Two Halves of Life

Observation: Because I didn't get my daily Bible text in my email inbox, I'm trying something different. Today I'm reflecting on a devotion from the blog of Father Richard Rohr. Today's post was written by a guest writer, the Jungian psychologist James Hollis. Hollis writes that there are two distinct halves of our lives. In the first half we seek security, the ability to support ourselves and develop our own identity apart from our parents. The second half of life is more about discovering who we are on a spiritual level, apart from career, ambitions, or material gain. In the first half of life we ask, "how can I establish myself?" In the second we ask "what does my life mean?"

Application: I'd say I'm in the thick of the "first half" of life. I've never been obsessed with material gain (if I were I'd have chosen the wrong line of work!) but I do find myself very preoccupied with success, whether it's one of the rare times when my definition of success matches up with my reality, or it's the vast majority of the time when it doesn't. Either way, my identity as "Pastor", "Dad", or "Husband", is often center stage in my mind. Too often it's hard for the three of them to share the spotlight. And I find my sense of contentment is wrapped up in how well each of those roles is going, and what I can be doing, should be doing, should have already done yesterday, to make them go better.

But I have done ministry with a lot of folks who have been through all that and come out on the other side. Slowly but surely, our career responsibilities, our day to day parenting responsibilities, and if we live long enough, even our role as a spouse, will reach their conclusion. And we will be asking God, "who am I now, apart from these roles I've played?"

My hope is that when and if that time comes (and in some sense it almost certainly will), I will have begun the conversation with God, and learned about the soul God made, apart from anyone or anything else.

Prayer: God, I need to remember I am more than my obligations. Help me find time alone with you, to begin the lifelong process of individuation. Amen. 

2 Samuel 7:4, 8-16

2 Samuel 7:4, 8-16 (NRSV)

⁴But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. ¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. 

Observation: When David resolves to build a "house" for God in the form of a permanent temple, God says that isn't necessary yet. Instead, God promises to establish David's "house". God will not abandon David's family line the way God did to Saul. Come what may, God's favor will continue with David's descendants: "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."


Application: Early Christians were quick to point out that Jesus of Nazareth, through Joseph's family, was a direct descendant of King David. The title, "Messiah," is Hebrew for "anointed". Anointing a king's head with oil was part of the coronation ritual. From the very early days, we have anointed with oil the heads of newly baptized people, reminding them that they are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ--the anointed Messiah--forever. At certain points in our lives, it can be helpful to receive prayers for healing and wholeness, and to re-trace that cross in oil, reminding people that they are part of a royal family that will reign forever. Jesus is Lord, over the earth, and even over death itself.


It so happens that I received some olive oil in the mail yesterday, from the grounds of Augusta Victoria Hospital, a ministry of Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem--the city of David. I was able to pull together some donations from friends to support this important healing ministry. As this oil goes out, we will remind those with whom we share it that they belong to the King, Jesus the Messiah.


Prayer: God,you reign forever, and one day you will reign completely. I trust that your kingdom is coming--a kingdom of life, healing, wholeness, and justice--whether I pray for it or not. But I pray today that it may come in ways that I can see it, and take part in it, today. Amen.

Romans 10:8b-13 The Word is Near

Observation: Paul is writing to Roman Christians, and quoting the Torah, in which Moses says, "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart." Paul makes the claim that the "word" is the word of faith, the very first Christian creed: Iesous Kurios. Jesus is Lord.

Application: A lot of times this text is presented as a "minimum requirement" for salvation from a Christian perspective. It's taken to mean that unless you confess, out loud, that Jesus is Lord--YOUR Lord--you will burn in hell for eternity. But being "saved" is a lot more wholistic than where we spend eternity when we eventually die. To be saved is to be saved from yourself: from feeling as though the weight of the world  is on your shoulders, that everything hangs on your tiniest decisions, and you'd better not screw it up. To say "Jesus is Lord" is a theological statement, yes, but it's also a personal statement: that I've tried every which way of running my life on my own, and it always leaves me in frustration and despair. I need help.

I do believe that Jesus is Lord of this world, whether I think so on any given day or not. I believe, not just that love will win the day, but that it already has. I don't think this text has some veiled threat to make, about anyone's eternal damnation should they never get around to saying the magic words, "Jesus is Lord." I personally don't believe that's how God works.

Instead, this text is meant as a meal for the hungry, and air for the suffocating: that you don't have to figure life out on your own. If the weight of your life is too heavy, you can give up control. You can ask for help.  Maybe you should try. The word is so near you can taste it.

Prayer: Jesus, you aren't just "my" Lord, you are Lord. I believe that in you, heaven and earth meet and are reconciled. Help me use my own words and my own heart to share this news today. Help me give up trying to control everything to my liking, and let you lead me and save me. Amen.

Acts 7:30-34 Telling the Story Again

Observation: When Stephen, an early Christian, is asked to explain his faith, he retells basically the whole story of the Hebrew Bible in a nutshell, with his witness to Jesus at the end. This portion retells the story of the call of Moses, as originally found in Exodus 3.

Application: In the first few centuries of Christianity, there was a teacher called Marcion, who taught that the Hebrew Bible, or "Old Testament", should be rejected, and Christians should only read the New Testament. To him, it seemed like two different Gods--an angry, wrathful God, and a kind, loving God. Most Christians ultimately rejected this teaching: you can't really get to know Jesus unless you know about God's faithfulness to Jesus' ancestors. Right here in Acts, you have confirmation that the very first disciples treasured the Hebrew Bible.

Today, that makes me think about how we kind of "edit" our own story, depending on the audience. There are some chapters of our lives that even those very close to us may never hear. But that doesn't mean they didn't happen. Maybe as you look back on your whole story today--the good, bad, and ugly--it's a good time to thank God for those who have supported us enough so we feel safe telling them the real, unvarnished truth. In the Bible, God has done the same for us.

Prayer: Oh God, for truth tellers, and for those with whom we can share our whole truth, we give you thanks. Amen.

Acts 3:11-16 Peter Goes There

Observation: Peter and John have just performed their first healing in Jesus' name. In the Jerusalem Temple, he invites a man lame from birth to stand up and walk. When this healing draws a crowd of astonished people, Peter "goes there." He uses the opportunity to speak about the fact that he didn't do this--the name of Jesus did. And because his pain is still raw, Peter also makes mention of the fact that less than two months ago, the same crowds here in Jerusalem that are so amazed by this healing, were the ones who handed him over to be crucified. Peter tells the good, bad and ugly of Jesus' story, but he makes it clear that this healing today is the next chapter of it.

Application: So, a lot of mainline Christians are terrible at evangelism. We're terrible at it because we're terrified of it. We think it means saying we have all the answers and no one else has any. We think it involves yelling at people that they're doing life wrong, they're sinners and they're going to hell. Especially when we do something good or kind to others, even if we understand that to be part of our faith, we rarely say that out loud, because we think that means it has strings attached. "I helped you dig your car out of the snow, but I did it in Jesus' name, so now you are required to come to my church."  Folks. That is not how evangelism works. None of that.

We can and absolutely should do good things, healing things, for our neighbors. We should love them, asking nothing in return. We should be out there with random acts of kindness, or paying it forward, or whatever catch phrase you want to use for being a decent human being. And we should not be shy about connecting that to our faith. Believe it or not, most people will not sick a team of lawyers on you if, when you offer them a little gas money, you say, "God has blessed me and I just want to be a blessing to you." Or if they compliment you on a piece of art you did, you say, "Thanks, I feel like God kind of inspired me there." Or if you step in with a kind word for a store clerk who's having a tough day, and they say "thanks," and you say, "Sure thing. I follow Jesus. That's what we do." I know this is hard. I know faith is personal. I know it feels private. I know people have a lot of pictures in their head from the media of Christians as wide eyed judgmental bigots, and you don't want to be seen as one of "those people." But also...if the idea of "Christian" folks have in their head goes unchallenged, without you dropping Jesus' name now and again when you actually manage to be kind and love somebody, then nothing will change.

So you're not Billy Graham. Neither am I. How about like Peter, let's just be decent human beings who sometimes talk about Jesus, shall we?

Prayer: God, help us to find chances to heal and love others in your name...and help us bring you into the conversation. Amen.   

Genesis 44:1-17 Joseph Messes With His Brothers

Observation: During a time of famine, Joseph, who is now the second-in-command to Pharaoh in Egypt, plays another trick on his brothers from the land of Canaan. He has already secretly returned their money to them when they come to Egypt to buy grain. After they come back and proclaim their innocence, Joseph takes it further and plants his silver cup in his youngest brother Benjamin's bag, to make it look like he stole it. 

I'm pretty sure Joseph already knows what he is planning to do--that eventually, he will forgive his brothers for selling him into slavery all those years ago, and invite his extended family to live with him in luxury in Egypt. Eventually. But first, he wants to mess with them. 

Application: To me, this is a familiar feeling. Not just messing with your siblings--although I was a pretty obnoxious older brother once--but the idea of "cutting loose" a little when you have resolved to do the "right thing." Having that last ice cream Sundae at the end of the week, when your diet starts Monday. Playing another hour of video games because you know tomorrow you're going to try to be screen-free. Sharing that last juicy piece of gossip, then swearing up and down it'll be the last one. When you have made a big decision and resolved to do something right, it can be tempting to do a little thing wrong--even if you know it's wrong--to celebrate. That's the whole idea of "Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday" (which is coming up the week after next, BTW). When you know you're headed for the great spiritual challenge of Lent, why not succumb to a few temptations as a "last hurrah"? 

This rarely works out well. Even with false deadlines, we are great at justifying behaviors we know aren't healthy. We're great at procrastinating--at least I know I am. There's always going to be a reason to kick the can down the road, and the bigger and more life-changing the resolution is--like finally making that phone call, and offering forgiveness to a person who hurt you--the more it will make sense to us that we really aren't ready, and we may as well take a breather and get down to that next week, next month, next year. 

Here's what I think we should try instead: what if instead of making big, sweeping resolutions for some future date, we tried to do little, tiny "right" things, right now, instead of later? What if most of life isn't about grand gestures, but minute-by-minute choices that the Holy Spirit uses to slowly build and develop the person God needs us to be? What if March 6 (Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent) wasn't a deadline at all, but a day to reflect, and take one hour at a time, like any other day? What if it wasn't about big resolutions, no big giving up or taking up, but directions that we want to go, one baby step at a time? 

So yeah...maybe in this instance, don't be like Joseph. Don't put off the big right thing for tomorrow. Do the little right thing today. 

Prayer: God, when my vision gets too grand, I get intimidated. Keep me focused on what I need to do today, right now. Point me in the right direction, even if I don't get far today. Amen.   

Acts 13:26-34 All in the Family

Observation: In Antioch (modern day Turkey) Paul tells the story of Jesus before a hostile audience: Sergius Paulus, a Roman Proconsul, described as "an intelligent man" but not necessarily sympathetic. And with them is Elymas, whom the text calls "a magician" (probably a pagan fortune teller of some kind), who is trying to convince the Proconsul of the dangers of Christianity. Paul talks about how the residents of Jerusalem rejected Jesus, this fulfilling their own prophecies which they read at weekly services, because they did not understand that they refer to Jesus.

Application: This text is one of many in the New Testament that needs unpacking, because it has been misused to support Anti Jewish and Anti Semitic readings of scripture.

Firstly, and ALWAYS, remember that Jesus of Nazareth, all twelve original apostles, and Paul himself who makes this speech, lived and died as Jews. They regarded their own message as a faithful way of being Jewish, and not once did they ask their fellow Jews to be anything other than Jewish.

Secondly, remember that what we say to (and about) our own family, even though we may regret it later, sounds much, much different coming from the mouth of an outsider. Think of the snarkiest, most sarcastic thing you've ever said about a sibling, and then imagine how you'd feel if a stranger tweeted those exact words about them for the world to see. Brutal, huh? Well that, I believe, is how Jesus feels when Christians take his words about, say, the Pharisees and chief priests, and apply them to present day Jews with whom they have no relationship. Same thing with Paul's words about his own detractors. Mind you, a lot of his words are problematic even within his first century Jewish family. But outside the family, they're toxic.

• 
  

Thirdly, for Christ's sake (I mean this literally) we NEED to take into account the last two thousand years of history and how these words have been used by people in power to marginalize and do violence to Jews. In light of that, our "life application" for a text like this is simple, but not easy. First, repent, and second, work to make it better.

Our confirmation class will be attending a synagogue service in Traverse City next Friday. I am grateful that the rabbi and lay leaders are willing to welcome us into their sacred space, and I am praying that our kids will represent us well, and learn something. If the only take away is that this is a context of prayer in which their Lord would be 100% at home, my job is done.

Prayer: Lord have mercy. For the damage we have done to your family, for the damage we still do, and for the possibility of reconciliation and healing, have mercy and grant us peace. Amen.