Bootstraps

Today's readings: Psalms 5, 145; Deuteronomy 6:1-15; Hebrews 1:1-14; John 1:1-18

Before the Israelites entered the promised land, God had a few things to say to them. In addition to reinforcing the Law, he warned them not to forget - and not to let their descendants forget - that the houses, cisterns and vineyards they used were not of their own making, but had been provided by God and created by the land's former occupants (Deut 6:10-12). No matter what culture or century we live in, it's good to remember our successes do not occur in a vacuum, but are dependent on what we've received from others.

We like the notion of the self-made man or woman, but it is mostly a myth. Usually when we describe a person as self-made, we mean someone who started from poverty and ended with some amount of wealth. Yet even if they started with no money, someone instilled a work ethic into them, cut them a break by being their first employer or customer, or built the economic system that allowed them to flourish. And while anyone should be commended for using their God-given talents wisely, having talent for financial success is not always under our control. Different people have different abilities, so what comes naturally and seems like common sense to one person may not be so for another. Just as a technical art education isn't guaranteed (and isn't always required) to produce a gifted artist, financial success requires abilities we can not simply will into being.

When we see someone who is not successful, we like to think we would have done better if we'd been in their place. Worked harder. Made smarter choices. The truth is we really don't know who we'd be without the blessings we may not take time to consider as contributing to our achievements. We can take credit for stewarding our gifts, resources and opportunities wisely, but we shouldn't forget we did not create them out of nothing. Keeping this in mind helps us maintain a more charitable attitude. We can be grateful for the blessings we've had without blaming others for the blessings they have not had. We can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps only because they were crafted by a gifted shoemaker.

Evening readings: Psalms 82, 29

The Joy of Uncertainty

Today's readings: Ps 102; Hos 10:1-15; Acts 21:37-22:16; Luke 6:12-26

The passage beginning with Luke 6:17 and ending with verse 49 is sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain. It parallels many of the themes of the better known and more comprehensive Sermon on the Mount found in chapters 5-7 of Matthew. Verses 20-26 contain a list of blessings and woes that sound very much like the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-11). This list describes a reversal of fortune in which the afflicted will be comforted, and the comfortable will be afflicted. The images were jarring to their original audience, and can be difficult to interpret and apply today.

When we hear “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry” (v. 25), does it mean we should go hungry? Is the Realm of God a world in which all people are meant to be hungry? What if we are the hungry, and through the grace of God we become full? Into which camp – the blessed hungry or the cursed full – do we then belong?

A simple approach to these questions might be to say if we are full (or rich, or laughing, or popular) at the expense of others, woe to us. A more thought-provoking, and possibly more useful, approach might be to say we should never be completely certain which camp we are in. We would be foolish and ungrateful to reject gifts like a good meal or a roof to sleep under. After all, Jesus encourages us to provide these things to the poor. However, we would be equally (if not more) foolish to believe such gifts mark us as specially favored by God. The type of blessing Jesus speaks of in this passage is a state of right relationship with God. When we become complacent or take this relationship for granted, the relationship will suffer. Too much certainty our poverty is a sign of God’s favor is no better than a belief that material comfort is evidence of the same thing. This tension in the relationship helps us actively evaluate and fine-tune it throughout our lives.

Unwavering certainty in our own state of righteousness – or sinfulness – closes us off from the transformational grace of Christ in our lives, and in the lives of others. The gift of uncertainty keeps us humble seekers, always ready to discover Christ in new ways.

Comfort: The less we think we know, the better we can know God.

Challenge: Contrast the ways in which you are poor and rich.

Prayer: Glorious Creator, thank you for a relationship that always grows.

Evening readings: Ps 107:1-32


Tomorrow's readings: Ps 107:33-43, 108; Hos 11:1-9; Acts 22:17-29; Luke 6:27-38

Prepare Ye...

Today's readings: Ps 78:1-39; Est 5:1-14; Acts 18:12-28; Luke 3:15-22

When our lives are going well, we are quick to thank God for our blessings. When they are going poorly, we can be equally quick to ask “why me?” and pray for deliverance. But what if things seem to be going poorly precisely because God is blessing us?

Though she doesn’t phrase it in spiritual language, Queen Esther feels the pull of a larger force which calls her to help her people. She responds by risking her life and approaching the king, who will either favor or kill her. She had no guarantee which would happen. How often do we say “God sure blessed me by putting me in harm’s way!” It takes a strong and mature faith to accept that serving God faithfully does not always mean a happy ending for us, at least not in this life.

Consider John the Baptist. He has been busy preparing the way of the Lord. Through baptism and preaching, he has been proclaiming the arrival of Jesus, whose sandals he humbly declares he is not worthy to untie (Luke 3:16). By preaching an alternative that will turn Roman imperialism upside down, John risks his life every day. He speaks truth to power, especially to Herod Antipas, who is in an adulterous and incestuous relationship with his niece. At the end of today’s passage, John is jailed for speaking too much truth. Jesus tells us “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matt 5:11), but do we really embrace that idea? Anemic “feel-good” Christianity teaches us to expect only rewards for strong faith, but Jesus is more honest with us. Persecution is not a sign God is not with us – and it may be the sign we are right where we are supposed to be.

Esther first risks her life, then invites the king to a banquet as part of a slowly unfolding plan. John risks his life and freedom to usher in the incarnation of God’s kingdom. They both teach us success depends on properly laid groundwork. The struggle for peace, justice and truth is slow and sometimes dangerous. When we are unjustly persecuted for righteousness’ sake, we must not give up because God has abandoned us, but persevere because God is depending on us.

Comfort: The groundwork we lay leads to someone else’s deliverance.

Challenge: Think about times you have given up too soon.

Prayer: God of strength, I trust you even when I am persecuted.

Evening readings: Ps 78:40-72

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 119:97-120; Est 6:1-14; Acts 19:1-10; Luke 4:1-13

Blessed are those...

Today's readings: Ps 148, 149, 150; Job 11:1-9, 13-20; Rev 5:1-14; Matt 5:1-12

Today’s passage from Matthew is commonly called The Beatitudes. The word “beatitude” means supreme blessedness or happiness. Jesus is describing the blessings God has in store for those who are oppressed yet living in faithfulness.

The words of The Beatitudes are famous well beyond Christian circles. “Blessed are the meek” (v 5) and “Blessed are the peacemakers” (v 9) would be clichés if they weren’t still radical statements. The Beatitudes describe a world where an oppressive imperial society (Roman or otherwise) is turned upside down by God’s love. For those enjoying power in any age, they are a threatening idea.

Critics of Christianity can use texts like The Beatitudes to paint Christians as passive and long-suffering. The meek, the mournful, the poor, and the hungry – not anyone most of us would aspire to be. Even the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers can be caricatured as mere do-gooders or pacifiers.

The truth is, each of these states represents an active engagement in the world and a refusal to accept less than the fullness of God. Mourning is not mere sadness, but grappling with a world steeped in pain. Meekness is a choice of community over self. Peacemaking is a dangerous profession – ask any police officer called to a domestic dispute. No wonder Jesus warns us those who benefit from the status quo or flat out fear change will revile and persecute and slander the faithful (v 11). We represent the upset of an unjust way of life.

The beatitudes spell out how we are to be in the world but not of it. We are not called to suffer for suffering’s sake, but may be called to do so when life in the kingdom of God clashes with the expectations of the world. How such persecution can be a blessing is a mystery, but no more a mystery than how the world can turn a deaf ear to God’s call to justice and love. Which of these mysteries do we want to live in?

Comfort: God blesses us always.

Challenge: Over the next week, pray The Beatitudes once a day.

Prayer: God of truth, I will trust you always.

Evening readings: Ps 114, 115 

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 25, Job 12:1-6, 13-25; Acts 11:19-30; John 8:21-32