Someone, Somewhere

Hebrews 2:1-10
I am always amused by this particular passage in our reading from Hebrews today. “Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere, ‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them?’” (Hebrews 2:5-6). Frankly it sounds like something I would say, especially if I was feeling too lazy to confirm that as a quote from Psalm 8:4. Recently in a sermon I mistakenly referred to Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” as “The Road Less Traveled.” I was sure I had the right title, so sure that I didn’t take the 30 seconds necessary to verify it on Google. Fortunately, the English teachers in my congregation were gentle in their comments.

The writer of Hebrews did not have the luxury of Google, of course, and may not have been sure of the exact source. But no matter! The verse quoted is apt and to the point, which I think helps to highlight an important aspect of scripture’s power. Scripture does not gain its authority from our mastery of it. This is God’s word; it comes to us with its authority already in tact, its relevance already assured. This is why we wrestle with and allow ourselves to be engaged by passages like those from Hebrews and the book of Psalms, because it is there that we find God’s word for us and for the world. A too-easy comfort with such verses, to me, indicates an unwillingness to be fully impacted by what God is saying. Scripture is hard work, it is long study, it is on-going conversations, it is prayer and reflection, it is honest disagreement and an open examination of preconceived notions. It stands up to and rewards our toughest questions with resilience and strength.

The writer of Hebrews had a message for God’s people. So did the psalmist. But the power of their words comes from God’s Spirit working in and through them. A breezy familiarity with scripture keeps us from appreciating the wondrous power at work there. To me it is far more important to honestly wrestle with words of scripture than to pass by them quickly or with blasé familiarity.

Prayer: Lord, give us ears to hear your word even as we wrestle with its meaning for our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Getting To Know You

Acts 16:25-40

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). These words remind me of so many occasions when I’ve needed courage or hope. At times such as these I find it helpful to turn to familiar words: from scripture, from hymns, from faithful believers. Reflecting on such words allows me to use the hope expressed in them, to claim the faith to which they attest, to focus my needs on the presence of God. I’m sure many of you understand this and often do the same thing.

As a minister, however, I am aware of the fact that many Christians simply do not know the Bible or the hymns well enough to draw on them in times of need. To my mind this is a bit like having a life raft but not knowing how to inflate it. The folks who truly inspire me are the ones who know where to turn in times of crisis. It’s not that they can cite chapter and verse, it’s that they know and are comfortable with what God has to say through the written word or what the church has found meaningful in song.

There is another aspect to the account in Acts that deserves our attention. As Paul and Silas prayed and sang “the prisoners were listening to them.” The hope and confidence that Paul and Silas were able to draw from their tradition became a form of witness to those around them. Here is my challenge to all of you: if you can not recall a verse from scripture by heart, learn one––just one. It could be as simple as “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Then, once you are comfortable with that expression of faith, pick another to learn and to appreciate. As you begin to accumulate verses you will be filling a toolbox of faith that can be used in times of need. The same works with hymns, or with quotes from religious figures that help to put the faith into focus. If what we believe is really important to us we should learn to express it and to spend our days with it in a variety of ways. Paul and Silas did. Now it’s our turn.

Prayer: Lord, help us to grasp the meaning of your word and to carry it with us as we live so that we are never far from the guidance you offer. Amen.

Who Will Lead Us Through the Wilderness?

Acts 8:26-40

If you ever doubted the importance of teaching and education to the life of the church then our reading from Acts for today should convince you. It is the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian by Philip. As the African rides along in his chariot he reads aloud from the Hebrew scriptures. “So Philip ran up to it (the chariot) and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him” (Acts 8:30-31).

“How can I (understand), unless someone guides me?” Often the words of scripture can appear like a trackless region with no clear direction. The fact that Philip met the Ethiopian on a wilderness road may be symbolic of this fact. Left to his own effort the Ethiopian might never have found the truth contained in the Bible, or upon encountering it not understand it. But when given proper guidance by Philip he grasped the meaning of God’s word. Eventually he way his through the complexities to the good news of Jesus Christ. The same is true in our day as well. This is not to say that Bible study is easy. It is difficult work. Nor is there ever an end to the process. Even those who teach need continual refreshing, need to remain connected to the source, as it were.

If you are a teacher or study leader in your community of faith, thank you. The work you do is essential in preparing others to step up and accept the challenge in years to come. In this way the word of God goes from generation to generation and never lies fallow. In this way men and women, young and old, are made more aware of who they are and whose they are.

Prayer: Lord, uphold those who teach and who guide the study of your word. May they know the joy of leading others to better understanding and to lives enriched . In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Biblical Slavery?

Titus 2:1-15

Any Christian who takes the faith seriously must somehow come to terms with the words of Titus regarding slavery. “Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters,” we read, “and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to answer back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:9-10). This certainly sounds like a justification for slavery, and it was one of the passages used by otherwise godly people in the southern United States to maintain the practice into the 1860’s.

Was the writer of Titus really advocating bondage? Personally I find it difficult to tell. And my biggest fear is resorting to rationalization to somehow remove this stigma from the Bible. Slavery is more than wrong, it is evil, whether in the homes of wealthy Romans, on the plantations of North America, or in the work camps of the Third Reich. Even if most of the Bible was written at times when slavery was universally accepted, it is still evil. But there it is: “Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters…” that they may be “an ornament to the doctrine of God.” It sounds as though God has established slavery.

This is one reason why it is so very, very important to deal with scripture continually, to challenge it and to question it and to wrestle with it. If it really is what we claim it to be, the inspired word of God, then we aren’t going to break it. Indeed, to accept scripture uncritically is a disservice to God and a form of disrespect to God’s word. In the past taking the Bible too lightly has lead us to accept slavery as a divine “doctrine.” What forms of subjugation do we tolerate today because we have not struggled with scripture well enough to grasp its true meaning?

If your only exposure to scripture is a weekly sermon, Sunday School class, and this blog, that’s not enough. God’s words deserve to be ever before us, continually on our minds, so that through prayer and study we may come to better understand God’s will for us and our world. I invite you to join in the effort.

Prayer: Lord, may we find the courage to confront your word, and likewise be confronted by it, that we may better know your will for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Unity

Jim:

Ezekiel 37:21b-28
1 John 2:18-29
The words that really caught my attention in the Ezekiel passage were those in the last part of verse 22: “Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.” This brings to my mind the words of Psalm 133, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” Unity is something to be desired, to be worked for, to be prayed for, to be cherished, but not at any price. The congregation to which the First Letter of John is written has obviously experienced division, but in this case the ones who have left the community represent deception and lies, a faith which the readers of First John cannot accept as true. For this reason there can be no unity. But assuming that we all strive for the common good, that we seek justice and righteousness, what stands in the way of unity in our neighborhoods, our country, our world? It’s a question that perplexes us. Too often we see peoples united in evil, bound together in hatred or war. Too seldom do we see peoples united in love and compassion. Or if we see a shared, common purpose, as in the world’s response to tragedy, it seems to last only so long, and soon we are back to a state of disunity. Ezekiel promises that the people of Israel will someday be reunited into one nation. We should pray that such unity and harmony would come to us as well, that we might find common cause in our own nation, our own day and age. But clearly, if we do find such unity it will be a gift from God and something to be prized.

New Growth

I see a theme or connection, especially between the Jeremiah and the Romans texts, but the John passage fits in as well. Jeremiah 11:16 says, "The Lord once called you, 'A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit;' but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fine to it, and its branches will be consumed." In Romans 6:11 Paul says, "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." The olive tree, which represents Israel (the people of God), consumed in sin like a mighty fire, has been nurtured and brought back to life in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It reminds me of what happens in the seasons after fire purges a forest area. Slowly new growth returns and, in time, the forest is restored. In the death and resurrection of Jesus, in which we share, God is bringing new growth for the community of faith. John 8:34-35 says, "Jesus answered them, 'Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household…'" Sin leaves us prone to death and estranged from God. But through Jesus Christ we find that we are nurtured, cared for, and allowed to grow into what we were meant to be: a pleasant planting of God.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Here are some thoughts I have based on the readings for today from the Daily Lectionary. We are currently in Year 1, the 3rd week of Lent. Quotatations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Jeremiah 8:4-7, 18-9:6-- Verses 8:22-9:1 say "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!" God's poor people--Judah-- have within their grasp the power to be restored. It is God's word which is just as close and personal to them as the resin of the Styrax tree, a healing ointment. Incidentally, this morning my wife said she was very happy to be reminded that there is a balm in Gilead. I guess that would be her verse for the day from Jeremiah as well.

Romans 5:1-11--I've underlined vs. 3-5: "And not only that, but we also boast in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts thought the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." This whole chapter is powerful, but this portion on finding hope in the struggles we face is especially moving to me.

I'm not crazy about John 8:12-20. (I notice we skipped the woman caught in adultery.) But vs. 12 is helpful: "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'" Sometimes I find myself in some pretty dim places. It is good to know that Jesus is the light that can lead me home!