Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 148
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
Praise the LORD from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the LORD!
Blessings,
Ron
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A litany for children ...
Today, a prayer:
A Litany for Children
One - O Holy One, we come before you with our prayers and petitions. As your children we seek your providence, protection, and power. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - “For unto us, a child is born,” a child, your son, our savior. For the coming of Jesus, his staying, and his leaving, we give you thanks. For his coming to bring peace, we give thanks. For his dwelling among us as a living image of you, we give thanks. For his leaving to prepare a table to share with us forever, we give thanks. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Almighty One, we know that not all children have been so longed for, so welcomed, so blessed. We bring before you those Jepthahs, those children who know not their fathers, or whose fathers will not accept them. Use us to bring them to you, Lord, so they may receive your acknowledgment as their true father. Bless them, protect them, Lord, in your mercy
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Steadfast One, too many Tamars, too many children know love and abuse, confused because the two are falsely linked by those who live with them. May the truth, however difficult, be known and acted upon by those who need to know it. May the truth of your steadfast love, pure and self-emptying, be known by these precious little ones. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Loving One, we bring before you those Ishmaels, the children taken beyond the bounds of safety, past the point of reasonable patience, all because of familial battles. Too often the foolishness in the lives of their parents protects the unfaithful or the untruthful and deprives the innocent and powerless. O Faithful One, keep these children in the promise of your love and providence. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Sending One, you see those widows of Zarephath and their children. You alone know how many children have only a mother, a mother with precious little in resources, but a heart full of love and faith. Send your servants, O Lord, to walk beside them so that, just at the right time, your providence arrives. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Divine One, may our children be loved as Samuel was loved: longed for; prayed for; cared for; yet inevitably, sent forth, all to do your bidding and to glorify your Holy name. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Holy One, like a mother you have drawn us to your breast, like a father you have guarded us through the night. Lord, as we have asked you as the Divine Parent to love and provide for all these, your children,
Many - So help us to love and provide for those children you have sent to us.
One - In the name of your precious child, Jesus, we petition you,
Many - Amen.
Blessings,
Ron
A Litany for Children
One - O Holy One, we come before you with our prayers and petitions. As your children we seek your providence, protection, and power. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - “For unto us, a child is born,” a child, your son, our savior. For the coming of Jesus, his staying, and his leaving, we give you thanks. For his coming to bring peace, we give thanks. For his dwelling among us as a living image of you, we give thanks. For his leaving to prepare a table to share with us forever, we give thanks. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Almighty One, we know that not all children have been so longed for, so welcomed, so blessed. We bring before you those Jepthahs, those children who know not their fathers, or whose fathers will not accept them. Use us to bring them to you, Lord, so they may receive your acknowledgment as their true father. Bless them, protect them, Lord, in your mercy
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Steadfast One, too many Tamars, too many children know love and abuse, confused because the two are falsely linked by those who live with them. May the truth, however difficult, be known and acted upon by those who need to know it. May the truth of your steadfast love, pure and self-emptying, be known by these precious little ones. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Loving One, we bring before you those Ishmaels, the children taken beyond the bounds of safety, past the point of reasonable patience, all because of familial battles. Too often the foolishness in the lives of their parents protects the unfaithful or the untruthful and deprives the innocent and powerless. O Faithful One, keep these children in the promise of your love and providence. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Sending One, you see those widows of Zarephath and their children. You alone know how many children have only a mother, a mother with precious little in resources, but a heart full of love and faith. Send your servants, O Lord, to walk beside them so that, just at the right time, your providence arrives. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Divine One, may our children be loved as Samuel was loved: longed for; prayed for; cared for; yet inevitably, sent forth, all to do your bidding and to glorify your Holy name. Lord, in your mercy,
Many - Hear our prayer.
One - O Holy One, like a mother you have drawn us to your breast, like a father you have guarded us through the night. Lord, as we have asked you as the Divine Parent to love and provide for all these, your children,
Many - So help us to love and provide for those children you have sent to us.
One - In the name of your precious child, Jesus, we petition you,
Many - Amen.
Blessings,
Ron
Monday, December 21, 2009
She who is in labor ...
Together, let us meditate on the word of the Lord:
Micah 5:2-5a
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Can anything good happen in a small town? Can anything worthy of note come from Bethlehem, this “house of bread,” this tiny village? How often does God work with the small things - with places, things, or persons held in low esteem by humanity? The American equivalent of Bethlehem would be a small rural town on the margins of a politically insignificant state, perhaps somewhere in Oklahoma.
From this nowhere comes one who will not merely rule the world, but one who moves to restore it. This One knows how to restore this planet to its original and intended beauty because, quite simply, he was there when it was formed. To even speak of his origin reveals our ignorance.
Therefore he shall give them up until
the time when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.
This small town on the margins of a small clan is a part of a larger nation. That nation wavered, time after time, in its faithfulness to its God. Every time this people chose to repent and return, God received them back. Every time, that is, until the last. When the fickleness of God’s people finally became a joke among the nations, then God let them go. God did not merely give up Jerusalem, or the Temple; the Holy One of Israel gave up the people of Israel. The holy temple was defiled, the holy city razed, the holy people scattered to the four corners of the earth. God gave them up.
But not forever. When “she who is in labor” bears her child, then the reunification of God and the people of God is to begin. Evidently the purpose of this child’s birth is to call all of God’s children back into relationship with God.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
He who stands is one who is thoroughly acquainted with the truth about humanity; he knows our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities. A relationship with this majestic one brings a vulnerable people into a safe place. In the midst of that safe place are resources, provision for daily living, bread for body and soul. Is it mere coincidence that the “Bread of Heaven” comes from the “house of bread?” Yet, this majestic one will point the thankful to the source of all providence, the faithful God of Israel. The wonder of the place in which this Shepherd stands becomes even more apparent as others come to understand this great One, and open their lives to him.
and he shall be the one of peace.
Knowing the truth of our weakness and unfaithfulness, the Shepherd nonetheless hopes. Amazingly, he has made peace between his God and his people. That is his truth, but what is his hope? I believe that he hopes for those who have chosen peace to choose to keep it, and for those who have yet to choose peace to do so as well. May it be so.
Peace, peace, in him there can be peace.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Micah 5:2-5a
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Can anything good happen in a small town? Can anything worthy of note come from Bethlehem, this “house of bread,” this tiny village? How often does God work with the small things - with places, things, or persons held in low esteem by humanity? The American equivalent of Bethlehem would be a small rural town on the margins of a politically insignificant state, perhaps somewhere in Oklahoma.
From this nowhere comes one who will not merely rule the world, but one who moves to restore it. This One knows how to restore this planet to its original and intended beauty because, quite simply, he was there when it was formed. To even speak of his origin reveals our ignorance.
Therefore he shall give them up until
the time when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.
This small town on the margins of a small clan is a part of a larger nation. That nation wavered, time after time, in its faithfulness to its God. Every time this people chose to repent and return, God received them back. Every time, that is, until the last. When the fickleness of God’s people finally became a joke among the nations, then God let them go. God did not merely give up Jerusalem, or the Temple; the Holy One of Israel gave up the people of Israel. The holy temple was defiled, the holy city razed, the holy people scattered to the four corners of the earth. God gave them up.
But not forever. When “she who is in labor” bears her child, then the reunification of God and the people of God is to begin. Evidently the purpose of this child’s birth is to call all of God’s children back into relationship with God.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
He who stands is one who is thoroughly acquainted with the truth about humanity; he knows our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities. A relationship with this majestic one brings a vulnerable people into a safe place. In the midst of that safe place are resources, provision for daily living, bread for body and soul. Is it mere coincidence that the “Bread of Heaven” comes from the “house of bread?” Yet, this majestic one will point the thankful to the source of all providence, the faithful God of Israel. The wonder of the place in which this Shepherd stands becomes even more apparent as others come to understand this great One, and open their lives to him.
and he shall be the one of peace.
Knowing the truth of our weakness and unfaithfulness, the Shepherd nonetheless hopes. Amazingly, he has made peace between his God and his people. That is his truth, but what is his hope? I believe that he hopes for those who have chosen peace to choose to keep it, and for those who have yet to choose peace to do so as well. May it be so.
Peace, peace, in him there can be peace.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Your place in my story ...
Today’s devotional thought is from Shiann:
Donald Miller, in his most recent book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, discusses writing his story and editing it for a movie. This changes his perspective on how he sees his life. He is coming out of a deep depression and just a general funk and discusses it throughout the book. I wanted to share this quote with you from the book because it profoundly touched me.
In writing a story, I felt the way I hope God feels as He writes the world. Sitting over the planets and placing tiny people in tiny wombs. If I have a hope, it is that God sat over the dark nothing and wrote you and me specifically in the story and put us with the sunset and the rainstorm as though to say "enjoy your place in My story. The beauty of it means that you matter. And you can create within it just as I have created you."
I’ve wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of life is because we don’t want the responsibility inherent in that acknowledgement. We don’t want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. And if life isn’t remarkable, then we don’t have to do any of that. We can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants.
People seem to find it easy to live as victims. We can “waller” (as my momma says) in our stuff as well as any hog in the mud. Yet God calls us out of that. He gives us people in our lives that need us so we’ll give up the wallerin’. He gives us opportunities to serve and see past our own hurts long enough to see God working for another. If God is working in the life of another, He can work in my life, too!
The other noted point here is to engage in life means to face conflict and “wrassle” (as Momma says) with life. We have the power of God, why not be courageous?!
Shiann
Donald Miller, in his most recent book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, discusses writing his story and editing it for a movie. This changes his perspective on how he sees his life. He is coming out of a deep depression and just a general funk and discusses it throughout the book. I wanted to share this quote with you from the book because it profoundly touched me.
In writing a story, I felt the way I hope God feels as He writes the world. Sitting over the planets and placing tiny people in tiny wombs. If I have a hope, it is that God sat over the dark nothing and wrote you and me specifically in the story and put us with the sunset and the rainstorm as though to say "enjoy your place in My story. The beauty of it means that you matter. And you can create within it just as I have created you."
I’ve wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of life is because we don’t want the responsibility inherent in that acknowledgement. We don’t want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. And if life isn’t remarkable, then we don’t have to do any of that. We can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants.
People seem to find it easy to live as victims. We can “waller” (as my momma says) in our stuff as well as any hog in the mud. Yet God calls us out of that. He gives us people in our lives that need us so we’ll give up the wallerin’. He gives us opportunities to serve and see past our own hurts long enough to see God working for another. If God is working in the life of another, He can work in my life, too!
The other noted point here is to engage in life means to face conflict and “wrassle” (as Momma says) with life. We have the power of God, why not be courageous?!
Shiann
Friday, December 4, 2009
Only be still ...
Today’s devotional thought is from Angela:
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat...
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?...
O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” ...
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
2 Chronicles 20:1,5,6,12,14-17 (NKJV)
I don’t sit still very well. Even while watching a movie at home with Daniel, my mind and my hands seem to find something to do. There’s always paperwork to finish, a splinter to help pull out, a pencil stuck in the over-heating dryer…again! But sometimes the will, energy, and power “to do” is stripped away, and we, largely based on our choice of response, can be left feeling either terrified, divinely serene, or maybe a little bit of both. Not a pleasant learning experience for most of us humans.
Early one morning before school, one of our boys was feeling and loudly vocalizing his anger, his defiance, and his hurt. My daughter was tired, scared by that morning’s chaos, and in need of more attention than I had the energy to give. My husband was very upset with our boy’s poor attitude, my baby hadn’t slept well, and I was desperately trying to keep a hold of some form of control for everyone’s sake. Yet it was all crumbling and blowing away as my tired and hurting family walked out the door. I tried to read the morning’s devotional after they left, but the words weren't making sense in my cluttered brain. I tried to clean my house and organize the day, but all of it…the dirt, the clutter, the schedules…only made me feel more alone and defeated.
I wandered my eerily quiet house feeling outraged, sad, fearful, tired, overwhelmed, aggressive, and ready to fight for peace to return to my home. My back was hurting so I gave up and sat down on the couch. I didn’t really verbally pray because I was too confused to form a thought. I didn’t sing because the tears were too close to brave going that deep within. I sat. I didn’t fix. I didn’t plan. I didn’t run. I didn’t attack. I sat…I felt…and I trembled, realizing God was present; reading, hearing, and soothing all I was feeling. And it was wonderful to be crippled in His arms while His Spirit voiced it all. I felt so free, overwhelmed by passion for those I love while at the same time experiencing mind-blowing peace not “doing” a thing to protect them or fix their wounds.
Hours later, my daughter came home from school joyful, excited, and safe. My baby was her usual sweet self throughout the day. Later that evening, my husband and our boy resolved their issue in about 5 minutes. It’s amazing what God can mend when we don’t snag the process with our own forced presence or perceptions. It’s humbling how much better we can witness His work in the lives of our treasured ones when we, at His bidding, discipline our passion to be still before Him.
Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Blessings,
Angela
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat...
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?...
O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” ...
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
2 Chronicles 20:1,5,6,12,14-17 (NKJV)
I don’t sit still very well. Even while watching a movie at home with Daniel, my mind and my hands seem to find something to do. There’s always paperwork to finish, a splinter to help pull out, a pencil stuck in the over-heating dryer…again! But sometimes the will, energy, and power “to do” is stripped away, and we, largely based on our choice of response, can be left feeling either terrified, divinely serene, or maybe a little bit of both. Not a pleasant learning experience for most of us humans.
Early one morning before school, one of our boys was feeling and loudly vocalizing his anger, his defiance, and his hurt. My daughter was tired, scared by that morning’s chaos, and in need of more attention than I had the energy to give. My husband was very upset with our boy’s poor attitude, my baby hadn’t slept well, and I was desperately trying to keep a hold of some form of control for everyone’s sake. Yet it was all crumbling and blowing away as my tired and hurting family walked out the door. I tried to read the morning’s devotional after they left, but the words weren't making sense in my cluttered brain. I tried to clean my house and organize the day, but all of it…the dirt, the clutter, the schedules…only made me feel more alone and defeated.
I wandered my eerily quiet house feeling outraged, sad, fearful, tired, overwhelmed, aggressive, and ready to fight for peace to return to my home. My back was hurting so I gave up and sat down on the couch. I didn’t really verbally pray because I was too confused to form a thought. I didn’t sing because the tears were too close to brave going that deep within. I sat. I didn’t fix. I didn’t plan. I didn’t run. I didn’t attack. I sat…I felt…and I trembled, realizing God was present; reading, hearing, and soothing all I was feeling. And it was wonderful to be crippled in His arms while His Spirit voiced it all. I felt so free, overwhelmed by passion for those I love while at the same time experiencing mind-blowing peace not “doing” a thing to protect them or fix their wounds.
Hours later, my daughter came home from school joyful, excited, and safe. My baby was her usual sweet self throughout the day. Later that evening, my husband and our boy resolved their issue in about 5 minutes. It’s amazing what God can mend when we don’t snag the process with our own forced presence or perceptions. It’s humbling how much better we can witness His work in the lives of our treasured ones when we, at His bidding, discipline our passion to be still before Him.
Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Blessings,
Angela
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Some burdens ...
For today, a prayer:
O Holy One,
O King of all kings,
and Lord of all lords,
We come before you now
your people, a burdened people.
We come with burdens that belong to us,
and burdens that belong to others.
We come with burdens given to us,
and burdens we have placed on our own shoulders.
O Mighty One, we bring these burdens to you.
Some burdens we ask you to take from us,
so we might lift less weary hands to praise you.
Some burdens we ask you to heal,
so we might stand together unimpeded
in your presence.
Some burdens we ask you to change
from burden into blessing,
if only in that we see the gifts
you give us aright.
Some burdens we ask you to teach us to carry,
so we might suffer alongside you
as you work to bring healing
and wholeness to your world, even now,
as a foretaste of tomorrow and forever.
So now, O Mighty One, we ask you to lift us up,
burdens and all.
Even now, lift us up so that we might see and praise
you as you will only be fully revealed
in the end of all time:
clearly King, indisputably Lord,
incontestably One God, Only God,
infinitely removed from all impostors.
Even as we see the work of your hand,
we do not understand.
Even when we see you face to face,
you will remain beyond our comprehension.
Yet because of your steadfast love we know you,
love you, trust you, hope in you –
Today and tomorrow and until Jesus comes.
Until then we pray through him and for him
to come again.
Amen.
In all things praise God,
Ron
O Holy One,
O King of all kings,
and Lord of all lords,
We come before you now
your people, a burdened people.
We come with burdens that belong to us,
and burdens that belong to others.
We come with burdens given to us,
and burdens we have placed on our own shoulders.
O Mighty One, we bring these burdens to you.
Some burdens we ask you to take from us,
so we might lift less weary hands to praise you.
Some burdens we ask you to heal,
so we might stand together unimpeded
in your presence.
Some burdens we ask you to change
from burden into blessing,
if only in that we see the gifts
you give us aright.
Some burdens we ask you to teach us to carry,
so we might suffer alongside you
as you work to bring healing
and wholeness to your world, even now,
as a foretaste of tomorrow and forever.
So now, O Mighty One, we ask you to lift us up,
burdens and all.
Even now, lift us up so that we might see and praise
you as you will only be fully revealed
in the end of all time:
clearly King, indisputably Lord,
incontestably One God, Only God,
infinitely removed from all impostors.
Even as we see the work of your hand,
we do not understand.
Even when we see you face to face,
you will remain beyond our comprehension.
Yet because of your steadfast love we know you,
love you, trust you, hope in you –
Today and tomorrow and until Jesus comes.
Until then we pray through him and for him
to come again.
Amen.
In all things praise God,
Ron
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
For you I wait ...
Walk with me in a meditation on the word at Psalm 25:1-10:
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
There is one God; I acknowledge you as God, and confess I am not God. Help me to pray and act that way.
O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
I put my trust in the one who has always loved me and always sought to help me. I trust you, O God, and I trust those who choose to trust in you. I have my enemies, and I do not expect that I will always be right, or that I will always win. Please, on the days I will not be victorious, on the days I must be humbled, let it be humility that I learn and not humiliation that I experience. Help me to watch and wait for your movement, O God, so that I may walk alongside you and avoid vain, ignorant, or evil ways. At the end of the day, may shame be the reward of those who have behaved shamefully, for those who knowingly and persistently ignore your will and your way.
Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light upon my path. Your word reveals your path to me, and yet, you mark the way that I should go in other ways as well. You bless some efforts more than others. You provide the resources for some work and not others. You bring me joy, a spiritual satisfaction, when I do certain things that is notably different than others. You create fruit from certain seeds that I plant, and not others. Let me examine my life to see what you mark, where you bless, what you provide, when you bring joy, and what you multiply. Let me examine this in prayer with you until a path is clearer, if it takes me all day long. If the path remains foggy, help me understand the lack of clarity tells me something, too.
Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD,
and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
Your love and mercy are ancient and everlasting; they changed this world before I was born, and they will continue to bring life long after I am dust. You have not forgotten the first time I faithfully spoke your name as a child, and yet I ask you to forget the first time, and every time, I acted like I didn’t know you at all. You must wonder if I will ever grow up. After I have learned my lesson, help me to forget the details. Let me have at least temporary amnesia, so that I might be able to function without attempting to carry the oppressive burden that Jesus has already taken away from me. Remember my faithfulness, remember my love, remember the good things in my life, O Lord, because you are good. Your steadfast love never ceases. May your goodness bear fruit in my life for your glory, O God.
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
You are really the only one who can believably teach us what is good. Thank you, O God, that you do instruct us, hard-headed, hard-nosed, stiff necked people, in your way. Instead of living in immoderate pride, help us to see ourselves as you see us, God. May we understand humility, not as some sort of feigned self-abasement. Instead, help us to see humility as understand who you are, understand who others are, and understanding who we are. You value us, perhaps for reasons we do not understand. As we become truly humble, may your path for us become more clear.
All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Whatever path is yours, we will always be able to recognize this about it: it will be the way of steadfast love, it will be the way of faithfulness. Knowing that, let us behave toward you as you have behaved toward us.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
There is one God; I acknowledge you as God, and confess I am not God. Help me to pray and act that way.
O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
I put my trust in the one who has always loved me and always sought to help me. I trust you, O God, and I trust those who choose to trust in you. I have my enemies, and I do not expect that I will always be right, or that I will always win. Please, on the days I will not be victorious, on the days I must be humbled, let it be humility that I learn and not humiliation that I experience. Help me to watch and wait for your movement, O God, so that I may walk alongside you and avoid vain, ignorant, or evil ways. At the end of the day, may shame be the reward of those who have behaved shamefully, for those who knowingly and persistently ignore your will and your way.
Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light upon my path. Your word reveals your path to me, and yet, you mark the way that I should go in other ways as well. You bless some efforts more than others. You provide the resources for some work and not others. You bring me joy, a spiritual satisfaction, when I do certain things that is notably different than others. You create fruit from certain seeds that I plant, and not others. Let me examine my life to see what you mark, where you bless, what you provide, when you bring joy, and what you multiply. Let me examine this in prayer with you until a path is clearer, if it takes me all day long. If the path remains foggy, help me understand the lack of clarity tells me something, too.
Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD,
and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
Your love and mercy are ancient and everlasting; they changed this world before I was born, and they will continue to bring life long after I am dust. You have not forgotten the first time I faithfully spoke your name as a child, and yet I ask you to forget the first time, and every time, I acted like I didn’t know you at all. You must wonder if I will ever grow up. After I have learned my lesson, help me to forget the details. Let me have at least temporary amnesia, so that I might be able to function without attempting to carry the oppressive burden that Jesus has already taken away from me. Remember my faithfulness, remember my love, remember the good things in my life, O Lord, because you are good. Your steadfast love never ceases. May your goodness bear fruit in my life for your glory, O God.
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
You are really the only one who can believably teach us what is good. Thank you, O God, that you do instruct us, hard-headed, hard-nosed, stiff necked people, in your way. Instead of living in immoderate pride, help us to see ourselves as you see us, God. May we understand humility, not as some sort of feigned self-abasement. Instead, help us to see humility as understand who you are, understand who others are, and understanding who we are. You value us, perhaps for reasons we do not understand. As we become truly humble, may your path for us become more clear.
All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Whatever path is yours, we will always be able to recognize this about it: it will be the way of steadfast love, it will be the way of faithfulness. Knowing that, let us behave toward you as you have behaved toward us.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Monday, November 30, 2009
The eye roll ...
Never aggravate an old bear!
Last week someone rolled their eyes at me. Not just a quick arc of the eyes from one corner to another, this eye roll had a Stevie Wonder head sway with it. It was as if his eyes couldn’t roll significantly enough on their own; they needed some help from the neck.
At the time, I was serving as a guest lecturer in Dudley Chancey’s Introduction to Ministry class at Oklahoma Christian. I enjoyed it. Thirty young men and women sat in the class, alert and taking notes (their quiz grade for the day was based on the quality of their note taking). It was a good opportunity to talk with them about the challenges of working with at-risk children, and their questions were interesting and insightful.
Toward the end of class, Dudley interviewed me about various aspects of ministry. After several questions, the topic shifted. Because Dudley was aware of several ministers who had lost their jobs in the last couple of weeks over sexual issues, he asked me about ways to maintain sexual fidelity as a minister. I gave a couple of suggestions which stirred no more reaction than a few pens moving over a piece of paper. But when I got personal, and talked about a personal practice I find helps me keep my heart right, I saw a young man in the back row give the eye roll. I don’t think that he really meant for me to see it, but I did. After all, you see a lot when you teach a class. When his eyes finished their half orbit, my eyes were there waiting on his.
Now, I didn’t get mad, but I wasn’t exactly amused either. Someone asked me a question and I gave an answer. If you don’t like my answer, okay. If you don’t want to practice the practices I practice, then don’t. I’m good with that. But don’t minimize me with an eye roll. Don’t minimize an issue like sexual fidelity by not considering simple, every day practices which can help prevent it.
I didn’t say anything to embarrass him, but a point which I would normally make and move on now required me to hammer it home. The annoyed young man thought that I didn’t get it, that I don’t understand contemporary culture, that I wasn’t aware of the world as it really is. I hammered the point because the young man didn’t get the fact that sexual sin could kill his marriage and ministry, that contemporary culture is oversexed, and that the world seems to expect us to live like hormone-driven animals instead of spiritual creatures making free-will choices with their intelligence.
Afterwards Dudley and I shared lunch. “They think we’re just a couple of dirty old men,” Dudley said. “They just don’t get how quickly this stuff can bring anybody down.” I think that Dudley is right. A couple of them just didn’t get it.
The whole episode reminded me of what happened in 2 Kings 2:23-24:
He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!" When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
I need for you to understand that I had no hopes for a bear to come along and maul the young man listening to my lecture. No finger pointing. No curses. Perhaps it would be better for that to have happened, though, and for him to have learned something from it, than for him to go blithely on and find out the hard way, ten or fifteen years into a marriage, that he isn’t sexually invulnerable after all. Our sexuality, after all, is more powerful than we can manage on our own. Never think, “It couldn’t happen to me.” Only with the help of God, through persistent spiritual disciplines, and hopefully with the partnership of a loving spouse, can we be holy people.
May God help us to learn from those who walk alongside us. May their wisdom and insight help us, guide us, and shape us so that we don’t have to learn everything the hard way.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Last week someone rolled their eyes at me. Not just a quick arc of the eyes from one corner to another, this eye roll had a Stevie Wonder head sway with it. It was as if his eyes couldn’t roll significantly enough on their own; they needed some help from the neck.
At the time, I was serving as a guest lecturer in Dudley Chancey’s Introduction to Ministry class at Oklahoma Christian. I enjoyed it. Thirty young men and women sat in the class, alert and taking notes (their quiz grade for the day was based on the quality of their note taking). It was a good opportunity to talk with them about the challenges of working with at-risk children, and their questions were interesting and insightful.
Toward the end of class, Dudley interviewed me about various aspects of ministry. After several questions, the topic shifted. Because Dudley was aware of several ministers who had lost their jobs in the last couple of weeks over sexual issues, he asked me about ways to maintain sexual fidelity as a minister. I gave a couple of suggestions which stirred no more reaction than a few pens moving over a piece of paper. But when I got personal, and talked about a personal practice I find helps me keep my heart right, I saw a young man in the back row give the eye roll. I don’t think that he really meant for me to see it, but I did. After all, you see a lot when you teach a class. When his eyes finished their half orbit, my eyes were there waiting on his.
Now, I didn’t get mad, but I wasn’t exactly amused either. Someone asked me a question and I gave an answer. If you don’t like my answer, okay. If you don’t want to practice the practices I practice, then don’t. I’m good with that. But don’t minimize me with an eye roll. Don’t minimize an issue like sexual fidelity by not considering simple, every day practices which can help prevent it.
I didn’t say anything to embarrass him, but a point which I would normally make and move on now required me to hammer it home. The annoyed young man thought that I didn’t get it, that I don’t understand contemporary culture, that I wasn’t aware of the world as it really is. I hammered the point because the young man didn’t get the fact that sexual sin could kill his marriage and ministry, that contemporary culture is oversexed, and that the world seems to expect us to live like hormone-driven animals instead of spiritual creatures making free-will choices with their intelligence.
Afterwards Dudley and I shared lunch. “They think we’re just a couple of dirty old men,” Dudley said. “They just don’t get how quickly this stuff can bring anybody down.” I think that Dudley is right. A couple of them just didn’t get it.
The whole episode reminded me of what happened in 2 Kings 2:23-24:
He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!" When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
I need for you to understand that I had no hopes for a bear to come along and maul the young man listening to my lecture. No finger pointing. No curses. Perhaps it would be better for that to have happened, though, and for him to have learned something from it, than for him to go blithely on and find out the hard way, ten or fifteen years into a marriage, that he isn’t sexually invulnerable after all. Our sexuality, after all, is more powerful than we can manage on our own. Never think, “It couldn’t happen to me.” Only with the help of God, through persistent spiritual disciplines, and hopefully with the partnership of a loving spouse, can we be holy people.
May God help us to learn from those who walk alongside us. May their wisdom and insight help us, guide us, and shape us so that we don’t have to learn everything the hard way.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Firstborn of the dead ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Revelation 1:4b-8
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.
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.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Revelation 1:4b-8
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.
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.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The floods lift up ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 93
The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves of the sea,
majestic on high is the LORD!
Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, forevermore.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Psalm 93
The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves of the sea,
majestic on high is the LORD!
Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, forevermore.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A lamp for my annointed ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)
O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
"I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
"Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool."
Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
For your servant David's sake do not turn away
the face of your anointed one.
The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:
"One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne."
For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
"This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam."
Blessings,
Ron
Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)
O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
"I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
"Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool."
Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
For your servant David's sake do not turn away
the face of your anointed one.
The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:
"One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne."
For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
"This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam."
Blessings,
Ron
Monday, November 23, 2009
One who rules justly ...
The texts for this week are about the reign of God, and the power and justice of those whom God chooses to rule over the people of God:
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
The spirit of the LORD speaks through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.
May we understand that God has given us a son of David
to rule over us in justice and mercy;
may we see that God blesses us as his house.
Feel blessed,
Ron
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
The spirit of the LORD speaks through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.
May we understand that God has given us a son of David
to rule over us in justice and mercy;
may we see that God blesses us as his house.
Feel blessed,
Ron
Friday, November 20, 2009
Death stalks ...
Another prayer from Leaving Ruin:
Dear God,
I know death is without victory, but it is winning tonight, pressing down on me, like a slab, the execution of old where rocks pile on until the witch is crushed. We all die, and it terrifies me, but more, my life without Joy, without Alex, and Mrs. Eric, and without Ruin or without Sara, or one of the boys, terrifies me, and who will it be tomorrow? Death stalks me like a predator, cutting down my life, memory by memory, chance by chance, and thou I may live forever, right now I am dead inside, all feeble, and wish to simply lie in the road and fade into nothing as cars roar by. If I open my chest to you, O Lord, and to life, it is too much, too much, and I will die too much to ever return.
Job said though you slay me, yet will I trust you, and I’m working on that, but it’s hard. All death is foul murder, and slays, and I am slain as well, and I’m not Job. I’m just a guy who can’t grasp the meaning of so many loves, so many deaths, so many cruel good-byes, and so much hateful life.
Forgive me, God, as I lie here, sinning, perhaps, in my distrust, or is it anger? Lonely, self-pitiful, and like a two-year old, mad that Daddy can’t fix it.
I wish I could praise you tonight, and sleep well, nestled in a deep faith, but I can’t. Maybe trust will come again with the morning.
Jesus,
Amen
This was the final prayer in the book, though there are over 100 pages remaining in the story itself. He waited and waited for a word from God but felt he never did until, as he slid deeper into despair he reads the following in his father’s faded Bible:
It had swept over me unannounced. The words had broken my heart, and all the walls besides. There, in my dad’s humped scribble: “If I ask God to give me the things I need; then I must assume that I have the fulfillment of my prayer in whatsoever cup he gives me to drink.” For better or worse, I took it to mean my God had spoken.
I am acutely aware that not all stories end in a comfortable happily-ever-after moment. May you find God’s presence and/or voice today. Until you hear/see/feel Him, hang on…
Blessings,
Shiann
Dear God,
I know death is without victory, but it is winning tonight, pressing down on me, like a slab, the execution of old where rocks pile on until the witch is crushed. We all die, and it terrifies me, but more, my life without Joy, without Alex, and Mrs. Eric, and without Ruin or without Sara, or one of the boys, terrifies me, and who will it be tomorrow? Death stalks me like a predator, cutting down my life, memory by memory, chance by chance, and thou I may live forever, right now I am dead inside, all feeble, and wish to simply lie in the road and fade into nothing as cars roar by. If I open my chest to you, O Lord, and to life, it is too much, too much, and I will die too much to ever return.
Job said though you slay me, yet will I trust you, and I’m working on that, but it’s hard. All death is foul murder, and slays, and I am slain as well, and I’m not Job. I’m just a guy who can’t grasp the meaning of so many loves, so many deaths, so many cruel good-byes, and so much hateful life.
Forgive me, God, as I lie here, sinning, perhaps, in my distrust, or is it anger? Lonely, self-pitiful, and like a two-year old, mad that Daddy can’t fix it.
I wish I could praise you tonight, and sleep well, nestled in a deep faith, but I can’t. Maybe trust will come again with the morning.
Jesus,
Amen
This was the final prayer in the book, though there are over 100 pages remaining in the story itself. He waited and waited for a word from God but felt he never did until, as he slid deeper into despair he reads the following in his father’s faded Bible:
It had swept over me unannounced. The words had broken my heart, and all the walls besides. There, in my dad’s humped scribble: “If I ask God to give me the things I need; then I must assume that I have the fulfillment of my prayer in whatsoever cup he gives me to drink.” For better or worse, I took it to mean my God had spoken.
I am acutely aware that not all stories end in a comfortable happily-ever-after moment. May you find God’s presence and/or voice today. Until you hear/see/feel Him, hang on…
Blessings,
Shiann
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Dark days ...
A prayer from Leaving Ruin, using the thoughts and the cares of the book’s main character, but modeling a life of prayer for us:
Dear God,
Sometimes we don’t know what to believe. Bless the people who live there, with their loss, and their dark days of wandering. We don’t know what to do with our weakness, our pain—too much to bear—but we know you are faithful, the God who is more powerful than all the hurt of the world combined.
Heal us, lift us, hold us together when we come apart, and use us to heal, as we have been healed. May we know your grace, and know that what life we have is of you—indeed, the very touch of your hand. Bless Alex, Lord, and take his soul to be at peace. And thank you that his despair, his pain, became a treasure in the hearts of his friends.
And for Jerri, Lord. Send Jesus, and let him meet her, and may he tell her just who he is, so that she may be sure in her faith, and rest.
In Jesus,
Amen
I often pray that God will make Himself tangible to those who are hurting. I know that is a bit different. I long for times when God seems so real to me like the pillow under my head when I need comfort, like the arms of a friend in a hug I desperately need.
Please let God fill you so you can fill others. Please don’t give up on yourself b/c there are others who may need you. Today, if you don’t get style points, just get through and love people.
Hang on, there is more to do and see and love and live for!
Shiann
Dear God,
Sometimes we don’t know what to believe. Bless the people who live there, with their loss, and their dark days of wandering. We don’t know what to do with our weakness, our pain—too much to bear—but we know you are faithful, the God who is more powerful than all the hurt of the world combined.
Heal us, lift us, hold us together when we come apart, and use us to heal, as we have been healed. May we know your grace, and know that what life we have is of you—indeed, the very touch of your hand. Bless Alex, Lord, and take his soul to be at peace. And thank you that his despair, his pain, became a treasure in the hearts of his friends.
And for Jerri, Lord. Send Jesus, and let him meet her, and may he tell her just who he is, so that she may be sure in her faith, and rest.
In Jesus,
Amen
I often pray that God will make Himself tangible to those who are hurting. I know that is a bit different. I long for times when God seems so real to me like the pillow under my head when I need comfort, like the arms of a friend in a hug I desperately need.
Please let God fill you so you can fill others. Please don’t give up on yourself b/c there are others who may need you. Today, if you don’t get style points, just get through and love people.
Hang on, there is more to do and see and love and live for!
Shiann
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The hope of holiness ...
A prayer from Leaving Ruin:
God,
Pure in heart seems impossible. Miraculous if anything. You command these things that lie only in your hand to give. And we fail miserably. But you, O God, have promised that you will be our God, and that you will not test us in ways that will only destroy, and you will be with us always. David was an adulterer and a murderer, and his heart was like yours. Pure might be a way to say it.
Lord, if I sin like David, make my heart like his, so that it might be like yours. Help us to choose. In the moments of temptation, when money is needed and stealing is possible; when loneliness is my name and sexual sin is a real but fleeting comfort, when faithfulness seems impossible, and the hope of holiness a mockery in the face of real life, help us to choose you. We want to choose the pure, the righteous, the good.
God, we are blind, but we want to see you. Forgive us, and let us sin no more.
We receive your forgiveness as the free gift it is. We raise our eyes, and you are in the faces of our friends, our family. Blessed is your heart, O God, for it is pure, and it is only through your heart that we can see your face, and the face of your Son.
In faith,
In Jesus,
Amen.
I pray that God gives you the courage today to look at yourself, to really analyze yourself.
I pray you see that which needs changing and, rather than holding on to it, you give it to God, knowing that in return your heart is cleaner, deeper, healthier, and more useful.
I pray that you have the courage to wait in His embrace while He purifies you.
Purify me, Lord, from ways that aren’t of you.
Help me to run into your arms when the purifying starts.
I surrender all to you, not my will but Thine
The sweetest thing I know is to let your Spirit show
Shiann
God,
Pure in heart seems impossible. Miraculous if anything. You command these things that lie only in your hand to give. And we fail miserably. But you, O God, have promised that you will be our God, and that you will not test us in ways that will only destroy, and you will be with us always. David was an adulterer and a murderer, and his heart was like yours. Pure might be a way to say it.
Lord, if I sin like David, make my heart like his, so that it might be like yours. Help us to choose. In the moments of temptation, when money is needed and stealing is possible; when loneliness is my name and sexual sin is a real but fleeting comfort, when faithfulness seems impossible, and the hope of holiness a mockery in the face of real life, help us to choose you. We want to choose the pure, the righteous, the good.
God, we are blind, but we want to see you. Forgive us, and let us sin no more.
We receive your forgiveness as the free gift it is. We raise our eyes, and you are in the faces of our friends, our family. Blessed is your heart, O God, for it is pure, and it is only through your heart that we can see your face, and the face of your Son.
In faith,
In Jesus,
Amen.
I pray that God gives you the courage today to look at yourself, to really analyze yourself.
I pray you see that which needs changing and, rather than holding on to it, you give it to God, knowing that in return your heart is cleaner, deeper, healthier, and more useful.
I pray that you have the courage to wait in His embrace while He purifies you.
Purify me, Lord, from ways that aren’t of you.
Help me to run into your arms when the purifying starts.
I surrender all to you, not my will but Thine
The sweetest thing I know is to let your Spirit show
Shiann
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
How forgiveness begins ...
A prayer from Leaving Ruin:
Dear God,
Somewhere, a man hits a woman, and a woman dies, and the man’s life is severed, and a child is dropped from a killing height, and papers are signed, death certificates and warrants, and sin rolls through the earth like a wave of hell, and that anyone smiles is a miracle of humility and grace that only you can author.
Lord, how forgiveness begins is absurd, and hidden, and a mystery that I run toward, and from, and you are that mystery, and I stand dumb, mute, astonished, like a brick cut in half, chiseled into a beginning shape by the rough hand of time, and discipline, and love.
Oh, Lord, leave me, for if I see your face, or its shadow, or even if I sit with your word in my lap, I die, for I am sin, I am wrong, I am pride, I am lust, I am the seven deadly sins, and they are tattoos on my soul, full of spikes and piercings and skull’s bones, and how can you stand the hate hidden within? Is love this deep? Is blood, even the Christ’s, enough to clean, enough to slake even my deadly thirst, and praise is due the one who replies to this accusation, and says, yes, it is enough, my blood is enough, and my love is that deep, and there is nothing that can separate me from you, for you are mine, and are mine forever.
An unworthy servant, I bow.
Thanking Jesus, and in his name,
Amen
It is both frightening and comforting to look at ourselves in the mirror in light of the Cross. The older I get, the more acutely I experience the pain of my sin. When life was simpler and thinking was black-and-white for me, I thought my sin was minor and not hurtful. Over time, my thought-sins were exposed to be quite hurtful to myself and others. I wonder, at times, if the blood of Christ is enough. I fear, at times, that it is not. I hope, at all times, that it is. Logically and Theologically, I knew Jesus is enough.
Oh, but on the sad days. On the days that I don’t know if I have the trust and humility required to continue my contact with this Source of Life. Those days are the hard ones, when depression burns and the desire to run away overwhelms.
Yet, Christ is enough and His blood covers and heals and makes whole. He is to be praised and worshipped. He is enough, even when I am not enough. He hangs on to me even when I am not certain I have the courage to hang on to Him.
Romans 8:33-39
Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one that makes them right. Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecutions separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death will that separate us from his love? As the scriptures say “for you were in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.” (Ps 44:22)
But, in all these troubles, we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love-not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us - nothing in the whole created world - will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Grace and peace,
Shiann
Dear God,
Somewhere, a man hits a woman, and a woman dies, and the man’s life is severed, and a child is dropped from a killing height, and papers are signed, death certificates and warrants, and sin rolls through the earth like a wave of hell, and that anyone smiles is a miracle of humility and grace that only you can author.
Lord, how forgiveness begins is absurd, and hidden, and a mystery that I run toward, and from, and you are that mystery, and I stand dumb, mute, astonished, like a brick cut in half, chiseled into a beginning shape by the rough hand of time, and discipline, and love.
Oh, Lord, leave me, for if I see your face, or its shadow, or even if I sit with your word in my lap, I die, for I am sin, I am wrong, I am pride, I am lust, I am the seven deadly sins, and they are tattoos on my soul, full of spikes and piercings and skull’s bones, and how can you stand the hate hidden within? Is love this deep? Is blood, even the Christ’s, enough to clean, enough to slake even my deadly thirst, and praise is due the one who replies to this accusation, and says, yes, it is enough, my blood is enough, and my love is that deep, and there is nothing that can separate me from you, for you are mine, and are mine forever.
An unworthy servant, I bow.
Thanking Jesus, and in his name,
Amen
It is both frightening and comforting to look at ourselves in the mirror in light of the Cross. The older I get, the more acutely I experience the pain of my sin. When life was simpler and thinking was black-and-white for me, I thought my sin was minor and not hurtful. Over time, my thought-sins were exposed to be quite hurtful to myself and others. I wonder, at times, if the blood of Christ is enough. I fear, at times, that it is not. I hope, at all times, that it is. Logically and Theologically, I knew Jesus is enough.
Oh, but on the sad days. On the days that I don’t know if I have the trust and humility required to continue my contact with this Source of Life. Those days are the hard ones, when depression burns and the desire to run away overwhelms.
Yet, Christ is enough and His blood covers and heals and makes whole. He is to be praised and worshipped. He is enough, even when I am not enough. He hangs on to me even when I am not certain I have the courage to hang on to Him.
Romans 8:33-39
Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one that makes them right. Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecutions separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death will that separate us from his love? As the scriptures say “for you were in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.” (Ps 44:22)
But, in all these troubles, we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love-not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us - nothing in the whole created world - will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Grace and peace,
Shiann
Monday, November 16, 2009
Living bread ...
Another prayer from Leaving Ruin:
And again O God,
We are hungry. We are thirsty. We are famished for what we cannot name. Jesus, you spoke, and gave that longing a name. Make us righteousness, give us righteousness, lead to understand that the hunger is for you, for your food, the will of the Father, the body and the blood of you—the Christ. Bless us in the search, in the digging, planting, and harvesting of lean thought with which to feed our starving, shrinking souls. Make us both food and the fed in these churches, and do not let us merely drift in the knowledge of our need.
In Jesus, Amen
In work with fears and trauma, in particular, naming the issue becomes the first big step to healing. Unclaimed emotional pain cannot be helped. It is baggage left to rot in the psyche until it is named, claimed and exposed.
A new commercial on TV by the Church of Scientology names that longing as a search for truth with the statement that they are in possession of The Truth. There is no question this longing occurs. God woos us with this longing.
Sometimes we experience the longing in the form of a craving that we just can’t seem to fill. We stand in front of the fridge and imagine how each thing there will fill us, yet nothing is sufficient.
Sometimes it is the need to be alone. We sit and think and imagine yet don’t find the insight we seek.
Sometimes this longing sends us into groups of people. We laugh and connect, even intimately, yet there is not fulfillment there.
So, Jesus steps in. He is the name for our longing. He brings, in the Spirit, the courage to face the unnamed pain. Immanuel, God with us, the embodiment of our hope. May his presence fill us up so that we can be the vessel to feed others.
Blessings,
Shiann
And again O God,
We are hungry. We are thirsty. We are famished for what we cannot name. Jesus, you spoke, and gave that longing a name. Make us righteousness, give us righteousness, lead to understand that the hunger is for you, for your food, the will of the Father, the body and the blood of you—the Christ. Bless us in the search, in the digging, planting, and harvesting of lean thought with which to feed our starving, shrinking souls. Make us both food and the fed in these churches, and do not let us merely drift in the knowledge of our need.
In Jesus, Amen
In work with fears and trauma, in particular, naming the issue becomes the first big step to healing. Unclaimed emotional pain cannot be helped. It is baggage left to rot in the psyche until it is named, claimed and exposed.
A new commercial on TV by the Church of Scientology names that longing as a search for truth with the statement that they are in possession of The Truth. There is no question this longing occurs. God woos us with this longing.
Sometimes we experience the longing in the form of a craving that we just can’t seem to fill. We stand in front of the fridge and imagine how each thing there will fill us, yet nothing is sufficient.
Sometimes it is the need to be alone. We sit and think and imagine yet don’t find the insight we seek.
Sometimes this longing sends us into groups of people. We laugh and connect, even intimately, yet there is not fulfillment there.
So, Jesus steps in. He is the name for our longing. He brings, in the Spirit, the courage to face the unnamed pain. Immanuel, God with us, the embodiment of our hope. May his presence fill us up so that we can be the vessel to feed others.
Blessings,
Shiann
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Unlimited resources ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
1 Kings 17:8-16
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you."
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."
She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days.
The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
1 Kings 17:8-16
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you."
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."
She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days.
The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Move your hand this way ...
A prayer from Leaving Ruin:
Dear God,
Meekness is beyond me today, and I cannot pretend. Pain on every inch of skin makes me swell and pitch, like the ocean, and I curse the gods inside that want to take me from you, who want to take up residence in your hall, in your place. God, my neck hurts, and my back, and my mind, and my foot, and I am so mad—just so mad. Forgive my rage, and my curses. My mouth can’t be tamed today, unless you do it, so please move your hand this way, and thank you for dogs and good friends, and new faces, pregnant with hope, and protect their innocence, Lord, their naïve belief that all will be well when it seems like it won’t all be well at all. Speak in me, through me, and kill the rebel, kill the demon inside, so that I may one day find what it means to stand before you, meek, and loved.
In Jesus,
Amen
In my imperfection and desire to fix that, I wonder what it would be like to stand before God without any barriers. I have never even been able to imagine that fully. I even imagine that there would be the feeling of guilt in Heaven sometimes. I cannot cast off my humanness even in thinking of that. Reading this book and The Shack have helped, but I continue to have barriers. I continue to feel the need to enter the throne room with my stuff as a wall.
One of the most meek people I have known is one that I would call tough-as-nails on the inside. She loves people as if she has never experienced a hurt. Yet her childhood was very challenging and she has experienced several hardships as an adult. Rather than close herself off, she has used her experience to help others. Such an example she is to many young adults!
I pray you hang on to love, to the love of dogs and good friends. May you have the courage to allow naïve belief and innocence into your relationship with God and His kids.
Shiann
Dear God,
Meekness is beyond me today, and I cannot pretend. Pain on every inch of skin makes me swell and pitch, like the ocean, and I curse the gods inside that want to take me from you, who want to take up residence in your hall, in your place. God, my neck hurts, and my back, and my mind, and my foot, and I am so mad—just so mad. Forgive my rage, and my curses. My mouth can’t be tamed today, unless you do it, so please move your hand this way, and thank you for dogs and good friends, and new faces, pregnant with hope, and protect their innocence, Lord, their naïve belief that all will be well when it seems like it won’t all be well at all. Speak in me, through me, and kill the rebel, kill the demon inside, so that I may one day find what it means to stand before you, meek, and loved.
In Jesus,
Amen
In my imperfection and desire to fix that, I wonder what it would be like to stand before God without any barriers. I have never even been able to imagine that fully. I even imagine that there would be the feeling of guilt in Heaven sometimes. I cannot cast off my humanness even in thinking of that. Reading this book and The Shack have helped, but I continue to have barriers. I continue to feel the need to enter the throne room with my stuff as a wall.
One of the most meek people I have known is one that I would call tough-as-nails on the inside. She loves people as if she has never experienced a hurt. Yet her childhood was very challenging and she has experienced several hardships as an adult. Rather than close herself off, she has used her experience to help others. Such an example she is to many young adults!
I pray you hang on to love, to the love of dogs and good friends. May you have the courage to allow naïve belief and innocence into your relationship with God and His kids.
Shiann
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Poor in spirit ...
Another prayer from Leaving Ruin:
Poor in Spirit confuses us, and your Son is raking our imaginations with his greatness, and if I see your face I will die, and I must see your face or I will die. Come to us, Lord, gently, and teach, and set us right, and shield us from looking too hard into the core of sin that is too, too much to bear, perhaps even for a God.
Who are the poor in spirit? And how are they blessed? If we understand this Jesus on the mountain, there is a terrible comfort for us, or is it a comforting terror, because there is mystery here, but let us not hide from its simplicity. Reduce us, Lord, let us be as those who do not sow or reap, but who know you will sustain, support, and save.
If I come to the mountain to sit at his feet, let me listen. Strip distraction, and help me hold each thought, each word, each wisdom as tightly as light holds the day, though my breakfast was not what I wanted, and I hate the grime under my fingernails. I long for the blessing of Jesus, but, too often, I’d rather have what I’d rather have.
I am not poor in spirit, but I long to be. Forgive, and make again.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen
What would life look like if we were to let God handle it, all of it?
What would our schedules look like if we truly trusted God to provide?
The Beatitudes are beautiful in their simplicity and complexity. To read them in such a way as to hear the Messiah speaking them to you is deep and lovely and the climate for change on every level. Let’s listen to Him (from the ERV:
Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need.
God’s kingdom belongs to them.
Great blessings belong to those who are sad now.
God will comfort them.
Great blessings belong to those who are humble.
They will be given the land God promised.
Great blessings belong to those who want to do right
more than anything else. God will fully satisfy them.
Great blessings belong to those who show mercy to others.
Mercy will be given to them.
Great blessings belong o those whose thoughts are pure.
They will be with God.
Great blessings belong to those who work to bring peace.
God will call them his sons and daughters.
Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution
for doing what is right. God’s kingdom belongs to them.
This list contains aspects of life that happen to a person and some that one chooses. However, the blessing comes in what one does with what happens. I pray you have the courage in the Kingdom to be humble, do right, work to bring peace, etc. May we encourage each other as we do these ourselves.
Blessings,
Shiann
Poor in Spirit confuses us, and your Son is raking our imaginations with his greatness, and if I see your face I will die, and I must see your face or I will die. Come to us, Lord, gently, and teach, and set us right, and shield us from looking too hard into the core of sin that is too, too much to bear, perhaps even for a God.
Who are the poor in spirit? And how are they blessed? If we understand this Jesus on the mountain, there is a terrible comfort for us, or is it a comforting terror, because there is mystery here, but let us not hide from its simplicity. Reduce us, Lord, let us be as those who do not sow or reap, but who know you will sustain, support, and save.
If I come to the mountain to sit at his feet, let me listen. Strip distraction, and help me hold each thought, each word, each wisdom as tightly as light holds the day, though my breakfast was not what I wanted, and I hate the grime under my fingernails. I long for the blessing of Jesus, but, too often, I’d rather have what I’d rather have.
I am not poor in spirit, but I long to be. Forgive, and make again.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen
What would life look like if we were to let God handle it, all of it?
What would our schedules look like if we truly trusted God to provide?
The Beatitudes are beautiful in their simplicity and complexity. To read them in such a way as to hear the Messiah speaking them to you is deep and lovely and the climate for change on every level. Let’s listen to Him (from the ERV:
Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need.
God’s kingdom belongs to them.
Great blessings belong to those who are sad now.
God will comfort them.
Great blessings belong to those who are humble.
They will be given the land God promised.
Great blessings belong to those who want to do right
more than anything else. God will fully satisfy them.
Great blessings belong to those who show mercy to others.
Mercy will be given to them.
Great blessings belong o those whose thoughts are pure.
They will be with God.
Great blessings belong to those who work to bring peace.
God will call them his sons and daughters.
Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution
for doing what is right. God’s kingdom belongs to them.
This list contains aspects of life that happen to a person and some that one chooses. However, the blessing comes in what one does with what happens. I pray you have the courage in the Kingdom to be humble, do right, work to bring peace, etc. May we encourage each other as we do these ourselves.
Blessings,
Shiann
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Mourning is heavy ...
Another prayer from Leaving Ruin:
Mourning is heavy, and I don’t want to carry this load anymore Why be born, why lift the bother of living, it’s just going to hurt mostly, and even the best of moments are stained, and my children have to see it, and learn it, and learn to go on in spite of it?
I know this is darkness talking, that you indeed are light, and joy, and hope, and that in this paradox, there is a mystery called faith being revealed. The sun always rises with or without the bother of living from another shoulder, let me walk there, and as I mourn, comfort me. Let your comfort flow through me like a fount, running over the tired feet of friends, and may we speak comfort when we stand in the hall and talk.
Bless our secret lives, and may we love your ways, and not our own.
In Jesus,
Amen
Thanks be to God that He continues to be Himself no matter what I do or think or feel. He is here when those around me hurt and He hurts alongside us all. Faith, it is a mystery. Perhaps what was to be revealed is as is discussed in Colossians; “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Perhaps this encompasses faith as well. The mystery is not just Christ, but that we live our lives believing in Him, even when it doesn't make logical sense, even without a shred of physical evidence.
Christ is the vessel for healing and hope and joy, which is healing in-and-of-itself.
In the process of writing this, I am praying that God will comfort you and heal you in your mourning.
I pray you will not think your mourning insignificant, but give it room to express itself.
I pray that you will complete your mourning and not have it live forever, but allow the Light of Christ into our hurt.
I pray that you will allow your healing to spill into the lives of others and help provide healing to them as well.
With love and prayers,
Shiann
Mourning is heavy, and I don’t want to carry this load anymore Why be born, why lift the bother of living, it’s just going to hurt mostly, and even the best of moments are stained, and my children have to see it, and learn it, and learn to go on in spite of it?
I know this is darkness talking, that you indeed are light, and joy, and hope, and that in this paradox, there is a mystery called faith being revealed. The sun always rises with or without the bother of living from another shoulder, let me walk there, and as I mourn, comfort me. Let your comfort flow through me like a fount, running over the tired feet of friends, and may we speak comfort when we stand in the hall and talk.
Bless our secret lives, and may we love your ways, and not our own.
In Jesus,
Amen
Thanks be to God that He continues to be Himself no matter what I do or think or feel. He is here when those around me hurt and He hurts alongside us all. Faith, it is a mystery. Perhaps what was to be revealed is as is discussed in Colossians; “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Perhaps this encompasses faith as well. The mystery is not just Christ, but that we live our lives believing in Him, even when it doesn't make logical sense, even without a shred of physical evidence.
Christ is the vessel for healing and hope and joy, which is healing in-and-of-itself.
In the process of writing this, I am praying that God will comfort you and heal you in your mourning.
I pray you will not think your mourning insignificant, but give it room to express itself.
I pray that you will complete your mourning and not have it live forever, but allow the Light of Christ into our hurt.
I pray that you will allow your healing to spill into the lives of others and help provide healing to them as well.
With love and prayers,
Shiann
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Empty pots of pride ...
Another prayer from Leaving Ruin:
We sit, and wait for your words. Carve the words into us, Lord, let us know your words as we know the heat of the desert, in our pores, and don’t forget to give us water when we forget to take a drink. We are foolish, we know. But we want to listen, we want to walk on the mountain with you, but we are stuck down below, and our hands cannot reach high. Will we hear you today, O God, or will we only talk to hear our heads rattle, empty pots of pride and boasting? Speak, Maker, and with a God war-hammer break the stern fortress, and march around our stupidity and rage seven days, and blow trumpets and shout, so that we might fall to a gentler rule.
I wish you were here to speak.
Walk among us. Amen
This prayer brings to mind the words of a song we sing at times (I think I may have mixed up the lyrics, if so, I am sorry).
Break my heart, dear Lord.
Tear the barriers down.
Show me, Father where to start
And gently break my heart.
My heart is hard, my soul so weak.
The ways of evil cut so deep
I need you, Lord, to come inside
And gently break my heart.
To learn from our mistakes.
To see that resources are right in front of us for our pain.
To be more aware next time.
To be ready for God’s work on us and not forget to go to Him as the well.
I pray, as I write this, that we would be able and willing to move from the gutter and trash and look up for God to help us. That we may see the bigger beauty in the mess. That we may be able to reach for hope even in the darkest time. That we may have the courage to not dwell on our time as a victim but to dwell on our victory.
Shiann
We sit, and wait for your words. Carve the words into us, Lord, let us know your words as we know the heat of the desert, in our pores, and don’t forget to give us water when we forget to take a drink. We are foolish, we know. But we want to listen, we want to walk on the mountain with you, but we are stuck down below, and our hands cannot reach high. Will we hear you today, O God, or will we only talk to hear our heads rattle, empty pots of pride and boasting? Speak, Maker, and with a God war-hammer break the stern fortress, and march around our stupidity and rage seven days, and blow trumpets and shout, so that we might fall to a gentler rule.
I wish you were here to speak.
Walk among us. Amen
This prayer brings to mind the words of a song we sing at times (I think I may have mixed up the lyrics, if so, I am sorry).
Break my heart, dear Lord.
Tear the barriers down.
Show me, Father where to start
And gently break my heart.
My heart is hard, my soul so weak.
The ways of evil cut so deep
I need you, Lord, to come inside
And gently break my heart.
To learn from our mistakes.
To see that resources are right in front of us for our pain.
To be more aware next time.
To be ready for God’s work on us and not forget to go to Him as the well.
I pray, as I write this, that we would be able and willing to move from the gutter and trash and look up for God to help us. That we may see the bigger beauty in the mess. That we may be able to reach for hope even in the darkest time. That we may have the courage to not dwell on our time as a victim but to dwell on our victory.
Shiann
Monday, November 9, 2009
Like barely hanging on ...
Today’s devotional is from Shiann’s pen:
Leaving Ruin is a book by Jeff Berryman. It is a novel narrated by a preacher who has lived and ministered in a West Texas town, not much different from our Hollis. Here is a description from the back of the book: “His life, much like the surrounding plains, looks bleak—strained relationships at home, ineffective ministry, and a congregation that no longer wants him. Hoping to hear a word from God, he gets little more than the occasional headache and the silence of a near-dead wind…he is horrified and amazed to discover that his life may not turn out at all like he’d planned.”
His prayers in this book exhibit his soul-hunger and are frequently haunting. I found myself unable to put the book down at times because I really understood his pain. The prayers are frequently odd and may be at times, and on the surface, irreverent.
Dear God,
You are holy and great, I know, but I don’t feel it much tonight. The written words of Jesus are old, and good, and He is still here, I know, but I need a new word, somehow, new like your mercies each morning, and on nights like tonight, days like today, I long to know your presence like I know the taste of sweet bread in my mouth, like I knew Beethoven’s Ninth, with clarity and power, like the ringing of cathedral bells in this sanctuary called my life. Roll into me, O Lord, like a warm front coming down off the plains, and say my name.
Forgive me for the deep sin I keep. I have no goodness, no nothing, to offer.
Does triumph ever look like barely hanging on?
Show me Jesus walking among the people of the mountain, and Lord, I’d like to walk behind Him. My I listen as he speaks? Love as he loves? May I ever talk with him at the end of the day?
Thank you for the quiet…but feel free to break it anytime.
Give me your voice.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
This prayer is rich with pain and hope and truth. Triumph can look like just barely hanging on until the moment that God makes something great out of our simple faithful endurance.
Today, may you have the courage to faithfully endure and wait on God’s voice and power.
Shiann
Leaving Ruin is a book by Jeff Berryman. It is a novel narrated by a preacher who has lived and ministered in a West Texas town, not much different from our Hollis. Here is a description from the back of the book: “His life, much like the surrounding plains, looks bleak—strained relationships at home, ineffective ministry, and a congregation that no longer wants him. Hoping to hear a word from God, he gets little more than the occasional headache and the silence of a near-dead wind…he is horrified and amazed to discover that his life may not turn out at all like he’d planned.”
His prayers in this book exhibit his soul-hunger and are frequently haunting. I found myself unable to put the book down at times because I really understood his pain. The prayers are frequently odd and may be at times, and on the surface, irreverent.
Dear God,
You are holy and great, I know, but I don’t feel it much tonight. The written words of Jesus are old, and good, and He is still here, I know, but I need a new word, somehow, new like your mercies each morning, and on nights like tonight, days like today, I long to know your presence like I know the taste of sweet bread in my mouth, like I knew Beethoven’s Ninth, with clarity and power, like the ringing of cathedral bells in this sanctuary called my life. Roll into me, O Lord, like a warm front coming down off the plains, and say my name.
Forgive me for the deep sin I keep. I have no goodness, no nothing, to offer.
Does triumph ever look like barely hanging on?
Show me Jesus walking among the people of the mountain, and Lord, I’d like to walk behind Him. My I listen as he speaks? Love as he loves? May I ever talk with him at the end of the day?
Thank you for the quiet…but feel free to break it anytime.
Give me your voice.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
This prayer is rich with pain and hope and truth. Triumph can look like just barely hanging on until the moment that God makes something great out of our simple faithful endurance.
Today, may you have the courage to faithfully endure and wait on God’s voice and power.
Shiann
Friday, November 6, 2009
Well-aged wines ...
From the lectionary texts for this week, Isaiah 25:6-9.
Hear the word of the Lord:
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make
for all peoples a feast of rich food,
a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow,
of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people
he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God;
we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
The voice of Isaiah brings word of the remarkable hospitality of God. Does the miraculous work of Jesus (John 2), where he makes water into wine at the wedding feast, fulfill this promise? Partially, but not perfectly. Even that marvelous move for hospitality at Cana did not completely bring the promised hospitality of which Isaiah speaks so longingly. How could it while we are still in this broken world? When Jesus says, “Woman, my hour is not yet come,” Jesus seems to be saying that it is not yet time for him to host the great celebration meant for the end of all time. It still isn’t time for perfect hospitality.
So we stand in tension. On one hand, we believe that the kingdom of God will, in the fullness of all time, bring the perfect and amazing banquet in heaven itself, presided over by God himself. At this table there is no exclusion, no pain, no disgrace, no death. There will be providence, peace, and salvation.
On the other hand, we believe that our job as messengers of the kingdom is to offer hospitality to a broken world today. Just because we can’t do it perfectly doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to do it better. So while we ought to expect that we can and will be more perfectly hospitable, we need to guard our hearts from the false expectation that we are going to do this perfectly in this life. We will not.
We are in the middle. Before, hospitality did not seem so important. In eternity, it is God’s way of welcoming his people into perfection. Now we are challenged to offer the best that we have, and to forgive when what we receive inevitably falls short of flawless. We have to wait; Isaiah tells us so twice: “we have waited for him, so that he might save us”; and “This is the Lord for whom we have waited.”
We can afford to be patient because God will keep God’s promise. God will not allow that patience to go unrewarded; when the time is right, those who have waited will receive from his hands what only his ways can produce: well-aged wine.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Hear the word of the Lord:
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make
for all peoples a feast of rich food,
a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow,
of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people
he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God;
we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
The voice of Isaiah brings word of the remarkable hospitality of God. Does the miraculous work of Jesus (John 2), where he makes water into wine at the wedding feast, fulfill this promise? Partially, but not perfectly. Even that marvelous move for hospitality at Cana did not completely bring the promised hospitality of which Isaiah speaks so longingly. How could it while we are still in this broken world? When Jesus says, “Woman, my hour is not yet come,” Jesus seems to be saying that it is not yet time for him to host the great celebration meant for the end of all time. It still isn’t time for perfect hospitality.
So we stand in tension. On one hand, we believe that the kingdom of God will, in the fullness of all time, bring the perfect and amazing banquet in heaven itself, presided over by God himself. At this table there is no exclusion, no pain, no disgrace, no death. There will be providence, peace, and salvation.
On the other hand, we believe that our job as messengers of the kingdom is to offer hospitality to a broken world today. Just because we can’t do it perfectly doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to do it better. So while we ought to expect that we can and will be more perfectly hospitable, we need to guard our hearts from the false expectation that we are going to do this perfectly in this life. We will not.
We are in the middle. Before, hospitality did not seem so important. In eternity, it is God’s way of welcoming his people into perfection. Now we are challenged to offer the best that we have, and to forgive when what we receive inevitably falls short of flawless. We have to wait; Isaiah tells us so twice: “we have waited for him, so that he might save us”; and “This is the Lord for whom we have waited.”
We can afford to be patient because God will keep God’s promise. God will not allow that patience to go unrewarded; when the time is right, those who have waited will receive from his hands what only his ways can produce: well-aged wine.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Without blemish ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Hebrews 9:11-14
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God.
Hebrews 9:11-14
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
He is one ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?"
Jesus answered, "The first is, '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.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's neighbor as oneself,' --this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?"
Jesus answered, "The first is, '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.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's neighbor as oneself,' --this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Who keeps faith forever ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 146
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals,
in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion,
for all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals,
in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion,
for all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hear, O Israel ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
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.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
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.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
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.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
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.
Friday, October 30, 2009
He continues forever ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Hebrews 7:23-28
Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.
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.
Hebrews 7:23-28
Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.
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.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Taste and see ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The daughters of Job ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Then Job answered the LORD: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.' I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring.
The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.
He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.
After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations.
And Job died, old and full of days.
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Then Job answered the LORD: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.' I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring.
The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.
He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.
After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations.
And Job died, old and full of days.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Hopeful truth ...
Meditate on the word of God with me:
Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here."
And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."
So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."
Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
When we read healing stories in the gospels, we often observe that faith on someone’s part is necessary for healing to take place. Which is true. Yet this account at least describes some other actions that led to healing.
First, there is the recognition that we have a problem. Bartimaeus understood that he had a problem. Blindness.
Bartimaeus also understood that there was something other, something different about Jesus. This is where faith operates: God has the power to do that which we as human cannot. Yes, we are amazing imagers of God. Yes, we can think amazing thoughts, and we can do amazing deeds. Yet not everything lies within our power. Faith in the steadfast love and in the healing power of God is necessary.
Yet there is another need. Bartimaeus had to act. No one else was willing to plead the case of Bartimaeus. No one else was willing to carry Bartimaeus over to meet Jesus. It was the responsibility of no one else to name the obvious need for healing: blindness. Thank God, that Bartimaeus did what he needed to do.
One of the most surprising statistics I ever encountered in my professional career had to do with the success rate of counseling and therapy. It didn’t really matter what kind of facility in which the sessions were conducted. There wasn’t a lot of difference in success between varied methods of therapy. The personal attributes of the counselor had a surprisingly limited effect. The number one determinant of the success of any coaching or counseling process was the answer to this question: does the client want to get well?
For many of our boys, these same problems hinder their complete healing. We may be able to help them somewhat, but until they recognize that they have a problem, until they believe that it will take something more than their own power to fix it, until they do something in response to these realities, and until they decide that they want to be well, any real change or healing is stymied.
The trick is to tell the truth in a hopeful way and avoid unhelpful truths. What does the unhelpful truth look like? “Bartimaeus, you are blind and you can’t do anything about it.” We also need to make it clear that we are presenting what appears to be true from our perspective.
What does the hopeful truth, well presented, look like? “Yes, Bartimaeus, it appears to me that you are blind, but Jesus has the power and the desire to heal you.”
May we always work to keep hope and truth connected in our lives and in the lives of those whom we love.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here."
And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."
So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."
Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
When we read healing stories in the gospels, we often observe that faith on someone’s part is necessary for healing to take place. Which is true. Yet this account at least describes some other actions that led to healing.
First, there is the recognition that we have a problem. Bartimaeus understood that he had a problem. Blindness.
Bartimaeus also understood that there was something other, something different about Jesus. This is where faith operates: God has the power to do that which we as human cannot. Yes, we are amazing imagers of God. Yes, we can think amazing thoughts, and we can do amazing deeds. Yet not everything lies within our power. Faith in the steadfast love and in the healing power of God is necessary.
Yet there is another need. Bartimaeus had to act. No one else was willing to plead the case of Bartimaeus. No one else was willing to carry Bartimaeus over to meet Jesus. It was the responsibility of no one else to name the obvious need for healing: blindness. Thank God, that Bartimaeus did what he needed to do.
One of the most surprising statistics I ever encountered in my professional career had to do with the success rate of counseling and therapy. It didn’t really matter what kind of facility in which the sessions were conducted. There wasn’t a lot of difference in success between varied methods of therapy. The personal attributes of the counselor had a surprisingly limited effect. The number one determinant of the success of any coaching or counseling process was the answer to this question: does the client want to get well?
For many of our boys, these same problems hinder their complete healing. We may be able to help them somewhat, but until they recognize that they have a problem, until they believe that it will take something more than their own power to fix it, until they do something in response to these realities, and until they decide that they want to be well, any real change or healing is stymied.
The trick is to tell the truth in a hopeful way and avoid unhelpful truths. What does the unhelpful truth look like? “Bartimaeus, you are blind and you can’t do anything about it.” We also need to make it clear that we are presenting what appears to be true from our perspective.
What does the hopeful truth, well presented, look like? “Yes, Bartimaeus, it appears to me that you are blind, but Jesus has the power and the desire to heal you.”
May we always work to keep hope and truth connected in our lives and in the lives of those whom we love.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Monday, October 26, 2009
Carrying their sheaves ...
When I was very young, I was fascinated with flowers. We didn’t have many plants around our house at the time, mainly some holly bushes and some honeysuckle. One day, though, someone gave me some flower bulbs. I took them out into the front yard, and found a place near the holly bushes where I could plant them. I carefully placed them in their holes, patted down the dirt, and watered them.
The next day I went out to look for signs of life. I had seen pictures of plants placed alongside a glass wall, and knew that the green stem could be reaching for the surface even before I could see it. I decided to be patient a while longer.
Two days later I became worried. No flowers. No green. No bumps. No nothing. I decided more water would be good and so I watered the ground, but still, this was not what I expected.
A week later I was beyond worried. This was not the way that things were supposed to be. I started poking around the places where I had planted the bulbs looking for green. No joy. The next day, poking was not enough. I started digging around the bulbs. Sure enough, nothing had happened yet. The bulbs never did grow because I never would just leave them alone.
Which, believe it or not, connects with today’s text:
Psalm 126
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
The people of Israel are in the “in-between” time. They have seen the dream, and it has given them joy, but they have yet to arrive at the dream. They have sown the seeds of hope, and watered the earth with their tears and suffering. Still, they have nothing to show for it. Not yet.
We are so often in the same place with the boys with whom we work. We can see a dream for their lives. We can almost taste it. We have yet to arrive at that dream, so we water it with our tears and the suffering that comes from walking alongside these young men. If we can resist the temptation of poking around too much, of expecting too much too soon, then we will have the opportunity for our reward: an amazing harvest. We can, with these young men, “come home with shouts of joy.”
Perhaps if we want to get to the harvest, it will do us good to remember the big picture. It is not the condition of the (flower)bed today that matters. What counts is the final outcome, the big dream for life itself. We need to patiently, prayerfully work toward that day and not undermine the harvest with our impatience. It might also be good to remember who is really doing the work: “The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”
Grace and peace,
Ron
The next day I went out to look for signs of life. I had seen pictures of plants placed alongside a glass wall, and knew that the green stem could be reaching for the surface even before I could see it. I decided to be patient a while longer.
Two days later I became worried. No flowers. No green. No bumps. No nothing. I decided more water would be good and so I watered the ground, but still, this was not what I expected.
A week later I was beyond worried. This was not the way that things were supposed to be. I started poking around the places where I had planted the bulbs looking for green. No joy. The next day, poking was not enough. I started digging around the bulbs. Sure enough, nothing had happened yet. The bulbs never did grow because I never would just leave them alone.
Which, believe it or not, connects with today’s text:
Psalm 126
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
The people of Israel are in the “in-between” time. They have seen the dream, and it has given them joy, but they have yet to arrive at the dream. They have sown the seeds of hope, and watered the earth with their tears and suffering. Still, they have nothing to show for it. Not yet.
We are so often in the same place with the boys with whom we work. We can see a dream for their lives. We can almost taste it. We have yet to arrive at that dream, so we water it with our tears and the suffering that comes from walking alongside these young men. If we can resist the temptation of poking around too much, of expecting too much too soon, then we will have the opportunity for our reward: an amazing harvest. We can, with these young men, “come home with shouts of joy.”
Perhaps if we want to get to the harvest, it will do us good to remember the big picture. It is not the condition of the (flower)bed today that matters. What counts is the final outcome, the big dream for life itself. We need to patiently, prayerfully work toward that day and not undermine the harvest with our impatience. It might also be good to remember who is really doing the work: “The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”
Grace and peace,
Ron
Friday, October 23, 2009
Morning stars sang ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Job 38:1-7, (34-41)
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
Who is this that darkens counsel
by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements--surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings,
so that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?
Job 38:1-7, (34-41)
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
Who is this that darkens counsel
by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements--surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings,
so that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
To deal gently ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Hebrews 5:1-10
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge
of things pertaining to God on their behalf,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward,
since he himself is subject to weakness;
and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins
as well as for those of the people.
And one does not presume to take this honor,
but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest,
but was appointed by the one who said to him,
"You are my Son, today I have begotten you";
as he says also in another place,
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications,
with loud cries and tears,
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
Although he was a Son,
he learned obedience through what he suffered;
and having been made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
having been designated by God a high priest
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:1-10
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge
of things pertaining to God on their behalf,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward,
since he himself is subject to weakness;
and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins
as well as for those of the people.
And one does not presume to take this honor,
but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest,
but was appointed by the one who said to him,
"You are my Son, today I have begotten you";
as he says also in another place,
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications,
with loud cries and tears,
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
Although he was a Son,
he learned obedience through what he suffered;
and having been made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
having been designated by God a high priest
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The second kick ...
Today, a friend with whom I grew up posted a wise proverb on his Facebook page:
"There is nothing to be learned from the second kick of the mule."
You might find a lot of wisdom in this, and I have to say that I agree with it. If this is so, then why do we so often find that we can recognize a particular mule by the way that it kicks? I think that there is more than one reason.
Many of us live in denial. We don’t believe that it will happen again. Just because we think that we didn’t deserve it, we magically believe that it won’t happen again. Surely the mules will figure out the error of their ways eventually!
Sometimes we’re willing the pay the price because it seems like a fair trade for doing what we want to do. I do not know what particular benefit might accrue from standing near the posterior of a mule, but I can’t rule out the possibility. Perhaps I would come running up to the back side of a mule if Kate was riding a mule and began to fall off its rump. Which is just a good reason to keep Kate away from mules (literal or figurative).
It could be that our self image is so poor that we think that we deserve the kick. Poor me. I deserve to stand behind mules. The fact that God created me and loves me is irrelevant compared to the fact that Jaime Bob or Billy Bob think that my nose hairs are too long. Just kick me. That will increase my justification for acting pathetic and helpless. If God knew that having long nose hair would be so socially painful, why did he give me this unbearable burden?
Perhaps the second kick comes because we don’t have a teacher like Jesus. Jesus seems to want to keep those he loves from the second kick. This is what I hear when I read Mark 10:35-45:
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?"
And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"
They replied, "We are able."
Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Did we catch what Jesus said? “You know that among the Gentiles . . . .” You already know this to be true. You have already been kicked by that mule. Do you really want to be kicked by that mule again because you do the very same thing again? Be wise. Learn from the first kick.
When I read this story, I think about the children that we love. Even the wisest of them have times when they get the second kick. It’s not that they don’t feel the kick. They tend to make the same irrational excuses for receiving the kick that we do. If we warn them, sometimes they will refuse to listen to us, or refuse to make the connection. Sometimes, if we are willing to be patient enough, they will let us be Jesus to them and allow us to guide them from the second kick.
This means that they will have to trust us. After all, they prejudge the usefulness of our advice by the day-to-day kindness evident in our language, the hour-to-hour love revealed by our action. If they don’t feel safe with us, how can they feel safe taking our advice?
If we want children to see us as a savior in the time of trouble, then we must first be the servant who serves, and walks, and suffers alongside them.
Blessings,
Ron
"There is nothing to be learned from the second kick of the mule."
You might find a lot of wisdom in this, and I have to say that I agree with it. If this is so, then why do we so often find that we can recognize a particular mule by the way that it kicks? I think that there is more than one reason.
Many of us live in denial. We don’t believe that it will happen again. Just because we think that we didn’t deserve it, we magically believe that it won’t happen again. Surely the mules will figure out the error of their ways eventually!
Sometimes we’re willing the pay the price because it seems like a fair trade for doing what we want to do. I do not know what particular benefit might accrue from standing near the posterior of a mule, but I can’t rule out the possibility. Perhaps I would come running up to the back side of a mule if Kate was riding a mule and began to fall off its rump. Which is just a good reason to keep Kate away from mules (literal or figurative).
It could be that our self image is so poor that we think that we deserve the kick. Poor me. I deserve to stand behind mules. The fact that God created me and loves me is irrelevant compared to the fact that Jaime Bob or Billy Bob think that my nose hairs are too long. Just kick me. That will increase my justification for acting pathetic and helpless. If God knew that having long nose hair would be so socially painful, why did he give me this unbearable burden?
Perhaps the second kick comes because we don’t have a teacher like Jesus. Jesus seems to want to keep those he loves from the second kick. This is what I hear when I read Mark 10:35-45:
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?"
And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"
They replied, "We are able."
Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Did we catch what Jesus said? “You know that among the Gentiles . . . .” You already know this to be true. You have already been kicked by that mule. Do you really want to be kicked by that mule again because you do the very same thing again? Be wise. Learn from the first kick.
When I read this story, I think about the children that we love. Even the wisest of them have times when they get the second kick. It’s not that they don’t feel the kick. They tend to make the same irrational excuses for receiving the kick that we do. If we warn them, sometimes they will refuse to listen to us, or refuse to make the connection. Sometimes, if we are willing to be patient enough, they will let us be Jesus to them and allow us to guide them from the second kick.
This means that they will have to trust us. After all, they prejudge the usefulness of our advice by the day-to-day kindness evident in our language, the hour-to-hour love revealed by our action. If they don’t feel safe with us, how can they feel safe taking our advice?
If we want children to see us as a savior in the time of trouble, then we must first be the servant who serves, and walks, and suffers alongside them.
Blessings,
Ron
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wrapped in light ...
Meditate on the word of the Lord with me:
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.
You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains,
ran down to the valleys to the place
that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Praise the LORD!
How do we bless God? What is it that we have to give God? The praise from our heart and our mind, the songs and prayers that cross our lips, these are the blessings we place at the feet of the Holy One. Yes, even praise offered out of duty is praise. Yet the praise that is purest and the greatest blessing to the giver and recipient is that offered from a grateful heart.
The beautiful praise of this song begins with God as this powerful other, in the distant reaches of our universe, the place where light begins. God gradually descends, closer and closer to the divine creation. The song will end with God on the face of the world where we live, shaping the life that surrounds us.
This God is so holy, so other, that only light is suitable for clothing. This God is so powerful that God stretches the stars, the planets, and moons to cover us with the same dexterity and sureness that parents pitch tents for their families in the desert. Every night God stops the journey to stretch this amazing cover over our heads. Every morning God gathers it up again.
The greatest of kings, the pharaohs, ride their barges down the river in order to see the full extent of their kingdom. God places the beams of heavenly chambers into the river of the firmament itself, regally observing the work of the people of God, and fully aware of the actions of those who oppose them.
The great kings ride their glorious chariots, decorated with precious metals, pulled by the noblest and most beautiful of horses. God rides a chariot of cloud through the sky, simple, yet beautiful beyond description. It is beyond human ability to create, changing shapes in the sky as might please its maker. The winds are the horses that pull the chariot of God: powerful, invisible, mysterious. As God travels, the divine one sends forth messengers: fire, flame, lightning make known the divine presence.
God set this world in its place. As God has clothed Godself with light, God clothes the world with water. The ancients saw water to be dangerous and destructive, the seas as chaos itself. Yet these rebellious waters retreat to where God sends them, and flee like disobedient children from his angry presence. Submissive, they follow their divinely prescribed course from the heavens, to the mountains, down the streams and rivers, to the seas. The waters may crash and rage, but never again will their rebellion be allowed to rage unbridled.
All the world submits to the power of God, because God made all of the world. As if this universe were not glorious enough, God populates this planet with life: diverse, plentiful, amazing. And among this life he creates the human. This humanity can see, can comprehend, and can praise the work of this Creator God.
So may we praise the name and work of God today.
Blessings,
Ron
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.
You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains,
ran down to the valleys to the place
that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Praise the LORD!
How do we bless God? What is it that we have to give God? The praise from our heart and our mind, the songs and prayers that cross our lips, these are the blessings we place at the feet of the Holy One. Yes, even praise offered out of duty is praise. Yet the praise that is purest and the greatest blessing to the giver and recipient is that offered from a grateful heart.
The beautiful praise of this song begins with God as this powerful other, in the distant reaches of our universe, the place where light begins. God gradually descends, closer and closer to the divine creation. The song will end with God on the face of the world where we live, shaping the life that surrounds us.
This God is so holy, so other, that only light is suitable for clothing. This God is so powerful that God stretches the stars, the planets, and moons to cover us with the same dexterity and sureness that parents pitch tents for their families in the desert. Every night God stops the journey to stretch this amazing cover over our heads. Every morning God gathers it up again.
The greatest of kings, the pharaohs, ride their barges down the river in order to see the full extent of their kingdom. God places the beams of heavenly chambers into the river of the firmament itself, regally observing the work of the people of God, and fully aware of the actions of those who oppose them.
The great kings ride their glorious chariots, decorated with precious metals, pulled by the noblest and most beautiful of horses. God rides a chariot of cloud through the sky, simple, yet beautiful beyond description. It is beyond human ability to create, changing shapes in the sky as might please its maker. The winds are the horses that pull the chariot of God: powerful, invisible, mysterious. As God travels, the divine one sends forth messengers: fire, flame, lightning make known the divine presence.
God set this world in its place. As God has clothed Godself with light, God clothes the world with water. The ancients saw water to be dangerous and destructive, the seas as chaos itself. Yet these rebellious waters retreat to where God sends them, and flee like disobedient children from his angry presence. Submissive, they follow their divinely prescribed course from the heavens, to the mountains, down the streams and rivers, to the seas. The waters may crash and rage, but never again will their rebellion be allowed to rage unbridled.
All the world submits to the power of God, because God made all of the world. As if this universe were not glorious enough, God populates this planet with life: diverse, plentiful, amazing. And among this life he creates the human. This humanity can see, can comprehend, and can praise the work of this Creator God.
So may we praise the name and work of God today.
Blessings,
Ron
Monday, October 19, 2009
An ancient story ...
Some stories are true, not just because they were true once, but because they happen more than once, each telling true in its own way.
There is an ancient story, told again and again. In one of its more recent tellings, this huge black man, John Coffey, is sent to a Louisiana prison for murder. The irony is that he was not the killer of the young victims, but one who sought to bring back to the living those who were dead. As those responsible for John’s keeping soon discover, he does have the power to bring back those recently dead, at least in the case of Mr. Jingles. His power of healing, though, is thoroughly amazing. As a part of the healing, John takes the sickness and pain into himself in order to free the sufferer.
In the end, though, the head guard, Paul, finds that he must “kill one of God’s true miracles” for a crime that he did not commit. Paul offers John escape, even though he realizes that this will cost him his job, and perhaps time in prison. Yet John declines. This simple man is weary from carrying the wickedness, the evil in the world that surrounds him. So he dies a horrible and public death, an innocent suffering for a crime that was not his.
Does this story sound familiar? It should. It was told hundreds of years before even Jesus was born:
Isaiah 53:4-12
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Before Jesus, who knew what this story meant? Did anyone struggle to believe that this could ever be true? Since Jesus, this story has credibility. Since Jesus this story has power even though it has been told more than once. It still rings true without being trite. Interestingly, the newer stories told in our lifetime tend to echo the story of Jesus. Is it coincidence, after all, that John Coffey’s initials are what they are?
Even though the story of the suffering servant has been told more than once, it is the story of Jesus that gives all of the other stories believability and meaning. Because God might choose to die for his people, it becomes believable that one person might choose to die for another. That kind of sacrifice is now plausible.
Yet must we die in order to live a sacrificial life? Or is that question an oxymoron?
Jesus said that one who would keep life would lose it, but that one who would lose life may keep it. If we stop for a moment and think about what we have learned about our faith, we realize that God calls us daily to sacrifice our wishes, our way, our will, and yes even our life for others. If we live the story of Jesus, we do this for our children. We do this for our family. We do this for those to whom we minister.
If we live the story of Jesus.
Blessings,
Ron
There is an ancient story, told again and again. In one of its more recent tellings, this huge black man, John Coffey, is sent to a Louisiana prison for murder. The irony is that he was not the killer of the young victims, but one who sought to bring back to the living those who were dead. As those responsible for John’s keeping soon discover, he does have the power to bring back those recently dead, at least in the case of Mr. Jingles. His power of healing, though, is thoroughly amazing. As a part of the healing, John takes the sickness and pain into himself in order to free the sufferer.
In the end, though, the head guard, Paul, finds that he must “kill one of God’s true miracles” for a crime that he did not commit. Paul offers John escape, even though he realizes that this will cost him his job, and perhaps time in prison. Yet John declines. This simple man is weary from carrying the wickedness, the evil in the world that surrounds him. So he dies a horrible and public death, an innocent suffering for a crime that was not his.
Does this story sound familiar? It should. It was told hundreds of years before even Jesus was born:
Isaiah 53:4-12
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Before Jesus, who knew what this story meant? Did anyone struggle to believe that this could ever be true? Since Jesus, this story has credibility. Since Jesus this story has power even though it has been told more than once. It still rings true without being trite. Interestingly, the newer stories told in our lifetime tend to echo the story of Jesus. Is it coincidence, after all, that John Coffey’s initials are what they are?
Even though the story of the suffering servant has been told more than once, it is the story of Jesus that gives all of the other stories believability and meaning. Because God might choose to die for his people, it becomes believable that one person might choose to die for another. That kind of sacrifice is now plausible.
Yet must we die in order to live a sacrificial life? Or is that question an oxymoron?
Jesus said that one who would keep life would lose it, but that one who would lose life may keep it. If we stop for a moment and think about what we have learned about our faith, we realize that God calls us daily to sacrifice our wishes, our way, our will, and yes even our life for others. If we live the story of Jesus, we do this for our children. We do this for our family. We do this for those to whom we minister.
If we live the story of Jesus.
Blessings,
Ron
Friday, October 16, 2009
Unadorned hospitality ...
Meditate on God’s word with me:
Then they [Jesus and the apostles] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.
Jesus enters a city with his people, but they do not even have the opportunity to enter into a house of hospitality before he is greeted by a unlikely host. This outcast citizen is overrun with demons dwelling in him. He himself no longer able to dwell in a house, but must live naked in this unholy place: the cemetery.
When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" — for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.)
When people are inhabited by many demons, to whom are we speaking when we talk with them? In this outlandish conversation, we might hear the voice of the man, the voice of an individual demon, and the voice of this community of demons. In this unholy place, the holy man Jesus stops his holy little tribe for a conversation with this dangerous and unholy person. This might seem foolishly dangerous to any observer, because even this man’s own people had chosen to chain him up, and to set guards to protect themselves from him. To have that talk, Jesus must create a safe space for that exchange, and make an opening for the voice of the man to speak, free of the oppression of this unholy community of demons. The true bondage of this man does not come from a chained body, but from a mind bound by the thoughts and control of others. To make that safe place, Jesus must set boundaries to godly hospitality; demons are not welcome among the holy.
Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?"
He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
We often wonder why Jesus sent the demons into the pigs, the livelihood and food of this community, only to watch them tumble over a cliff to destruction. But is that the right question?
Jesus hospitably allows the demons to enter the pigs because it frees the man. This keeps the freed demons from finding homes in other human beings. Luke, though, does not tell us that Jesus went so far as to send the pigs to their death. The demons inhabited the pigs, and now the unholy community of demons with its unholy leader, Satan, was in charge of them.
I do not want to encourage you to think like Satan, but can we not see that he would delight in turning an entire community of people against Jesus? Would not the fastest way to block the work of Jesus among this people be to deprive them of their wealth, of their source of income or food? If Satan can make them fear the truth of the holy power of Jesus instead of celebrating the hope that it brings, perhaps he will not lose them. So, Satan could direct the herd into the lake, knowing full well that it will prompt a farewell instead of a welcome for Jesus from this community. After all, it should not surprise us that Satan would swiftly and mercilessly sacrifice a whole tribe of his own servants to prevent Jesus from enacting his mission of God’s hospitality to a single community.
When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.
The people find the strangest thing: this dangerous outcast, clothed and coherent, sitting in a place of hospitality with Jesus. Now that Jesus has passed through the moment of spiritual, physical, and social vulnerability to create this safe place for his people and this man, an open conversation is possible without the sacrifice of anyone’s holiness. It is still true that this man has been a demon-possessed outcast, but now there is a believable hope of restoration to relationship with his community and his God.
And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.
Satan cannot make humans fear. Satan cannot force humans to prefer wealth over other humans, and especially the outcast. He only has the power to highlight the choice. Human beings choose to fear. Every day, humans choose their own fiscal security over the health and physical safety of others. We’ve become so good at it that we can even feel pious when we do it.
“Those people chose that lifestyle . . . .”
“Those people should expect consequences . . . .”
“Those people . . . .”
But when we choose cash over community, power over people, we send Jesus for a hike. Away from us.
The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
Even when we send Jesus away, he does not give up on us. He makes use of his remnant, his outcast, to continue to offer hope, even where hope and healing have been rejected. This man becomes a sign of the hospitality of God, and a living enactment of that same hospitality.
May God choose to do the same with us.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Then they [Jesus and the apostles] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.
Jesus enters a city with his people, but they do not even have the opportunity to enter into a house of hospitality before he is greeted by a unlikely host. This outcast citizen is overrun with demons dwelling in him. He himself no longer able to dwell in a house, but must live naked in this unholy place: the cemetery.
When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" — for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.)
When people are inhabited by many demons, to whom are we speaking when we talk with them? In this outlandish conversation, we might hear the voice of the man, the voice of an individual demon, and the voice of this community of demons. In this unholy place, the holy man Jesus stops his holy little tribe for a conversation with this dangerous and unholy person. This might seem foolishly dangerous to any observer, because even this man’s own people had chosen to chain him up, and to set guards to protect themselves from him. To have that talk, Jesus must create a safe space for that exchange, and make an opening for the voice of the man to speak, free of the oppression of this unholy community of demons. The true bondage of this man does not come from a chained body, but from a mind bound by the thoughts and control of others. To make that safe place, Jesus must set boundaries to godly hospitality; demons are not welcome among the holy.
Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?"
He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
We often wonder why Jesus sent the demons into the pigs, the livelihood and food of this community, only to watch them tumble over a cliff to destruction. But is that the right question?
Jesus hospitably allows the demons to enter the pigs because it frees the man. This keeps the freed demons from finding homes in other human beings. Luke, though, does not tell us that Jesus went so far as to send the pigs to their death. The demons inhabited the pigs, and now the unholy community of demons with its unholy leader, Satan, was in charge of them.
I do not want to encourage you to think like Satan, but can we not see that he would delight in turning an entire community of people against Jesus? Would not the fastest way to block the work of Jesus among this people be to deprive them of their wealth, of their source of income or food? If Satan can make them fear the truth of the holy power of Jesus instead of celebrating the hope that it brings, perhaps he will not lose them. So, Satan could direct the herd into the lake, knowing full well that it will prompt a farewell instead of a welcome for Jesus from this community. After all, it should not surprise us that Satan would swiftly and mercilessly sacrifice a whole tribe of his own servants to prevent Jesus from enacting his mission of God’s hospitality to a single community.
When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.
The people find the strangest thing: this dangerous outcast, clothed and coherent, sitting in a place of hospitality with Jesus. Now that Jesus has passed through the moment of spiritual, physical, and social vulnerability to create this safe place for his people and this man, an open conversation is possible without the sacrifice of anyone’s holiness. It is still true that this man has been a demon-possessed outcast, but now there is a believable hope of restoration to relationship with his community and his God.
And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.
Satan cannot make humans fear. Satan cannot force humans to prefer wealth over other humans, and especially the outcast. He only has the power to highlight the choice. Human beings choose to fear. Every day, humans choose their own fiscal security over the health and physical safety of others. We’ve become so good at it that we can even feel pious when we do it.
“Those people chose that lifestyle . . . .”
“Those people should expect consequences . . . .”
“Those people . . . .”
But when we choose cash over community, power over people, we send Jesus for a hike. Away from us.
The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
Even when we send Jesus away, he does not give up on us. He makes use of his remnant, his outcast, to continue to offer hope, even where hope and healing have been rejected. This man becomes a sign of the hospitality of God, and a living enactment of that same hospitality.
May God choose to do the same with us.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Eternal inheritance ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Mark 10:17-31
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'"
He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, 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."
They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Mark 10:17-31
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'"
He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, 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."
They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Receive mercy, find grace ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Hebrews 4:12-16
Indeed, 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.
Since, then, we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who in every respect
has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:12-16
Indeed, 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.
Since, then, we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who in every respect
has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Establish justice ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Seek the LORD and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous,
who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be with you, just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Seek the LORD and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous,
who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be with you, just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
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