What are we up to?

(This is one reflection in a daily series for Holy Week on my blog.)

Tomorrow I would like to reflect on the final meal that Jesus shares with His disciples prior to His death. We speak of this as when Jesus “instituted” the Lord’s Supper - an odd way to speak of this event I think.

In any case, for now I simply want to point out an aside that happens during the meal that really has nothing at all to do with the purpose of the story. If this detail were not there, the story would still be the same. It jumps off the page, though, as saying something about the disciples’ understanding of the heart of Jesus.

In John 13 we have the “Last Supper” taking place. Jesus has just told them that one of them would betray Him, and they are each claiming personal innocence. Jesus then looks at Judas and says, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” Of course no one but Judas knows what Jesus it talking about. But the disciples have a few guesses as to what is going on.

They either think Judas, their treasurer, was supposed to buy something for the meal or give some money to the poor. The former guess is an obvious one based on immediate contextual clues (they were eating a meal at the time!). The latter is an assumption based upon nothing else but the character of Jesus. Naturally, the assume, Jesus is making sure the poor are being taken care of.

John Perkins, in his book With Justice For All, wrote, “Our response to the poor is a crucial test of our faithfulness to the gospel.” (88)

Ouch.

If we are followers of Jesus, if we are continually being formed into His image, if we are deliberately seeking to be less ourselves and more Him, then should not others look on us with the assumption that we are caring for the poor?

When people see us hurriedly going about our responsibilities, I wonder what they assume we are up to. When they look in from the outside on our conversations and activities, I wonder what they think we are trying to accomplish.

I would like to think that we are so intimately involved in God’s redemptive mission in the world that their best guess would be the similar to the disciples’ assumption about Jesus. I fear this may not be the case - not about me at least.

Jesus expressed absolute solidarity with the poor (Matt 25). Jesus defined His whole reason for walking around on this earth as bringing good news to the poor (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus said that the Kingdom of God belongs to the poor (Luke 6:20). The prophet Isaiah said that if we want our lights to shine and God to be with us, then we must spend ourselves on behalf of the poor (Isaiah 58). The wise teacher told us that as soon as our ears are closed to the poor, God’s are closed to us (Proverbs 21:13).

“O Christ of the poor and the yearning, kindle in my heart a flame of love for my neighbor, for my foe, for my friend, for my kindred all. From the humblest thing that lives to the Name that is highest of all, kindle in my heart within a flame of love.” (Celtic Prayers from Iona)

Shawn

Love Undivided

Bev Stroud offers this insightful word from Mother Teresa.  It is an inscription in a Bible given to Princess Diana by Mother Teresa:

Idealism Lost

Submitted by Ralph McCluggage:


Readings:  Isaiah 49:1-6;  John 13:21-38

Scripture:
Jesus said to [Judas], "What you are going to do, do quickly.". . .
Jesus answered [Peter],. . .
"Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times"
(John 13,27,38)

Reflection:  They were both part of Jeus' group of twelve.
   One was an idealist.   He found the charismatic Jesus a compelling leader and his message one of extraordinary hope and vision.  Establishing the kingdom of God in the here and now was enormously appealing to such a young, enthusiastic zealot.  But as the months stretched into years, ye lost his idealism--or he grew impatient with the lack of practical progress Jesus was making.  Shouldn't Jesus be using his considerable gifts to take on the established order and entrenched leadership to create the new kingdom he kept talking about?  Prayers and piety are one thing, but this was the time for action.  Over time, hjis unrealized hopes brought him disappointment, sadness, frustration, anger and bitterness.
   Judas the idealist had become Judas the cynic.
   The other was the headstrong leader of the group.  Whatever the issue, he charged ahead.  he would ask the hard questions and was willing to say what was on everyone's mind.  He often served as Jesus' foil.  He was the only one of the Twelve to say it:  "You are the Messiah" (Matt. 16:16).  But then Jesus the Wonder-Worker, the Rabbi, the Beloved of God, became Jesus the Accused, the Condemned, the Crucified.
   Peter's hope was trumped by fear,=.  At the sound of the crowing cock, Peter had to face the sad reality that his beliefs did not match his words.
   The stories of Judas and Peter are stories of enthusiasm athat fade over time, hope that deteriorates in the wake of constant disappointment, idealism that shatters in the face of hard reality.  Both men are unable to understand that the journey to Easter is by the way of the cross.
   Their experience in the Holy Week gospel is not unlike ours.  To experience the new life of the Easter Christ demands our passing over with him from the death of self to the re-creating of the heart in the compassion of God.

Meditation:  What beliefs or principles have you lost faith in or have you become cynical about?

Prayer:  Gracious God, do not let us lose hope in the possibilities of your compassion and mercy in our own time and place.  May your grace sustain our hope in  your life conquering death, your spirit of reconciliation healing estrangement, your justice reigning over all peoples and nations.


from Daily Reflections for Lent by Jay Cormier

Exalted

In reading Philippians 2 last week, I came to a realization about what it means to be exalted, or lifted up.  In John, Jesus speaks of how he will be "lifted up" just as the serpent was lifted up by Moses in the desert.  This lifting up has a duel meaning.  It refers to both the crucifixion he will suffer as a result of being lifted up by men, but it also refers to the fact that it is through this radical act of self-sacrifice that he will be exalted among the nations.  This is a lifting up accomplished by God, for God alone can turn the symbol of painful death that is the cross into a symbol of victory over death.  In reading Philippians 2, I realized that when it says that Jesus will be highly exalted by God, exalted is a slightly different form of the same word used in John 2.  What a difference there is between being exalted by man and being exalted by God!  Oh that I could find the strength to empty myself as Christ was willing to empty Himself, that the spirit of God might be made more manifest in my life.  As we look to the resurrection of Jesus, may we all find strength not in ourselves, but in the emptying of ourselves.  May we all find fulfillment not in our exaltation by men, but in the finding of our true identity and purpose in Christ.  As I was reading the prayer for Monday in the congregational prayer guide, I was struck by the power of this simple prayer in light of Philippians 2.  It is my hope that it will encourage you as much as it has encouraged me:  

O Lord, let me not from this day forward desire health or life, except to spend them for You, with You, and in You.  You alone know what is good for me; do therefore, what seems best to you.  Give to me, or take from me; conform my will to Yours; and grant that, with humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may receive the orders of Your eternal will; and may equally adore all that comes to me from You, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

--
Justin L. Simmons

Weaned Spirituality

"...to the weaned child his mother is his comfort though she has denied him comfort. It is a blessed mark of growth our of spiritual infancy when we forgo the joys which once appeared to be essential, and can find our solace in Him who denies them to us."

The above is Eugene Peterson is quoting Charles Spurgeon in "Long Obedience in the Same Direction." He is commenting on Psalm 131 and talking about the need for God to wean us off of those comforts and blessings that we at one point depended on for our spiritual health. God does this so we can move toward spiritual maturity. The metaphor held in parallel is the John 15 discussion on pruning.

If we are going to grow up God is going to have to wean us off infantile comforts and the securities of the weak. It was once appropriate for Julian to drink from a bottle before he grew teeth. It is highly inappropriate for Lucas, now 4, to drink out of a bottle.

Do we want to grow and use our teeth or not?

Do we want to be stretched, grown, matured? Do we want to go through the painful, frustrating process of being weaned? Sadly we God begin to prune us we too often think the cutting is the result of God's absence or God's punishment for our wrongdoing.

The mother does not wean the child to punish it. The gardner does not prune to mutilate an unruly rose bush. These are done that growth may occur.

That is why Lent is so important. We fast. We pray. We repent. We wean ourselves off those things we have for too long depended on. We put down the milk, pick up a fork, and begin to sink our teeth into something of substance.

So, what are you depending on for peace, security, comfort, identity, etc. that is no longer appropriate for a Christian of your age? In what ways is God cutting you back so that your roots can grow deeper and great fruit may be produced in you and through you?

Shawn

Resurrection

THAT'S EASTER - DEATH TO LIFE short film from Full Measure Films on Vimeo.

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

A recent safe driving video, Embrace Life, beautifully illustrates the power that images have in our imaginations and lives.

How do you envision what God does for us through the death and resurrection of Christ?

Prayer as expression of feelings, or change of feelings?

Lauren Winner, in her book MUDHOUSE SABBATH, says that...

"Sure it is great when, in prayer, we can express to God just what we feel;

but better still when, in the act of praying, our feelings change."

Do you agree?

St. Patrick was not a Leprechaun

This St. Patrick's Day, as with most holidays rooted (loosely) in Christian people or events (see: Christmas and Easter), a whole lot of culture and ceremony cloaks the woman, the man, or the event lying behind it all.

I don't want to bore us with a full biography of the real St. Patrick, but I do want to say a couple words about him and leave you with one of his prayers.

Prior to the fourth century the people of the Celtic islands lived in a world saturated with pagan gods. There was Lug, the luminous god, and Dagda, the chthonic (underworld) god, as well as gods for each tribe that would protect the family and keep the cattle and the earth fertile. The first attempts to evangelize Ireland were marginally successful and wrought with heretical doctrines. Patrick was the missionary who is attributed with the real conversion of Ireland. He was successful in converting many of the tribal leaders in the faith - and therefore their tribes. Many of Patrick's first disciples and key leaders in the conversion were women. Soon monasteries were established in many of the regions from where a devout form of Christianity began to grow and spread.

One of the key characteristics of Celtic spirituality following Patrick's lead was a rigorous devotion to prayer (including the DAILY recitation of the Psalms!). In their struggle against sin and temptation they developed long litanies of prayer called "loricae" or "breastplates."

Here is one "lorica" attributed to Patrick:

I arise today

through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to secure me,

against snares of the devil,

against temptations of vices,

against inclinations of nature,

against everyone who shall wish me ill,

afar and near,

alone and in a crowd.

The Celts took sin and repentance and temptation very seriously. They knew that the way to holiness and the way of Jesus required a dogged commitment to put the old life to death and allow the new life of the Spirit to come alive in us.

Ironic that a man so devoted to purity and prayer would be 'honored' by a rather decadent holiday. Don't worry, Patrick, the manger and the empty tomb know how you feel!

May today remind us of the vigilance required to follow Jesus in this new Spirit-formed life of the Kingdom. May we take up this breastplate of Patrick in our fight for holiness today.

"Jesus, Master, Have Pity On Us"

Luke 17:12

The healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17 is a familiar story to all of us.  We know Jesus healed the ten but only one came back, falling at His feet and praising God.

We are all unclean and needing of His precious cleansing.  We can all stand at a distance and cry out "unclean, unclean" before God.  Leprosy consumed their bodies as sin consumes us.  They were filled with despair and shame.  The difference in the lepers and us may be that they recognized and acknowledged that they were unclean.  When they came to Jesus and cried out to Him they were transformed.

We need transformation, too, that only comes through our coming to Jesus.  Only through Christ can we be made clean enough to come back into relationship with God, the Father.  Let's fall at the feet of Jesus and cry out "Jesus, Master, have pity on us."  We are sinful and in need of God's cleansing power.

Father, I come before you now, sinful and unclean, needing the cleansing power of my crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus.  Have mercy on me, O God.  Create in me a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within me.  Praise and glory be Thine forever.  This is my  earnest prayer, in the name of your only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, Amen.

Tyne Willis

Letting Pride Go By

At work this past week, I came across an engraving of Judas receiving the thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests, the price at which his betrayal of Jesus was purchased.  It is easy for me to look back through twenty centuries of time, from the other side of Jesus' resurrection, and judge Judas for such a monumental and inexcusable betrayal.  And yet, I am forced to ask myself if the absence of thirty pieces of silver in my own pocket makes me any less guilty than he?  When I am honest with myself I know that I am as guilty as Judas, for I have betrayed my Lord for far less than a bag of silver.  Whether it is a glance to satisfy the lust of the flesh, or a decision made on the basis of my own ambition rather than the will of God, every day I recognize that there are still parts of my spirit in full-fledged rebellion against what God is trying to do in my life.  This recognition during these weeks of reflection could bring with them a load of guilt capable of crushing the soul, but my eyes have fixed their gaze on the light that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the hope that God is capable of accomplishing in me far more than I could ever accomplish in myself.  I have found these words from the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus" by Elizabeth Clephane representative of this hope:

"I take, O cross, your shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let my pride go by, to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross"


Justin Simmons

Yearning for God

 
In my Bible I have the first two verses of Psalm 63 underlined.  They read:

God, you are my God, I pine for you;
my heart thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
as a land parched, dreary and waterless.
Thus I have gazed on you in the sanctuary,
seeing our power and your glory.

In the margin I have written the words, "Do I ever feel this deeply?"

I have a friend who was put in prison after Saigon was captured by North Vietnam.
Eventually he was released and he said he remembered his first cup of coffee.  He
had never realized how wonderful a cup of coffee could be. "I always took it for
granted," he said.  

Perhaps we should take some time (truly get still and alone) and think about
what we may take for granted.  What would happen if we were more deliberate
in appreciating moment my moment  God's gift of life and all with which we
are blessed. Even (maybe especially) that morning cup of coffee. 

And what of our walk with the Creator of the Universe and Dweller in our Heart...

We read the verses again and ask, "Do I ever feel this deeply?"


Ralph McCluggage

Focused Faith

Today's New York Times carries an op-ed piece that bears reflection.  In the wealth of possibilities for the practice of our faith, it is possible to become bewitched by the many possibilities and neglect the reality of sticking to a devoted way of life.

Week 3 Begins

Today is the third Sunday in Lent. It is about this time each year that I become less intentional and my resolve begins to slip. The planning and anticipation leading up to Lent and then the prayerful renewal and cleansing of an Ash Wednesday service are followed by a couple weeks of thoughtfulness and deliberate practice.

It is about this time each year that the purpose behind these practices begins to fade from my consciousness. Soon they become empty forms loosely held. Sometimes they turn to vapor before they have been given a full 40 days to do their work in me.

This is a call, maybe just to an audience of one (me!), to pause for a renewal of why you have chosen to enter purposefully into this season. It is time to have a conversation with a trusted spiritual friend about your decisions and what God is teaching you through your practices.

May I, nor you, allow this Lenten season to mirror the path of most New Year's resolutions.

May we strengthen our resolve together to let the Spirit purify our lives so that Christ can reign in us and live through us! May we continue to be willing participants in the Spirit's work as He leads us to the joyous celebration of His resurrection!

Only 4 more weeks to go! Hang in there!

Shawn

A Hymn for Lent

Jesus, who went into the wilderness

To face its dangers and confront its fear,

Hunger and thirst, day's heat and cold of night,

You knew it all - no rest or shelter there.

Jesus, come now into life's wilderness,

Where pain and suffering threaten and dismay,

Walk with your people in life's harshest days,

Give them your courage, take their fear away.

We pray for all who bear the wilderness

Of shattered lives and ruined dreams of peace,

For all who cry for justice to be done,

That your imprisoned ones may know release.

As in the wilderness you made your choice,

Rejecting cunning, rule of force and greed,

Give courage to the powerful and the strong

To dare God's path of love, where you will lead.

Wendy Ross-Barker

LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN

Lightening the Load

Vickie and I have been letting go of some things lately. Extra furniture, old boxes of records from long ago, and miscellaneous stuff have been exiting our home and our life with some rapidity in the past few weeks. In fact, earlier today I delivered three boxes of books to a bookseller in Nashville.  Indeed, our basement storage area is beginning to have open spaces again and a lot of clothes and other items are making their way to be used by others.  This process of letting doesn't come naturally--at least for me.  But I sure am enjoying the feeling of freedom.  Here is an anonymous and brief essay along the same lines that I found the other day.

Maybe you might find it helpful as well.

How Greed and Love Are Alike

Here is a prayer associated with this Lenten season.

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A worthy meditation to connect with a time of prayer with these words would be, obviously, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

I have noticed that with sin, theology, morality, righteousness, etc. it is always easier to stake our claims in the things that seem black and white. For example, I was reading a piece of a book by Tim Keller called "Counterfiet Gods" where he says,

“Jesus warns people far more often about greed than about sex, yet almost no one thinks they are guilty of it. Therefore we should all begin with a working hypothesis that ‘this could be a problem for me.’ If greed hides itself so deeply, no one should be confident that it is not a problem for them. How can we recognize and become free from the power of money to blind us?” (p53)

Sexual sin is easier to define and judge others over because it is perceived in black and white terms. You have either committed this one or not.

Greed, however, is much harder, like love to make clear doctrines about.

The call of the gospel seems to lead us much more towards those things are not so easily defined and controlled by our systems of thought and behavior. Love is too big to draw a line between when we have fulfilled our duty and when we have not. Yet everything hinges upon our practice of it - no matter how right we are about everything else.

Take a look at Matthew 23:23 at an example of this in Jesus' ministry.

Let us never grow content with simplified, 'controlable' systems of life and faith. Let us throw our full lives into the bigger and broader themes that define life formed by the Gospel and the Way of Jesus.

Shawn

What if ... ?

This Ben Witherington quote asks a great question.

"What if the message of Jesus can only be truly and fully understood,

... when it is incarnated in us,

and only together as a living group can we make sense of it,

with each one of us having but one piece of the puzzle

to contribute to that understanding of the story?

What if the message of Jesus can only be understood and believed

when it is experienced and lived out in koinonia, in community,

in love, in self-sacrifice, in service to others?"

What do you think, have you found this to be true?

Lent Resources for Families

A couple of Sundays ago I was having a conversation on the playground (NO LAUGHING) and was somewhat surprised by how many of the kids are practicing some observance of Lent. I think it is wise for parents and teachers to introduce children to the rhythms of the Christian Year. Believers developed these rituals, stories, and disciplines over many centuries for shaping us into the image of Jesus. Children soak up this profoundly "concrete" way of learning in the context of their favorite teachers ... their families.

Here is a great website dedicated to providing resources for families who want to explore these ideas further.

A Prayer

O Lord God, you are great, holy, and exalted above us and above all humankind.  And now you show your greatness by not forgetting us or deserting us, and, in spirit of all that condemns us, by not rejecting us.  You have given us your dear Son, Jesus Christ, nothing less than your own self and all that is yours.  We thank you for the privilege of being guests at the table prepared for us by your grace for al long as we live and even for all eternity.

We bring before you now all that troubles us: our failings, errors, and exaggerations, our tribulations and sorrows, and also our rebelliousness and bitterness--our whole life and our whole heart, which you know better than we know it ourselves.  We place all this in the faithful hands which you have stretched out to us in our Savior.  Take us as we are; raise up those who are weak, enrich from your fullness those who are poor.

And let your companionship illumine our families and all those who are captive or who suffer need or are sick or near death.  Give to those who judge, the spirit of righteousness; and to those who rule in this world, a measure of your wisdom to guide them to peace on earth.  Give insight and courage to those who at home or as missionaries abroad proclaim your word.

--Karl Barth