Elect Jesus?

Lectionary Scripture: Psalm 146

There are a lot of things to love about fall in Central Virginia. Driving around our rural area today I saw all the signs of the season – trees adorned with leaves of red and gold, squirrels gathering nuts for winter, and political signs. Lots and lots of political signs. Mostly square blocky blue and red signs with the names of preferred politicians. Then, going down one country lane I began to see a number of signs with the same lettering, shape and positioning as the political signs in people’s yards. Only instead of a democratic or republican candidate for Governor the name on the sign was JESUS CHRIST. Underneath it said in block lettering , “IS MY LEADER” and across the top were the words, “ALWAYS” and “FOREVER”. It was kinda shocking at first. Especially when I passed a yard that had a blue McDonnell for Governor sign, A red Bolling for Lt. Governor sign, and then the Jesus Christ sign. If I didn’t know who Jesus was, I would think he was running for Attorney General.


It started me thinking as I drove along. Could Jesus get elected Governor of Virginia? I decided to start there because he would certainly want to have more political experience before trying out for the White House. I don’t think many folks would have an easy time voting for Jesus. On one hand, he seems to have very socialistic and economically liberal policies (“do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you”. Matthew 5:42; “I was hungry and you fed me”. Matthew 25:35.). On the other, he seems very traditional and law driven (“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17). He associated with radical preachers (one of whom happened to be his cousin), and his taste in friends left a lot to be desired from the establishment’s point of view.

No, I don’t think Jesus could get elected Governor of Virginia. Which is just as well – because he really didn’t come to earth to be a politician. He came to be a savior. The lectionary Psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 146 shows us a good grasp of the difference and where our consciousness of having a “leader” and a “Messiah” ought to be.

Psalm 146:3-6

3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

What Leaders Can’t Do

The Psalmist of this particular hymn is pretty clear. There is no mortal, even one with slick media presence and high opinion polls, who can create enough power to truly save anyone. Not even himself or herself. It’s not wrong to be involved politically, that’s part of being a citizen of any country. But it is wrong when we look to politicians, and political office, to make the kind of changes that will make it “on earth as it is in Heaven”. Those changes have to come from an eternal being – the Creator, Christ or Holy Spirit. “People die”, the Psalmist tells us. “And even their best plans die with them.”

In America we seem to be trapped in a circle of disappointment when it comes to our politicians. No matter who we voted for, we have either been disappointed they didn’t win, or disappointed with them once they won and didn’t do what they said, when they said, how they said. I talk to more people who tell me who they didn’t vote for, than who they did and I’ve seen more people leave a church because of political disappointment than join a church because of political inspiration. That’s why we are warned not to tie our faith relationship to any politician or political struggle. It chains our belief to the here and now of what is humanly possible, instead of freeing our spirit to soar with what is Godly and utterly possible.

What God Can Do

The Psalmist gives us great comfort because while we lament what humans cannot do, we can take comfort in what God can do. “God is faithful” we are told in verse 6. In other words:

There is never a moment when God is not God.

What good news! So what can God do for us?

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

God can make the wrong things right, and the right things happen. God looks out for those we routinely do not see, or even oppress through our own human short-sightedness. God heals where healing seems impossible, and God lifts those who have been thrown down because of their status, or difference.

God has so much more intention than just a “leader”. God doesn’t do any of these things for votes, favors or even a lasting legacy – (since all creation is God’s legacy already). God does these things for one simple reason: love. God the creator continues to lovingly prune, weed, nurture and grow creation.

What Should We Do?

Lets face it – if Jesus was President, it wouldn’t be very long until someone started:

1. Questioning his policies (free healing???),
2. Complaining about his staff (fishermen and cronies!),
3. Commenting on the White House guest list (sinners and Samaritans????),
4. Complaining about his lack of action to end wars immediately (what did he say about Roman occupation? Nothing!),
5. Formulating some false scandal or way to get him out of power and put a person in office who followed a more accepted agenda.

So since political office is not the way God chooses to lead, then we – God’s hands and feet and children-- must do that too. I’m not suggesting it’s our Christian duty to run for office. Heavens no! But it is our duty to be leaders where we find ourselves – at home, in school, at work, at church. In our own daily lives as the image of God we should be making sure we do not oppress those who are hurting, outcast or different. Instead of claiming “grace” for ourselves then demanding “justice” for others – we should lead by example as a people who act justly, and give graciously.

Jesus wants us to show his sovereignty by the evidence in our life, not the signs in our yard.

Walk This Way

Reading: 2 John 4-6


Everyone has mysteries in their life. For some people, its how they can bend a finger all the way to their wrist, or remember every phone number they have ever heard. With others it’s an unexplained gift in math, or the ability to know a sibling is in trouble even when you aren’t with him or her. For me – one of the major mysteries of my life has been speed – or at least, my lack of it. When I was a small child my mother called me “Moses” (as in “as slow as Moses”) so much one of the Marshallese ladies we knew in the Marshall Islands thought it was my name and called me that for months. School friends were always waiting on me sighing “any day, Kellie…” as I plodded toward them, and a friend from college would just shake her head as she turned around to see how far behind her I was. She would then pat her chin and ask, “How? How? How? Can someone who is 6 feet tall with at least 3 feet of leg possibly be SO SLOW?”. The truth is: I don’t know.

I do almost everything slow. I eat slow (mostly I push my food around the plate and pretend to eat – I hate eating. But not liking to eat is a different mystery), I react to things slowly, I plan slow, I clean slow, and yes – I walk slow. In fact, last week when my friend Lea was saying she needed to walk for exercise I offered to let her walk with me. She laughed out loud! I said, “WHAT?” and she said, “You don’t walk, you Stttrooollllll.” But I have found some solace in our passage today. It seems walking (maybe even strolling) is what God wants from us all along.

“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 2 John 4-6

Notice something about that verse – it says the word WALK three times. It’s clear the writer of the Second Letter of John (a small New Testament epistle about rejecting false prophets) has no problem with Christians being in the slow lane. In fact if you look a little farther down at verse 9 – you’ll see running is outright scorned.

“9Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 9.

Of course the Bible is talking about theology and living, not actually physical movement – but there’s a neat lesson here. In calorie burning, all experts will tell you running is better than walking. But in Christian theology – it’s the attributes of walking that make the difference.

The Way of Simplicity

The first benefit to walking over running is its simplicity. Walking is easy. We do it from the time we are young children. (and yes, I learned to walk slowly too – my mother claims to have worried she would end up carrying me to kindergarten). So some of us take a while – but as small kids we all learn that song, “Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be across the floor…” Walking is easy. Running is harder.

Christianity isn’t meant to be a sprint where you learn everything in a big hurry then rush off to the next fountain of knowledge. Nor is a marathon where you push your endurance to its limits just to get God’s attention or approval. Christianity in its finest witness to a lost world is the every day act of putting one foot in front of the other. It’s the steps of faith, courage, forgiveness, grace, hope, and love every day that change our lives, change our world and reflect our faith. We don’t need a doctorate in theology, a Strong’s Greek Concordance, and a labyrinth drawn on the church parking lot to live and share our faith. We just need the simple act of taking every day as it comes and walking with God.

Less Pain, More Gain

One of the things that inevitably rears its head in the debate between walking and running is the fact that running burns many more calories than walking. However, the reason that is true is because walking is simply a more energy efficient form of motion. From a physics standpoint – walking requires less energy because it absorbs less impact to the joints and converts forward energy more economically. One website said this about running:

“Running is generally considered to be a fairly high impact exercise with a great deal of repetitive pounding.” www.therunnersguide.com

A great deal of repetitive pounding? I don’t know about you – but that sounds like some preachers I know of – pounding their doctrine over and over – bringing out the same old tired rhetoric and non-biblical traditions to involve faith in politics, culture wars, business models and pyramid schemes.

But 2 John is clear that our walk is to be the efficient gliding of love – not the pounding of rules and judgment. Our faith is a walk – a connective stroll between ourselves and our creator God which is slow and easy enough to bring anyone from the smallest child to the oldest dowager on the journey with us. As a faith body Christians have been too busy running their mouths – instead of measuring their steps of bringing Christ into the world around us day by day by day.

Be Grounded

The final reason running burns more calories than walking, but creates the risk of injury was said best in an article by “Therunningplanet.com”

“The mechanics of running and walking are very different. When walking we always have one foot on the ground. Our body weight is always supported. Each stride results in a force equaling our body weight being applied to our leg muscles. When running you are completely airborne between foot plants. When your lead foot comes down, it is absorbing more than your body weight due to the effects of gravity.”

Did you see that? When walking we always have one foot on the ground! Now that’s the best advice for living the Christian life I’ve heard in a while. Stay grounded in scripture, stay grounded, 2 John says, in love. Have at least one foot rooted and supported by the holy spirit. The “gravity” of our humanity, of our culture’s materialism, esteem-driven satisfaction, and self seeking makes our faith have to absorb so much more than it should. We get a ticket and cry out in anguish, “Why does this happen to ME?” although we hear about a Chinese earthquake that kills 80,000 people and say mildly, “that’s sad. But what can I do?...” We are held down by gravity at every turn.

A Christian who is grounded in Christ knows that God is in all things, and will support us through the tickets, and the greater traumas – as long as we keep grounded in the Holy Spirit of the living God and know who we are, and how God expects us to live.

There’s a place in faith for us slow types. We don’t need to run, and we don’t need to fly over the world around us. We need to keep bearing witness to the God who walks us step by step through the healing process, the faith process, and the grace process.

I’ll close with a camp song (seeing how summer is starting and all…) – see if you can see 2 John’s words of walking in love shine through.

“Oh God, you are my God and I will every praise you
I will seek you in the morning, and learn to walk in your ways
And step by step you’ll lead me and I will follow you all of my days.”

Keep walking, my brothers and sisters, keep walking….

The Remains of Our Day

Lectionary OT Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

In the movie The Remains of the Day, Anthony Hopkins gives a touching performance as Mr. Stevens, a butler in an English manor who is effective, efficient and amazingly dedicated to his job within the servant class. Mr. Stevens serves the Estate of Lord Darlington, a well meaning English gentleman who unknowingly is duped into becoming a Nazi sympathizer. In order to serve his house with excellence Mr. Stevens blocks out the needs of his father, ignores his desire for Miss Kenton, and refuses to see that the policies made at conferences he is serving are empowering Germany to begin the Third Reich. Later, when Lord Darlington is unmasked as a German enabler and stripped of his title, the estate goes to an American who asks the aging and lonely Mr. Stevens what he must have thought when the conferences that brought the horrors of World War II were being held in that very house. Mr. Stevens replies, “I was doing my job, Sir. I was too busy to listen to the speeches.”

It’s a tragic cautionary tale about being a servant who does not know the Master’s business, and is powerless in the role of servitude. It’s a good movie for Christians to see because we are, afterall, servants of God called by Jesus Christ. We are the opposite of Mr. Stevens in some ways. We rarely strive for the gospel in a dedicated way, and appease our servitude by showing up to church on Sunday where we just listen to the speeches, and never do the work. The lectionary scripture from Isaiah 49 – describing the call of God to a servant – helps us to remember that although we are serving, we are not blind or helpless pawns of fate. We have responsibilities too.

We are not Powerless

Verse 2:
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.

We tend in our day and age to think of the servant as a powerless person – lower class, with no will of their own. However, in the days of this writing (and even into the first century) being a slave or servant could afford the person tremendous power and ability. Slave owners kept slaves in their houses and depended on them for everything from chores and work to banking and message giving. A slave who was trusted and truly wanted to serve his or her master well, had a world of power and privileges at their command.

As God’s servants, we are given tools of great empowerment. We are given the word of God to learn by living it, and share by showing it. We are given the Holy Spirit to guide us into God’s will and into the paths of those who need to see God. We are given community to make one another stronger, more able and more equipped. We are given free will, that we may choose to do God’s bidding, and we are given gifts so that we may give them back to God. Never think yourself weak or unable to further the gospel in this dark world. Christ is the light, and you hold the lantern.

We are not Purposeless

Verse 4:
But I said, "I have labored to no purpose;
I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.

Sometimes we feel like our work has been in vain. Maybe someone we witnessed to seems to make no change at all. Or maybe the lifework we do isn’t showing a lot of good fruit for the hard work we are investing. Maybe we aren’t even sure what we are doing anymore. The servant in Isaiah certainly feels discouraged. Perhaps its because the servant sees the lack of purpose that servant has had in the effort. Sometimes we can put a lot of effort into something and not have any purpose behind it. Sometimes in trying to make something better all we do is tear it apart.

In Chuch Palahnuik’s novel “Choke”, Ida Mancini is a woman who spent most of her years as a liberal “activist” in the 60’s – working to draw attention to a number of causes. When she gets old she begins to lose her mind to Alzheimer’s. On one of her last days of clear thought she gives a speech that describes where her empty life has led.

“I’ve defined myself, all my life, by what I was against. I fought against everything, but more and more I worry that I was never for anything. Oh, I can criticize and complain and judge everything, but where does that get me? Rebelling isn’t rebuilding. Ridicule isn’t replacing. My generation! All we did was make fun of the way the world was. We didn’t make it any better. We spent so much time judging what other people created we didn’t create anything of our own. We took the world apart, but had no idea what to do with the pieces.”

As God’s servants we need to have purpose in what we do. We need to do more than judge, tear down, complain and re-hash our ideas. We need to see our lives, words and actions serving God and triumphing the healing love of Jesus. That is our purpose and that is how we serve.

We are not Private

Verse 6
he says:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth

So the servant tells the master about his lack of purpose and his failure to bring the One God to the nation. What does God do? God says “Its not your fault you didn’t to do the job – it was TOO SMALL a task. I’ll give you a bigger one. Now you’ll bring everyone to me!” – So imagine that you manage the produce section of a grocery store. You go to the boss and say “I haven’t done a very good job with my department. The fruit is rotting, and my sales are down”. Then imagine the boss saying “You know – the problem is produce is only a small part of my business – so here’s what I’ll do – I’ll put in you charge of the WHOLE STORE!” – AH! But that’s God. Where we see our failure as servants to promote the gospel, God sees us as valuable loved children who can shine the light of Christ to the whole world. God believes in us. We should too.

Our work isn’t mean to be private – but vibrant. We aren’t just for the “chosen few”, we are for the whole world. So don’t think if you let God down, you’ll get an easier job. What you’ll get is mercy, empowerment, and a bigger job next time!

Isaiah’s odd scripture here is a reminder that we are not supposed to be standing in a room listening to the speeches while the banquet goes un-served. We are not supposed to be so busy serving that we ignore the world or God’s words. We need a balance of spiritual empowerment, purpose and public witness of Jesus to help us be a servant worthy of the Kingdom of God. Then, when we hit the remains of our day we too will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Finding the Balm in Gilead

Lectionary Reading: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Cry, and you are probably reading the book of Jeremiah. This gloomy prophecy about the conquering and exile of Israel is enough to send anyone searching for some spiritual Prozac. Jeremiah is torn between two great loves. He loves God and serves God as a prophet with great passion. He loves the people of Israel and he is terribly sorry to see what they will have to go through. Questioning God, Jeremiah asks, “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no Physician there?” – In other words: “God, aren’t you here anymore?”

It seems a good question for Jeremiah and for us as well when we look at a world at war, countries in crisis from disease, drought and oppression, religion that chooses legalism over compassion and dogma over discernment, and humanity lost in materialism and chronic self-absorption. It is not hard for us to see Iraq, AIDS, Darfur, church crisis and the latest celebrity obsession and say, “God, aren’t you here anymore?”

The Poet T.S. Eliot looked at the state of culture and society when he wrote “The Rock” in 1934 which said:

All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to God.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

T. S. Eliot seems to re-order Jeremiah’s question. The problem is not that God isn’t with us anymore – but that we are no longer near God. We have changed the life transforming power of Christianity to a set of rules and rituals. We have given up the wisdom of diplomacy and listening for a culture of war and force. We have traded having a knowing relationship with God and others for memorizing scripture, and relying on demographics.

Now, now – I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, - “wow – Kellie’s sure in a gloomy mood – she’s been reading that Jeremiah book a little too long! Maybe a nice psalm or some proverbs would cheer her up…” but have no fear. I have a great joy and hope today and so can you – because the New Testament reminds us we are blessed when we weep – for we shall be comforted. We need only look at history to see our future.

There is a Balm in Gilead

A balm is a healing ointment. Jeremiah is asking about the famous healing lotion made from the commiphora tree of Palestine, the resinous gum we know as Myrrh. (you know the Christmas story – Gold, Frankenstein and Myrrh…er…..Frankincense and myrrh…). Jeremiah is a making a spiritual reference to the healing power of God. In the New Testament, baby Jesus will be given this balm to show healing does exist with him. That’s the good news.

Before 1865, African-American spirituals and slave-songs were sung throughout the south. These songs told the gospel and conveyed scripture to people who couldn’t read, and were used for everything from teaching English and counting to new arrivals, to keeping time in a threshing house, to communicating news about the underground railroad (“The Train is Bound for Glory”, and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” were both underground railroad songs). One of the great old hymns to come out of that era was “There is a Balm in Gilead”. An oppressed people who, like Israel, had been captured, enslaved, and ill-used were answering Jeremiah’s question with the New Testament assurance that healing was here to stay. How can we find that assurance today? Let’s look at the song:

Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.

First – look to the Holy Spirit for revitalization and renewal. When we feel like the plans for peace we have offered bounced right off the clouds of heaven, or the life work we have given our talent toward has produced mediocre results at best – we need to pray for ourselves and the revival of our mission and our call. Every Christian is called of God. Whether you are called to be a mechanic, a teacher, or a listening friend working on an assembly line – you are called to be there (or to move). Don’t let the joy be leeched from you by those around you with bad attitudes or the determination to be self-absorbed pessimists. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in you and make the life you are living a worthy pursuit of hope and healing.

If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus and say, "He died for all."
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.

Second – People of faith need to stop relying on the messengers and start living the message. I know that sounds strange coming from a member of the clergy, but I find it a key issue for our times. Clergy have specific roles we fulfill, but it s not our call to be the community. That’s your job. We need to stop letting other people (leaders, theologians, popular authors) read for us, think for us, determine our beliefs and be the witness for us. We need to take responsibility in our relationship with God and learn to use resources as guides, not crutches. I heard at a ministry conference two years ago that the M.Div. will soon be the “minimum standard” for all clergy, but a doctorate is required for “adequate Christian leadership”. Why do you need a doctorate to live as Christ taught a bunch of fishermen, peasants and tax collectors? Christ didn’t come to make us a collection of sheep led by the educated elite. Christ came to make us a community, lead by a vibrant, personal relationship with our Creator. You don’t have to be Peter, M.Div or Dr. Paul (or even Dr. Phil – thank goodness!) – Be you, use your brain and the resources God places around you, and share the gospel where you are.

Don’t ever feel discouraged, for Jesus is your friend;
And if you lack for knowledge, He’ll never refuse to lend.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.

Third – seek God’s wisdom and will. Don’t interpret point number two as meaning Christian leaders should not be college educated. There’s nothing wrong with education – it’s a worthy pursuit. However, our trust should not be in our own intelligence, experiences or credentials. Our trust should be in God’s wisdom, and God has placed that wisdom all over creation. Many Christians have cut off a plethora of God’s knowledge because it isn’t in the Bible or sold at the Christian Bookstore. There is a whole world of God out there – in the knowledge of farmers, through the power of indigenous cultures, in the arena of mathematics and physics (how better to understand how God made the world to turn?), in the mystical algorithm of language and music, and in the instinctual habits of nature. Stop discounting the steady stream of God in the world around you and start listening and learning all that God can have you know.

We need not to succumb to the gloom and doom of Jeremiah, because we know that healing of God is here. We need not reflect the cultural despair of T.S. Eliot because we know how to be near God. We can be people of Gilead with a life witness worth shining for the entire world to see. Then, the healing can begin.