I love you," and take an interest in what they were involved in and what their lives were about. They were both longing for their father to say, "I'm proud of you." That never happened and so now what was left to fight over were their father's "belongings" -- poor substitutes for what they were really missing. 

When Jesus was asked by one brother to tell his other brother to divide the inheritance with him Jesus broke into a story about a man who struck it rich and then built bigger and bigger barns to hold all his stuff. But that night God came to him and said, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?"

That question is not answered in the Scripture but I can tell you from experience whose they'll be -- his disputing sons'.

So it is for the man who is rich in things but poor in soul, for the man who having withheld from his sons the love of his heart leaves them fighting over the belongings of his closet.

Daily Lesson for October 30, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke 12 verses 1 through 3:

He began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”

Politicians these days are always being caught talking when they think nobody else is listening. They whisper something smart-Alec or ugly, not knowing there's a "hot mic" picking up their every word.

Probably the worst in recent years was when French President Jacques Chirac was pushing Paris over its main rival London as the site for the 2014 Summer Olympics. He turned to cuisine as one thing that set Paris apart from London.  And not knowing a microphone was on, Chirac offered this case in point about British food:

"The only thing that [the British] have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease," he told Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. "You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine."

Well, as we all now know, London won the Olympic bid and nobody ended up going mad.

Jesus said whatever we say in hushed whispers will be shouted from rooftops. And I guarantee it won't be as cute, witty, or funny to the neighbors as it is to us. In fact, it will pretty much make us look like hypocrites. There is nothing worse than being shown to be hypocritical.

Hot mics are everywhere -- certainly the hot mics of heaven are anyway. And as Jesus said elsewhere, there will be "a day of judgement for every careless word uttered."

A good way to avoid humiliation at judgment is to remember what our mothers told us, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

That's even more important today for us today than when we first heard it.

Daily lesson for October 29, 2014

Daily lesson for October 29, 2014:

45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also!”

Jesus had a remarkable way of speaking truth to people while remaining free from their hostile response. Most of us are afraid to tell the truth to each other for fear of disapproval. We end up being held hostage by others' emotions and so for fear of rejection we remain silent. Instead of speaking our truth we avoid, hoping that God will work some miracle to resolve the situation without our having to do anything about it.

Let me tell you something you already know: God isn't in that kind of miracle business.

We need to speak our truth, speak it kindly and with love, and speak it plainly and without equivocation. How people respond to what we say is really on them and not on us. 

Daily Lesson for October 28, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Luke chapter 11 verse 35:

"Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness."

It's stewardship time in the church, which means its time for considering commitment and pledging ourselves to what is required of us. And let's be honest, it's also time for a little evil-eyeing also. I mean really, doesn't it tick us off just a little bit that everybody else gets to do something fun and adventurous with that extra ten percent?

As people of faith who desire to be faithful, holy, and good, we each carry with us a sense of duty which, if not undergirded by a deep sense of grace, can steal all the joy out of trying to love God and neighbor. Faithfulness becomes a burden and a chore and ends up a source of embittered pride as we look upon the rest of the world having all its fun.  We good Christian boys and girls end up like the older brother in the Prodigal Son story or like the hall monitor in my junior high school. Ugh!

Bitterness, resentment, frustration, and a judgmental spirit are never far away from the faithful.  In fact, these are the shadow side of all that is good and holy. And the greater we grow in faithful obedience and commitment, the greater the shadow grows also.

Watch out for the shadow. Or as Jesus put it, "Be careful lest the light in you be darkness."

ISIS PRAYER SERVICE

I hope you will join me and other clergy from across the diverse body of Christ in a service of prayer for our world in this critical time.

Daily lesson for October 27, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke chapter 11 verses 24 through 26:

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Some years ago, I was asked to come and pray over the apartment of a man who had relapsed in recovery and was starting over. I used this passage from Luke Gospel where Jesus talks about a demon who was exorcised from a person, wandered around looking for another place to inhabit, but then ultimately returned to the person it originally possessed saying, "I will return to my house from which I came." Returning to find "his house" cleaned up, the demon then invited seven more demons over and as Jesus said, "And the last state of the person is worse than the first."

The moral of the story is that it's not enough to clean house. People clean house all the time. They carry out the bottles, dispose if any evidence, and sweep a whole lot under the rug. But then they leave the door ajar. It may be awhile, but before too long the demon comes back in and makes himself at home. Pretty soon things are worse than they were before.

Here's a hard truth: we can sweep up and pray over a friend or loved one's house all day; but if the door is ajar it's pretty guaranteed that the demon will be back. And the only one who can decide to shut the door is the owner of the house -- nobody else can do it for them.

Daily Lesson for October 24, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Psalm 31 verse 5:

"Into your hand I commit my spirit."

Last night I spoke at a memorial service for persons who passed away while under the care of one of the local hospice services in town. 

My sermon was titled "Release" and it was about letting go. I reflected on how much of life is about holding on tight. Even as newborn infants one of our first natural impulses is to grasp hold. Pediatricians even have a name for this; they call it the Palmer Grasp and it is said infants can hold up their own weight with it. And that is what life is about -- holding ourselves up by holding on tight.

But in every life, I said, there comes a time when we must let go; and that is the most difficult thing to do in the world because it goes against our natural will to life.

I shared with them how earlier this year I lost a friend to a long, and very grievous and debilitating disease. For years this person had struggled to hang on. It was the fight in him which had kept him alive well past expectations. But in the last months of he understood that the time had come to give up the fight and let go.  "Is it okay?" he asked me in one very memorable conversation. "Is it okay to . . . up?"

"It is okay," I said.

As God would have it, the next day I stumbled upon words from Richard Rohr which I knew were intended for my friend. I shared them with him and now I share them with you:

"If the word surrender scares you, let me tell you that surrender is not giving up, as we usually understand the term. Surrender is entering the present moment, and what is right in front of you, fully and without resistance. In that sense, surrender is almost the exact opposite of giving up. In fact, it allows you to be given to!"

Soon, my friend allowed himself to be given to his new moment; he let go and surrendered himself to death. It was the hardest thing a fighter like him could ever do; and it was the holiest thing also.

"Into your hands I commit my spirit." Words of the psalmist which Jesus prayed in the dark hours of his crucifixion. Words which remind us that there is indeed a time of surrender; and in that decisive moment we place our ultimate faith in the hands of God, who alone can still hold on, even when we let go.

Daily Lesson for October 23, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Luke chapter 10 verses 33 and 37:

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion . . . Now go and do likewise.”

Did you see the story this past summer about the guy who was beaten over by the mall? 

After getting off the late shift, he was walking towards the bus stop when three youth jumped him and took all his money. When the man came too it was pitch dark and no more busses were running. He crawled beneath a tree in hopes that somebody might look over when their cars stopped at the red light.  

The next morning a few people did see beneath the tree, but he looked like a homeless drunk or addict. When it came out in the paper a couple from our church told me they had seen him, but didn't know what to do.  They said they thought, "Maybe he just slept there or something." One person stopped and got out of his car to check on the man.  When he saw the man's condition he called 9-11 which probably saved the man's life because he was bleeding internally from one of the punches he suffered. 

The paper did a follow-up feature on the man who stopped and got out of his car. His name is Muhammed Abbud. He is originally from Syria, but came to the United States to study engineering at Texas A & M. The article called him a "a modern-day, Muslim Good Samaritan."

An Aggie Muslim Good Samaritan. Think about that. 

Now go and do likewise.*


*Some may ask if this story really happened. To which I respond, I am sure it happens every day. 

Daily Lesson for October 22, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from the book of Revelation chapter8 verses 3 and 4:

3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

Why do you pray? Do you pray?

I hope so, not only because prayer can make a difference in our life, but also because prayer is pleasing to God. We are told in the Bible that our prayers are a fragrant offering to God. That is why incense from a censure is often used in worship to accompany prayer; it is symbolic of the prayers of God's people rising up to God. And the prayers are a pleasing delight to God.

As a father I understand this. There is nothing I desire and delight in more than for our oldest child to talk with me and tell me about her day when she gets out of school. That little conversation is a pleasing and pleasant joy to the spirit of this father. And so too are our conversations with Heavenly Father.

Want to bring joy to God's spirit?  Offer up your prayers. He delights in them. 

Daily Lesson for October 21, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Psalm 36 verse 9b:

"In your light do we see light."

As we all know, the moon is only a secondary source of light, reflecting light from the sun back from its own dark and rocky surface. When we look at the moon we see light; yet the moon itself is actually dark. We aren't really seeing the moon's light but rather the sun's light reflected. In a weird sense then moonlight is actually in fact sunlight. We see light of night because of another light -- the light of day.

What is true in the physical world is also true in the spiritual one. As the psalmist said, "In [God's] light we see light," -- even in darkness.

Jacques Lusseryan was a blind French resistance fighter imprisoned by the Nazi's in Buchenwald. In his memoir Lusseryan tells how though blinded at age eight he was nevertheless able to cultivate within himself an ability to sense where objects were and at what distance. He called this the light within himself. Yet when he was arrested by the Nazis, his own anger and fear diminished the light within Lusseryan and he found himself no longer able to navigate the interior of Buchenwald as he had the outside world. He had lost his light. Part of his memoir is about Lusseryan's learning to recover the light within.

Those with the light in them can see light. Though their lives and circumstances may be dark, they yet are able to see the light of hope. The light they see in the world does not come from the world, but is instead -- like the moon -- a secondary light. The source of the light they see in the world is from another place -- the light of God within.

Our world is very dark right now with heinous evil on the loose and new disease at our doorstep. Yet even in the darkness, those who cleave to the light still see light; and the darkness does not overcome it.

Praise be to our God who is "the very light of very light" even in a very dark world.

Daily Lesson for October 20, 2014

Today's lesson comes from Luke chapter 9 verse 54:

54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

One day Jesus and his disciples came with their message into a Samaritan village, but the Samaritans would not welcome them because of their different beliefs. James and John, two of Jesus' disciples whom he called "the sons of Thunder" asked Jesus for permission to call fire down from heaven and consume the village as Elijah did centuries before. But Jesus, who was already walking out of the village and onto the next, turned and rebuked them. "The Son of Man has come not to kill but to heal," he said, and then led them out and onto the next village.

In various holy texts, including certain parts of the Bible, you can find evidence for making the case that infidels ought to be killed; but you will never find that it by looking at Jesus. Jesus never killed or coerced anyone with sword or with fire or with anything else. As he said, "the Son of Man came not to kill but to heal."

Sadly, throughout the ages, when Christians have persecuted others for their faith or lack thereof, we've acted a lot more like the Sons of Thunder than we have the Son of Man.

The great champion of religious liberty Roger Williams, who was appalled at the way New Englanders went about trying to convert Native Americans to Christianity, once wrote, "Forced worship stinks in the nostrils of God."

I believe it does.

Daily Lesson for October 17, 2014

Today's Daily Lesson is from the book of Acts chapter 28 verses 3 through 5:

3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

In Pulitzer-Prize cartoon editorialist Doug Marlette's famous Kudzu cartoon strips, it was said that the town was so backward that even the Episcopalians handled snakes.

I for one absolutely hate snakes and was glad when I learned all that stuff at the end of the book of Mark where Jesus says believers will handle serpents and drink poison was an add on, and not part of Mark's original manuscript. In other words, Jesus really didn't say that. Somebody only said he said it. Whew.

And yet, here we have in today's lesson Paul being bitten by a snake and then shaking it off and going on like nothing happened. What to do with that?

I have no doubts about Paul having miraculously survived the literal bite of a snake. I'm sure it lieterally and physically happened. But I am thinking more today about the spiritual meaning - how it might be true for all of us that we can be snakebitten yet not succumb.

A mature Christian can withstand all sorts of biting scorn and venomous contempt. That's not to say the bite doesn't sting and the poison doesn't sicken. But no matter how venomous others may be, and no matter how noxious a situation is, they're just not going to be able to kill the spirit.

I'm not there yet; I'm only getting there. And on the way, I think I'll still avoid the snakes when I can. And when I can't, I hope, like Paul, I'm able to shake them off and trust God for the strength to see me through.

Daily Lesson for October 16, 2014

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Jonah chapter 4 verses 1 and 2:

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord . . . I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

Jonah couldn't stand it that the Ninevites were such a wicked and perverse people. And when they repented of their evil ways -- so remorseful that they even put their livestock in sackcloth and ashes -- well, Jonah couldn't stand that either.

There are some people that just have to have somebody to scorn and to condemn. They're always up in arms about somebody doing something. And "sorry" is just never good enough. They want everybody to get what they have coming.

When that doesn't happen then they say, "a bad precedence is being set," or we're "sending a signal that this kind of behavior is okay," or we're "not acting responsibly." When all is said and done, they end up looking like Jonah -- small-minded, petty, and mean-spirited.

The Bible says we are to "love mercy". That means that when we hate mercy something just ain't right.

Love mercy. Delight in it's giving. And for heaven's sake, don't cut off your nose just to spite your face. 

Daily Lesson for October 15, 2014

Today's Daily Lesson comes from the book of Acts chapter 27 verse 26:

 “But we must run aground . . .”

They just would not listen. Intent on getting home, the ship's steersman and owner convinced the centurion that it would be best to set out onto the Great Sea even though it was very late in the season to be setting sail. They still had time, they said; and they could handle it. 

It turns out they way overestimated themselves and way underestimated Mother Nature. They saw what they wanted to be true, and turned a blind eye to what was likely to be true.

In his best seller book on leadership "Good to Great", Jim Collins said the best leaders are able to confront the most brutal facts about their reality. These persons do not wear rose colored glasses, but see whatever situation they are in as it really is, and themselves as they really are. In other words, they are never in denial of their own reality.

Their was on aboard the Castor and Pollux who could see reality as it was, a landlubber turned experienced seafarer named Paul of Tarsus. He warned the crew of the dangers of setting sail that late in the season, and when they would not listen he spoke the plain truth about the consequences.  "We must run aground," he said.

That's a harsh reality. Nobody wants to run aground; and its a lot easier to pray for a miracle. But a captain and sailors who have accepted the reality will be prepared, if not to avoid shipwreck, at least to survive it.

And for that I say, thank God for reality checks.

Daily Lesson for October 14, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke chapter 8 verses 40 through 48:

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had ran only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. . .Someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 

A while back a friend of mine told me the story of her sister's death. The girls' father was a physician in their small town and they grew up in a kind of idyllic small-town world. It was Mayberry on the Plains. If somewhat sheltered and privileged, the girls were also deeply loved and cared for and prepared to pass on the blessings of their own generation to the next.

But then, suddenly in the youthful prime of her life, my friend's sister was diagnosed with cancer. She fought valiantly against the disease; but it ultimately took her life. On the day of her sister's death my friend's father said, "Now we have joined the community of the suffering."

In today's scripture two women. One is from the margins of society, a woman afflicted with a blood issue which has made her ritually and socially unclean for 12 years. The other is has just become a woman, being the same age as the number of years the other has been afflicted. As the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, she is no doubt the daughter of social standing and privilege. During the twelve years of the other woman's affliction, this younger woman has lived a very different and far more tranquil life. But now she too has entered into the community of the suffering, and her father with her.

At some point all of us will enter into this community.  No family, no matter how rich or how wretched, is immune. And at this point each is driven to the point of desperation, to the point of reaching out toward the healing which only God can bring. And as the people of the earth reach out, God sends His Son to reach back.

The community of the suffering is universal; so too is the healing presence of God's incarnate love and embrace. 

We all enter into the community of the suffering; and God does also.

Daily Lesson for October 13, 2014

Daily Lesson for October 13, 2014 comes from Psalm 1:

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

A friend used to say that out here in West Texas we may not have many trees but all the ones we do have are exactly where we want them -- because we planted them.

That is true. But by far the largest and most beautiful trees out here are those which line the banks of the old Yellow House Canyon system, where in times past if water was to be found it was found there. Those trees, lining the draw which in more plentiful times took water all the way to the Eastern fork of the Brazos, are trees you would not expect to find out here in dry Lubbock.

Well rooted and surprisingly well watered, those trees stand tall and shady, and provide greenery in a land whose hues are mostly yellow and brown. And in times of drought they remain strong, drawing their sustenance from sources hidden beneath the surface of the ground. In country where trees are hard to come by and people sometimes wonder if anything can survive, they are a blessing of beauty and also a sign of strength.

That also happens to be the psalmist's description of a good and blessed man, who bears his fruit in season and whose leaves do not wilt in the lean times because his life has been planted in the sustaining waters of God's word.

And I suppose we can plant a tree like that just about anywhere we want. 

Daily Lesson for October 10, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Acts chapter 24 verses 24 and 25:

24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

Convicts are a dime a dozen in this world; but surrenderers -- those who actually give themselves up -- are rare.

Paul was summoned before the Roman procurator of the province of Judea.  As he always did when on trial, Paul took the opportunity to speak about the salvation that comes in Jesus Christ. But unlike his usual presentations which were laced with Jewish Scripture and doctrine, on this occasion of speaking to speaking to the Gentile Felix Paul spoke instead about righteousness, self-control, and judgement to come. We are told these words convicted Felix, probably because he himself was a corrupt and lustful man, with a thirst for blood, plunder, and wives which were not his own. As Paul spoke of judgment, we are told Felix became alarmed so sent Paul away. "Go away for now," he told Paul, "when I have the chance I will summon you again." He was convicted, but not ready to surrender. 

It's one thing to hear the truth about the dangers of the road we are on -- where it will eventually take us. It's another thing to actually turn around and change roads. That's surrender; and there are very few people who do it. Instead they say, "When I have the chance, I'll think about it again."

Before he surrendered his life to God, the young and sexually profligate Augustine prayed, "Lord make me chaste, but not yet." That pretty much says it all.

Fortunately, Augustine still had time to surrender to his conviction; unfortunately, Felix did not.

Daily Lesson for October 9, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Luke chapter 7 verse 

“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 

The way to know how deeply someone has accepted grace in their lives is to watch the way they love.

Those who are always blaming, belittling, and shaming others, or distancing and protecting themselves from the failure and shame of others are really protecting themselves from their own sense of failure and shame.

People who point fingers at co-workers, or throw their spouses under the bus, hide from their children's failures are really covering up their own sense of and inadequacy and shame.

Here's an interesting assignment. Go to a junior high talent show. Listen to the very worst singer to sing. Watch everybody cringe when her voice cracks. And after its done watch and see if her daddy stands up and cheers. If so $100 says he himself is living in the fullness of his own Father's grace, love, and unconditional acceptance.

Daily Lesson for October 8, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Luke chapter 7 verses 33 through 35:

33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

The guy who shines my shoes is also preacher of the hot Gospel variety. To sit down in the seat of his shine stand is to enter the pews of one of the most fervent and fiery preachers in America.  It's 3 to 5 minutes of full-force and furnace-fueled frontal attack on everything worldly, including greed, backbiting, Sabbath-breaking, smoking, fornication, the Devil, and the dangers of calling our children "kids" -- I'm still trying to figure that one out. His name is John; and yes, he's Baptist.

I have another preacher friend who is, well, a bit less morally stringent. His dad owns a liquor store; sometimes he shops there. He watches the Comedy Channel, the Cowboys (on the Sabbath), and is ok with gay folks. His church ordains women as deacons and pastors too and have auctioned off libation from his dad's store to support their missions program.  His name is Ryon; and yes, he's Baptist also.

And I figure God in His wisdom is using both of these Baptists for the Kingdom.

Daily Lesson for October 7, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Luke chapter 7 verses 12 and 15:

12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 

There is a guy at my church who five or so years was as good as dead. His life had finally caught up with him and if you asked anybody who knew him or even knew of him they would have told you that the funeral procession was marching at full speed and the guy was already about three-quarters to the grave. Death had swallowed him up and both he and those who loved him were powerless to do anything about it.

Then there was an intervention. Someone -- you could say it was Jesus, or at least someone like him -- stepped onto the path and stopped the procession. They reached out their hand and touched the coffin, blocking it from its forward motion, and then they spoke words of life from a power even greater than death. "Arise," they said. 

And he got up. And he was given back to his loved ones. In other words, he was brought back to life.

There are parents reading this this morning whose children are being marched by death unto the grave. They and you are powerless to do anything about it. What I want to say to you is I know that guy at my church. I know his story. His funeral procession was interrupted.  He was brought back to life. He was given again to his mother. He is at my church; in fact there are about a dozen of him there. And so know that as close as your child is to the grave, they're not there yet. There is still time for intervention. There is still time for touch. There is still time to hear the words of life. There is still hope. 

Daily Lesson for October 6, 2014

Today's daily lesson is from Luke chapter 6 verses 47 and 48:

47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

I saw in the news that the new One World Trade, also known as Freedom Tower, will open on October 27th. Now complete, the building is the fourth-tallest sky-scraper in the world, with a spire that reaches a symbolic 1776 feet.

How do such buildings ascend to such heights?

When I was just out of college I moved to New York and got a job as a gopher with a tour guide company. Hanging around some excellent New York City tour guides I learned a lot about the city. One of the things I learned is that the bedrock of the island is a special, and extremely strong rock called Manhattan Schist. (The tour guides loved to have student groups repeat the word "schist" - and the students loved it to.) Geologists say Manhattan Schist was formed under extremely high pressure beneath a Himalayan-tall mountain range which New York was a part of over 300 million years ago. Forged under great heat and pressure long ago, it is the strength of the rock beneath the surface that makes reaching to the skies possible.

And if we can't see the spiritual message in that then we're dumber than a rock.

Let's say it altogether now, "Schist."

Daily Lesson for October 3, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Psalm 102 verses 25 through 27:

25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Last night we had a party at the house for one of the Sunday School classes. The living room was full of the joy and laughter of children. Then one of the kids broke our antique clock.

So it wasn't the first time it's been broken. My kids have broken it like six times in the same way. I am grateful that in all the times a glass panel has been knocked back into the body of the clock no glass has shattered yet.

But it will. It's inevitable. Seven times broken. That means we're coming up on eight,which isn't far from nine, which means we're running out of lives. I'm grieving already. 

And it's all just a little reminder that things fall apart. That everything wears out. That nothing -- nothing -- lasts forever. Even the heavens will pass away, and how much more so the things of this earth. 

All the clocks will eventually stop their ticking. All relationships, jobs, industries, churches, and antique anythings are temporal; only God is eternal. 

They who cannot accept impermanence will always have the sense that the clock is running out. 

They who can accept impermanence will be free to discover and enjoy what is eternal in the time being.

Daily lesson for October 2, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke 6 verses 6 through 9:

6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?”

For some folks there is nothing more holy and hallowed than sacred space and time. They will do anything to make sure the Sabbath is set apart and the sanctuary is kept clean and in good order. Most of the time I thank God for their conscientious observance; but, then again, sometimes I wonder.

Some churches back we were having Vacation Bible School in the church starting Monday and the VBS director asked the Youth Education committee if she could go ahead and start decorating the on the Saturday beforehand.  Sure, they said, not knowing she meant it in the sanctuary. The VBS theme that week was going to be "Treasure Island Adventure", and right there at the focal point of the sanctuary on Sunday morning, covering over the baptistery, was a giant and not very well done picture of an island, a toucan, and big open treasure box with lots of bling inside.

Another lady, the head of the worship commission, was incensed. She couldn't believe it. She said that it was absolutely inappropriate, the wrong message for Sunday morning, and absolutely an overstep on the part of the other woman. She was right, except one thing; she seemed just a little too right. Her words were sharp and her tone was belittling, and even though we all offered to take the decoration down she refused. "My Sunday has already been ruined," she said. It was to me as if she sort of enjoyed being indignant.

And you know, looking back, that defiled our sanctuary a heck of a lot more than the toucan. 

Daily lesson for October 1, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke chapter 5 verses 36 through 39:

36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

"Give me that Old-time Religion,
Give me that Old-time Religion,
Give me that Old-time Religion,
Well, it's good enough for me"

A great tune, but I'm not so sure about the message. If it means, "Give me what is constant, universal, and essential throughout all ages," then yes. But if it means, "Don't tell me anything I don't already believe or introduce anything to me that I'm not already familiar with," then absolutely not.

Old-time religious ways can be very comforting, but they can also be fatally confining.

One day Jesus was confronted by Pharisees who were concerned that he was not conforming to their religious customs. Jesus answered with an analogy about wine and wineskins (you gotta love this guy). New wine, he said, must be put into fresh wineskins lest the new wine's unaged properties be too strong for the old wineskin. New wine in an old wine skin bursts the wineskin and the wineskin is lost and, even worse, so is the wine (like I said, you gotta love this guy). So, Jesus said, in order to keep using the old wineskin people close themselves to new wine. "The old will do," they say.

If our Old-time Religion leaves us closed to science in the classroom, music and video in worship, dance in the living room or even in the aisles, or anything else that is new and unfamiliar, then the wine we are drinking probably isn't very good -- it's just old.