Luke

Out on a Limb

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The story of Zacchaeus and his sycamore tree is fun and simple. If you grew up in church or have done time as a Vacation Bible School volunteer, then you have the “Zacchaeus was a wee little man” ditty in your head. However, there is more to the story.

Nobody can blame a short man for wanting to see over a crowd. He can’t even be faulted for climbing a tree to get a better look. I have this image of a pudgy (I don’t know why) little man sweating with the effort of climbing a tree. Then the look of embarrassed bewilderment when Jesus calls him back out of the tree. Zacchaeus then did all he could to show his faith. Jesus rewarded him with salvation.

The tricky part is not to get focused on the simple framework of the story. Sure, Zacchaeus was a tax collector and an outcast among devout Jews. Yes, Jesus went and ate with him which made people question what Jesus was up to with his blatant disregard for social rules. But it’s the tree and the climbing of it that captures my attention.

Zacchaeus went up a tree in order to get a closer look at Jesus. He didn’t have to; Jesus was right there on the ground, waiting to dine with him. Of course, he was probably the first and the last to do exactly that. Since then, people have climbed all sorts of “trees” in the name of getting better look at Jesus. There are those who climb trees of righteousness, knowledge, self-sacrifice, self-assurance and a variety of others with the intent of getting closer to Jesus. In reality, there’s just a whole lot of space between them and the ground where Jesus stands waiting.

It’s easy enough to identify what trees others are climbing. But what trees do you and I climb justifying our efforts in Jesus’s name? And are we willing to make the drop to the ground to actually live in the company of the one we seek?

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Come now, let us argue it out,
   says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
   they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
   they shall become like wool.

RCL – Year C – Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost – November 3, 2013
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 with Psalm 119:137-144 or
Isaiah 1:10-18 with Psalm 32:1-7
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Luke 19:1-10

Contemplating Humility

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I’ve been contemplating what it means to be humble. The recent events with the government shut down and foolishness between political parties had me wishing all politicians had to learn true humility before taking office. The way some of them use “Christian values” as a way of condemning people who believe differently raises my blood … Read More

Bidding Prayer for God’s People

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2013-09-13 14.17.00Come, let us unite in prayer for all God’s people.

(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God of all that is, we ask that you would hear our prayers for the whole of creation. We come before you as your faithful people, asking that you hear our prayers and answer us.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

Let us pray for the church, gathered here an elsewhere.

(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God of all places, your people are scattered throughout the world. Some are free to worship as they wish while others are persecuted for their faith. Open our eyes to the freedoms we have in this country and grant us the courage to stand with those who are dying for their faith in you. No matter our differences, we are the body of Christ. We pray for the leaders of all Christian denominations, and those of other faith traditions, that we may unite to create peace in your name.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

Let us pray for all the peoples of the world.

(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God whose love knows no boundaries, may our lives be reflections of your grace. So many people live exiled from their homes and families. We offer prayers for all those who have no homes to return to. In gratitude for home and safety, we ask you grant us the courage to welcome those who come seeking sanctuary and a place to begin again.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

Let us pray for all those who hold positions of leadership and power.

(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God of all nations, forgive us for the ways in which we turn from peace and justice. You would have us grow and flourish wherever we are. Because you would have a world that lives in harmony, we lift up to you those with the power to make changes, to find alternatives to war, and offer help and hope to those who suffer. May your people unite in transforming the nations of the world into places of hope and harmony.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

Let us pray for all those in need of healing.
(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God who brings hope to healing, we lift up to you all who are wounded in body, mind, or spirit.  You healed ten lepers and only one returned to give you thanks. May all who experience healing return to give you thanks and praise. Touch the broken places of our lives and remind us of your great love for each of us.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

Let us pray for those who sit in the darkness of grief.

(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God of life and light, we know that your love carries us throughout eternity. Yet, the loss of a loved one fills us with deep pain. We lift up to you all who suffer loss, especially those who grieve a life lost in war or violence or suicide. Grant us compassion and wisdom as we tend to those in need of your light.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

Let us offer gratitude and praise for the many blessings of our lives.

(silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns)

God of abundant life, we thank you for the ways in which you have blessed our lives. When we stop to breathe and be still, we know that you are present and active in the world and in our lives. Like the one leper who returned to you, we praise you and thank you for our lives. Open us to your abundance that we may share your grace with joy.

O give thanks to God,
For God’s steadfast love endures forever.

RCL – Year C – Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost – October 13, 2013

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 with Psalm 66:1-12 or
2 Kings 5:1-3,7-15c with Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19

Confessions of a Logophile (not really a confession, more a suggestion)

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2013-10-02 20.45.52I am truly a logophile. I love words, all kinds of words—new words, old words, unpronounceable technical words. I also find the development of language fascinating. When “ginormous” became a word I thought it was rather ridiculous. Surely, there are enough words in the English language to describe something that is exceedingly large. I guess not. Recently, “text” has gone from a noun to a verb. If you are a Scrabble aficionado, then you know that the official dictionary allows for words one does not utter in polite company and some of us never utter. Words are great! Now I want the power to invent a new one.

When I read the laments of this week’s scriptures, it’s easy enough to add my own voice to them. I could sit down by the river and weep over the state of the world and the loss of days that are remembered as more simple, or better, times. My tears could easily flow for the empty pews in churches everywhere. I could add in the personal things that taste of “wormwood and gal.” There’s nothing wrong with lamenting in response to loss and pain. The psalmist’s cry of “how long O Lord” is a prayer just as valid today any day in human history. The problem is that too many of us get stuck in laments. We forget that they are prayers and instead of waiting for an answer, we fall into constant complaining. We start looking backward in sadness and then forget to look around or forward to see what else there is.

This is where my new word would fit in. It isn’t so much a new word as a shift in a word’s identity. When Jesus’ disciples asked him to increase their faith, he essentially told them that it wasn’t about quantity. Faith is faith. I am now suggesting that faith ought to be a verb. It ought to be an action verb. To faith would mean to live life fully engaging in acts of justice, love, and peace to glorify God and improve creation. The disciples would have asked Jesus to show them how to faith better. He would have said, “If you faithed even for a moment, the world would transform before your eyes.”

Ideally lamenting would lead to faithing. Cry out to God in pain and grief and then get busy clearing the way for God’s restorative work in the world. If faith were a verbe, then when somebody asks what I did today, I could say that I faithed. I lamented, prayed, listened, advocated, and worked hard to improve life on this planet. Tonight, I plan on faithing some more. You get the idea. If faith were a verb, would we think about it differently? Would it be more visible in the world? I’ve yet to see a mulberry tree growing in the sea, but it could happen.

Have you faithed today?

RCL – Year C – Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – October 6, 2012
Lamentations 1:1-6 with Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137 or
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 with Psalm 37:1-9
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10

Displaced People

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Just this afternoon someone asked me, “Why church?” meaning why do I continue in ministry when there are other things I could be doing?

My answer to this is simple. The church saved my life during my teenage years. If it was not for the members of the church of my childhood and its clergy, I wouldn’t have made it to adulthood. I’m not kidding or exaggerating. I was missing a sense of belonging and value and the church gave it to me. I belonged there. I was valued there. It was many years before I had a sense of God’s love for me. But I knew the people of that church loved me and wanted me there.

My relationship with the church as an adult has been far more challenging.

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With these thoughts lingering in my head, I looked again at this week’s lectionary readings. Jeremiah was asked to purchase land so that the people of Israel would be assured that there would always be a place for them. When the siege ended and the captives returned, they would have a place in which to begin again.

The psalmist reminds us that God is our shelter, a refuge and will rescue us from all sorts of disasters. We will be saved.

In the difficult passage from Luke’s Gospel, there is a warning against ignoring our identity as people of God. If we do not pay attention to what our faith teaches, will we be convinced if someone rises from the dead?

God had Jeremiah seal a covenant in an earthenware jar so that the people of Israel would have a place to call home. We have Christ! We are the vessel of Christ’s covenant, the promise that there will always be a place for God’s people. Why do we act as if there is no promise? No place to return to? to call home? to grow? to begin again?

There is something powerful in this image of the jar, a promise we hold.

RCL – Year C – Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 29
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 with Psalm 91:1-6,14-16 or
Amos 6:1a, 4-7 with Psalm 146
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 16:19-31

An Open Letter

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Dear Followers of Christ and other interested parties;

It’s time we talk about the last taboo of the church. It doesn’t matter what denomination or stripe of Christianity you claim, there’s one topic we are all quite uncomfortable talking about. And it made the headlines of this week’s news. I’m not talking about gun control even though that is definitely a conversation worth having. No, I’m referring to mental illness. We need to talk about this or Jeremiah’s lament is going to continue to echo through the end of this millennium and into the next.

The heart of God breaks when innocents die violent deaths and we do nothing to prevent it from happening again. I do not doubt that God hurts for the poor people of God. By why is no one really looking for the balm in Gilead that will restore the health of the people? Sure, call your politicians and tell them how you feel about gun control, but don’t forget to call them to task for not attending to the despicable state of our mental health care system.

Mental illness is a disease, whatever the particular diagnosis. We are not ashamed to talk about heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. Why are we ashamed to talk about bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, or personality disorders? These are diseases that affect many people. No one asks to have them. They are not punishment for sins. Mental illness is not caused by demons, though it is certainly evil. Prayer will potentially bring healing but it is not a cure for any disease excepting those rare moments when a miracle happens.

So, I repeat: Mental illnesses are diseases, disorders of the brain. They have medical treatments that are often very effective when combined with other types of therapy. A faith community can be a vital support for those who live with mental illness.

The most recent mass shooting in Washington, D.C. happened because Aaron Alexis slipped through the cracks in the mental health system. This should not happen, ever. Not for someone like Aaron who had a history of gun violence nor anyone else who is experiencing a mental health crisis. This has to change. Lives are being lost at an alarming rate.

I truly believe that the heart of God breaks and Christ weeps over these innocents. We can do better than this. We can push for legislation that expands care for people experiencing a mental health crisis and the aftercare. If you don’t know what mental illness looks like or what the indications of a crisis are, find out. Mostly, though, Christians can find ways to welcome people who live with mental illness into our church communities. We can pray for the one who is suicidal, the one who is psychotic, the one who is depressed, the one who is manic and all those trying to navigate the world with an illness that can sometimes complicate and confuse simple things.

On the whole, we have not been faithful when it comes to mental illnesses. We have turned away or blamed the person living with the illness. It’s time for the faithful to step up to the proverbial plate and care for our neighbors who cannot care for themselves.

There is a balm in Gilead. It’s you and me advocating for justice and loving those society deems unlovable. To paraphrase, Gandhi – if we want the world to change, then we must be that change.

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.

2013-09-14 16.00.45

RCL – Year C – Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 22, 2013

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 with Psalm 79:1-9 or
Amos 8:4-7 with Psalm 113
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13

Sinners at the Table

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20130612_152754Are you a Pharisee? Weird question, I know. But it’s one that must be asked. Most of us reading the Luke text identify on the side of Jesus or include ourselves in the ones who are listening to him. We like to think that we’re ready to run off and look for that lost sheep or help that widow search for her high-value coin. But whom do you eat with?

When we gather for worship and celebrate communion, we are setting Christ’s table. Many of us have a lot of rules about who is welcome to come to the table and how it is done. We could become very uncomfortable if “tax collectors and sinners” showed up.

I’ve comforted the mother who was asked not to bring her autistic son to church anymore. I’ve listened as the developmentally disabled man told me that he was not allowed to receive communion in his church. I’ve encouraged the transgender teen to look for a church that would welcome her exactly as she is. The stories are numerous of those who have been excluded from our churches for reasons beyond their control.

Jesus ate with the outcasts and the unclean. He welcomed them. He said that they were worth searching for. He said that they have incredible value. When we gather as the body of Christ, we are setting Christ’s table. Jesus ate with all kinds of people; what would he say to us?

I know that many of us are breathing a sigh of relief that the U.S. is not going to bomb Syria. But the world remains a place of fear and violence. The church is meant to be a place of safety and peace. Is it truly? Do we tend to forget that if we call ourselves Christians we embody Christ to everyone we meet?

Reading the words of Jeremiah, I pray that they are not true for today.  “For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good.”

My fear is that the church today has become full of people who keep the laws and the traditions because they are familiar and comfortable. The Pharisees did this in Jesus’ time. They must have been filled with anxiety when he challenged their way of being God’s people and pushed them out of their comfort zone. The same is happening in the church today even if Jesus is not physically present and leading the way. There are prophets among us. We would do well to listen.

So, I come back to my original question:  Are you a Pharisee? Things in the church are changing and familiar, traditional ways are being questioned and challenged. Will you eat with the tax collectors and welcome sinners at your table?

RCL – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 15, 2013
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 with Psalm 14 or
Exodus 32:7-14 with Psalm 51:1-10
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Luke 15:1-10

A Prayer for Sabbath

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Steadfast God of love and mercy, how long you have waited for your people to bless your holy name! Through the words of ancient prophets and the Incarnate Word, you tell of your enduring, unconditional love for humanity. You call to us over and over again. Even now, your call to us continues.

We have wandered far from a time that honors the Sabbath. You gave us this day to help us be mindful that we are your people. We excel at ways to fill our quiet hours with our own thoughts and pursuits, forgetting our need to come to you for rest and to worship. Open our ears to the prophets of old, the teachings of Jesus, and those whose words point the way to you.

Gracious God, you are slow to anger and your steadfast love abounds. But, surely, we must test you. You have told us to feed the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted. You want us to stop binding ourselves to destructive ways, pointing fingers at one another, and speaking badly of those around us. Yet, we so often fail in these simple things. We frequently overlook the hungry and turn away from the afflicted. We continue our warring ways, blaming others for our wrongs, and speaking against our neighbors. Have mercy on us. Open our hearts to compassion and peace.

God of all, you remind us that there is much that bends us over, many spirits can cripple us at any time. But the time for healing is now. We can embrace the freedom you offer us right now. We can honor you by giving up our self-interested ways and giving things to you in all things. Even as we are overwhelmed by the tragedies in our lives and the world around us, you embrace us and call us to Sabbath rest. Open our lives that we may we come to you with all that is within us.

Passionate, fiery God, we live in a chaotic world with all kinds of noise and busyness to take our attention from you. We are so easily lost in work, information, entertainment, and in less meaningful activities. Set us on fire! Let us be consumed with a fire that brings light into the dark places of our lives. Open our spirits that we may worship you with reverence and awe.

In gratitude for the abundance of your steadfast love and mercy, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

RCL – Year C – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – August 25, 2013
Jeremiah 1:4-10 with Psalm 71:1-6 or
Isaiah 58:9b-14 with Psalm 103:1-8 and
Hebrews 12:18-29 and
Luke 13:10-17

Challenge, Change, and Faith

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churchThe church is dead. The church is dying. The church is irrelevant. I’ve heard statements like these increasingly more often in the last couple of years. Truth be told, I’ve made similar observations myself for more than a decade. But after reading this week’s lectionary, I no longer agree that the church is dead, dying, or irrelevant. Although, it could be if we don’t pay better attention.

First, Isaiah’s words to the people of Israel. God is not pleased. The offerings and prayers of the people have become meaningless. They are going through the motions of faith, but they do not seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend orphans, or plead for widows. They have lost their way, again. God does not want empty religious rituals. God wants their hearts and their lives. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch for Isaiah’s word’s to be meant for today’s church goers.

The Hebrews text is the beautiful reminder of the power of faith. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. The passage goes on to remind the church in Jerusalem that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had faith in the midst of challenge and change; they did not sit still and wait for things to happen. The emerging church was changing the face of religious practice in those days, and it was scary. The reminder to trust God to guide the journey and fulfill promises was a timely one. And, like the Isaiah text, it’s not hard to imagine that these words spoken to the church now.

No, we aren’t dead. No, we aren’t dying. No, we aren’t irrelevant. But we could be all these things if we don’t pay more attention. The caution to Jerusalem’s emerging church was not to do things that would make God ashamed to be their God. It’s a reasonable caution for today’s emerging church. Where have our rituals become empty? Where have our offerings become meaningless? Is God honored by our actions or ashamed of them? Do we truly seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend orphans or plead for widows?

We aren’t dead or dying, but we are changing; something new is emerging. Change is essential to the church’s survival and we don’t like it. This resistance to and dislike of change has been consistent since the early church. We don’t know what to do when the shape of our religious practice shifts. It makes us anxious and in our anxiety we tend to cling more firmly to things and rituals that don’t really mean all that much. Therefore, the reminders of the faithful who have gone before us. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Miriam, Rebecca, and Rachael. Peter, Paul, and Stephen. Mary, Martha, and Lydia. And the countless men and women who walked paths of faith when the present and the future were unclear.

So lest we become irrelevant, let us get moving with the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. Let’s ask ourselves what is essential for Christian faith right now, and pray for the courage to let all the rest fall away. It’s not too late. We aren’t dead yet. And we are not irrelevant. People need faith now as much as ever before, if not more so. The church has a unique message for those who are hungry. It’s time we look to see where our treasure lies (and move it if it is in the wrong place.)

Let your steadfast love, O God, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

For those of you who need musical motivation, check this out:  Do Something

photo from pdphoto.org

RCL – Year C – Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – August 11, 2013
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 with Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 or
Genesis 15:1-6 with Psalm 33:12-22 and
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Luke 12:32-40

You are Not Your Barn

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canada_3_bg_062104When I read a scripture passage that is directly relevant today, I am unsettled in a strange way. Our scriptures were written so long ago that I expect a bit of interpretation to be necessary to relate them to what’s happening now. When this is not the case, it’s unnerving. How is it that human beings have not changed over a couple thousand years? How is it that a parable Jesus spoke to his companions in ancient Israel can be so clearly meant for modern ears? I’m amazed at the wisdom and understanding of human nature then, and I am disappointed that in the intervening 20 centuries we haven’t been able to change all that much.

This week’s gospel lesson is a prime example. It’s all about the need for stuff and how it gets in the way of valuing what is really important. I like my stuff, too. I wonder how I would get along without my laptop, my smartphone, my cooking appliances, my car, and a whole bunch of other things. I am also very well aware of the deceptive desire for more stuff, better stuff, even though I already have more than what I technically need. I also know from experience that I question my own value when I lose the majority of things I have accumulated. I wish this were not true.

I’d like to say that society has made this tendency to want “bigger barns” more pervasive today. But if Jesus took the time to mention this problem, I’m guessing it isn’t new and probably no worse than it ever has been. I think what is worse is the nature of the things we want and why we want them. The farmer in the story wanted to store his excess grain against future need. He went a bit overboard to the detriment of others who had need of more grain in the present, but his reasons for wanting to store his grain seemed sound enough. I don’t think most of us want to store up our stuff against a time of future need.

This culture of excess is a symptom of a deeper need, a need that no amount of stuff can meet. I’ve often heard modern western society described as becoming increasingly narcissistic. Well, yes, on the one hand, it does seem that people are a bit more self-focused than I seem to remember in years passed. However, I don’t think narcissism is an accurate diagnosis. I think we are a society adrift. Whether our barns are full to overflowing or we have nothing to claim as our own, our longing for stuff belies a greater need for identity. Or as Jesus put it, a lack of true richness toward God.

Every day I tell at least one of my psychiatric patients that she (or he) is more than her 2012-11-01 15.21.08diagnosis, her past, her losses, her bad choices, or any other way she chooses to devalue herself. “You don’t know me so you can’t say that!” is often the response I get. I don’t have to know you to know that you have value, that you matter, that you are God’s beloved child.

I want to tell people who overextend their credit buying things they don’t need to show their success. I want to say this to our governments who vie for power and place in a world that has more than enough of everything for everyone, and they just keep trying to build bigger barns. I want to say this wherever anyone feels threatened by any group of human beings fighting for equality and justice. I want to say this anytime anyone chooses material goods over human needs.

However, I realize that words are easy. And if words could change human nature, then surely Jesus’ words would have changed us all by now. I feel like there should be a real action to take here, but I don’t know what it is. What will help us value one another more and material goods less? So, I ask all you church members, believers, seekers, and doubters out there this question:  How do we show one another that we are more valuable than our bank accounts, our stuff, our achievements while also demonstrating that we are also far more than our failures, our weaknesses, our struggles, and our pains? What does storing up treasure in heaven look like today?

RCL – Year C – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – August 4, 2013
Hosea 11:1-11 with Psalm 107:1-9, 43 or
Ecclesiastes 1:2,12-14; 2:18-23 with Psalm 49:1-12
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21

Barn photo from pdphoto.org

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