Holy Layers bat man!

Alright I am going to get a little technical but only a little technical. In preparing for a Bible study for a class I chose the readings for next week. In doing so it forced me to begin wrestling with the Gospel.

What do we have? A layer cake

We have the use of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah (potentially second Isaiah, a writer writing some time in the "spirit" of the original prophet) is "forthtelling" to the Israelites that God is still very much with them.

On top of that is the "real" history that occured that saw the man Jesus become born and the man John go out to the wilderness to proclaim that the Jews must repent and return to God. To repent is to turn around. In that time there was the Roman elected high priest Annaias, followed by the High Priest at Jesus' trial, death and ressurection, Caiaphus. They were the Religious Priests who held sway in Palestine. Palestine was an occupied land. The rule was the emporer but he sent Pontious Pilate to govern. Pilate oversaw Roman rule in Jerusalem and was involved with the Trial. His job was to try and maintain order, by force if neccessary, over a people who were not to thrilled that gentiles held sway in the land that God had given the Jews. Enter Jesus in Galilee...a political nobody. Yet he was born and lived in an era of Herod the tetrarch. A cruel leader who was the son of Herod the Great.

On top of that enter the writer of Luke Acts who believes that Jesus is no man but the Messiah. Son of God who was sent to proclaim the Jubilee and whose death and resurrection was the very good news that was the salvation of all who believed. He not only see's the man Jesus as the very same Son of God but understands (some 70-90 years later)that John the Baptist was sent to proclaim Jesus as Messiah. To make it more interesting the writer also see's that Isaiah who thought he was speaking to the faithful of his day was actually referring to Jesus. In light of this he inserts Isaiah 40 to reveal the Lord who was to come and make all ways strait was Jesus Christ. To make it even more interesting we not only get a historical reference but are also reminded of the Spiritual story of John's father Zechariah who because he did not buy all the Angel Gabriel had told him, could not speak, until the spirit released his tongue to confirm that Jesus cousin John should actually be named John.

Wait there is more...

On top of this layer lies those who prepared the Lectionary to prepare for Advent. They chose this Gospel Lesson to remind and elicit a congregation to the Mini Lent of Advent which is to induce a type of longing in which we Christians prepare for Christmas. It is dark and we await for the coming of light.

How am I supposed to compete with that. Here I come the top layer in this spiritual/histoical layer cake filled with my own thoughts and experience of Christ. Which of course has been influenced and developed by all the preceeding layers but also the Holy Spirit who is not even contained in the writings.

Its enough to make one fall down. In fact I think I will.

I forget yet I can remember

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, *
"The LORD has done great things for them.

How good is the psalm? It is very good indeed. We were like those who dream. (I think of the sons and daughters mentioned in the New Testament who dream dreams)Our mouth filled with laughter....our tongue...shouts of joy. I'm tempted to write about how little I see this amongst my bretheren. But to admit that, would also be to write how little this represents me. Not that I'm dour, just that I have not on a continual basis always recognize how Jesus has restored the fortunes of Zion...giving us every reason to dream and laugh with joy. I forget that his very life, death, and resurrection restores my fortunes and when I remember, can restore my fortunes in the here and now.

For Truly the Lord has done great things for (us) me. The trouble is I have a built in forget-ter. I forget the great things. I even go so far as to see what God has done for me and think it common place or ordinary. I forget where I come from.

I forget that cold, dark, wet night 11 years ago in October. I was drunk and miserable and angry at God. I stumbled around Longmeadow in tears...lost because I could not get God. The truth was how could I allow God in when I was too busy making all the decisions. BAM! three weeks later I end up in AA. A year later I am still sober and have a God of my own understanding. Three years after that I am a Christian. I Get it and I don't fight it. Jesus of Nazareth is the One who they believed he was. I got there because I simply began living like it was so...I got of f the debating society.

But I forget. I forget that I was on a blind date and fell in love with my wife. I forget that this is a woman of great beauty and laughter when I focus on the way I allow her to push my buttons. I forget that she willingly sold her house, packed her things and left her mother to come to a strange country...seminary.

I forget and even forget that I am not alone. Even the greats like Paul admit "I do what I don't want and don't do what I am to do." (paraphrase) I do become engrossed with outcomes and worry too much about jobs. I don't take the time to pray or recognize the astounding fact that I am healthy, married to a beautiful wife, have three intelligent, healthy children, there is food on my plate and gas in my car.....A CAR THAT CAME FREE!!!!!! (Did I say I forget stuff...up till this moment I forgot about that)

But into my mouth has come laughter. My heart has warmed in the recognition. There is joy here in this moment. In recognition of Christ in this moment my hope is restored.

It was always there...I just had forgotten.

I love Luke

No, I'm not talking about Days of our Lives, I'm talking about "Luke" author of the Gospel according to Luke. Luke's fun precisely because he is really concerned with historical facts. Luke begins chapter 3 (or would have if he wrote in chapters) with a list of rulers for historical context.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas

I love Luke. This list, while quite boring, is actually very very interesting. It places the story of Jesus within a very specific historical context. It sets the scene for the precipitating story of John the Baptist. It ties the present story of Jesus with the past of the prophet Isaiah by way of specificity.

I love Luke.

How much is this blog worth?

A good question for "black friday" when we are obsessed with shopping....

My blog is worth $1,129.08.
How much is your blog worth?

how can we thank God enough?

As I most likely won't be posting from my parents house this weekend, today seems as appropriate a time as ever to reflect on the opening phrase of the Epistle for Advent 1c. "How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?

As an estimated 38 million americans travel "home" today I can't help but think about how many will be thanking God for the joy that comes from family. Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks. So often, anymore, it seems as though it is merely the ribbon cutting ceremony required to get to black friday shopping (with some stores opening at midnight this year) and ultimately to Christmas.

What would Thanksgiving look like if we took the time to sit and ponder just how we might thank God enough? I know we can't do it. To thank God enough for the joys of this life would preclude us from complaining about the pains. To thank God enough for the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of his Son would take every living moment we have. To thank God enough for our "family" and our "home" whatever form that takes means moving past petty disagreements to see the blessing each member and their history have been in our lives.

How can we thank God enough? Well, I'm thinking we can't. But what we can do is be intentional. We can take some real time to contemplate all we have to be thankful for. We can read through some prayers of thanksgiving (maybe the litany or Charlie Price's General Thanksgiving in the BCP). We can articulate our gratuity to our family and friends. How can we thank God enough? We can't. How can we thank God? By thanking those who he has placed in our lives.

Thank you to all who read this blog. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

light and living waters

As I plod through life from day to day it is so easy to forget just how out of tune this life is with the vision of God for his creation. Compare, if you will, the DC Metro area with the Garden of Eden. Is there anything here that God intended from the beginning? Errr? I've got nuthin'.

Then, thanks only to the Lectionary, I stumble upon the Zechariah reading for Advent 1c. In it, we begin to see how God will restore this corrupt planet.
- There shall not be either cold or frost
- There shall be continuous day
- Living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem
- The LORD will become king over all the earth
- The LORD will be one and his name one

Our liturgical seasons are not doubt Eurocentric, so the fact that Advent falls in late fall/early winter works only for us in the north, let's run with it anyway. It's cold. It's dark by 5. Advent is, quite literally, a time of darkness. It is, quite literally, time spent contemplating what it feels like to be without the refining fire of God. It points out just how out of tune we are with God's hopes and dreams.

What would it look like if the radiance of God made it continuously day? Do we want to feel the warmth of God's love all year-round? What would it feel like to be washed in the living water flowing from God's throne?

Most importantly - Will we be ready for the LORD to be king over all the earth? Or are we set in our ways? Do we like the darkness? Do we like the cold? Do we like to be outside of God's plan, in charge of our own destiny? I know I do. It scares me to think that I will stand exposed by the light. It scares me to think that I will drink the living water daily. It is hard to comprehend what it will be like to stand in the presence of uncompromising love. And yet, in spite of all the fear and discomfort, I know it will be glorious. I know it will be good. I know that I want to stand in the comfort of God's mighty love.

where am i

Because I preached three times yesterday I took it upon myself (actually Cassie commanded me) to sleep in this morning. So I got up at about 830 and prepared for spiritual direction. That being said, I didn't have time to spend my usual time in Scripture this morning. So now I'm sitting in Scott Lounge with Mitch and Ari as we each pretend to do the work we came to do. Mostly we sit in silence for a minute or two, then somebody cracks a joke, we laugh, then we return our attention (sort of) to our work.

I've decided its really hard to spend time with God in prayer in a situation like this, but I continue to sit here with the readings and typing on this blog anyway. There are two reasons for this. One, I'm a sucker for community. I seek out people like its my job. I hate sitting by myself when I know people are around.

The other reason is its Advent. Its a time of waiting and a time of darkness. A time that is very uncomfortable to me. I'm not good at uncertainty. I like things to be within the plan. I like things to tick off on my to-do list. I don't like "distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves." There is no mention of what the signs will be in Luke 21, but just that there will be signs. I don't like this uncertainty. I just don't like it.

So, I guess this is the main reason I'm avoiding doing real work. As I sit on the cusp of GOEs, job searching, and am having a real family crisis with my mom's yet undiagnosed illness, I'm really struggling with with uncertainty. Spiritual direction today helped me understand this struggle, and opened my eyes to this month of uncertainty and darkness that is about to be upon us. I guess I'll be forced to come to terms with these themes over the next month, but for today, I'm procrastinating. Today I'm not dealing with it. Today, I'm laughing with friends.

the holiness tradition

Oh yeah! In reading the Daniel passage for Christ the King Sunday this morning I had a revelation. I remembered something I learned in Seminary. That's exciting, maybe GOE's (General Ordination Exams, read, the Bar) won't be as difficult as I thought.

As the Ancient One (YHWH - God) sits upon his throne of fire the author gives us an image of what God looks like. But then he says something interesting, "A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence." The ancient Israelites had this thing about holiness flowing outward from God in the form of fire. As I mentioned below the overwhelming image of holiness is that of fire. This fire, which in Daniel flows from the presence of God is a refining, sanctifying fire.

(Now the fogginess returns, please excuse any mistakes that follow) As the Israelites were instructed by Moses on how to setup camp back somewhere in the Pentateuch this flowing fire was also a consideration. The Levites (priests) we to set up closest, and surrounding the Arc of the Covenant (God's House) and in concentric circles the other tribes of Israel would make their place so that the holiness of God would reach out to encompass all.

Here, at this late stage in the Hebrew Bible the holiness tradition returns, God's holiness flows forth like fire, bringing sanctification to all who live within his presence. But those who speak arrogant words like the horned beast will first be killed and the fire will be used to destroy their bodies rather than to sanctify their souls.

I didn't trust Dean Horne when she promised my seminary education would all make sense on the other side, but I'll be dipped if she wasn't right. It really is starting to come together. Thanks be to God.

Titles

The interaction between Pilate and Jesus in the Fourth Gospel (John) has always been a peculiar one in my mind. With Jesus being so quiet in the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) it seems strange to me that he would speak in such a vieled way in John's account of the Passion Narrative. Today, however, I noticed for the first time a clever thing Jesus does. As we prepare to celebrate Christ the King Sunday readings about Jesus as king seem more than appropriate, but in John's Gospel we see that even when it seems like Jesus is willing to finally take on the title the crowd so often wanted to give him, he carefully avoids it all together.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

See how he does that. Jesus talks about his kingdom, thus making Pilate, and us, believe he is claiming to be a king. When Pilate asks again, however, punctuation makes all the difference.

Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth."

Jesus does not answer "You say that I am king; for this I was born, and for this I came into the world."

See the difference? Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, even at this late stage of his life denies the earthly title of King. On earth he is not a king. On earth his job is to testify to the truth - to God. We have much to learn from Jesus and his rejection of worldly things, especially those things which are utterly unreal. Titles are not concrete things one can own, but are names, unreal things which define a real thing. Jesus would not allow others to define him, and neither should we.

Kings...and kenosis

I can't help but turn to that awesome book and great movie, The Return of the King, as I reflect upon kingship that is not dominance, but is sacrificial and is self-emptying ('kenosis'). We who are called to leadership in the church have a steep road ahead when we consider the model of leadership of our Lord and Savior, who was made poor for our sake.

those who strive to be first...

... must be last.

As I read the lessons appointed for Christ the King Sunday in Year B I cannot help but hear those words of Jesus to his disciples. From Daniel to Revelation to the Gospel the readings are without a doubt focused on the kingship of Jesus Christ, but all are apt to point out at what cost that kingship came.

In Daniel the "one like a human being" is given dominion, glory, and kingship only after the first beast was put to death and the rest had their dominion taken away. This beast that was put to death is reminiscnet to me of the beast of sin that hung on the back of Jesus as he hung on the cross totally estranged from the Father. Until this beast is finally put to death, even Christ cannot have the dominion due him. (apologies to Elizabeth and Dr. Cook for placing Christ in the OT)

In the Revelation of John the kingship of Jesus is listed first with the glory of God.
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
But we are immediatly reminded of the cost of that kingship.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The ruler of the kings of the earth was one despised and hung on a cross. Through is blood we are freed from sin and made into a kingdom of believers under one head, Jesus Christ.

Both of the options for the Gospel lesson clearly portray Jesus as a King, but both are set in close proximity to his crucifixion. The pericope from Mark's Gospel is that of Palm Sunday. As Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem for the final time the people are ready to make him King. They shout Hosanna! (which means Save Us!) The same people who shout to Jesus to save them as king will soon shout "Crucify him" as one who has blasphemed. In John's Gospel we hear of the interaction between Jesus and Pilate where Jesus is asked directly "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus speaks of his kingdom, of his being born to be a king, but ultimately will be hung on a cross to die.

Those who strive to be first must be last. Even as King of kings and Lord of lord, God the Son had to be made low in order to be first.

a hole in my seminary education

As I prepare to schedule my final semester at VTS, I've had to come to terms with some things. First, I cannot take everything I want to take before I leave seminary. Second, being done with requirements in 2.5 years, doesn't mean 4 years at seminary isn't worth while. And, thirdly, I have some holes.

The readings for Proper 28 have opened my eyes to a huge hole in my seminary education, eschatology, or the END TIMES. For many, these words bring forth images of Kirk Cameron in Left Behind, but for me, it just inflicts fear. Reading the parallels between Daniel's Apocalypse and Mark's Gospel had led me to understand that I will, no doubt, have to preach on the End Times. Hell, Advent will force it if nothing else. But I have not, and will not take Kate's Last Things course (it doesn't fit). As far as I remember the discussion of eschatology in New Testament was something like, "has anyone heard a sermon on Revelation?". We must of talked about Daniel in Old Testament, but honestly, I don't remember. So I'm stuck here, trying to come up with a sermon for next Sunday with nothing in my toolbox.

What I can glean from Daniel and Mark are but a few points.
+ There will be suffering unimaginable.
+ There will be some saved and some who choose otherwise
+ There will be false prophets and false messiahs
+ It will not be fun
+ God will redeem

So I guess I'm back to my point from Tuesday, to fall into the hands of the living God is truly a fearful thing, both now, as we live a life moving toward holiness, and in the age to come as we witness the final victory of God and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

it truly is a fearful thing...

.. to fall into the hands of the living God.

The overwhelming Old Testament image for holiness is that of fire. God purifies the soul and a refiner purifies gold, melting it down so that the impurities might be removed. This image of holiness truly is a fearful thing.

To be a disciple of Jesus is to die to self. In our baptism we join with Jesus in his death (moreso evident in the baptist tradition than my own episcopal one) and in his resurrection. In that brief time in between (again moreso in the baptist tradition) we are able to feel that death to self, that consiousness of our own sinful nature. This moment, in and of itself, is truly a fearful thing, but then BAM we are raised out of the water, alive, forgiven, and set ablaze.

As we walk through life as a Christian, as a disciple of Christ, we contine to be alive and are always forgiven. It is that third part that, it seems to me, we have have some control over. Some call that fire set within the process of sanctification. By that, I'm guessing, they mean the process of refining our souls to be more and more like that of Jesus Christ. As we see in Hebrews 10, this process can involve many rough spots; sufferings, abuse, persecution, etc.

Yet this process brings with it much in the way of gift as well; confidence, endurance, promise. If we are willing to endure the tough times, we no doubt will receive that promise. If we face the truly fearful God head on, He will be our companion. If we stoke the fire in our hearts through discipleship, we too will come to the time when we know we have done the will of God.

again?!?

*A warning for what follows - I am tired and grouchy - that is all*

I will refer you back to an earlier post I wrote back for Proper 23 when I thought I was preaching entitled let the seminarian preach. It seems as though the ever intrepid Satan has placed on my plate another set of readings that makes me question my call to preach the good news. Uggg.

Nevertheless I shall persevere. God will supply all my needs. Somehow a sermon consisting of both trouble and grace will come forth. But today I am struck by just how tongue-in-cheek the Collect for Proper 28B sounds in light of apocalyptic suffering in all 3 readings.

Bblessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I mean really. Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. It just makes me giggle. I am genuinely surprised that these texts actually appear in the lectionary. It is so desirous to ignore the hard words of Scripture that it seems as though we ignore them continually. But alas, not this Sunday. Not when I have to preach short sermon because of the Annual Meeting. Nope, today we get to feel with great discomfort what it means to say that all holy Scriptures have been written for our learning.

Again, let the seminarian preach.

Text- help- Expectancy background.

Context as provided from the interpreters Bible volume three.

I am drifting from the practice here a little. Part of the reason for this is to be pragmatic. If I have it here on Lectionary ...Go I don't have to bring the text's down with me to Florida.

I was glad Peter helped flesh out the wider context of 1Kings 17. Elijiah has been sent to the widow. Both Elijiah and the widow are in a more precarious situation than I had first imagined. There is no rain. The wadi has dried up. The people are literally dying of thirst and starving. The widow's response to Elijiah is not that she has simply given up hope because her internal compass see's only misery. Her internal compass see's only misery because she is living through a drought and people are dying.

As I read the commentary I could not help but sense a soap opera element. All the elements are there in 1 Kings 17. The first character is Elijiah the wise man making his way by God's grace. He enters the town and finds the widow who is with out hope. Elijiah demands that she feed him and give him drink. She is desperately low on food and water herself but does so sensing that this is a man of God. Not that the situation is not bad enough, the whole land dying from drought, but add to that the unfolding drama of the widow's son dying and Elijiah raising him to life. There is reason for drama here. The widow is first of all a widow. She has lost her husband and men were the means of living. As a widow she can not (I think) own land. As a widow she has no claim to anything but the mercy of others. On top of that add that she and her son (her future hope and potential deliverer) are dangerously close to losing water and meal. Nothing grows without rain. Water sources dry up. Add on top of that her son dying. Truly the widow is without hope.

In the commentary there is some words about God's Mysterious Moves. It makes a comparison between our understanding of the universe and Alice and Wonderland. In Alice in wonderland, Alice is puzzled because the balls and mallets in the croquet game do not stay put in her game. They moved on their own. The commentator states, "Like the child, we adults have to lean that we are not the only players in the game of living." Life at time does not always work as we understand it. I saw a television show on astrophysics and astronomy. In the show they talked about that the universe is expanding at such a rate that in billions of years we will not see the stars we see now because the distance between the galaxies will be so great that the light will not make it our own. They also spoke of something like the dark matter and believe there may be a weight in the universe that can not be seen. The universe that we live in does not behave in the manner that we see it. Science does not preclude God. "The living God in his living universe has a range of activity beyond ours, somewhat as the shades of color exceed our reach of vision" (spectrum and those ranges we can not see) If we can not see something like ultraviolet light than it is not so great a stretch to believe that God might be able to perform miracles that we can not comprehend.

God moves in a myserious way...His wonders to perfom... "This chapter is a study in the relationship between produce and providence. When Jesus bade his disciples, "Take...no thought for the morrow" (Matt. 6:34), he was not counseling them to overlook the morrow, but to look over it to catch the long views of the kingdom ahead." "A miracle is an event with which human comprehension has not yet caught up. It is not an interruption of law, but the working of a law which human reason has not yet charted."

Other good things from the commentary-
In 17:1-24
"Elijah is fed a first by the notoriously voracious ravens, and when the drought has persisted so long that the Wadi Cherith is dried up, he is fed by a poor widow of Phoenicia, herself on the point of starvation...the chapter concludeds with the story of the death and restoration fo the widow's son.

Elijah means Yah is EL...El being the general semitic name for the High God...Elijah's own name is the proclamation of his message

After the raising of the son by Elijah...important ending to pericope..." See your son lives." And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of Lord in your mouth is truth."

ramblings- thoughts for upcoming sermon

Editing is not happening this week...must ...keep...thinking...writing...cleaning up can happen later... this blog is my sketch pad. It does not have to make sense to the reader.

Expectancy is what is speaking to me from this weeks reading. I believe it will definitely be a sermon based on the old testament. It is not that I don't want to jump into the Gospel. There is certainly enough there for several sermons. Certainly I could probably condemn myself each and every time I put on the "clerical gear" and begin to think myself to important. Was not I honored to be the Bishops Asst at Matthews ordination this wednesday? Lord help me from my own ego. Let me not forget that Jesus warns the priests not to take the highest seat. We are called to take the lowest seat not because we are bad but because the master of the house might appear. Better to be asked to join the master than asked to get out of the high chair (high chair? interesting connection between babies and the levitical priests...ie any priest who forgets whom he or she serves. I may never be asked to sit with the Master but I would rather be asked to come up than kicked out of the way.

Then there is the widow and her mighty mite. There is her trust. There is her example. There is her witness that God does provide. There is her sacrifice...giving of her substance not excess. She would be a good sermon but I think even still it is the widow out of Exekiel who calls.

A few ideas which I want to put down. They might not make sense to any readers of this but I do not want to lose them.

* Start off sermon with sound...as sermon will be heard by examing chaplins it will be important to drown out any heresy- humor ???

* The movie The Rookie...movie about living into calling- scene where he realizes that he is doing exactly what he wants to do..."Today we get to play baseball"..."Today I get to be a priest" Focus on the sheer magnitude of our calling... this might be where I go with the sermon when trying to flesh out how Ezekiel applies. We are not to focus on the difficulties or if we do we need to keep them in context. The context is that if we stand at the pulpit or we sit in the pew we have been chosen...WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. How often do we act like the elder brother when the truth of the matter is that God calls us to share the amazing fact that we are to relish being chosen like the prodigal son. We have no claim to the kingdom but God's graciousness. "Today we get to play baseball" ...Today we get to share our lives with others. Today we get to share our talents with those who have not realized the gift that we have been given. It is also for them...those we meet. We get to be Christians! This is gifted ness. This is amazing and at present I am amazed I do not see it that way often.

*** Expectancy- the only time we really use that word is around pregnancy. "She is a mother expecting with child" " We are expecting to give birth in December" And the following is a little bit gross but a week ago when I took Benjamin to the Doctor he had a sore throught and the Dr said there was a little expectorant in his throat meaning that his sickness was seeping out something. Expectant...something that is beneath coming to the surface. Expectant...forthcoming. Expectant...something that is present but coming into being

Church is expectant. The sanctuarys that we sit in were once another churches expectant hope. Expectancy tied to vision...the working out of vision. Christs command to spread the Gospel...the acorn the very being of the tree which will hold hundreds/thousands of acorns...the already and the not yet...the working out of salvation history.

Part of Ezekiel is missionary. Ezekiel is giving away what he has... the widow can not see it. She is like the one (like so many around us) who do not see the hope or can allow themselves the trust of God in their lives. As Christians we are to witness it. We can not witness it if we do not live it. It is our living it that allows others to try it out.

That is all for now...this sermon will come. It will have life.

Mutual Giving

I really appreciate these two previous posts...Steve offers great testimony to the abundance that God provides for us, and Scott has offered a great reflection on Stewardship and on the expectancy needed. Some great thoughts here!

I got to thinking after the "Habit of the Priesthood" class tonight about the ways that both Elijah and the widow minister to one another. Clearly, Elijah has abundance, and knows that he has the Lord's blessing, but also the widow is convinced (maybe it is just after this passage) to offer out of what she has to this stranger. She offers hospitality (even if a bit reluctantly) out of the meager sum that she has. She does this, not knowing the great ministry that Elijah will later perform for her in raising her son back to life.

Elijah is sent by God, sent as in ministry or mission, but he also is received, and is ministered to by the widow. At times we are sent, and there are times that in going to strange lands and contexts outside of our comfort zones there are people who minister to us, even as we strive to provide ministry and mission to them. There seems to be an element of mutual giving -- perhaps not "equal," but collaborative, and on a two way street, nonetheless. Clearly, as we seek out our first "calls" as priests it is bad form to say, "I want to work here because you clearly will minister to me," however if we are honest, we know that we will be the receiver and the giver, the giver and the receiver.

Very interesting story of Elijah and the widow ... lots to chew on ...

Expectancy...John had it, Jesus had it, Elijiah had it

Expectancy... how do we view our blessings?

One of the most powerful sermons that I heard was on stewardship. This I think, is how it should be. Jesus spoke more about money than love in the Gospels. There is a reason for that. The great thing is we see that Jesus spoke about money not for monies sake but for ours. By being a pauper and living in pure expectancy Jesus lives out his own message. This should give us hope that Jesus had integrity. If Jesus had integrity than we might trust that Jesus knew of what he was about and what might be good for us. So if Jesus is speaking about money a lot and he himself is not out there seeking to take it for himself then it follows that spiritually money has a lot of power.

Anyway, the best sermon I heard was on stewardship and it was based on expectancy. The preacher did not dodge around the issue as if when we talk about money we are talking about persons outside of ear shot. This happens doesn't it? He spoke directly to his congregation. He challenged them with the question and he talked about the offertory. He challenged them with, "Go ahead, try and outgive God." The challenge was out of Expectancy...that we give in order to be God like. We trust that God does really like a cheerful giver. We trust that when we give faithfully that God will continue to be faithful to us and continue to provide as we provide to others. We give in response to God's mission to share but we also give as an act of faith that the God we worship will continue to provide for us.

In the OT reading Elijiah has expectancy. The woman to whom he ministers to (and provides a nifty miracle like Hanakah...the non terminating meal and oil) does not have expectancy. And this is not to condemn her. She was poor and she had children to feed. She was unable to see how God might have her interests at hand. What is interesting is that God does not bless her out of thin air but through Elijiah. Elijiah shows up with the message. He does have the gift of Expectancy. God tells him to enter a village and he does so. He is called to meet a widow and he goes out to find her (Widows by the way are those...like aliens, who are marginalized) Elijiah finds the widow who can no longer take care of herself. Obviously things are bad as she tells Elijiah..."I am going back to die" The widow does not have expectancy... the jig is up.

Elijiah brings her a miracle which should change her thinking. She is reminded that she is not alone. She is reminded that God is involved. Expectancy.

So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth."

all she had to live on

The only easy thing about seminary, for me, is the ability to feel high and mighty about myself. Since I started the process toward ordination, whenever I read the story of the widow's mite I immediately associate myself with the widow. "I've given up my college education, my career plans, my comfortable life, &c, &c, all I had to live on to follow your call, God. Now what are you going to do for me?"

In reading today, however, it occurs to me that neither sentence I just spoke appear on the lips of the widows in Mark. She doesn't place here two copper coins in the treasury, stop, and make a claim to how great it is to give out of poverty. Instead it is Jesus, the righteous judge, who makes the claim of her greatness.

It is so easy to give out of abundance. Sure, I've given up a lot to follow this call (my wife has given up a lot more), but I by no means am close to giving "all I have to live on." As I sit here typing on my laptop, dressed, and in a warm (albeit grossly overpriced) apartment surrounded by books and gadgets and things of all sorts I'm realizing just what abundance looks like. Sure, I donate (well its Cassie's money really) $10,000 + to Virginia Theological Seminary each year, but I certainly get something out of it. Sure, we make a token gift to my Field Ed site, but we're no where near a tithe, let along "all we have to live on". Sure we sponsor a Compassion child at $32 a month, but who in that relationship is living in abundance, certainly its us.

Perspective has allowed me this day to see the great abundance around me. So too have I realized that God is the judge of who is the greatest, not me, not society, but God alone. So we'll continue to offer our gifts, but I certainly won't be nearly as self-righteous about their impact, on me or the world.

Feeling Beat

Between my two young children keeping me awake, an increased amount of animosity among people in my church, The Episcopal Church, some classes that I am working to just get through, and a busy family life, I am feeling tired ... in need of healing, rest, but all I have is coffee ... (actually, not such a bad thing, afterall...)

Elijah (and Yahweh) go outside of the expected land...

An interesting thought...where is this passage placed, and looking at how it functions within the entire story of Elijah....

Please forgive this excerpt from a paper I wrote on the passage, I Kings 17:17-24 ..

"Canonical criticism would ask the question of what is the importance of where this story is placed. That placement leads us to see that it offers insight into Elijah (i.e. that he has the word of God, that even God listens, he haggles); into the Power of the Lord (that he has power over weather, over life and death, even outside of Israel/Judah); and makes a clear contrast between this foreign, Phoenician Woman and Ahab, the king of Israel (one recognizes the word of Elijah, recognizing the truth, welcoming him in rather than chasing him away). The story of Elijah the Tishbite is tied with other stories of this prophet[i] who suddenly appears on the scene in King Ahab’s court in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Just before this pericope about the rising of the widow’s son, the prophet Elijah speaks to Ahab and proclaiming in 1 Kings 17:1b that there “. . . shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”[ii] (NSRV) Ahab does not listen to Elijah and does not believe that Elijah has the word of God and that he is a man of God. The action of God’s to cause drought across the land was the first dramatic example of God’s control over life and death. In 1 Kings 17:14, Elijah says to the woman that if she shares her food with him the Lord will bless her, “For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: the jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” (NSRV)

The story in 1 Kings 17:17-24 specifically takes place outside the area of King Ahab, outside Israel. God shows, through Elijah, that God is more than just a local God and that God works his wonders outside of the area that might be expected. Yahweh’s power extends into the supposed jurisdiction of the Phoenician God, Baal, whose role it is to govern the weather.[iii] Not only that, in this pericope, Elijah lives with and raises the son of a widow.[iv] There is a contrast between the way that Ahab responds to Elijah, by chasing him into the desert (and out of Israel), and this foreign, Phoenician widow who ultimately accepts Elijah and recognizes him as a “man of the Lord” who speaks God’s word."

---

[i] “These stories about the prophetic ministry of Elijah the Tishbite, originally independent, now form a tightly organized literary unit.” Walsh, Jerome T. and Christopher T. Begg, 1-2 Kings in New Jerome Biblical Commentary, (New York; Prentice Hall; 1990), 171.

[ii] “for it is a theme of this whole narrative (chs. 17-18) that God has control over all aspects of nature.” Carson, D.A. editor New Bible Commentary: 21^st Century Edition (Downers Grove, Ill; InterVarsity; 1994), 358.

[iii] “The first theme sounds from the beginning. Baal was worshiped as the God of storms and fertility. A Yahwist claim to control rainfall constitutes a direct assault on Baalist religion.” Walsh, Jerome T. and Christopher T. Begg, 1-2 Kings in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, (New York; Prentice Hall; 1990), 171.

[iv] “. . . a certain widow: Widowhood was a mark of dependency, since such women often lacked the means to support themselves, even more so in times of famine.” Cogan, Mordechai, The Anchor Bible:1 Kings: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New York; Doubleday; 1964), 427.

I got nuthin'

I'm struck in my reading today that nothing seems to be jumping out at me. Sure, I'm working through Scott's response to my post yesterday, as well as the implications of the wrong widow proposition. I'm also struggling with the Church today. I posted over on a bored seminarian about this new group call The Episcopal Majority that ENS says is "standing up for 'middle' chuch". This coupled with the recent action by the KJS's new Chancellor have left me feeling uneasy. Will the tenure of the new Presiding Bishop be one of rooting out conservatives? Or will she live up to her hype as reconciler and leader? I'm nervous, too nervous to get much beyond the collect for Proper 27b.

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We are all heirs of God. We are called to be pure. We are to strive to be like Jesus. And what do we do instead? The work of the devil; tearing down the Church, tearing down fellow believers, focusing on our own problems instead of doing the work of the LORD. Psalm 146 give us our mission:

7

The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

8

The LORD loves the righteous;
the LORD cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.

And still we ignore it. Still we fight. So today, I've got nuthin'. I'm nervous and tired and ready for it to be over.

Is it the right widow?

I enjoyed Steve's last post and the idea of whether or not the widow who feeds Elijiah is in fact the widow whom God sent Elijiah to. One sort of concludes it must have been because she does in fact feed Elijiah. His question of mistake and call raised in me not only the image of the widow who is blessed by Elijiah but other call and deliverance stories. It is my contention that God is just as willing to utilize ignorance as willing obediance. We might be called to seek God in obediance but this does not mean that he must always lead folks who are aware. I could not help but think of the man who helps Paul after he is struck blind. This man is certainly not willing yet does it anyway. How could he know the miracle that was going to unfold? How could he possibly have known that the one who was most despised was going to become the greatest champion? He could not have known. Paul certainly did not know it. Happenstance reveals itself as God's will and this creates a bigger question, is all happenstance created equal? Just how active is God? Does God insert himself as it appears in the Elijiah and Paul story or is he always active becoming more active to lean on certain events and thus influence outcomes or is God always leaning (active) on all events and we only seem able to recognize it now and again? If God is always active it would mean that everything is miraculous and if everything is miraculous why are we not aware of it? It could be that we have become complacent in our awareness. If I no longer think life is by its very nature miraculous I become able to snuff it out. If I no longer think nature is gift I can cut it down. What would it be like to live seeing that the Elijiah feeding the widow and the Paul call story are not the exceptions but the rule? This in fact might be the very reason that the widow's mite is such an important story. She gives her all in expectation that she will receive because in some form or another God will provide.

a teaching moment

I've spent a good part of my spiritual journey looking at how God uses the mistakes we make. A friend with whom I taught Sunday School many years ago put it this way, "We are like clay pots. Each time we make a mistake, or get dropped, a new crack is formed. Yet the light of God lives within us, shining through the cracks of our mistakes to show His light to the world." Seems an apt analogy as millions of pumpkins will allow light to shine through their cracks tonight, but I digress.

Her view of the redemption of mistakes is one that has stuck with me through more than my fair share of goof-ups. And in the First Kings reading from Proper 27b has light shing through it as well. I'm probably reading too much into the text (or at least viewing it too literally), but it looks like Elijah runs into the wrong widow upon arrving at Zarephath.

The Lord commanded Elijah to go and live in Zarephath "for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." Having not looked at the Hebrew, it seems to be straightforward enough. God is calling Elijah to move having already called the widow to feed him. Elijah, not knowing which widow in Zarephath has recieved the call, calls out to the first one he sees.

"Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink," he says. I wonder if that was a litmus test for the widow. Because she agreed to get him water, Elijah assumed she was the widow called by God. "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand," he shouts as she departs. In the words of my 12th grade English teacher, "we all know what happens when you spell assume backwards." [pause]

Anyway, in her response to Elijah it seems clear that this was, in fact, not the right widow. "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug..." This doesn't sound like a woman called by God to feed Elijah, but alas God works through the mistake. Elijah speaks a word to her, a new call to a new widow to take care of Elijah.

Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.

This new call will test the faith of both Elijah and the widow, but is a wonderful teaching moment for them both. Through Elijah's mistake God is given the opportunity to show both Elijah and the widow what He can do with meager means. A mircle happens over and over again for "many days" as the meal and oil never run out. Each day as they ate, they were able to give thanks to the LORD for the gift of daily bread, bread which should not exist, but for the mistake of Elijah.

i smell stewardship

One thing I'm sorry I haven't learned at seminary is what group put together the lectionary, and how decisions were made regarding what texts would be read when. It seems to me as though they knew that late fall was stewardship time and the readings for later propers should reflect that. Proper 27, Year B is no different. Elijah and the widow (a story that I had overlooked before - but will no doubt reflect upon this week), the once for all gift of Christ, and the widows mite, geeesh, these guys (I assume they were guys) were good.

But today I can't help but notice something not stewardship related. Instead I'm still thinking of the rules I wrote about on Friday and am awe struck by the words of Jesus in Mark 12.

Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.

After the consecration service of our new Diocesan, my wife went ape sh*t over the pomp and circumstance that necessarily goes along with a service of such historical significance. (I say necessarily only because I've been formed in a tradition of apostolic succession, Cassie feels differently). Her argument, which is an apt one, surrounds the focus on the individual, in this case the robing of a new bishop, when the church's one foundation, the church's one focus should be on the saving work of God through Jesus Christ. For her, the words of Jesus could just as easily be read, "beware of bishops, who like to walk around in funny hats and long robes, and to be greeting with respect because of thier purple shirts, and to have the best seats in the churches and places of honor at all times! The money spent on their accutremont devours widows' houses and for the sake of appearance they read prayers from a book. They will recieve teh greater condemnation."

As an anti-oxford, anti-cambridge evanglical episcopalian I can certainly see her point. These things we do; from processions to mitres, are exactly that, things we do. It seems to me they are inherently neutral; neither good nor evil themselves, but it is in their use that they gain an identity. If a bishop is using the material particularities of his or her position to "lord it over" those not of that order the office of bishop with all of its material components is then one that is evil. If instead a bishop uses her or his office to the glory of God then the office with all its purple, pomp, and circumstance is one that is good.

The scribes themselves were not bad people, they were just caught up in their role. They lived a lifestyle that focused attention on themselves and not on the LORD. So too it can be with bishops (and priests and deacons and laity). Our job, instead of worrying about titles and such, is to make pure the intentions of our heart, so that we might come before the Lord our God blameless and seeking only His glory. Otherwise, prepare the condemnation.

Image from the archbishop of canterbury website, http://www.anglicancommunion.org, a press release

what's the deal with all these rules anyway?

So if through Jesus Christ we are left with only two Commandments, and if through Jesus Christ the law of death was removed so that we are saved by grace through faith, then what is the deal with all these rules? There has to be a reason why Deuteronomy and Leviticus have been made a part of the canon (official Bible). There has to be a reason why Paul, hater of the law, creates rules for the churches in crisis to which he writes. What is the deal with all these rules?

Now this is the commandment--the statutes and the ordinances--that the LORD your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children's children, may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long.

From Deuteronomy 6 (Proper 26b) we get two answers to this age-old question about rules. First, the rules exist so that all might fear the LORD. Much has been written regarding the right understanding of "fear the LORD", suffice it to say that a fear of the LORD is a right understanding of the one who is entirely other. God is so different from us, all loving, all knowing, Trinity, etc. that to understand God is to misunderstand God. So, we are left with only an understanding of the ambiguity of God, and ambiguity makes humans uncomfortable. To fear the LORD is to allow for the uncomfortableness of God in our lives. The rules result in fear of the LORD in that they point us to what is important to God - ultimately the second reason for rules - "so that our days might be long."

God loves his Creation. God loves the earth, the stars, plants, and animals. God loves humans too. God did not intend for humans to taste death, we did that to ourselves. So, with that in mind, God gave us rules to prolong as long as possible the inevitablity of death. At the second coming, with the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, rules will no longer be necessary, for we will once again be restored to a life without death, but for now, in order that we might live long in the land, long in God's Creation, we are given the rules.

Still, I struggle with the rules, espeically with how they were redeemed through Jesus Christ, and how some were specific to Churches in crisis. My church, the Episcopal Church, is dealing with these struggles in spades. What does God say about homosexuality? What does God say about the ordination of women? What does Jesus mean by love your neighbor as yourself? All of these questions lead us to interpretation. And since the enlightenment we trusted our interpretation to reveal the Truth of God's Word. Today, we aren't so sure we can find that Truth, but maybe, if we're lucky we might find a piece of it. Is my piece of truth a rule which are all to follow? Or, rather is it the first half of a sentance of God? See, I've talked myself back into a corner again.

What is the deal with all these rules anyway?

you are not far from the kingdom of God

I get my scribes, Saducees, and Pharisees mixed up, but it seems to me they all had one thing in common; they focused too much on doing the right liturgy and having the law memorized and they missed everything else their faith called them to. So it is so amazing to me that this Saducee in Mark 12 (Proper 26b) seems to get it all right, down to his last words to Jesus, "this is much more important that all whoe burnt offereings and sacrfices."

When asked by this man "Which commandemnt is the first of all" Jesus didn't run to the 10 (or 11 depending) commandments of Exodus. Instead he recalled for those around him the words of Moses on the edge of the Promised Land, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." Within this one commandment, this Great Commandment, is a whole set of doctrine that defined for the Israelites, and still us today, what God really wants.

Hear, O Israel - Israel is the name given to Jacob after he wrestled all night with the god-man at the river. Israel came to be the name of Jacob-Israel's tribe, his family, his nation. To be called the People Isreal is to be called a people unafraid to wrestle with God. Although, here they are called to "hear" they are forever expected to come back to God with the hard questions.

The Lord our God - to claim the Lord as "our God" is to understand God's deepest desire; to be in relationship with His creation. The Lord our God is the direct correlation to we, God's people. We are called, each by name, to be in relationship with the Lord so that he might be our God.

the Lord is one - monotheistic religion is a radically new concept at the time of the Exodus. For this group of ragtag people to cast of the majority belief of the rest of the ancient world is, in fact, quite a statement. The Lord is one is the basis of the Nicean concept of Trinity (of one being, begotten not made, proceding from the Father...). To worship one God, to recognize only one God is to make a giant statement about the nature of that God.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. - this is not a little expectation on the part of God. To love God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength is not an easy endeavor, but to know that God loves you before, in fact whether or not, you love him back makes it all the more easy. Note that this Great Commandment, when uttered by Moses, is after God has saved his people from bondage. It is as they prepare to enter the land promised to them by God. God didn't wait for Israel to love God to save them, but rather saved them, loved them, from before.

These imdedded statements of doctrine are not, by anymeans, the exclusive understanding of our relationship with God. They are however, the beginning of an understanding that right liturgy and memorized law are not the way to meet God. It is rather in the act of naming God and loving God that relationship begins. It is this relationship that Jesus spoke about when he told the Saducee, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Of course the other half of the kingdom lies in the second commandment. See my friend Peter's post on loving your neighbor as yourself for some great insights (and some good sarcasm).

Loving thy Neighbors

And, so we quote this greatest commandment quite a lot ...

"you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

I hear these words very often, and they seem to be at the root of much of our Christian Ethics, as I guess they should be. Loving our neighbors as we love our selves.

Well, it gets tricky here ... ours is a culture that lifts up the self, we have magazine racks and self-help sections of bookstores full of advice for our "selves," and we hear the advice that we should be "Getting the Love we Deserve," and that we should be proactive, stand up for ourselves, advocate for our best position - salary and all that ... In the church, we hear these terms of "self care" which, to me, is a good thing - clergy, and everyone, should take care of our selves - however, the tricky thing is that when we privilege self-care, we forget that what Jesus called us to do is to not only love our selves, but love our neighbors as our selves. LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS, as we love our selves. Here is where the bookstores are of little help, there are no sections on "How to care for your neighbor," "How to offer hospitality to the stranger," "How to do small things for others," "How to transform your self-orientation to an 'other-orientation.' "

Actually, there is a book that outlines some of these practices, and it is a very old book, telling the Old Old Story of God's hospitality to the Israelites in the Desert, God's gift of a covenant, God's gift of the Law, God's gift of making a People, rather than individuals. It is a story of God's love that so overflowed that God sent his Son as a gift to the world. And, this son perhaps practiced some self-care in going to the desert to commune with his Abba (father), but Jesus spent far more time doing "other-care" than "self-care," ... and far more time hanging out with a group of loyal (mostly) but clueless (mostly) followers, and hanging out with those in society that were no one's neighbors.

As I look at this passage, I wonder if churches could take a whole season - perhaps Advent (when too much focus can be on commercialism), and just preach, discuss, and act on this saying - love the Lord, Love the Neighbor, Love the self (in that order).

Naaah, I am talking crazy ... ( Jesus must have been talking metaphorically. ;))

it is more than the law...

For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

I am in no way insinuating that I consider myself a "high priest", but I am, at least, on the road to the priesthood. In the olden days it was the law that appointed priests, now it is the Holy Spirit which that calls us to the priesthood. Be it the law or the Holy Spirit doing the calling, it is still human "who are subject to weakness" being called.

As I write this I am painfully aware of my own weakness. Its the end of the quarter, and I've handed in my paper for Church History and my Student Body Report for the Board. I'm tired. I've done work in the evening for the first time in over a year, and it really took its toll on me. I'm about to begin a class session at Wesley which I HATE!!!! HATE HATE HATE!!! (sorry).

Anyway, its the weakness part of this letter to the Hebrews that I'm relating to today. And its in much excitement that I look at the Son, "who has been made perfect forever" offering intercession for me, for my sin, for my weaknesses.

The Shema

Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone

שמצ ישראל יהוה אלהינך יהוה אחד

This poor approximation (my first attempt at Hebrew unicode) is the Shema (שמצ) of Isreal, the words bound on their hands and on their doorposts. The key to understanding the relationship between God and his people. Hear O Israel, The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.

It is a reprise of this ancient saying that Jesus gives as the Great Commandment. This statement of fact, that the LORD is God and that the LORD is one is the key to understanding the New Covenant - between God and man through the godman, Jesus of Nazareth.

Whether Jew of Christian the entreaty of Moses remains for us both, "Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

what do you want me to do for you?

Wouldn't it be nice to hear those words coming from the mouth of God? As the end of the first quarter looms less than a week away I'm realizing all the things I need to do; my church history paper, my board of trustees report, a trip to harrisburg for the consecration of our new diocesan bishop, my church history exam, my systematic theology paper, etc. Lots and lots of things to do and enough stress to keep them from getting done.

"What do you want me to do for you?" God has already done one thing, my systematic paper got pushed back by a week. I'd love it if God would go ahead and write the papers for me. But I know this is not what God has in mind when he asks questions like these.

"What do you want me to do for you?" God wants me to be reconciled; to him and to humanity. God wants me to be healed; from illness and from sin. God wants me to want these things. When God asks this question in the person of Jesus Christ he is saying, "What can I do for you to bring you into relationship with me?" Mearly in the answering of the question we succeed in the call. To answer, like Bartimaeus, "let me see again" is to say "I believe you can make me well." Believing in the power of God to restore health, to restore right relationships, to restore us to wholeness is to have faith. See, its not us asking "What can I do to have faith?" No, its Jesus asking us "What can I do for you, so that your faith my be restored?" If our hearts have been opened, we can answer this question. If our hearts remain hard, then we walk away still blind, still sick, still in broken relationships.

What do you want Jesus to do for you?

God and the future

What follows is a more theological rambling than usual. While I don't normally get comments on my writings, this is something I am struggling to comprehend, so please, if you have a thought, pass it along.

The LORD saw it, and it displeased him

that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no one,

and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;

The Isaiah reading for Proper 25b brought forth the above passage in light of a conversation I had with a friend at seminary just the other day. This friend was laughing at the fact that he was considered by some to be a heretic, but those who called him such couldn't figure out what exactly about his theology was heretical. He shared with me two points that ususally lead to contention; 1) God does not know the future and 2) God exists within time. As we were walking to class at the time we didn't have much opportunity to flesh out what he meant by those two things, but we at least began to discuss point one.

His assumption that God does not know the future goes as follows. The future is not a thing. God does not know things that do not exist,for example, my twin brother George, since I have no twin brother. Therefore God does not know the future. I got him to admit two points; 1) God knows all possibilities of the future based on the freewill actions and decisions of human beings and 2) God is a pretty good guesser of what action humankind will take as he is vey much in tune with the human condition (see the Incarnation).

The passage I pulled from Isaiah seems to give some credence to my friends position. God is displeased by his people upon seeing their actions - he is not displeased prior. God is appalled that he can find no one to intervene - God must seek someone, He does not already know who will intercede. This has interesting ramifications on God the Son being made incarnate, i.e. was it the plan from before time? did God the Son have another option? does God even know when God the Son will return?

As will all theological suppositions this carries a ton of unintended consequences. If you see any please let me know. Also, I hope to discuss more about God existing within/outside of time witht this friend, but I think that may be where we find him to be "heretical".

a different focus

This morning I couldn't help but notice how the story of blind Bartimaeus (25b) is almost the exact opposite story of the young rich man (23b). While the confident young man boasted of the laws he had kept since his youth, Bartimaeus calls only for mercy. While the young man wants to know what he can do to inherit eternal life, Bartimaeus knows only to call upon Jesus. While the young man goes away shocked and grieving, Bartimaeus regains his sight and follows Jesus.

How often have I had the focus of the young rich man. "Look at me! Look, I left a coushy job and came to seminary God. I'm a good person. What else can I do for you God?" It is in these times that I forget just who got me here. If it weren't for God's grace in the midst of my own poor discernment I would have never brought so low as to only know to call upon Jesus. I would have never met my wife. I would have never received my call.

How often have I had the focus of blind Bartimaeus. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Not often enough I'm afraid. But, over the past two years the words of Bartimaeus have begun to invade my heart. The Jesus Prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" have sustained me in times of frustration, times of exhaustion, and times of spiritual dryness. How often have I had the focus of blind Bartimaues? Hopefully a little more every day.

Seeking light...growling like a bear

Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us;
we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
We grope like the blind along a wall,
groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
among the vigorous as though we were dead.
We all growl like bears;
like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions before you are many,
and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
transgressing, and denying the LORD,
and turning away from following our God,

Isaiah snagged me this morning. I nodded while reading Hebrews and thought there is a lot of the Blind Man in me as I read Mark. Yet what leapt of the page (or the screen) was Isaiah. It is no wonder that Paul loved Isaiah for Isaiah so easily lends it self to seeing Christ among his pages.

Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us;
we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

I have been wrestling this past semester with my own form of Pelegianism. No I'm not an official heretic proclaiming as Pelagius did that "human beings are able to achieve their salvation by their own powers." I am conscious of the fact that my strength came in defeat. I am conscious of the fact that when I could not...He could. But how often in the midst of knowledge do I revert back to handling my life? How often in the midst of the everyday do I revert to the practice of simply making it by effort? My mouth may proclaim "Christ, Christ" but my actions reveal a Christ who looks conspicuously like myself.

And here is Isaiah proclaiming that the people are waiting. They too are unable to approach Justice. They too are unable to make righteousness. They grope along the wall like the blind man in Mark. They growl like bears unable to remove from the world one once of sin.

Do we not in this church tend to collectively believe (at least a little bit) that it is our responsibility to make justice, end poverty, fight for freedom? Is there not a collective understanding that we are able to pull that off, that we are wise enough, rich enough, righteous enough that God has chosen us to figure it out? Do we, like I know I do, proclaim "Christ, Christ" revealing a church wedded to a salvic image that looks like it self?

Unlike Isaiah we do not need to wait. The light has entered the world. Our righteousness and our Justice will always come up tainted...corrupted. Yet the Light has entered the world. The candle holds back darkness. There is One who has taken transgression and sin, darkness and despair, and transformed them. That light points us back and throws a great light on our struggles. "Dear brother" he says "mine is enough." If we are to have any hope of bringing justice, peace, mercy to the world it is not enough to say "we can do it because he did it" If we are going to have any success we must surrender to that great light realizing that we are able only after surrendering to the fact that He continues to do so.

like one who needs milk

I'm really resonating with the letter to the Hebrews today - but not the way the author intended, I'm sure. Diving into the readings for Proper 25b I'm really left feeling lost. This spiritual discipline is intended to create a life lived in the word, so that it exists so deeply within me that the word and my life cannot be torn apart. But today, today I feel like I can't find a place for these readings. Blindness and sin and evil and death pervade these texts so profoundly I can't seem to get past my own blindness.

And so, today I feel like those poor Christians to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written. By this time I ought to be a teacher, hell I'm in my third year of seminary, but today I need someone to teach me again the basic elements of the oracles of God. When I should be eating the solid food of Proper 25b, I am left nursing the milk set aside for the unskilled.

But maybe that's ok. Maybe we all have those days where we're just too tired or too stressed or too whatever to have the scales of humanity removed from our eyes. Maybe today I am called to take confidence in my salvation and trust that tomorrow (or some other day in the future) I will have my sight restored. "For God is not unust; he will not overlook your work..." So I keep at it. I'll try again tomorrow hoping to realize the full assurance of God's gift of sight.

what God requires

I'm fairly certain we used the wrong Gospel reading in small group this morning, but as is typical with those things, it worked out quite well. What we read, and ultimately did a sort of lectio divina of was Luke's version of the Transfiguration. In it, Peter, James, and John are brought to the mountain with Jesus for no apparent reason, but are able to see the Moses and Elijah, to see Jesus transfigured, and to hear the voice of God "since they stayed awake." What an awesome event for them, and all because they were able to stay awake.

Contrast that with Mark 10.35-45 (Proper 24b) where James and John are scheming to be the two chosen friends of Jesus; to sit at his right and left hands in glory. Jesus here requires of them much more than to stay awake, they are to drink the cup that he drinks and be baptized with the baptism he was baptized with. This is serious stuff. He's not talking about the threat of the rhinovirus in the cup or the chill they might get from being sprinkled with water; he is talking about his death; his crucifixion, quite possibly the most awful means of death known to man.

Still later, after the other 10 get angry at James and John for their conniving, Jesus has requirements of them. "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all." Here Jesus is requiring that his disciples throw off any power they may seek in order to serve. It is in the service of others, Jesus says, that glory is achieved. It seems to me that he is talking not about the glory of these men, but rather the glory of God. It is in the service of others in the name of God that God is glorified.

So what then does God require of those who follow Jesus? Sometimes all we're called to do is stay awake. Other times we will be called to the service of others. And yes, even to this day, we might even be called to lay down our lives, to drink from the cup of Christ, in order to live out our faith. It seems as though God requires different things of different people at different times. I guess our job is that of discernment.

the suffering servant

I am continually intruiged by (I, II, III, or Deutero - I can't remember) Isaiah's treatment of the suffering servant. In Year B Proper 24 we have a wonderful chunk of prophecy regarding this servant's deep suffering. Back in my more evangelical days I could tell you how many prophecies from Isaiah 53 Jesus fulfilled in his life, death, and resurrection, but alas that has gone the way of the Greek alphabet. What strikes me more these days is the richness of Isaiah's language and how vivid the suffering is in my mind. I think this is partly because of The Passion of the Christ, but even moreso it is having seen suffering first hand in the slums of San Jose, Costa Rica. The suffering described by Isaiah, the suffering experienced by Jesus is the same suffering lived out by the poor and oppressed in the world. So many are silent due to hunger, infirmity, and pain, while others are silent due to threat of jail, torture, or death.

What does it mean to be a Christian in this world of suffering? There must be more than telling those who suffer to "cheer up, Jesus suffered worse." There must be a way to help those who are silent, not by choice, to speak up and be heard. It just seems so hard, like there is so much to do, and I'm just one person. Though there again I'm reminded of the people I met in Costa Rica. Each person was just one person, but with vision, with faith, and with community they were doing great things.

an open letter to those fighting over human sexuality

To Whom it may concern:

Please read the first half of the Epistle for Proper 24 Year B.

Sincerely,
Steven J. Pankey

Honestly, I was really struck by Hebrews 4.12ff.

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

The word of God is living and active - yes, yes, a thousand times yes. The word of God comes to life every time it read, silently or aloud. The word of God is alive in the hearts of those who have heard it, directing the course of their actions.

BUT... The word of God is... sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit - the two-edged sword works for me in the current debate because I happen to think both "sides" are wrong. By "sides" here I mean the extremes (i.e. the loudest mouths). Ultimately it is the sin of pride that creates these sides - and it is only through confession that the church will be blessed to move forward. The two-edged sword of the word of God has, I think, struck both sides. Both sides are feeling the pain of this injury (be it self-inflicted or not) and it is this discomfort that leads to harsh speech and uncharitable responses.

We are all laid bare before the living Word, Jesus Christ. We know the choices we have made. We know that we have not lived a life worthy of the gospel. We know that we must render account. "The sting of death is sin" says St. Paul - here in the letter of Hebrews we begin to undertand that the sting of life is also sin.

the key to understanding mark

I took VTS's survey course on the New Testament during my first year at seminary. I had The Rev. Dr. John Yieh, one of the most passionate professors on our faculty, and was blown away every class by some insight he had gleaned over his years of ministry in China and the US as well as his in-depth research on the New Testament. We talked about so much in that class it is hard for me to remember a lot of it, but this morning as I read the Mark passage for Proper 24 (10.35-45) I was pleased to notice what Dr. Yieh calls the KEY PASSAGE for understanding Mark's Christology.

"For the Son of Man came not be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." I feel like Proper 24 of Year B could be called Ransom Theory Sunday. In all three readings (the suffering servant - Isaiah, the sinless high priest - Hebrews, and James & John at the right and left - Mark) atonement theory seems to be the focus of the text.

Especially clear in the KEY verse in Mark, the Ransom Theory roughly explained is that due to our sin, the devil holds us hostage. In return for us the devil wants something he has not gained the right to; a perfect and sinless person. In the death of Jesus Christ, God gives the devil this Ransom, however it is only long enough to get us back from the devil as eternal death is the result of sin and therefore a sinless person cannot die forever, but must rise again.

There are lots of implications within Ransom Theory that make me uneasy; inherent universalism/paternalism, God using trickery to gain us back, etc., but it is a good theory to know as one begins to work out their own theology of atonement.

What's more - I'm just excited I'm remembering stuff from classes - GOEs here I come.

on the collect

For the first time this week I have realized just how neatly the collect for Proper 23 Year B ties the readings (at least OT and Gospel) together. I've written this week about choices, choosing to seek the LORD and live, choosing to follow Jesus, and all the while I missed that the collect too is about choices.

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

If we earnestly pray this prayer we will be left in the position of making good choices. For if the grace of God truly precedes and follows us we have no right alternative but to do good works. It is out of God's grace that good works flow. Out of our gratefulness for the free gift of grace that we are motivated to act. Just as out of God's overwhelming love and communion within the Trinity led God to create, so too God's overwhelming love and communion outside, toward us,
leads us to do work, good works.

Having begun this week with the ugggggh of some rather rocky texts I must admit I'm excited now to be preaching on these passages. The grace of God which precedes and follows our every move motivates us to good works for the glory of God. I see my sermon percolating...

a strange reaction

The interaction between Jesus and his disciples always makes me laugh. For the most part, these 12 guys just don't get it. They don't get what Jesus is doing, yet they continue to follow along. In Mark's telling of the rich young man we see, yet again, an odd response from the 12.

Jesus has just watched an eager young man walk away from him saddened because the demands Jesus made were too much. Dismayed himself, Jesus responds, I'd like to think minus the exclamation points, "how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God" and again "how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Now stop and think what some reactions might be. "Why is it so hard for the rich?" "This guy just liked his stuff too much, he's not indicative of all rich people." You know, something specific to the situation at hand. But no, not the disciples, "Then who can be saved?" they ask greatly astounded. "Holy crap! If the rich aren't gettin' in, ain't nobody gettin' in."

What is it about these guys that allows for non sequiters every time they speak? I don't know about you, but it makes me feel pretty good. The 12 who followed Jesus as disciples. Those who were very closest to him (replacing even his own family) continually miss the point. They just can't get it right. And what does Jesus do? He loves them. He continues to try and teach them. He gives them authority to heal and cast out demons. He keeps at them.

2000 years later it looks like Jesus' hard work with those guys really paid off. Yet the tradition of missing the point and asking the wrong question is one that continues throughout history. I wonder if that's why God decided to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit? Maybe in his relationships while on earth, God realized just how clueless we are and decided we needed some help - someone to love us, to teach us, to give us authority.

Either way, I'm grateful for this tenacious God who continuously seeks me out no matter how often I miss the point.

Seek the LORD and live

Sounds easy enough to me. The prophet Amos speaking to the people of Israel before the exile knows all the terrible things going on in this corrupt and unjust nation. Yet these people can still turn it around with one, seemingly simple action, seek the LORD.

The Hebrew Bible Prof over at Wesley told us last week that in the Psalms the technical term for worship of YHWH is to seek God's face. While she gave me no reason to believe her, it helps with my case here so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

To worship YHWH, to seek the LORD, is to strive for justice, for righteousness, for truth. And yet its even easier than that. To worship YHWH, to seek the LORD, is to help the poor, to refuse bribes, to seek good; in fact to LOVE good and HATE evil. To not do these things, to not worship YHWH, to not seek the Lord is to face total destruction. In the case of Israel it was to face the extinction of a culture and a people by way of the exile. For us today to not do these things is to choose hell, the ultimate and final place where we can be free from this loving God who judges. But beyond that, throughout all time to not choose these things is to tarnish the face of God - for it was YHWH who was looked down upon when His chosen people were destroyed and it is God who is looked down upon when disciples of Jesus Christ live as hypocrites in the world.

For God's sake (literally) and not for ours is why we should listen to Amos and "hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate" for it may be that YHWH; God the most gracious and merciful; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit "will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

let the seminarian preach

The readings for Proper 23 remind me of the way George Sherrill began his first sermon at his field ed site, "you know that if I'm standing in the pulpit Dan didn't want to preach these texts, so he thought to himself, 'we'll let the seminarian preach that Sunday.'"

Uggggh. What a weighty set of texts. Doom and gloom from Amos (with a dash of hope). Jesus and the young rich man in Mark (with a dash of Peter and persecutions). Rambling about Moses and Jesus in Hebrews (with a dash of confidence and pride). Uggggh. Maybe I'll preach on the Collect.

As I re-read the passages though I'm left with a question. How hard is it for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God? Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle!?! What does that mean? [a side note - these musings are intended to be done before exegesis - so you'll have to excuse me for missing the point of the passage on occasion] Life is all about choices. We make choices everyday. Should I snooze one more time? What shirt should I wear? Where should I invest my money? Etc. It seems that here Jesus is giving us a choice. I must choose to use money in a way that is glorifying to God. I must choose to use the gifts God has given me for the kingdom of God. To choose anything is else to choose not to enter into the kingdom of God here on earth. To choose not to enter here is to choose to walk apart from God. For me it really isn't a choice at all. As a Christian it is a part of my character to do these things - to choose to walk with God. But if it is a choice. If I am left to my own devices - how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

Still though, I know why I'm preaching for Proper 23 - "ick, nasty passages - let the seminarian preach" ;-)

i'm not a literal creationist mind you...

By that I mean I don't believe (anymore) that God created the world in six 24-hour time periods. The second creation story in chapter 2 however is one of great interest to me. Especially, I find the second story of the creation of animal life and ultimately women to be particularly fascinating.

Two questions come to mind when I read the part about God taking a rib from Adam and creating from it. First, I wonder when this began as an oral tradition? Secondly, I wonder when humankind first figured out that women have one more rib than men. Seems an interesting coincidence to me.

I had a conversation at a party this weekend with a friend of a friend. He's a devout Lutheran who works with youth and young adults and is deeply involved in small group Bible study. Everytime we run into each other the conversation turns to work (for me) as he runs through all that he's been struggling with since last we spoke (welcome to my life - i know). Anyway, I'm not really complaining about this becuase it keeps me from the extremely awkward conversations that abound in a party like this one. So this weekend we were chatting about creation. He being an engineer has always struggled with the 6-day creation thing but had an even harder time with evolution (sounds a lot like me acutally). We spent most of our time talking about how God might exist in evolution (micro or macro - though micro is easier for me to swallow). *Wow this is a long story* So then I come back to this spiritual practice and what awaits me, but another call to belief in the creative power of God through this amazing story that seems to have some scientific evidence behind it. Wow, 2 days and 2 revelations. I'm so glad to be back in touch with God.

one of these things is not like the others

In reading the propers for 10/8 I couldn't help but notice a couple of things. First, and most obvious is the direct link between Gen 2 and Mark 10. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." A part of me noticing this was noticing just how (seemingly) different the Hebrews reading is. Yet in re-reading it there is still a sense of becoming one flesh through our salvation. We are sanctified by one who comes from the Father, just as we come from the Father. While this sanctification will last forever we are still expected to put forth some effort toward continuing the process, "We must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Sure salvation is a free gift from God, but its kinda like getting a puppy for Christmas. The puppy is free, but if you want it to grow up to be a well-behaved dog (or at least you want it to live) you must put forth some effort.

The other thing I noticed relates directly to my last post "so my prayer life is in the toilet, so what?" Did you see that collect? Its the "more ready to hear than we to pray" one. It kills me. Thank you Lord for putting it on my heart to get back to this blogging thing just as this collect comes up in the church year. Amen.

It's time

The readings for Proper 22 (Oct 8) are up and ready for Monday. I'll see you all in prayer.

I need this

So here's what I'm gonna do. I will be doing my Lectionary Reflection on my blog. I will then copy over what I wrote here for the greater community, unless however it is decided that this is dead and then I'll quit the extra step.

Blessings!