Broken Rudders

Morning readings: Psalms 96; 147:1-11, 1 Kings 9:24-10:13, James 3:1-12, Mark 15:1-11

The Book of James teaches the tongue is small but capable of great feats. James compares this smallest of organs to a tiny rudder guiding large ships through strong winds (Jam 3:4). For this reason he warns religious teaching is a perilous pursuit, as our tongues are difficult to tame and when used carelessly cause great misdirection and harm to ourselves and others. Teachers, James says, are held to a higher standard because a spring cannot produce both brackish and fresh waters (v 11).

The chief priests and other leaders appearing in Mark 15 would have served as teachers. When Pilate, who realized Jesus had been brought to him because these leaders were jealous (Mk 15:10), offered to free a prisoner, these leaders used their tongues to convince the people to instead free Barabbas. Historically Jesus and Barabbas would both have been guilt of insurrection and similar crimes, but according to Mark Barabbas was also a murderer. The chief priests used their powerful tongues to steer the crowd to free a killer instead of a messiah.

Even today many a preacher grows a flock by appealing to people's baser nature and focusing on the "enemies" of the church. In the Western world, authentic persecution of Christians is almost unheard of, and systematic persecution is non-existent. Yet some preachers insist on targeting a group (when one group is not politically viable for attack they will move on to the next) and claiming specific people are the enemy we need to fight, all the while twisting the message to seem like love.

We do have real enemies, but Jesus taught us to love them. He also taught us what to fight: poverty, injustice, oppression, and the planks in our own eyes. The best teachers and preachers do not spend their time closing ranks and vilifying others falsely. They know binding Christ's message to hate crucifies undeserving victims. They open our eyes to how Christ's love transforms us, and through us transforms the world.

Evening readings: Psalms 132; 134

Faith in the Familiar

Today's readings: Psalms 54, 146; Isaiah 48:12-22; Galatians 1:18-2:10; Mark 6:1-13

Can you imagine any of your childhood friends becoming the Messiah? Neither could the people of Jesus’ hometown. When we know someone from before the time they were toilet-trained, or endure their period of adolescent moodiness, or witness other personal (all too humanizing!) traits, our ability to see her or him as truly extraordinary can evaporate. Executive washrooms are exclusive for a reason. Familiarity may not always breed contempt, but it doesn’t often promote respect.

When Jesus tried to teach in Nazareth, people took offense at his attempt. They asked: “Isn’t he just that carpenter? You know, Mary’s kid?”(Mark 6:3). Their unbelief amazed him, and limited his abilities (vv 5-6). Like a nightmarish high school reunion, his peers preconceptions negated all he had become. We benefit from hindsight, but how would we react if the neighbor kid started telling us we needed to rethink our concept of God?

Though none of our neighbors, children, siblings, parents or friends are likely to be the second coming of Christ, the reaction of the people of Nazareth serves as a warning. We don’t always want to hear challenging truths from someone we know well. We may brush off legitimate criticism from friends by reminding ourselves (and them) of their own faults. We might ignore good advice from Dad because “he always worries too much.” After watching our children make mistakes we warned them about, maybe we can’t learn to see them as capable adults. Companies often bring in consultants to point out obvious truths not because consultants are smarter, but because strangers lack the baggage we use to discredit our peers when we don’t want to hear them.

What damage do we cause our relationships when, even unknowingly, we dismiss people because they are familiar? Maybe we’re not preventing them from performing miracles, but how much might they accomplish if given a little faith? One way we can try to see the face of Christ in everyone is to define them by their potential, and not by their shortcomings. Sometimes they may let us down, but how we can rejoice when they lift us up!

Evening readings: Psalms 28, 99

Oh, for the love of God...

Today's readings: Psalms 18:1-20; 147:12-20; Isaiah 7:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 22:1-13

How does one love God? It would seem obvious we are supposed to: today's first psalm opens with "I love you, o Lord, my strength" (Ps 18:1), and Jesus told us the greatest commandment was to love God with all one's soul, heart and mind (Matt 22:37). But what does that mean exactly? God is not present to us in the immediate way of a parent, child, spouse or friend. Yet it doesn't seem quite right to love God in a more abstract sense like we might love a book or a song or a favorite flavor of ice cream. Gratitude, wonder, fear and awe - these all seem likely responses to the creator of the universe ... but love? How does one love something that at times seems like little more than a hopeful idea?

Yet we find ways. Perhaps we respond to God's love for us as manifested in Christ. Perhaps a sense of awe infuses our exterior and interior landscapes, illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some of us do experience God to be as close as a neighbor or relative ... or imaginary friend. There are as many ways to experience God as there are people to have the experience. Yet experience and/or belief do not necessarily translate into love. How do we, with all the limits of human existence, love a limitless and ultimately unknowable God? Especially when tragedy and injustice obscure God's love for us... Is it possible to love something simply because one is supposed to?

The truth is some of us do, and some of us do not, and some of us want and try to. Sometimes the best we can do is take our cue from the man who told Jesus "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). "I love; help my lack of love!"

Fortunately, just as love for people can be expressed in actions and attitudes even when feelings aren't quite there, our love for God does not have to ebb and flow with our sense of God's nearness. When James tells us "faith without works is dead" (Jam 2:20), he is describing the inability of true faith not to manifest itself in loving works. Similarly our desire to express love to others is a sign that true love of God is within us, whether it burns brightly or flickers but dimly. Either way, it guides us through the dark times.

Evening readings: Psalms 126, 62

The Lenten Journey: Avoiding the Primrose Path

Today's readings: Ps 34, 146; Gen 37:12-24; 1 Cor 1:20-31; Mark 1:14-28

We spend a lot of time and effort training children not to trust strangers, especially ones promising treats. That training endures well into adulthood. We don’t believe offers that sound “too good to be true.” Most of us don’t hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers. We lock up our homes, cars and birth certificates. Given the nature of the world, all these precautions are wise.

On the other hand, we are a people who like quick fixes and easy assurances. Proof lies in the bank accounts and hypocrisy of televangelists, politicians, Wall Street executives, and home shopping gurus. Headline after headline tells us we entrust them with far too much of our faith and money.

Then what are we to make of fishermen who “immediately” dropped what they were doing to follow Jesus, as Mark tell us, simply because he asked them to? In hindsight we support the decision, but what about someone who abandoned her or his life today to follow someone promising to make them “day traders of men?” Would the words “cult” or “deprogram” come to mind? Were the first disciples wise people or lucky fools?

The difference between wisdom and foolishness is a tough call. Because God’s values are upside down compared to the world’s values, we are constantly called to evaluate our decisions, and sometimes to act in ways others would consider foolish. For example, how many of use are willing to decrease our standard of living – move into a smaller house, drive a cheaper car, or take a lower paying job – to spend more money or time on the poor? Very few, and they are often judged with humor at best and suspicion at worst. The world tells us this is foolishness, yet it is freedom.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us God makes the foolish wise and the wise foolish. Let’s not get cocky about which side of that equation we land on. Determining whether a path is right or merely attractive can take serious discernment. We want to follow Jesus quickly, but we want to be sure the path we choose truly leads to him. Let’s choose our guides with Godly wisdom and worldly foolishness.

Comfort: Your choices are between you and God.

Challenge: “Foolishly” critique your own opinion on a controversial issue.

Prayer: God of the journey, make your paths clear to me.

Evening readings: Ps 25, 91

Discussion Question:

Have you ever thought you were doing something right and it turned out wrong?

The Lenten Journey: A Well Lit Path

Today's readings: Ps 119:73-80, 145; Gen 37:1-11; 1 Cor 1:1-19; Mark 1:1-13

I remember watching a television documentary about newly discovered caves in Russia. The only entrance to them was deep underwater. The narrator made great fanfare of how the divers we watched would be the first humans to ever see the sights within. I couldn’t help thinking: “Except for the lighting and camera crew that set up this shot...”

When we plumb the depths of faith, there’s a good chance someone has prepared the way ahead of us. The “spontaneous” civil disobedience of Rosa Parks was no accident, but is no less important for being deliberate. The latest “overnight sensation” in the entertainment industry almost always has a hero or mentor. Even Jesus had John the Baptist to “make his paths straight” (Mark 1:3) and warm up the crowds.

So who has prepared our way? Christ has. As the incarnation of the divine (whatever that may mean to you), Christ lived out the full human experience, full of love and pain and death and triumph, without straying from the path God had laid out for him. Our path is never exactly his, but Christ has gone before us and set the lights and markers for us to follow. Because of Christ’s example, we have faith the journey of a human life is more than the thorny path of mere existence.

Like the lighting crew in the caves, it is Christ who has done the truly dangerous work, stepping into the darkness without certainty about what lay ahead. Because he was fully human, he was susceptible to doubt and fear. As his death approached, even he felt God had forsaken him (Mk 15:34, Matt 27:46). But because he has gone before us, we can trust God’s light will be present to greet us in the darkest places.

Are we preparing the way for anyone? Do we know who might be searching for a light we could provide or a bridge we could build? Every so often, as we progress on our Lenten and life journeys, let’s take a look behind us to see whether we add to or extinguish the light in our wake.

Comfort: Wherever you go, Christ was there first.

Challenge: Thank someone whose has helped guide you, especially if they may not be aware of it..

Prayer: God of the journey, you are my light in dark places.

Evening readings: Ps 121, 6

Discussion Question:
Other than Jesus, who has been a light on your faith journey?

Our Neighbors, Ourselves

Today's readings: Ps 130, 148; Isa 65:17-25; 1 Tim 5:17-22; Mark 12:28-34

When the Jewish scribes asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment, he replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). He also volunteered the second most important: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v 31). The scribes hadn’t asked him for the top two, so he must have felt very strongly about how we love our neighbors. We should note that in this statement is an implicit assumption that we do indeed love ourselves. As Christians, we are not always comfortable expressing a healthy love of self.

When we proclaim “I love my neighbor!” most people approve that sentiment. However, if we proclaim just as boldly “I love myself!” we can expect considerably less enthusiasm. But if God wants us to love our neighbors extravagantly, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, doesn’t logic say God wants us to love ourselves just as extravagantly? God loves us as much as he loves our neighbors. Can we do less?

Sadly, overt love of self is often mistaken for pride. We are allowed to celebrate the gifts and talents of others, but we are expected to be demure – often unnecessarily so – about our own. Why wouldn’t we celebrate the gifts, talents and traits our Creator has bestowed upon us? Certainly we don’t want to boast or elevate ourselves above others, but neither do we want to engage in the kind of self-talk that tells us we are less worthy, less beautiful or less loved in our creator’s eyes than is anyone else. Quite the opposite: if we are to love others as God expects us to, we must understand what it is to be loved.

Sometimes loving ourselves means being honest about our own shortcomings, but doing so in a way that builds us up rather than tears us down. For instance, if we need to make changes to improve our health we don’t do it by telling ourselves how terrible we are, but by recognizing our bodies are beautiful gifts from God that deserve the proper care and maintenance. Loving ourselves means unashamedly appreciating the gifts we have, and doing our best to honor and tend them.

Comfort: God wants us to love ourselves, because God loves us.

Challenge: Make a list of qualities you like about yourself.

Prayer: God of Strength, thank you for all my gifts.

Evening readings: Ps 32, 139

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 56, 149; Isa 66:1-6; 1 Tim 6:6-21; Mark 12:35-44

Who do you trust?

Today's readings: Ps 62, 145; Isa 51:17-23; Gal 4:1-11; Mark 7:24-37

Trust is an essential component of faith. Who (or what) we trust reveals where our true faith lies. We can easily say and believe we trust God, but when pressed, do we turn to God… or to something else? In this current recession, do we grow more generous in response to the increased needs of others, or do we cling more tightly to what we have? Do we trust our savior or our financial advisor? Psalm 62 warns us not to trust in increased riches (v 10), but we often place practicality above generosity.

Even Jesus needed reminders that living a life of abundance means not hoarding resources, even spiritual ones. When a Syrophoenician woman asked him to heal her demon-possessed daughter, he responded by saying it wasn’t fair to throw the children’s food to the dogs (Mark 7:27). The children were the Jewish people, and the dogs – a very pejorative term in his culture – were the Gentiles. When the woman reminded him even the dogs got the crumbs that fell on the floor (v 28), he relented and healed her daughter. In that moment, Jesus displayed a trust in an abundant God that was deeper than his understanding of his mission among the Jews. Do we trust God’s abundance enough to be open to those who are strangers or even foes to us, or does our self-defined sense of mission limit what God can accomplish through us?

Sometimes we need to undergo some self-examination to understand where we place our trust. Paul reminds the Galatians that a person who places his or her trust in anything other than God becomes enslaved to that thing. In the case of the Galatians he may have been speaking of the Law or of lesser spiritual beings. Today we may cling to the law instead of love, or make idols of creeds or ideas. We may define ourselves by our looks, popularity, intelligence, wealth or any number of things which are impermanent at best, instead of by our relationship with God. If we lost any of these – or all of them! – tomorrow, we would still have God. What things are we enslaved to; that is, what unworthy things divert our trust from God? Let’s trust God now, so we have nothing to regret later.

Comfort: When everyone and everything are gone, God remains.

Challenge: Meditate on what you really trust. When you begin to fear or worry, remind yourself to trust God.

Prayer: God of abundance, I place my trust in You.

Evening readings: Ps 73, 9

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 12, 146; Isa 52:1-12; Gal 4:12-20; Mark 8:1-10