Month: February 2017

Flip

/ JJS / 1 Comment

20170208_175756-01.jpegToday’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 89:1-18; 147:1-11, Isaiah 59:1-21, 2 Timothy 1:15-2:13, Mark 10:1-16

We can all struggle with decisions. From dinner to voting, sometimes we just get stuck. A friend once advised that when we find ourselves spinning our mental wheels, we should flip a coin. The result is not binding: if it lands and we feel satisfied, let it ride; if we think, “Maybe two out of three…” make the other choice. When we go to friends for advice, they often tell us, “You know what to do.” At that point we’re not seeking advice so much as a nudge in the right direction. When we are determined to do something we know is a bad decision … those are the times we don’t seek advice at all.

Sin is that last type of decision: we deliberately turn away from God and conscience. Isaiah promises God’s arms are not too short to reach us, or His ears too weak to hear. Rather, we erect our own barriers through sin. Isaiah describes sinners who weave webs to snare others and clothe themselves, but find no shelter in them. He talks about the serpent eggs they hatch to poison others. Webs of lies. Hatched plots. Such sins cover us in barriers of shame, fear, and guilt that can make it feel almost impossible to turn back to God. Always there, he can’t offer forgiveness we don’t seek.

Jesus tells us to receive the Kingdom of God like little children. Children are shameless. They can grind peanut butter into a shag carpet and still ask for the jelly with a smile. We raise them to understand consequences, but spend little time training them to accept forgiveness. To stop reaching for us and to start obeying us – or hiding when they don’t. To see God that way. Tearing down those barriers built by sin means trusting that God will forgive us. That’s a lot of unlearning, but we don’t have to be defined by our bad decisions; Christ practically begs us to make the one good choice which restores us to wholeness.

We don’t need to flip a coin; we just need to flip an attitude.

Comfort: God is always waiting for you to seek His face.

Challenge: Learn to ask for forgiveness, even when you don’t feel like you deserve it.

Prayer: Thank you loving God for the gift of your grace. Amen.

Discussion: What conditions do you put on yourself (or others) before you can forgive?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group , visit comfortandchallenge.tumblr.com, or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Saltiness

/ JJS / 1 Comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 42; 146, Isaiah 58:1-12, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Mark 9:42-50

In our current political climate, both left- and right-leaning Christians are working hard at shaping the law of the land to better resemble their idea of the Kingdom. Of course this shape is not clearly defined anywhere in scripture. Instead of definitions we get parables comparing it to everything from sumptuous banquets to lost sheep. So we have some Christians who want to impose more rules, some Christians who want to reduce discrimination against people who don’t follow those rules, and a whole lot in the middle left wondering how we can disagree so strongly.

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, written from prison, he tells his young protégé not to be ashamed that the empire has jailed him, but to join him in suffering for the Gospel. He doesn’t tell Timothy to try to force the empire to change; rather he understands he resides in a Kingdom which is not defined by walls, laws, or empire. Neither he nor Timothy will submit to laws that run counter to the Gospel, and they understand there is a holy penalty to be paid for their behavior.

Are we Christians called to transform the world? If we are, we must do it like Paul did, by transforming ourselves into models of Christ, who submitted unto death. The empire’s tools of persuasion are the sword and spear, but we transform them into the plowshare and pruning hook: the threat of death versus the promise of life. Paul expanded the Kingdom without passing a single law or firing a single shot.

Jesus warned his disciples that once salt had lost its saltiness, it could not be seasoned again. We might have some small success seasoning the empire to align more with our tastes, but in the end we are a small ingredient caught up in a recipe for disaster. We can’t change the empire by force, and insisting on doing so eventually dilutes our essential identity.

We should be less concerned with whether we see the Kingdom when we look around, and more with whether strangers can see it when they look at us.

Comfort: We travel the Kingdom of Heaven from the inside outward.

Challenge: Salt in the pure form we enjoy does not lose its saltiness, but in Jesus’s time salt was not nearly as pure. Read up on it here.

Prayer: Lord of Heaven and Earth, I will do my best to be recognized as an ambassador of your Kingdom. Amen.

Discussion: How can we influence change through love rather than force?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group , visit comfortandchallenge.tumblr.com, or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Career Advice

/ JJS / 1 Comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 5; 145, Isaiah 57:14-21, Galatians 6:11-18, Mark 9:30-41

If you’ve been on a job interview in the last fifteen years or so, there’s a good chance you’ve been asked: “Where do you see yourself five years from now?” Potential employers ask this question hoping to determine how well your goals and motivation fit the position. Imagine applying for the position of vice-president of a Fortune 500 company, and answering: “I’m hoping to be in an entry-level position in the mail room by then.”

That would be a pretty crazy answer – unless you were interviewing for the position of disciple. Jesus had some unorthodox recruiting techniques (“Hey, Peter and Andrew! Quit your jobs and follow me!”) so it’s no surprise his career advice was unconventional as well. When the disciples argued about which of them was the greatest, Jesus told them: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” When following Jesus, success means service.

This doesn’t mean we should suppress or hide our talents and contributions, or that we can’t be leaders. To the contrary, we should fully use all the gifts at our disposal to the glory of God. We can even apply for that CEO position, as long as in all things we are serving as Christ commanded. No matter how successful the world tells us we might be, God’s criteria for success include how welcoming we are to children or whether we give a thirsty person a cup of water. We can serve from a penthouse or a cardboard box, but we must serve.

Servant leadership costs us. Sometimes that cost is social standing and higher earning; other times it may be our safety. Paul bore the marks of servant leadership on his body in the form of scars from beatings he received for spreading the gospel. We don’t aspire to these hardships or offer them as proof of our superior humility, but if necessary we modestly accept them. They prepare us for a career of Christ-like leadership. If someone asks us where we want to be in five years, are we ready to say “last of all?”

Comfort: Serving in the spirit of the Gospel is pleasing to the Lord.

Challenge: Be sure to temper your ambition with your humility.

Prayer: Creator God, I will use the gifts you have entrusted to me to serve your people. Amen.

Discussion: What’s the difference between being humble and demeaning yourself?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group , visit comfortandchallenge.tumblr.com, or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Monday Morning Quarterbacks

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Good Game

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 103; 150, Isaiah 57:1-13, Hebrews 12:1-6,John 7:37-46

When we identify strongly with a team, we celebrate when that team does well and feel the loss when it does poorly. We call it “our” team and say “we” played great last night, even though “we” have never set foot on a professional field. The sense of community among fans may help us feel included and part of something larger than ourselves. These are good things, but we don’t want to lose sight of reality; after all, “fan” is short for “fanatic.”

Paul had many kind words for newer Christian churches, but he also felt the need to let the air out of their tires a little. Compared to some churches, they’d had it pretty easy. He reminded them: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” It was wonderful to be on Team Jesus, but they hadn’t yet played under duress. None of us knows with complete certainty how we’ll react under pressure until we actually do. When newer churches hadn’t yet felt the squeeze of the Christian big leagues, Paul did have advice about how to prepare: “let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” In other words, if you want to be more than a fan – to be a real part of the “we” – put in the training.

Monday morning quarterbacks believe they could have played a better game. Are we ever Monday morning Christians?  After Sunday services, do we look at the world and believe we could do as well as, or better than, people who are struggling across the globe or in the pew next to us? Without being in their shoes, we don’t know. If we want to be more than fans of Christ, if we want to wear the jersey, we need to put ourselves through the paces until we sweat compassion and bleed forgiveness. Only then do we truly learn that judging doesn’t move us toward the goal, but supporting each other does.

Comfort: If you’re putting in the effort, God doesn’t make cuts.

Challenge: Rather than criticizing or gossiping about people who fall short, find constructive ways to help them regain their footing.

Prayer: God of mercy, teach me to be merciful. Amen.

Discussion: Academically gifted students are often called upon to tutor. Are you aware of any programs where students who are athletically gifted are called to do the same? If not, why do you think not? If so, what was that like?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group , visit comfortandchallenge.tumblr.com, or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Losers

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Veterinarian and volunteer treating a sea turtle with a shell damaged by a boat motor.

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 63; 149, Isaiah 56:1-8, Galatians 5:25-6:10, Mark 9:14-29

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote:

If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another […] Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ […] all must carry their own loads.

Doesn’t sound much like our culture, does it? There are no hit “reality” TV shows about people cooperating to arrive the finale together. Businesses – not content simply to provide quality products which benefit their customers and provide owners and employees with a comfortable living – embrace  a model that can see markets only as competitions. Rather than a system to serve the common good of a nation by sharing ideas, politics long has been a power struggle which exploits tribal ideologies to create winners and losers.

If we want to follow Christ, we must defy cultural expectations. That has always been true, but ever since Christianity became the empire instead of the underdog (some seventeen centuries ago), and we turned the Gospel from an invitation into an edict, we’ve been looking for ways to convince ourselves Jesus backs a winner.

What does it mean both to bear one another’s burdens and to carry ou r own loads?

It means putting the welfare of other people ahead of our own. It means balancing  a humility of word and deed with a steady call for justice. It means seeking ways to serve rather than to conquer. It means willing to be among the last – those whom Jesus calls first in the Kingdom of Heaven, but what many in our society would call “losers.”

In his humility and self-sacrifice, Christ defied expectations of what the Messiah should be: crucifixion was not for winners. As his followers, our triumphs are achieved not through force and fear, but through love and sacrifice. Our strength comes from open hands, not closed fists. When impose our need for victory onto the message of the Gospel, we rob it of the power to reveal itself. Let’s trust the message to be enough.

Comfort: In Christ, you are strong enough to be vulnerable.

Challenge: Look for ways to be more cooperative, especially with people you consider rivals in some way.

Prayer: Holy and loving God, lead your church to unity. Amen.

Discussion: Are you competitive in ways you don’t need to be?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group , visit comfortandchallenge.tumblr.com, or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Beautifully Broken

/ JJS / Leave a comment

quilt-squares-1416222-01.jpeg

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 84; 148, Isaiah 55:1-13, Galatians 5:16-24, Mark 9:2-13

Christians have an image problem. Like any other group in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, our most extreme and attention-grabbing brothers and sisters make the news and tell our story … whether we’d like them to or not. When a tiny church comprised of a handful of family members pickets military funerals to protest homosexuality, they make national headlines for years. A “family-values” politician caught in an affair becomes a media spectacle and fodder for those who would point out Christian hypocrisy. These types of public relations problems are not unique to Christians, or even religious groups. The public is fascinated with scandals, especially when they involve someone who has portrayed him- or herself as a “righteous” person.

Paul seems to draw distinct lines between the drunken, quarrelsome fornicators who will not inherit the kingdom of God, and the joyful, generous peacemakers who will. We want to heed his words: for good or ill, the behaviors he describes do have consequences in our lives and relationships with God and each other. As Christians we can feel pressure to appear as if we have all the good qualities and none of the bad. In reality, we have the same faults and foibles as everyone else, and when we pretend otherwise, people can practically smell the insincerity. Humbly acknowledging our own flaws doesn’t diminish our witness. To the contrary it tells the true story of grace: not that we become perfect, but that we accept God’s love despite our imperfections.

Acknowledging our flaws doesn’t mean we should settle for them. As we grow in our faith, our behaviors and attitudes will reflect that growth. When someone is thoroughly grounded in her or his faith, other struggling people – believers and non-believers alike – feel comfortable enough with that person to be truthful. To love like Christ loves, we must recognize a person’s brokenness without defining them by it. Let’s do our part to fix that image problem by showing the world following Christ means being humble and truthful. As Christ’s broken body heals the world, our broken and contrite hearts do also.

Comfort: God loves you broken, but doesn’t leave you broken.

Challenge: Resist the urge to make yourself look good. Instead try to be faithful.

Prayer: Thank you God for the love, forgiveness, and healing found in your grace. Amen.

Discussion: Common wisdom says we despise in others the flaws we struggle with ourselves. Do you find this to be true?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group , visit comfortandchallenge.tumblr.com, or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!