Easter

Startled by Peace

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emptytomb

Daily readings:
Psalms 93; 150, Exodus 12:1-14, John 1:1-8, Isaiah 51:9-11, Luke 24:13-35, John 20:19-23

Easter readings:
Acts 10:34-43 Jeremiah 31:1-6, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, Colossians 3:1-4, Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18, Gospel Matthew 28:1-10

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

The tomb is empty, the cross undone. Where will we find him?

Mary Magdalene found Jesus just outside the tomb, though she mistook him for the gardener until he called her by name and she looked at his face. Cleopas and his companion found Jesus on the road to Emmaus, though for hours they thought he was a stranger. They recognized him once “he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.” After he vanished, they went to tell the disciples all they had experienced. When Jesus just as quickly appeared to the Eleven and announced, “Peace be with you!” the disciples, believing they were seeing a ghost, were “startled and terrified” until he reassured them of his presence by showing them his hands and feet bearing the wounds of crucifixion.

It seems we find Christ when we look in the face of one we take for granted.

It seems we find Christ when we welcome and break bread with the stranger.

It seems we find Christ when we accept that the wounds he bore for us – even when we could not bear to stand by him – are not a cause for shame and fear, but a source of peace.

Is it Christ who startles us, or do we surprise ourselves when we discover he’s not trapped in the Bible, the church, or the places we look for him … but on the road and at the table beside us?  Like Mary, Cleopas, and the disciples, we won’t see him if we don’t expect him. Fortunately he calls to us, too.

When we hear our name called unexpectedly, conflicting reactions may arise. We can have glad anticipation that someone we want to see has found us, and we can simultaneously be anxious about why we have been singled out. When Christ calls to us from an unexpected place, he calls us to participate more fully in the body of the resurrection. That new life will look different from our old, maybe different enough to startle us, but it promises to be one of peace.

Comfort: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

Challenge: Look for Jesus not just where you remember he was, but where he is and will be.

Prayer: Holy and Living God, I praise your name. Hallelujah!

Discussion: What startles you?

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Sower or Seed?

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Good soil

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 97; 145, Leviticus 25:35-55, Colossians 1:9-14, Matthew 13:1-16

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells the story of a man who spread seeds on the ground. Some fell on the path, and the birds ate it. Some fell on rocky ground and sprouted, but withered in the heat and blew away with the wind because its roots had nowhere to cling. Some fell among thorns which choked it out. Some fell on good soil and yielded an abundant harvest. The seed is the message of Christ, and the different circumstances represent how well his message is received. Where do you see yourself in this parable?

Are you the earth? If that is the role you identify with, what are you doing (or have you done) to prepare yourself for the message? What are you doing to ensure the message can take root in you and produce abundance? We are each responsible for preparing the soil of our hearts.

Are you the seed? If so, do you feel like you have any control over where you land? When you find yourself in an environment which is inhospitable for your growth, can you go somewhere more suitable? Jesus follows up the parable with an explanation of what circumstances each type of soil represents, so we would do well to avoid them.

Are you the sower? If you are, why do you think you are so indiscriminate  – careless even – about where you sow your seeds? Why aren’t you concentrating on only the best soil so that the harvest is maximized? The sower is not unconcerned with the results (otherwise why sow at all?), but he does not feel responsible for the fate of every handful he scatters.

The beauty of parables is that they really can be all things to all people. At different stages of our lives – maybe even different hours of the day – we could be earth, seed, or sower. Who is to say we might not even be one of the birds snatching the seed up before it takes root? Let us prepare our hearts well, place ourselves wisely, and share the Word with wild, faithful abandon.

Comfort: Wherever you are in life, Christ has a word for you.

Challenge: Resolve to “bloom where you are planted.”

Prayer: Loving God, you spread seeds of faith throughout the world. May they take firm root in us, that we may in turn share spread that faith to others. Amen.

Discussion: With what element(s) of today’s parable do you most identify? What does it feel like to place yourself in the different roles?

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Reset

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reset-button-1243319-1920x1440

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 93; 150, Leviticus 25:1-17, James 1:2-8, 16-18, Luke 12:13-21

If you know anything about agriculture, you probably know “fallow” earth is ground that has not been seeded for at least one growing season, for the purpose of letting the land recover moisture and reduce disease. In Leviticus, God commands the Jews to observe a Sabbath for the land, leaving it fallow one year of every seven.

God also commanded a Jubilee observation every fiftieth year. During this Jubilee year, debts were forgiven, property was restored, and slaves were returned to their families. The nation did not sow or reap, but lived off what the land produced on its own.

Every seven days a Sabbath. Every seven years a fallow year. Every seven times seven years a Jubilee. God’s command for rest was echoed and magnified in this pattern.

Fallow years have mostly been replaced by crop rotation. For varied theological and cultural reasons, the Jubilee year does not have a modern equivalent, even among the Jewish people. That sense of extended rest and replenishment has been all but lost.  While some professions such as ministry and academia allow for extended sabbaticals at regular intervals, and such periods are a relief from regular work, they often carry expectations of a different sort of productivity.

Inspired by Leviticus, the Roman Catholic church has developed a tradition of 25-year Jubilee celebrations for forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin. These Jubilees bring many people into reconciliation with the church.

Perhaps an advantage to not following the Jubilee schedule of Leviticus is the freedom to schedule our own. Keeping track of the financial, personal, and/or spiritual debts owed to us may be exhausting, so maybe we should consider scheduling one to begin soon. If it seems unfair to simply forgive such debt, ask whether holding onto it really serves your relationship with God or your neighbor. A Jubilee relieves us of the burden of having to work ourselves up to a state of forgiveness by giving our egos permission to unclench. God has given us an opportunity to “reset” our lives; let’s find a season to be fallow and forgiving.

Comfort: It’s ok to rest. God desires it for us.

Challenge: Forgive someone a spiritual or financial debt. Try to think of it as also relieving a burden from yourself.

Prayer: God of renewal, thank you for the new life offered to me through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Discussion: Where in your life do you most need a reset? How could you arrange for that to happen?

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Accounting 101

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goodfruit

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 92; 149, Leviticus 23:23-44, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18, Matthew 7:13-21

Near the end of his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul addressed the complaint that some believers were not doing their fair share, but were idle busybodies: “Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” He reminded the church of his earlier lesson: “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” Remember that the early church lived in close community, pooling their resources and distributing them according to need. Any resources that went to support the idle among them could not be put to better use by helping the poor.

When we commit ourselves to Christ, we can’t just say we believe the right things and think our responsibility ends there.

We are responsible to the greater body, which is in turn responsible to Christ’s mission. If we grow lax, are we willing to be subject to Paul’s additional advice that other believers avoid us until we step it up? It sounds harsh, and is not a very politically correct sentiment, but sometimes consequences are necessary to drive change. Note that Paul does not say to force idlers from the community or to regard them as enemies, but to “warn them as believers.” A community depends on everyone doing their part.

It is important to remember that not all of us will be able to contribute equally in all ways, but all of our contributions should be equally valued for what they are. Just as it is in the workplace,  a call to accountability is not a punishment but a statement of trust. The flip side of this social contract is our willingness to be sensitive to what people can and can not do, and what resources they do or do not have. Would it make sense to ask the accountant to fix the furnace, or the facilities manager to keep the books? No, and we’d be setting them up to fail.  That sensitivity also applies to considering someone’s “fair share;” demanding what others can’t supply, or resenting them for not supplying it, does not serve Christ, only our own egos.

Do what you should. Lovingly hold accountable those who do not. Accept corrections as appropriate. These practices help build a health body that will bear healthy fruit.

Comfort: It’s OK – even desirable – to hold others accountable.

Challenge: It’s OK for others to hold you accountable.

Prayer: God of justice, teach me to do my fair share, to help others do theirs, to appreciate the gifts of others, and to honor their limitations. Amen.

Discussion: How do you determine whether someone is doing their fair share? Does that mean they must be doing an equal share?

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Logs and Specks

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do-not-judge

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 96; 148, Leviticus 23:1-22, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, Matthew 7:1-12

[H]ow can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Matthew 7:3-5

Hypocrisy is one of Jesus’s biggest targets. When he criticizes the hypocrisy of religious leaders, we cheer him on. However, his admonitions are not limited to authority figures: they apply to us also. When he spoke of logs and specks, it was to his followers in general.

We are still quick to point out the hypocrisy of politicians, religious leaders, and the self-righteous, but we are often slow to recognize it in ourselves and even try to rationalize it away. Some of the most blatant examples are in politics. When the “other” side uses dirty tricks or displays unethical behavior, we point condemning fingers and demand accountability. When “our” side does something similar we attempt to explain it away or justify it as a necessary evil – often blaming the behavior of the other side as forcing our hand. Cliched as it may be, two wrongs don’t make a right. A principle we are willing to sacrifice for convenience or expedience is not a principle at all. “They did it first!” is a child’s excuse.

We can also be quick to judge others for qualities we don’t like about ourselves. Maybe that’s why there is no shortage of “family values” candidates caught in adulterous affairs and other unseemly behaviors. But our eagerness to judge them in kind (or worse to celebrate their undoing) is a hypocrisy of its own. The line between personal accountability and unholy judgment can easily blur. To bring it into focus, we can look at it through a lens of compassion: reconciliation may require consequences, but the former is a priority and the latter merely a tool.

Regarding judgment Christ tells us: “the measure you give will be the measure you get.” Being honest about our own flaws makes us less likely to judge others.

Comfort: Judging others is exhausting. Let it go, and feel yourself refreshed.

Challenge: Be slow to judge. Maybe so slow you forget about it.

Prayer: Merciful God, teach me to be humble and merciful. Have mercy on my soul. Amen.

Discussion: What are the flaws you are most likely to condemn in others? What does that say about you?

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Don’t Worry, Be Lily

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tiger lilies

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 47; 147:12-20, Leviticus 19:26-37, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, Matthew 6:25-34

The United States is a nation of worriers. Advertisers prey on our insecurities about health, appearance, and status. The stock market can fluctuate wildly based on minuscule setbacks. Our twenty-four hour news cycle brings the most lurid concerns of the entire world directly into our homes. The difficult thing about worry is that it’s always got one toe in reality. Maybe our jobs really are in danger. Maybe the fruit we eat does contain unsafe pesticides. Maybe we did leave the curling iron plugged in.

Not many of us are like field lilies, neither toiling nor spinning yet relying on God to clothe us in splendor. Then again, few lilies have to plan for retirement. Given the nature of human life, is it really possible to be as care-free as the lilies? Or would that attitude be plain irresponsible? It all depends on what we value.

We may say “blessed are the poor,” but only the rare monastic aspires to poverty. More “Poor Richard” than “poor in spirit,” we cite “God helps those who help themselves” like scripture, then wonder why the world is full of people who do nothing but help themselves. Most things we do aspire to – big homes, nice cars, high-paying jobs, prestige education – may make life more pleasant, and are not wrong in and of themselves, but they do not serve (and may even hamper) our highest priority: relationship with God. When we put them in proper perspective, we realize our inner peace does not depend on external circumstances.

Of course we should take care of our bodies, be good stewards of our finances, and be responsible people, but not because these good habits are our primary sense of security. They guarantee nothing. The difference between responsibility and worry is the first addresses things we can control (our actions) and the second addresses things beyond our control (namely, everything else). If our health fails, our fortune fades, or our world somehow falls apart, our peace remains in the Lord. Worry changes nothing, but it can be a barometer of what sort of splendor we seek.

Comfort: The peace of God passes all understanding (Philipians 4:7).

Challenge: Make a list of the things that worry you, then burn it.

Prayer: Holy God, I will cling to your peace in good times and bad. Amen.

Discussion: What might be a more constructive response than worrying?

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Balancing Act

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 98; 146, Leviticus 16:20-34, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 6:7-15

Paul told the Thessalonians the Day of the Lord would arrive like a thief in the night or the pains of labor. Those living in darkness – that is, without the light of Christ – would be caught unawares in a false sense of security and suffer the consequences. Those living in the light would be prepared and rejoice. But how exactly is one to prepare? First century Christians expected Jesus to return any moment, and abandoned many earthly pursuits. As a couple thousand years passed, it became more apparent Christ’s return would be less … immediate.

Every century – maybe every decade – had its share of “prophets” declaring the end was nigh. So far they are batting triple zero. Even today some Christians believe Jesus is returning so soon it may be foolish to buy groceries a week in advance. Most of us are a little more skeptical. Should we be?

Living in anticipation of the Day of the Lord is a balancing act. On the one hand, experience says we probably have a way to go, and should steward our resources wisely. On the other hand, any one of us could meet Jesus tomorrow, if only individually. Does anyone want to have to explain why that never-touched rainy day fund was a better use of our money than charity would have been?

Perhaps that tension is useful. When we lose that sense of immediacy, it’s easy to slip into a comfortable routine which resembles resignation more than anticipation. If we’re so zealous that we focus only on “the end times,” we lose sight of doing the things Christ asked us to do – feed the hungry, visit the sick, etc. A while back there was a popular humorous but pointed bumper sticker: “Jesus is coming. Try to look busy.” Are we merely busy, or are we about the business of discipleship? If Jesus shows up today, would you be happy with where he finds you? If we live today as through Christ could show up tomorrow, and he doesn’t … let’s try not to be too disappointed we’ve made the world a little better.

Comfort: Whether Jesus returns tomorrow or in a thousand years, the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Challenge: Set aside some time to contemplate or discuss the balance between faith and works in world waiting for Christ’s return.

Prayer: Eternal God, thank you for the promise of the future, and the opportunity of the present. Amen.

Discussion: Where can you strike a better balance between what is practical and what is faithful?

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Keep it in the Closet

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 97; 145, Leviticus 16:1-19, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Other than during a tornado watch, when is the last time any of us prayed in a closet? Most of us would probably answer: “Never.” Yet that is exactly what Christ advised his disciples to do: “whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Most translations use the word “room” but the Greek is closer to “inner room” – or closet. Of course Christ’s point was not the architecture, but the privacy. Even in Christ’s time, public prayer was often more a bid for the admiration of people, rather than communion with God.

We’ve all heard prayers that sound like the person praying was being paid by the word. Christ tells to pray privately, and not heap on words as if desperately trying to tip some divine scale. Ideally prayer is not a monologue, so it needs a lot of silent time to leave room for God.

When Christ says those who pray or give alms in a public manner have already received their reward, he is commenting on motive. People who make a show of piety in order to win admiration have their reward when someone notices, but not beyond.

On the other hand, going too far the other way and making a show of hiding our deeds is still missing the point. People seeking a relationship with God pray or fast only as an expression of their love for God, and attention (or its lack) doesn’t matter. God isn’t a trophy wife, so Christ teaches us to behave in ways that don’t sully the relationship by making it about other people’s opinions.

From the time we are assigned our first 200-word essay, we are taught the number of words we use is important. One of the toughest lessons for any professional writer is to cut, and cut again, until only meaningful words remain. Perhaps this is why writer Anne LaMott’s two favorite prayers are: “Help me, help me, help me” and “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Comfort: God knows what we need before we speak.

Challenge: Find an isolated place to pray.

Prayer: Compassionate God: help me. Thank you.

Discussion: What do you feel is the role of public prayer?

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Carpenter’s Son

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Rabies 008

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 93; 150, Leviticus 8:1-13, 30-36, Hebrews 12:1-14, Luke 4:16-30

How do you feel about high school reunions? Your answer probably depends on how much you enjoyed your high school experience. The older we get the less we are like our high school selves, but stepping into those locker-lined hallways and through those gymnasium doors shifts a part of our brain back into those teenage dynamics. Some part of us expects people to be like they were then, and they expect the same of us. When we know someone as a youth, we can have trouble seeing how they are different as adults. All of us are both victims and perpetrators of this phenomenon.

Jesus had the same problems. His ministry began with a big splash in Capernaum, and then he returned to his hometown of Nazareth. In Nazareth people wanted to see the signs he’d performed in Capernaum. Part of this might have been excitement over the hometown boy made good, but some of it was because they couldn’t imagine the son of Joseph the carpenter as the Messiah. Anticipating their doubt, Jesus told them: “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.” After he got warmed up and started doing what prophets do – namely telling them what they needed to change – “all in the synagogue were filled with rage.” They drove him out of town and tried to push him off a cliff.

In the end, Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went on his way” as though they weren’t there. Now there’s a lesson in maturity. Jesus did not surrender to the outdated expectations of people who couldn’t see him in the present. It can be tempting to lower ourselves to expectations (“I cheated because I got tired of you accusing me of it!”) and blame others. Jesus knew what he was about, and also knew Nazareth would hold him back. At one point even his own family called him crazy, but he just kept doing what needed to be done. What only he could do. Don’t settle for the expectations the world places on you; graduate into the person God has prepared you to be.

Comfort: Other people may not see you for who you are, but God does.

Challenge: If you are tempted to blame someone else for your failings, spend some time in prayer about it.

Prayer: Thank you, loving God, for allowing me to grow into the gifts you have given me. Help me to see others as you see them, not through the lens of my preconceptions. Amen.

Discussion: Do you react maturely in the face of low expectations?

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Sunshine and Rain

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Jun02 031

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 92; 149, Exodus 40:18-38, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, Matthew 5:38-48

Turn the other cheek. When sued for your cloak, offer your coat too. If forced to go one mile, go a second one. Give to everyone who begs from you. Loan to anyone who asks. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. In these teachings, Jesus is telling his followers, I know you know the minimum legal requirements, and that’s fine, but actually loving involves so much more

Who actually does these things – all or any of them – all the time?

Would it be unfair to say “Nobody?”

We spend a lot of effort justifying why we don’t  do them, and throw around words like “enable” and “systemic” and “accountability.” We make our giving conditional on the perceived worthiness of the recipients. In the same passage Jesus tells us God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” If God is not doling out sunshine and rain based on merit, maybe we aren’t as qualified to make those distinctions as we’d like to believe. Resenting that our generosity is “wasted” on someone says more about our ego and need for control than it does about their worthiness.

Of course we should steward our resources wisely when battling systemic poverty and need, but that is not in opposition to the individual acts that Jesus promotes. Loving our enemies, turning the other cheek, and parting with our money are not just about helping other people: they are about perfecting the state of our hearts. Love is sacrificial. If our every act of generosity involves an intake evaluation and a cost-benefit analysis, we’re simply swapping one set of rules for another, creating divides between the clean and unclean. Since we are as dependent on God for our own gifts as we are for the sun and rain, should we really be acting as if we know better than God who does or does not deserve them? Love is humble. Jesus says so.

Ironically, selfless love has selfish benefits. As we learn to love unconditionally, we better understand just how much God loves us – worthy or not.

Comfort: You have God’s love, regardless.

Challenge: God expects you to love others, regardless.

Prayer: Loving God, may my love for others reflect your love for them also. Amen.

Discussion: Is your generosity ever tinged with resentment?

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