We finished our discussion of Moses’ earthly life in our Bible Discovery sessions last Sunday night. At the end of a long and extraordinary life, Moses, the great Liberator, Law-Giver, and Leader, blessed the Israelites, and then walked up Mt. Nebo alone. There he was graced with a viewing of the Promised Land he would not be allowed to enter and then passed away. And Deuteronomy tells us that God Godself buried Moses, and to this day no one knows where.
Why such a mysterious end? It’s a little bit like Jesus when he told the disciples, “I’m going to a place where you can not go.” Why would God not memorialize these two great faith leaders? In a day and time in which even the poorest of individuals struggle to ensure their graves are marked for future generations, God choose to set up no tombstones for these two. Why?
I believe it’s because God wanted us to take what these two gave us and live it instead of ceaselessly returning to a tomb to honor what was. In other words, God wanted to make sure that we lived what could be instead of what once was. And that’s a crucial confession. In many ways, both Judaism and Christianity have grown beyond what their first leaders accomplished — and continue to grow and change. But would we have done so if we annually made a pilgrimage to a cold tombstone? I think not.
When we have our annual celebration of Christ’s birth we celebrate life. When we have our annual celebration of Easter morning, we celebrate Christ’s continuing life. When we celebrate our baptisms we are celebrating Christ’s continuing life in us as the Holy Spirit. There is no tombstone for Christ because Christ is still alive.
And that is why there really can be no tombstone for Moses either. Moses or certainly his influence continues to live on in both the Jewish and Christian faiths. In the former in the continually evolving Law which he first gave; in the latter in the lives of those who walked in his footsteps and transformed his Law into Jesus’ Love.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
14 Oct 08 — Some thoughts about God's Patience
Spend anytime reading Numbers and you will most likely come to the conclusion that God has a limit when it comes to patience and that there are grave consequences to sin. Consider the period of about two years that saw the great miracles in Egypt which led to the Exodus through the Red Sea and the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, with all the daily miracles of provisioning in between, and you can’t help but understand that God has held up God’s part of the Promise. But likewise, any survey of Israel’s response, full of grumbling, rebellion, and lacking in gratitude would lead even the greatest of Saints to despair. God’s Response to this was “draconian” — none except Caleb and Joshua of the Exodus generation — two families who had remained faithful — would live long enough to enter into the Promised Land. And 38 and a half years of wandering in the wilderness began.
If that was the only story we had of God’s Response to Sin and Ingratitude, we would be warranted in claiming that God has a “hair-trigger” response when it comes to sin, and we would be perfectly justified in focusing on warning ourselves and others about God’s Wrath and Anger. But Numbers is not the only story. Indeed, as we look at the historical stories of the Judges and Kings, on down to the fullness of time bringing in Jesus’ era we see a remarkable increase in God’s Patience. For instance, it would be multiple generations of kings acting badly before the Assyrians and Babylonians would conquer Northern and Southern Israel.
And then God decided to solve God’s Problem with rebellious and sinful Humanity once and for all. God became one of us, and God had a change of heart. God realized it took more than an impersonal law from a God standing off at a distance to adequately bring about the obedience of love that God so earnestly desired. God learned something extraordinary about Patience when God walked among us as Jesus. As omnipotent and omniscient as God is, it took walking in human form for the fullness of our limitations to register to God. (By the way, that’s why I claim that unless you have walked in an oppressed people’s shoes you can’t adequately counsel them or demand that they conform to your orthodoxy.)
Jesus told Peter to forgive infinitely — i.e., be forever patient. Jesus told two of his disciples who had asked if they should have God rain down fire and brimstone on a village that did not accept him, “God forbid!” — i.e., if not this time, when you return, you will have another opportunity to make me real to them. In these and many other episodes, God announced through Jesus God’s new understanding of the depths and lengths of patience that God and we must have in dealing with ourselves and others. And that means that Numbers is telling us where we began, not where we are supposed to be living, nor where we are supposed to be going. So, as we like to say, “as God has so loved us, we love you,” so also we should say, “as God has been patient with us, so we must be patient with you.” Not always easy; but always necessary.
If that was the only story we had of God’s Response to Sin and Ingratitude, we would be warranted in claiming that God has a “hair-trigger” response when it comes to sin, and we would be perfectly justified in focusing on warning ourselves and others about God’s Wrath and Anger. But Numbers is not the only story. Indeed, as we look at the historical stories of the Judges and Kings, on down to the fullness of time bringing in Jesus’ era we see a remarkable increase in God’s Patience. For instance, it would be multiple generations of kings acting badly before the Assyrians and Babylonians would conquer Northern and Southern Israel.
And then God decided to solve God’s Problem with rebellious and sinful Humanity once and for all. God became one of us, and God had a change of heart. God realized it took more than an impersonal law from a God standing off at a distance to adequately bring about the obedience of love that God so earnestly desired. God learned something extraordinary about Patience when God walked among us as Jesus. As omnipotent and omniscient as God is, it took walking in human form for the fullness of our limitations to register to God. (By the way, that’s why I claim that unless you have walked in an oppressed people’s shoes you can’t adequately counsel them or demand that they conform to your orthodoxy.)
Jesus told Peter to forgive infinitely — i.e., be forever patient. Jesus told two of his disciples who had asked if they should have God rain down fire and brimstone on a village that did not accept him, “God forbid!” — i.e., if not this time, when you return, you will have another opportunity to make me real to them. In these and many other episodes, God announced through Jesus God’s new understanding of the depths and lengths of patience that God and we must have in dealing with ourselves and others. And that means that Numbers is telling us where we began, not where we are supposed to be living, nor where we are supposed to be going. So, as we like to say, “as God has so loved us, we love you,” so also we should say, “as God has been patient with us, so we must be patient with you.” Not always easy; but always necessary.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
09 Oct 08 — A book recommendation
I would like to take a break from the normal discussion pattern of this blog to recommend a book. Specifically, Upon the Altar of the Nation, by Harry S. Stout, Penguin Books, New York, NY 2006; ISBN: 978-0-14-303876-4. The USA’s Civil War is the most written about episode in our history, and trust me, there are many good books which have been written about it. But this book, by the Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History at Yale University, breaks new ground as it discusses the moral history of the Civil War.
Between its covers you will find quotations from representative sermons from the pastors of those days and their civilian counterparts — both north and south. You will discover how they became an integral part of the war machine of both sides, of how they sold their souls (often without evening knowing it) to earthly circumstances. You will see the progression of attitudes in the faith communities as the conflict degenerated from early hopes of a quick resolution into the blood soaked fields of years of total war. It is a fascinating and revelatory look at a part of our history which still haunts us today. Indeed, after reading a work of this scope and understanding, you will appreciate better the rhetoric flowing from both sides of the pulpit as we fight today’s wars — both actual and cultural.
Don’t let the “philosophical” nature of the book throw you off. Stout’s writing is excellent and grabs a hold of your attention; a real page turner. I can not recommend this highly enough.
Between its covers you will find quotations from representative sermons from the pastors of those days and their civilian counterparts — both north and south. You will discover how they became an integral part of the war machine of both sides, of how they sold their souls (often without evening knowing it) to earthly circumstances. You will see the progression of attitudes in the faith communities as the conflict degenerated from early hopes of a quick resolution into the blood soaked fields of years of total war. It is a fascinating and revelatory look at a part of our history which still haunts us today. Indeed, after reading a work of this scope and understanding, you will appreciate better the rhetoric flowing from both sides of the pulpit as we fight today’s wars — both actual and cultural.
Don’t let the “philosophical” nature of the book throw you off. Stout’s writing is excellent and grabs a hold of your attention; a real page turner. I can not recommend this highly enough.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
07 Oct 08 — Some thoughts about God's Sanctuary
I underestimated how long it was going to take to recover from strep, so my apologies for my silence last week. I hope to be back on a regular schedule resuming today. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Let’s ponder that other 3:16 for a few moments — the one we find in I Corinthians — a verse which is arguably just as important as the more well known verse in John. “Don’t you know that you are God’s Sanctuary and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” OK, what does this sanctuary look like? Scripture provides us several answers, from the Tabernacle / Tent of Meeting that was crafted during Moses’ time to the magnificence of the Second Temple in Jesus’ time. What ever example you choose to contemplate, we’re not dealing with a mud hut or a cookie cutter pre-fab (no offense intended to anyone living in an apartment or a double-wide). We’re dealing with a space and presence of awesome beauty and profound craftsmanship.
But as important as what it looks like — of the extraordinary beauty this text claims lives within us, there are also those things which the Temple contains which have moved in to our bodies as well. Consider what was in the Holy of Holies. First there is the very Ark itself with the tablets of the X Commandments in it. That means the moral center of the Universe lies within you — available anytime you want to visit. Consider that on top of the ark between the Cherubim is where God’s Mercy Seat rests. That is the source of your compassion and mercy. Think about the showbread, that represented the manna of the desert wanderings: God’s Sustenance and Provisioning is already within you. Think about the High Priest’s clothing — yes, they are a part of the Tabernacle / Temple / Sanctuary as well. The High Priest’s breastplate with its 12 precious stones was the breastplate of judgment. But that judgment no longer resides in an external authority but within us. We might consider that to be our conscience.
On the other hand we should be careful. When Jesus was crucified, the veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple / Sanctuary was torn in two and the World was invited in. If we do not invite people into our hearts; if we do not give mercy and feel compassion, then we are stitching that veil back together again. And consider the “lamp stand” (or candle holder) that is beside the Ark. Remember what Jesus told one of the congregations in Revelation (2:1-7) which was in danger because they were suffering from love fatigue? The threat was that Jesus would remove their lamp stand. But that lamp stand is within you now.
A final thought. Our church sanctuaries run the gamut from the extraordinarily artistic to the bland. But all of us have at one time or another, in person or through photographs, seen sanctuaries of great beauty. If you are feeling blue or down, I would just ask you to remember that beauty and to know and understand that it is within you — because that is where God has chosen to live.
Let’s ponder that other 3:16 for a few moments — the one we find in I Corinthians — a verse which is arguably just as important as the more well known verse in John. “Don’t you know that you are God’s Sanctuary and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” OK, what does this sanctuary look like? Scripture provides us several answers, from the Tabernacle / Tent of Meeting that was crafted during Moses’ time to the magnificence of the Second Temple in Jesus’ time. What ever example you choose to contemplate, we’re not dealing with a mud hut or a cookie cutter pre-fab (no offense intended to anyone living in an apartment or a double-wide). We’re dealing with a space and presence of awesome beauty and profound craftsmanship.
But as important as what it looks like — of the extraordinary beauty this text claims lives within us, there are also those things which the Temple contains which have moved in to our bodies as well. Consider what was in the Holy of Holies. First there is the very Ark itself with the tablets of the X Commandments in it. That means the moral center of the Universe lies within you — available anytime you want to visit. Consider that on top of the ark between the Cherubim is where God’s Mercy Seat rests. That is the source of your compassion and mercy. Think about the showbread, that represented the manna of the desert wanderings: God’s Sustenance and Provisioning is already within you. Think about the High Priest’s clothing — yes, they are a part of the Tabernacle / Temple / Sanctuary as well. The High Priest’s breastplate with its 12 precious stones was the breastplate of judgment. But that judgment no longer resides in an external authority but within us. We might consider that to be our conscience.
On the other hand we should be careful. When Jesus was crucified, the veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple / Sanctuary was torn in two and the World was invited in. If we do not invite people into our hearts; if we do not give mercy and feel compassion, then we are stitching that veil back together again. And consider the “lamp stand” (or candle holder) that is beside the Ark. Remember what Jesus told one of the congregations in Revelation (2:1-7) which was in danger because they were suffering from love fatigue? The threat was that Jesus would remove their lamp stand. But that lamp stand is within you now.
A final thought. Our church sanctuaries run the gamut from the extraordinarily artistic to the bland. But all of us have at one time or another, in person or through photographs, seen sanctuaries of great beauty. If you are feeling blue or down, I would just ask you to remember that beauty and to know and understand that it is within you — because that is where God has chosen to live.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
EXCUSES EXCUSES
So why didn't I resume publishing these blogs last week as expected?
1. A power outage - 127 hours without power for last week kept me otherwise occupied.
2. A power infection - strep has knocked me out of commission for this week.
Join me in praying I don't have to write a 3rd power excuse next Tuesday.
Peace,
Robin
1. A power outage - 127 hours without power for last week kept me otherwise occupied.
2. A power infection - strep has knocked me out of commission for this week.
Join me in praying I don't have to write a 3rd power excuse next Tuesday.
Peace,
Robin
Saturday, August 30, 2008
30 Aug 08 — Vacation Notice
Friends, first let me apologize for not coming up with something to post on this Thursday. It was "overcome by events."
I will be on vacation and completely away from any internet connection for the next two weeks. As such these blogs will resume on Sep. 16.
Blessings for a happy Labor Day!
Peace,
Robin
I will be on vacation and completely away from any internet connection for the next two weeks. As such these blogs will resume on Sep. 16.
Blessings for a happy Labor Day!
Peace,
Robin
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
26 Aug 08 — Some thoughs about leadership
Visit the shelves in any Christian bookstore, and you will find any number of books focusing on leadership. Likewise, visit the shelves in the business section of any secular bookstore and you will find many volumes on leadership. Strange to say, they all say much the same thing, because there are really only so many unique things which can be derived from such a fairly simple subject. The stories may help to inspire, but bottom line, the leadership Moses’ father-in-law Jethro gave Moses nearly 3,300 years ago is as good as anything written today.
Moses’ major problem was his unwillingness to delegate. Whether that was because there was genuinely no one else to entrust some of his work to, or whether it was a power play on his part, or whether he simply didn’t know that it was an option — well, we do not and can not know. Nevertheless, Jethro looked at the line of petitioners outside Moses’ tent one morning and saw the obvious: Moses was spending so much time wrestling with the petty details of life, that he couldn’t take care of the more important details. So Jethro said enough is enough and gave Moses these three leadership principles which are as solid today as they were then.
1. The leader is responsible for representing the People before God. (In a secular case, the CEO represents the company before its shareholders, government agencies, and customers.) This doesn’t mean that the People can not talk to God individually — they can — it just means that Moses (in this case) is the one who sits down with God and works out what the community should be doing as a whole. The same is true for every pastor. It is the pastor’s responsibility to represent the congregation’s people to God, and to provide the guidance which directs the overall flow of the community’s life. (Pastors may delegate some of the decision making process for the sake of consensus building, but they retain the ultimate responsibility.)
2. The leader is responsible for teaching others God’s (or the company’s or country’s) statutes and ordinances. It is not, for instance, the responsibility of the President to judge each individual criminal case, it is his/her responsibility to ensure that the judges are selected, vetted, and trained to do this important task. Likewise, it is not the role of the Pastor to do everything in the congregation, but to teach others how to do things so that together the congregation is co-created out of a multiplicity of ideas and talents. In a larger congregation, just as with a President, a Senior Pastor may only be responsible for training the teachers, and not for doing the actual teaching.
3. It is the responsibility of the leader to show an example. You can talk about feeding and caring for outcasts all you want, but embodying that talk, as say a Mother Teresa, says many volumes more than mere words can. A leader must embody what he/she is leading. If it is a church, then they must be seen as living a graced life in which the Reign of God has already broken in decisively. (If they are a corporate leader, then they must embody the morality and financial sensibility that leads to corporate success. If they are a political leader, they must themselves take the risks or make the sacrifices they wish those they are representing to make.)
Given these 3 principles, it is easy to look around and see a lot of hypocrisy, of leaders saying one thing and doing another. And you could send them 500 books to read on the subject, but the story in Exodus 18 says all that ever needs to be said on this issue of leadership.
Moses’ major problem was his unwillingness to delegate. Whether that was because there was genuinely no one else to entrust some of his work to, or whether it was a power play on his part, or whether he simply didn’t know that it was an option — well, we do not and can not know. Nevertheless, Jethro looked at the line of petitioners outside Moses’ tent one morning and saw the obvious: Moses was spending so much time wrestling with the petty details of life, that he couldn’t take care of the more important details. So Jethro said enough is enough and gave Moses these three leadership principles which are as solid today as they were then.
1. The leader is responsible for representing the People before God. (In a secular case, the CEO represents the company before its shareholders, government agencies, and customers.) This doesn’t mean that the People can not talk to God individually — they can — it just means that Moses (in this case) is the one who sits down with God and works out what the community should be doing as a whole. The same is true for every pastor. It is the pastor’s responsibility to represent the congregation’s people to God, and to provide the guidance which directs the overall flow of the community’s life. (Pastors may delegate some of the decision making process for the sake of consensus building, but they retain the ultimate responsibility.)
2. The leader is responsible for teaching others God’s (or the company’s or country’s) statutes and ordinances. It is not, for instance, the responsibility of the President to judge each individual criminal case, it is his/her responsibility to ensure that the judges are selected, vetted, and trained to do this important task. Likewise, it is not the role of the Pastor to do everything in the congregation, but to teach others how to do things so that together the congregation is co-created out of a multiplicity of ideas and talents. In a larger congregation, just as with a President, a Senior Pastor may only be responsible for training the teachers, and not for doing the actual teaching.
3. It is the responsibility of the leader to show an example. You can talk about feeding and caring for outcasts all you want, but embodying that talk, as say a Mother Teresa, says many volumes more than mere words can. A leader must embody what he/she is leading. If it is a church, then they must be seen as living a graced life in which the Reign of God has already broken in decisively. (If they are a corporate leader, then they must embody the morality and financial sensibility that leads to corporate success. If they are a political leader, they must themselves take the risks or make the sacrifices they wish those they are representing to make.)
Given these 3 principles, it is easy to look around and see a lot of hypocrisy, of leaders saying one thing and doing another. And you could send them 500 books to read on the subject, but the story in Exodus 18 says all that ever needs to be said on this issue of leadership.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
21 Aug 08 — Visiting the KY State Fair
All of you Gallagher fans will be happy to know that the prize winning watermelon this year tipped the scales at 111 pounds — plenty of “ammunition” for the comedian’s “Sledgomatic.” On a more prosaic note, if your pumpkin weighed 368 pounds, well, that was only good enough for second place. If you wanted to get first place, you needed 623 pounds.
Hmm. That old Christmas song, “the cattle were lowing…” and of course Jesus wasn’t making a sound. Or so we sing. Walking through the cattle area was a lesson in quiet. These were happy cows. And very quiet. Of course, most of them were better groomed and pampered than most of us. You did have to walk through their dung though to get between point A to B — just to remind you of who was boss.
When we arrived, they were judging weanlings, which is to say young horses less than a yearling. You’ll be happy to know that first prize yielded $5,600 some odd for his “owners.” I use “” because his number was taped to his handler’s behind and his blue ribbon was hooked to his handler’s jeans. The truth of the matter? I think the horse was in charge…
As you can well imagine there were all kinds of displays, contests, and what have you. But the most impressive thing of all? The displays of the teenagers who had won as “best” of their various county farm associations and the Statewide winners. Looking at their lists of achievements reminded you that some of our youngest generations are still genuine achievers. I wondered how they had time for school, and yet the list of their school accomplishments was just as dazzling as anything else. And all of them seemed to be involved in their local churches in some way or another. Gives one a booster shot of hope for the future.
But what a different world it all is for this “heartland” of agriculture and their small communities than what so many of us live. It is all too easy to covet such a life and run from the challenges cities pose. But the Christian thing to do is to make wherever you are living the closest thing to a Garden of Eden as possible. And if that means bringing the country into the city, so be it.
Hmm. That old Christmas song, “the cattle were lowing…” and of course Jesus wasn’t making a sound. Or so we sing. Walking through the cattle area was a lesson in quiet. These were happy cows. And very quiet. Of course, most of them were better groomed and pampered than most of us. You did have to walk through their dung though to get between point A to B — just to remind you of who was boss.
When we arrived, they were judging weanlings, which is to say young horses less than a yearling. You’ll be happy to know that first prize yielded $5,600 some odd for his “owners.” I use “” because his number was taped to his handler’s behind and his blue ribbon was hooked to his handler’s jeans. The truth of the matter? I think the horse was in charge…
As you can well imagine there were all kinds of displays, contests, and what have you. But the most impressive thing of all? The displays of the teenagers who had won as “best” of their various county farm associations and the Statewide winners. Looking at their lists of achievements reminded you that some of our youngest generations are still genuine achievers. I wondered how they had time for school, and yet the list of their school accomplishments was just as dazzling as anything else. And all of them seemed to be involved in their local churches in some way or another. Gives one a booster shot of hope for the future.
But what a different world it all is for this “heartland” of agriculture and their small communities than what so many of us live. It is all too easy to covet such a life and run from the challenges cities pose. But the Christian thing to do is to make wherever you are living the closest thing to a Garden of Eden as possible. And if that means bringing the country into the city, so be it.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
19 Aug 08 — Some thoughts about seeing clearly
Pardon me, but this is going to be a short one. After 12 years, I finally gave in and got a pair of new glasses. Even splurged and got sun glasses. The eyes checked out OK, they just needed a little bit stronger prescription to deal with the age. And oh boy, can I see things clearly now! But, oh, the pain. Yes, headaches. The eyes have to get used to such a big change. Like last time it is going to take some time to get used to the new eye glasses.
Jesus once said “the truth will set you free.” Seeing clearly also sets you free from misperceptions. But the pain some of us experience with a new set of glasses can teach us a lesson. Yes, the truth will set you free, and yes, it could very well hurt. I think one of the reasons so many Christians never fully develop as disciples, or drift away altogether, is because they are overwhelmed from seeing things the way they really are. They see all that truth because being born again from above is a little bit like getting a new set of glasses, especially if you’ve never had any. But not just a set of glasses to see with but eyes that see with Godly insight: welcome to God’s World and all the pain and suffering God suffers from the misdeeds against God’s People and Creation.
But in the end run it is worth it. Seeing well can help save you from accidents and from embarrassments. And so can knowing the truth. It can keep you from stepping off Jesus’ Way and can forestall a multiplicity of embarrassments. So if you need new glasses, the pain is worth it; if you need to know the truth, the pain you may experience is definitely worth it.
Jesus once said “the truth will set you free.” Seeing clearly also sets you free from misperceptions. But the pain some of us experience with a new set of glasses can teach us a lesson. Yes, the truth will set you free, and yes, it could very well hurt. I think one of the reasons so many Christians never fully develop as disciples, or drift away altogether, is because they are overwhelmed from seeing things the way they really are. They see all that truth because being born again from above is a little bit like getting a new set of glasses, especially if you’ve never had any. But not just a set of glasses to see with but eyes that see with Godly insight: welcome to God’s World and all the pain and suffering God suffers from the misdeeds against God’s People and Creation.
But in the end run it is worth it. Seeing well can help save you from accidents and from embarrassments. And so can knowing the truth. It can keep you from stepping off Jesus’ Way and can forestall a multiplicity of embarrassments. So if you need new glasses, the pain is worth it; if you need to know the truth, the pain you may experience is definitely worth it.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
14 Aug 08 — Some thoughts about time off
One of the nicest things about even taking a few days off, is gaining some perspective, and regaining some energy. It is an application of the Sabbath principle to life’s worries and adventures. This last weekend we had an opportunity to take off four days together for the first time since a three day weekend to Sequoia National Park 15 months ago. I say together because we both had separate “adventures in moving” driving to Louisville, and there was last year’s General Conference, but both of those were as worry or business filled as they were pleasurable.
We went to Natural Bridges State Park. I keep wanting to call it a National Park. It is a gem of a place, originally set up by the Lexington & Eastern Railroad to fuel tourism for its trains and later deeded to the state by the successor Louisville and Nashville Railroad, a small part of today’s giant CSX. The trails to the top of the bridge are brutally ‘straight-forward.’ Up, up and away, and then down, down…with a nice interlude while you are up there. (An inexpensicve chair lift is available if you want to just enjoy the “up there” part of the trail.) As tough as any thing I hiked in California; as scenic as any place I’ve been, and only 124 miles from home. In these days of run away inflation and painful gas prices, it’s nice to know that earlier Kentuckians and Hoosiers took the time to set aside and protect some of our beautiful land for future generations, an application of the Jubilee Principle we learned about in the old Exodus and Levitical land laws.
Louisville has some good places to eat, but mostly we eat at home. Out on the road, our habit is to eat out of the ice box for two meals a day and take one at a restaurant. Driving through east Huntington, WV, we spied an old house that had been converted into a restaurant: Nanna’s. The name was intriguing, and so was the architecture, so we went back for dinner. We were not disappointed. I ordered a meatloaf plate special for $6.49. The slab of meatloaf literally took up so much of the dinner plate that they brought out the corn, green beans, and corn bread loaf on separate plates. For barely more than what it costs for fast food these days, it was an excellent, tasty meal, that I simply could not finish.
Being in Cincinnati, we had to try the chili. (As many times as I have been up that way over the years, I must confess this was a first for me.) We chose to try Skylines’. There was more shredded cheese on top of the chili they brought out than there is hair on most of your heads! The secret sauce seemed to have some cloves in it of all things, but hey, it worked. Once again the price was right. I have to say though, that the most expensive meal was also the most disappointing (at least in relative terms). We went to a German restaurant on Mainstrasse in Covington, KY. It was just good enough to remind me of how good real German cooking could be, without being good enough to sing songs of praises over it. The moral of all this? I’ve had some lousy meals in cheaper restaurants over the years, but very few such disasters. There is a lot of good food to be had at “fast food” places (if you watch the menu selections) and at one-off “Mom & Pop” restaurants in out of the way corners. One thing I have learned, is you don’t always get what you pay for, and most of the time, the cheaper food wins in the satisfaction contest. And that’s good news in tough economic times.
We went to Natural Bridges State Park. I keep wanting to call it a National Park. It is a gem of a place, originally set up by the Lexington & Eastern Railroad to fuel tourism for its trains and later deeded to the state by the successor Louisville and Nashville Railroad, a small part of today’s giant CSX. The trails to the top of the bridge are brutally ‘straight-forward.’ Up, up and away, and then down, down…with a nice interlude while you are up there. (An inexpensicve chair lift is available if you want to just enjoy the “up there” part of the trail.) As tough as any thing I hiked in California; as scenic as any place I’ve been, and only 124 miles from home. In these days of run away inflation and painful gas prices, it’s nice to know that earlier Kentuckians and Hoosiers took the time to set aside and protect some of our beautiful land for future generations, an application of the Jubilee Principle we learned about in the old Exodus and Levitical land laws.
Louisville has some good places to eat, but mostly we eat at home. Out on the road, our habit is to eat out of the ice box for two meals a day and take one at a restaurant. Driving through east Huntington, WV, we spied an old house that had been converted into a restaurant: Nanna’s. The name was intriguing, and so was the architecture, so we went back for dinner. We were not disappointed. I ordered a meatloaf plate special for $6.49. The slab of meatloaf literally took up so much of the dinner plate that they brought out the corn, green beans, and corn bread loaf on separate plates. For barely more than what it costs for fast food these days, it was an excellent, tasty meal, that I simply could not finish.
Being in Cincinnati, we had to try the chili. (As many times as I have been up that way over the years, I must confess this was a first for me.) We chose to try Skylines’. There was more shredded cheese on top of the chili they brought out than there is hair on most of your heads! The secret sauce seemed to have some cloves in it of all things, but hey, it worked. Once again the price was right. I have to say though, that the most expensive meal was also the most disappointing (at least in relative terms). We went to a German restaurant on Mainstrasse in Covington, KY. It was just good enough to remind me of how good real German cooking could be, without being good enough to sing songs of praises over it. The moral of all this? I’ve had some lousy meals in cheaper restaurants over the years, but very few such disasters. There is a lot of good food to be had at “fast food” places (if you watch the menu selections) and at one-off “Mom & Pop” restaurants in out of the way corners. One thing I have learned, is you don’t always get what you pay for, and most of the time, the cheaper food wins in the satisfaction contest. And that’s good news in tough economic times.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
12 Aug 08 — Why 10 Plagues?
In the epic encounter between God and Moses versus Pharaoh and Egypt, it took 10 plagues for Pharaoh to relent. Why 10? Why for instance were 7 not sufficient? The question was raised in the Bible Discovery discussion of the first 9 plagues last Sunday. Well, since God doesn’t provide us with an answer, any answer we offer is going to be inescapably speculative. But that is theology’s job: to answer such questions.
First, the number. A lot has been made over the years for the “definitions” assigned certain numbers in Hebrew. For instance, 3 stood for completion, 6 for humanity, and 7 for perfection. There would be 10 Commandments, and 10 was the necessary minimum number of the faithful necessary to celebrate either the Passover feast or later, to start a synagogue. So, one could extrapolate an answer from the number 10 and say that 10 were required because it was the minimum number of plagues necessary to test the Israelite’s faith in God, or to disprove Pharaoh’s faith.
Jesus taught us that God always seeks to accomplish the upbuilding of the Reign of God by the most loving means possible. So, love must be involved in our answer somehow. I would suggest from God’s Perspective that the contest must have looked something like this. The Egyptians are oppressing the Hebrews, but what would it be like if the Egyptians would come to their senses and repent of their oppression? I believe in God’s Heart of Heart, that God wanted a both/and solution rather than an either/or outcome. Humanity’s hardness of heart lead to the later outcome, but I seriously doubt that is what God wanted.
The real problem for God, was that as long as mercy and forgiveness was open for the oppressive Egyptians, the Abundant-Life of the Hebrews would be diminished, and in many cases, more than diminished: it would be totally denied by an all too early death. There would be a point at which the pain that leaving that window of opportunity for repentance open would overwhelm the mercy that its being open provided. Out of great compassion and mercy, 9 times God left that window open. But in an imperfect world, there had to be a time for that window to close, and as we know from the story, God chose the tenth time. I have no doubt that if God had calculated the “pain to profit ratio” as requiring 2 more plagues to make it the twelfth or 2 less to make it the eighth, then that is the number of plagues we would learn about in Sunday School. But 10 was the right number in this case.
What is the moral of this story? In an imperfect world, there is a limit to how long God can hold the windows and doors of forgiveness and mercy open without causing too much suffering for others. The constant denial of God’s Holy Spirit reaching out to convince us to repent is that one unforgivable sin that Jesus talked about, and eventually God has to “call the question.”
And as to the children suffering so horribly in the tenth plague because of the sins of their parents? Think of all the glbti/q children of the homophobic. Do they not die a thousand deaths every time their parents rant against them while they suffer in silence? And do not many of them live lives diminished terribly by the damage they endured as they day after day suffered Pharaoh breathing threats down their neck? Yes.
First, the number. A lot has been made over the years for the “definitions” assigned certain numbers in Hebrew. For instance, 3 stood for completion, 6 for humanity, and 7 for perfection. There would be 10 Commandments, and 10 was the necessary minimum number of the faithful necessary to celebrate either the Passover feast or later, to start a synagogue. So, one could extrapolate an answer from the number 10 and say that 10 were required because it was the minimum number of plagues necessary to test the Israelite’s faith in God, or to disprove Pharaoh’s faith.
Jesus taught us that God always seeks to accomplish the upbuilding of the Reign of God by the most loving means possible. So, love must be involved in our answer somehow. I would suggest from God’s Perspective that the contest must have looked something like this. The Egyptians are oppressing the Hebrews, but what would it be like if the Egyptians would come to their senses and repent of their oppression? I believe in God’s Heart of Heart, that God wanted a both/and solution rather than an either/or outcome. Humanity’s hardness of heart lead to the later outcome, but I seriously doubt that is what God wanted.
The real problem for God, was that as long as mercy and forgiveness was open for the oppressive Egyptians, the Abundant-Life of the Hebrews would be diminished, and in many cases, more than diminished: it would be totally denied by an all too early death. There would be a point at which the pain that leaving that window of opportunity for repentance open would overwhelm the mercy that its being open provided. Out of great compassion and mercy, 9 times God left that window open. But in an imperfect world, there had to be a time for that window to close, and as we know from the story, God chose the tenth time. I have no doubt that if God had calculated the “pain to profit ratio” as requiring 2 more plagues to make it the twelfth or 2 less to make it the eighth, then that is the number of plagues we would learn about in Sunday School. But 10 was the right number in this case.
What is the moral of this story? In an imperfect world, there is a limit to how long God can hold the windows and doors of forgiveness and mercy open without causing too much suffering for others. The constant denial of God’s Holy Spirit reaching out to convince us to repent is that one unforgivable sin that Jesus talked about, and eventually God has to “call the question.”
And as to the children suffering so horribly in the tenth plague because of the sins of their parents? Think of all the glbti/q children of the homophobic. Do they not die a thousand deaths every time their parents rant against them while they suffer in silence? And do not many of them live lives diminished terribly by the damage they endured as they day after day suffered Pharaoh breathing threats down their neck? Yes.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
05 Aug 08 — Standing up to Pharaoh
Pharaoh and Moses. Even many non-religious folk have heard this story. It is a timeless tale of one person with God’s Help standing up to injustice. And yet it is never just one person. There would be no Moses if the Hebrew midwives had done what Pharaoh commanded them. There would be no Moses if Moses’ Mother had not risked her family to keep him alive. There would be no Moses if Moses’ Mother’s daughter and Pharaoh’s daughter had not colluded to keep Moses well hidden. We all look up to a Moses; we don’t give those responsible for a Moses enough credit.
Pharaoh is the personification of evil and injustice in every generation; Moses is the personification of the lonely hero fighting (not necessarily through bloody means) for justice and equality in every generation. History is a record of these characters, and although there are many of them, there are very few at any given time. Back when I was in the Army, the most junior of Lieutenants were trained as if they would one day become the highest ranking General. In much the same way, every culture attempts to raise up at least its fair share of heroes. But few achieve that pinnacle. And the few that do, only get there because of supporting casts of thousands, many of whom will never be known but to God and their closest acquaintances.
And yet it takes just as much courage and insight to be one of those supporting characters as the main actor in these dramas. Consider the two midwives. They were told to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. They took their own lives in their hands when they defied these orders. What is so amazing is that Pharaoh “bought” their excuse, that the Hebrew women were so much more vigorous than the Egyptians that they gave birth before they could arrive on the scene. And yet, as “silly” as that may sound, it was enough to force Pharaoh to look elsewhere for a solution. God though was very happy with the results and rewarded these two midwives with households of their own: their own families of which they — contrary to the patriarchal culture of the time — where the heads.
Let’s consider one other hero: Pharaoh’s daughter. She had it made. She had everything she needed, and could get anything she wanted. She was rich beyond measure. And yet, when she saw the basket bearing Moses on the waters, she had compassion. From out of her wealth and the security it brought her, she reached out and took this child into her care and nurtured him into manhood (with Moses’ Mother’s help as the nursemaid). The birth of compassion (and the birth of philanthropy) in our faith story, comes from the enemy’s daughter reaching out and taking in a helpless outcast.
Both the midwives and Pharaoh’s daughter defied Pharaoh in a history-changing way, because it would be this child that would be Pharaoh’s downfall. The moral of the story? There is no one way to achieve justice and equality, no one way to defy wayward authorities. The midwives conducted a “work slow down” to use modern terms; Pharaoh’s daughter was “compassionate.” Today, we live these same principles by being compassionate always, and by not buying from or supporting organizations / companies that do not support equality and justice for all. And by so doing, we become that cast of supporting characters, or actors in training, from which from time to time, God chooses a Moses.
Pharaoh is the personification of evil and injustice in every generation; Moses is the personification of the lonely hero fighting (not necessarily through bloody means) for justice and equality in every generation. History is a record of these characters, and although there are many of them, there are very few at any given time. Back when I was in the Army, the most junior of Lieutenants were trained as if they would one day become the highest ranking General. In much the same way, every culture attempts to raise up at least its fair share of heroes. But few achieve that pinnacle. And the few that do, only get there because of supporting casts of thousands, many of whom will never be known but to God and their closest acquaintances.
And yet it takes just as much courage and insight to be one of those supporting characters as the main actor in these dramas. Consider the two midwives. They were told to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. They took their own lives in their hands when they defied these orders. What is so amazing is that Pharaoh “bought” their excuse, that the Hebrew women were so much more vigorous than the Egyptians that they gave birth before they could arrive on the scene. And yet, as “silly” as that may sound, it was enough to force Pharaoh to look elsewhere for a solution. God though was very happy with the results and rewarded these two midwives with households of their own: their own families of which they — contrary to the patriarchal culture of the time — where the heads.
Let’s consider one other hero: Pharaoh’s daughter. She had it made. She had everything she needed, and could get anything she wanted. She was rich beyond measure. And yet, when she saw the basket bearing Moses on the waters, she had compassion. From out of her wealth and the security it brought her, she reached out and took this child into her care and nurtured him into manhood (with Moses’ Mother’s help as the nursemaid). The birth of compassion (and the birth of philanthropy) in our faith story, comes from the enemy’s daughter reaching out and taking in a helpless outcast.
Both the midwives and Pharaoh’s daughter defied Pharaoh in a history-changing way, because it would be this child that would be Pharaoh’s downfall. The moral of the story? There is no one way to achieve justice and equality, no one way to defy wayward authorities. The midwives conducted a “work slow down” to use modern terms; Pharaoh’s daughter was “compassionate.” Today, we live these same principles by being compassionate always, and by not buying from or supporting organizations / companies that do not support equality and justice for all. And by so doing, we become that cast of supporting characters, or actors in training, from which from time to time, God chooses a Moses.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
31 Jul 08 — Some thoughs about small things
It’s really silly, I guess, and I suppose I don’t do it that often any more, but I certainly did it when I was younger. even now, ever so often, I have this irresistible urge to pick up a rock and throw it in the water. Nothing fancy — I don’t have the talent to skip stones a cross the water — I just like to see the splash and the ripples on a quiet, smooth body of water. A stone hits water. A fountain rises. Spray jumps outward. And ripples run swiftly across the surface to shore in one direction and out of sight in others. One tiny stone, thrown into a pint-sized portion of even the mightiest of lakes, creates a storm of ripples that soon causes the whole lake to move in unison.
Sounds like a good metaphor for the Reign of Heaven — doesn’t it? Try this then: get one person fired up for Jesus, and throw them into a Sea of Complacency, and the ripples of God’s Love will flow outwards from that impact to shake things up.
How often do you hear someone telling you to listen for the quiet, still voice of God? We usually hear someone tell us to listen for this voice, because all the noise of our culture or our circumstances are making it hard to hear God’s Voice. And yet, once we do hear that Voice — that small thing — it can completely transform us. How important it is to hear the quiet words “I love you” spoken tenderly to you by your lover! Imagine then how important it must be to hear Jesus say the words “I love you.” It is that quiet voice saying those three precious words which completely changes us from whatever we were into the Christians we are becoming. Those words are like one of Jesus’ mustard seeds planted into our hearts, indeed, into our very souls.
But instead of growing up to be big mustard plants, those seeds grows up to be the new you and the new me we call baptized, born again believers.
Why would Jesus tell us parables of this nature? (Matthew 13:31-33; 44-46) We live in a culture which values “size.” It even goes back to our childhood when we taunted each other with sayings like, “My Daddy’s car is faster/better/etc. than your daddy’s…” These early exercises in measuring and being measured follow us and haunt us throughout life. We buy the SUV not because we need it but because its bigger. We do a lot of things because they either make us feel bigger and therefore better than our neighbor. And most cultures state in some way or another that “bigger is better,” or “more is better.” Proof of which are the frequently seen bumper stickers which say, “The one with the most toys when they die wins.” Hearing these sayings ever day, whoever has less of those toys, is always fighting for (self-) acceptance and always playing a catch up game with those who always seem to have more.
Jesus addresses this problem head on: it is not the size that matters but the results. It is not where you start but where you end. And the journey along the way is also important, if for no other reason than you can not get from here to there without taking the journey. One of my other great frustrations is hearing people say, “My faith is not big enough to do _____ .” Or “I don’t know Jesus well enough…” Thank God Jesus understood this was going to be a problem. These sayings of Jesus are all about telling us to stop worrying about where we are starting from. Instead, look to where you are going and use what little you have to take those first steps. Jesus knew we could never get to our journey’s end unless we started. So, walk out in faith and take that first step — because Jesus will be their walking with you. Yes — such small things and such small steps matter.
Sounds like a good metaphor for the Reign of Heaven — doesn’t it? Try this then: get one person fired up for Jesus, and throw them into a Sea of Complacency, and the ripples of God’s Love will flow outwards from that impact to shake things up.
How often do you hear someone telling you to listen for the quiet, still voice of God? We usually hear someone tell us to listen for this voice, because all the noise of our culture or our circumstances are making it hard to hear God’s Voice. And yet, once we do hear that Voice — that small thing — it can completely transform us. How important it is to hear the quiet words “I love you” spoken tenderly to you by your lover! Imagine then how important it must be to hear Jesus say the words “I love you.” It is that quiet voice saying those three precious words which completely changes us from whatever we were into the Christians we are becoming. Those words are like one of Jesus’ mustard seeds planted into our hearts, indeed, into our very souls.
But instead of growing up to be big mustard plants, those seeds grows up to be the new you and the new me we call baptized, born again believers.
Why would Jesus tell us parables of this nature? (Matthew 13:31-33; 44-46) We live in a culture which values “size.” It even goes back to our childhood when we taunted each other with sayings like, “My Daddy’s car is faster/better/etc. than your daddy’s…” These early exercises in measuring and being measured follow us and haunt us throughout life. We buy the SUV not because we need it but because its bigger. We do a lot of things because they either make us feel bigger and therefore better than our neighbor. And most cultures state in some way or another that “bigger is better,” or “more is better.” Proof of which are the frequently seen bumper stickers which say, “The one with the most toys when they die wins.” Hearing these sayings ever day, whoever has less of those toys, is always fighting for (self-) acceptance and always playing a catch up game with those who always seem to have more.
Jesus addresses this problem head on: it is not the size that matters but the results. It is not where you start but where you end. And the journey along the way is also important, if for no other reason than you can not get from here to there without taking the journey. One of my other great frustrations is hearing people say, “My faith is not big enough to do _____ .” Or “I don’t know Jesus well enough…” Thank God Jesus understood this was going to be a problem. These sayings of Jesus are all about telling us to stop worrying about where we are starting from. Instead, look to where you are going and use what little you have to take those first steps. Jesus knew we could never get to our journey’s end unless we started. So, walk out in faith and take that first step — because Jesus will be their walking with you. Yes — such small things and such small steps matter.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
29 Jul 08 — Some thoughts about names
Names can be important. For the ancient Israelites they described (sometimes prophetically) who a child would become when they grew up. One of the most important namings occurred when God Godself renamed Jacob Israel. Jacob was returning to the Promised Land after having returned to the old world of Haran where he had found his wives and where his mother had been born. But he was going to have to face up to his brother Esau whom he had swindled out of his birthright (with Mother Rebecca’s help). He came to the last frontier before that encounter: the Jabbok River. And after setting his affairs in order, he went off alone, and waded into the middle of that river to pray and prepare for the morning’s encounter.
He met God there. And in a most unexpected way: he wrestled with God all through the night. Eventually, as dawn was rising, God wanted to call off the contest. But Jacob would not let God go, demanding a blessing. He received two. His leg was struck and he would limp for the rest of his life. And he got a new name: Israel. His old name Jacob had meant “Deceiver,” but his new name meant, “One who strives with God.” Think about that for a moment. All of us are spiritual or physical descendents of this man who challenged and wrestled with God to the point of demanding and receiving (with consequences) a blessing from God. Today when we wrestle for our full inclusion with the traditional churches that are (in part) the earthly representation of God we are wrestling with God just as Jacob did. And like Jacob, all of us who do so receive a new name: Christians, God’s Beloved, etc. We are not the first: many have gone before us; many will come after us, but all of us receive new names when we challenge the unjust, exclusive, or plain ‘ol false representation of God on Earth and discover that we truly are blessed to be a part of God’s Reign.
A lot of us chose names for ourselves when we were christened as teens or when we took up religious orders. Others of us have reclaimed or given ourselves new names when we have come out to express the “real” person we are. When I came out I reverted to and reclaimed my old child hood name of Robin, setting aside my legal name of Robert for when legalities demand it. So names are important, and can be very emotional issues.
They should also be blessings. Certainly when our lover calls us by our name it can be a blessing. But it should be more than just that. There is nothing worse than being haunted by our name having been stuck in the middle of all sorts of childhood taunts or other defamations. As parents and mentors, when we give our children (actual or spiritual) their names, we have the responsibility to ensure that they grow up knowing that there names are blessings and are names to be cherished. We (and society) can not do that if we are hyper-critical, abusive or sarcastic when we use their names. Some speak a lot about the inappropriateness of using four letter words in civilized discourse, but how many never say such words, but use other words to cause their children, mentors, themselves, their friends, or even strangers equal amounts of pain?
In truth, our names are blessings, they are as much gifts of God as anything else we receive. So be careful how you say names — your own as much as any others.
He met God there. And in a most unexpected way: he wrestled with God all through the night. Eventually, as dawn was rising, God wanted to call off the contest. But Jacob would not let God go, demanding a blessing. He received two. His leg was struck and he would limp for the rest of his life. And he got a new name: Israel. His old name Jacob had meant “Deceiver,” but his new name meant, “One who strives with God.” Think about that for a moment. All of us are spiritual or physical descendents of this man who challenged and wrestled with God to the point of demanding and receiving (with consequences) a blessing from God. Today when we wrestle for our full inclusion with the traditional churches that are (in part) the earthly representation of God we are wrestling with God just as Jacob did. And like Jacob, all of us who do so receive a new name: Christians, God’s Beloved, etc. We are not the first: many have gone before us; many will come after us, but all of us receive new names when we challenge the unjust, exclusive, or plain ‘ol false representation of God on Earth and discover that we truly are blessed to be a part of God’s Reign.
A lot of us chose names for ourselves when we were christened as teens or when we took up religious orders. Others of us have reclaimed or given ourselves new names when we have come out to express the “real” person we are. When I came out I reverted to and reclaimed my old child hood name of Robin, setting aside my legal name of Robert for when legalities demand it. So names are important, and can be very emotional issues.
They should also be blessings. Certainly when our lover calls us by our name it can be a blessing. But it should be more than just that. There is nothing worse than being haunted by our name having been stuck in the middle of all sorts of childhood taunts or other defamations. As parents and mentors, when we give our children (actual or spiritual) their names, we have the responsibility to ensure that they grow up knowing that there names are blessings and are names to be cherished. We (and society) can not do that if we are hyper-critical, abusive or sarcastic when we use their names. Some speak a lot about the inappropriateness of using four letter words in civilized discourse, but how many never say such words, but use other words to cause their children, mentors, themselves, their friends, or even strangers equal amounts of pain?
In truth, our names are blessings, they are as much gifts of God as anything else we receive. So be careful how you say names — your own as much as any others.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
24 Jul 08 — Some thoughts about shifting definitions
Freedom means freedom and equality means equality — right? No. At least not historically. Truth is, the definition of what freedom and equality mean shifts constantly. I’ve been reading a rather fascinating book by Eric Foner titled, The Story of American Freedom (W. W. Norton & Co., New York, NY 1998). When we talk about freedom and equality today, we are speaking of something very different from the generations of 1945, 1865, or even 1776. Truth is, the meanings we take for granted for these terms today were not the meanings in those earlier years and will not be the meanings they will have in generations to come. And if you think this is just a civic argument, it’s not. The meaning of equality, freedom, and salvation are not the same today as they were in 1518 (when Luther declared freedom from the Catholic Church and Protestantism began) in 30 (when Jesus was resurrected as the Christ) nor 538bce when the Israelites were released from Babylonian captivity, and on and on back to the very beginning.
Freedom in the 1776 understanding was strictly for white property-holding men, a very small sub-group of the American people of that time. And yet, all men were created equal our Constitution says, and so does our faith. Our ancestors never saw a contradiction between someone who was equal not also being free. Likewise, any number of “conservatives” see no contradiction between us being free to exercise our sexual orientations or gender identities and not being equal before the law and/or faith for the purposes of being married. It is the same schizophrenia of earlier generations — as “minorities” we are excluded from marriage today for many of the same reasons that slaves and women and property-less white men were at the founding of this country. Doesn’t make our exclusion right, but perhaps it sheds a little light on the subject and tells us this has been going on for a lot longer than with just our particular issue.
History has proven that this country has changed the definition of who is equal and who is free, even while it proclaims that all are equal. It has been a slow process, filled with many heartaches, false starts, and all too many poisoned words from those defending the status quo. And yet, if we are ever to fulfill the promises of our Constitution and/or our Faith, we have no choice but to continue seeking the full inclusion that both promise, regardless of what common opinion may think about us.
Today many groups of Americans do not have full equality and do not share in the bounty of freedom that heterosexual white men do solely because of the sexual orientation, racial and gender circumstances of their birth. Our argument is not against those who happened to be born as heterosexual white men. God bless them, we need them as much as we need everyone else. It is only that the rest of us deserve the same enfranchisement, the same privileges, the same responsibilities, the same prospects as they have and take for granted. And until we do, the American definitions of freedom and equality will remain incomplete. The key to filling out those definitions to the extent that the Constitution and our Faith demands is not just to proclaim “freedom” and “equality,” but to determine the real reasons why freedom and equality are excluded from some groups and heal those wounds of exclusion. Otherwise we will continue to have groups of people who are technically free and equal under the Constitution and our Faith who are forced to live un-free and unequal lives in this and so many other countries.
Freedom in the 1776 understanding was strictly for white property-holding men, a very small sub-group of the American people of that time. And yet, all men were created equal our Constitution says, and so does our faith. Our ancestors never saw a contradiction between someone who was equal not also being free. Likewise, any number of “conservatives” see no contradiction between us being free to exercise our sexual orientations or gender identities and not being equal before the law and/or faith for the purposes of being married. It is the same schizophrenia of earlier generations — as “minorities” we are excluded from marriage today for many of the same reasons that slaves and women and property-less white men were at the founding of this country. Doesn’t make our exclusion right, but perhaps it sheds a little light on the subject and tells us this has been going on for a lot longer than with just our particular issue.
History has proven that this country has changed the definition of who is equal and who is free, even while it proclaims that all are equal. It has been a slow process, filled with many heartaches, false starts, and all too many poisoned words from those defending the status quo. And yet, if we are ever to fulfill the promises of our Constitution and/or our Faith, we have no choice but to continue seeking the full inclusion that both promise, regardless of what common opinion may think about us.
Today many groups of Americans do not have full equality and do not share in the bounty of freedom that heterosexual white men do solely because of the sexual orientation, racial and gender circumstances of their birth. Our argument is not against those who happened to be born as heterosexual white men. God bless them, we need them as much as we need everyone else. It is only that the rest of us deserve the same enfranchisement, the same privileges, the same responsibilities, the same prospects as they have and take for granted. And until we do, the American definitions of freedom and equality will remain incomplete. The key to filling out those definitions to the extent that the Constitution and our Faith demands is not just to proclaim “freedom” and “equality,” but to determine the real reasons why freedom and equality are excluded from some groups and heal those wounds of exclusion. Otherwise we will continue to have groups of people who are technically free and equal under the Constitution and our Faith who are forced to live un-free and unequal lives in this and so many other countries.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
22 Jul 08 — Some thoughts about Rebecca, an unsung hero
The story of Jacob stealing Esau’s birthright and Jacob’s subsequent flight is reasonably well known as Bible stories go. But little is made of Rebecca, the true hero of the story. If she is mentioned at all, it is because she was instrumental in helping Jacob swindle his brother. Swindle it may have been, but uncomfortably, it was also God’s Will.
Ouch. Does that mean that the ends fit the means? Not necessarily. Only if the means are an expression of love and the ends an expression of love. Usually love and swindle do not match each other. But here we have one of those rare exceptions. At the beginning of the story, Rebecca is very upset about the turmoil in her womb. She even gets so frustrated at what is going on that she says, “If this is what being a mother is all about, forget it!” She then goes on to inquire of God what on earth is going on inside her. And God answers her. “Inside your womb, two nations are growing. And the Elder shall serve the Younger.” As it turns out, Esau is the elder; Jacob the younger. Clearly God is stating God’s Intent that Jacob will be the carrier of God’s Promise into the next generation, even though that flew in the face of cultural expectations.
Rebecca respects this and proceeds to groom Jacob for his future. He becomes her favorite, but her husband Isaac favors Esau because he is a good hunter and Isaac loves meat. For whatever reason, Isaac is allowing his own personal favoritism get in the way of God’s Sovereign-Choice. (Presumably Rebecca would have told Isaac of her conversation with God at some time.) So when the time comes to give his blessing to one of his sons, he announces his intention of giving it to Esau. Isaac was therefore announcing his defiance of God. Rebecca acted. We can quibble about how she did it, but Jacob got the blessing from Isaac — just as God wanted.
So, are Christians or other believers allowed to swindle if that swindle fulfills God’s Intent, Desire, or Promise? We can only answer “No.” Why? Because Christian values so permeate the law codes and expectations of our society, that in almost every conceivable instance, to swindle for any supposed reason of supporting what we believe to be Divine Intent would in fact only be to sin.
Today there are those who honestly believe that they must do “x,” “y” or “z” to fulfill God’s Desires. And time after time again, it is proven that they were mistaken in understanding God’s Desires. We see this every time a church says some can not belong or some can not serve because of who they are. Knowing full well the inclusion Christ won for us on the Cross, they continue to believe it is righteous to swindle other Christians out of their birthright. And there is the bottom line. In Christ, we all receive the same birthright and there is no longer a case of one being firstborn and another second born — there are no second class citizens in Christ’s Love.
Rebecca understood that her son Jacob was not second class even if he were second born, and she remembered God’s Word to her and she acted upon it. In doing so she went against her husband, against one of her sons, and against the dictates of her society. But she did so because she was following God. So she is a hero for her times. Thank God, none of us need ever walk in her footsteps — Jesus taught us that God’s Promise, Desires, and Intent work there way through every believer.
Ouch. Does that mean that the ends fit the means? Not necessarily. Only if the means are an expression of love and the ends an expression of love. Usually love and swindle do not match each other. But here we have one of those rare exceptions. At the beginning of the story, Rebecca is very upset about the turmoil in her womb. She even gets so frustrated at what is going on that she says, “If this is what being a mother is all about, forget it!” She then goes on to inquire of God what on earth is going on inside her. And God answers her. “Inside your womb, two nations are growing. And the Elder shall serve the Younger.” As it turns out, Esau is the elder; Jacob the younger. Clearly God is stating God’s Intent that Jacob will be the carrier of God’s Promise into the next generation, even though that flew in the face of cultural expectations.
Rebecca respects this and proceeds to groom Jacob for his future. He becomes her favorite, but her husband Isaac favors Esau because he is a good hunter and Isaac loves meat. For whatever reason, Isaac is allowing his own personal favoritism get in the way of God’s Sovereign-Choice. (Presumably Rebecca would have told Isaac of her conversation with God at some time.) So when the time comes to give his blessing to one of his sons, he announces his intention of giving it to Esau. Isaac was therefore announcing his defiance of God. Rebecca acted. We can quibble about how she did it, but Jacob got the blessing from Isaac — just as God wanted.
So, are Christians or other believers allowed to swindle if that swindle fulfills God’s Intent, Desire, or Promise? We can only answer “No.” Why? Because Christian values so permeate the law codes and expectations of our society, that in almost every conceivable instance, to swindle for any supposed reason of supporting what we believe to be Divine Intent would in fact only be to sin.
Today there are those who honestly believe that they must do “x,” “y” or “z” to fulfill God’s Desires. And time after time again, it is proven that they were mistaken in understanding God’s Desires. We see this every time a church says some can not belong or some can not serve because of who they are. Knowing full well the inclusion Christ won for us on the Cross, they continue to believe it is righteous to swindle other Christians out of their birthright. And there is the bottom line. In Christ, we all receive the same birthright and there is no longer a case of one being firstborn and another second born — there are no second class citizens in Christ’s Love.
Rebecca understood that her son Jacob was not second class even if he were second born, and she remembered God’s Word to her and she acted upon it. In doing so she went against her husband, against one of her sons, and against the dictates of her society. But she did so because she was following God. So she is a hero for her times. Thank God, none of us need ever walk in her footsteps — Jesus taught us that God’s Promise, Desires, and Intent work there way through every believer.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
17 Jul 08 — Some thoughs about identity language
One of the greatest and most troubling lies we were ever taught as children was: “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Now the first part is certainly true: sticks and stones can hurt you. But the second part is dead wrong. The language we use to taunt and to define each other can last a lifetime — and I know many people who are still hurting because of the things they were called as kids and may indeed still be called today — whereas the physical bruises of youthful indiscretions sometimes heal quickly. All of us have words we don’t like to have spoken to us. As someone who came out into glbti/q culture in the late 90s, I have always identified equally with the terms gay and queer, but I quickly learned in ministry that there are many who do not like the word queer and do not accept the communities’ “reclamation” and “re-defining” of that term — for them it will always be drenched in pain and fear. Tired of getting tongue-tied with the entire alphabet to identify ourselves, I’ve mostly begun using the term “inclusive” as a way of saying glbti/q + whomsoever others I want to include who don’t fall into “our” alphabet.
This week, and several times previously in this presidential election cycle, the “N” word has made its appearance, and interestingly, as often as not, it has come from mouths of well respected members of the African-American community, and apparently not in a friendly way. It has unfortunately been used as a put down or as a way of expressing supreme frustration at someone else. And immediately, both within and without the African-American community a hue and cry has been raised, legitimately I believe. I would hope the same outcry would occur if someone were to call a Jewish-American person by the K word, or an Italian-American by the “S” word and etc.
But what happens, when as a community, we have taken the equivalent word and turned it into a badge of honor? When we use the “Q” word, or any of the other words we use in our dictionary of identities, we use it as a symbol of pride, but as often as not, we bristle the moment an outsider uses it. Understandably we are upset when it is used in a derogatory way, but I suspect many of us feel uneasy when we hear any “outsider” using our own terms even in a good way.
Historically, as each group of identity-Americans has gained a measure of legal equality, over time, terms which were used derogatorily against them have become unacceptable in polite discourse, both politically and privately. But in our case, what words would those be when we have turned them into such badges of honor? I can’t imagine us jettisoning overboard any of the glbti/q letters, and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard a term like “sodomite” used by anyone other than the most unrepentant of fringe elements. Perhaps it will be the term “homosexual” which we younger glbti/q peoples will succeed in having thrown out, but I know more than a few of our seniors who were proud of their efforts at homosexual liberation, even though I personally detest the term and believe it is the worst of them all. (Frankly I think the term heterosexual is just as bad although straight is no better. It’s high time people who are not glbti/q come up with something interesting with which to identify themselves.)
So I wonder, which of the letters of our alphabet will become the “N” word of the future? And knowing the eventuality that one of those letters will inevitably fulfill that position, should that impact how we use such language to identify ourselves today?
This week, and several times previously in this presidential election cycle, the “N” word has made its appearance, and interestingly, as often as not, it has come from mouths of well respected members of the African-American community, and apparently not in a friendly way. It has unfortunately been used as a put down or as a way of expressing supreme frustration at someone else. And immediately, both within and without the African-American community a hue and cry has been raised, legitimately I believe. I would hope the same outcry would occur if someone were to call a Jewish-American person by the K word, or an Italian-American by the “S” word and etc.
But what happens, when as a community, we have taken the equivalent word and turned it into a badge of honor? When we use the “Q” word, or any of the other words we use in our dictionary of identities, we use it as a symbol of pride, but as often as not, we bristle the moment an outsider uses it. Understandably we are upset when it is used in a derogatory way, but I suspect many of us feel uneasy when we hear any “outsider” using our own terms even in a good way.
Historically, as each group of identity-Americans has gained a measure of legal equality, over time, terms which were used derogatorily against them have become unacceptable in polite discourse, both politically and privately. But in our case, what words would those be when we have turned them into such badges of honor? I can’t imagine us jettisoning overboard any of the glbti/q letters, and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard a term like “sodomite” used by anyone other than the most unrepentant of fringe elements. Perhaps it will be the term “homosexual” which we younger glbti/q peoples will succeed in having thrown out, but I know more than a few of our seniors who were proud of their efforts at homosexual liberation, even though I personally detest the term and believe it is the worst of them all. (Frankly I think the term heterosexual is just as bad although straight is no better. It’s high time people who are not glbti/q come up with something interesting with which to identify themselves.)
So I wonder, which of the letters of our alphabet will become the “N” word of the future? And knowing the eventuality that one of those letters will inevitably fulfill that position, should that impact how we use such language to identify ourselves today?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
15 Jul 08 — Some thoughts about sacrifices
Because of its realism, the Bible has its share of horror stories. I can think of few worse than Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac. Whether you understand it as a test of Abraham’s faith (the traditional view) or as God using this “test” to teach the Chosen People that they were not to sacrifice their children like all too many of their neighbors (a respected understanding) it is still a very disturbing story. In brief, after the miracle of Isaac being born to parents 100 years old, God required Abraham to sacrifice this very same Isaac on an altar. And without any comment or seemingly any emotion, Abraham sets out to do so, and only at the last second, with knife in outstretched arm poised over his son bound upon the altar does God intervene to stop him. If you want the full details, you can find it in Genesis 22.
“What does this story have to say to us today?” you ask. Consider the similarity between Isaac and Jesus. In very different ways they were brought to the point of sacrifice. God intervened with Isaac but let Jesus suffer death so that he could be raised from the dead so that death itself could be overcome. Maybe this teaches us something about the “fullness of time” the New Testament speaks about. Had the sacrifice been made in Isaac’s time, it would have been too early and the desired salvific results would not have followed.
More important though is what it teaches us about our children and about ourselves. It tells us that there are limits to what we can faithfully ask of our children. We may not physically sacrifice them upon an altar, but we all know children whose parents have sacrificed their emotions and spirits on the altars of their own greed or desires. All too often what the parents could not do themselves, they try to live out through the lives of their children. God says “No” to this as much as to the knife Abraham was wielding.
But God also says “No” when we ask too much of ourselves as well. Dedication and determination are all good and fine as long as they do not sacrifice the Dreams and Intent that God had born into us. We must always remember that Jesus said his yoke was light, an easy burden. If we become so consumed with our work, our hobbies, even our families at the expense of the whole community, or our ______ we can easily loose sight of the balance Jesus was asking us to achieve.
I have met too many people in life who have sacrificed themselves for something other than what God or even they themselves so ardently desired. It is tragedy enough when even one person is not able to live out their dreams. But the truth is, the majority of our neighbors and even ourselves do not. Christianity at its best should free you to live the Dreams God has for you and should teach you the appropriate offerings to ask of yourself, your spouse, your friends, and your children or those you mentor. And if you don’t feel you really know what that appropriate offering is, then it is time to go to God in prayer and ask for that specific guidance. It may surprise you, but I guarantee, it won’t be another horror story.
“What does this story have to say to us today?” you ask. Consider the similarity between Isaac and Jesus. In very different ways they were brought to the point of sacrifice. God intervened with Isaac but let Jesus suffer death so that he could be raised from the dead so that death itself could be overcome. Maybe this teaches us something about the “fullness of time” the New Testament speaks about. Had the sacrifice been made in Isaac’s time, it would have been too early and the desired salvific results would not have followed.
More important though is what it teaches us about our children and about ourselves. It tells us that there are limits to what we can faithfully ask of our children. We may not physically sacrifice them upon an altar, but we all know children whose parents have sacrificed their emotions and spirits on the altars of their own greed or desires. All too often what the parents could not do themselves, they try to live out through the lives of their children. God says “No” to this as much as to the knife Abraham was wielding.
But God also says “No” when we ask too much of ourselves as well. Dedication and determination are all good and fine as long as they do not sacrifice the Dreams and Intent that God had born into us. We must always remember that Jesus said his yoke was light, an easy burden. If we become so consumed with our work, our hobbies, even our families at the expense of the whole community, or our ______ we can easily loose sight of the balance Jesus was asking us to achieve.
I have met too many people in life who have sacrificed themselves for something other than what God or even they themselves so ardently desired. It is tragedy enough when even one person is not able to live out their dreams. But the truth is, the majority of our neighbors and even ourselves do not. Christianity at its best should free you to live the Dreams God has for you and should teach you the appropriate offerings to ask of yourself, your spouse, your friends, and your children or those you mentor. And if you don’t feel you really know what that appropriate offering is, then it is time to go to God in prayer and ask for that specific guidance. It may surprise you, but I guarantee, it won’t be another horror story.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
10 Jul 08 — Some thoughts about visitors
I’ve been blessed to have two couples from my former congregation in Southern California come and visit us over the last month or so. It’s been interesting noting their reactions to Louisville. There were a few common themes. Both couples visited Churchill Downs and the Slugger Museum. Both couldn’t get over the big trees and how green everything is. And they really enjoy our “old” homes with their big yards and gardens — very few cookie cutter subdivisions here. Needless to say, the cleaner air and easier driving was also very appealing.
As one returning from the Southern California desert myself, I can definitely say the grass is greener and the culture more friendly. Which brings me to my point. Sometimes we don’t recognize how good we have it here. No, we don’t have the freedoms and equality that so many members of our communities have in California, and we must continue fighting for them. But, once we do have them, we will have a much nicer place to live in than so many who already have those freedoms.
It is always tempting to “run away” and to seek ones fortunes elsewhere. The Bible and our national history are full of stories of moving on to Promised Lands and greener pastures. And there are times when it is necessary and appropriate. But Jesus recognized something important: we should make the Promised Land any land we are in. And we should make any pasture we find greener. Transform it and change it instead of moving on and abandoning it. But then, what would you really expect from someone who was so in to healing?
As one returning from the Southern California desert myself, I can definitely say the grass is greener and the culture more friendly. Which brings me to my point. Sometimes we don’t recognize how good we have it here. No, we don’t have the freedoms and equality that so many members of our communities have in California, and we must continue fighting for them. But, once we do have them, we will have a much nicer place to live in than so many who already have those freedoms.
It is always tempting to “run away” and to seek ones fortunes elsewhere. The Bible and our national history are full of stories of moving on to Promised Lands and greener pastures. And there are times when it is necessary and appropriate. But Jesus recognized something important: we should make the Promised Land any land we are in. And we should make any pasture we find greener. Transform it and change it instead of moving on and abandoning it. But then, what would you really expect from someone who was so in to healing?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
08 Jul 08 — Some thoughs about hospitality
The true sin of Sodom was and always will be inhospitality. When visitors came to town and Lot welcomed them into his home, the people of the town rose up and tried to rape Lot’s visitors. Needless to say they were not giving their town’s visitors the welcome they deserved and that courtesy and custom demanded. This was how Israel’s Lawyers, the Prophets and Jesus all understood this unfortunate incident: for them it was always an issue of inhospitality — the intended rape was the method of Sodom’s inhospitality.
Listen to what Jesus has to say about those who do not welcome his ministry — to those who are inhospitable to God’s Word: “And you Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to Heaven? No! You will be cast down to Hades!’ For if the mighty-deeds being done in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. Moreover I say to you, on the Day of Judgment, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:23-24; my translation)
Hospitality is a big issue all through our Bible. Nations and cities have fallen because they were not hospitable. And more than a few individuals ran into trouble because they did not observe the customs and courtesies of hospitality. Unfortunately, more and more, our culture loses sight of this desire on God’s Part for hospitality. I think in the South we hold on to it a bit more than in some other parts of the country because Southern “gentility” is such a part of our culture. And yet, even here, it sometimes seems as if we are fighting a losing battle. I think it is safe to say that whatever we are doing, as much or as well as we are, there is always room to improve when it comes to being more welcoming and more hospitable.
And part of that is not just us opening our doors and being more friendly or attentive of our immediate neighbors. That this country does not have some form of universal health care is a sin of inhospitality. That there are all too many places in this country that are “downwind” or “down-water” of under-regulated polluters is a sin of hospitality to all our neighbors living there. That there are still people who seek to limit the equality of their glbti/q neighbors is a sin of inhospitality. That there are still those practicing racism, ageism, ableism, sexism, and all forms of antagonisms to other people’s faiths are just more examples of the inhospitality that is crippling our great nation. Why? Because all too many of us are being forced to worry more about the welcome we are receiving than on how welcoming we ourselves can be. And because all too many of us are having to worry about protecting our families or our very own bodies from abuse, pollution, ridicule, etc.
Jesus (and indeed the whole Bible) shows us a better way. Indeed, there could be no greater act of hospitality than Jesus offering his body and blood for our sakes. If we really want to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we should be willing to be as welcoming as he was. Perhaps a good start would be opening our eyes to what is going on all around us, and then opening our hearts as we see the unjust pain and suffering that so many of our neighbors are experiencing. And the only way we can do that is by welcoming those neighbors into our lives — in person.
Listen to what Jesus has to say about those who do not welcome his ministry — to those who are inhospitable to God’s Word: “And you Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to Heaven? No! You will be cast down to Hades!’ For if the mighty-deeds being done in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. Moreover I say to you, on the Day of Judgment, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:23-24; my translation)
Hospitality is a big issue all through our Bible. Nations and cities have fallen because they were not hospitable. And more than a few individuals ran into trouble because they did not observe the customs and courtesies of hospitality. Unfortunately, more and more, our culture loses sight of this desire on God’s Part for hospitality. I think in the South we hold on to it a bit more than in some other parts of the country because Southern “gentility” is such a part of our culture. And yet, even here, it sometimes seems as if we are fighting a losing battle. I think it is safe to say that whatever we are doing, as much or as well as we are, there is always room to improve when it comes to being more welcoming and more hospitable.
And part of that is not just us opening our doors and being more friendly or attentive of our immediate neighbors. That this country does not have some form of universal health care is a sin of inhospitality. That there are all too many places in this country that are “downwind” or “down-water” of under-regulated polluters is a sin of hospitality to all our neighbors living there. That there are still people who seek to limit the equality of their glbti/q neighbors is a sin of inhospitality. That there are still those practicing racism, ageism, ableism, sexism, and all forms of antagonisms to other people’s faiths are just more examples of the inhospitality that is crippling our great nation. Why? Because all too many of us are being forced to worry more about the welcome we are receiving than on how welcoming we ourselves can be. And because all too many of us are having to worry about protecting our families or our very own bodies from abuse, pollution, ridicule, etc.
Jesus (and indeed the whole Bible) shows us a better way. Indeed, there could be no greater act of hospitality than Jesus offering his body and blood for our sakes. If we really want to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we should be willing to be as welcoming as he was. Perhaps a good start would be opening our eyes to what is going on all around us, and then opening our hearts as we see the unjust pain and suffering that so many of our neighbors are experiencing. And the only way we can do that is by welcoming those neighbors into our lives — in person.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Some thoughs about apocalypse
Apocalypse is the language of human despair. As a literary form it was quite popular in the last few centuries before the birth of Christ. And no wonder. God’s Promise as lived by Israel was seemingly less and less impressive as each year went by. For hundreds of years, the rump state of Israel had been occupied by the Greeks and then the Romans. They were enslaved in all but name, and the prospects for freedom were dim indeed. It is out of this horror that apocalypse flourishes. This style of writing and story telling becomes very popular whenever people lose hope, when they can no longer see a way out, when only God coming down from Heaven and taking care of all the evil and starting all over again is the only conceivable answer.
Well God heard those cries of helplessness and did something about it. That something is Jesus Christ. There is no logical necessity of their being an apocalypse after the World changing Resurrection. And God’s Power to take care of the causes for apocalypse longing is shared with believers through the Holy Spirit. In truth, after the Resurrection, any vision of an apocalypse is a statement of disbelief — it says that the Cross is not enough, and that neither Jesus Christ nor Christian Disciples are able.
OK, what about Revelation you ask? Good question. Revelation has always stuck out like a sore thumb in the New Testament. Most likely, God’s Answer in Christ was simply “too good to be true” for some early Christians and they could not see in this answer that God had done all that needed to be done: that when you are born again from above you perceive the World and Life in such a different way that one really is living in that new Heaven and Earth for which so many apocalypses yearn.
I believe Revelation has a major purpose which can be easily lost in all of its apocalyptic language. God won the ultimate victory over evil on the Cross. But as long as there are unbelievers, evil can still fight a rear guard action, and can still cause plenty of misery. Revelation acknowledges this reality. It tells us that there will be a beast and false prophets in every generation. In this last century we have witnessed many: Hitler, Stalin, and on a more local level, racist vigilantes and anti-gay crusaders. What Revelation also tells us, is that in each generation, God crushes that evil. It may not always happen in ways that we can see or in ways that we would like, but it happens. As such, Revelation’s ultimate message for believers is: “God’s got your back.”
So the next time someone starts talking about getting ready for the end-times, just remind them that Jesus already took care of it for you, and that you’re more concerned about living Abundant Life than living in fear of someone else’s apocalyptic fantasies.
Well God heard those cries of helplessness and did something about it. That something is Jesus Christ. There is no logical necessity of their being an apocalypse after the World changing Resurrection. And God’s Power to take care of the causes for apocalypse longing is shared with believers through the Holy Spirit. In truth, after the Resurrection, any vision of an apocalypse is a statement of disbelief — it says that the Cross is not enough, and that neither Jesus Christ nor Christian Disciples are able.
OK, what about Revelation you ask? Good question. Revelation has always stuck out like a sore thumb in the New Testament. Most likely, God’s Answer in Christ was simply “too good to be true” for some early Christians and they could not see in this answer that God had done all that needed to be done: that when you are born again from above you perceive the World and Life in such a different way that one really is living in that new Heaven and Earth for which so many apocalypses yearn.
I believe Revelation has a major purpose which can be easily lost in all of its apocalyptic language. God won the ultimate victory over evil on the Cross. But as long as there are unbelievers, evil can still fight a rear guard action, and can still cause plenty of misery. Revelation acknowledges this reality. It tells us that there will be a beast and false prophets in every generation. In this last century we have witnessed many: Hitler, Stalin, and on a more local level, racist vigilantes and anti-gay crusaders. What Revelation also tells us, is that in each generation, God crushes that evil. It may not always happen in ways that we can see or in ways that we would like, but it happens. As such, Revelation’s ultimate message for believers is: “God’s got your back.”
So the next time someone starts talking about getting ready for the end-times, just remind them that Jesus already took care of it for you, and that you’re more concerned about living Abundant Life than living in fear of someone else’s apocalyptic fantasies.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
01 Jul 08 — Some thoughts about outcasts
The Bible includes many stories about outcasts. Of those, the story of Hagar and Ishmael is one of the most enduring. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but after years of waiting, Sarah gave up hope in God’s Promise. She took matters into her own hands by giving her servant woman Hagar to Abraham. Ishmael was the result of their union. Abraham loved his son very much and honored Hagar’s role in bringing him into life. But Sarah became very jealous and tormented Hagar so much that she drove her away. Abraham consoled her and brought her back, but the tensions remained.
Abraham decided to talk to God about this problem. God’s response was to say again the promise that Abraham and Sarah would have their own child without a surrogate mother. God also gave Abraham the covenant of male circumcision that was to be performed upon all the members of Abraham’s household and for all the generations to come. This was to be a marker of their faith, much like many of us wear crosses today to identify our faith. And so it was that Abraham, by his own hand, circumcised all the men of his household. This included Ishmael, who was painfully circumcised on his thirteenth birthday. Note well: Ishmael was a child of this male only Covenant between Abraham & God that was one of the foundations of Israel’s faith. That means that Ishmael has as much right to claim himself an Israelite as anyone.
But Sarah grew even more angry and frustrated. And she demanded that Abraham cast out Hagar and Ishmael. Now Abraham did not want to do this because he loved his son. But he also wanted peace. Once again he went to God, and this time God said, “Listen to Sarah, and let go of Ishmael.” And so sorrowfully, Abraham did so. He gave them what he could and sent them away into the desert — and to God.
Eventually their resources gave out, and after Hagar had made Ishmael as comfortable as she could, she went off a ways because it was too painful for her to watch her son die. And she cried out to God. And God listened. Note well: the first time a woman is recorded as crying out to God in Scripture it is this outcast woman. And God answered. God provided a spring of water and Ishmael and Hagar were revived. Furthermore, God gave them a Promise as well, a Promise that Ishmael would also become a great nation. And so it has become, for Ishmael is the ancestor of the Arabic Peoples, almost all of whom are Islamic.
The consequences of taking things into our own hands, even in our own family lives, can have dramatic and enduring consequences. Just think about all the trouble this one family feud has caused. Today when a Palestinian hears Israel making promises, he or she hears Father Abraham making promises, but wonders how long it will be before Mother Sarah betrays them and casts him or her out again. No wonder peace is so difficult to create in the Middle East — they are in the midst of a family feud that has been going on for 3,800 years.
Abraham decided to talk to God about this problem. God’s response was to say again the promise that Abraham and Sarah would have their own child without a surrogate mother. God also gave Abraham the covenant of male circumcision that was to be performed upon all the members of Abraham’s household and for all the generations to come. This was to be a marker of their faith, much like many of us wear crosses today to identify our faith. And so it was that Abraham, by his own hand, circumcised all the men of his household. This included Ishmael, who was painfully circumcised on his thirteenth birthday. Note well: Ishmael was a child of this male only Covenant between Abraham & God that was one of the foundations of Israel’s faith. That means that Ishmael has as much right to claim himself an Israelite as anyone.
But Sarah grew even more angry and frustrated. And she demanded that Abraham cast out Hagar and Ishmael. Now Abraham did not want to do this because he loved his son. But he also wanted peace. Once again he went to God, and this time God said, “Listen to Sarah, and let go of Ishmael.” And so sorrowfully, Abraham did so. He gave them what he could and sent them away into the desert — and to God.
Eventually their resources gave out, and after Hagar had made Ishmael as comfortable as she could, she went off a ways because it was too painful for her to watch her son die. And she cried out to God. And God listened. Note well: the first time a woman is recorded as crying out to God in Scripture it is this outcast woman. And God answered. God provided a spring of water and Ishmael and Hagar were revived. Furthermore, God gave them a Promise as well, a Promise that Ishmael would also become a great nation. And so it has become, for Ishmael is the ancestor of the Arabic Peoples, almost all of whom are Islamic.
The consequences of taking things into our own hands, even in our own family lives, can have dramatic and enduring consequences. Just think about all the trouble this one family feud has caused. Today when a Palestinian hears Israel making promises, he or she hears Father Abraham making promises, but wonders how long it will be before Mother Sarah betrays them and casts him or her out again. No wonder peace is so difficult to create in the Middle East — they are in the midst of a family feud that has been going on for 3,800 years.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
26 Jun 08 — Some thoughts about the market
The fastest growing religion, and indeed, the religion with the most believers is the Market. Indeed, some have claimed that the Market is the first worldwide religion. Surprised? Consider this: every time someone complains about the cost of oil, or that too many workers are being laid off, or that too many jobs are going overseas, the answer is always “the Market is working — don’t mess with it.” Look at what commodities traders are saying about any attempt to curb the speculation which probably has impacted the run up in oil prices. Their answer is always, “any regulation will only make matters worse, trust the market.” What they are really saying though, is not just trust, but grovel, bow before it, even praise it. Now when the market has become this infallible it has become a god. And an immoral god at that. A god that reduces humans into commodities; a god that reduces all of nature’s value to resources — all to be used for its own profit. The reign of the Market, as it is currently operated, is inescapably abusive — and it is a reign which couldn’t be further from the hopes and equality that are essential to God’s Reign.
Notice something else? Those who praise the “free” market and claim that regulating it would only make matters worse wouldn’t dream of deregulating sexuality or of allowing for a “free” culture. Indeed, they are the first to decry the so-called “liberalization” of society. From the stand point of logic, this is hypocrisy. Jesus understood this well and accused the powers-that-were of his time with much the same thing: “You would regulate the utmost details of the people’s lives, but you let the Roman occupiers do what they want, and just look at what you allow to go on in the Temple!”
The Market has succeeded because it has given its adherents unparalleled financial success. And not just the rich and famous, but all those who have benefited from it indirectly like many of us have. But for all its success, it has created a community of believers whose focus is upon gaining unlimited wealth from limited resources. This is a market that doesn’t understand the concept of “good enough.” Nor does it have a value to define the upper limits of what is a “reasonable return on investment.” And because it can not and will not regulate itself on its own, eventually when those limited resources it depends upon are depleted, the “train wreck” will occur and the Market will collapse.
The alternative is not a planned economy. Such alternatives have proven disastrous time and time again. No, as so often is the case, we must look for a middle way. A responsibly regulated and socially conscious market will provide the best economic benefits for all of Humanity while simultaneously protecting and valuing the environment and its resources. But for that to happen, the divinity that has been invested in the market has to be stripped from it. Only when the infallibility, omniscience and omnipotence are returned to God where they belong, and the market becomes subordinate to God, will such a blessing be possible.
As for you and me, we must practice that middle-way we are preaching to policy makers. Moderation in possessions, activities, hobbies, diet, investments, indeed, in almost every facet of our lives embraces this middle way. But the only way that middle way will ever be emotionally successful for us — the only way it will ever be “good enough” — is if we invest 100% in the true God who is the only One who can help us see that “good enough” is really the “best that can be.”
Notice something else? Those who praise the “free” market and claim that regulating it would only make matters worse wouldn’t dream of deregulating sexuality or of allowing for a “free” culture. Indeed, they are the first to decry the so-called “liberalization” of society. From the stand point of logic, this is hypocrisy. Jesus understood this well and accused the powers-that-were of his time with much the same thing: “You would regulate the utmost details of the people’s lives, but you let the Roman occupiers do what they want, and just look at what you allow to go on in the Temple!”
The Market has succeeded because it has given its adherents unparalleled financial success. And not just the rich and famous, but all those who have benefited from it indirectly like many of us have. But for all its success, it has created a community of believers whose focus is upon gaining unlimited wealth from limited resources. This is a market that doesn’t understand the concept of “good enough.” Nor does it have a value to define the upper limits of what is a “reasonable return on investment.” And because it can not and will not regulate itself on its own, eventually when those limited resources it depends upon are depleted, the “train wreck” will occur and the Market will collapse.
The alternative is not a planned economy. Such alternatives have proven disastrous time and time again. No, as so often is the case, we must look for a middle way. A responsibly regulated and socially conscious market will provide the best economic benefits for all of Humanity while simultaneously protecting and valuing the environment and its resources. But for that to happen, the divinity that has been invested in the market has to be stripped from it. Only when the infallibility, omniscience and omnipotence are returned to God where they belong, and the market becomes subordinate to God, will such a blessing be possible.
As for you and me, we must practice that middle-way we are preaching to policy makers. Moderation in possessions, activities, hobbies, diet, investments, indeed, in almost every facet of our lives embraces this middle way. But the only way that middle way will ever be emotionally successful for us — the only way it will ever be “good enough” — is if we invest 100% in the true God who is the only One who can help us see that “good enough” is really the “best that can be.”
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
24 Jun 08 — Some thoughs on Pride
Oh what a difference 7 years makes! The last time I marched in Louisville was in 2001 when Pride had to be cloaked with the euphemism of a “Justice March.” As I remember it was about 360 folks walking in a straggling unorganized ramble down 4th St. back then instead of a — get this! a parade with floats! And my oh my, there were churches towards the front, the center, and the rear (cradle to grave coverage). They said 500 and that’s believable, but if you add all the folks participating from the balcony of the Connection and the steps of the Arts Center, well, seems like 1,000+ would be more realistic. And as I remember, back then it was mostly us older folks, whereas this time, it was a whole lot of young people as well. What does this all mean? We’re winning. Maybe not so much the hearts and souls of the hard core opposition, but certainly those who in times past have not been able to come out of their closets and join the fun. Let me say a great big thank you to everyone who had done their part in getting us from 2001 to 2008.
Let me put our march here into some perspective. When I pastored the MCC in Santa Ana, California, there was no longer a Pride Event in the surrounding Orange County, so we went over to nearby Long Beach which has one of the biggest events on the Pride Circuit. In 2002 I rode on the back of a restored 1935 Austin Morgan in full clergy drag with my deacon who was in full leather. We were one of about 100 floats lining up for a parade more than a mile in length passing some 300,000 spectators. Yes, only the floats “marched,” the people just stood around, watching and cheering. What struck me so much about all those thousands was how “ordinary” we all looked.
In 2005 our church staffed a booth at the Pride festival. I was there for 12 hours on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. I temporarily lost my hearing part way through since they had put our church booth right next to the Masterbeat® booth that was hawking and demonstrating its dance CDs at mega-volume levels. With literally hundreds of thousands of people passing by and with people who were as good at reaching out and talking to people as the crew did this year at MCC Louisville, over those two days we were able to hand out less than 30 brochures about the church. Conversely, here the crew passed out close to 300 brochures about the church in less than 8 hours with only several thousands passing by. Which just goes to show that California and Kentucky are very different. What works in one place doesn’t always work in another. (Am I ever finding that out!)
So what does it all mean? The Good News is: faith is very important to the folks visiting Louisville’s Pride Festival. There is a hunger. And they are interested in us (and other faith organizations around town). Time to get cooking!
Let me put our march here into some perspective. When I pastored the MCC in Santa Ana, California, there was no longer a Pride Event in the surrounding Orange County, so we went over to nearby Long Beach which has one of the biggest events on the Pride Circuit. In 2002 I rode on the back of a restored 1935 Austin Morgan in full clergy drag with my deacon who was in full leather. We were one of about 100 floats lining up for a parade more than a mile in length passing some 300,000 spectators. Yes, only the floats “marched,” the people just stood around, watching and cheering. What struck me so much about all those thousands was how “ordinary” we all looked.
In 2005 our church staffed a booth at the Pride festival. I was there for 12 hours on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. I temporarily lost my hearing part way through since they had put our church booth right next to the Masterbeat® booth that was hawking and demonstrating its dance CDs at mega-volume levels. With literally hundreds of thousands of people passing by and with people who were as good at reaching out and talking to people as the crew did this year at MCC Louisville, over those two days we were able to hand out less than 30 brochures about the church. Conversely, here the crew passed out close to 300 brochures about the church in less than 8 hours with only several thousands passing by. Which just goes to show that California and Kentucky are very different. What works in one place doesn’t always work in another. (Am I ever finding that out!)
So what does it all mean? The Good News is: faith is very important to the folks visiting Louisville’s Pride Festival. There is a hunger. And they are interested in us (and other faith organizations around town). Time to get cooking!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
19 Jun 08 — Some Thoughs on Immigration
Until the ever increasing spiral of gas prices and other economic woes knocked it out of our consciousness, immigration was a big and very emotional issue. Now it has faded into the background, but the hurt, pain, confusion and antagonism has not been resolved. Reading through the Abraham and Sarah narrative in Genesis reminds us that we are all immigrants. Every citizen of our country came from some where else. At one time or another, all of our ancestors heard God calling out to them to leave their home and find a better place. As Christians we call this the Promised Land; as citizens we call it “the land of opportunity.” Regardless of what we call it, at heart the motivation is the same: our hope for a better life.
Everyone of us also shares something else with Abraham and Sarah. When we get to that Promised Land, it is almost always already occupied by the Canaanites. For European-Americans, the Native-Americans who had arrived earlier were labeled and treated like Canaanites. For those Americans immigrating to the west coast, following the siren song of the Gold Rush, it was the Californios (the Mexicans who had already colonized parts of what is now our southwest) who were labeled and treated like Canaanites. For African-Americans, who were migrating north to escape oppression in the deep south in the earlier decades of the last century, it was the already entrenched and unwelcoming ethnic groups in the northern cities who became Canaanites. Guess what? For all those crossing our borders in search of the Promised Land today, we are in danger of being the Canaanites of this generation. And we know what God’s opinion of the Canaanites is. Let’s just say, that’s not a “label” I’m in any hurry to claim.
Now there are many ways of escaping the Canaanite label. We can welcome the immigrants, treating them as neighbors and not as enemies — giving them the same love we give ourselves — just like Jesus taught us. We can also help them to make their homeland better so they never feel the need to move. Sort of like sharing our blessings with those who are less fortunate — a good Christian virtue and pragmatic politics. Certainly there are many more ways, but you won’t hear anything like this in the political controversies which are sure to arise when this issue becomes a hop topic again. It will all be spoken and argued in the language of law, not in love. In the mean time, let’s seek ways of creatively addressing the problem so we aren’t condemned as Canaanites when that time comes.
///////
We are also all immigrants from the womb. The very moment we are born we enter a world in which the Canaanites are on the prowl. Worse, for the first several decades of our life, we are dependent upon many of those Canaanites! Sometimes they are good, and we find someone like a King Cyrus who will protect us and help us grow into the person we are supposed to. And sometimes they are like a Haman, set on destroying us, or like a Jezebel, keeping us in our place (or at least what “she” thinks our place should be). If we are going to find the Promised Land, or perhaps we should say, if we are to become the person God promised us to be, then we have to go on a voyage of discovery, seeking a place for ourselves in the World. If we don’t accept the challenge, then the Canaanites will always control our destiny.
Everyone of us also shares something else with Abraham and Sarah. When we get to that Promised Land, it is almost always already occupied by the Canaanites. For European-Americans, the Native-Americans who had arrived earlier were labeled and treated like Canaanites. For those Americans immigrating to the west coast, following the siren song of the Gold Rush, it was the Californios (the Mexicans who had already colonized parts of what is now our southwest) who were labeled and treated like Canaanites. For African-Americans, who were migrating north to escape oppression in the deep south in the earlier decades of the last century, it was the already entrenched and unwelcoming ethnic groups in the northern cities who became Canaanites. Guess what? For all those crossing our borders in search of the Promised Land today, we are in danger of being the Canaanites of this generation. And we know what God’s opinion of the Canaanites is. Let’s just say, that’s not a “label” I’m in any hurry to claim.
Now there are many ways of escaping the Canaanite label. We can welcome the immigrants, treating them as neighbors and not as enemies — giving them the same love we give ourselves — just like Jesus taught us. We can also help them to make their homeland better so they never feel the need to move. Sort of like sharing our blessings with those who are less fortunate — a good Christian virtue and pragmatic politics. Certainly there are many more ways, but you won’t hear anything like this in the political controversies which are sure to arise when this issue becomes a hop topic again. It will all be spoken and argued in the language of law, not in love. In the mean time, let’s seek ways of creatively addressing the problem so we aren’t condemned as Canaanites when that time comes.
///////
We are also all immigrants from the womb. The very moment we are born we enter a world in which the Canaanites are on the prowl. Worse, for the first several decades of our life, we are dependent upon many of those Canaanites! Sometimes they are good, and we find someone like a King Cyrus who will protect us and help us grow into the person we are supposed to. And sometimes they are like a Haman, set on destroying us, or like a Jezebel, keeping us in our place (or at least what “she” thinks our place should be). If we are going to find the Promised Land, or perhaps we should say, if we are to become the person God promised us to be, then we have to go on a voyage of discovery, seeking a place for ourselves in the World. If we don’t accept the challenge, then the Canaanites will always control our destiny.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
17 Jun 08 - Some Thoughts on Unity
Unity is one of those “touchy” subjects. You hear it all the time in civic and church discussions. There seems to be a deeply ingrained longing for unity and an equally nagging fear of disunity. You can hear many examples of this longing for unity in Scripture, especially in the New Testament. Consider what Paul asks of his Philippian congregation, “Beloved, I urge Euodia and Syntyche to think alike in the Savior.” (Philippians 4:2) Here Paul is asking the congregation as a whole to help these two power women work for the same purpose. And Luke paints us a portrait of unity in the early church when he wrote, “Now the multitude of those believers were united as one heart and soul.” (Luke 4:32) And in a more chilling call for unity, the High Priest of those days said in so many words, “It is better for one to be eliminated so that the precious unity of our faith can be maintained.” (Paraphrase of John 18:14) We hear this cry today from many leaders when they tell us to hide part of who we are or stop doing something we love for what they consider to be for the better of the whole.
But God has something to say about this unity. God warns us that too much of a good thing can be bad. In the story of Babel in Genesis 11, Humanity was all united and was seeking to build a temple which would reach as high as the Heavens above. God “came down,” realized this was not a good thing, and intentionally disunited our ancestors by giving them the gift of different languages and cultures. No longer able to coordinate their massive building project, it fell into ruins as everyone went in search of a home they could call their own. By this confusion that God created, God was able to retain control — and that means that ultimately it is God’s Responsibility to unify us across all of our differences, because God was the One who created those differences. To go one more step, that means that Unity is in the Godhead and is something we can participate in but never fully achieve until we enter Paradise.
Historically we have paid a terrible price in war and other forms of strife because of disunity. We have also not been able to develop cures for diseases, nor have we been able to feed all the world’s hungry because of economic disunity. But look at what we have gained from intentional human acts of disunity: our Protestant faith was born out of our split with Catholicism, as indeed our Christian faith was from Judaism. Our country was born by disuniting from the United Kingdom, and how impoverished would be the whole world without the example of our Constitution — born to unite colonies which had won their freedom by disunion. And where would we be as various ethnic, racial, and sexual communities if we had not broken away from the mainstream to consolidate and live into our identities even as we maintain faith with a larger civic and faithful whole? In other words, it is not as simple as unity is good and disunity is bad.
Jesus sought to bring us to a workable state of unity when he asked us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). But Jesus never told us to be our neighbor, or even to be just like our neighbor. No, there is only so much unity that Jesus wanted for us — Jesus well knows that too much unity like too much power can corrupt Humanity. Unity can help foster peace and efficiency, but too much unity can trivialize and diminish people’s lives.
So we have Humanity’s longing for unity and God/Jesus’ Cautions about having too much unity. We must seek a middle way between these two poles: a place in the sun that allows us to be who we are while helping others to be who they are.
But God has something to say about this unity. God warns us that too much of a good thing can be bad. In the story of Babel in Genesis 11, Humanity was all united and was seeking to build a temple which would reach as high as the Heavens above. God “came down,” realized this was not a good thing, and intentionally disunited our ancestors by giving them the gift of different languages and cultures. No longer able to coordinate their massive building project, it fell into ruins as everyone went in search of a home they could call their own. By this confusion that God created, God was able to retain control — and that means that ultimately it is God’s Responsibility to unify us across all of our differences, because God was the One who created those differences. To go one more step, that means that Unity is in the Godhead and is something we can participate in but never fully achieve until we enter Paradise.
Historically we have paid a terrible price in war and other forms of strife because of disunity. We have also not been able to develop cures for diseases, nor have we been able to feed all the world’s hungry because of economic disunity. But look at what we have gained from intentional human acts of disunity: our Protestant faith was born out of our split with Catholicism, as indeed our Christian faith was from Judaism. Our country was born by disuniting from the United Kingdom, and how impoverished would be the whole world without the example of our Constitution — born to unite colonies which had won their freedom by disunion. And where would we be as various ethnic, racial, and sexual communities if we had not broken away from the mainstream to consolidate and live into our identities even as we maintain faith with a larger civic and faithful whole? In other words, it is not as simple as unity is good and disunity is bad.
Jesus sought to bring us to a workable state of unity when he asked us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). But Jesus never told us to be our neighbor, or even to be just like our neighbor. No, there is only so much unity that Jesus wanted for us — Jesus well knows that too much unity like too much power can corrupt Humanity. Unity can help foster peace and efficiency, but too much unity can trivialize and diminish people’s lives.
So we have Humanity’s longing for unity and God/Jesus’ Cautions about having too much unity. We must seek a middle way between these two poles: a place in the sun that allows us to be who we are while helping others to be who they are.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
12 Jun 08 - Some Thoughts About Freedom
Drive around for any amount of time, and sooner or later, you will see a bumper sticker which says, “Freedom is not free.” I even saw it this last week on a church sign in honor of Memorial Day. And there is a measure of truth to it. The history of our nation is written in the blood paid for our freedom. And it is right that we honor that sacrifice.
But let us also celebrate those who have won freedom through words instead of arms. And let us also remember that there is a freedom none of us can buy with our own blood: the freedom we receive because God gave it to us. Consider these texts from the Bible: “Where God’s Spirit is, there is liberty.” (II Corinthians 3:17) “For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) “As God’s Servants, live as free persons…” (I Peter 2:16) and “God has sent me to proclaim release to those held captive…to liberate the oppressed.” (Luke 4:18) Is there a price for this freedom? Yes, it costs your belief.
When faced with the question of freedom, our faith should be in the driver’s seat. Ideally, we bring liberty to others and ourselves by bringing them to God. For some that will be as Christians, for some that will be through other faiths or civics that prize liberty and freedom as virtues. Regardless, the more we get God involved, the better chance we have of obtaining freedom at the lowest possible price.
But let us also celebrate those who have won freedom through words instead of arms. And let us also remember that there is a freedom none of us can buy with our own blood: the freedom we receive because God gave it to us. Consider these texts from the Bible: “Where God’s Spirit is, there is liberty.” (II Corinthians 3:17) “For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) “As God’s Servants, live as free persons…” (I Peter 2:16) and “God has sent me to proclaim release to those held captive…to liberate the oppressed.” (Luke 4:18) Is there a price for this freedom? Yes, it costs your belief.
When faced with the question of freedom, our faith should be in the driver’s seat. Ideally, we bring liberty to others and ourselves by bringing them to God. For some that will be as Christians, for some that will be through other faiths or civics that prize liberty and freedom as virtues. Regardless, the more we get God involved, the better chance we have of obtaining freedom at the lowest possible price.
10 Jun 08 - Some Thoughts About Tithes
Abram gave the first recorded tithe to God in thanksgiving for his victory in war (Genesis 14:14-20). This was about 1800 years before Christ was born. The “last word” on tithing from the Bible is found in Malachi 3:20. Malachi was a Prophet speaking for God about 450 years before Christ. He challenged us to “bring the full tithe into the storehouse…and thus put Me to the test.” Yes, that’s right, God is challenging us to challenge God. And why? So that we can see “if God will not open the windows of Heaven for you and pour down an overflowing blessing.” (Scripture quotation is from the NRSV.) So, the first word of the Bible on tithing says we should tithe because of what God has already done for us. And the last word says we should tithe because of what God will do for us.
Jesus accepted these teachings and made no changes to them. His only concern was that the religious leaders of his time were tithing to their advantage and not the faith’s. For example, the Pharisees would pay tithes on the seasoning for food but not for the food itself. (See Matthew 23:23 for another example.) Jesus was accusing them of being stingy and ungenerous. He was also accusing them of missing the point.
What then can we say about tithing? It is a way of life, a part of our relationship with God. We should tithe in recognition of who God is for us, and what God does for us. We also do not want the Living Christ to say, “You are being stingy,” or worse, “You’re missing the point.” Like any other investment, the more one invests, the more one receives. It may not be what we expect, but it is what God wants us to have. It may not come today, but it will come someday. In the meantime, tithing helps to keeps us focused upon God. And that is true whether our tithe is money, time, or talent.
Jesus accepted these teachings and made no changes to them. His only concern was that the religious leaders of his time were tithing to their advantage and not the faith’s. For example, the Pharisees would pay tithes on the seasoning for food but not for the food itself. (See Matthew 23:23 for another example.) Jesus was accusing them of being stingy and ungenerous. He was also accusing them of missing the point.
What then can we say about tithing? It is a way of life, a part of our relationship with God. We should tithe in recognition of who God is for us, and what God does for us. We also do not want the Living Christ to say, “You are being stingy,” or worse, “You’re missing the point.” Like any other investment, the more one invests, the more one receives. It may not be what we expect, but it is what God wants us to have. It may not come today, but it will come someday. In the meantime, tithing helps to keeps us focused upon God. And that is true whether our tithe is money, time, or talent.
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