Psalm

A Prayer in the Aftermath

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This is my prayerful response to the bombing at the Boston Marathon based on the lectionary readings for the week. If you are looking for a reflection on Psalm 23, click here.

Ever-living God, in days of tragedy and heartbreak, we give you thanks for all the signs of new life around us. The cold days of winter are behind us and the warm days of spring surround us. When anger, fear, and sadness threaten to overwhelm us, open our eyes to the world coming to life everywhere we look. Just as Peter called Tabitha from death to life in your name, you call us from despair to hope. You made us a people of resurrection; lead us into new life now.

Shepherding God, many of us walk in valleys of death; let us walk without fear trusting you to guide us to still waters. We lift up to you all those who suffer in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. But we do not forget all the places in the world where bombs are frequent – Syria, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, and so many other countries around the world. Guard our hearts and spirits from those who would have us live in terror.

God of mercy and grace, we come to you with much on our hearts and minds. We often feel overwhelmed with the state of our world. We focus on the bad news hearing only the awful things. We mourn with those who grieve the loss of life, limb, or innocence from Monday’s bombing. We cry with those whose lives and homes have been destroyed by earthquake in Iran and Pakistan. We echo the fears of flu in China. We wonder at the failure of Congress to vote with their constituents. And there are the personal tragedies – struggles with cancer, addictions, or illness or worries over finances or relationships with loved ones… You know what burdens us and what we are reluctant to let go of. Remind us that your mercy extends to all of us and all those in need. Hear the cries of your people and let us rest in your strong arms.

God who turns mourning to dancing, lead us in the steps of your dance. We long to hear the songs of joy that you would have our hearts sing. You are with the heartbroken and the hopeless bringing healing and promise. Take the heaviness from our hearts and let us sing your praise out loud. You have been with us through every tragedy, every heart break, every act of terrorism, every loss and you are with us now. You embody life and hope. Death and darkness and destruction have no power over you. We stand with you in resurrection light confident that you will wipe every tear from our eyes. Let us dance with you.

God who loves all creation, hear our gratitude for the blessings of this earth. No matter where we are, who we are, what we have done or not done, you shower us with your love. May our lives be filled with love for you and one another. May our acts of grace, hospitality, and forgiveness not be limited to times of tragedy but become our way of living in this world. Let us be gracious stewards of all that you have given to us. Let us live in the fullness of life, rejoicing in the Good News of Resurrection. We are an Easter people and we are your body. May we be reflections of your glory.

Hear the prayers of your people. In Christ’s name. Amen.

RCL – Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 21, 2013DSC00108

Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

Take Your Gloves Off and Touch These Wounds!

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DSC00950
The story of Thomas and his insistence on seeing the risen Christ for himself is one of my favorites. I’ve long believed that Thomas has been rather short changed. He wasn’t so much full of doubt as he was full of healthy reason. He didn’t have a couple thousand years of tradition to fall back on. This risen Christ stuff was brand new. I’d have insisted on seeing and touching those wounds for myself; any reasonable person would do the same.

I remember the first sermon I preached on this passage. I was fascinated by the fact that Jesus identified himself by his wounds, not by the experiences he shared with those gathered in that room. He held up his wounds. Back in my seminary days, I focused on each of us needing to look for Jesus in our own woundedness. I don’t know if it made a whole lot of sense to those who heard that sermon, but for me the idea of Jesus identifying himself through his wounds was a healing one.

But these days I am far less concerned about my own wounds than I am about the brokenness in the world. North Korea is making noises that sound a lot like threats of war. Oil spilled through a neighborhood in Arkansas. Fifty people died in an Afghan suicide bombing. Gun control remains an issue even after countless shootings. Monsanto continues to control food supplies.  People remain in denial about global warming and climate change. The economy of the Eurozone continues to falter. This list could go on. We can all add a personal witness to suffering and brokenness to this list pulled from headline news.

But the wounds and the suffering are not really my point. I want to draw attention to how we respond. Thomas recognized Jesus when Jesus held up his wounds. He didn’t have to touch them to recognize Christ. Today, we need to touch the wounds of the world to recognize Christ. Christ is everywhere bleeding, needing us to respond. Most people don’t. We’ve all done it. We’ve walked past the homeless person as we pretend not to see. We distance ourselves from the troubles of our neighbors. We plug in our devices without questioning where the electricity comes from. We spray chemicals into the air without stopping to wonder what they do to the environment. We eat food without reading the ingredients. We turn the channel when unpleasant news comes on.

I say let’s do something different this Easter Season. Commit to responding to some broken, bleeding part of the world and pay attention to how the experience of touching wounds changes you.

Let everything that breathes praise God!
   Praise be to God!

RCL – Year C – Second Sunday of Easter – April 7, 2013

Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

A Prodigal’s Bidding Prayer

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flower from pdphotoHoly God, you came to reconcile the world and bring new life. No one is excluded from your embrace. Open the arms of your church as wide as the arms of your love. Enliven this body of Christ that we may rejoice when any of your sons and daughters come seeking refuge and healing in our midst. Let us not cling to our traditions so firmly that we fail to be ambassadors of Christ seeking your way and listening for your counsel. Reconciling God, show us the way to new life that we may be alive again.

God of creation, your love for the world is something we so easily forget. More often than not we believe a stranger to be an enemy and dismiss those who suffer. Yet, you would have us throw our arms around the lost ones without judgment. There are places in our world –near and far– that know only violence and despair. Your heartbreaks every time a life is lost in violence or fear or ignorance. God of safe places, widen our reach, open our hearts. Reveal the way of peace to all your people, especially those in positions of leadership and power.

Surprising God, you would have us welcome one another with joy and celebration. But we live in a country divided on nearly all things. Much harm is done in your name, even here. We are a nation of great wealth, power, and resources and still we fail to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Help us to see beyond budgets and party lines to the face of real people who seek hope, safety, and life. It does not matter how much or how hard we have labored or for how long, if any of your children are hungry or hurting. God of abundant life, lead us in ways of justice and equity for all those who live in this great nation.

God of mercy and grace, you offer safety in times of adversity. Remind us that you offer yourself to all people, even those who call you by another name. Our communities are changing and we grow fearful. We tend to forget that all that you have is ours. We are free to share the abundance of your grace because there will always be more than enough. Show us the path to welcome our neighbors from foreign places. May our churches be true sanctuaries for the refugee, the immigrant, the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, the elderly, the homeless, and all those who are vulnerable and feel unloved and unwanted. Welcoming God, open our hearts to the joy of knowing you that we may kill our fatted calves and rejoice with those who find new life in you.

Healing God, we long to rejoice with you whenever a son or daughter comes alive again. Too often we are overwhelmed by all the broken places in our world, our country, our community, and our lives. We ask that you surround with deliverance all those who are lost to addiction, to illness, to poverty, to hunger, to injustice of any kind. Empower us to stand with those who cannot stand on their own. Make us mindful of the needs of all your children. We pray for the countries, the towns, and all people who are in need of healing and reconciliation. Rejoicing God, unite us with our brothers and sisters around the world. Let us all work with your hands to mend our ways and bring healing to all.

God of abundance and life, we thank you for all that we are and all that we have. We know the benefits of life in you. Too often we are distracted from the joy of living in you. But in this moment, we are grateful. You have called us to be your body in this place and we celebrate our call to be the church today. We will continue on this journey through the wilderness, removing those things that separate us from your love. We know that wherever we go or wherever we have been, you welcome us with open arms. We rejoice in your steadfast love and seek to honor you with all that we do. Gracious God, words fail to express the wonders of your love for us. Keep us firmly in your embrace while reminding us that there is room enough for all your children.

In the name of Christ who reconciles the world to you, we pray. Amen.

RCL – Year C – Fourth Sunday in Lent

Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

(image from pdphoto.org)

We Are a Hungry, Thirsty Nation

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Irony lurks in this week’s texts. It’s the third Sunday of Lent and some people have given up certain foods or are fasting to a greater extent. And here we have two passages (Isaiah 55:1-9 and Psalm 63:1-8) that speak of hunger and thirst. The Isaiah pericope opens with an invitation to a feast: Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Sign me up!

The bigger irony is that Americans are kind of obsessed with food. Fast food, junk food, healthy food, dessert food, breakfast food, all kinds of food 24 hours a day. It’s amazing, really. We use food to comfort ourselves (chocolate or mac and cheese anyone?), to celebrate (birthday cake), to ease boredom (ice cream in front of the tv), and sometimes when we are actually hungry. Beverages are similar. When did America start running on coffee? When did everyone start carrying water bottles everywhere? When did coffee mugs or soda bottles begin to accompany us to every meeting? We are a hungry, thirsty nation.

But there is something really off with all this, right? The obesity rate is climbing. Eating disorders afflict many. Food allergies plague more and more people. We’re eating, but we are at the wrong table. Then I read about a petition to the FDA to be able to add aspartame to dairy products and not have label it that way. Why? I’ve also read too much about Monsanto and genetically modified grains and vegetables. Then there is how animals are “raised” in horrid circumstances and fed hormones just to get the kind of meat that is pleasing to the consumer. We ingest ridiculous amounts of chemicals daily, even when we try to eat healthy foods. And, with a few exceptions, the healthier you try to eat, the more it costs you. So we remain hungry, thirsty, and obsessed.

Isaiah raises a timely question!  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?  Why do we spend our money and our time on those things which do not nourish us? We’re really good at it and incredibly creative. Aspartame in milk! Who would have ever thought? It’s not just corporations and lobbyists wasting time and money and walking away dissatisfied. This lack of nourishment seems to be a real problem nearly everywhere. Look at Congress and the endless debates over budget, gun control, and immigration. Look at New Hampshire where the governor wants to pay for mental health care and education with a casino. Look at your own life and ask yourself how many times you walk away from something shaking your head and wishing you’d done something else instead.

Lent provides us a perfect time to ask ourselves where we are nourished. Whose table are we dining at? And do we walk away satisfied or do we remain malnourished?

Isaiah issues a call to a banquet, a promise to feed all who are hungry and thirsty. No one will walk away without being nourished and satisfied. Our obsession with food and drink in this country belies a much deeper yearning. The psalmist names it:  O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Lent is the perfect time to seek a better sustenance, to reclaim our faith which we know can make us whole. Stop doing the things that waste our time, and begin doing the things that fill us, satisfy us, and make us better people. It’s the right time to find our way back to the banquet table. Isaiah’s invitation is still open. We don’t have to keep thinking we are eating and feeling we are starving. We don’t have to be super-sized. It takes an honesty with ourselves. It takes time to sit and be still and realize how hungry we really are, and how empty we can let our lives become. There are weeks still in this Lenten season. Life without God is empty, and we will never be satisfied.

Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, foodand to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

RCL -Third Sunday of Lent – March 3, 2013

Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
1Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

A Post-Election Prayer

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Come, let us unite in prayer for the church throughout the world. (silence or a time for people to quietly give voice to their concerns) Gracious God, many voices cry out to you, and you hear us all. Grant us the grace and wisdom to honor and celebrate all who gather at your table. O … Read More

Politics, Pondering, and Profundity

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Series 1:
Job 1:1; 2:1-10
Psalm 26
Series 2:
Genesis 2:18-24
Psalm 8

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Mark 10:2-16

Here are the most popular headlines from a few news sites…

Most viewed (from http://www.npr.org, on 10/7/12)

Most shared (from http://www.bbc.com/news/, on 10/7/12)

Most popular (from http://edition.cnn.com/ on 10/7/12)

And lastly, Trending Now (from http://www.foxnews.com/, 10/7/12)

After reading through these headlines, I think the Psalmist has a very good question for God:  what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? (Ps 8:3). Of all the things going on in the world today, lines on Mars, pigs eating a farmer, and uncooperative clothing command our attention? I’m not even sure how some of these stories qualify as news. I know there is an entertainment factor, but the important news gets lost in this.

To be honest, I will be preaching from Psalm 8 this Sunday because I lead worship in a psychiatric hospital. However, I’m not sure I’d want to tackle the other texts, particularly the Gospel reading with its statements on divorce and adultery, even in a more traditional setting. Divorce is an emotional issue and one that is not easily navigated even by emphasizing the “what God has joined together, let no one separate” part of Jesus’ pronouncement on marriage. Nor would it be particularly helpful to set the context for what Jesus said and why he might have said it. With all the debate around marriage equity and traditional marriage this passage presents challenges for both those in pulpits and those in pews. It raises the question of what is important.

Those who asked Jesus the question were testing him. He didn’t give them the answer they expected and maybe raised questions. I will leave the pondering of this text for those of you who are brave enough to preach it…And because I want give my full attention to tonight’s presidential debate!

So, I’m going to end this with my own response to pondering Psalm 8 and suggest that we all spend a little more time deciding what is really important for our lives, the lives of those around us, and the world in which we live.

The following poem is from my book, A Circle in the Dark: Daily Meditations for Advent. Eugene, OR: WIPF and Stock, 2011, pg. 70-71.

Profound Insight

In the light of the moon
at the ocean’s edge
seeking the moment when
horizon meets darkness

under countless stars
on innumerable grains of sand
awed by the vastness
of the universe

I am mind full
and wonder that You
who created all that is
would take notice of me

Your majesty and power
fill me with awe
and confront me
with transforming truth

You so loved the world
that I may walk in light
through the darkness
bearing Your honor and glory

the moon and stars
adorn night skies
a thousand miracles
are a handful of sand

You’ve done all this and still
You love the particularity of me
asking only that I love
with Your love in return

A gift You deem me
worthy to receive
without hesitation
You make me whole

In gratitude and awe
I lift my voice with
ancient words of
gratefulness and praise

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is
Your name
in all the earth!

A Circle in the Dark: Daily Meditations for Advent

It Isn’t All About the Work

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RCL – Year B – Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost – September 9, 2012 Series 1: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Psalm 125 Series 2: Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146 James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17 Mark 7:24-37 Labor Day has come and gone. The summer has come to an end (never mind what the thermometer or the calendar says). … Read More

Grace, Hope, Forgiveness, Etc. …

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RCL – Year B – Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – August 26, 2012 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43 with Psalm 84 or Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 with Psalm 34:15-22 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 I am on vacation this week and didn’t want to skip posting. The poem below is from my book, Negotiating the Shadows: Daily … Read More

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