progressive christianity

Found Wanting or Wanting to be Found?

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Belshazzar’s Feast, Rembrandt, 1637

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 47; 147:12-20, Daniel 5:13-30, 1 John 5:13-20 (21), Luke 5:1-11

Jesus knows you are flawed, and loves you anyway. God knows you are flawed, and loves you anyway. People know you are flawed, and some of them will love you and some of them won’t, but none of them are God so in the long run it doesn’t matter. That leaves you. You know you are flawed; how will you deal with it?

King Belshazzar was deeply flawed, and he seemed to revel in it. When he desecrated the temple vessels of the captured Jews, a mysterious hand wrote strange words on the palace wall. Terrified, he brought in the captive prophet Daniel to interpret them for him. Because Belshazaar praised false idols but ignored the “God in whose power [was his] very breath,” Daniel interpreted the words as follows:

 mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; upharsin, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians

Belshazzar was killed that same night.

Peter was also flawed. When he first realized Christ’s nature, “he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’” Jesus replied, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” Peter would remain highly flawed throughout his career as apostle and founder of the church, but his attitude of faith and repentance kept him close to God.

Some of us think our flaws put distance between us and God. With this mindset, we worry we aren’t as “good” as other Christians (who are doing their own worrying). When things get tough we don’t want to burden others with our struggles (though they would happily lend an ear, a hand, or a buck). With this mindset, our flawed ego tells us we couldn’t possibly be forgiven.

Not so.

Do not be afraid. Belshazzar teaches us to be aware of our flaws. Peter teaches us not to be so aware of them that we despair. God loves us too much to leave us where we are.

Comfort: God loves you as you are.

Challenge: Love and trust God enough to make you even better.

Prayer: Thank you, Holy God, for the forgiveness and love you offer even though I can never earn it. Amen.

Discussion: Have you ever felt like your flaws put distance between you and God?

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Symbolic

/ JJS / 2 Comments

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 99; 147:1-11, Daniel 5:1-12, 1 John 5:1-12, Luke 4:38-44

Symbols are important to us. There are countless United States flags, from cheap plastic ones made overseas to quality domestic products purchased by our armed forces, but desecrating even one – while legal – is an affront to the millions of people who have served under it. “Desecrate” is generally reserved for the defilement of holy objects, and if any secular item rises to that criteria, it is the flag. Like other holy objects, the flag has rules for handling, display, and disposal.

The gold and silver temple fixtures of the captive Jews were locked away in Babylonian vaults. One day Belshazzar, successor to King Nebuchadnezzar, got drunk and had his servants retrieve them “and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.” Capturing the vessels was one thing; desecrating them was another. A hand appeared and the terrified king watched it write mysterious words on the palace wall. He was desperate to know their meaning, so his queen reminded him of Daniel’s gifts for interpretation.

An attack on a symbol is an attack on an identity. It plucks the raw nerves of tribalism under our veneer of civilization. It spits in the eye of our existence. We know our nation is more than a pattern on cloth. We understand a printed Bible is mass produced for profit. The body of slain soldier is tragic but still just a body. Yet our enemies know desecrating any of these will incense us, possibly to recklessness.

Symbols can also be personal. That pair of soda-cap cufflinks Uncle Ted left to your cousin may seem silly to you, but they may symbolize a deep bond between parent and child.

When we deal with friends and enemies, let’s be sensitive to what symbols might mean. Let’s avoid mocking, exploiting, or desecrating things that aren’t important to us but have meaning for others. And when we are offended, let’s remember a symbol is never more important than what or who it represents; our defense of it should not betray it. Our symbol is the empty cross – but our savior is not there.

Comfort: Symbols, used properly, can be powerful and motivational.

Challenge: Symbols, used improperly, can be manipulative and dangerous.

Prayer: Gracious God, teach me to think critically about symbols and ideas, and to value them only as much as they glorify you. Amen.

Discussion: Read this article on flag etiquette. What do you think about the flag being incorporated into clothing?

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Grass Fed

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 98; 146, Daniel 4:28-37, 1 John 4:7-21, Luke 4:31-37

The second time Daniel interpreted a dream for Nebuchadnezzar, he warned the king that his pride would be his undoing. A year later he was on the rooftop of the palace, boasting of how the kingdom existed to glorify him him, when things took a bizarre turn:

Immediately the sentence was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from human society, ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails became like birds’ claws.

This lasted for seven years. Nebuchadnezzar recovered his senses after accepting that the Lord was sovereign over all, including the king himself. When it was over, he went back to business as usual, but with a new humility.

One popular interpretation of this story is that putting our own will and pride above the will of God is a madness that results in our own degradation. We think of Nebuchadnezzar’s time in the wilderness as punishment – how pleasant could it have been? – but in the grand scheme was he worse off than when he believed in God but ignored him?

Is this story a little hard to swallow (no grass-munching pun intended)?

If so, it’s okay not to know what to make of it. We like to understand and classify the stories we hear, whether they come from the Bible, the news, or our own experiences, so we can drop them in the appropriate mental file, reinforce our preferred worldview, and move on. Sometimes, though, it’s preferable to ponder something without arriving at a tidy resolution.

Do we relate to the chaos, the tragic flaw of pride, the eventual humility, or even the dark humor of a king reduced to living like a wild animal? Nebuchadnezzar liked quick answers – he was willing to execute hundreds to get a dream interpreted! – but it took him seven years to work out what God was saying to him and turn his eyes heavenward. Live with the chaos, ridiculousness, and mystery for a bit, and you might be surprised at what you learn.

Comfort: You don’t always have to force an answer.

Challenge: Seriously. Stop doing that.

Prayer: God of mystery and truth, teach me to appreciate both in equal measure. Amen.

Discussion: What unanswered questions are you living with, and are you at peace with that?

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People are People

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 97; 145, Daniel 4:19-27, 1 John 3:19-4:6, Luke 4:14-30

Sometimes all it takes to be a prophet is an understanding of human nature and a keen sense of irony. When Jesus began preaching in his home town of Nazareth, he knew the people in the synagogue would want the same signs he performed earlier in Capernaum. Mark’s gospel tells us the people had so little faith Jesus was able to do very little. In today’s reading from Luke, Jesus tells them “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.” Five verses later, they are shoving him toward a cliff.

They could have tried to be more accepting, if only to prove him wrong, right? But that’s not human nature. How many teenagers, when asked if they’ve been drinking, counter with, “If you’re going to keep accusing me I might as well!” How many spouses caught in infidelity blame the insecurities of their husband or wife? We don’t enjoy someone telling us we’re wrong, especially when we know they’re right, so we lash out at the messenger. We drink and blame our parents. Cheat and blame our spouses. Lack faith and blame our savior.

Jesus saw it coming, and so should we. Across time and geography certain truths about human nature persist. We tend to think we are more self-aware than other people, but in reality – not so much. When we’re not busy convincing ourselves we are better than we are, we may be looking at other cultures and communities as “noble savages” who are somehow exempt from the less desirable traits of humanity. Or worse, we may look at whole groups of people as more capable of corruption than we could ever be. As clichéd as it might sound, people are people.

The good news is we can be better. First, we must abandon the mindset that we are exempt from basic human nature. Second, we must honestly examine ourselves as an outsider (Jesus, maybe?) might see us. Finally, we must consciously decide to act in ways consistent with our faith, even if that action goes against our nature. Let’s step back from the cliff before it’s too late.

Comfort: God knows our nature – and our potential.

Challenge: Pray about the things that you do despite knowing better.

Prayer: God of strength, I seek your nature before my own. Amen.

Discussion: What about human nature still manages to surprise you?

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Feed My Sheep

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 93; 150, Daniel 4:1-18, 1 Peter 4:7-11, John 21:15-25

The third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, it was early morning and they were fishing from a boat and he was on the beach tending a fire. When they came ashore he offered them breakfast. After the meal, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you,” though by the third time he was a little hurt. Jesus replied each time by telling Peter to feed and tend his sheep.

As they walked down the beach, “Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the [last] supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’” Peter seemed a little annoyed. Maybe that’s because he felt a twinge of guilt when he remembered the question. While Judas was the obvious betrayer, Peter – after saying he would never betray Jesus – denied him three times on the evening of the crucifixion. Afterward, he expected never to see Jesus again, much less to atone for his denials. In a bit of symmetry, Jesus gave Peter three chances to affirm that he indeed loved him.

We all screw up. Sometimes (parenting comes to mind) we screw up in the very act of trying not to. While apologies (if suitable) and reparations (if just) are appropriate, they aren’t the end of the fix. Jesus didn’t demand an apology or a penalty. Rather, he told Peter – the rock upon whom he would build his church – to take care of business. The best way to make amends to Christ, and possibly to almost anyone, is to listen to what matters to them and do what we can toward that end.

Mistakes don’t define you, but how you choose to recover from those mistakes tells you (and others) who you are. If you feel you’ve let down Christ, love him by feeding his sheep. If you’ve let down someone else, make it less about your guilt and more about whatever feeds their souls.

Comfort: You’ll make mistakes. God will love you anyway.

Challenge: Ask yourself whether you currently need to do any atoning, and what that would look like.

Prayer: God of the resurrection, make my life anew. Amen.

Discussion: What is the best apology you’ve received?

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Trial by Fire

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 92; 149, Daniel 3:19-30, 1 John 3:11-18, Luke 4:1-13

“Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage […] that his face was distorted.”
– Daniel 3:19

“You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
– Bruce Banner, aka The Incredible Hulk

Anger can transform us until we are almost unrecognizable. When Daniel’s friends defied King Nebuchadnezzar’s command to worship a statue, his rage affected his physical appearance. It can also suddenly and drastically alter our personalities and turn simple disagreements into longstanding feuds and inconsiderate highway maneuvers into deadly confrontations.

Anger often masks fear or sadness. Though Nebuchadnezzar had no obvious reason to be afraid, like every king he realized authority ultimately rests on the people’s willingness to accept it. Open acts of defiance threaten power. In our own lives anger can be a defense against the fear of losing a relationship, security (physical or otherwise), status within our group, or a sense of control. Where fear looks forward, sadness looks backward. When the grief of a loss which has already occurred threatens to overwhelm us, or when we feel forced to suppress it, it can come out as anger, frequently misdirected and over a long period of time.

Nebuchadnezzar threw Daniel’s friends into a furnace hot enough to kill the men who forced them inside, but his anger dissipated into astonishment when they, with the help of an angel, survived and emerged unharmed. Overcome with fear of the Lord, he decreed that none should blaspheme against God, and promoted the friends.

While we won’t face an actual furnace, we may have to endure a metaphorical trial by fire to love someone through their anger. We don’t have to tolerate outright abuse, but understanding where anger comes from can help us handle it differently. For example, if a co-worker’s anger catches us off guard, our reflex is probably to respond in kind, but it’s more productive to let them see Christ at work in us. We may never know what’s going on inside the person, because everyone has pain we don’t get to see. Responding to anger with love and faith may be the witness that helps someone see the promise beyond their pain.

Comfort: It’s permissible to express your fear and grief.

Challenge: Eventually you have to express your fear and grief.

Prayer: God of Love, teach me healthy ways to deal with my emotions. Amen.

Discussion: What makes you angry? Can you relate that to a fear or a sadness?

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Golden Rules

/ JJS / 1 Comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 96; 148, Daniel 3:1-18, 1 John 3:1-10, Luke 3:15-22

Separation of church and state is a very modern idea. In most monarchies throughout history, such as the Babylonian empire led by Nebuchadnezzar, the religion of the king became the religion of the people. Is there a more clear illustration of why this separation is important than when Nebuchadnezzar declared anyone who failed to fall down and worship the giant golden statue he’d built would be thrown into a blazing furnace? When Daniel’s three companions Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to do so, Nebuchadnezzar had them arrested and scheduled for fiery execution.

We can’t imagine such a scenario occurring in a modern democracy, yet some Christians would have the state impose specific Christian beliefs, while others think it already imposes too many. While “worship me or I will kill you” may seem like an abuse of power, it’s more an abuse of weakness. Any king, god-king, or theocrat who punishes disbelief with death does so from a place of deep insecurity. True faith and devotion hinges on an option for disbelief. God can sort it out as God will.

Daniel and his friends were conscripted into service for the empire. This certainly would have required them to participate in things they as Jews would have found distasteful, but they seemed to come to terms with serving as long as it didn’t require them to directly participate in the worship of other gods. How does this compare with the modern United States, where we find a seemingly endless parade of law suits filed over relatively minor issues because people feel religious practices have been either imposed upon or denied to them? In a country where the specifically Christian holiday of Christmas is given national preference over other religious holidays, yet the placement of a nativity scene on the town hall lawn is constitutionally suspect, squabbling is inevitable.

We should pick our cultural battles wisely. Our gospel message is stronger when we talk about how it has transformed us, rather than how it condemns others. Let’s not allow the politically ambitious to exploit our religious tendencies to create unnecessary (and unchristian) division.

Comfort: We don’t have to recreate the state in the image of the church.

Challenge: Read the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Prayer: God of justice, bring us peace. Amen.

Discussion: When have your religious beliefs conflicted with your employment or civic obligations?

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Ax to the Roots

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 47; 147:12-20, Daniel 2:31-49, 1 John 2:18-29, Luke 3:1-14

Considering how little effort he made to appease anyone, John the Baptist’s popularity was kind of surprising. He called the people who came to him for baptism a “brood of vipers.” He warned them to take no comfort in being descendants of Abraham (that is, of Jewish descent) since God could raise children to Abraham from the stones. He compared them to trees who were about to get the ax for bearing bad fruit.

Many people took God’s favor for granted because they were born into Judaism. They fell into the assumption that being (somewhat) observant Jews made up for a lot of other bad behavior. Are Christians much different today? It’s awfully easy to decide that if most Christians engage in certain behaviors, they must be acceptable. That sort of thinking is a dangerous trap. After all, Christians of the not-so-distant past (and some in the present) have used the Bible to justify slavery, domestic violence, bigotry, and war. These stances were not radical, but normal.

John told the people what repentance looked like: if you have a spare coat or meal, give it to someone who has none; don’t rip people off; don’t be greedy if you already have enough. As Christians we can look back in hindsight and wonder how these acts of decency weren’t obvious choices, but remember that it took nineteen centuries more for the western world to criminalize owning people and beating your wife. Just because lots of Christians do something doesn’t make it good and just.

In another one or two centuries, what things that today’s (somewhat) observant Christian does or tolerates will seem obviously unjust? Denying health care to people who don’t believe the same things we do? Finding new excuses to soothe our consciences when we turn away refugees who don’t look or sound like us? Being more upset by methods of protest than about the circumstances which make them necessary?

John called his followers to prepare the way of the Lord. He encouraged them to start by being honest with themselves. Let’s stop pinning our lack of mercy on Christ.

Comfort: God is more merciful than we would allow.

Challenge: Ask yourself what people are outside the limits of your mercy.

Prayer: Merciful God, teach me to discern my will from yours. Amen.

Discussion: Have you ever knowingly distorted scripture to support your own biases?

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Dream of Service

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nebuchadnezzar

Daniel Interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, Mattia Preti (1613-1699)

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 99; 147:1-11, Daniel 2:17-30, 1 John 2:12-17, John 17:20-26

Have you ever heard the advice to be good to people while you’re on your way up the ladder of success, because you’ll be running into them again on the way down? No matter how successful or powerful we are, no one is completely independent. Take King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon: when he was greatly troubled by a dream, he had to depend on others to interpret it. The self-proclaimed wise men of the kingdom were unable to do this for him – though they still pretended they might – and so he ordered the execution of them and others beside. Daniel heard what was about to happen, so he prayed with his friends that God might have mercy on them. When God revealed to Daniel (in another dream) the meaning of the king’s visions, he sought an audience with the king.

Daniel took no credit for knowing the dream or its interpretation. He said no person could do that, but that God could and had. It’s important to remember our gifts are not meant to exploit others for our own benefit (as the wise men would have exploited the king) or to abuse others (as the angry Nebuchadnezzar would have done to innocents). They exist for us to serve God and God’s kingdom. Daniel wisely presented himself as no one special. It was this very humility, the willingness to cast off his ego and get out of his own way to answer the call to service, that made him very special to the king.

We like to feel special. When other people recognize our talents and efforts, it feels good. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging our abilities – false humility doesn’t serve much of a purpose – but we must always remember to give credit to God. Whether we are kings or captives, we are the same to God because all we have came from God. Whether we find that humbling or heartening reveals something to us about our own attitudes.

On our way up, down, or simply holding steady, we should remain focused on God. That’s the best way to keep our balance.

Comfort: You are special to God …

Challenge: … but no more special than anyone else.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the time and talents you have given me. Teach me to use them well. Amen.

Discussion: What gift do you think you have faithfully put in service to God?

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Vaporware

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 98; 146, Daniel 2:1-16, 1 John 2:1-11, John 17:12-19

When a person or company sells software or another intangible product that isn’t complete (or perhaps doesn’t exist at all yet), that product is called “vaporware.” It’s not always an intentional deception; sales people are often genuinely optimistic the product will be ready by the delivery date. Unfortunately they can also be genuinely wrong.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was too smart to fall for what may have been one of the world’s earliest vaporware scams. He summoned wise men – magicians, sorcerers, and astrologers (stereotyped as Chaldeans) – to interpret his disturbing dream. He wanted them to first tell him what the dream was, as proof of their abilities. The astrologers stepped up and promised to interpret the dream if only the king told them about it first. This angered the king because he knew they were intentionally misleading him and could not interpret. He decreed to reward them if they told the dream and interpreted it, but to execute them and destroy their houses otherwise. The astrologers protested no one could possibly do what the king asked (despite having promised it minutes before) and it made him so furious he ordered the execution of all the “wise men” in the land.

When we promise more than we can deliver, we risk more than our reputation; we gamble with the well-being of others. Businesses, lives, and relationships can be ruined. We may not be getting our peers executed, but claiming overblown profits and capabilities, selling snake oil to the desperately ill, or reneging on personal commitments leaves other to pick up the pieces of inconvenience and even disaster.

Let’s be honest with ourselves and others about the limits of our time and ability. In business and life it’s much better to under-promise and over-deliver than vice versa. The world won’t always cooperate: bosses will want it faster and friends will want more. If saying “yes” now only delays an inevitable disappointment … say “no.” In the long run you’ll both respect you more.

Remember that we represent more than just our own brand, but Christ’s “brand” as well. Walk in your integrity.

Comfort: It’s okay to say no when you need to.

Challenge: Consider your current commitments. Can you keep all of them? If not, responsibly decline the ones you can’t before it’s too late.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the time and talents you have given me. Teach me to use them well. Amen.

Discussion: How do you feel when you let someone down? When someone lets you down?

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!