Ideology or Idolatry?

Today's readings: Psalms 104, 149; Isaiah 43:1-13; Ephesians 3:14-21; Mark 2:23-3:6

Ideology is a sneaky devil. When we are born into one, we usually don't even think of it as an ideology, but simply as the way things are - or at least the way they should be. For example, free market capitalism is the dominant economic ideology of the western world. We talk about it as though it is an actual entity, but in truth it is a collective agreement to adhere to a set of principles. No one still living was party to the original "agreement," but centuries later we all (for the most part) continue to operate under its rules. As with any ideology, there has been a subtle but consistent shift of how we think about it: those who adopted the principles did so to serve society; today we treat them as part of our identity, and often act as though society exists to serve them.

In many Gospel stories, Jesus rejected the ideology of his culture in order to serve humanity. The pharisees started conspiring to destroy him after he plucked grain and healed a man on the sabbath, in violation of Hebrew ideology. His admonition that "the sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27) did not move them, but Jesus knew that their ideology had become idolatry: they placed the letter of the scripture above the intent of God.

What ideologies have we let turn into idolatries? The pharisees were quite sure of their rigid interpretation of scripture. Should we be as sure of our own? Have we ever found ourselves defending or attacking a political idea simply because the "other side" criticizes or promotes it? The worst examples may be when we let political, religious and ethnic ideologies blend into an unexamined hodgepodge that leave us ready to take offense at the slightest provocation - or worse, to use ideology as an excuse to neglect or abuse our fellow human beings.

When we are most sure of our ideologies, we are least able to consider them wisely. Wisdom tells us mercy trumps idolatrous laws. By example Christ teachs us to examine them and use them to serve, not to blindly bend to them. God trusts us to think. Let's trust God enough to do so.

Evening readings: Psalms 138, 98

Forgiveness First

Today's readings: Psalms 97, 147:12-20; Isaiah 41:17-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 2:1-12

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus spoke  to a large crowd gathered in and around his home. As he did so, "some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their face, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven'" (Mark 2:3-5). The scribes present were offended that Jesus felt he had the authority to forgive sins. The man lowered through the roof may have been more than a litle disappointed his faith was rewarded with forgiveness and not healing. His friends were probably not looking forward to carrying him back.

As he always seems to do, Jesus turns the situation on its head. To demonstrate to the scribes the level of his authority, Jesus commands the man to pick up his mat and walk. What's a little forgiveness compared to a miracle? While we have a suspicion Jesus intended to heal the man all along, his decision to first emphasize forgiveness is a powerful statement. In the text leading to this moment, Jesus seems increasingly exasperated by the folks following him to receive and witness miracles. While these are signs of his authority, they are only signs - which exist to point to something more important.

The most important healing Jesus offers is not of our temporal bodies, but of our eternal relationship with God. Some of us are convinced we are unworthy, and live our whole lives as if that was true. Others place blame on everyone else and live lives of petty grudges. Both situations demonstrate a lack of faith in forgiveness. These mindsets can be nearly impossible to shake. When we can fully accept that love and forgiveness are at the core of our beings and the center of our relationship with God, well ... there's the miracle.

Healing is not the end of the story, but the beginning. Once we accept God's love and forgiveness, we can in turn love and forgive ourselves and each other. We heal the world. We are resurrected.

Evening readings: Psalms 16, 62

Gone Fishing

Today's readings: Psalms 42; 146; Isaiah 40:25-31; Ephesians 1:15-23; Mark 1:14-28

If you wanted to select a dozen people to help you carry out a radical new ministry, where would you look for them? The docks? Probably not, especially if everything you know about fishermen is from The Deadliest Catch or The Outdoor Channel. Not that fishermen aren't fine  and faithful people, but if we aren't from a fishing community, our understanding of them doesn't scream "evangelist." Yet fishermen are the people Jesus chose.

We tend to characterize them as humble and simple, but in Jesus' time fishing was a large, complex industry. Fishermen were likely to be savvy, multilingual, patient, persistent, strong, civilly and religiously conscientious, and community-oriented.* Not so different from today. Jesus didn't just pluck a few lucky guys from boats because they were handy; he picked the right people for the tough job ahead.

God continues to choose servants in ways that may mystify us if we don't dive deeper than a surface understanding of them. Gifted servant leaders come from what seem the unlikeliest of circumstances - poverty, prison, privilege - because their life circumstances prepare them in ways we don't always expect. Look at Paul, formerly a jew-killing bounty hunter named Saul: God used his life experiences to create an unmatched evangelist prepared to spread the Gospel among the Gentiles. Like an expert burglar rehabilitated into a security consultant, The Paul who founded, supported and withstood persecution for the church in Ephesus (and others) would not have been possible without Saul the persecutor.

Right now your own experience in your business, trade, and relationships is preparing you to do God's work. Maybe you are already ready! Does thinking about life as apprenticeship to Jesus change how you approach it? Don't let anyone convince you that you don't have valuable gifts to contribute to the Kingdom. Don't tell yourself that either. The day before Jesus invited them to become fishers of people, neither the fishermen nor their friends and families would have been likely to believe they were apostle material. Luckily that's God's call to make.

Evening readings: Psalms 102; 133

* Elizabeth McNamer. "Cast Your Nets: Fishing at the Time of Jesus" www.AmericanCatholic.org. n.p., July 2004. Web. 14 January 2013.

Angels in the Wilderness

Today's readings: Psalms 5, 145; Isaiah 40:12-24; Ephesians 1:1-1; Mark 1:1-13

"Jesus in the Wilderness" Charles de la Fosse, 1690

Imagine that on your first day of work the boss introduces you to everyone by proclaiming how proud he is of you. Immediately, as a reward for whatever it was you did that earned such enthusiasm, you are assigned an extended gig at a remote branch to address a disgruntled former employee who now runs the competition. Per the opening chapter of Mark, that pretty much summed up Jesus' first day on the job: John baptized him, God announced his favor from the heavens, "and the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness" where he spent forty days grappling with Satan.

That's the way life goes though. Just as we finally screw up the courage to make that change, or earn that promotion, or have that baby, we discover it comes with a new set of problems we weren't anticipating. We may start asking if we weren't better off before we got what we wanted. It doesn't seem fair that doing everything right leads to more work. But if Jesus - in whom God was "well pleased" (Mark 1:11) - was sent to suffer temptation in the wilderness, maybe we need to realign our expectations and definition of success.

Doing good work - especially doing God's work - does not guarantee ease. To the contrary, the Jews as God's chosen people suffered tremendously, and Christian history is full of martyrs. Our own trials vary in difficulty, but all are real. Some say trials are tests from God, but God does not act to push us away. Accepting accountability - to our boss, our children, ourselves or God - enlightens us to the brokenness in the world, and how much of it we are called to heal, prevent or bear witness to. The Spirit didn't send Jesus into the wilderness alone: angels waited on him (Mark 1:13). We also have support available - our fellow Christians who share the same accountability. When times are tough, we remind each other why what we do is important. We help carry each other's burdens. We listen. We cry. We are angels to each other.

Faith doesn't bring on suffering. It does put us in touch with the suffering that already exists. We can count on our God - and our angels - to see us through it.

Evening readings: Psalms 82, 29 

Open wide and say "Awe!"

Today's readings: Psalms 104; 150; Isaiah 40:1-11; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-7, 19-20, 29-34

A sense of awe is a natural reaction to the miracle of creation. Non-theists, especially those involved in the sciences, frequently cite a sense of wonder as central to their own spirituality. People of faith, like the author of Psalm 104, go further and attribute the beauty and complexity of the universe to the divine intelligence behind it all. People who find time spent in nature helps them feel closer to God are closely attuned to this sense of wonder. If we spend a lot of time studying scripture and trying to wrap our brains around God, we may find it more difficult - or frivolous - to appreciate unexamined awe. Yet this is a legtimate way of apprehending God. As we deepen in our relationship with God - as we hope to continue doing our whole lives - let's take an occasional break from the "head" space we spend most of our time in to dwell in the "heart" space where that sense of awe can reach us best.

Busy people may need to intentionally slow down to notice everyday wonders. The sky is always above, but do we ever think of it as being stretched out as the tent of God's dwelling place, or of the winds as God's messengers (Ps 104:2, 4)? These poetic images do not need to be literal to reveal truth to us. The psalmist finds wonder in springs gushing forth to give drink to every wild animal, in food brought forth from the earth, in trees and mountains, darkness and light, predator and prey. If we ever have trouble feeling our connection to a sense of wonder, Psalm 104 is an amazing resource for reestablishing it.

Let's commit to being aware of the sources of awe in our own lives. The diverse beauty of a garden or a wild meadow. The complexity of our own  bodies, even when they can no longer serve us well. The grace of a flock of hundreds of birds swooping in unison. The power of a storm that extends farther than we can comprehend. Awe can be inspiring and terrifying at the same time. What it can not be is analyzed, for then it ceases to be awe. Let us simply dwell in the presence of the Lord and for a while let awe crowd out everything else. It blesses a soul.

Evening reading: Psalm 29