tuesday i stood on the steps of calvary presbyterian church in san francisco yelling
"say no to eight--vote no on prop 8!"
largely surrounded by a crowd of presbyterian clergy. this is my church.
for those of you who are out of state, proposition eight changes the california constitution to exclude gay marriage--the existence of which has frustrated conservatives since the california supreme court determined marriage for same sex couples was a fundamentally protected right under the state constitution. the only way to stop it is to change the constitution.
though the presbyterian book of order defines marriage as between a man and a woman, i an deeply thankful for the freedom of conscience provision that allows dissent... and even compels it.
i have pondered that moment on the steps for days, thinking some grand revelation of its meaning would come to me. but i have none. it was a quiet demonstration, compared to some i have been to. it was really a press conference. what was said was affirmed by those in the crowd and those wandering by on the streets. i was reminded that we are all God's children. that God affirms love. i am not sure i heard anything new.
but often the revolution is quiet. often change doesn't come with earthquakes bone-rattling thunder or tidal waves, but with whispers. perhaps the real power of this moment for me was in its subtlety and peace.
some of my more favorite videos for the cause are here and here. one more reason i LOVE ugly betty.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
i was in a pulpit?
yesterday i preached my first sermon from a pulpit as a guest preacher as ocean ave. presbyterian church, MBCC's new roomies. not as scary as i thought it would be. and OAPC was fun.
lectionary texts i picked: matthew 22:34-40, 1 thessalonions 1:1-10.
so if you are curious.... here it is (well the typed manuscript version, which is mostly follow).
Who can forget one of the most humorous and painful to watch gaffes of the presidential election… when Senator John McCain was asked how many houses he owned. You know the reporter would not have asked the question if he didn’t already know the answer. That reporter knew that the Senator would look ridiculous if he knew and answered and correctly… and even more ridiculous if he didn’t know. He was trying to trick him, to trap him, to expose him in public. That was not unlike the situation Jesus found himself in the middle of in this passage. The religious think tank, the old boys club, saw their power threatened and wanted to expose him for the flake they thought he was.
And yet his answer is not one that is a big surprise.
It comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-6, which says:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.
The Pharisees were not uneducated. They knew exactly where in the Torah Jesus was pulling that commandment from. They could probably recite it as readily as he could. They may have even given the same answer to that question (and probably hoped he would not be able to answer to well and so quickly). He probably passed the test.
But Jesus didn’t stop there (did he ever?)…
When they asked for one commandment, he gave them two.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus always gives us more than we ask for and never the easy answer.
Do you think that is the answer they wanted to hear? Sure wasn’t the easy answer. If it were me, one of those commandments about the number of things to sacrifice, the measurements of the temple, the festivals to celebrate would be what I wanted to hear. Now those are some commandments I can jive with. Formulaic. Direct. Simple. God gave specific instructions and all I have to do to be a faithful person is follow them. All this love stuff—it is just straight up messy.
But … Jesus didn’t stop there. Do you think you could hear the groan from the crowd when he kept going?
On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets.
Loving God and loving my neighbor as myself… just that, sums up all these books in the beginning of the Bible? All that Old Testament stuff boils down to this? Really? Really.
Despite the concise and succinct nature of these two commandments—you can teach them to a five year old—they are anything but simple. You and I both know that the work of loving God with all you heart, soul, and strength is a life long process and challenge. The work of loving both your neighbor and yourself is equally as arduous. This ain’t easy stuff folks. The whole law and everything all the prophets ever said hangs on these two tasks. For thousands and thousands of years, millions and billions of people have tried to live up to these standards and in all that time, we are left with only one perfect example—Jesus, the one who handed these commandments to us as priorities in the first place.
It is exhausting to try to wrap my head around this—much less my heart or my life.
So let’s break it down a little. What can we, in this room, in this building, do about this commandment, as a community?
Y’all are at an interesting point in your history—as is Mission Bay Community Church, the faith community I am a part of. After decades of ministry in your own space, your own community, your own neighborhood, suddenly you are sharing all those things. After years of flitting and bouncing from one location to another, we have to look at a new space and try to commit to making it our home, maybe for the long term. We are moving in together. It is like siblings who always had their own rooms sleeping in bunk beds. Or a couple that lived in different states cramming into a studio apartment. This is a movement of magnitude.
But as communities, we have discerned that this is where God wants us to be. God called you to open your doors, and God called us through those doors. We have both discerned that this is the move we need to make to follow that first commandment Jesus gave us. But, as we are following that first commandment, we are in a unique place to follow that second commandment.
Which brings us to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, the first reading for this morning.
First, a little context. All over the near Eastern world, parts of Asia and part of Europe, churches were springing up. What was once a movement where everyone knew each other could not longer be a tight knit community. By the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit Christ the movement had exploded as followers were carrying the love of God all over the world. Communities that were once closely related and bound together found their relationships loosening as more and more communities came into the fold. In this process, they also started to diversify and disagree. Followers traveled between communities encouraging each other and inspiring each other, and resolving disputes. But, as more and more Christ following communities were established, there were more and more communities that needed attention, and so letters became a tool for building up and inspiring each other as well. The distance did not diminish the relationship of love between Christ followers and their communities. This is one such letter.
All over the letter, Paul addresses the Thessalonians as beloved—and he does so authentically. Paul can be a little over he top… this love gets drippy and cheesy sometimes, but it deep and truthful love just the same.
Throughout this passage, Paul praises and praises and praises the work and faith of the Thessalonians. They are steadfast in their hope and labor in love. They imitate God, despite being persecuted, chased and harassed for it. The word of God speaks through their faith. Some of this that Paul is praising them for he heard of second hand, and the stories were so amazing, he needed to let them know what the impact of their work had been. He even says that they turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God. Given where they lived and the religious landscape of the time—when Caesars were God themselves and most folks had a cultic religion they followed—this is a big deal. Paul love, love, loves these folks. He is amazed by the work they are doing, wants to promote it, support it, and join in on the fun—whether in person or in spirit.
We are not unlike these communities. We are a part of the same fold, and now we share the same space, but we have different callings. The call of the Thessalonians was to serve their community. The call of Paul kept him from participating in that particular call but does not diminish the authenticity of that call and the vitality of that work. God’s call to the community of Ocean Ave. Presbyterian Church is not the same call as God’s calls to Mission Bay Community Church. God calls us to different work; but, God calls us to love each other’s communities as we love our own.
What does that look like? The first few verses of first Thessalonians flesh that out for us.
Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are always in his prayers. So, we, too, can remember each other in our prayers. Prayer is a powerful tool to build relationship with God, but it is also a powerful tool to build relationships with other. In prayer, we can listen and look of God moving in these relationships. In prayer, we can recognize the blessings of God around us. In prayer, we can learn to love each other. Prayer allows us to be thankful to God for the presence of the other community and the work they do.
Paul also notes that he sees God at work in the Thessalonian community and that even he, Paul, can learn from their ministry. And so, we can look at the ways that the word sounds forth from the other community. We can learn from each other’s joy and sorrow, each other’s faith and hope, each other’s service to the true and living God. The two communities that are now sharing this space occupy different places in God’s kingdom and serve God in different ways. When we recognize how the other community is faithful, our own faith grows. This is the first step to deeply loving each other. When we can see God working the Holy Spirit moving and Jesus blessing another community, we can love that community—as we love our own.
Just as the earliest Christians needed each other, we need each other. Mission Bay needs Ocean Ave. When we were without a home, you opened your doors. As we look to find roots as a faith community, as a young church, we can look to you to see how it has been done. As we begin, in the life of our church, to look outward more than inward, we can learn from all the ways that your community has served the Excelsior and continues to serve the Excelsior. I hope that we bring as much to this partnership as you do.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, they got more then they asked for. There may be times that this move, this partnership, feels like more than we asked for, but who knows, when we truly and deeply love each other, we might find that all of our ministries grow as a result of this relationship that God called us into.
lectionary texts i picked: matthew 22:34-40, 1 thessalonions 1:1-10.
so if you are curious.... here it is (well the typed manuscript version, which is mostly follow).
Who can forget one of the most humorous and painful to watch gaffes of the presidential election… when Senator John McCain was asked how many houses he owned. You know the reporter would not have asked the question if he didn’t already know the answer. That reporter knew that the Senator would look ridiculous if he knew and answered and correctly… and even more ridiculous if he didn’t know. He was trying to trick him, to trap him, to expose him in public. That was not unlike the situation Jesus found himself in the middle of in this passage. The religious think tank, the old boys club, saw their power threatened and wanted to expose him for the flake they thought he was.
And yet his answer is not one that is a big surprise.
It comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-6, which says:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.
The Pharisees were not uneducated. They knew exactly where in the Torah Jesus was pulling that commandment from. They could probably recite it as readily as he could. They may have even given the same answer to that question (and probably hoped he would not be able to answer to well and so quickly). He probably passed the test.
But Jesus didn’t stop there (did he ever?)…
When they asked for one commandment, he gave them two.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus always gives us more than we ask for and never the easy answer.
Do you think that is the answer they wanted to hear? Sure wasn’t the easy answer. If it were me, one of those commandments about the number of things to sacrifice, the measurements of the temple, the festivals to celebrate would be what I wanted to hear. Now those are some commandments I can jive with. Formulaic. Direct. Simple. God gave specific instructions and all I have to do to be a faithful person is follow them. All this love stuff—it is just straight up messy.
But … Jesus didn’t stop there. Do you think you could hear the groan from the crowd when he kept going?
On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets.
Loving God and loving my neighbor as myself… just that, sums up all these books in the beginning of the Bible? All that Old Testament stuff boils down to this? Really? Really.
Despite the concise and succinct nature of these two commandments—you can teach them to a five year old—they are anything but simple. You and I both know that the work of loving God with all you heart, soul, and strength is a life long process and challenge. The work of loving both your neighbor and yourself is equally as arduous. This ain’t easy stuff folks. The whole law and everything all the prophets ever said hangs on these two tasks. For thousands and thousands of years, millions and billions of people have tried to live up to these standards and in all that time, we are left with only one perfect example—Jesus, the one who handed these commandments to us as priorities in the first place.
It is exhausting to try to wrap my head around this—much less my heart or my life.
So let’s break it down a little. What can we, in this room, in this building, do about this commandment, as a community?
Y’all are at an interesting point in your history—as is Mission Bay Community Church, the faith community I am a part of. After decades of ministry in your own space, your own community, your own neighborhood, suddenly you are sharing all those things. After years of flitting and bouncing from one location to another, we have to look at a new space and try to commit to making it our home, maybe for the long term. We are moving in together. It is like siblings who always had their own rooms sleeping in bunk beds. Or a couple that lived in different states cramming into a studio apartment. This is a movement of magnitude.
But as communities, we have discerned that this is where God wants us to be. God called you to open your doors, and God called us through those doors. We have both discerned that this is the move we need to make to follow that first commandment Jesus gave us. But, as we are following that first commandment, we are in a unique place to follow that second commandment.
Which brings us to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, the first reading for this morning.
First, a little context. All over the near Eastern world, parts of Asia and part of Europe, churches were springing up. What was once a movement where everyone knew each other could not longer be a tight knit community. By the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit Christ the movement had exploded as followers were carrying the love of God all over the world. Communities that were once closely related and bound together found their relationships loosening as more and more communities came into the fold. In this process, they also started to diversify and disagree. Followers traveled between communities encouraging each other and inspiring each other, and resolving disputes. But, as more and more Christ following communities were established, there were more and more communities that needed attention, and so letters became a tool for building up and inspiring each other as well. The distance did not diminish the relationship of love between Christ followers and their communities. This is one such letter.
All over the letter, Paul addresses the Thessalonians as beloved—and he does so authentically. Paul can be a little over he top… this love gets drippy and cheesy sometimes, but it deep and truthful love just the same.
Throughout this passage, Paul praises and praises and praises the work and faith of the Thessalonians. They are steadfast in their hope and labor in love. They imitate God, despite being persecuted, chased and harassed for it. The word of God speaks through their faith. Some of this that Paul is praising them for he heard of second hand, and the stories were so amazing, he needed to let them know what the impact of their work had been. He even says that they turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God. Given where they lived and the religious landscape of the time—when Caesars were God themselves and most folks had a cultic religion they followed—this is a big deal. Paul love, love, loves these folks. He is amazed by the work they are doing, wants to promote it, support it, and join in on the fun—whether in person or in spirit.
We are not unlike these communities. We are a part of the same fold, and now we share the same space, but we have different callings. The call of the Thessalonians was to serve their community. The call of Paul kept him from participating in that particular call but does not diminish the authenticity of that call and the vitality of that work. God’s call to the community of Ocean Ave. Presbyterian Church is not the same call as God’s calls to Mission Bay Community Church. God calls us to different work; but, God calls us to love each other’s communities as we love our own.
What does that look like? The first few verses of first Thessalonians flesh that out for us.
Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are always in his prayers. So, we, too, can remember each other in our prayers. Prayer is a powerful tool to build relationship with God, but it is also a powerful tool to build relationships with other. In prayer, we can listen and look of God moving in these relationships. In prayer, we can recognize the blessings of God around us. In prayer, we can learn to love each other. Prayer allows us to be thankful to God for the presence of the other community and the work they do.
Paul also notes that he sees God at work in the Thessalonian community and that even he, Paul, can learn from their ministry. And so, we can look at the ways that the word sounds forth from the other community. We can learn from each other’s joy and sorrow, each other’s faith and hope, each other’s service to the true and living God. The two communities that are now sharing this space occupy different places in God’s kingdom and serve God in different ways. When we recognize how the other community is faithful, our own faith grows. This is the first step to deeply loving each other. When we can see God working the Holy Spirit moving and Jesus blessing another community, we can love that community—as we love our own.
Just as the earliest Christians needed each other, we need each other. Mission Bay needs Ocean Ave. When we were without a home, you opened your doors. As we look to find roots as a faith community, as a young church, we can look to you to see how it has been done. As we begin, in the life of our church, to look outward more than inward, we can learn from all the ways that your community has served the Excelsior and continues to serve the Excelsior. I hope that we bring as much to this partnership as you do.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, they got more then they asked for. There may be times that this move, this partnership, feels like more than we asked for, but who knows, when we truly and deeply love each other, we might find that all of our ministries grow as a result of this relationship that God called us into.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
whatta weekend
was in vegas all weekend, mostly without internet. so when the need to blog came upon me, i old schooled it in a notebook at the sportsbook with the colts game in the background. my thoughts on last week's lectionary passage from matthew (22:15-22):
the jist: should we pays taxes? yes. give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's. what in my life belongs to God?
so much of life--good and bad--is not as simple as it seems. the saducees asked a questions that to the onlookers probably seemed straightforward. the romans were the oppressors, so to pay taxes is to the complicit in your own oppression (if you were jewish). but to jesus, that was not the issue as hand (with jesus is the simple questions ever the real questions?). so i am left to ponder what in my life can i really render unto God?
there are interesting questions to ponder in vegas. floating all around me is money, money money, and symbols for money. given a literal interpretation of this lesson, it is only appropriate that the house usually wins, as the casino's picture is on the chips... So if all the money in the room (in the bars, the casinos, the hotels, the resorts) isn't God's what is?
the people.
as with many things, i am not wholesale against gambling. i make a fair attempt at live and let live. i don't think a legalistic approach to ethics and morals does anyone any good. but why is this my approach? is is a real stance or just liberal wishy washy indecision not wanting to hurt anyone? turns out i can find that answer in this passage from matthew.
if the money is not God's, we can play with it when it is just consenting adults playing. Are there better ways to spend money? for me the answer is yes, but i cannot decide that for anyone else. when it is not just a game--when people fall apart, when families fall apart, when mortgages cannot be paid, when someone loses their self-respect, that is when gambling is problematic for me. when gambling hurts what is God's--people--it is wrong.
so if i can remember who i belong to, i will be more apt to respect myself and make good decisions. and hopefully enourage others to do the same.
the jist: should we pays taxes? yes. give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's. what in my life belongs to God?
so much of life--good and bad--is not as simple as it seems. the saducees asked a questions that to the onlookers probably seemed straightforward. the romans were the oppressors, so to pay taxes is to the complicit in your own oppression (if you were jewish). but to jesus, that was not the issue as hand (with jesus is the simple questions ever the real questions?). so i am left to ponder what in my life can i really render unto God?
there are interesting questions to ponder in vegas. floating all around me is money, money money, and symbols for money. given a literal interpretation of this lesson, it is only appropriate that the house usually wins, as the casino's picture is on the chips... So if all the money in the room (in the bars, the casinos, the hotels, the resorts) isn't God's what is?
the people.
as with many things, i am not wholesale against gambling. i make a fair attempt at live and let live. i don't think a legalistic approach to ethics and morals does anyone any good. but why is this my approach? is is a real stance or just liberal wishy washy indecision not wanting to hurt anyone? turns out i can find that answer in this passage from matthew.
if the money is not God's, we can play with it when it is just consenting adults playing. Are there better ways to spend money? for me the answer is yes, but i cannot decide that for anyone else. when it is not just a game--when people fall apart, when families fall apart, when mortgages cannot be paid, when someone loses their self-respect, that is when gambling is problematic for me. when gambling hurts what is God's--people--it is wrong.
so if i can remember who i belong to, i will be more apt to respect myself and make good decisions. and hopefully enourage others to do the same.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
climbing on my soap box
just so that we are straight-- i have been against the death penalty since as long as i could remember. i write my first research paper, in eighth grade, on the issue of the death penalty and read some fascinating stuff from all sides of the issue. but, i stand firm. for me, killing at the hand of the state is still murder. jesus asked us to turn the other cheek, and walk the second mile. this seems like it translates into rehabilitation instead of retribution in the criminal justice system. (and then there is the eighth amendment). For folks for whom those two arguments don't work, the numbers show that the death penalty is not a deterrent... and it ain't even cheaper than keeping someone in prison for life.
every now and then, there is a story from death row that makes headlines and is so heart wrenching that i can hardly hold my lunch in for the inner turmoil the tragedy causes. Such is the case of troy davis, a man that the state of georgia is preparing to execute. seven of the nine witnesses whose testimony he was convicted upon have recanted. there is no murder weapon. there is no physical evidence. The death of police officers in the line of duty is tragic--but so is the execution of someone wrongly convicted of a crime.
though the georgia state board of pardons and paroles has refused clemency, we still need to urge them to change their mind before it is too late. you can take action here.
stepping off my soap box now. maybe if you are lucky, i will get down off my high horse too.
every now and then, there is a story from death row that makes headlines and is so heart wrenching that i can hardly hold my lunch in for the inner turmoil the tragedy causes. Such is the case of troy davis, a man that the state of georgia is preparing to execute. seven of the nine witnesses whose testimony he was convicted upon have recanted. there is no murder weapon. there is no physical evidence. The death of police officers in the line of duty is tragic--but so is the execution of someone wrongly convicted of a crime.
though the georgia state board of pardons and paroles has refused clemency, we still need to urge them to change their mind before it is too late. you can take action here.
stepping off my soap box now. maybe if you are lucky, i will get down off my high horse too.
Friday, October 10, 2008
have you ever seen a rat swim?
standing on the shores of the potomac, amazed by the silence, the stillness, the smoothness of such a body of water, a splash disturbed my peace. i looked down and less than two feet away from my toes, a small mammal was making its way through the water. being of ohio (and california), i thought, ooo... a river otter! or beaver! but no... it is too small and look at the skinny wretched bare tail snaking through the water, it's a...
RAT!
i had to contain my repulsion. you see, in one of my cali apartments, when i would sit in the bedroom on my cell phone with folks from back home (it was the only room in the place with reception), i would look out the window and watch the rats scurrying around the dumpster, along the ivy covered wall and up the drain pipe. in one sitting, i once counted over half a dozen rats.
and so this rat, breast stroking with beads of water rolling down her back, her tail swishing to do its part of the work, seemed entirely unnatural--from my perspective. to me, rats were natural in amongst the garbage, in the nooks and crannies of place built for me, hanging on as scavengers of a bigger life being lived.
but this rat (as all rats) was not made for the dumpster, but for the shores of the potomac. God made this rat to live in beauty, not squalor.
is this not also how we see each other? making wild assumptions that we are where we are for a reason, when in fact God made us all for the beauty, not the squalor?
this little rat pushes me to change the way i see everyone, slowing before i judge and approaching everyone as God made them... not as i choose to see them, or defined by the environment they occupy.
RAT!
i had to contain my repulsion. you see, in one of my cali apartments, when i would sit in the bedroom on my cell phone with folks from back home (it was the only room in the place with reception), i would look out the window and watch the rats scurrying around the dumpster, along the ivy covered wall and up the drain pipe. in one sitting, i once counted over half a dozen rats.
and so this rat, breast stroking with beads of water rolling down her back, her tail swishing to do its part of the work, seemed entirely unnatural--from my perspective. to me, rats were natural in amongst the garbage, in the nooks and crannies of place built for me, hanging on as scavengers of a bigger life being lived.
but this rat (as all rats) was not made for the dumpster, but for the shores of the potomac. God made this rat to live in beauty, not squalor.
is this not also how we see each other? making wild assumptions that we are where we are for a reason, when in fact God made us all for the beauty, not the squalor?
this little rat pushes me to change the way i see everyone, slowing before i judge and approaching everyone as God made them... not as i choose to see them, or defined by the environment they occupy.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
thoughtful thursdays
this is my 150th post. weird. so i decided, since i need some more Jesus, some more Bible and so more discipline in my life, to make an attempt at a weekly ritual... coined cheesily thoughtful thursdays (i am sure that the title will die when the this turns into a when-i-get-around-to-it-during-the-week ritual).
so each thursday, i am going to make an attempt at ruminating on one of the lectionary passages for the week.
this week: matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding feast.
"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
the killer thing about the lectionary (when it doesn't skip over the hard passages) is that it makes you confront the words that makes you squirm. having just spent as evening getting jazzed about opening up the church to the least, the last and the lost, and i am more than a little distressed to see..
"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
... especially being one of those presbyterians who hasn't quite figured out the just way to understand predestination/election. i want it to say, for many are invited, but few choose to come. that i would get. but, few are chosen? how do i understand vision of God with the vision of God in the prodigal son? with the Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman? with the sermon on the mount?
in this parable, for not wearing the proper clothes (to an event he had not been invited to ahead of time i might add... where was he supposed to get the proper attire?) the man was tossed out on his a$$ "into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
pardon?
"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
so here is what i learned from my too short meditation on this passage:
1. God is a mystery.
2. often, so is scripture.
3. my brain ain't always (if ever) enough to figure it out.
4. community helps.
5. so does prayer.
so if you have any insight into this one, let me know. if not, i will ponder it til next week...
so each thursday, i am going to make an attempt at ruminating on one of the lectionary passages for the week.
this week: matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding feast.
"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
the killer thing about the lectionary (when it doesn't skip over the hard passages) is that it makes you confront the words that makes you squirm. having just spent as evening getting jazzed about opening up the church to the least, the last and the lost, and i am more than a little distressed to see..
"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
... especially being one of those presbyterians who hasn't quite figured out the just way to understand predestination/election. i want it to say, for many are invited, but few choose to come. that i would get. but, few are chosen? how do i understand vision of God with the vision of God in the prodigal son? with the Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman? with the sermon on the mount?
in this parable, for not wearing the proper clothes (to an event he had not been invited to ahead of time i might add... where was he supposed to get the proper attire?) the man was tossed out on his a$$ "into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
pardon?
"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
so here is what i learned from my too short meditation on this passage:
1. God is a mystery.
2. often, so is scripture.
3. my brain ain't always (if ever) enough to figure it out.
4. community helps.
5. so does prayer.
so if you have any insight into this one, let me know. if not, i will ponder it til next week...
Monday, October 6, 2008
spiritually stagnant
in august, i was privileged to co-facilitate a bible study once a week for the month. during that month, i engaged the biblical text in a way that is as disciplined as i get.
now, i don't have a small group. i am not in any classes that engage the text in spiritually and i am not preaching very often. so i find myself without the relationship to the text that drives me and can keep me healthy.
what about the small group encouraged me to relate to the text?
1. the women i worked with brought insights to the text that i could not find alone... each week challenging me to work back into texts that i thought i knew.
2. there was some accountability... needing to be able to articulate to the group where I saw God during the week and realizing that others cared about my spiritual health and integrity.
3. our discussion every week got me more and more excited about the bible... and kind of excitement i cannot seem to sustain on my own.
4. intentional communal prayer every week in a smaller group than my church fed my personal prayer life.
so i want to stop trying this on my own... gonna look for a small group. i need more disciplined pray and study. i need to balance. i need the challenge. i need the greater understanding of the work i do.
keep me to it.
now, i don't have a small group. i am not in any classes that engage the text in spiritually and i am not preaching very often. so i find myself without the relationship to the text that drives me and can keep me healthy.
what about the small group encouraged me to relate to the text?
1. the women i worked with brought insights to the text that i could not find alone... each week challenging me to work back into texts that i thought i knew.
2. there was some accountability... needing to be able to articulate to the group where I saw God during the week and realizing that others cared about my spiritual health and integrity.
3. our discussion every week got me more and more excited about the bible... and kind of excitement i cannot seem to sustain on my own.
4. intentional communal prayer every week in a smaller group than my church fed my personal prayer life.
so i want to stop trying this on my own... gonna look for a small group. i need more disciplined pray and study. i need to balance. i need the challenge. i need the greater understanding of the work i do.
keep me to it.
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