Reading: 2 Samuel 16:5-14
David, the shepherd boy and first musical therapist, renowned giant killer and psalm writer – and most importantly -- part of the Hebrew lineage of Jesus, had a lot of plusses. But he also had some human and disturbing qualities for a leader. David was known to lie when it was convenient, and then there was the unfortunate Bathsheba incident where he had an affair then used his army to murder her husband. His immediate lineage was the dysfunctional family circus with the son of one wife raping the daughter of another, then David’s son Absalom revolting against him and dying in battle. He was such a bad example and had been such a bloody king (at one point he only agreed to marry Saul’s daughter after her learns he gets to kill 100 Philistines to get her) that God doesn’t allow David to build the temple, but instead passes the task on to Solomon. Yet God loves David, so he softens the blow by saying, “Who are you to build me a house? You cannot build me a house. But, I will build a house for you” and promises him Christ. (2 Samuel 7)
When the Bible says David was a man after God’s own heart, I don’t think it means David was like God. I think it means David was seeking God and God’s love. David had an honest relationship with God (if no one else) and tried in many ways to make God feel honored (fighting for God, treating Jonathan’s crippled son with kindness, refusing to kill Saul because God at one time anointed him, trying to keep the Ark safe). David chased God. Even though his lust and anger often got the best of him, David was a God seeker and a God server in a powerful way. That’s why the strange text in today’s reading doesn’t really surprise me.
The story of Shimei is not often preached about – perhaps a story about throwing dirt and cursing a leader being a tolerated act isn’t what most preachers want to encourage from the pulpit. But it is an amazing story that can inspire us in so many ways. Have you ever heard it preached?
During the bloody war with Absalom as David’s army is traveling, a man named Shimei shows up. He is from Saul’s family and has not forgotten the total devastation of Saul’s clan at David’s hands or the fact he took power from Saul. He begins throwing rocks at David and cursing him and his body guards. Finally after enough cursing and stones, a guard asks David for permission to kill him. David says no. He tells the guard that maybe God has caused the man to curse David, and if David tolerates it, then maybe God will give him a blessing for taking such a nasty cursing. So they walk all the way to their destination with Shimei cursing, and throwing rocks and dirt all over them. My favorite part is verse 14 where it says “When they arrived at their destination – they were exhausted”. I bet! How much cursing and dirt would it take to turn your trip upside down?
Why would David, a King, allow some peasant to throw dirt in his face and curse him? Why would God “cause” somebody to curse someone else?
David was ready for truth
David knew Shimei had legitimate complaints. David was a bloody king, he did take Saul’s throne, and he had murdered unjustly. David’s own son was trying to kill him. David knew the only way to relate to God and the people of Israel about this disaster was to be honest. He’s tired of hiding. He’s done with excuses and spin doctors. “I sinned and the result was this bloody war that has split my family and this nation,” David is ready to say. Along comes Shimei who is willing to say it for him. Shimei tells David’s truth in his spew of curses.
Each of us has people in our life that God has put there to tell us our truth. When we are too tired, unfocused or misdirected that person comes along and “curses” us (hopefully in a more loving and less dirty fashion). Our human tendency is to push them away, argue with them, or silence them somehow. But to seek God - to be after God’s own heart means we should honor them, protect their right to speak and let them talk. The people God sends may not be your parent, sibling or best friend. They may not even have your best interests at heart (Shimei certainly wasn’t working for the “Re-elect King David Committee”) It may be a stranger or someone you needed to forgive or who needed to forgive you. But the Holy Spirit knows truth when it hears it. Don’t silence it. Learn from it.
David is able to let God out of the box
Notice David’s not sure if this is God’s will or not. He tells the guard “IF he is cursing because the Lord told him to…” . Even David can’t confirm if this is God’s will or just some crazy old man who is remotely related to Saul his old enemy, long since gone. But David is not going to take the chance of shutting off God’s words because they come from an unlikely source. The reasoning seems to be “if it’s not God, well – it’s not hurting us too much. If it is God, then we better listen.” David knows God speaks through a variety of means and loves God too much to take the chance of shutting God up.
We make the mistake of putting God in the box of our expectations. There are people who God uses to speak to us – our pastor, parent or friend. We don’t like it when God does the unexpected and sends a song, a police officer, a new person, an old enemy, or a book other than the Bible to reveal God’s message to us. We don’t even bother with “IF it’s God…” we just shut off the source and assume it wasn’t. We are not willing to risk a good cursing, or unique messenger, even if it blesses us.
When I was in college and a new Christian, I went through a period where I only listened to Christian music and I only read Christian books. I decided if God was going to speak to me – God would do it through Amy Grant, not Eddie Van Halen. After some time, my faith began to be tested and Amy Grant’s "El Shaddai" was not helping. I grew in despair and questioned if God really could love me. I was full of sin and self and it didn’t make any sense to think a Holy God would ever get near me, let alone love me or speak to me in a real way. I gave up on God and took the Amy Grant tape out of my player and put Van Halen’s back in. A few days later, still struggling, Van Halen’s “Love Comes Walkin’ In” came out of the speakers. This secular song had words I had been waiting to hear…
“and then you sense a change
nothin' feels the same
all your dreams are strange
love comes walkin' in”
The Holy Spirit jumped up and down in my heart – telling me God’s love had made a change in me, I wasn’t the same and God had walked into my life to stay. I didn’t even bother with “If this is God…” because I knew it was. It didn't make any sense, but I knew the truth. I still listened to Amy Grant on occasion, but I knew the power of God to speak was not limited to A&M Records and the Baptist Book Store. David knew that too. He didn’t need the prophet Nathan – He was willing to hear God through any one.
David knows God doesn’t make sense
Theologians have asked for centuries – why would God pick David to enthrone the line of Christ? However, the Bible has always seemed to favor stories about flawed people doing the Holy God’s finest work. There’s no point in dissecting it. God simply doesn’t make sense.
David knew it. The youngest of the brothers is picked to be king. A shepherd boy kills a giant. A musician becomes a warrior. An anointed king hides in caves. A prayerful man has an illicit love affair. The protector of the Ark isn’t allowed to build its temple. David could have told you point blank – God doesn’t make our kind of sense. So, why not have an old man throwing dirt and stones to curse him at God’s behest? It’s the kind of thing God might do.
Pierre Bayle was a French Calvinist who lived between 1650 and 1705. He wrote an important theological document called the “Historical and Critical Dictionary” in which he spoke of Christian tolerance. He said God could not be explained in terms of human reason, and faith must be founded on the concept that God is mysterious and unpredictable. His main example was God’s love for King David. He said David was “a criminal, a murderer, a rapist, an adulterer, and adored by God.” To any human, this was clearly inappropriate and not rational. And yet it was the way of God. He went on to argue that God is so creative and beyond our logic that a Christian cannot truly know the mind, ways or plan of God. All Christians can know is that they love God and are called to live out that relationship in love. He said we are not to judge one another, because clearly through David God shows God can love and use whomever God chooses, no matter what we think.
It’s hard to imagine the ways God might speak to us, or the people God might actually love. What if we chose to listen to these ways? What if God sends someone to curse us? What if we listen to these people? Like David’s army, at the end of our journey we would be exhausted! But, what an amazing, honest trip we would have had – walking like David, seeking after God’s own heart.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Ancora Imparo
Lectionary Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
“Ancora Imparo” is Italian for “I am still learning”. It is attributed (unsourced) to Michelangelo who is said to have uttered the famous phrase when he was 87 years old. It’s hard to imagine the painter of the Sistine chapel, sculptor of David, and self described liberator of angels (“I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”) telling someone he was still learning. And yet, I believe he was. His art was a journey, not a fact, and he learned more about it until the day he died.
When it comes to the Bible, I can say with great confidence – “Ancora Imparo”. I am still learning. I am learning from history, from the Holy Spirit, from the people – young and old alike – who I am blessed to talk with, and from the sacred library that is the Bible itself. I am unashamed in my journey of learning, and if you spend more than ten minutes near me – I will learn something from you! (Yes, I am sort of a learning vampire).
I tend to cringe when I hear someone remark “And that’s in the Bible!” to justify their actions or belief. I think it’s a backwards (and sometimes abusive) way to do things. It is not God’s desire that we see the Bible through our eyes and use it to support our faith-view. It is God’s desire that our eyes see through the lens of the Bible and we become it’s faith-view.
In other words – we shouldn’t study to make sure the Bible says what we think it says. We should study to be sure we are becoming who the Bible says God thinks we are. The book isn’t going to change. We are!
Confusion and Clarity
Jesus advocated change. His followers advocated doing things differently. As Jews, men had to be circumcised on the body. As Christians, they were told to be circumcised spiritually in the heart (and the body could be spared). The old eating laws were changed and shrimp was back on the menu (along with food offered to idols for those who didn’t mind that kind of thing). The old seating laws (temple classism, and religious sexism) were changed. Now the poor, women, and eunuchs were all baptized and part of the faith. Suddenly, the old laws had new meanings and prophecy became the present. Imagine their surprise when they got a letter that said, “All scripture is God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16).
By “holy scripture” – the epistle didn’t mean the New Testament, the Gospels, and book of Revelation. Those writings were still being written, collected and debated. By “scripture” the writer meant the Torah, the writings of the Prophets, and laws given to Israel. How weird for the converted Jews and Gentile Christians who had been living a new way to get a letter that says “Keep living your new way in Christ because the old way is good”. WHAT? Which is it??? Old or New? Law or Love? And even more confusing - the answer they got to the “law or love” question was: “Yes”.
Fortunately there is also some clarity. Notice Timothy is told that the scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (3:15). Wait a minute…if the writer is talking about the Torah, written before the common era, where does Jesus come in? Jesus comes in through the prophets who foretold the Messiah. The Holy Scriptures of Israel’s past talked about the fact there would be change – there would be a Messiah. The prophets said new people would be grafted in to the faith. There would be peace. There would be love. The old laws prepared the people to live faithfully so they could have faith enough to live a new way when the Messiah came. The law led us to love.
The code of Leviticus/Deuteronomy had one purpose for the Hebrews: to teach them to live their lives in such a way that others could see they were God’s people. (That’s what the no mixing fabrics, foods, and purity rituals were all about – showing other cultures about the One God). We don’t have to avoid shrimp, sacrifice doves, or avoid poly-cotton T-shirts. But Leviticus still challenges us to live our lives in such a way that others can see we are God’s people. The method, in the light of grace, has changed. But the meaning is the same. Law leads to Love. The law won’t change, but we will.
Those Itching Ears….
Whenever I hear about the itching ears Timothy was warned about – its usually in the context of someone fearing the Bible is being used too “liberally” and that the tough realities of Christ are being ignored for a popular or social gospel. But, like the question about the law – there is more than meets the eye (or ears!).
In the time this letter was written, the Gnostics were in a theological war with the followers of Christ through the Apostles. The Gnostics believed Jesus didn’t really die (and hence was not resurrected), they thought they needed special wisdom, and put more emphasis on deities than salvation. To the converted Christians who came from Pan-theistic (many gods) cults – the Gnostic theology sounded good – you could have Jesus, and still believe in other stuff and impress each other with special knowledge. It proved to them that the people who worshiped many gods weren’t wrong all along. Those were most likely the “itching ears” the letter was warning about. They were warned about forsaking the truth and grace of Jesus Christ for a story that made them feel right.
And what about our itching ears? What myths do we turn to? Some people turn to stories passed down in tradition (like that it was an apple Eve ate, or that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute – the Bible says neither). Others follow church dogma, and confuse it with Biblical truth (nowhere does the Bible say that you have to be a “member” of a church to take communion or do anything else). People who preach “prosperity faith” see the teachings on giving, but forget the widow’s mite and the mandate to help the poor (not the church fund). Parents who correct their children by hitting them see the scriptures about the “rod of correction” without considering it’s a metaphor for teaching discipline or learning what that Hebrew word translated “rod” really meant.
We all have itching ears. We all want to hear what we already believe. We want the Bible to back us up and prove we were correct. And we are all warned not to forsake the truth and grace of Jesus Christ for a story that makes us feel right. How do we not? How do we stay true to our Messiah? We need to follow the advice given to Timothy. “Keep your head in all situations…do the work of an evangelist”. Use your brain and make some sense! An evangelist is a “good messenger” – someone who shares the good news not the old fears.
We are called to act with grace, not react with self-righteousness. Don’t memorize verses – live them. Don’t make the Bible a part of your life – become a part of it. Forsake condemnation and follow Christ in conversation. Don’t use the Bible to prove you – but strive with your life to prove the Bible. Then lean, lean, lean on grace – and don’t forget that’s what is holding you up. For by grace are we saved…
I believe the Bible is the Word of God, carried to us by human hands, and it tells me who God is, and who I am supposed to become as an individual and in a community. As for everything else – "Ancora Imparo".
“Ancora Imparo” is Italian for “I am still learning”. It is attributed (unsourced) to Michelangelo who is said to have uttered the famous phrase when he was 87 years old. It’s hard to imagine the painter of the Sistine chapel, sculptor of David, and self described liberator of angels (“I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”) telling someone he was still learning. And yet, I believe he was. His art was a journey, not a fact, and he learned more about it until the day he died.
When it comes to the Bible, I can say with great confidence – “Ancora Imparo”. I am still learning. I am learning from history, from the Holy Spirit, from the people – young and old alike – who I am blessed to talk with, and from the sacred library that is the Bible itself. I am unashamed in my journey of learning, and if you spend more than ten minutes near me – I will learn something from you! (Yes, I am sort of a learning vampire).
I tend to cringe when I hear someone remark “And that’s in the Bible!” to justify their actions or belief. I think it’s a backwards (and sometimes abusive) way to do things. It is not God’s desire that we see the Bible through our eyes and use it to support our faith-view. It is God’s desire that our eyes see through the lens of the Bible and we become it’s faith-view.
In other words – we shouldn’t study to make sure the Bible says what we think it says. We should study to be sure we are becoming who the Bible says God thinks we are. The book isn’t going to change. We are!
Confusion and Clarity
Jesus advocated change. His followers advocated doing things differently. As Jews, men had to be circumcised on the body. As Christians, they were told to be circumcised spiritually in the heart (and the body could be spared). The old eating laws were changed and shrimp was back on the menu (along with food offered to idols for those who didn’t mind that kind of thing). The old seating laws (temple classism, and religious sexism) were changed. Now the poor, women, and eunuchs were all baptized and part of the faith. Suddenly, the old laws had new meanings and prophecy became the present. Imagine their surprise when they got a letter that said, “All scripture is God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16).
By “holy scripture” – the epistle didn’t mean the New Testament, the Gospels, and book of Revelation. Those writings were still being written, collected and debated. By “scripture” the writer meant the Torah, the writings of the Prophets, and laws given to Israel. How weird for the converted Jews and Gentile Christians who had been living a new way to get a letter that says “Keep living your new way in Christ because the old way is good”. WHAT? Which is it??? Old or New? Law or Love? And even more confusing - the answer they got to the “law or love” question was: “Yes”.
Fortunately there is also some clarity. Notice Timothy is told that the scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (3:15). Wait a minute…if the writer is talking about the Torah, written before the common era, where does Jesus come in? Jesus comes in through the prophets who foretold the Messiah. The Holy Scriptures of Israel’s past talked about the fact there would be change – there would be a Messiah. The prophets said new people would be grafted in to the faith. There would be peace. There would be love. The old laws prepared the people to live faithfully so they could have faith enough to live a new way when the Messiah came. The law led us to love.
The code of Leviticus/Deuteronomy had one purpose for the Hebrews: to teach them to live their lives in such a way that others could see they were God’s people. (That’s what the no mixing fabrics, foods, and purity rituals were all about – showing other cultures about the One God). We don’t have to avoid shrimp, sacrifice doves, or avoid poly-cotton T-shirts. But Leviticus still challenges us to live our lives in such a way that others can see we are God’s people. The method, in the light of grace, has changed. But the meaning is the same. Law leads to Love. The law won’t change, but we will.
Those Itching Ears….
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead,
to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of
teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears
away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all
situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the
duties of your ministry.”
Whenever I hear about the itching ears Timothy was warned about – its usually in the context of someone fearing the Bible is being used too “liberally” and that the tough realities of Christ are being ignored for a popular or social gospel. But, like the question about the law – there is more than meets the eye (or ears!).
In the time this letter was written, the Gnostics were in a theological war with the followers of Christ through the Apostles. The Gnostics believed Jesus didn’t really die (and hence was not resurrected), they thought they needed special wisdom, and put more emphasis on deities than salvation. To the converted Christians who came from Pan-theistic (many gods) cults – the Gnostic theology sounded good – you could have Jesus, and still believe in other stuff and impress each other with special knowledge. It proved to them that the people who worshiped many gods weren’t wrong all along. Those were most likely the “itching ears” the letter was warning about. They were warned about forsaking the truth and grace of Jesus Christ for a story that made them feel right.
And what about our itching ears? What myths do we turn to? Some people turn to stories passed down in tradition (like that it was an apple Eve ate, or that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute – the Bible says neither). Others follow church dogma, and confuse it with Biblical truth (nowhere does the Bible say that you have to be a “member” of a church to take communion or do anything else). People who preach “prosperity faith” see the teachings on giving, but forget the widow’s mite and the mandate to help the poor (not the church fund). Parents who correct their children by hitting them see the scriptures about the “rod of correction” without considering it’s a metaphor for teaching discipline or learning what that Hebrew word translated “rod” really meant.
We all have itching ears. We all want to hear what we already believe. We want the Bible to back us up and prove we were correct. And we are all warned not to forsake the truth and grace of Jesus Christ for a story that makes us feel right. How do we not? How do we stay true to our Messiah? We need to follow the advice given to Timothy. “Keep your head in all situations…do the work of an evangelist”. Use your brain and make some sense! An evangelist is a “good messenger” – someone who shares the good news not the old fears.
We are called to act with grace, not react with self-righteousness. Don’t memorize verses – live them. Don’t make the Bible a part of your life – become a part of it. Forsake condemnation and follow Christ in conversation. Don’t use the Bible to prove you – but strive with your life to prove the Bible. Then lean, lean, lean on grace – and don’t forget that’s what is holding you up. For by grace are we saved…
I believe the Bible is the Word of God, carried to us by human hands, and it tells me who God is, and who I am supposed to become as an individual and in a community. As for everything else – "Ancora Imparo".
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Pride of Lions
Lectionary Reading: Luke 17:11-19
During the U.S.-led Invasion of Baghdad in 2003 a pride of lions escaped the bomb damaged Baghdad Zoo and roamed the deserted streets of the city for three days. The keepers of the zoo had fled a few days before troops arrived, leaving the captive animals without food or water. Residents looted the zoo – taking many of the animals for food or to sell on the black market. After American soldiers took over the city, they assigned a unit to repair and take control of the zoo and somehow capture the lions.
Using large armored vehicles and the temptation of food, all but 3 of the lions were guided back into the repaired habitat. The remaining three, terrorized during the previous bombing, confused by the noisy tanks and hungry, would not be led and were killed by soldiers. With three days of freedom the lions could have gone anywhere, but instead the pride wandered no farther than 2 miles from the zoo – cruising the streets of Baghdad looking for some thing to eat. Years of captivity dulled their instinct, and extinguished their ability to comprehend the natural, wild world. Even though the escape had given them liberty – they were not truly free.
Our lectionary reading today is a popular story from the healing life of Christ. Ministers who don’t use the lectionary usually tell it when church attendance gets low or at Thanksgiving. But this story isn’t just about our need to come to Jesus and say, “thank you”. It’s about us and it reminds us that unless our relationship with Christ liberates our minds and restores our instincts as God’s children we will wander aimlessly even though we have been liberated.
Held In Captivity
The men of this story were on the outskirts of the city in an area known as the “valley of the lepers”. It’s interesting to note that the Greek word used here does not really mean leprosy. It is a word that means more like “unspecified skin disorder”. The people of that age could not always tell the difference between leprosy and other diseases and so anyone with a severe skin disease was thrown into the leprosy category and banished from the temple and the city. Because some folks just had a rash, eczema or severe acne – there was a set of laws that allowed priests to proclaim them healed if it cleared up and re-admit them into society.
Yet these men were captive to their disease. As long as physical evidence showed them to have a skin disorder (possibly leprosy) they were left in the valley to starve or eat what ever someone was willing to throw to them (or at them) and warn people to stay away. Their family, their jobs and their ability to worship were gone. Think of it -- every day they woke up, looked over their bodies and hoped:
Today was the day their skin cleared.
Today was the day they could have everything back.
Today was the day they could be with God.
Today was the day they would be free.
Then as the sun broke the horizon they saw the white patches on their arms, legs and reflected on each other’s downcast faces – the next 23 hours and fifty-seven minutes would just be the same old captivity to loneliness and hunger.
We are captive too, only our captivity is somewhat more sinister because we can’t see it on our skin. It lives in our hearts. We are captive to a world where success means material comfort which chains us to work addiction and starves our loved ones for our attention and wisdom. We are captive to a media obsessed manipulative culture where concepts like “fact”, “truth” and “dignity” don’t sell, aren’t used and we are starved for justice and peace. We are captive to fear that keeps us from honestly relating to others, learning from mentors, asking the hard questions or sharing God’s answers. We stare through the bars of our own inability and pray to God to feed us where we are.
Sometimes, we can even be captive in church. Like a spiritual zoo, we sit in our pew, go to our groups, wait to be fed, and hope the world can learn the Gospel from us as they encounter us in our cage Sunday morning. We create programs to bring people in to where we are -- instead of understanding ourselves as God’s children who were called to be sent out. There is a call to repentance in this passage of the Word. We all need to stand by the roadside as Christ passes by and pray with these lepers, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Delivered to Destiny
Please don’t misunderstand – church is a good thing. It is the gathering of saints – the body of Christ where we learn and worship in community. Notice Jesus sent the lepers to the temple so the priest could proclaim them healed. But the temple didn’t heal them. Jesus did. Church is where we learn of how we can be healed and proclaim our healing and redemption – but church doesn’t heal us. Jesus does. We need to relate to Jesus. Sometimes in our captivity we forget the feeder while we enjoy the food.
That certainly is what happened to 9 of the 10 lepers. They were so excited to be liberated from their disease and so hungry for their loved ones and a good meal that they forgot the one who healed them. They got their religion back, but they had no real relationship. Like the lions of the Baghdad zoo who were led right back to their benevolent captivity – they were back to “normal”. But one wasn’t. One healed leper – a Samaritan (the Pharisees version of “less than”) – knew he was liberated but wasn’t’ free until he related with the one who healed him personally.
“Where are the other 9?” Jesus asked, although he knew the answer and so do we. The other 9 were at home, hugging their families and stuffing bread in their mouths. They would tell the story of their healing later – if they remembered it, after all it had been quite a dramatic day and there was so much of life to catch up on. They were busy. The other 9 are content to sit in their temple and be seen as healed -- after all it was just a skin disease. Maybe later the 9 would get together and sue the priest for wrongful diagnosis.
And the 1 who returned? He thanked Jesus. He fell at his feet and praised God. He remembers who healed him. He will go and tell the story of the one he praised to anyone who will listen. He wasn’t just liberated from possible leprosy. He was truly set free.
Live your faith then share your life
What about us? No matter what chained us we need to go to the temple and show ourselves healed as we rejoice with our brothers and sisters who were liberated too. Then we need to go back – to go out – and to thank Jesus every day in our lives. We need to live as God’s children who are truly free to show the story of grace in every place we go. Don't wander around the war-torn city seeking something else to eat- go in your freedom as one sent by God and thrive. In other words: Live your faith then share your life.
During the U.S.-led Invasion of Baghdad in 2003 a pride of lions escaped the bomb damaged Baghdad Zoo and roamed the deserted streets of the city for three days. The keepers of the zoo had fled a few days before troops arrived, leaving the captive animals without food or water. Residents looted the zoo – taking many of the animals for food or to sell on the black market. After American soldiers took over the city, they assigned a unit to repair and take control of the zoo and somehow capture the lions.
Using large armored vehicles and the temptation of food, all but 3 of the lions were guided back into the repaired habitat. The remaining three, terrorized during the previous bombing, confused by the noisy tanks and hungry, would not be led and were killed by soldiers. With three days of freedom the lions could have gone anywhere, but instead the pride wandered no farther than 2 miles from the zoo – cruising the streets of Baghdad looking for some thing to eat. Years of captivity dulled their instinct, and extinguished their ability to comprehend the natural, wild world. Even though the escape had given them liberty – they were not truly free.
Our lectionary reading today is a popular story from the healing life of Christ. Ministers who don’t use the lectionary usually tell it when church attendance gets low or at Thanksgiving. But this story isn’t just about our need to come to Jesus and say, “thank you”. It’s about us and it reminds us that unless our relationship with Christ liberates our minds and restores our instincts as God’s children we will wander aimlessly even though we have been liberated.
Held In Captivity
The men of this story were on the outskirts of the city in an area known as the “valley of the lepers”. It’s interesting to note that the Greek word used here does not really mean leprosy. It is a word that means more like “unspecified skin disorder”. The people of that age could not always tell the difference between leprosy and other diseases and so anyone with a severe skin disease was thrown into the leprosy category and banished from the temple and the city. Because some folks just had a rash, eczema or severe acne – there was a set of laws that allowed priests to proclaim them healed if it cleared up and re-admit them into society.
Yet these men were captive to their disease. As long as physical evidence showed them to have a skin disorder (possibly leprosy) they were left in the valley to starve or eat what ever someone was willing to throw to them (or at them) and warn people to stay away. Their family, their jobs and their ability to worship were gone. Think of it -- every day they woke up, looked over their bodies and hoped:
Today was the day their skin cleared.
Today was the day they could have everything back.
Today was the day they could be with God.
Today was the day they would be free.
Then as the sun broke the horizon they saw the white patches on their arms, legs and reflected on each other’s downcast faces – the next 23 hours and fifty-seven minutes would just be the same old captivity to loneliness and hunger.
We are captive too, only our captivity is somewhat more sinister because we can’t see it on our skin. It lives in our hearts. We are captive to a world where success means material comfort which chains us to work addiction and starves our loved ones for our attention and wisdom. We are captive to a media obsessed manipulative culture where concepts like “fact”, “truth” and “dignity” don’t sell, aren’t used and we are starved for justice and peace. We are captive to fear that keeps us from honestly relating to others, learning from mentors, asking the hard questions or sharing God’s answers. We stare through the bars of our own inability and pray to God to feed us where we are.
Sometimes, we can even be captive in church. Like a spiritual zoo, we sit in our pew, go to our groups, wait to be fed, and hope the world can learn the Gospel from us as they encounter us in our cage Sunday morning. We create programs to bring people in to where we are -- instead of understanding ourselves as God’s children who were called to be sent out. There is a call to repentance in this passage of the Word. We all need to stand by the roadside as Christ passes by and pray with these lepers, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Delivered to Destiny
Please don’t misunderstand – church is a good thing. It is the gathering of saints – the body of Christ where we learn and worship in community. Notice Jesus sent the lepers to the temple so the priest could proclaim them healed. But the temple didn’t heal them. Jesus did. Church is where we learn of how we can be healed and proclaim our healing and redemption – but church doesn’t heal us. Jesus does. We need to relate to Jesus. Sometimes in our captivity we forget the feeder while we enjoy the food.
That certainly is what happened to 9 of the 10 lepers. They were so excited to be liberated from their disease and so hungry for their loved ones and a good meal that they forgot the one who healed them. They got their religion back, but they had no real relationship. Like the lions of the Baghdad zoo who were led right back to their benevolent captivity – they were back to “normal”. But one wasn’t. One healed leper – a Samaritan (the Pharisees version of “less than”) – knew he was liberated but wasn’t’ free until he related with the one who healed him personally.
“Where are the other 9?” Jesus asked, although he knew the answer and so do we. The other 9 were at home, hugging their families and stuffing bread in their mouths. They would tell the story of their healing later – if they remembered it, after all it had been quite a dramatic day and there was so much of life to catch up on. They were busy. The other 9 are content to sit in their temple and be seen as healed -- after all it was just a skin disease. Maybe later the 9 would get together and sue the priest for wrongful diagnosis.
And the 1 who returned? He thanked Jesus. He fell at his feet and praised God. He remembers who healed him. He will go and tell the story of the one he praised to anyone who will listen. He wasn’t just liberated from possible leprosy. He was truly set free.
Live your faith then share your life
What about us? No matter what chained us we need to go to the temple and show ourselves healed as we rejoice with our brothers and sisters who were liberated too. Then we need to go back – to go out – and to thank Jesus every day in our lives. We need to live as God’s children who are truly free to show the story of grace in every place we go. Don't wander around the war-torn city seeking something else to eat- go in your freedom as one sent by God and thrive. In other words: Live your faith then share your life.
The Baghdad Zoo, with the help of international animal aid organizations, has been rebuilt. Out of 700 animals, only 40 survived the 8 day invasion of Baghdad, but animals taken from private “zoos” at the homes of Saddam Hussein and his family were brought to the city zoo. There are currently 86 animals at the zoo, and it serves as a center of peace and escape from the war for the residents of Baghdad.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Faith: God's Holy Fire
Lectionary Reading: 2 Timothy 1:3-14
I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’ve been feeling pretty darn faithful lately. Why? Let’s see…
In September:
I went to a doctor I didn’t know.
Who sent me to a surgeon I had no personal experience with.
Who took me to an Operating Room where I spent 2 waking minutes with someone I had never met who put me to sleep and held my life in her hands.
Then I saw another doctor who wrote a prescription I could not read.
Which I took to Walgreens and left for a pharmacist I never saw.
Who gave me a chemical compound I did not understand.
Which I put in my body every day because the bottle tells me to do it
I’m either very faithful, or incredibly dumb! (Please – do not tell me which) Faith: most of the time, we don’t even know we have it. But, we all do – whether it’s turning on the switch and trusting the light to come on, or telling a secret to a friend – knowing they won’t betray our confidence. We are a people whose daily life relies on faith.
This second letter to Timothy, which some scholars feel may not have been actually written by Paul as much as by a later disciple of Paul’s, tells us some surprising things we need to know about faith.
Faith Exhibits Change
We tend to think wrong about faith. We hold onto the idea that to “keep the faith” is to make sure everything stays the same. We believe what our parents taught us which their parents taught them which was handed down through generations. But it doesn’t really work that way – even in genealogy. Preachers, teachers, time, experience and inspiration all put their fingerprints on the faith as it is handed from one to another. That’s the natural way of it. After all, people evolve – why shouldn’t faith evolve? Faith is not about “never changing yourself”. Faith is about “never giving up on God”.
The writer tells Timothy to “fan into flame” the gift of God that was given to him. In other words, don’t just let it die out like a smoldering ember that has gone unattended. Fan it – build it – add more logs to it – and create a vibrant flame. That’s what true faith does – it builds off of the strong embers of history and adds air (spirit), wood (teaching), and kindling (experiences) to make a fire that will accomplish God’s will in the world. It is said that everything fire touches, fire changes. From tempering steel to devouring wood to heating our food, fire leaves change in its path. Faith does the same thing. Faith is not about following the old never-changing way. Faith is about following God’s way.
Faith Inhabits Suffering
We often cling to faith when faced with suffering. One of the key elements of the grief process is bargaining with God. Trying to say “God, if you heal me, I’ll never [insert sin or bad habit] again.” But God cannot be bought with our emotional bribery and embraces us with even more compassion as God moves us forward toward acceptance. What is it that God wants us to accept? It can’t be dying – because God doesn’t accept dying. God gives us eternal life, forgiveness, and continues to relate to us even in our fallen state. Why should we accept anything God is not willing to deal with?
I believe God wants us to accept a simple truth placed elegantly in the backdrop of this letter to Timothy. God wants us to realize that Jesus died to save us from our sin. Jesus died to keep us from the separation between us and God. Jesus died to conquer death and provide eternity for our soul. So – while Jesus came to save us from our sin, our separation, and the loss of soul – Jesus did not come to keep us from suffering. In fact, Jesus remarked frequently that following him and preaching a gospel based on loving your neighbor (no matter who your neighbor is) would LEAD to suffering.
Faith inhabits that truth as the scripture in 2 Timothy says:
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”
Now – try that the next time you have some free time. Pick up your phone, get a hold of a friend and say “Hey, how would you like to come suffer with me? I have a lot of suffering to do, and I thought you’d like to do some suffering too.” See how many dates you pick up! Yet, that is what this letter is doing - INVITING Timothy to join the suffering.
We tend to avoid people who are suffering, because it seems to us they must be doing something wrong. But the reality is – if they are suffering for the Lord’s sake or if they are keeping their faith in God’s love through their suffering as a light and a witness – they aren’t doing something wrong and they might be doing everything right. Spiritual maturity means letting go of the idea that good Christians don’t suffer – and embracing the knowledge that faith is the by-product of Christianity even in the darkest night.
Faith Originates with God
Verse nine of this chapter repeats one of the most common themes in the new testament - the idea that it is not our works that bring salvation, but God’s grace. It’s an important reminder that faith is not about us – it’s about God. We tend to talk about faith like we have anything to do with it – we say things like “I have faith it will work out” and “My faith life is vibrant” – but faith doesn’t start with us (and we really shouldn’t take much credit) – faith starts with God.
I didn’t trust Dr. Rose because I just trust everyone with a scalpel (in fact, I fear sharp objects and men who weild them). I trusted him because I knew his credentials were checked out by the state of Virginia, my insurance company, and the hospital privileges department. He has years of experience performing this operation, and was referred to me by another doctor I had come to trust. I had faith in him because his record justified that faith. I didn’t do all that work. He did. I just walked in the office believing.
Faith in God is the same way. We have faith in God because God has done the work of creating us, relating to us, saving us, loving us, teaching us and connecting us to God and one another. We have faith in God because God has been there. God has done all the work. We just walk through our world believing, and acting on that belief. When you feel like your faith is being tested, think again. Faith originates from God, and God can pass any test in this life or the next. The scripture says it this way: “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”
God is able. God is willing. God is waiting for you to fan the flame of faith into a holy fire and change the world around you. Make it your desire that, like fire, your faith will change every thing and every person you touch. Don’t just hold on to what you already know. Hold on to what God knows.
That’s faith.
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Door to Heaven
Lectionary Reading: Luke 16:19-31
There are really only 3 things to do with a doorway. You can:
1. Kick the door in
2. Just walk right through
3. Hold the door open for others
How do you get in most of the rooms in your life? (well, for me – I usually go the 4th way – which is “fall in through an opening because I’m really clumsy” – but that’s another sermon for another time!)
When we look at the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus shows us all of these options in the prophetic and colorful tale. It is important to note this is a story Jesus is telling to help illustrate his ideas. It is not, as some literalists may want to think, a critical analysis of what heaven and hell is really like. It is not proof of separation, purgatory or the fact that after death, Abraham clearly doesn’t negotiate. It isn’t some kind of warning that those in “hell” can see us and that is part of their torment and it isn’t some kind of sociopolitical statement that only the poor can go to heaven.
So, since I done such a fine job of telling you exactly what it is not – what is it? It’s a parable Jesus uses to a pre-resurrection Hebrew audience (notice its “Abraham” who is the afterlife guide) to show them, and us, some things about the doorway to heaven on earth. It is also a prophecy about the Messiah who will rise from the dead, and go unheard by many so he’s trying to make them hear him while he’s still alive.
Kicking In The Door
In one of his last films, John Wayne plays a tough Chicago cop named Jim Brannigan who is sent to London to extradite a killer. His rough USA manners clash with the polite English law enforcement, but somehow the Duke manages to save the day (just as you knew he would). One of my favorite quirks in this movie is Jim Brannigan’s way of entering the rooms he is supposed to search. After being reminded that he is supposed to knock before entering - he steps back, kicks the door in, then says as it crashes the ground, “Knock, knock”.
That’s the way the rich man in Jesus’ story expects to enter Heaven. He is so rich he flaunts his wealth by dressing in fine linen and the color purple. Purple was the hardest color to dye correctly, so things in the color purple were costly items in those times and showed outrageous expense. Think of those people in our age with solid gold toilet seats or $5000 fountain pens. Meanwhile, Lazarus the beggar sits at the man’s door – so weak from hunger he can’t even chase the dogs away that are licking his wounds. Showing off his vast wealth for the world to see while ignoring the wounded, weak man at the door reveals the rich man has lost all sense of what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s law.
The audience hearing this story knows immediately the rich man is doing things wrong. Jewish law is very clear about using wealth, and about how one is to treat the poor. The rich man is a sinner in the eyes of Mosaic Law and everyone knows it. However, the rich man doesn’t care. He already lives in heaven on earth – having all his desire met, and not worrying about what is to come. After all, when its time to go to heaven, he can simply buy his way in – or kick the door down – right? “Wrong” says the Jewish crowd listening to the tale. “Wrong” says the Lord.
What’s wrong with the rich man isn’t that he has lots of money. What’s wrong is all the things he doesn’t have. He has no soul, no compassion, and no discipline. I’m sure when poor Lazarus died on his doorstep he forgot all about the beggar as soon as his servants removed the body. He believes he can be in God’s presence by virtue of his power, status and wealth. His belief costs him eternity, and sends him crashing to Hades where torment is all he can purchase.
We cannot kick the door in and find ourselves in heaven or in heaven on earth. We cannot force peace to present itself. We cannot overpower righteousness to make its home in our heart. We can memorize scripture until we know the bible by heart, but it won’t compel the Holy Spirit to grant us true wisdom. We must learn another way.
Walk Right On Through
Lazarus is the foil of our friend the rich man. He has nothing. He does nothing. He begs for what he can get, and gets so little that the weakness keeps him from being able to defend his wounds from dogs that wander the roadways, probably better fed than the man himself. When he dies, he is so weak he is carried to heaven by angels and planted with Abraham – the patriarch of Hebrew faith – where he is comforted.
Here Jesus is being prophetic as well as profound. He is talking about Grace in a time before grace was reality. Hebrew culture was about the law, and following it. In the eyes of the audience, Lazarus (who breaks hygiene laws by having open sores in the city, as well as the whole dog licking thing…) is just as guilty at the rich man. However, he just glides through the door of heaven in angel’s arms. He gets the joys of heaven for free, when he could not even get help on earth.
Lazarus is not virtuous because he is poor. In fact, he’s not necessarily virtuous at all. We are told nothing about his heart, or soul or love for God. Just that he dies and goes to Abraham’s side. It’s the first of many times the bible will tell us – Heaven on earth is not about us. It’s about God: God’s grace that takes us despite our poverty (and lack of hygiene!), God’s arms that are strong enough to carry us when we are too weak to walk and God’s protection when others envy what we have.
Hold the Door Open
So, the lazy computer game player inside of me wants to say, “The message of today’s reading is: do nothing and you’ll get to heaven.” Wahoooooo. But, that’s not quite right either. (darn it!).
The rich man asks Abraham to warn others that this upside down reality exists, and Abraham tells him all the knowledge is already available – the people just have to listen. The rich man knows these people are never going to get this by themselves and says if someone like Abraham, raised from the dead, were to speak – that would do the trick.
Here Jesus utters his prophecy. No – people as stubborn as these won’t listen to a prophet – even one that rises from the dead. Jesus knows he will die soon, and he will rise again. People will have chances to hear him in person, in the ministry of his disciples, and in the Word of God. And, people still won’t get it.
If people won’t listen to the risen dead, who WILL they listen to? They will listen to you. They will listen to the living among them – like Jesus who was among them when he told this story. They will see the heaven on earth that has been the gift of God to you when they see it’s not about you – it’s about God.
Here’s the great challenge. Hold the door open for others. Make sure people know the peace you feel is not because of who you are (sometimes we wear our spiritual gifts with the same bad attitude as the rich man’s purple) but because of who God is. You don’t go to church on Sunday because you are so holy. You go because God has carried you from Monday through Saturday and you want to say Thank You as the next week begins. Stop being a spiritual hero, and be a humble servant. Hold the door.
In other words – don’t be a Christian so you will go to heaven. Be a Christian so heaven will come to you. Then, hold the door open as Christ carries yet another person through. The person in Jesus’ arms may be rich, or they may be poor. They may be someone you have longed to see enter, or someone you are surprised to see clinging to Jesus as he carries them with grace.
This is not a story about money, poverty, virtue or sin. This is a story about the very love of God. Jesus speaks truth to us in this story of fashion and flames. People won’t listen to the risen dead. But if the living will hold the door, his arms can carry many well into the light.
There are really only 3 things to do with a doorway. You can:
1. Kick the door in
2. Just walk right through
3. Hold the door open for others
How do you get in most of the rooms in your life? (well, for me – I usually go the 4th way – which is “fall in through an opening because I’m really clumsy” – but that’s another sermon for another time!)
When we look at the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus shows us all of these options in the prophetic and colorful tale. It is important to note this is a story Jesus is telling to help illustrate his ideas. It is not, as some literalists may want to think, a critical analysis of what heaven and hell is really like. It is not proof of separation, purgatory or the fact that after death, Abraham clearly doesn’t negotiate. It isn’t some kind of warning that those in “hell” can see us and that is part of their torment and it isn’t some kind of sociopolitical statement that only the poor can go to heaven.
So, since I done such a fine job of telling you exactly what it is not – what is it? It’s a parable Jesus uses to a pre-resurrection Hebrew audience (notice its “Abraham” who is the afterlife guide) to show them, and us, some things about the doorway to heaven on earth. It is also a prophecy about the Messiah who will rise from the dead, and go unheard by many so he’s trying to make them hear him while he’s still alive.
Kicking In The Door
In one of his last films, John Wayne plays a tough Chicago cop named Jim Brannigan who is sent to London to extradite a killer. His rough USA manners clash with the polite English law enforcement, but somehow the Duke manages to save the day (just as you knew he would). One of my favorite quirks in this movie is Jim Brannigan’s way of entering the rooms he is supposed to search. After being reminded that he is supposed to knock before entering - he steps back, kicks the door in, then says as it crashes the ground, “Knock, knock”.
That’s the way the rich man in Jesus’ story expects to enter Heaven. He is so rich he flaunts his wealth by dressing in fine linen and the color purple. Purple was the hardest color to dye correctly, so things in the color purple were costly items in those times and showed outrageous expense. Think of those people in our age with solid gold toilet seats or $5000 fountain pens. Meanwhile, Lazarus the beggar sits at the man’s door – so weak from hunger he can’t even chase the dogs away that are licking his wounds. Showing off his vast wealth for the world to see while ignoring the wounded, weak man at the door reveals the rich man has lost all sense of what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s law.
The audience hearing this story knows immediately the rich man is doing things wrong. Jewish law is very clear about using wealth, and about how one is to treat the poor. The rich man is a sinner in the eyes of Mosaic Law and everyone knows it. However, the rich man doesn’t care. He already lives in heaven on earth – having all his desire met, and not worrying about what is to come. After all, when its time to go to heaven, he can simply buy his way in – or kick the door down – right? “Wrong” says the Jewish crowd listening to the tale. “Wrong” says the Lord.
What’s wrong with the rich man isn’t that he has lots of money. What’s wrong is all the things he doesn’t have. He has no soul, no compassion, and no discipline. I’m sure when poor Lazarus died on his doorstep he forgot all about the beggar as soon as his servants removed the body. He believes he can be in God’s presence by virtue of his power, status and wealth. His belief costs him eternity, and sends him crashing to Hades where torment is all he can purchase.
We cannot kick the door in and find ourselves in heaven or in heaven on earth. We cannot force peace to present itself. We cannot overpower righteousness to make its home in our heart. We can memorize scripture until we know the bible by heart, but it won’t compel the Holy Spirit to grant us true wisdom. We must learn another way.
Walk Right On Through
Lazarus is the foil of our friend the rich man. He has nothing. He does nothing. He begs for what he can get, and gets so little that the weakness keeps him from being able to defend his wounds from dogs that wander the roadways, probably better fed than the man himself. When he dies, he is so weak he is carried to heaven by angels and planted with Abraham – the patriarch of Hebrew faith – where he is comforted.
Here Jesus is being prophetic as well as profound. He is talking about Grace in a time before grace was reality. Hebrew culture was about the law, and following it. In the eyes of the audience, Lazarus (who breaks hygiene laws by having open sores in the city, as well as the whole dog licking thing…) is just as guilty at the rich man. However, he just glides through the door of heaven in angel’s arms. He gets the joys of heaven for free, when he could not even get help on earth.
Lazarus is not virtuous because he is poor. In fact, he’s not necessarily virtuous at all. We are told nothing about his heart, or soul or love for God. Just that he dies and goes to Abraham’s side. It’s the first of many times the bible will tell us – Heaven on earth is not about us. It’s about God: God’s grace that takes us despite our poverty (and lack of hygiene!), God’s arms that are strong enough to carry us when we are too weak to walk and God’s protection when others envy what we have.
Hold the Door Open
So, the lazy computer game player inside of me wants to say, “The message of today’s reading is: do nothing and you’ll get to heaven.” Wahoooooo. But, that’s not quite right either. (darn it!).
The rich man asks Abraham to warn others that this upside down reality exists, and Abraham tells him all the knowledge is already available – the people just have to listen. The rich man knows these people are never going to get this by themselves and says if someone like Abraham, raised from the dead, were to speak – that would do the trick.
Here Jesus utters his prophecy. No – people as stubborn as these won’t listen to a prophet – even one that rises from the dead. Jesus knows he will die soon, and he will rise again. People will have chances to hear him in person, in the ministry of his disciples, and in the Word of God. And, people still won’t get it.
If people won’t listen to the risen dead, who WILL they listen to? They will listen to you. They will listen to the living among them – like Jesus who was among them when he told this story. They will see the heaven on earth that has been the gift of God to you when they see it’s not about you – it’s about God.
Here’s the great challenge. Hold the door open for others. Make sure people know the peace you feel is not because of who you are (sometimes we wear our spiritual gifts with the same bad attitude as the rich man’s purple) but because of who God is. You don’t go to church on Sunday because you are so holy. You go because God has carried you from Monday through Saturday and you want to say Thank You as the next week begins. Stop being a spiritual hero, and be a humble servant. Hold the door.
In other words – don’t be a Christian so you will go to heaven. Be a Christian so heaven will come to you. Then, hold the door open as Christ carries yet another person through. The person in Jesus’ arms may be rich, or they may be poor. They may be someone you have longed to see enter, or someone you are surprised to see clinging to Jesus as he carries them with grace.
This is not a story about money, poverty, virtue or sin. This is a story about the very love of God. Jesus speaks truth to us in this story of fashion and flames. People won’t listen to the risen dead. But if the living will hold the door, his arms can carry many well into the light.
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