Two-Way Street

/ JJS / Leave a comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 62; 145, Hosea 2:2-15, Acts 20:17-38, Luke 5:1-11

The opening chapters of Hosea compare the relationship between God and Israel to the relationship between a husband and unfaithful wife. The emotions evoked by this image of an intimate betrayal are a useful tool for Hosea. He hopes to shock Israel into repenting over the trust it has violated, much like unfaithful spouses might confess to relieve their own guilt. God trusted Israel in a partnership, but Israel turned elsewhere to satisfy immediate political and material needs. In chapter two, God’s anger eventually yields to a desire for reconciliation – a desire to trust Israel again. To trust us again.

Modern believers can struggle with the idea of a personal God. Does God really feel things like betrayal and trust? Maybe not in ways we understand, but the story of Christianity demonstrates how God relies on us to usher in God’s Kingdom. If we embrace the idea that we are created in the image of God – including faithfulness – maybe we can be a people who deserve that trust.

Jesus trusted extravagantly. According to Luke, when it was time to recruit disciples, he didn’t pick from the people he knew back in Nazareth, or from the residents of Capernaum who adored him for the signs he displayed. Instead he selected strangers who – upon realizing how special he was – declared themselves unworthy of such trust. Along the way they disappointed him more than once, but Jesus trusted these people to become his church.

In our daily lives, are we mindful that God is trusting us at any given moment? As in a marriage, two-way trust should not be a burden, but an expression of mutual love. God trusts us enough to let us fail, as well as to succeed. God’s trust and love never falter, even when we do. Do we live in a way that honors such trust? God creates each of us worthy to help usher in the Kingdom. Let us be trustworthy as well.

Comfort: God’s trust in us is not a burden, but a joyful privilege.

Challenge: Meditate on ways to reconcile with friends or colleagues who may have reason not to trust you.

Prayer: Glorious Creator, I will do my best to be worthy of your trust.

Discussion: In what common situations do you find it difficult to trust people?

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

Taming the Tongue

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 108; 150, Hosea 1:1-2:1, James 3:1-13, Matthew 13:44-52

Do our thoughts steer our words, or do our words steer our thoughts?

The Letter of James stresses the importance of minding the words we use. Words can express our thoughts, but they can also influence our attitudes. One example is how negative or positive “self-talk” reinforces our perception of ourselves and our environment. Counting our blessings is not just a cliché, it’s a healthy habit. What if, instead of calling the person who cuts us off in traffic a @#$% so-and-so, we reminded ourselves out loud: “Child of God.” Certainly not as cathartic, but might it change our thinking about that person and even ourselves? When we are mindful, we can train our brains to respond more compassionately to ourselves and others.

Some people use this passage to condemn profanity. While there are good reasons to avoid profanity (to paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut in Hocus Pocus, profanity gives people an excuse not to listen to you), this scripture is more concerned with the impact words have on the community. It teaches “the tongue is a fire” which can kindle an inferno of conflict. Everyone has witnessed the damage that gossip, rumor, and innuendo inflict on a community. James describes the tongue as a rudder that can guide large ships through dangerous winds. Shoot-from-the-hip types may be popular for seeming “authentic,” but their ships often run aground. Our words must be honest, but they should also be loving and measured for mercy. Because this skill is rare, James says few are called to be teachers.

James asks how the same mouth can utter both blessings and curses, when it is impossible for a spring to spout both fresh and salt water. No matter how hard we try not to be salty, he knows our tongues can never be fully tamed, yet urges us to try. Thanking God daily – hourly if necessary – for the ability to use our tongues in service to Christ will help us do just that. Sometimes the most healing words are the most humble. Let us not presume to speak for Christ, but pray he speaks through us.

Comfort: We can control our tongue; it does not have to control us.

Challenge: For a day(or a week if you’re ambitious), trying listening for the Spirit and praying before you speak.

Prayer: God of strength, help me control my words and bend my heart to Your service. Amen.

Discussion: We’ve all heard “Stick and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Do you believe this is true?

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

The Ledge

/ JJS / 2 Comments

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 122; 149, Esther 9:1-32, Acts 20:1-16, Luke 4:38-44

Eutychus is famous for being the first Christian who was bored to death by a sermon. Seated on a window ledge, the young man was listening to a long message from Paul. Sometime after midnight, sleep overcame him and he fell three stories. Eutychus was “picked up dead” but Paul went downstairs, he put his arms around the youth, and said: “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” Everyone including Eutychus returned upstairs and Paul continued to preach until dawn.

Determination and willpower are not always enough. Like Eutychus we struggle to be faithful, but the demands of life overwhelm us and we find ourselves falling off the ledge. Maybe we fall into sin. Maybe we fall into addiction. Maybe we simply fall away from the church. For all intents and purposes we may appear dead to the life and loved ones we knew. But the Pauls of the world – those people who understand Jesus is all about resurrection – see life is in us, waiting to be reclaimed.

Therein lies the beauty and importance of Christian community: we pick each other up. When someone stops attending church, they are often waiting to see if anyone notices. A card, call, or visit may be the thing that says: “I see life is in you” when they can’t see it themselves. A loving embrace, when all others have left them for dead, may be what lifts them to their feet and returns them to the community.

What might Paul have learned from this event? Maybe that pressing relentlessly forward with the business of church – in his case preaching; in our day, board meetings, fundraisers, choir practice – without regard for its flagging members can be dangerous. If Eutychus was fading, it’s likely others were not far behind. Offering rest or refreshment to those about to fall may be less an interruption of church business, and more the necessary action to keep everyone vital.

Each of us is a potential Paul to someone’s Eutychus. Let us pray for the wisdom to see life in someone when others have given up hope.

Comfort: A good church is there when people need it.

Challenge: Who haven’t you seen in a while? Call or visit them so they feel acknowledged.

Prayer: God of Life, teach me and Your church to see Your life in those who have fallen. Amen.

Discussion: When has a faith community lifted you up?

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

Threats Both Foreign and Domestic

/ JJS / 1 Comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 88; 148, Esther 8:1-8, 15-17, Acts 19:21-41, 4:31-37

A pack of foreigners and their radical leader – well known for recruiting people to his strange and potentially dangerous religion – wander into town. Locals worry these men will change the character – perhaps the very foundation – of their society. Merchants are projecting exactly how the influence of these aliens will negatively impact local jobs, revenue, and tourism.  First there are angry murmurs, then protests about this evil religion, then angry mobs ready to forcibly evict these strangers, though doing so means sacrificing civil rights on the altar of security.

You know who we’re talking about.

That’s right – Paul and his merry band of Christians wandering into Ephesus. The Greek city was famous for its grand temple to Artemis. Artisans there sold a lot – a lot – of silver shrines and other souvenirs to pilgrims and tourists. They were worried Christianity was going to be bad for business, so they nearly started a riot to drive Paul and his companions out of town. The local authorities talked some sense into them and explained the courts were available but there wasn’t any justification for charges let alone a riot. There aren’t many stories older than the one about people who hold privilege rationalizing their hostilities toward people who don’t.

Christians might be tempted to look at this story and say: “But… those Ephesians have nothing to do with me; their religion was wrong and ours is the right one. Those Christians weren’t actually dangerous.” Nope. Like it or not, Western Christianity is compromised by privilege, because every group that rises to power eventually believes both that it deserves to be at the top and that sharing said privilege is a threat to its security.

Remember when Jesus said: “Blessed are you who value safety above mercy?” Of course not, because he actually said: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Real faith offers love, mercy, and forgiveness because Jesus has offered them to us. It’s hard for the last to be first if we insist on starting from the top.

Comfort: When we feel threatened, Jesus is still beside us.

Challenge: Read this article on 30+ Examples of Christian Privilege.

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

Discussion: Have you ever been confronted by your own privilege?

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

Brand X

/ JJS / Leave a comment

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 143; 147:12-20, Esther 7:1-10, Acts 19:11-20, Luke 4:14-30

Has American Christianity turned Jesus-the-Savior into Jesus-the-Brand? In a time and place where Christian is the default spiritual setting, and mentioning Jesus invites applause instead of danger, it’s easy to wear his name like a logo. Think that’s harsh? Consider the phenomenon of the “Christian” business. Not faith-based bookstores or religious goods shops, but carpet cleaners, dog groomers, and truckers. How exactly does a travel agency have a relationship with Christ? There’s no evidence they perform better, behave more ethically, or give more charitably. That’s troubling, since once we slap Brand Jesus onto our product, we ought to consider living up to it. More and more, the public perception of Christian businesses is that they are less interested in how to serve than whom not to serve.

While Paul was in Ephesus, some wandering exorcists tried casting out evil spirits in the name of “the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” They weren’t really followers, but attached themselves to his reputation because it was good for business (yes, many exorcists charged for the service). A spirit replied: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” The exorcists fled the encounter naked and wounded.

When we push Brand Jesus onto the world, do people believe they’re encountering the genuine article … or a intelligent-designer impostor? Are we rightfully called out by people saying: “Jesus I’ve heard of; who are you supposed to be?” Even if we don’t feel personally stripped and bruised by that reaction (and why not?), the reputation of our faith community certainly takes a hit.

Jesus is someone with whom we are meant to have a personal relationship, but too often we settle for being fans and all the tribalism and trash talk that accompany fandom. Putting on the jersey doesn’t convince anyone you are a member of the team. Isn’t it better to live and conduct business and humbly share our faith in a manner that lets people see Christ reflected in us? When a product is good quality, people will seek it out. Try pushing a cheap knock-off, and they may never come back.

Comfort: You don’t have to market yourself as a Christian; you just have to follow Christ.

Challenge: This week note discrepancies between people and entities (including yourself) who call themselves Christian and any un-Christ-like behavior they exhibit. Don’t judge them (including yourself), but pray for them.

Prayer: Holy and Loving God, may my words and actions point to you. Amen.

Discussion: Many Christians object when Christmas is shortened to Xmas, yet the X comes from the Greek letter chi, the first letter of Christ’s name, and has been used for centuries. Some use this and other manufactured offenses to shine a spotlight on the Christian “brand.” Can you think of other examples?

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

Just one bite …

/ JJS / 1 Comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 65; 147:1-11, Esther 6:1-14, Acts 19:1-10, Luke 4:1-13

Ever long for the day when your faith is so strong, temptation will never taunt you again? Spoiler alert: it will be a long wait. Even Jesus, when he spent forty days in the desert preparing for his ministry, felt the devil’s temptations to abandon his ministry for a life of worship and power.

Temptations can shame us. We think we are the only people tempted to think or act a certain way. Ironically we are especially reluctant to confess to those who could counsel us best, because we want to keep their respect. Instead we battle urges in silence and solitude, and the very thing we try to avoid – food, sex, gossip, drugs, alcohol – becomes the center of our attention because we have nowhere to banish it. Scriptures like Matthew 5:28 (“anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”) convince us temptation has already condemned us.

When we speak openly to trusted counselors or support groups about our temptations we find that we are not alone. We also find speaking the truth unlocks the mental prison where we are trapped alone and wrestling with guilt. We learn scriptural words like “lust” and “covet” don’t refer to casual thoughts, but to ungoverned desire. We learn to check casual thoughts before they become ungoverned desire. Most importantly, we learn sunlight is the best disinfectant even for spiritual ailments.
When we pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” what are we really asking? To avoid all instances of temptation? Unrealistic. We are acknowledging temptation is part of life, and that we depend on God to help us cope. Tempted until the end of his ministry, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that his burden might pass. The important lesson is that he submitted his will to God’s.

Don’t be discouraged – experiencing temptation doesn’t mean we’ve already lost the battle! Resisting temptation in small things helps us build strength in case serious temptations arise. Let’s follow the example of Jesus, and acknowledge our temptation, but choose to submit to God.

Comfort: God is greater than temptation; we just have to invite him in.

Challenge: If you struggle with temptation, find a place to talk about it.

Prayer: God of strength, deliver us from evil. Amen.

Discussion: How do you deal with temptation?

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

Under Construction

/ JJS / 1 Comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 54; 146, Esther 5:1-14, Acts 18:12-28, Luke 3:15-22

Apollos was a Jewish man who followed the teachings of Jesus. Acts tells us: “He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus.” He must have learned about Jesus apart from Paul and the other Apostles because he knew about the baptism of John, but not about baptism in the Holy Spirit. When he began teaching in Ephesus, a couple named Priscilla and Aquila (whom Paul had made disciples) pulled him aside to “explain the Way of God to him more accurately.”

This story is a wonderful model for how we Christians can support each other in growing our faith. Priscilla and Aquila did not embarrass Apollos by calling him out publicly, or set themselves up in opposition. Apollos was willing to hear them out and learned from them. They simply informed him of things he didn’t know, and the church thrived.

Let us celebrate and embrace this spirit of gentle correction and willingness to learn. Throughout our faith lives, every one of us is both an Apollos and a Priscilla, a teacher who is at the same time a student. What if, instead of treating the church as an ancient, brittle construction we inhabit solely for the purpose of preserving it, we recognized it as still being built by the Holy Spirit continuing to live and move among us? If we are continuing to work on the project together, like the members of the early church, we feel freer to hear each other’s stories and look at the project from each other’s perspectives to understand the big picture. Christ remains our foundation, but we are a team of builders united in the clamor and mess of creating something, rather than tourists traveling the approved but lifeless path to ogle the crumbling relics we aren’t allowed to touch.

The church is a living body, and living bodies grow and mature. Let’s embrace that process of growth by remaining supportive of each other despite the inevitable growing pains.

Comfort: The faith doesn’t need us to defend it…

Challenge: … it needs us to live it.

Prayer: Eternal God, may the breath of life you have granted me add life to your church here on Earth. Amen.

Discussion: Has hearing someone else’s perspective changed how you understand your faith?

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

“If I perish, I perish.”

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 57; 145, Esther 4:4-17, Acts 18:1-11, Luke 1:1-4, 3:1-14

Are heroes born or made? Esther’s story does not begin heroically: on the advice of her uncle Mordecai she hides her Jewish heritage to become the favored concubine of the Persian king. He makes her his new queen, but a queen who is little more than a slave herself.

Esther’s concerns for the world don’t extend beyond her family. When she learns Mordecai is loitering outside the castle gate and wearing only a sackcloth (a symbol of grief) she sends him clothes. He refuses them and has messengers explain the king’s chief official, who feels disrespected by Mordecai, is going to kill all the Jews in the empire, and asks Esther to plead with the king on behalf of her people. Esther declines, claiming she is as powerless as anyone who approaches the king unbidden.

After Mordecai explains that she is in a unique position to help her people, and that if she refuses then she will die with the rest of the king’s household when someone else rises up, Esther reevaluates her decision. In the end, she agrees to risk her life by approaching the king. Not at all confident about the outcome, she asks her people to pray and fast for her.

In the end, we can’t hide from injustice simply because it does not directly affect us. Like Mordecai warned Esther, one way or another we will feel its impact. When people came to John for baptism, he warned them hiding behind the name of Abraham wouldn’t protect them from the coming wrath. He told tax collectors and soldiers – who thought working for the empire protected them from the consequences of shaking down the vulnerable – to knock it off. As the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We can ignore a societal cancer and suffer its inevitable malignancy or, like our reluctant heroine Esther, we can say “If I perish, I perish” and do our best to cut it out now. Perhaps some heroes are made when we fear living with injustice more than we fear dying of complacency.

Comfort: It’s okay to be afraid.

Challenge: But try to be afraid of the right things.

Prayer: Lord of Heaven, be my strength and my courage in the face of injustice. Amen.

Discussion: What scares you?

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

Quick To Listen, Slow To Speak

/ JJS / Leave a comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 67; 150, Esther 3:1-4:3, James 1:19-27, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Fire and brimstone. Hellfire and damnation. Pulpit pounding and Bible thumping. These (mostly) unfair representations of the Christian church persist for a reason. As with any group, angry voices are generally the loudest voices, and the loudest voices are the ones people hear and remember. We can blame the media for neglecting our daily efforts to feed the hungry, while focusing attention on headline-grabbing events where rabid protesters chant “God hates f(ill-in-the-blank)s” but we also have to acknowledge Christianity’s self-inflicted reputational wounds.

James tells us: “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” He also says “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.” Quick to listen. Slow to speak. Bridled tongues. Basically the opposite of the behaviors our culture reinforces.

Practicing our religion does not mean getting angry when others don’t feel compelled to support or observe it with us. The Gospel doesn’t sound like good news when our message is effectively: “The freedom and joy I find in Christ are so great that I will socially, politically, and legislatively force you to comply with and enjoy it.” Anger is a bully, and we can’t bully someone into knowing Christ’s love. We can’t (and shouldn’t) even bully all Christians into believing exactly the same things.

What we can do is stand firm in love, however we understand that. It is absolutely possible to hold fast to our convictions without attacking those who challenge us. Tone matters: to many people, it may say more about us than our actual words do. Listening to our opponents and enemies isn’t the same as endorsing them. It may even open a door for us to face some unpleasant truths about ourselves.

When we stand firm, let us tilt our ears to listen. When we shout for justice, let us shout from atop a mountain of love. When we reveal sin, let us blanket it in the hope of reconciliation. Good news delivered in an angry voice is merely noise.

(For further thoughts on today’s reading from Matthew 6, see Keep It In The Closet.)

Comfort: Anger is exhausting; you can let it go.

Challenge: This week make an effort to hear what people are saying without trying to formulate a response while you listen.

Prayer: Loving God, teach me when to speak and when to remain silent. Amen.

Discussion: What angers you so much you can’t hold your tongue?

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

Invitation: Chunk

/ JJS / 2 Comments

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Several weeks ago I was having dinner with friends and the conversation turned to childhood memories, specifically memories of dinner time. Our experiences were somewhat different. One of my friends explained how in his large family the younger children were lucky to get much, as the father took his food first, and then the oldest children, and so on. By the time the youngest ate, there was always something left, but it could be pretty meager. My own experience was different. We did not think of ourselves as wealthy – my father brought home a teacher’s salary and worked part time in a grocery store – but whether we ate at home or out, we three children were served or could order portions equal to that of the adults. I remembered it being the same way at my grandparents’ table, and with my aunts, uncles, and cousins as well. This, I said, seemed much more fair. Then my friend explained that in his family if his father didn’t keep up his strength and ability to work, there wouldn’t have been food on the table at all. Suddenly I was confronted by the reality of my own privilege, and reminded how wealth is always a relative condition.

In my term as an Elder of my church, I had the privilege of serving communion many times to many people. With another elder I would hold bread or the cup as people walked up to break off a chunk and dip it in the juice. One thing that always amused me was how ninety percent of the people always seemed to tear off the smallest possible piece of bread. I was never sure why this was: we always had plenty left over, and the tiny pieces were obviously difficult to manage based on the number that ended up floating in the cup. If the bread was especially crusty and wouldn’t tear easily, some people shrugged and smiled apologetically for not being able to rip off a smaller portion.

After my dinner conversation, I now wonder if people’s idea of how much communion bread they’re entitled to reflects the abundance or scarcity of their life experience, or if maybe it reflects their perception of what they bring to the table relative to others. The next time I invite people to Christ’s table for communion, I want to tell them Jesus wants them to help themselves to a big ol’ chunk of his grace. At Christ’s table we are all equal, and there’s enough to go around. Don’t be shy – be hungry. Hungry for love. Hungry for forgiveness. Hungry for mercy. Jesus wants us to be stuffed to the gills with all these things. The less you think you deserve them, the more you should consume. Tearing off a morsel that you might actually have to chew on a while isn’t an indulgence … it’s the whole point. Christ didn’t die for us so we could live on crumbs; he died so we could feast on grace.

May the Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.