James 4:11-16 Life Moves Pretty Fast

Observation: James, the brother of Jesus, warns his church about judging others, because judging is God's job. He also warns against too much confidence in future plans, because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. These two pieces of advice may not seem connected at first, but they both remind us not to forget how fragile and short our lives are, and how little we really know about them.

Application:  I don't think I was much different from most kids when I was young, that I thought I was invincible, and I had all the time in the world. More and more, I'm learning that isn't the case. It's true what Ferris Bueller said: Life moves pretty fast. We are "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." We've heard it a thousand times: judging others is wrong, because that's God's job. But it's also wrong simply because it is a huge waste of the precious time that God gave us. It wastes our time, and the time of the people we're judging. It creates a culture where we spend more time looking over our shoulder than at the amazing things God is doing right in front of our face.

In pastoral care situations this week, I was given a very stark reminder: we can plan all we want, but no matter our age or station in life, we are not guaranteed any more tomorrows. God's Word is reminding me that today should be spent on love.

Prayer: God, help me see what you are doing today. Help me make plans with humility. And help me remove from those plans any sense of judgment or superiority. Help me see my smallness, the fragility of my life, and in seeing that, adore you all the more for saving me. Amen.

Romans 16:17-20 Re-Born Yesterday

Observation: It's very typical for Paul's letters to conclude with moral advice, and the letter to the Roman church is true to form. He uses some of his last paragraphs to warn the church about smooth-talking, self-serving leaders who only wish to divide the church. Paul uses an excellent turn of phrase: "I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil."

Application: I feel convicted by this verse because I've become a little more lax in my (supposedly) daily devotions. And on the other side of the coin, I was just observing that my Netflix tastes of late are of the gritty, "true crime drama" variety, where the "good guy" (the person you're supposed to root for) is in fact not good at all, but smart, gifted, and able to make the case that whatever awful thing they're doing is justified.* 

I have heard people talk about a "Paleo" diet before, of focusing on eating only foods that would have been available to our ancestors of 20,000 years ago or more: no refined sugars or processed foods. It's one of the newer trendy approaches. Maybe there's something to that. I've never been much of a dieter. 

But I do wonder what it would be like to go on a mental and spiritual diet, where I pay close attention to what I see, hear and pay attention to, so I can strive toward that goal of being "wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil." Obviously we can't give ourselves selective amnesia and truly forget all the ways we've seen people be awful to each other and to God's creation. But that doesn't mean we have to give huge amounts of time and energy to movies, music and TV shows that we know are making us more cynical. I find it really ironic that we make every effort not to expose our kids to bad words, violence and sex in media, but don't really give a second thought to the sheer tonnage of images to which we expose ourselves as adults, as though our minds are an impregnable fortress. 

And on the other hand, if we really do believe that prayer and scripture are important for our minds, why are we giving so little space in our minds and hearts, so little time in our days, to becoming "wise" in what is good? There's always new stuff to learn and apply from God's word. 

Maybe a media diet might be something to try for me. I wouldn't necessarily cut out anything that's beyond a PG rating, or pretend I'm 9 years old again. But I'd pay attention to what I'm watching and listening to, and whether I'm getting plenty of spiritual nutrients from prayer and scripture, along with the occasional car-chase, Kung-Fu battle or gritty crime drama. Maybe I can become a little more "guileless" in what is "evil". Kind of like the "Encino Man" of early 90's fame, maybe I can get to a place where I can see our culture and time from a different perspective--not taking for granted that vanity and back-biting are the norm--and strive for that ideal that we are born anew each morning by God's grace, and our past sins really are past. 

Prayer: God, help me to get wiser in what is good, and get to know you better. And help me to be a little more guileless in what is evil, watching my mental and spiritual diet along the way. Amen.

*In case anyone cares, I really am not prudish when it comes to entertainment. I realize that a whole lot of our culture's best art, the stuff that makes us really think about who we are, is meant for adult audiences. But that still doesn't mean we have to have a straight diet of it. 

Matthew 21:18-22 What Did That Tree Ever Do To You?

Observation: So, Jesus is close to the end of his life. He's in Jerusalem. He sees a fig tree that already has no fruit. He curses it, and it withers right there on the spot. In other accounts, he's mad because it isn't fig season, or there's a more obvious symbolic connection to God's letting the current religious power structure "wither" because it isn't bearing any spiritual "fruit". Not in Matthew. In Matthew, Jesus seemingly kills this tree to impress his friends, and make a point that they, too, can kill trees--even move mountains--if they pray with the right kind of faith.

Application: Man, what a week of texts. 

So, I love, worship and follow Jesus. I believe he is God's son, even God made flesh. I believe his life is the best example we have of how to be authentically human, in relation to God and our neighbor, and I believe his death freed me and all creation from sin, reconciling us to God. 

But all that said, I just can not for the life of me figure out what he had against this poor fig tree. Even if he was proving a point, did this little creation of God have to lose its life in order for that to happen? 

Having grown up in the church, sometimes I have a vision of Jesus that is too domesticated. If I just sit in my office and think about Jesus, he starts to think, sound, and act more and more like me. He becomes a half-finished jigsaw puzzle of my favorite proof-texts that tell me what I already think about the world. He's not even a real person, let alone the Son of God. 

But then I pick up my Bible, and I have to read texts I don't like. Much like any real person, Jesus does some stuff that just baffles me, even shocks me. That seems to willfully defy my explanation. That makes me mad. It's not fun. 

Now, I am really, really not a fan of the verbage, "personal relationship with Jesus Christ," because any individual's relationship with Jesus isn't complete unless it's part of a communal relationship. But if, along with the communal, I do want a "personal relationship" with Jesus...then what makes me think we would get along all the time? Because, I hate to burst your bubble, but Jesus actually didn't get along with anyone and everyone all the time. Sometimes it was because he was asking what they thought was too much. Sometimes it was because he was turning their expectations on their heads. And sometimes...it was because people just didn't get it. That's what a personal relationship is. And yeah, I guess I do want one. Most of the time. 

Prayer: Jesus, sometimes I just don't understand you. Help me to love, follow and worship you anyway, and not expect to get out of our relationship more than I'm willing to put in. And help me put in everything. Amen. 

Romans 13:1-7 "If You're Not Doing Anything Wrong, There's Nothing To Be Afraid Of"

Observation: Paul is writing to Gentile Christians who are still trying to figure out how their faith relates to public life. How can Christians, who proclaim "Jesus is Lord", obey the commands of Caesar, who also claims that title? For better or worse, Paul threads the needle and paraphrases Jesus in the Gospels: basically, let Caesar have his earthly kingdom.  "respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due." Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. 

Application: I'll just lay it out there. This text is deeply troubling to me. Paul's words, that you should only fear authorities if you've done something wrong, have been used time and time again to justify abuses by people in authority. In recent years, it sounds too much like the excuses often used for why people of color are pulled over by police at a higher rate, and why those interactions become deadly. I am thankful for the hard work and daily risk law enforcement officers face every day, and I don't envy the lightning-fast calls they sometimes have to make. But as I open my Bible, I don't read it to say that anyone who runs afoul of civil authorities deserves it, nor that Christians can't or shouldn't push to ensure equal justice for all. 

Instead, what I read is a distinction that the Lutheran reformers later spun out into what is known as the "Two Kingdoms" doctrine: the idea that God rules our civil lives through the state, and our spiritual lives through the Church. The two should not be conflated as the same. As a Christian leader, I would consider it a gross violation of my office to tell worshipers  from the pulpit how to vote. In the same way, it is a gross violation of the office of civil authorities to tell us when and how to worship, pray, and exercise our faith.  A "theocracy", where religious and civil leaders are the same people, is contrary to scripture and Christian teaching. Only Jesus is Lord, not any form of governmental authority. But civil authority should also refrain from coercing any kind of faith, or else our freedom in Christ is challenged. 

Mind you, I think the "Two Kingdoms" doctrine can also can and has caused problems. I think the waters get muddier in a society where power is (ideally) shared by all citizens, and that power is sometimes exercised by not keeping quiet, but speaking out. Luther had a lot to say about the responsibilities of princes to those in their care, and in a democracy, I think some of that applies to us as Christian voters. Still, what I get from this text is that Christians can't just violently rebel against any leader because that leader isn't "Christian enough." It isn't our government's job to follow Jesus. Their job is to secure justice and fairness, and to listen to the voice of the people. That following Jesus thing would be on us. 

Prayer: God, establish justice and fairness in our civil order. Protect those who serve and protect us: protect them not just physically, but morally. Protect their bodies and their judgments. Give us voices to lift up those who are fearful. In Jesus' name, amen.   

1 Peter 2:11-17 "Fear God, Honor the Emperor": A Lesson from Christian History

Observation: The author of 1 Peter is addressing an audience of Jewish Christ-believers living among a mostly Gentile population. He refers to his readers as "aliens and exiles," and tells them to live "honorably" among Gentiles, so that "though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge." It is true: in the first century, both Jews and Christians were often the target of violent persecution and unfounded rumors. In fact, in AD 64, when the (mostly Pagan) city of Rome suffered a terrible fire, popular belief falsely held that this fire had been started by Christians, and they bore the brunt of the blame. In this context, the advice to keep your head down "for the Lord's sake" and "honor the emperor" makes a great deal of sense. 

Application: It's September 11. It's been sixteen years since a day that shook our nation, and for me as a young American living a fairly sheltered life, my sense of our place in the world. The hatred I saw in the act of ending so many lives so quickly--and also the hatred in the backlash against anyone who was perceived to be from those attackers' part of the world--moved me to my core. Only days after the event itself, I sat in a circle with other students (I was a junior at Eastern Michigan University) and heard stories of fear: the fear of being attacked by terrorists, but also by fellow Americans. I distinctly remember hearing a Latina young woman, born and raised in this country, describing her experience of being harassed on the street by someone who mistook her for being from the Arab world. I remember hearing TV and radio interviews after the fact, in which Muslim families expressed their love for our country, and their desire in that time to show even more support for this place in which they had found a freedom and a livelihood they could not have found at home. Those who had already left their homes and extended families, at great personal cost, to come to this country, were now having to watch their every step, their every phrase--even when and where they chose to speak their language of origin--to show that they meant their adopted country no harm.

I watched a viral video recently of a Sikh lawmaker in Canada--who, as a religious observance, wears long hair, a long beard and a turban--being violently heckled by a woman who (mistakenly) believed him to be a Muslim. He responded with nothing but calm, peace and poise in a way that I have rarely ever seen, and which is much more than I could muster in the face of shouting, slurs and threatening body language. I was amazed, but perhaps I should be less so, because this man (who looked to be in his mid 30s) is clearly no stranger to this harassment, and as a public figure, he knows what the stakes are. Hecklers are a dime a dozen, but if he does not behave with absolute discipline and politeness in the face of such abuse, the narrative would turn against him and all people of his faith.

There may be a few places in the world where Christians still have to "keep our heads down" and watch our every move, word, phrase, what language we speak, how much we share about ourselves in public, how close we stand to strangers, and a thousand other calculations. In most places today, and certainly in most parts of the U.S., we do not have to be nearly so careful. But we carry in our scriptures a reminder of that time: a time when Christians were the suspect ones, when we ourselves were the "aliens and exiles". On this day of national mourning, when Americans of all faiths look back with tears on a tragedy which must never happen again, Christians should also remember we too were once part of a feared minority, and have compassion. 

Prayer: God, thank you for the blessing of living in the United States of America, a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal. Help us to obey the law, to uphold that in our civil institutions that which secures justice and equality, to peacefully challenge that which diminishes your image in any of your children, and to hold close to our hearts any aliens and exiles among us, remembering we once were the same, as was your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Romans 10:15-21 "Obey" the Good News?

Observation: Paul is trying to make sense of how not everyone has listened to and believed his message about Jesus. In particular, he is grappling with the issue that most of his fellow Jews, who believe in the same God and are still God's chosen people, do not accept his conclusion that Jesus is the fulfilment of the covenant. But whoever listens or doesn't listen, Paul has to share the message, because faith comes from hearing--yet "not all have obeyed the good news." 

Application: It's strange to me, that turn of phrase, "obeyed the good news." My theological definition of good news is a message about something God does. We have no part in it. You obey the law, not the Gospel...right? 

One of a handful of things I learned in Hebrew class was that the word for "listen/obey/react" is one word. "Shema Israel", "Hear/REACT O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord alone."  If you don't react in some way, you're not listening. I'm sure this week as parents get their kids ready for school, they can relate. It's pretty common even with married couples (I'm guilty of this too). If you don't respond, or take action, you didn't hear. 

So "hearing" good news is being affected by it, such that you DO something about it. Just as hearing the witness of our brothers and sisters who are suffering means changing our behavior, or at least examining it, to see if we can lessen that suffering. If we don't change, we didn't hear. 

Prayer: God, open my ears to the Good News of your Son, who is reconciling the world to you. And open my hands and feet to react to it, and make it more real for anyone who is hurting. 

Psalm 119:33-40 Course Corrections

Observation: What strikes me again and again in this short passage from the longest psalm in the Bible is the word "turn." "Turn my heart to your decrees", "Turn my eyes from looking at vanities", "Turn away the disgraces that I dread". Turn, turn, turn. 

Application: When I was first learning to drive, I remember I had problems with steering. I'd realize I was a little off, then over-correct, then over-correct the opposite way, ending up with kind of a zig-zag. I have a lot of respect for my parents, for neither losing their patience, or getting seasick as I got more confident. 

The thing is, all these little corrections and turns are indeed part of steering a car. It's just that with an experienced driver, they're second nature. They're usually so smooth they don't make you think twice. 

Learning to do what God expects of us is similar. It's like steering the car of our soul. It's a constant series of minor turns: away from this, toward that, around various obstacles, and occasionally a whole new direction or even a U-turn. Like the psalmist, we need God at our side to help us make those course corrections, minor or major. 

Prayer: God, thank you for helping me learn to steer my soul. Thank you for your grace, which saves me when I lose control. Amen.  

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Planted By the Water

Observation: The prophet Jeremiah begins a poem with an excellent image as its center: Just as plants need water, so we need God. We may feel okay for a little while without checking in with God, but people of faith know all too well what it feels like to be spiritually parched and unable to bear fruit. Best to plant ourselves closer to a water source: to position ourselves in such a way that prayer, and God's Word, are always near.

Application: For anyone who has been paying attention to world events, this has been an exceedingly draining week. The reality of Hurricane Harvey's devastation is setting in just in time for another storm--Irma--to threaten Florida and Puerto Rico. There are deep divisions in our nation over immigration, and fear as North Korea continues to threaten war. And I couldn't read our scriptural image without thinking of Montana and the rest of the Northwest, as wildfires rage in drought-stricken forests. On a personal level, my school-aged kids both managed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, and resisted getting ready for school with pretty much everything they had. 

I don't mean this post to be a downer. I Just want to acknowledge it: I'm parched. I've got nothing. I'm done trusting in myself. I have to trust in God, because it's either that or just curl up into a ball and ignore the world--which for me, as a disciple of Jesus, is not an option.

You can get by trusting in human beings for a while, especially if that human being is yourself. But you'll eventually reach a point where you've done all you can do, and whomever you've put your trust in has done all they can do, and it's just not enough. That's when it's time to ask where you have planted yourself. Are you near the water? When was the last time you prayed? Read a verse or two from scripture? Talked with a friend, not just about the state of the union or the state of your family, but the state of your spirit? Planting yourself closer to some form of spirituality will likely mean a change of routine. It'll mean uprooting yourself from a way of moving in the world which you have gotten used to. That typically hurts, just like the first workout after not being in the gym for awhile. But it's worth it. A lifetime is an awful long journey if your spirit is dehydrated.

Prayer: God, I've had it. I have used what meager resources I have in my mind, body and spirit, and I'm tapped out. Plant me closer to you. Help me to better structure my day to allow time with you. Help my roots grow deeper in your word, so I can grow even in the dry times. Amen.