Month: January 2018

Spit, Mud, and Healing

/ JJS / 5 Comments

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new window/tab):
Psalms 20; 145, Joshua 3:14-4:7, Ephesians 5:1-20, John 9:1-12, 35-38

All four gospels tell the story of Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath. The mechanics of it are simple: he spits on the ground, makes mud, and rubs it on the man’s eyes. Afterward the man rinses the mud off and can see. Mud and spittle were a common enough medical treatment in the Greco-Roman world of the period, so it’s very likely someone had tried this remedy before, maybe more than once. What was so different about Jesus? We could say “He was the magic son of God!” and be satisfied with that answer, but the story reveals more.

Jesus started from a different perspective than the people around him: they believed the man was blind because he had sinned, but Jesus told them that was not true. Instead, he saw an opportunity to reveal God’s glory by helping someone who hadn’t even asked for help.

How much dirt and spit have we wasted by pre-judging a situation? How could a different perspective help transform the most common, mundane elements in our lives into opportunities to reveal God’s love to the world? Residents of Cateura, Paraguay are a fine example. Their survival depends on harvesting recyclables from an enormous trash dump just outside one of the poorest slums in South America. But in this, they have found beauty: they have crafted a world-renowned children’s orchestra of instruments made from discarded articles pulled from the dump.

A blind beggar turned into a prophet. Broken pipes turned into flutes. The people and things in our lives that seem broken or useless transformed by the power of the Spirit into … what? We may not restore someone’s sight, but we can help restore hope, peace of mind, or the simple comfort of a hot meal and a warm bed. What if we have dirt or spittle (metaphorically speaking) but not both? Then we have an opportunity to combine our resources with another person’s, and the invitation for the working of the Spirit is doubled (or tripled, or…). Looking with Christ’s eyes, we see brokenness as only the first step toward wholeness.

Comfort: No matter how broken we may be, God can put us back together.

Challenge: What relationships or situations in your life have you written off as too broken to fix? Ask a friend or mentor how you might change your perspective on the situation to better resolve it.

Prayer: Gracious God, teach  me to see opportunities instead of problems. Amen.

Discussion: Have you ever witnessed or experienced healing where others had written off any such possibility?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and 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!

Dress for Spiritual Success

/ JJS / 2 Comments

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new window/tab):
Psalms 111; 150, 1 Kings 3:5-14, Colossians 3:12-17, John 6:41-47

Whether you leave your house dressed in a bathrobe, a suit and tie, or a wedding dress, it’s the same you underneath. Despite employer dress codes, you are no less competent on casual Friday than you are when dressed for a board meeting at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. However there are times when what you wear is crucial. A nurse treating infectious patients must wear protective clothing. Hikers need footwear to provide both comfort and stability. Dancers are hindered if their clothes do not allow freedom of movement.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul says they should clothe themselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” and “love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Some clothes communicate how we intend to interact with the world. Opposing teams and referees all wear different uniforms for a reason. Someone can say “I’m a professional football player” but until they’re suited up and on the field, they’re not playing professional ball. We can quote scripture and doctrine all day long, but if we haven’t put on a Christian attitude, why would anyone believe us?  Sure, meekness might itch a little and sometimes we can’t wait to slip out of that patience at the end of the day, but they are part of the dress code for the best job in the world.

The good news is, once you’ve broken them in, they are pretty comfortable. Kindness feels less like a tie choking off your breathing and more like a scarf keeping you warm. Humility changes from a girdle squeezing in your less virtuous bulges to a support that helps you keep your back straight and head high. None of us are able to display Paul’s list of virtues all the time, but the more conscious we are about putting them on, the more they become part of us, and the more prepared we feel.

These garments will protect you. They will provide comfort and stability. They will give you confidence to move freely in a world that doesn’t always understand what you’re doing. Dressing for success doesn’t have to cost a dime.

Comfort: Love of God and neighbor is the most beautiful thing you can wear.

Challenge: As you are getting dressed for the day, be intentional about putting on your garments of faith as well.

Prayer: Loving God, I will clothe myself in faith to please you and serve your world. Amen.

Discussion: What’s your favorite item of clothing and why?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and 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!

No Small Gifts

/ JJS / Leave a comment

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Today’s readings:  Psalms 48; 149, 1 Kings 19:1-8, Ephesians 4:1-16, John 6:1-14

The story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes appears in all four Gospels, and in the book of Matthew he repeats the miracle a second time. Christians and non-Christians alike understand references to this story. Some theologians interpret the miracle as Jesus magically increasing the supply of bread and fish, while others claim the real miracle is that Jesus inspired people to share with each other what they’d been hoarding.

A pivotal figure in this story is Andrew, the brother of Peter. When Jesus asks where they might buy food to feed the thousands of people gathered around him, the disciple Phillip says they couldn’t buy enough food with six months wages. Andrew, on the other hand, points out that a boy in the crowd has five loaves and two fishes but asks what good they would be among so many people. Why would Andrew have bothered to point out such a measly offering?

It seems that on some level, Andrew trusted Jesus to make do with what was available. On his own he would have never expected what he had to be enough, yet in the end he and the other disciples collected twelve baskets of leftovers.

How often do we feel like Andrew, looking at a seemingly overwhelming problem and wondering if our meager talents and resources could possibly help? In the face of need throughout the world, our ability to draw, bake, shingle a roof, or lend an ear might seem like a raindrop falling on a forest fire … but we should trust God to make do with what we bring to the table – because we bring the gifts he gave us. When hungry people are fed or cold people are clothed, does it matter whether it was supernatural or sharing and division of labor? No, because God’s grace drives the results.

Jesus sends us, equipped just as we are, to feed the multitude. Instead of saying: “This is all I have to offer…” perhaps we could pray: “Thank you Lord for blessing this small gift so that it may accomplish great things in your name.”

Comfort: Even when your gifts seem small to you, God can make great use of them.

Challenge: What talents have you been holding back because you think they’re not good enough? Find a way to put them into service for your community.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for giving me the gifts that are right for me best serve you. Amen.

Discussion: What do you think your gifts are?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. 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!