Silence

So...it's been so long since my last post, I forgot how to blog. I didn't forget how to think or reflect or write, but I couldn't remember how to sign on. I remember now.

Today, the scriptures are silent about how Jesus spent his day. Some speculate that he probably remained in Bethany with his disciples. I like this idea. I like that Jesus might have been spending time with friends--with the people he loved--the night before the last supper, before washing his disciples' feet, before giving a new commandment, before telling Peter he would deny him, before offering peace to his disciples, before praying for his disciples, before struggling in Gethsemane, before being betrayed, before being arrested. I like the idea that he might have simply been enjoying being in the presence of the ones he loved. I like the idea that he might have been trying not to think about what was coming.

Jesus had spent the day before teaching in stories about the Kingdom of God. He'd confronted the Jewish leaders. He been sought out by some Greeks. He'd foretold of the destruction of the temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, his persecutions, of the signs of the end of the age. He'd warned of the necessity for watchfulness and faith. And on Monday, he'd cleared the temple of greed--declaring prayer more essential than profit.

But, today. Today, we don't know what Jesus did or said. And that's okay.

Advent

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a German pastor imprisoned and executed for his attempt to overthrow Hitler said this:

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes ... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

We live our lives day in and day out not realizing we're even in a prison cell. We wait. We hope. And, we work in vain to open the door of freedom. We think we're in control. We think we have to have all of the right answers. We think we could have done this better or that better or been better prepared for the tests in life.

But when we let go. When we realize that our efforts are in vain. When we begin to understand the mystery that is God. We wait. We hope. And the door of freedom is open for us.

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.
Praise Him ALL creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Longing

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Those who follow Jesus will be hungry and thirsty along the way. They are filled with longing for forgiveness of all sins and for complete renewal; they long for the renewal of the earth and for God's perfect justice."

Is this really what those who follow Jesus in the United States long for? Is it really what I long for? Certainly, I long for forgiveness and renewal for myself. And, certainly, I want it for others, but do I really long for it? To long for something seems to be a more serious yearning.

Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

I hunger and thirst for a lot of things. Admittedly, my own righteousness more often than Gods'. I mean, who doesn't want to be right? I, like most Americans, want to be right, to have the finer things in life, the right house in the right neighborhood with the right car wearing the right clothes having the right electronics, right dreams, right goals, right body, right schedule, right job with the right company, etc., etc., etc.

So how can I long for God's righteousness? How can the church help to heal this absurd longing for things? I think the best way for communities of faith to alleviate our insatiable desires is to stop modeling it! How many times have people of faith been in church meetings longing for church vans, bigger organs, family life centers, more young families, more tithers, more state of the art equipment, more, bigger, newer, better? We can't model justice while continuing to live unjustly.

Lord, help your people to learn to say no. No to suffering. No to injustice. No to personal righteousness. No. Lord, may your kingdom come.

Blessed are the meek??

How is one meek without being thought of as weak? An age old question for followers of Jesus Christ. Yet, here it is again:

Matthew 5:5 says:
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

I still think we're often confused about what it means to be blessed, but today I want to focus more on the word "meek." Merriam-Webster gives three definitions of meek:

1 : enduring injury with patience and without resentment
2 : deficient in spirit and courage
3 : not violent or strong

Definition #1 does not sound like a blessing for the meek one, yet it does sound like Jesus--and that's who we say we want to be like--right?

Definition #2 sounds like you're lacking spirit & courage--which, to me, contradicts the first definition. To be able to endure injury with patience & without resentment would require a great deal of courage and a great deal of help from the Holy Spirit.

Definition #3 is confusing--not being violent is certainly a good thing, but does the "not" apply also to the word "strong"? In order to live a life of non-violence, I believe you need a great deal of strength. I believe violence is a weak response to conflict.

Meanwhile, my desire to be right is often more powerful than my desire to be meek. Sometimes I may exhibit meekness, but all the while, seethe on the inside. How can I claim the power that is mine to choose meekness? To choose humility? Truly, choosing meekness and humility requires much more strength, much more power, much more self-control than being abrasive, sarcastic or right. Choosing arrogance is easy. It's in my nature. But if I could harness that power or even recognize it in the moment...

I'm sure I could experience great joy and inexplicable freedom. I'm sure my "enemies" would have no power over my life. I'm sure I would be one step closer in my desire to follow Christ. Meekness is a gift that may feel more like a burden than a blessing.

Pastor, Minister, Reverenrd, Priest or Clergy

Pastor: a spiritual overseer; especially a clergyman serving a local church or parish
Minister: one officiating or assisting the officiant in church worship
Reverend: of or relating to the clergy
Priest: one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, an agent between humans and God
Clergy: a group ordained to perform pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church

According to Merriam Webster On-Line, these are the definitions of words we so often use interchangeably. However, as I reflect on these titles, only one appears to be about a person who cares deeply for the spiritual health of others--and that is Pastor. Can one be called to be a minister or priest without being called to pastor? Is being clergy simply about performing functions? Officiating? Being authorized to perform rites of religion? Authorized by whom? By God? Or by man? Doesn't scripture tell us that God equips the called? Moses certainly didn't have his resume in order, and yet God called him to do great things.

What is it we're looking for in clergy today? Are we looking for church CEO's? Managers who ensure duties are performed as assigned? Financial officers who ensure the books are in order? Dynamic speakers who entertain? In my denomination, we have a person who's title in our conference is Director of Pastoral Excellence. What makes an excellent pastor? How is that measured? Who decides?

It seems to me that the criteria for an excellent pastor might be different than the criteria for an excellent minister. And, while I believe we need excellent ministers, I believe the world is longing for--even aching for, excellent pastors. We're looking for guides who are living the way of Jesus. We long for glimpses of those who truly clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience...those who bear with one another, forgive each other...above all those who are clothed in love. It's not fair to expect more of one human being over another, and yet...we do.

Manifestation, Restoration

Psalm 80 -- 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

Manifestation, Restoration...or is it...Restoration, Manifestation

In reading the scriptures above these words stuck out. Psalm 80:3,7 and 19 say: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved." Restore us. I think we long to be restored, yet we run from the restoration process. I have a dining room table that would be magnificent if it were restored. Yet to be magnificent, it has to be stripped, laid bare, sanded, smoothed, then re-finished...rubbed, polished, cared for. In it's current state, it's functional, useful, not completely unattractive. It holds memories and bears the marks of a good life. And yet...if it were restored to it's previous grandeur, it would still be functional, useful, beautiful. It would still hold memories, and perhaps, it would sustain the marks of a life to come.

Restore us. Sounds humbling. Sounds frightening. Sounds painful. Sounds ugly. Sounds like love. Sounds magnificent.

Then in 1 Corinthians 12:7 another word surfaces. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." Manifestation.

Freedictionary.com says of manifestation: "An indication of the existence, reality, or presence of something." For example, morning sickness is an indication that you might be pregnant. There may not be visible signs of the existence of a child for some time, but that doesn't change the reality that a child is present. So, the Holy Spirit, manifests itself, shows itself, indicates it's presence in different ways for each person. Why? For the common good. This notion of a personal relationship with Christ is relatively new isn't it? We want personal service, individual recognition, our own blogspots, "my"space, personal identification numbers, "I"-pods, "I"-phones, it really is all about me. At least that's what I've made it.

So which comes first? Manifestation or Restoration? Restoration or Manifestation? Or do they come together? Does the Spirit manifest itself in the process of restoration? The restoration of each of us for the common good of all of us. Let your face shine, that we may be saved. Sounds magnificent.

Punctuation Matters

Isaiah 40:1-11 -- Romans 14:13, 19

So, I open my Bible randomly--not usually the way I choose what scripture to read--and read this: "A voice cries out: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low: the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'"

And, I'm so perplexed by the punctuation placement of the : and the ". In the Gospels, this scripture is quoted like this, "A voice cries out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord.'" And, we know that John the Baptist is in the wilderness crying out. Right? But Isaiah says, a voice cries out, "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord." Huh. That's different. Isn't it?

Wordnet.princeton.edu defines wilderness like this:

• wilderness ((politics) a state of disfavor) "he led the Democratic party back from the wilderness"
• wilderness, wild (a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition) "it was a wilderness preserved for the hawks and mountaineers"
• wilderness (a bewildering profusion) "the duties of citizenship are lost sight of in the wilderness of interests of individuals and groups"; "a wilderness of masts in the harbor"

A state of disfavor? Wild? A bewildering profusion? Isn't that us? So a voice crying out, "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord?" As followers of Jesus Christ, is that not our calling? Are those not words for us to heed?

The scripture goes on: "A voice says, 'Cry out!' And I said, 'What shall I cry?' All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower in the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever."

That's a great question. What shall I cry? When all people--the good, the bad, the ugly--lack endurance, faithfulness, devotion. When our constancy fades. How can I make paths straight? When my constancy fades? I guess, the best thing I can do is get out of the way. The best thing I can do is not be a stumbling block.

"Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another...Let us then pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding."