Clericeric

Trust in the Slow Work of God

My friend Mashod recently brought a poem to our ICE group that has become a nurturing morsel to me. It is called Trust in the Slow Work of God by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. ---

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
     to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
     to something unknown, 
         something new.
Yet it is the law of all progress that is made
     by passing through some stages of instability
         and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Do not try to force them on 
     as though you could be today what time
         -- that is to say, grace --
     and circumstances 
        acting on your own good will 
     will make you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new Spirit
     gradually forming in you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing 
     that his hand is leading you,
     and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
         in suspense and incomplete.
Above all, trust in the slow work of God,
     our loving vine-dresser.

Amen.

 

(I found the text at http://www.worship.ca/docs/p_62_ptdc.html)

New web feature on NPR site

    NPR now offering a new web feature - online breast enlargements.    

Today... and a question

Today is a good day! Nothing special but I thought I'd share my general sense of well-being.

My last post here was some time ago - before we started reading Peterson's Leap Over a Wall. We have finished the Pastor's Book Club for this "school year." I really enjoyed our discussions around David, 1^st & 2^nd Samuel & the book of Psalms. Thanks to everyone who participated. 

Do people still read posts on blogs, or are we all on facebook now? FB is perfect for my occasional "thought bubbles," but not-so-much for my musings. Do you have a blog? (I'll look if you put the address in the comments.) When was the last time you posted? My friend Scott recently asked his blog audience if they were still reading and if it was worth it to continue. So far I'm the only one who's commented. I hope he'll keep at it. 

Enjoy your Tuesday evening. Oh yeah... who do you think is going to get sent home on Dancing w/the Stars (*guilty pleasure*)?

A favorite movie quote

Several of my favorite movie quotes come from The Princess Bride. The character Inigo Montoya has the best lines. He's on a quest to avenge the man who killed his father. Inigo has planned out his introduction to the six-fingered man; "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

I tell you this because as I contemplate what to post another of Inigo's lines comes to mind; "Let me e'splain. No, there is to much. Let me sum up." There is too much! Some good, some not so... I suppose this is one reason facebook and G+ have taken off; you can just do snippets, and then control what the audience will be. Before we had that capability, one of my friends set up two FB accounts for herself - one for her co-workers, clients and random folk, and a second that was for her family and true friends. There are just some things you don't want everybody to hear. Right? Except that's too much for me to keep up with. I haven't kept up with my blog as it is. 

I just found this post in my "drafts" folder. I started it on March 6 - and it is May now. Life will get away from you, no? I hope all of you are well. Enjoy the springtime!

 

Greetings to my reader friends

 

 

Greetings Fayette friends. You may already know the Pastor's Book Club is beginning anew this week. We will introduce a new book at 6pm this Wednesday at Fayette First UMC in the Fellowship Classroom. Leap Over A Wall: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians is a study on the life of David.

"David was a shepherd boy, king of Israel, and a man after God's own heart. David wasn't perfect; he was just a man who had a unique and intimate relationship with his Creator. In this refreshing Bible study by author and pastor Eugene H. Peterson, you'll learn about David from those who knew him. By seeing how God enabled him to do amazing things, you'll be able to recognize how God is working in your own life." [from the book flap] Get better acquainted with David, yourself, and the God who provides refuge, strength, and peace.

Am I the only one who really likes the subtitle? You don't have to read the book to join the conversation. But let me know (email, or 932-5544) if you want to order a copy of the book (no shipping if we get them at the same time). Everyone is welcome. Invite a friend! I look forward to seeing you.

what: Pastor's Book Club
when: Wednesdays at 6pm
where: Fayette First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Classroom 

Epiphany

Today is Epiphany. In Hispanic and Latin culture it is known as Three Kings’ Day. The word epiphany means "to show", "to make known" or "to reveal." On this day we remember the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child. The Wise Men or Magi who brought gifts to the child Jesus were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as "King" and so were the first to "show" or "reveal" Jesus to the world as the incarnate Christ. This act of worship by the Magi was one of the first indications that Jesus came for all people, of all nations, of all races, and that the work of God in the world would not be limited to only a few. (see The Voice)

On this day of Epiphany I'd like to share a poem found in The Christian Century magazine from Dec 13, 2011:

Emmanuel

 by Angela Alaimo O'Donnell

From the cave of darkness
    a baby comes to light.

In the nick of time,
    eternity tonight.

In a world of error
    a perfect child is birthed.

In the midst of terror,
    peace arrives on earth.

In the chill of winter
    dawns this blazing son.

To a world of sinners
    comes this sinless one.

In a land of chaos
    speaks this single Word

whose voice can raise the dead,
    whose promise can be heard.

Even as he cries
    sleepers stir beneath the sod

for nothing is impossible
    with God.

We are using MailChimp

Hey friends. We are now using MailChimp for mass emails from Fayette First UMC. Newsletters and announcements will come out through this service. (If you have been getting the Extravagant Generosity devotions this month you are already registered.) Check your spam filter if you sign up, and still don't occasionally get stuff from us.

So hit the link if you want to be "in the know" at FFUMC!

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Blue Like Jazz for the Pastor's Book Club

This Wednesday (September 21) evening we will begin "the Pastor's Book Club." I've never done a class exactly like this, and I'm kind of excited to see how it will go. Everyone is invited! I'm hoping some church folks will show up. But this will be a great series of books for folks who want to dig around in their satchel marked "my spirituality." It won't matter if you are religious, used-to-be-religious, spiritual-but-not-religious... whatever. I am most excited about creating a conversation space where we can talk about our journey toward God.

One of the best ways I’ve found to “nurture one another” is by reading the faith journey of other wise folks, and by sharing our own journeys with each other. You can jump in (or out) whenever you like. You can read the books, or just join the conversation. I want everyone to feel welcome to join us, but this is like anything; the more effort you put in it, the more reward you will get out. We might read other books, too, but our first book is called Blue Like Jazz.

Hope to see you Wednesday!

Journeying with you,
Pastor Eric

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, by Donald Miller

We'll spend about 5 weeks - one on an introduction, and cover 5 chapters each week. I thought we'd follow BLJ with these:

Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir, by Susan E. Isaacs

Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words,
by Brian McLaren

and Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott

(The links will take you to amazon.com, but if you want to wait, we’ll order together to save on shipping.)

 

A good ride

Hello everybody. I hope you all - three or four readers who still check for updates after so long - are doing well. Today is a quick shout-out.

Life is good. I'm loving work and our staff at FFUMC. It's a great congregation with lots of potential. We are getting settled in and adjusted to our new home.

I've been more regular lately about riding my bike. Last winter was brutally cold and it was tough to ride. The summer was full of the move here to Fayette and getting adjusted to a fantastic new church. But in the last month or so I've been able to get in 3-4 rides each week. It feels good! It is also rewarding to see my average mph creeping up as I get back into a little better shape. On a couple of outings in July it was down to 15.5 mph (not so great), but I managed to average 17.2 mph over 29 miles on today's ride.

Using my phone, I tried to capture a short video of what the world looks like on a beautiful morning ride. This is about 7:30 am somewhere on County Road 89. It doesn't quite capture how wonderful it feels. I'll have to try again (and maybe on some smoother pavement).

 

Perhaps you have seen the ride stats from my bike computer in facebook posts. This one is from today yesterday's ride. If you are geeky enough to appreciate graphs on cadence, terrain, heart rate and maps, you click on this Garmin graphic.

Grace and peace to you all, whoever you might be.

Two Quotes

I read two fantastic quotes today on Susan Phillips' facebook page.

"To show compassion for an individual without showing concern for the structures of society that make him an object of compassion is to be sentimental rather than loving." ~ William Sloane Coffin, Credo

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why are they poor, they call me a Communist." ~ Hélder Câmara, Brazilian Archbishop

I understand that there is a news network that no longer uses the word "rich" to describe the top 1% income bracket, but instead say "job creators." These two pastors would be good for them to read. But perhaps news organizations don't concern themselves with what is "loving."

later edit: Oh my goodness. I *love* Susan. She had this, too...

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, suffering and injustice when he could do something about it. But then I'm afraid God would ask me the same question." ~ Anonymous

Moth on the screen

The past six weeks have been somewhat chaotic as we packed the house, moved and I changed jobs. Chaos is to be expected at such times. We chose to make it more so. N & I decided to keep Em on her swim team in Florence through the summer season. They just got a terrific new coach back in May and all the kids are swimming better. Em is also at the top of her age bracket, which makes things more fun for her, too. The plan is to get her on a nearby team for the fall season.

The swim plan means that N & Em are driving here (to Fayette) for weekends and then back to Florence during the week. Some of the meets have been on weekends, too. So the normal chaos is ratcheted up a few notches. I've missed my girls, a lot! All in all, we are glad to support our daughter in her sport, and for the chance to spend more time with her friends before settling in here. The season will be officially over after the ARPA State Meet this weekend in Cullman. Wahoo!

This morning I woke up to an unusual sight - a whole slew of moths on the outside of the sunroom windows. Three big-uns, and a variety of smaller ones. Are any of you faithful readers into lepidopterology? Here are three pictures. I don't know anything about moths, except that they fly toward light. Last night I left the back porch light on. I'm going to try that again and see what we get tomorrow. 

Click on the images for a bigger view. The one on the right was the biggest with about 5-6 inch wingspan. The middle picture looked like a leaf stuck on the screen. Weird! You win the "smart-person-award" if you can identify their common names. I'll post more pics if we get some other varieties.

  

 

 

 

 

Can I join the chorus of voices praying, "please God, send us a cold front. Or a dry front. Or tickets to Canada, eh?" It's so humid all the time that I've got mold growing behind my ears. Not really, but ugh.

To post, or not to post...

Hello reader(s). It has been long enough since my last update that there may only be one of you left (mom or wife?). Things have been pretty busy, but that’s not a great excuse. Blog posts are best when life is busy and there is something to actually talk about, no?

We moved on June 15 to Fayette, AL where I am now serving as pastor with the fantastic people of First UMC. What a great church! Our first Sunday went very well. It was exciting to see all of the new faces. They seemed curious and excited to see what they’d gotten themselves into with this new pastor!

More will come later about the move, our missing dog (Katie), swimming, camp, church, sermons, and bike rides. Today I’ll publish what I started to write 3 weeks ago, and just finished.

I had some slight misgivings about being faithful lately. By faithful I mean, speaking up on an issue. Since I call myself a disciple, *every* aspect of my life is (should be) held up to scrutiny by the One I follow. Every behavior, action or thought is (should be) a tiny picture of how I imagine Jesus might bring grace and life - what to buy, how to give/spend/save money, what to drive, how to entertain, when to act or not, how to vote, who to help, how to love... everything. Since I call myself a leader I should lead.

But when I was invited to sign an open letter to the governor and legislators expressing how a new law is theologically offensive, alarm bells went off in my head. I wanted to sign the letter - to lend my voice and support - but how will my new church-folk take it? Do I really want to annoy some people even before I get there? No, I don’t want to annoy anyone, but I do want to be a faithful witness to what I think Jesus would have me say/do. Hopefully, even if someone disagrees with the issue they can appreciate that I am trying to be faithful.

Let me say, I agree that the US and Alabama must have effective laws regarding borders and immigration. However, the way we go about enforcing our borders should not fly in the face of who we claim to be; a Christian nation. This bill, HB56, is written in a mean-spirited way. It is as if there is a neighborhood competition for having the best disciplined children, and the Alabama legistlative parents have said “let’s make them suffer,” thinking their cruelty will win points with their neighbors.

The issue is House Bill 56 (you can read it here). The open letter I signed can be found here.

We do need effective immigration law. But this bill flies in the face of what the Bible says is an appropriate way to treat one another. Some of the blblical instructions regarding aliens are...

From Leviticus 19:33-34 - When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 22:21 - You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Malachi 3:5 - Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in their wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me.

Deuteronomy 27:19 - Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan and the widow of justice.”

Zechariah 7:9 - Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.

Ezekiel 47:22 - “You shall allot (some of the land) as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who reside among you and have begotten children among you. They shall be to you as citizens of Israel; with you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

Matthew 25:35 - For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

Jim Evans in EthicsDaily.com writes, “The point I am making is simply this: Any group of people who claim to be a Christian majority, as is the case in Alabama, should not be celebrating the adoption of the harshest and most comprehensive anti-immigration law in the country – not in the light of these biblical memories of oppression.

“We should do one of two things – give up our claim to being a Christian majority, or adjust our ethics to conform to biblical teaching on the matter. We cannot have it both ways.

He’s got a point. eb

Even Amid the Devestation; Christ is Risen!

From Bishop Willimon's weekly message:

The Second Week of Eastertide will long be remembered by us as the time of terribly deadly storms that ravaged Alabama. We have lost over a dozen of our churches, a number of parsonages, the homes of many of our people, and worst of all, the lives of many sisters and brothers. We are heartbroken.

In times like these God gives us the opportunity to rediscover the redemptive work of God in Jesus Christ. By God's grace, we believe we shall look back on the next few weeks as a time when -- even admid our tragedy -- we experienced the presence and power of the Risen Christ. Our loss is huge, but we may find that the gifts of God are greater even than our loss. Still, Light shines.

Over the past harrowing forty-eight hours, I've been proud of our churches and our pastors as they move into prayer and into action -- Matt Lacey's teams have shown the wisdom of hours of training and preparation for such a time as this. The North Alabama Conference has had all too much exposure to natural disaster. We have developed one of the most extensive and well prepared network of staging areas, disaster response teams, equipment facilities and trained people who are able to respond in force. Through UMCOR and our connectional giving, we have not waited until disaster struck. We are connected, organized, and in action in Christ's name. Over the last forty-eight hours, the Cabinet and I have been engaged with our churches and pastors who were hit. Methodists from all over the country have been sending messages of concern and will receive funds to help us. I've heard from pastors in North Carolina, Maryland., Indiana, and Washington who will be receiving offerings for us on Sunday. Even in the storm, our connection is testifying to our faith in God's ability to redeem even this. We are not alone!

We shall build back our devestated churches. We shall stick with our ravaged communities. We shall offer funds and hands-on-work for those in need. We gave over half a milliion dollars to help with Katrina relief and days and days of work. We shall do even more now that disaster has come our way.

And we shall claim all Wesleyan good work as visible proof.that, even in the storm, even amid the loss, "Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!"

I'll be in our hard hit Southwest District this weekend, and will preach at our Forrest Lake Church (even without electricity and badly damaged, Forrest Lake has taken in those who need shelter). We shall pray, shall receive a special offering for the victims, and we shall testify to our faith in a God who keeps coming back to bless us, to raise us up, and to be with us.

Will Willimon

via www.northalabamaumc.org

100 Miles of Nowhere, 4th ed.

The Fat Cyclist is a hoot. Anybody who would nickname himself "fatty" (when he's absolutely not) is going to be an interesting character. I mention Fatty because he has organized the 4th Annual 100 Miles of Nowhere. It is a fun and strange way to raise money for Livestrong. We are going to hold a “local edition” of the ride at Edgemont UMC.

It costs $85, which is a lot for me to pay to ride in an organized event, but you get a ton of great stuff and get to contribute to helping folks with cancer through Livestrong. You will want to sign up soon since they are only sending out schwag boxes to the first 500. I did this ride last year and was impressed with the great stuff.

Update: I didn't get any takers. I'm still doing the ride, and you can come and jeer, as long as you give me money. :)  We are going to ride laps around Edgemont (and neighborhood if we can get some intersections blocked off). The really fun part is that in addition to riders, we will have a cheering section of friends at the church, eating, drinking and making fun of us each time we come around. For the right to jeer and mock, they too, will contribute to the cause!

Please pass this on to other cyclists you know. Sign up. And tell your friends and family to come out for hotdogs and hamburgers on Saturday, May 28th at Edgemont UMC. It will be a really good time. Let me know that you will come out and have a great time with me! Post questions to me here in the comments.

To sign up, go over to Twin Six — this page if you’re a man, or this page if you’re a woman — and pick the size of T-shirt you want, then pay the $85 registration. For Fatty's full explanation of the ride details, check out his blog post.

Rollin’
Eric

Who cares about what?

"Republicans look after the money and Democrats look after the people," I read yesterday. It's a simplistic way to look at things, but works pretty well if you are speaking in generalities. And it is a shame. The polemic conversation seems is just as rancorous as it was 2-3 years ago. How does one choose whom to support when you have to pick between the stupid or the greedy?

We need neither. Instead we need wise generosity -- what Amos or Micah might call Justice. For the Republicans to care only about money is immoral, while for the Democrats to care only about people is irresponsible. And the political posturing in the lead up to the next election is insanity.

There is a radical swing to the right in our country. On the right and left the most radical voices, the most bombastic people, get to drive the conversation. Why? Because they captivate the largest TV audience.

What if we borrow the expression "radical center" from Adam Hamilton? The "Radical Center" is a brave place to stand. Voices from the far left and right assail. It is very hard to keep a level head when people are shouting talking points at you from both sides. The "RC" works toward creative solutions using the best ideas from all sides, instead of last-minute-hobbled-together compromises that makes everyone angry. We need some Radically Centered people who can sit down and work through things, instead of radicals who stand up and fight. The posturing, bickering, and stalling in Congress - and the whole country - must stop.

Sojourners.org have been challenging Congress to consider “What Would Jesus Cut?” Obviously they still need to hear the clarion call. Secular and religious, profit and not-for-profit leaders, are agreeing that we need a budget that is fiscally responsible AND morally acceptable. The budget process needs intervention from God. Leaders from dozens of diverse faith-based organizations started a hunger fast together. Over 30,000 people have committed to fast, pray, and act together at least through Easter.

As people of faith, we cannot allow our Congress to pass a budget that will so gravely hurt the most vulnerable in our nation, while protecting the wealthiest from any exposure. A great nation can be built on the backs of the poor and downtrodden, but not one that will last. Look now at the middle east. Remember the Roman Empire. It will require work (sacrifice? compromise? creativity?) from ALL quarters in order to get our country on the right path again.

Hate speech

Terry Jones is an idiot. That is all. Thank you. (See the last paragraph)

No, that is not all. Jones is the Florida "pastor" who threatened to burn a copy of the Quran last September. The Secretary of Defense (!) called Jones to explain why his action endangered the life of American service men and women and all Americans abroad. The POTUS (!!!) publicly urged Jones to reconsider. Every major Christian organization in the world denounced this guy. After a truly international outcry he backed off.

Stupidity on pause - Evidently, deciding that he was more wise than the rest of the world, last month Jones put the Quran on trial and found the book guilty. Its punishment? Burning. He went ahead with his stunt. Now, demonstrations against Jones hateful action have turned violent in Mazar-e Sharif. An attack on a U.N. building in the city that left 12 people killed – eight U.N. workers and four Afghans.

Back in 1987 the artist Andres Serrano caused outrage when he unveiled his photograph, "Piss Christ." Christians (myself included) were offended and wanted the artwork taken down. A pair of youths were arrested for destroying the work with a hammer. Nobody died. When "shock art" works it opens a dialog; gets us thinking and talking. Serrano was unsucessful. People could not get past the "media" he used and the was not dialog but shouting and anger.

The reaction is unfortunate but not surprising. It was recently explained to me that Muslem people hold the same regard for the Quran that Christians hold Jesus. For them, their holy book is the primary way God is revealed to the world. Therefore, the book is the source of salvation. A westerner might say, "but it's only a book!" and would hear back, "you just don't get it." What Jones did was like killing Jesus, which has already been done - but he was raised from the dead - by the Romans and the Sanhedrin. Christians used that for years as the excuse for violence against Jews. Why should we be surprised by the violent reaction now? 

Some Islamic leaders abroad have called Jones to be arrested on charges of international terrorism. That's a bit too far, but I do think he should be arrested under the hate crimes statutes. Perhaps we could put him in jail for life for killing a religious leader, since the book is equivalent to our Jesus.

I'm not supposed to call anyone an idiot. Matthew 5.21-22 reads, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So, I retract the first sentence of this blog. Please forgive me, Terry. But please read this passage with me. Insulting our brother and sisters (yes, they are) also makes you liable to the hell of fire. Stop burning things. Stop hating. Recieve the love and forgiveness of Christ and be transformed. Go forth and sin no more.

Quaking Earth and Swirling Water

Quaking earth and swirling water
Highways turned to waterfalls
Sweeping people, houses seaward
God of mercy help us all!

Walls of water rushing eastward
Leaving havoc in their wake
Sirens sounding, children crying
God of mercy help us all!

When the waters have subsided
When the earth stops shivering
Move our hearts to offer succor
God of mercy help us all.

"Quaking Earth and Swirling Water" by Safiyah Fosua

Written shortly after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. May be sung to tune  "The Servant Song," 2222, The Faith We Sing, or "Restoration," 340, United Methodist Hymnal) Copyright 2011, General Board of Discipleship. www.GBOD.org Used by permission. Viewed here.

A holy Lent

Sunday's palms are Wednesday's ashes as another Lent begins; 
thus we kneel before our Maker in contrition for our sins. 
We have marred baptismal pledges, in rebellion gone astray; 
now, returning, seek forgiveness; grant us pardon, God, this day! 
We have failed to love our neighbors, their offenses to forgive, 
have not listened to their troubles, nor have cared just how they live, 
we are jealous, proud, impatient, loving overmuch our things; 
may the yielding of our failings be our Lenten offerings. 
We are hasty to judge others, blind to proof of human need; 
and our lack of understanding demonstrates our inner greed; 
we have wasted earth's resources; want and suffering we've ignored; 
come and cleanse us, then restore us; make new hearts within us, Lord!

(Rae E. Whitney, 1991)

I saw this poem on Bill Brunson's FB and wanted to share it. What do you think? Does it speak to your heart? How would you express the same idea to God? 

Lent has always been a time to turn our attention to all that has been done for us on the cross in Christ. This lavish gift can be meditated on year after year, and still would leave us to wonder in amazement. One of the best ways to get into Lent, and to prepare yourself for a really joyous Easter, is to read through the biblical narrative leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. If you've ever had trouble staying on track reading your devotions, I have two guided Bible studies to recommend from the YouVersion website. 

First, sign up for a free account. Then go to their reading plans (or click here).  

Lent for Everyone - 53 days (here)
Lent for Everyone is a devotional created and written by N.T. Wright. For each day of Lent, there is a reading chosen from the Gospel of Matthew, plus a reflection by Wright. This plan includes readings for Sundays.

40 Days of Lent - 40 days (obviously) (here)
Through this reading plan, you will walk through the gospel accounts in chronological order, tracing the steps of Jesus during his last week of his earthly ministry. This plan is 47 days in length. The seven Sundays are days of rest with no reading.

May you have a holy Lent!

Why worry? With accompaniment.

I have been wrestling with Jesus' words about worry. He says I shouldn't. Great. Here is another near impossible challenge for me. I worry about problems. If I'm not worrying over the problem then I'm usually to be found procrastinating or avoiding them altogether (techniques I neither recommend nor find effective). What to do?

Prayer. It helps hen I can remember to convert worry into prayer. Sometimes. And it helps when I remember Alan Storey's definitiion of righteousness - "righteousness is doing the right thing in the right way for the right reason right now regardless of the consequences." That usually gives me the right kind of encouragement.

What follows here is a wonderful conversation between you (or me) and Jesus, written by Rev. McKenzie. The rest of the her excellent article can be read on her blog, Edgy Exegesis.

But first, a little music while you read.

Dire Straits, Why Worry from the album Brothers in Arms, plus...

LosLobos-DontWorryBaby

TheLikeYoung-WorryaLot

A Dialogue Between You and Jesus

Stage Notes: You are present at the Sermon on the Mount and feel emboldened to interrupt Jesus as he attempts to teach. It goes something like this:

Jesus: "You cannot serve God and wealth" (Mt. 6:24b).

You: Why not?

Jesus: "Because no one can serve two masters. A slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other" (6:24a).

You: I don't know if I agree with that or not. It seems overstated.

Jesus: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear."

You: Seriously? Isn't your advice a little naïve? I do need to plan ahead and know where my next meal is coming from and make sure my family is clothed.

Jesus: "Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"

You: Yes, when you put it that way, but . . .

Jesus: "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (6:26)

You: Yes, but . . .

Jesus: "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?" (6:27)

You: No, I guess not, but . . .

Jesus: And why do you worry about clothing?

You: Well, because I need to be appropriately dressed for various occasions and at least try to be somewhat up to date.

Jesus: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these" (6:29).

You: Why do you keep making these nature analogies? Those are flowers. I'm a person.

Jesus: "If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?" (6:30)

You: It would be nice to think so, but don't you think worry serves a useful function sometimes?

Jesus: "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'" (6:31)

You: All right. I get that you're not going to budge on the worry issue. But tell me this: what am I to do with all that mental free time I used to spend worrying?

Jesus: "Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (6:33).

Jesus used the wrong questioning technique if he wanted to live a long time.

What is righteousness to you?

Last week I was listening to the Jan. 30^th podcast from Central Methodist Mission in Cape Town, South Africa. Rev. Alan Storey asked and answered the question "what is righteousness?". He gave a compelling answer that has been rolling around in my mind ever since. "Righteousness is doing the right thing in the right way for the right reason right now regardless of the consequences." 

Is this a good definition?
What do you think?
How would you define
‘righteousness?’

Over breakfast with our prayer group the next morning we talked it over and thought it was OK up to the "consequences clause." The "right now" gave us some pause, too. The more we thought about it that definition seems a bit too hard core. Can't we stick with "righteous = being right w/God"? That's a lot easier to imagine yourself doing, or at least attempting to do.

Then we thought about Jesus saying "whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (3 times in Matthew).  And then "“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Mt7)

Tom sent me an email today. He was mulling over the question, too. He writes, "Our Old Testament reading Sunday was from Micah. I thought the ending line was straight forward direction as to how to lead a righteous life- "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God."

That's one of my favorite passages, too. But living the Micah passage can be pretty demanding. DOing justice can put you in the crosshairs of powers-that-be pretty quickly. Loving kindness sounds good, and is pretty easy until I remember how easy it is to love expediency more. Kindness takes time to appreciate. Walking humbly is not easy. Even if we don't have an overlarge sense of self-worth.

There probably are good definitions expressed more gently. In my opinion, Storey gives a very good definition of righteousness stated in the strongest terms. Each phrase keeps the others from being reckless to the point of poor stewardship. I recall MLK Jr.'s words "justice delayed is justice denied" and the strident tone makes sense, especially when you remember that Storey grew up under the shaddow of one of the most unjust and oppressive governments in the last half of the 20th C. -- South Africa during apartheit.

But golly... it's a demanding definition.

Is this a good definition? What do you think? How would you define ‘righteousness?’