Romans 11:1-6. Never Rejecteded. Always Our Brothers and Sisters.

Observation: At the writing of this letter, Paul's ministry has been growing by leaps and bounds among Gentiles, but unfortunately, the majority of his fellow Jews are not warming to his message about Jesus (who is also Jewish, remember) as God's anointed Messiah. But he lays out a principle that will be vitally important for Christians to understand from then on: just because they don't agree about Jesus does not mean God is leaving them behind.

Application: I have a friend who is part of an interfaith household. Her husband is Jewish, and her daughters attend both Sunday School and Hebrew School. For a couple years in a row, I would get a text from her toward the end of Lent, asking if we would be using John's Gospel for Good Friday. The reason for this was that John's Gospel uses the term "the Jews" to mean he crowd of people who cried for Jesus' death (who, during the Passover Festival in first-century Jerusalem, happened to be mostly Jewish). She did not want her young children exposed to the implied message that it was their own people--their family--who caused Jesus' death. This broke my heart.

Christians have a dreadful history of misreading our own Holy Books, and the historical record, for that matter, to come to the conclusion that it was Jesus' fellow Jews who "killed" him. This is simply not true. It was the Roman Empire who condemned Jesus to a particularly Roman form of execution: Crucifixion. But that did not stop Christians--even Martin Luther himself--from misusing the New Testament to persecute, attack, and even kill our brothers and sisters, the Jews.

Paul's letter should counter these impulses in the strongest terms. True, Paul thought the message of Jesus would be more widely accepted, but the fact that it was not does not nullify God's covenant with Israel. God will remain faithful to the Jews to the very end. For Christians to say otherwise is to abandon our own tradition. They are our sisters and brothers in the faith of Abraham, and their faith is a treasure to God.

It is not enough for Christians to say, "Well, all that nasty stuff was in the past; let's move on." It's not enough to quietly go about our business and let them go about theirs. Especially in these times of renewed tensions and divisions, we need to bring our sin out in the open and repent of it. We need to educate ourselves on our tragic history, and pray for the strength not only not to repeat it, but to actively stand against those who would do so.

Prayer: God, we thank you that we are not alone on this journey of faith. We thank you for the witness of our Jewish brothers and sisters, and for their covenant with you. We ask for the courage to accept responsibility for acts of hatred perpetrated by Christians in the past. We ask for repentance. And we ask for your guidance as we seek to stand in solidarity with them today, in the name of our Jewish Messiah, who walked in faithfulness to your law and covenant for all of his days. Amen.

For further reading: "Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community", 1994

Acts 7:30-34, Moses the Late Bloomer

Observation: This story of Moses is part of a longer speech in Acts 7, delivered by Stephen to the high priests in Jerusalem. It runs through the entire story of God's contact with the people of Israel, with the main point that prophets were always rejected in some way before ultimately being embraced (and Jesus will be the same way). But what struck me about this paragraph was that Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian at age 40. He got married, had kids, tended sheep, and mostly forgot about his people in Egypt for another forty years. Meaning he was 80 years old when God showed up for him in the burning bush. In almost every film adaptation (and even in the Exodus story) this long chunk of time is mostly glossed over. I know in the animated film "Prince of Egypt" Moses is still looking pretty spry post-burning bush. In reality, Moses spent half a lifetime comfortably minding his business, until God called on him to do what we all remember him for doing. 

Application: Hearing this, I can't help thinking of my hero, Carl Fredericksen, from my favorite Pixar film, "Up." As a child, Carl meets Ellie, a spunky little neighbor girl who shares his sense of adventure, and they grow up together, fall in love, get married, and live a comfortable, happy life, always planning that one day they'll go on a great adventure to "Paradise Falls." In one of the most gut-wrenching montage sequences in all of animated cinema, Carl loses Ellie after decades of happy marriage. He's about to be forcibly taken to a nursing home when he makes his escape, tying thousands of balloons to his house and taking to the sky, finally having the adventure of a lifetime in his golden years.

So, my 36th birthday is in a couple weeks. Many who are reading this will probably roll your eyes and say, "Oh, cry me a river, you young whippersnapper", and I'm ready for that. I'm going to say this anyway: my experience of my thirties is that it's the decade of your life when you realize that time does fly. You start to look at where you wanted to be, and what you wanted to do, and realize it doesn't just happen on its own. You start to ask yourself if you're really doing what God has called you to do, and making the best use of the years God has given you so far. Am I making a difference, the way I wanted to? Am I making each day count? 

You can take this line of thought way too far, and I am definitely guilty of that now and again. As Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." You'll never really know the impact you've had, or what God was really doing with you, until it's already done. Obsessing about it does not help. But also, the impact you will make, you will make on God's timetable, not your own. Abraham was 75 when he was called to leave the land where he was raised, to go to the land God promised. Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. And good old Moses, everyone's favorite late bloomer, was 80 by the time he even started to think that maybe God could use him, given his former position of privilege, to help hundreds of thousands of his enslaved kinsfolk, and even then, it took a burning bush to get him going. What God wills for us will happen, and when God calls us to be part of something, sooner or later, God will figure out a way to get us going. Constantly worrying about having missed the bus will only distract us from the many busses God sends our way. 

Prayer: God, thank you for the witness of Moses, the late bloomer who finally heard your voice. May I hear too, in your time, not mine. Amen. 

1 Kings 21:20-29. Prophets Are Not Our Enemies.

Observation: Elijah has been prophesying against Ahab because he and his wife, Jezebel, have encouraged worship of Baal, a Canaanite god, in Israel. Ahab refers to Elijah as "my enemy" because, despite many threats of violence and death, Elijah has not relented from telling Ahab the truth: that continuing to worship a false god will lead to ruin.

Application: Everyone has that one friend. You know who I mean. The one who is blunt, unapologetic, and more than willing to offend and make people uncomfortable if they believe their cause is righteous. That one who litters the stage with dropped mics. That one who has singed the earth with truth bombs. That one who, frankly, you're thinking about hiding from your Facebook feed because honestly? It's a little exhausting to follow them. 

We are all wired differently. Ephesians 4 says the Holy Spirit gifts some as teachers and shepherds, some evangelists, some apostles...And some prophets. We're not all the same. Our gifts are different, but they all come from God. 

In both the individual, communal, and societal dimensions, we need to remember: prophets are not our enemies. They are using their God-given gifts to make the world a better place.  Telling the truth is not an attack. It can and should make us uncomfortable sometimes. And even if we personally are not gifted in that same way, we ignore and devalue prophets at our peril. 

Prayer: Move us past the discomfort, God. For those of us who are prophets, give us strength and clarity. For us who are not, give us open ears, minds and hearts. Amen. 

Exodus 19:9b-25. Preparing for our Guest of Honor

Observation: Just before God gives the Ten Commandments to all the people of Israel, God gives Moses instructions on how to prepare the people. Everything needs to be just so. This is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with Divine Holiness, and the people have to spend three days consecrating themselves. It kind of reminds me of the precision of dinner preparations at Downton Abbey. The Guest of Honor is arriving in three days, which means the servants (all God's people) are hard at work. 

Application: Today is my son Ezra's first birthday. The party is tomorrow. I'll be the first to admit (because I am by no means a neat freak) that we do not keep our house "guest ready" 24 hours a day. Above you'll see a video parody our family made a little over a year ago called "Jahnton Abbey." Yeah, that's pretty much how we roll. Actually, now that I think of it, that filming may have been the last time I dusted the chandelier. 

But when we know company is coming over, we go into "cleaning mode." In fact, as much as I love spending time with friends, another prime reason we invite folks over from time to time is because we know it'll get us cleaning, which we need to do anyway. 

As I think about preparing for guests, it makes me think about preparing for our encounter with God in the season of Lent. If we didn't set aside a special season of prayer and reflection to spend connecting with God, it would be easy to forget how special of a thing it is that God really has come to dwell with us, and Jesus really does show up every time Christians gather around bread and wine. So it takes some preparation: not because God won't show up or will judge us harshly if everything isn't "just so" in worship, but because without reminders, our hearts fall into disarray. 

Ash Wednesday is THIS Wednesday, March 1st. Even though it's later than most years, it has still managed to sneak up on me, and there's a lot to do. Let's prepare our hearts and minds together, to once again meet the Guest of Honor--who, as it turns out, is actually the true Host at our meal. 

Prayer: God, Holy Spirit, prepare us. Set out for us the work of your kingdom, and make us holy as you are holy. Amen.  

Hebrews 8:1-7 A Portable Faith

Observation: the book of Hebrews is an extended sermon about Jesus' place in the faith of Jewish believers. There are a lot of references to temple worship. Here Jesus is called the great "high priest", who offers the sacrifice of himself in the Heavenly Temple. This would have been especially meaningful because within a decade of the writing of this sermon, the earthly temple in Jerusalem was leveled by the Romans.

Application: After the temple's destruction, Jews had to adapt to having a "portable faith", with no centralized temple in which to worship and offer sacrifices.

I think many of us can relate. My freshman year of college was a major wilderness time for me. I associated worship and faith with a place: my home church, in my home town, 700 miles away. God seemed so far away then. It wasn't really until being on staff at a Christian summer camp, leading worship and praise myself, that I started to have a portable faith, and to know that the Heavenly sanctuary described in this reading, and Jesus, our high priest, can show up anywhere.

You may have a similar "temple dilemma": your faith may be tied to a certain place, a certain pastor or youth leader or family member, and for whatever reason, you can't get back there. We can never really go home again. Change is inevitable, even if you've only ever worshiped in one sanctuary throughout your life. But take it from me: faith is portable. Jesus travels. And the real sanctuary that made the worship you remember so special, isn't the one you can see.

Prayer: Jesus, our high priest, thanks for your sacrifice and for blessing our worship. Every time. Amen. 

Proverbs 3:27-35 and the End of Excuses

Observation: Like most of the Book of Proverbs, this is kind of a potpourri of ethical advice. What grabs me about this passage are the two proverbs about not withholding good from others, nor putting it off if you can do it now. 

Application: Pictured above is Bilbo Baggins, patron saint of comfy introverts....In other words, of guys like me! He comes from a culture that values comfort:good food, a nice fire in your little hole in a hill, and above all, NOT rocking the boat. It's not until Gandalf and a dozen rowdy dwarves descend upon his home, that he's brought out of his shell, to use his gifts for a greater good. 

Sometimes God shows up in a similar way: invading our comfort and peace, asking us why NOW isn't a good time to do the good we have promised ourselves, and God, we would do. If we have time now, why aren't we calling the friend who we know could use a listening ear? If we have a few dollars now, what is keeping us from donating to an organization we know is doing good in the world? If we have a little freedom now, what's to keep us from taking the first step on the journey of Discipleship to which we know Jesus is calling us? Our inner "Bilbo Baggins" will always have a hundred excuses, reasons why we would be so much more comfortable and happy sticking with our routine in our spiritual "Hobbit holes." But when we listen to them all objectively, does any of them really hold up when it's God who is calling? 

Prayer: God, melt away our lame excuses, and remind us that anything worth doing for you is worth starting today. Amen.

Galatians 5:2-6. Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith...

Observation: Paul is frustrated. He's writing to a church he founded. Some other evangelists have come through, saying that to be saved from their sin, they have to adopt the customs and practices of Jewish law: first and foremost, if you're a man, to be circumcised. Paul's rebuttal: "If that's how you want to do it, you'll have to do it perfectly. Every law, big and small. No mistakes. OR...you could just do what I taught you, and have faith in God, and be saved by God's grace."

Application: Even though my wife was a much bigger George Michael fan than I (I was kind of vaguely aware of his existence), when I read the letters of Paul, his song always pops into my head: "I gotta have faith, faith, faith..." Maybe it doesn't apply directly. The song was about "holding out" for a healthy romantic relationship rather than one that's based on playing games and hurting each other, having "faith" that someone will come along who will treat you right.

Or maybe...maybe it applies better than I thought.

Every relationship we know here on earth--our romantic relationships, our friendships, our family relationships, even business and community relationships--are based on give and take. I do this, you do that. I give this, you give that. Sure, there may be times when I take care of you more than you take care of me, but in the long run it's understood to be a two-way street. The idea of a truly unconditional love, a love that is truly one-sided and does not wane no matter what we do or don't do, seems ludicrous. But that's the kind of love we have with God. It doesn't make sense, and so it's understandable that we'd want to settle for something that does: some system of rules by which we can play, some religious apparatus of give and take, so we feel we're contributing to the relationship. We want to play the same kind of games we have learned from other relationships, so we can somehow "know" that we are owed salvation, rather than trust in it as a gift. But God stubbornly refuses this arrangement. God simply gives, and loves, and shows us again and again throughout our faith narrative, and throughout our lives, that God does not play those games. God gives, we take. That's it. It's hard to believe, because it's so different. But it's the only way this thing will work. Our works will never do the trick. Settling for some kind of give-and-take relationship with God will always leave us feeling empty. So...

We gotta have faith, faith, faith...

[RIP, George Michael, and thanks for the music.]

Exodus 22:21-27. I'm Running Out of Diplomatic Ways to Say This.

Observation: In one of many places in the law, The Lord warns Israel not to oppress or harm the resident alien (immigrant), because once they were resident aliens (immigrants) in Egypt. We remember that at one time, Jacob and his extended family voluntarily came to Egypt due to a famine in their own land, and found a better life in Egypt. Jacob's son Joseph (also an immigrant) had greatly enriched the kingdom. When a Pharaoh arose who had forgotten all the good Joseph had done, the Egyptians oppressed and enslaved Israel. God says, "You lived through this. Don't inflict it on someone else. Don't forget."

Application: *Sigh*. I keep finding ways to dance around this, and the Holy Spirit keeps sending these texts. So here goes. God calls people of faith to have compassion and care for the most vulnerable among us, including foreigners. Period. That doesn't mean we throw safety and security out the window, it doesn't mean the rule of law has no place. But it does mean that any faith-based voice in this conversation needs to take our faith story into account. 

I read a news story today about an abused woman who sought a restraining order, and was detained by I.C.E. the next day, probably reported by her abuser. Needless to say this will make immigrants in abusive relationships think twice about asking for help. People of faith should have something to say about this.

We (Lutherans) are part of an immigrant church. Many of our congregations were found by Germans and Scandinavians trying to make their way in a new land. And no, they didn't speak English right off the boat. Often it took several generations. 

More importantly, all Christians are connected through our Baptism in Christ, to the family of Israel: a family who remembers what it's like to wander, to seek shelter in a new land, to seek out a better life in a new place. Whether we remember or not, Christians and Jews have been there. And we have a responsibility to those who are there now. Not sure how else to say that. 

Prayer: God, help us remember and be compassionate. Amen.

James 2:1-13, Student Drivers

Observation: James, the brother of Jesus, calls out his readers for showing more deference in church gatherings to rich than poor visitors. In this context he reminds them of the verse from Leviticus of which his brother was especially fond: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Application: It's Valentine's Day. To some this is just a lame, mostly-made-up Hallmark Holiday. To others, a painful reminder of not having what society seems to think everyone should have, that "special someone". For my wife and I, it has become a special celebration of family. A chance to let one another, and especially our kids, know they're loved and valued. Laura bought them balloons, and we stuck little paper hearts to their bedroom doors with little reminders of all the things we love about them. It was her idea, of course. :-)

It occurs to me today that our family, friends and significant others are kind of like our "driver's ed" for the Greatest Commandment. God gives us certain close relationships as the empty parking lot, where we can have our first go-around and practice this difficult and often dangerous practice of loving our neighbors as ourselves. We wouldn't want to jump right onto the busy, chaotic city streets to trying to love our neighbors whom we've never met, or the intimidating freeway of loving those who will never love us back. We need to start somewhere. And so God first gives us parents, siblings, friends, significant others, spouses, children, and other close ties.

And much like with driving, it's true of relationships: you are much more likely to get into a wreck close to home. Our family can hurt us in ways strangers rarely could. But even knowing how to react when we feel we have lost control is an important relationship skill. Love is dangerous, and it often hurts. But with the Holy Spirit as our instructor, we take to the roads anyway, knowing that even what we wreck, God can redeem.

Prayer: God, thank you for my family, my friends, and for Laura, my wonderful, strong partner in this life. Help us learn from each other as we seek to love our neighbors. Amen. 

Exodus 20:1-21 Growing Up as Free People

Observation: When God speaks the commandments directly to the people, they tell Moses, "From now on, we just want to hear from you. Hearing directly from God is too frightening."

Application: I wonder if it really was the lightning, thunder, and smoke that frightened the Israelites, or if it was the accountability of what it looks like to live as free people of God? Was it really the special effects, or was it the fact that the script wasn't completely written out for them anymore? When they were slaves in Egypt, the law was easy: "Do what Pharaoh says." If Pharaoh says it's good, it's good. If Pharaoh says it's bad, it's bad, even if it was good yesterday. You don't have to think for yourselves. There's a script. You read your lines. You do exactly what the boss tells you, you follow orders, and you have done the right thing. No critical thinking. No problem.

Not so in the promised land. God gives commandments, yes, but the commandments are designed to create a trusting, accountable community of free people. They are a framework for building relationships: with each other and with God. They are not a definitive script. They are the scenario for an improv sketch, played out over thousands of years, which could go horribly wrong. Is it possible the Israelites want Moses to speak instead of God, so they can start working with a script again, so that "whatever Moses says, goes", like in the old days with Pharaoh?

Even for us today, it's hard to live as free, accountable people, in relationship with God and wth others. Especially with the law as Jesus boils it down, "love God, Love your neighbor as yourself", the challenge is clear. It's easier sometimes to go to an authority figure and say, "what should we do?" But we are set free by a loving God who gives us a framework for what a free people looks like, but then calls us to grow up. And now that we know our sins are forgiven through Christ, the "safety net" of just doing exactly what an authority figure tells us is gone. We are freed to make choices, which will sometimes be wrong, yet will foster community. It's intimidating. But it's God's gift.

Prayer: God, thank you for the Law as a framework for freedom. Help us to grow up and make faithful choices. Amen. 

Matthew 15:1-9 Honoring Our Parents

Observation: the Pharisees come after Jesus' disciples for not washing before they eat. Remember, nobody knew about germs, this was just about religious purity. It's a "gotcha" moment for them, or so they think. But Jesus reminds the Pharisees that they, too, are breaking God's law by abandoning their elderly parents in order to study religion.

Application: Usually when I talk about the Fourth Commandment, I'm talking to middle school aged kids. It's a quick talk: "God says don't sass your parents and teachers, OK?" But this year I got the chance to revisit that same commandment with an adult class, many of whom are caring for elderly parents and in law's, and some of whom have already said goodbye to them. It's a very different discussion.  This is the only commandment with a promised positive result: "honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." As many Confirmation teachers have joked about this--"Your parents brought you into this world, they can take you out"--Jesus' teaching on this commandment isn't about killing. It's about extending life spans throughout a community. It's creating a space where families stick together through life, and care for the vulnerable both at the beginning and at the end.

My grandma Jahn just celebrated her 84th Birthday. She has been struggling with dementia for some years now. It was a joy this past June to visit her with my mom and my wife and kids. Maggie treated her to a rousing rendition of "This Little Light of Mine". I can't think of this commandment anymore without thinking of my parents, aunts and uncles, faithfully visiting my grandma, calling her and setting her at ease as best they can. This is what family looks like.

Prayer: God, thank you for life. Thank you for family. Thanks that we're not in this alone. Amen.

Leviticus 26: 34-46 The Land Takes A Breather

Observation: One of the most interesting concepts in the Hebrew Bible is the idea that the Sabbath is for all creation. It's not just for people: it's for animals, plants, and the land itself. And if God's people break the law by not observing the Sabbath--or by not allowing servants, animals or the land to observe it--then God will take the land away, and it will rest without people on it, until all the back-payments of lost Sabbaths are paid up. 

Application: The History Channel had this fascinating series a few years back called "Life After People," in which the viewer goes on an imaginary tour through various centers of civilization in the days, weeks, months and years after humankind should instantly disappear. As you can imagine, in this alternate reality, it does not take long at all for nature to reclaim everything that humans built.

It's no secret that our sacred texts are written from a very human perspective, and place humankind at the center of a cosmic drama. Our faith teaches us that we are unique among creatures, made in God's image, able to understand our own existence in a way no other animal can, and tasked with caring for God's creation and stewarding it in God's place.

Still, the earth and all it holds still belongs to God. Scripture again and again reminds us that we are managers, not owners. At most, we're house-sitting, and it is indeed a marvelous home. However, God, the home-owner, has left very specific instructions for how to take care of things. We dare not treat every mountain, stream, ocean, and life form like our own possession, and work it seven days a week as we would a machine. Just as we need rest, so does the creation. 

Prayer: God, help us be good stewards of the earth and all forms of life. Help us live in balance with all the wonderful creations you have made. Amen. 

Genesis 26:1-5 Don't Stop Believin'!

Observation: Isaac is near the land God has promised to Abraham, his father, when a famine hits. God tells him not to change course and go to Egypt (where there would be food). God tells Isaac to hang in there, and stay in the promised land as an alien. Through his belief and persistence, God will create a great nation, which will bless all nations.

Application: It's easy to believe God's promises when things do, in fact, seem to be heading in that direction anyway. It's easy to trust God will take care of you when you have half a dozen job interviews lined up. It's easy to trust God loves you when you are feeling slightly more able to act lovable. It's easy to trust that God is in charge of this world when the world is sort of "behaving" like a world of which God would already want to be ruler. 

But that's not faith. That's intuition: logic. Observing what's going on and drawing a natural conclusion based on what you're seeing. Faith, on the other hand, is seeing things going in the opposite direction, and trusting that in spite of that, God's promises still hold true. That God is taking care of you when you have no idea how that will actually pan out. That God loves you when you are not acting especially lovable. That from the cross of Christ, God is in fact reconciling all things to God's self and making all things new, when it seems we're headed for doom and destruction. 

Belief is a gift from God. It's based on what we don't see, rather than what we do. It doesn't let us off the hook from trying to make our lives and our world more like what we know God would want. But it affirms that when it seems to be going the other way, God has not left our side.

Prayer: Lord, help me believe, even when my senses tell me to despair. Amen. 

Psalm 119:105-112 "Lumos!"

Observation: During this reeeeally long love song to God's law, the psalmist compares God's commands to a "lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Even in difficult times, God's word ensures that we are not just stumbling around in the darkness.

Application: I'm not going to lie, it has been a hard morning, to follow up a hard couple of days. My wife and I racked up a record number of consequences for my 5-year-old son just to keep him at the table eating his breakfast. I had to have a long conversation with my 8 year old daughter about being honest, not just to avoid getting in trouble, but to form trusting relationships as an adult. It is so, so hard just to provide the structure and accountability our kids need.

Both in our home and in our country and world, it's feeling increasingly like stumbling in the dark, without a common moral compass to turn to. Right and wrong, true and false seem constantly up for debate. Sometimes I wish I could cry out "Lumos!", like in Harry Potter, and have a wand at the ready to shed light on our common situation, so we can all see where we are and where we need to go.

It may not be quite as easy as a magic spell, but as people of faith, we do have the promise of structure and accountability through God's law. God's Word can shed light on our lives, and light our path forward: but more importantly, show us when we've left the path altogether, and need God's grace and forgiveness to lead us back. God does not abandon us to darkness, with no truth to be found and every path as good as every other. Even in the most confusing and confounding times, we have a light.

Prayer: God, thank you for your Word. Thank you for accountability, for direction, and for the light of your truth. Help us walk by the path it shows. Amen.

2 Kings 23:1-8, 21-25 What Is My Idol?

Observation: King Josiah institutes a series of religious reforms throughout Judah, tearing down the altars of foreign Gods and deposing the priests who participated in their worship, breaking the covenant they made to worship only God. He reestablishes the Passover feast as a reminder that God is the one who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. 

Application: we may not set up idols in our houses, but our lives are still full of idols. Whatever we lift up as of ultimate concern, whatever we love above all else, is our god. Sometimes it's more obvious than at other times...I have to shake my head at the High Holy Day of football and advertising, the Super Bowl (And I did watch too) but sometimes our worship is more subtle. We worship attitudes and ideas. We worship money. We worship power. Sometimes we even worship anger, or fear. Whatever motivates what we say and do; whatever whispers in our ear as we make decisions; that is our god. We need a lot of reminders that only God is truly worthy of our praise, because only God saves. 

Prayer: God, deliver us. Help us love and trust you above all things. Amen. 

Isaiah 29:1-12, and the Ministry of Not Getting It

Observation: It's a weird image. We typically think of God wanting to enlighten, to share truth. But in this passage (probably written about the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian army in 701 BCE) for a time, God has made the prophets "blind, drunk and illiterate". Some times our "not getting it" is part of God's plan. 

Application: Feeling as though there's something I should know and understand, but don't, something I should be able to do, but can't, is torture for me. For most of us, in fact. In the 3DM movement of Christian Discipleship, this is the second of four stages--known as "D2", or "conscious incompetence". It's the hardest part. It means making a fool of yourself, and making big mistakes in front of everyone. Yes, it's a step ahead of "unconscious incompetence", where you don't even know there's a better way, but in a way it's worse. Knowing God wants you to do or understand something, but knowing right now you don't get it and can't do it, is. The. Worst. It's understandably when almost everybody gives up.

 But. It's part of the process. It's how you get to D3, "conscious competence", where you know what to do AND how to do it, and D4, "unconscious competence", where you don't even have to think about it anymore, you just do it as second nature. Before all that comes not getting it. Stumbling around like you're blindfolded and drunk. It's no fun, but this, too, is from God. It's the world--and indeed, the Evil One--who wants us to always feel we're awesome at everything from the word "go", and not try anything we won't hit out of the park on our first at bat. The Lord wants us to grow. 

Prayer: God, thank you for the blessing of not getting it. Thank you for frustration, for incompetence, for that awful feeling that this all would be easier for someone else. Thank you for the hard days. Thank you for growth. Amen. 

Luke 2:22-40, The Big Closing Number

Observation: the first two chapters of Luke's Gospel start things off in a way unlike any other Gospel: as a musical. When Mary visits Elizabeth, she sings. When Zechariah the priest (John the Baptist's dad) meets his newborn son for the first time, he sings. When the angels announce Jesus' birth to the Shepherd's, they sing. And now as Mary and Joseph dedicate their firstborn son in the temple, an old man named Simeon sees him and sings. But after Luke 2, the story settles into more traditional storytelling (no more songs). That makes Simeon's song the "Grand Finale". 

Application: My wife and I saw La La Land almost a week ago now, and it um...made an impression. Laura bought the soundtrack CD the next day, and it's been spun more than a few times since then. We've joked about feeling like any moment we could break into a choreographed dance routine (which, knowing my "skills", would be a sight to behold.) Especially when life is tough, there's a wonderful catharsis in spending time in a world where song and dance are as much a part of life as walking and speech. 

What's really cool is, if you're part of a worshiping community, that's the world we live in. A world of song and movement. Granted, not all Christians spontaneously dance in the aisles (though some do) but in most every tradition, we respond to life with hymns, liturgy (which just means "work of the people") and music to fit any mood or life situation. We have songs of hope and lament, songs of mystery, awe, and everyday work, songs to greet a life begun and songs to celebrate an earthly life finished. Life in a worshiping community truly is a musical: and though none of us has seen the final act yet, let me tell you, I've read the score, and God has a spectacular, hope-filled closing number planned. Let's get together Sunday and rehearse. 

Prayer: God, 

Thank you for the music, the songs we're singing; 

Thanks for all the joy they're bringing! 

Who can live without it?

I ask in all honesty:

Without a song and a dance, where are we? 

So I say, thank you for the music, 

For giving it to me. 

Luke 6:17-26 The Flip Side of Blessing

Observation: In Luke's version of the Beatitudes, Jesus is more concrete with his blessings. Instead of the "poor in spirit", he blessed the poor. Instead of "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness", he blesses the hungry. And with those blessings come woes: to the rich, the full, the laughing. It's not a "curse" exactly: it's just an announcement of a reality, that those for whom life is easy now may face a difficult road ahead.

Application: I was talking with my wife last night about how I wish I could go on a retreat with Jesus: a nice long weekend of conversation and encouragement.

Except I know it probably wouldn't be like that. Jesus was kind in many settings, but he wasn't always "nice." And he was known for "afflicting the comfortable." Luke's Beatitudes are an excellent example of Jesus' discipling style: a combination of invitation and challenge (or as Lutherans would frame it, "law" and "Gospel"). Jesus invites, heals and comforts when we need it, but he is also willing to share some very uncomfortable truths: like, for instance, that material comfort and success in the world can be a huge obstacle to following Jesus and experiencing God's abundant life.

A weekend with Jesus would probably not be "restful" or even "fun", but it would be transformative, because it would remind us who we are and whose we are.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for calling and inviting me on this journey. May I gratefully receive your challenge as a gift. Amen.