integrity

Keepin’ It Real

/ JJS / Leave a comment

goodfriend3

Today’s readings:
Psalms 65; 147:1-11, Isaiah 49:1-12, Galatians 2:11-21, Mark 6:13-29

Do you know anyone who doesn’t tolerate your nonsense? Most of us know at least one person – maybe a friend, a co-worker, or a rival – who won’t let us get away with anything. For Peter, the rock upon whom Jesus built his church, that person was the apostle Paul. (Before Paul it was Jesus, but those are other scriptures…)

Peter, Paul, and James the brother of Jesus were the leaders of the early church. All of them had different ideas about how to spread and live out the gospel, so while they were brothers in Christ, they were also caught up in a little game of power politics.

When Paul visited Peter (called Cephas in Aramaic), he found him socializing and eating with gentiles. Many Jewish Christians – including James! – would have found this behavior intolerable. After word came that James, who was not yet convinced anyone but Jews could be Christians, was going to visit, Peter and his followers quickly resumed their Jewish customs and rituals so as not to give James any political ammunition to use against them. Paul, who was very invested in spreading the Gospel to the gentiles, didn’t hesitate to call Peter out on his hypocrisy by saying: “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

We all need a friend (or frenemy?) like Paul to keep it real with us. A good friend knows when to offer a shoulder to cry on, and when to tell us the hard truth no one else will. In the workplace, a yes-man may be good for stroking the ego, but strong servant-leaders surround themselves with people who aren’t afraid to respectfully speak their minds when needed. Across the conference table or over a beer, the truth may sting a little (or a lot), but it’s often an inoculation against future mistakes.

Find that friend. Be that friend. The friend who shines light on the darkness not to expose or humiliate, but to clarify and disinfect. Christ was that kind of friend (and of course infinitely more), and as “little Christs” we can be too.

Comfort: You can be honest with your friends.

Challenge: Your friends can be honest with you.

Prayer: Thank you God for good friends, and please help me to be a friend like Christ. Amen.

Discussion: What’s a hard truth you had to hear from a friend?

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Compromised

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Compromised

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 65; 147:1-11, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15,Galatians 2:11-21, Matthew 14:1-12

Is there anyone among us who hasn’t at least once held their tongue or behaved, if not contrary, not quite in alignment with their beliefs to keep the peace? Maybe we didn’t want to ruin Thanksgiving dinner by responding to inappropriate comments from our racist cousin. Maybe we didn’t want to alienate a boss and agreed to a decision we knew was unethical. Maybe we grabbed a cigarette behind the elementary school with friends. Young or old, in large ways and small, peer pressure impacts all of us throughout our lives.

Though they had little else in common, Peter and Herod both found occasion to sacrifice their principles on the altar of appeasement.

In the years after Christ’s death, church leadership was up for grabs. Peter may have been Jesus’s rock, but many disciples considered James, the brother of Jesus, a more natural successor.  In his letter to the Galatians, Paul describes a confrontation with Peter, who “lived like a Gentile” and was not overly concerned with observing Jewish laws until the arrival of some representatives from James (Paul calls them the “circumcision faction”). Suddenly Peter put up a good Jewish front in an attempt to please James and preserve unity in the fragile young church. Paul did not feel the same need for deference – since it bowed to the exclusion of Gentiles from the faith – and accused Peter of betraying the spirit of Christ’s teaching.

King Herod didn’t make good decisions. Contrary to Jewish custom, he divorced his first wife to marry his sister-in-law. John the Baptist publicly spoke against this arrangement. At a drunken party, Herod foolishly promised his step-daughter anything she wanted. At her mother’s urging she asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod didn’t want to kill John and feared the consequences, but he was more afraid of losing face with his guests.

Giving in or going with the flow may feel easier in the moment, but it doesn’t sit well with our consciences later. In some cases it backfires and delivers trouble on a silver platter. Even with the best intentions, we must be careful how we compromise. Turning the other cheek is not an excuse for being two faced.

Comfort: You don’t have to make everyone happy.

Challenge: When you are torn between speaking your mind and keeping the peace, ask yourself what will be sacrificed if you say or do nothing.

Prayer: Loving God, guide me at all times in the balance of being faithful to you and loving toward your children. Amen.

Discussion: Is there a situation where you regret not sticking to your principles because you didn’t want to cause trouble?

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Paulitically Correct

/ JJS / 2 Comments

Today’s readings (click  below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 34; 146, Lamentations 1:17-22, 2 Corinthians 1:8-22, Mark 11:27-33

Remember the old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials where one person walked down the sidewalk carrying chocolate, another person rounded the corner carrying peanut butter, and they collided? “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter! You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!” Then smiles as a voice announced: “Two great tastes that taste great together!” Religion and politics are the opposite of whatever that was: mix them together and it leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

The chief priests, scribes, and elders of Jerusalem were politicians first and religious leaders second. When they asked Jesus by whose authority he cleared the temple of moneychangers and merchants, he responded with a question of his own: “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” If they chose heaven, they would have to explain why they hadn’t believed him. If they chose human, the crowd would become angry. Their response did not hinge on what was true,  but on what was politic. We don’t even know what they believed, because they said: “We don’t know” – the “I do not recall” of its time. The political press conference hasn’t changed much since then.

Because their politics undermined their moral authority, Jesus did not feel compelled to answer their questions. Perhaps we should take a similar approach to modern day religious leaders who rely on popularity to maintain authority. Many a pastor – regardless of personal beliefs – has refused to challenge a congregation on issues of inclusiveness for fear people might object and leave. Such silence is almost always interpreted as consent for the status quo. Religious leaders – ordained or self-proclaimed – seeking political office must depend on popularity to succeed, and that often means sacrificing  integrity on the altar of electability.

Jesus did not compromise his mission, even as his followers turned on him. Paul may have adapted his style to suit an audience, but his message remained consistent. Neither dodged the difficult questions.  We are wise to reserve our respect for religious leaders who do not pander, but tell us what they believe. Even when we disagree, integrity is a foundation for building relationships.

Comfort: It’s all right to question religious leaders when you question their motives.

Challenge: God has given you the ability to think for yourself. Use it.

Prayer: God of wisdom, grant me ears to hear the words of the just and righteous. Help me turn away from voices that lack integrity. Amen.

Discussion: Have you ever felt like you sold out your values?

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When In (or occupied by) Rome…

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 84; 148, 2 Kings 19:1-20, 1 Corinthians 9:16-27, Matthew 8:1-17

The main conflict in the Gospels is between Jesus and the leaders of the Jewish faith. In Acts and the epistles, conflict arises as Jewish and Gentile Christians struggle to become one church. On a larger scale, the backdrop of the entire New Testament is the occupying Roman empire. Christ’s teachings threatened upheaval not just to the Jewish religious leaders, but to the greater social and political order enforced from Rome.

In his lessons and parables Christ used imperial imagery such as kingdoms and victories in a way that turned conventional systems of power and justice upside down. By turning this language on its head in the service of God, he was telling people the existing social structure was not meant to last. Because Judaism was practiced at the pleasure of the emperor, and Jesus was the kind of rabble-rouser who drew the wrong kind of attention, many Jews wished to silence him and his original followers lived under this constant imperial threat. Modern readers of the gospel need to seriously consider how cozy we want to get with the empire – whatever form it takes – today. Then and now, seeking the approval and the favor of the worldly powers-that-be never makes them more just; rather it compromises our integrity and puts us at their mercy. It is when they convince us they are on our side that we are most susceptible to compromising ourselves to share their power.

However, true to his inclusive nature, Jesus did not draw firm lines between the Romans and the Jews when it came to mercy and faith. When a Roman centurion asked Jesus to come heal his beloved slave, Jesus declared it was the faith of the centurion – and not the slave – that dwarfed the faith he had found in Israel. This declaration made it clear that God’s grace was not confined by ethnic or cultural boundaries, and also that Jesus’ Jewish disciples should not become too complacent about their own spiritual situation.

The Roman Empire may be long gone, but imperialism in its many forms is alive and well. Our relationship to the world remains complicated. Are we sharing Christ’s message even when it makes us vulnerable outsiders, or are we selling out the rabble rouser to live comfortably under the empire he confronted?

Comfort: God’s kingdom continues to transform earthly realms.

Challenge: Meditate on what “imperialism” we must stand up to today.

Prayer:  Teach me, Lord, to be faithful to your kingdom above all others. Amen.

Discussion: What do you consider the value of separating church and state?

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Reputation Matters

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 5; 145, 1 Kings 13:1-10, Philippians 1:1-11, Mark 15:40-47

Sometime in our lives, most of us have had the unfortunate experience of having to send a meal back to the restaurant kitchen. Maybe it’s under- or over-cooked, or not prepared the way we asked, or just plain bad. There’s nothing wrong with expecting what you’ve paid for and letting a business know when you didn’t get it. An apology is the minimum expectation for good customer service. Many times, to show they value your patronage, the manager comps part or all of the meal, or offers a discount for your next visit. How they handle the complaint often determines whether a customer returns in the future.

Is it also possible the seriousness of your complaint might be weighed against your insistence on getting something for free? Complaint scams for free food are not unheard of. Would you consider refusing the compensation to drive your point home?

When the Lord sent a prophet to tell King Jeroboam to stop building temples to idols, Jeroboam wanted to thank the man for interceding on his behalf. Jeroboam invited the prophet to his home for a meal and a gift. The prophet said he had received these instructions from God: “You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.”

Accepting a meal or a gift, no matter how innocently, might have compromised the prophet’s integrity. In many businesses, especially non-profits, employees are advised to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Reputation has a real impact on how well we are trusted to conduct our personal and professional lives.

If we want to be taken seriously about our faith – especially by people who are looking for reasons to discredit us – we might also want to consider avoiding behavior that appears hypocritical or self-serving. That includes things like holding ourselves and our representatives to (minimally) the same standards as everyone else. For example, if we gleefully condemn and deride our political opponents for their perceived sins, yet make excuses or preach forgiveness when our political allies do as bad or worse, we can’t pretend our primary concern is justice. It also includes being involved in justice issues which don’t benefit us directly, or even cost us.

A reputation is far easier to keep than it is to restore. And when we claim to act on behalf of or as followers of Christ, it’s not just our own reputation on the line. Let’s be who we say we are.

Comfort: Christ shows us the way of integrity. 

Challenge: Try to be vigilant about your own hypocrisy and motives.

Prayer: God of Truth, help me live in the light. Amen. 

Discussion: Reputation can get tangled up with seeking worldly approval. How and why do we keep them separate?

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Traditional Relationships

/ JJS / 2 Comments

elephants

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 42; 146, 2 Samuel 14:1-20, Acts 21:1-14, Mark 10:1-16

Time after time, Jesus taught his followers love, mercy, and justice supersede any technically correct but unjust applications of the law. He ate with “unclean” sinners (Mark 2). He violated Sabbath law to heal (Mark 3 and elsewhere) and declared the Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around. He declared all foods “clean” (Mark 7).  He criticized religious leaders for their hypocrisy (chapter all-of-them). Many felt like he was tossing out the rulebook. Until the Pharisees asked about divorce.

Suddenly Jesus was proposing stricter standards, saying Moses permitted divorce only because his people were stubborn and those who remarried committed adultery. Does this seem like an unexpected turn? Not if we understand that Jesus also calls us to integrity. At the time, a man could divorce his wife regardless of her wishes. After that he owed her nothing, and she could easily find herself begging in the street. Consigning someone to such a fate because someone else caught your eye was the opposite of merciful and just.

While modern divorce does not generally result in such extreme circumstances, it is always unfortunate. Society expects (insists?) divorcing parties to be antagonistic, or even vindictive. Yet as we do in all situations, we have the choice to act with integrity. For ourselves and our children, we should do our best to remember the other person is a beloved child of God, whom we once professed to love as well.

Integrity requires us to approach every potential relationship with respect. People don’t exist just to fulfill our temporary whims, needs, and desires. Before entering relationships, we are wise to be self-aware and transparent about how willing we are to commit. Half-hearted attempts to keep a marriage or friendship alive can be devastating to someone giving it their all and expecting we are doing the same.

Relationships of all kinds can strain and break, but as members of the body of Christ we remain united at some level. Even when we can’t stand each other – maybe especially then – the route of mercy and justice leads us home to wholeness.

Additional Reading:
For more thoughts on today’s reading from Mark, see Flip.
For reflection on today’s passage from Acts, see Horse Sense.

Comfort: You deserve to have healthy relationships. 

Challenge: Be wise about your commitments to people; mean what you say and say what you mean.

Prayer: How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! Teach me O LORD to make peace in my home. Amen. (based on Psalm 133:1)

Discussion: Some of us have many relationships of some depth, and others have a few relationships of great depth. Both are fine as long as we are honest about them. Which option are you prone to?

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No Promises

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 108; 150, 1 Samuel 14:36-45, Romans 5:1-11, Matthew 22:1-14

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent!”
– Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg

Several Biblical characters suffer the consequences of an unwise – and unsolicited – oath to God. Saul dedicated his troops by offering an oath that cursed any of them who ate before evening fell and their enemy was vanquished. Saul’s son Jonathan didn’t know about the oath and ate a bite of honey from the ground. As a result, God withdrew from Saul for a time. Unaware of the all the facts, Saul said he would kill whoever had sinned – even if it was his own son.

Once the truth came out, Saul and Jonathan were willing to accept the consequences, but the people spoke up on Jonathan’s behalf and said his victories were proof God was with him. They ransomed Jonathan (possibly by substituting some sort of animal sacrifice) and “he did not die.”

In the heat of battle – military, political, or personal – leaders can make rash promises, often in the absence of facts, to attain victory. We’re not just talking government, but also business, church, and even family. When that happens, clean-up duty falls to the rest of us. Like the Israelites, we have to decide whether to be hardliners who insist the promise be kept or to allow for alternatives. If we supported the promise, we may be tempted to take the hard line out of pride or spite. Frequently our decision is swayed when we hear the story of someone we care for who will be personally affected, like the Jonathan to our Israel.

We don’t have to be leaders to make rash promises. When we do, we are cornered into choosing between keeping our word and doing the right thing, and it feels wrong to sacrifice either. Jesus and James advise us to avoid swearing oaths in the first place. Why create unnecessary potential for letting down others, ourselves, or God?

God knows our hearts and our weaknesses. It’s enough to lay them down at the cross and humbly commit to doing our best.

Additional Reading:
For more about today’s passage from Romans, see Endurance Training.
For thoughts on today’s parable from Matthew, see Come to the Banquet.

Comfort: Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no.

Challenge: Pay attention to the promises people make you. Ask yourself if they seem realistic – or necessary.

Prayer: Let everything that breathes praise The LORD. Praise The LORD! (Psalm 150:6)

Discussion: Have you ever suffered the consequences of a poorly made promise?

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Power Play

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lincoln

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 54; 146, 1 Samuel 11:1-15, Acts 8:1b-13, Luke 22:63-71

After Saul was appointed by God through Samuel to be king, one of his first acts was to end the oppression of Nahash the Ammonite who had been terrorizing Israel by gouging out the right eyes of everyone who did not escape. After Saul defeated and scattered the Ammonites, the people called for the deaths of those who had initially opposed his reign. Saul declined, demonstrating he could be merciful in his power. Many years later, taking power for granted, Saul would become petty enough to maneuver David (of “versus Goliath” fame) into life-threatening situations for becoming too popular. Yet in the moment, and for many years afterward, he was a benevolent ruler who ruled wisely.

Centuries later another Saul, who would become the apostle Paul, used his power to persecute Christians because they represented a threat to the stability of the Jewish people under Roman occupation. This Saul’s power was fueled largely by a sense of righteousness, but somehow his dedication to serving his God did not translate into mercy until he was suddenly brought low.

After Jesus was arrested and brought before the council, they asked him if he was the Messiah. He replied “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer.” When pressed further he said, “You say that I am.” They took that as a confession of heresy. The council used their power to twist perceptions and definitions so the outcome – regardless of the facts – was to their liking.

Power, seen through the eyes of Christ, is more responsibility than privilege. Using power (no matter how limited) in petty and cruel ways, even against our opponents, does not reflect the message of the Gospel. Retaliation is both a poor substitute for justice and difficult to reconcile with turning the other cheek. When we find ourselves in positions of power –elected office, social status,  work hierarchy, family dynamics, etc. – let us pray for strength to show mercy and restraint.

How blessed we are to have a savior who shows us the true meaning and best use of power.

Additional Reading:
For more about today’s passage from Acts, see Written Off?.
For another take on today’s passage from Luke, see No-Win Scenario.

Comfort: Being merciful is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

Challenge: In ways large and small, we can have the upper hand in many relationships. Reflect on whether how you wield power, when you have it, spreads the Gospel.

Prayer: God of power and mercy, give me a heart like Christ.

Discussion: Have you ever been surprised to find out you had more power than you expected?

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King Makers

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 36; 127:12-20, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Acts 6:15-7:16, Luke 22:24-30

After the death of Joshua, who succeeded Moses, the twelve tribes of Israel fractured and many people – despite warnings from God – began to worship Ba’al in the custom of the other nations around them. Because of their unfaithfulness, God let their enemies overtake them. Eventually God pitied them and raised up a series of Judges (part military leader, part legal arbiter) to restore them. Both the people and the Judges were unsteady in their faithfulness, and often relapsed to Ba’al worship and corruption.

Samuel, a righteous man and Judge, was the father of the last two judges. His sons, nothing like him, “took bribes and perverted justice.” The people demanded Samuel instead appoint a King. Samuel and God were displeased  the people were rejecting God as their king. Speaking for God, Samuel told them what kind of king they could expect: one who took their property and harvests, conscripted their sons into military service, forced their daughters to labor for him, and generally abused them for his own gain.

The people refused to listen, saying “We are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

God let them have their king.

How often we choose affection for a king (or president, coach, etc.) over the blessings of the Lord. As long as we feel someone will lead our tribe to victory (be that in elections, ball games, or culture wars), we overlook that person’s ruinous flaws even when we’ve been warned about them. In the end the institution we claimed to want to protect is tarnished at best or gutted at worst.

We can do better than willful ignorance and hollow victory. Our triumphs don’t come from bringing our enemies low at any cost, but from holding our integrity high at every cost. Placing our trust in God rather than kings frees us to tell the emperor he has no clothes. The price we pay today will be much lower than one that comes due later.

Comfort: Choosing integrity is its own reward.

Challenge: Don’t follow authorities blindly, even when you agree with them.

Prayer: O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart! (Psalm 36:10).

Discussion: Have you ever found yourself questioning someone you once put on a pedestal?

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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?

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