Words are few - Friday, February 27, 2015

Yesterday, I went to a funeral home. I've been to them too often. I think we could all agree that even one time is too often.  My husband and I went to be with a friend of his from work. This friend didn't die. His 12 year old daughter passed away after a battle with cancer that no one should ever have to face, let alone a child.

These are the moments in life that make anyone question life and all things of faith. You're rocked by death and you questioned everything. There are no words in these moments.  We say so many stupid things in the presence of grief.  The loss goes so deep that it steals are words and hijacks hope.

Today, I visit a dear family member who is in Hospice. Cancer slowly taking yet another life.

And so my words are few today and rightly so.

Get behind me, Satan! - Thursday, February 26, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Mark 8:31-38

"He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan! he said, "You do not have in mind the things of G-d, but the things of men." Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with holy angels." 

THOUGHTS:

     I can't imagine how Jesus felt.  I don't know at what point in his life he was made aware of the path that would be his or if he knew from the moment he left the womb.  I want to believe that he got to experience being a child - that he didn't have to be a child and carry the weight of the world, but that the Father revealed to him in his humanness what was appropriate at appropriate times and stages of development.  Of course, he knew was about the Father's business even when he was 12 and stayed behind in the Temple.  But is one thing to know that you are completely devoted to the Father's business at 12 and completely another thing to know the suffering that was ahead.  We don't hear much of his childhood and I want to believe that's because he had a pretty normal childhood and he didn't knowingly carry the weight of the world on his shoulders in that time.
     No matter what, by this time he sat with his disciples and he knew full well what lie before him. He understood the necessity of it.  "I must suffer and be rejected, killed and rise again." By the nature of things, this was necessary and unavoidable.  Jesus would undergo an experience, a brutal, flesh-tearing experience of suffering on behalf of someone else...on behalf of humanity, each and every one of us.  He would be disapproved, refused, rejected and killed.  But beyond all that he would stand again!  He knew the path before him and he willingly walked it.
     Gotta love Peter! He's so passionate. His response is not one of "I'm sorry Lord I don't understand." He's bold and protective of the One he follows.  He pulls him aside and rebukes him.  Peter pulls Jesus aside and begins to berate him.  This is abrupt. It's harsh and sharp. We don't know the words that Peter spoke but we know they were words of disapproval, words of censure.  He didn't approve of this suffering path.
     Jesus looks at his disciples in this moment with his deep love and has a revelation, one that I wonder if it hurt more than the pain that he knew was coming.  He saw that his disciple didn't understand the things that must happen.  That his disciple was in this moment was thinking like a man, instead of thinking towards G-d.  But in love, Christ says "Get behind me, Satan." Peter stood in opposition to the plan of G-d. Peter wanted his agenda. He wanted Christ to triumph, to be the political Messiah they had waited for.  He wanted what he wanted.  There was still Peter's desire above G-d's desire.
     If we desire to follow Christ, to be a true disciple, it's all in.  In coming and following we must disown and remove ourselves and our desires. We must deny ourselves and take up our cross.  This cross is the most dreadful and agonizing torture.  There is nothing easy about this.  We are to become less, so that he can become more.  What I want, what I think must be laid down and we must seek first the Kingdom.
    This is the eternal struggle --- dying to ourselves, so that others might live.  Finding freedom so that we might free others. That is the path of discipleship. That is becoming like Christ.  He died. He laid himself down, so that we could live.
     There are so many ways that we are called each day to die to ourselves. I could write forever. But I won't. We must be able to say "Get behind me, Satan" to the opposition that lies within our heart and mind. Daily we must look in the mirror and push back the opposition, running towards the heart of  G-d and his desire for us!

ACTION:

Oh G-d, there's so much in my life that tempts me to put me first. Lord, with all that I am I want to follow you, I want to die to myself. I don't want to be in opposition to you.  I want to stand with you.  So G-d today I will seek physical ways to give up what I think I need and to fill those spaces with your business. Today, may I die more fully to myself so that someone else might live today!

It's a heart issue - Wednesday - February 25, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Romans 4:13-25

"It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.  As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.' He is our father in the sight of G-d, in whom he believed--the G-d who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.   Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of G-d, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to G-d, being fully persuaded that G-d had power to do what he had promised.  This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' The words 'it was credited to him' were written no for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." 

THOUGHTS:

      My daughter is taking driver's ed classes right now.  She is learning hundreds of laws that most of us seasoned drivers have forgotten, until we've broken one and been ticketed or injured.  There something about the "law" that is about protection, that is about right living, good living, holistic living.  The function of law is to guide our action - we do or don't do something - and those protect and guard us.
     The same could be said about the law of G-d.  It guides us. It directs our actions.  It offers protection and healthy living and so much more.  The Torah was not made irrelevant in Christ, as some might think. But instead Christ filled full the law.  He was the law - the Word - the perfect expression of Torah.  There are so many things I could address and contemplate in those statements; however, I want to say this: Jesus was the perfect expression of Torah because it wasn't just about the law but it was about the heart.  He held both heart and law perfectly.  We don't follow rules or regulations just to follow them to be accepted, to be loved.  We follow them as an act of love.  The Torah is a gift, Christ is a gift and a response follows.    When Paul says "For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value" he is not saying the law is dead or irrelevant.  There are people who live by Torah because of faith. And there are people who live the law without faith.  Paul is addressing the heart.
     I can follow the letter of the law and can completely miss the heart of the law.  And it must be said that I can follow the heart of the law and be missing something absolutely essential to my faith in ignoring the letter of the law.  We have an obligation to both.  Jesus was constantly drawing attention to this very thing.  The Sermon on the Mount is an exposition on this heart and law issue.
     You might be tempted to argue that the law has been abolished, but remember that Paul says just verses later that "the promise comes by faith...not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham."  If we slow down and look at what we really believe and how we behave --we have to admit this is a place where we could use some discipleship, some growth and some openness to what G-d might be trying to say.
     If we say the law is gone and abolished, then why do we incessantly cling so tightly to pointing out the sins of others? Why do we carry guilt and shame for sins of our own?  If we read literally, "And where there is no law there is no transgression" and we follow the logic through, we are left only to say that with the abolishment of the law the ability to sin is gone because without law there is no sin.  If there are no rules to break, there's no breaking them.  If there is no mark to hit, there's no hitting it.

     This, of course, is ridiculous.  But we do this all the time.  We say Jesus abolished the law, yet we hold people to that law every chance we get, while not holding ourselves to it.  I believe that this should cause us to pause and check ourselves.  What is it that we believe and how does that inform our behavior? If those two things don't match than we have a problem. We have an area that G-d is longing to develop, to mature and set free.  Paul is arguing this very thing! We are unique individuals. "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:38) In the Kingdom of G-d we are responsible to honor both law and heart because the law was never written to be excluded from the heart.  The law is love.  "Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself." This is the greatest commandment (law) - this is the fulfillment of Torah! 

"We have faith, or belief, and we believe. When we receive faith, we "faith" by trusting and believing in G-d.  We also receive content, namely G-d who is the content of our faith.  In this way, both the knowledge of G-d and the act of trusting G-d converge as gift and response.  We also have love and we love. We receive the capacity to love in G-d first loving us.  We love by loving G-d in return and our neighbors as ourselves. In this way, both love of G-d and the act of loving our neighbor, converge as gift and response. Finally, we have hope and we hope. We receive hope through the vision of Jesus' ministry on earth--a ministry that ushered in the kingdom of G-d. We hope by living in the present with an eye on his promised kingdom. In this way, the now and the not-yet converge as gift and response." (Angels, Worms, and Bogeys: The Christian Ethic of Pietism, Michelle A. Clifton-Soderstrom, pg. 100) 

ACTION:

Gracious Lord, it all comes back to love, not just in our hearts but in our actions.   My actions, my behavior honor and live out my belief and my heart. May I be a person that walks in step with Jesus, Torah made flesh. May I be a person that looks to him and seeks his heart.

Seeds of Doubt - Tuesday, February 24, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Psalm 22:23-31

"You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he had not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him--may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet  unborn--for he has done it." 

THOUGHTS:

      Sometimes we feel so alone.  We feel as if we are the only one who knows our pain or the only one who is going through what we are going through.  This is a lie of the evil one. Now, I don't give the evil one too much credit.  At the end of the day, the only thing in his power is the ability to plant a seed of doubt within us.  Once he plants that seed of doubt - we water it, people water it, we nurture it into the ugly plant that it becomes.  The Truth however is that G-d does leave us in our affliction.  He hears our cries and gives us reason to praise him, to honor him, to revere him.  And it gives us reason to fulfill our vow of the covenant.  The psalmist names a few: to feed the poor, to seek the Lord, to remember who we are and from where we have come, to turn to the Lord, to accept his lordship and rule, to feast on him, to tell future generations of his righteousness.

ACTION:

     Father, today I need to expel the lies of the evil one.  Lord, help me to tear down the plants that have grown and enable me to remove the seeds of doubt that has been planted.  G-d you alone are Lord of my life.  You alone can speak seeds into me and they are seeds of life and hope! Help me to see the evil one's seeds of doubt for what they are.  I don't want to be someone who plants seeds of doubt in others. I want to fulfill my vow to our covenant. 

El Shaddai - Monday - February 23, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am G-d Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.' Abram fell facedown, and G-d said to him, 'As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your G-d and the G-d of your descendants after you...G-d also said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.  I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.'"

THOUGHTS:

     G-d Almighty - El Shaddai - The All-Sufficient G-d. This is the first time G-d reveals himself with this name.  Here we are with G-d establishing another covenant between humanity and himself. Abram fell facedown because what else do you when you are in the presence of G-d.  G-d in this moment spoke new life into the life of Abram. Abram, the exalted father became Abraham, the father of many.  G-d breathed his very essence into his life and into his very name.  G-d gave Abram and Sarai a piece of his name,YHWH, breathed over them, covenanted with them and created new life within them.  So much so the barren Sarai became the fertile Sarah and Isaac was born.
     In verse one G-d commands Abraham to walk before him and to be blameless.  This covenant, our covenant, is a two-way street. It demands action on our part.  Faith without works is dead.  Faith must produce action. We must engage the covenant.  Now this might be a little over the edge...but G-d promised fruitfulness and children...but Abraham and Sarah had to get together and have sex for that to happen. There was no immaculate conception.  They had to do something to participate in the covenant.
     We must participate in the covenant. This participation goes for beyond just believing and knowing.  We must do with action and deed.  Jesus spoke of this very thing when he walked the earth. It is recorded in Matthew 25: 31-46.  It's worth a read. He says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."
     El Shaddai - the all-sufficient G-d, G-d Almighty steps down to encounter us and invites us into full encounter with him. He brings those kairos moments and we have a choice.  We have a directive.  It is the same today as it was then.  When will we stop hogging the blessing and become the blessing? When will allow the breath of G-d to breathe new life into us so that we can be co-creators with him?

"El Shaddai, El Shaddai (G-d Almighty, G-d Almighty), El elyon na Adonai (G-d in the highest, Oh, Lord), Age to age, You're still the same by the power of the name.  El Shaddai, El Shaddai (G-d Almighty, G-d Almighty), Erkamka na Adonai (We will love you, Oh, Lord), We will praise and lift you high El Shaddai." 

ACTION:

     Lord, today, I commit to participating in our covenant.  Forgive me for the ways that I have selfishly hogged the blessing for myself or for my family and enable me to expand the territory of my mind to truly love my neighbor as myself.  Help me to see the least of these - those that the Church has cast aside, those that your people have harmed or treated unjustly, those that the world turns away from.  Let me be a vehicle of hope for you today.

Kairos - Sunday - February 22, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Mark 1:9-15

"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.' At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended  him. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of G-d. 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of G-d is near. Repent and believe the good news!' 

THOUGHTS:

     When Jesus looked upward and saw the skies being torn open, I wonder if he saw the very hands of     G-d peeling back the clouds, the blue expanse? It doesn't sound like the sky just casually rolled back, but instead it was torn open. I might be tempted to think it was violent; however, I want to picture it more as an emotional release. For all ages, G-d had been moving with humanity, guiding, leading, shifting, but it had been from afar.  Not since the garden had G-d walked among his people.   His presence came in other ways, but this physical presence, one that would walk among creation was one that he had not known in a very long time.  What an emotional moment!  Jesus steps publicly into the waters of mikvah, the waters of cleansing - the waters that bring ritual cleansing.  Jesus' first act of submission -- he who knew no sin, who was the archetype of purity and wholeness, humbling himself to be ritually purified and in this very moment committing and submitting to the path that would bring him death.  G-d walking among his creation once again knowing that the ultimate redemption was on it's way!

     The first words of Jesus that Mark records - "The time has come, the kingdom of G-d is near. Repent and believe the good news!" The word time is kairos.  It's not chronos - which is a chronological time, but instead it's an intersection. It's a moment or event when G-d collides with us and an encounter happens.  We can't avoid chronos. That type of time comes and goes and we can't stop it, we can't hold it still.  We all grow old.  But we avoid kairos moments all the time.  In these moments G-d comes near. He comes within our grasp. He reaches out to us.  He woos us close to his side.  And we can absolutely miss it...

     These moments are meant to change us = that's repent - simply think differently, change your mind. The word repent gets a bad rap.  It is not always negative. In G-d's eyes, it's never a shaming or a humiliation. Repent in G-d's eyes is a positive thing and is just about changing how we think about something. These moments are meant to change our mind and cause us to believe.  Believe involves action.   The repentance portion changes our belief, but changing our beliefs or having beliefs is NOT enough. A true encounter with G-d brings a change of mind and a change of behavior.  Our believe and our behave must line up.  That is the path of discipleship.  Through kairos moments our believe and our behave begin to intersect and we become more like Christ.  The kingdom of G-d is near and we have a choice to live into it.

Jesus became one of us to walk among us a path to death so that we might have life - life more fully right now! So that we might be forever changed each moment of our life when we grab hold of these kairos moments.  He is present to us. He is in all our moments. The question is: are we going to see him?

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our G-d. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.  Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O Lord my G-d, are the wonders you have done.  The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.  Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come--it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my G-d; your law is within my heart.' I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly." (Psalm 40:1-10)

ACTION:

Today, I want to embrace the kairos moments and I want to be forever changed.  I will seek G-d in the small things and hold precious his presence.
   

Once For All - Saturday - February 21, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     I Peter 3:18-22

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to G-d. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when G-d waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward G-d. It saves  you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--which angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." 

THOUGHTS:

      Maybe we should start with re-reading that text? WOW! There's so much and often times this text is just set aside by teachers/preachers because it's implications are too great or too scary.  But hey, I told you that you'd eventually say, Shut up, Sharon! So here goes:
     "For Christ died for sins ONCE for ALL" -- it's done.  The love of G-d, the forgiveness, the grace poured out on a cross more than 2000 years ago for all.  For Jews, for Gentiles, for black, for white, for Muslims, for Hindus, for gay, for straight, for young, for old...for ALL! There is are no boundaries in the love of G-d.  His death and resurrection brought life for all.
     If that's not interesting enough "he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago..." That forgiveness and love wasn't just for those alive at the time of Christ and for those beyond that, but it was also for those before him.  He opened the flood gates of his mercy and grace. Christ traveled into the abyss, into the place where all was seemingly lost, and he spoke life.  He spoke good news. He spoke love to those who had come before him.  He really meant for ALL and to show it he traveled into darkness to bring light!
     What a challenge for us today! We often times are not willing to allow our believe and our behave to match up on this.  Christ died for all and yet we behave as if we have something exclusive.  There is nothing exclusive about the love of G-d.  Nothing.  It is humanity who places boundaries and builds walls. G-d tears down walls, who busts through even the most daunting of boundaries.  Even the people that were destroyed in the flood were given access to this love. There was space for redemption for them both in the days of Noah building ark and thousands of years later when Christ reached into their death and brought life.  G-d's love set captives free!!!
   
     We are exclusive. We are stingy with the love of G-d. Sometimes so stingy we don't even truly give it to ourselves.  We hold it close enough to claim it, but not close enough to free us! And we definitely have a hard time giving it freely to others.

You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where feet may fail. And there I find you in the mystery, In oceans deep my faith will stand.  Your grace abounds in deepest waters, Your sovereign hand will be my guide, where feet may fail and fear surrounds me, you've never failed and you won't start now. I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace for I am yours and you are mine.  Spirit lead me were my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger, in the presence of my Savior. (Oceans - Hillsong United) 

ACTION:

     Lord, I want to be like you.  Make my love once for all.  Make my life once for all.  Make my actions once for all.  Cleanse me of my exclusiveness and mold me to your inclusive Spirit.  Tear down walls within my heart today that I have built toward others.  Reach into the depths of my darkness and bring light.  Lord, reach into the abyss that I have created and help me to free those whom I have placed there - those who I have cut off from my love.  G-d, I repent of my selfishness and exclusiveness and I cry out to you.

Free Will - Friday - February 20, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Psalm 25:1-10

"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my G-d. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.  No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are G-d my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.  Good and upright is the Lord therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." 

THOUGHTS:

      I believe in free will.  Humanity absolutely has the power and will to step outside of what G-d desires and wills for it.  This is why doing things simply for the sake of  unity is so important.  Together in community we hear the will of G-d and only if we are seeking it.  And sometimes we get it wrong.  Siloed individuals or groups must place themselves within the community to hear and listen to what is stirring within. But we can't get frozen seeking the will of G-d.  Because there is a promise that we have - "we know that in ALL things G-d works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
     You see, free will allows us to turn towards G-d, make the best decision we think possible, have that decision completely fail and G-d STILL bless it! G-d works all things towards his good - which means he works in all things, even the things that one might say are the furthest away from him as possible.
     By all human standards, David (the Psalmist) was in no way the best choice for King.  He was an adulterer. He was a murderer. He was human and he messed up in big ways.  But in G-d's eyes, all that mattered was that David sought after the heart of G-d and G-d took that sliver of hope and changed the world with it! David knew his own brokenness. He didn't need to be judged by others. He didn't need to dwell or let all the ways he (or others) thought he was wrong for the task freeze him up and paralyze him.  He took that brokenness and laid it before the Lord and trusted that G-d and G-d alone would work it out.
     That's a hard thing to do. I've been there.  I'm there now. And I will be there again.  This too shall NOT pass.  It's part of the very nature of being human with free will.

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently...And we know that in all things G-d works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those G-d foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If G-d is for us, who can be against us?"  (Romans 8:24-25, 28-31) 

ACTION:

     Lord, I will gaze on you.  You know my  name.  You know my junk. You know my heart. You know my call. You alone justify me. You alone call me. you alone save me.  No matter the path chosen by man----you are on it! I trust that! I look for you in that!

Dishonoring Covenant - Thursday - February 19, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Genesis 9:8-17

"Then G-d said to Noah and to his sons with him: 'I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.'  And G-d said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember by covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between G-d and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.'  So G-d said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.'" 

THOUGHTS:

      A few weeks ago I was given a book called Forgive us: confessions of a compromised faith.  I dove in and read the entire thing in a matter of a day or so.  It wrecked me. It is a book that I will find myself returning to over and over during Lent because it is a book of lament, a book of honesty, a book of repentance for the things that the Church has willingly and unknowingly perpetrated. It is acknowledges the brokenness of the Church (the people of Christ).  I highly recommend this book for now during this season and far beyond.  May prayer as I read it was that it would be a book that forever changes me and those who read it. The first chapter is dedicated to the seeing and lamenting of the sins we (the Church) have committed against G-d's creation.
     Humankind was placed in the midst of the new creation and told to care for it (Gen. 2:15), to love it, to name it, to be co-creators with the Lord.  In the history of humanity somewhere we warped the vision of   G-d and began to treat creation as something to be lorded over, something to be conquered, something simply meant to meet our needs.  This isn't only a modern problem. This happened by the time of Noah.  Genesis 6 recounts not only how humanity had faltered but how as a result the earth had become corrupt and full  of violence. And so as to not get sidetracked into why G-d did what he did, let's just simply say he started over - He de-created and then re-created his precious work of love.  At the completion of this re-creation, the gracious Creator made a covenant. A covenant that holds true today.

July 2014 - Ecuador - Cayambe 

     This covenant was established by G-d.  He provided a sign (a rainbow to be seen anywhere and everywhere on the earth) and He remembers this covenant because it is an everlasting covenant for all generations.  G-d made this covenant with Noah, his descendants and every living creature and he made it between Himself, Noah and every living creature for all generations.  G-d established with us a covenant that is between us.  It is a covenant initiated by G-d but it is also a covenant that requires action and participation by us.

We have dishonored that covenant. We have participated in destroying G-d's creation.  We have not lived as part of creation, but instead have lived as gods of creation - taking power and dominion - making idols of natural resources and laying waste to all that G-d created.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from G-d his Savior.  Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O G-d of Jacob." (Psalm 24:1-6)

ACTION:

Lord, this can't just be about reducing, reusing and recycling. Those things are wonderful and we should do them. But there's something more.  May my heart be changed today to view your creation as part of me, as part of my children.   Father, give me your eyes to see the destruction and the wisdom to know how to be a part of your redemption because your redemption is for all of creation.  I repent for any thought and action that has made redemption and salvation simply about myself and humans. Lord you are redeeming and saving the world --- and everything in it.

Our Own Worst Enemies - Wednesday - February 18, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

    2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
          (Additional Readings: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)

"We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.  For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!     We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see--we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

THOUGHTS:

    Throughout my life I have experienced "afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger." Not just figuratively, but I experienced these things in the most literal of ways. They were devastating. Before I began to run desperately towards G-d, more often than not, when left with the natural reflex of fight or flight, I fought and it was ugly. Very rarely did I take flight and run.  I fought or I laid down and gave in - crushed in spirit. These things are REAL in our life - not just in the huge things like the ISIS beheading of 21 Christians, but these afflictions, hardships and such happen in seemingly small ways in our daily lives that crush and seek to destroy as well.  The hard part is they happen among the fellowship of believers.  The author of this piece of scripture, Paul is speaking to fellow believers and how they are to live together.

     We must not think that our turning towards G-d removes the pain or the hurt of life.  Over and over in scripture the case could be made for the exact opposite.  As a member of the fellowship of Christ, I have experienced these very things and I have experienced them of not only the world, but also at the hands of my brothers and sisters. I believe that each of us in the body could say this is true. For me, the beatings in this context have never been literal; however, I have taken a good figurative beating or two in my years. The response has been different though.  Years ago, I surrendered to the One who became like me so that I "might become the righteousness of G-d." And with that "purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of G-d" have become front and center in the response to the onslaught when it comes (not perfectly, I'm in process, as we all are).

     The shepherd of a flock--carries the weight of the sheep on their shoulders. Carrying weight hurts. It brings afflictions. Occasionally, as that sheep is on your shoulder, it's hoof collides with your cheek. It cuts. It bleeds. It hurts. It brings sleepless nights. It brings hardships. Not necessarily intentionally but these sheep are people and all people experience these things.  (Please hear this: There is beauty in feeling the wool of the sheep brush your nape of your neck. There is joy in the closeness of sheep to your heart and mind.  Not all is grim. I am speaking simply in the context of this brief text.) Also, the sheep of the flock brush up against one another and often times move tightly along--rightly so.  We were created to be together, to impact one another, to walk together.

     This text has reminded me that we are human.  We often times treat others as imposters, yet they are true.  We treat them as unknown, yet we know them well. We forget that they are living, breathing and treat them as if they are dead or dying.  We punish and accuse unjustly, just enough to shame or destroy but not to kill.  We speak down to one another as if something is wrong with them, as if they are sorrowful, poor and have nothing. And we forget that they rejoice, make many spiritually rich and that they possess everything, simply because they possess the very image of our Creator and his righteousness through Christ.

We are often our own worst enemies in the body of Christ.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me....Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

ACTION:

Lord, make this my heart's cry, my prayer. All I can do is be myself totally surrendered to you. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  I am worthy of love, respect, honor, but I acknowledge that I cannot demand those things from others.  And when they cannot give those things to me or to others, the issue is not mine, but theirs and yours.  I cannot withhold my affection in any circumstance. I must speak freely and open wide my heart to ALL even in the deepest of afflictions.  "Now is the acceptable time, see, now is the day of salvation" and I commend myself to the One who loves me unconditionally.

Lenten Journey 2015

My journey into lent begins tomorrow for 2015 and once again for me this year's lent is not about giving up things like soda or coffee, but instead about writing out a large piece of scripture each day and allowing it to stir an action in me each day - finding a very provocative way to live the Shema each day! Hoping to keep my readers here updated on what God is doing in this season. 

I wrote the remainder of this post in 2011.  Since this blog is new there are things that can be brought forward to it.  This post however, is an important one because I am at the same place this year and have been since 2011.  That's a good thing. This writing of mine definitely has gone "far beyond a 40 day challenge." 

Over the past few weeks, I have been struck by Isaiah 58.  As I began to think of what it is this year I might do different for Lent, I've struggled. I'm not one to give up on food because I always fail and it ends up being warped into a diet of sorts.  Giving up on TV or even Facebook are both reasonable and great things. I just don't feel called to do that. 

Lent is supposed to be about identifying with Christ sacrifice. There's much more to it, but essentially that's what I want to learn from Lent.  I want to draw closer to the God of the Universe and I want to be like John the baptist and say "He must become greater; I must become less." Lent must be a death to a part of me, giving life to something else in exchange.  Read Isaiah 58 with me.

     "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.  For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them."
     'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?'
     "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?"
     "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Hear I am.
     "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like noonday.
    The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strength your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with dwellings."

Lenten Fast this year, for me, can't be about what food I give up or what sacrifice I make that might make me uncomfortable for 40 days...it has to be about laying my life down for the sake of others in the name of love and far beyond a 40 day challenge.

Lent must be a certain death to some part of me, if not all, so that I might give life to someone else in exchange.

Is there any deeper way to identify with Christ? Is this not what His fast is all about?