Isaiah 40:25-31
“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
• The Advent reading today affirms the absolute uniqueness of Yahweh. Yahweh is not like any other deity. Yahweh is not like the best traits of a human. Anything you can say or think about Yahweh falls far short of God’s reality. As one of our Christian mystic forebears said, "If you can describe God, then what you are describing is not God."
• Do you have a guiding image for God? That is, do you have an image (Shepherd, Parent, Judge, King, etc.) by which you relate most often to God? Are there images for God you have resisted that you might consider today? Images help us relate to God, but remember, not a single one of them exhausts God.
• Notice the last few lines of the passage: “Those who hope in the Lord will . . . “ Pay special attention to the verbs . . . will renew . . . will soar . . . will run and not grow weary . . . will walk and not faint. Think about these verbs personally. How do you experience each of them in your life? Can you think of specific examples, rather than thinking in generalities?
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
First Sunday of Advent -- December 1, 2019
Matthew 24:37-44
The Gospel for the first day of Advent comes as a wake-call, as a summons to be awake, alert, and watchful for the coming Christ. Jesus moves us to be ready: “Therefore, keep watch!”
But the passage also carries a more subversive, less-anticipated image for the coming God. God is like a thief who comes to break into your house in order to steal from you. What a strange way to begin Advent!
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matt. 24:42-44)
In spiritual stories, house is often a symbol for your life; therefore, those things inside your house are the various aspects of your life that you consider to be yours . . . your beliefs, your attitudes, your ways of being in the world, your essential framework for doing life. In short, inside your house is your entire inner world, both the parts of you that heal and give life, as well as the parts of you that are detrimental to you, others, and the world.
God is the thief who breaks into your house to steal from you . . . to steal your hatred . . . to steal your bigotry and prejudice . . . to steal your judgmental spirit . . . to steal your greed . . . to steal your miserliness . . . to steal your bent toward destructiveness.
The point seems to be that if you want to hold onto who you think you are at the moment – to your anger and your weapons of destruction and your jealousies and your ego-centric behaviors – you had best lock your doors securely and not allow God inside. Because once God gets in, God is going to steal those things you refuse to let go of, those things you cling to for life.
I know this to be true. God has been a thief, stealing from me for over two decades . . . anger, life-stealing behavior patterns, judgments, preconceived notions about life which were not true. Time after time I have found God to be a thief who takes from me what I thought I had locked away securely. God has stolen from me things that diminished my capacity to love and things that compromised my ability to act mercifully.
One of my mentors says this is essentially what the dark night of the soul is . . . God stealing from us in the darkness what we will not hand over willingly to him in the light.
Advent is here! The Thief is coming . . . jiggling the door handles of the rooms you and I have secured, in order to gain entrance . . . to steal from me and you yet again.
For Reflection:
• Are you bothered by the image of God as a thief? If so, you may want to sit quietly for a moment and explore with God why you are bothered by the image.
• What is your experience of God as a Thief?
The Gospel for the first day of Advent comes as a wake-call, as a summons to be awake, alert, and watchful for the coming Christ. Jesus moves us to be ready: “Therefore, keep watch!”
But the passage also carries a more subversive, less-anticipated image for the coming God. God is like a thief who comes to break into your house in order to steal from you. What a strange way to begin Advent!
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matt. 24:42-44)
In spiritual stories, house is often a symbol for your life; therefore, those things inside your house are the various aspects of your life that you consider to be yours . . . your beliefs, your attitudes, your ways of being in the world, your essential framework for doing life. In short, inside your house is your entire inner world, both the parts of you that heal and give life, as well as the parts of you that are detrimental to you, others, and the world.
God is the thief who breaks into your house to steal from you . . . to steal your hatred . . . to steal your bigotry and prejudice . . . to steal your judgmental spirit . . . to steal your greed . . . to steal your miserliness . . . to steal your bent toward destructiveness.
The point seems to be that if you want to hold onto who you think you are at the moment – to your anger and your weapons of destruction and your jealousies and your ego-centric behaviors – you had best lock your doors securely and not allow God inside. Because once God gets in, God is going to steal those things you refuse to let go of, those things you cling to for life.
I know this to be true. God has been a thief, stealing from me for over two decades . . . anger, life-stealing behavior patterns, judgments, preconceived notions about life which were not true. Time after time I have found God to be a thief who takes from me what I thought I had locked away securely. God has stolen from me things that diminished my capacity to love and things that compromised my ability to act mercifully.
One of my mentors says this is essentially what the dark night of the soul is . . . God stealing from us in the darkness what we will not hand over willingly to him in the light.
Advent is here! The Thief is coming . . . jiggling the door handles of the rooms you and I have secured, in order to gain entrance . . . to steal from me and you yet again.
For Reflection:
• Are you bothered by the image of God as a thief? If so, you may want to sit quietly for a moment and explore with God why you are bothered by the image.
• What is your experience of God as a Thief?
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Third Saturday of Advent - December 22, 2018
Singing from the Underside
1 Samuel 1:24-28, 2:1-11
Luke 1:46-56
Those who have a lot -- power, possessions, influence, education -- don't often see or appreciate life-altering shifts in the landscape. In fact, life-altering shifts can threaten the much-ness they have. Mostly for these people, life consists of consolidating and maintaining the abundance one has.
Those who are accustomed to others giving heed to their words or positions sometimes find it easy to flip-flop, to say what is merely expedient, to satisfy the whims of the moment in order to maintain their place in the establishment. Though politicians certainly come to mind as susceptible to this here-one-day-gone-the-next kind of wobbly speech, anyone in a position of influence is prone to it.
After awhile, speech flattens out. We turn off our receptors, because it begins to sound like just another day of blah blah blah, blah blah blah.
But listen to someone speak who has been empty and has now experienced fullness. Their song sounds fresh, energetic, alive . . . full of Spirit! This person has known barrenness firsthand . . . has lived most of life underneath . . . has been squashed by the Impossibles. Now she sings!!
In today's readings, watch Hannah -- long barren and childless -- dedicate her new son to God, then sing in thanks and praise.
Hear Mary sing her song from the underside, the perspective of someone who has been at the bottom of the social order (as a woman, a peasant, a virgin) and has experienced firsthand the graciousness of God. Attend to her words. Listen to her song. Nothing here is measured and predictable. These prayers are alive!!
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; , s
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
(Luke 1:46-56, NIV)
For Reflection:
At a workshop last year, I heard Anna Carter Florence -- Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary -- suggest we would do well in reading scripture to attend more closely to the verbs. Most of us gravitate to the nouns, to the who, what, and where of the text. The verbs though, represent the text's movement, action, and drive.
Today, attend to the verbs in Mary's song. List the verbs (brought down, lifted up, filled, sent, helped, etc.). This is not a grammar lesson, but a step into prayer. Pray with these words that describe God's action in the world.
1 Samuel 1:24-28, 2:1-11
Luke 1:46-56
Those who have a lot -- power, possessions, influence, education -- don't often see or appreciate life-altering shifts in the landscape. In fact, life-altering shifts can threaten the much-ness they have. Mostly for these people, life consists of consolidating and maintaining the abundance one has.
Those who are accustomed to others giving heed to their words or positions sometimes find it easy to flip-flop, to say what is merely expedient, to satisfy the whims of the moment in order to maintain their place in the establishment. Though politicians certainly come to mind as susceptible to this here-one-day-gone-the-next kind of wobbly speech, anyone in a position of influence is prone to it.
After awhile, speech flattens out. We turn off our receptors, because it begins to sound like just another day of blah blah blah, blah blah blah.
But listen to someone speak who has been empty and has now experienced fullness. Their song sounds fresh, energetic, alive . . . full of Spirit! This person has known barrenness firsthand . . . has lived most of life underneath . . . has been squashed by the Impossibles. Now she sings!!
In today's readings, watch Hannah -- long barren and childless -- dedicate her new son to God, then sing in thanks and praise.
Hear Mary sing her song from the underside, the perspective of someone who has been at the bottom of the social order (as a woman, a peasant, a virgin) and has experienced firsthand the graciousness of God. Attend to her words. Listen to her song. Nothing here is measured and predictable. These prayers are alive!!
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; , s
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
(Luke 1:46-56, NIV)
For Reflection:
At a workshop last year, I heard Anna Carter Florence -- Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary -- suggest we would do well in reading scripture to attend more closely to the verbs. Most of us gravitate to the nouns, to the who, what, and where of the text. The verbs though, represent the text's movement, action, and drive.
Today, attend to the verbs in Mary's song. List the verbs (brought down, lifted up, filled, sent, helped, etc.). This is not a grammar lesson, but a step into prayer. Pray with these words that describe God's action in the world.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Third Thursday of Advent - December 20, 2018
Let It Be
Psalm 24
Isaiah 7:10-14
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:26-38 may be my favorite story in all of scripture. I never tire of reading it. I'll point out two things that stir me this Advent as I listen to the story yet again.
First, Gabriel announces to Mary that she is the "graced one" and that "God is with her." The usual translation, "favored one" misleads us. The idea of "favor" implies that some are not favored. The Greek word used twice in the passage is the root word for "grace."
Mary is the graced one. I have heard sermons about how beautiful Mary was, how innocent, how childlike . . . all products of fertile contemporary imaginations. In fact, some within the Christian tradition have built elaborate theological systems around Mary's sinlessness and virtue, suggesting this is why God chose her.
I'm not saying any of those things are untrue; however, if any of these imagined virtues become the basis for God choosing her, then this is not longer grace. It becomes merit and earning.
Grace is God's bestowal of God's self upon the world, with no regard for who deserves and who doesn't deserve. In fact, in the economy of grace, there is no such thing as deserving or undeserving.
(If it is God and grace you are talking about, you cannot even say, "God comes to the least deserving." There is no category of deserving or undeserving with God . . . only imperfect people who need to return to their grounding in God.)
Grace is the Farmer scattering seed on the entire field, broadcasting it wildly, freely, wastefully, and extravagantly, without regard for the state of the field . . . whether the soil is rocky, weed-filled, hard-pan, or tilled. (Mark 4:1-8)
So yes, Mary is graced and God is with her. But this isn't an announcement of something new. Rather, these words remind Mary -- and us -- of what is true always and everywhere. The words of grace and God's presence are true just as much of you and me as they are true of Mary. For this reason, the Christian spiritual life is not about acquiring something new, but about seeing, opening up, and receiving what God has already said and done . . . seeing ourselves as graced and knowing always that God is with us.
Second, Mary's response to Gabriel's announcement is simple acceptance, a quiet "Yes!" . . . "Let it be to me as you have said."
In my imagination, I often wonder if Gabriel visited other Galilean girls with the same greeting, only to be told, "No, I won't do it." Mary said "Yes."
"Let it be" is not a statement of resignation. Rather, the words declare an openness to join in and to partner with God in this world-altering event. They signify Mary's willingness to go to a place she had never been before, to explore whatever lay beyond the bounds of her imagination, and to trust God. She willingly steps into the unknown with God.
For decades I assumed that Sir Paul McCartney's "Let It Be" remembered this Mary, the mother of Jesus.
When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comforts me;
Speaking words of wisdom:
Let it be.
Only recently I heard Sir Paul say in an interview that "Mother Mary" was his own mother. She died when he was young, and in a time when he was particularly despondent over her death, she appeared to him one night in a dream to comfort him. "Let it be," she said.
"Let it be in me" . . . that's pretty good counsel, whether from Mary, mother of Jesus . . . or Mary, mother of Sir Paul.
For Reflection:
** Hear the message Gabriel spoke to Mary as if the angel spoke it over you: "Behold, graced one; God is with you." Meditate on those words as you hear them spoken into you.
** In what ways do you need to say to God today, "Let it be in me as you have said"? Consider one or two specific areas of your life right now. If you are honestly able to speak these words to God, do so.
Psalm 24
Isaiah 7:10-14
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:26-38 may be my favorite story in all of scripture. I never tire of reading it. I'll point out two things that stir me this Advent as I listen to the story yet again.
First, Gabriel announces to Mary that she is the "graced one" and that "God is with her." The usual translation, "favored one" misleads us. The idea of "favor" implies that some are not favored. The Greek word used twice in the passage is the root word for "grace."
Mary is the graced one. I have heard sermons about how beautiful Mary was, how innocent, how childlike . . . all products of fertile contemporary imaginations. In fact, some within the Christian tradition have built elaborate theological systems around Mary's sinlessness and virtue, suggesting this is why God chose her.
I'm not saying any of those things are untrue; however, if any of these imagined virtues become the basis for God choosing her, then this is not longer grace. It becomes merit and earning.
Grace is God's bestowal of God's self upon the world, with no regard for who deserves and who doesn't deserve. In fact, in the economy of grace, there is no such thing as deserving or undeserving.
(If it is God and grace you are talking about, you cannot even say, "God comes to the least deserving." There is no category of deserving or undeserving with God . . . only imperfect people who need to return to their grounding in God.)
Grace is the Farmer scattering seed on the entire field, broadcasting it wildly, freely, wastefully, and extravagantly, without regard for the state of the field . . . whether the soil is rocky, weed-filled, hard-pan, or tilled. (Mark 4:1-8)
So yes, Mary is graced and God is with her. But this isn't an announcement of something new. Rather, these words remind Mary -- and us -- of what is true always and everywhere. The words of grace and God's presence are true just as much of you and me as they are true of Mary. For this reason, the Christian spiritual life is not about acquiring something new, but about seeing, opening up, and receiving what God has already said and done . . . seeing ourselves as graced and knowing always that God is with us.
Second, Mary's response to Gabriel's announcement is simple acceptance, a quiet "Yes!" . . . "Let it be to me as you have said."
In my imagination, I often wonder if Gabriel visited other Galilean girls with the same greeting, only to be told, "No, I won't do it." Mary said "Yes."
"Let it be" is not a statement of resignation. Rather, the words declare an openness to join in and to partner with God in this world-altering event. They signify Mary's willingness to go to a place she had never been before, to explore whatever lay beyond the bounds of her imagination, and to trust God. She willingly steps into the unknown with God.
For decades I assumed that Sir Paul McCartney's "Let It Be" remembered this Mary, the mother of Jesus.
When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comforts me;
Speaking words of wisdom:
Let it be.
Only recently I heard Sir Paul say in an interview that "Mother Mary" was his own mother. She died when he was young, and in a time when he was particularly despondent over her death, she appeared to him one night in a dream to comfort him. "Let it be," she said.
"Let it be in me" . . . that's pretty good counsel, whether from Mary, mother of Jesus . . . or Mary, mother of Sir Paul.
For Reflection:
** Hear the message Gabriel spoke to Mary as if the angel spoke it over you: "Behold, graced one; God is with you." Meditate on those words as you hear them spoken into you.
** In what ways do you need to say to God today, "Let it be in me as you have said"? Consider one or two specific areas of your life right now. If you are honestly able to speak these words to God, do so.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Third Monday of Advent - December 17, 2018
God's Word in the Outsider
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17
Matthew 21:23-27
Today's readings have a "who-do-you-think-you-are?" feel about them.
The Old Testament reading from Numbers introduces Balaam, the prophet, to our Advent experience. But Balaam is not a prophet of Israel. He is an outsider. He has been called a prophet for hire. The king of Moab, Balak, hires Balaam to curse Israel, with the promise of a great reward if the curse allows Balak a military victory over Israel. Balaam commits to speak what he hears. He will not be bought. He will not curse when all he hears is blessing. Four times he blesses, when all Balak wants to hear are curses. Ultimately, Balak gives up on Balaam and sends him home. Balaam stays faithful to the revelation of God, despite the personal consequences.
In the Gospel reading, the chief priests and elders question Jesus' authority to teach in the Temple. Jesus was not a part of the religious institution (the Temple hierarchy) and was not credentialed to lead the people. The question, "By whose authority do you do these things?" implies a snarky, "Who do you think you are?"
In both stories, God's word comes to those who stand outside the normal institutional structures, those who are not insiders, those who are non-traditional.
God's word usually shows up where we do not expect it. God's Spirit is revealed to us when we are not looking.
All of us have our own predictable prompts -- places, experiences, practices -- to which we run when we want to hear a word from God or when we need to discern our next step forward.
Advent invites us to be alert for the unexpected, to wander off the grid, to look outside the usual, to move away from the norm. Certainly you may hear God's voice in an Advent sermon or a Christmas musical. But don't miss God's word in the red kettle bell-ringer . . . in a child's face . . . in a greeting from the stranger . . . in an act of kindness at the grocery . . . in a phone call from a longtime friend.
For Reflection:
Be alert for how God's word comes to you today. Especially be attentive to persons who are outside religious structures, who have little training or credentials in God-speech. In short, notice those whose authority comes from God, not from institutions or power structures.
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17
Matthew 21:23-27
Today's readings have a "who-do-you-think-you-are?" feel about them.
The Old Testament reading from Numbers introduces Balaam, the prophet, to our Advent experience. But Balaam is not a prophet of Israel. He is an outsider. He has been called a prophet for hire. The king of Moab, Balak, hires Balaam to curse Israel, with the promise of a great reward if the curse allows Balak a military victory over Israel. Balaam commits to speak what he hears. He will not be bought. He will not curse when all he hears is blessing. Four times he blesses, when all Balak wants to hear are curses. Ultimately, Balak gives up on Balaam and sends him home. Balaam stays faithful to the revelation of God, despite the personal consequences.
In the Gospel reading, the chief priests and elders question Jesus' authority to teach in the Temple. Jesus was not a part of the religious institution (the Temple hierarchy) and was not credentialed to lead the people. The question, "By whose authority do you do these things?" implies a snarky, "Who do you think you are?"
In both stories, God's word comes to those who stand outside the normal institutional structures, those who are not insiders, those who are non-traditional.
God's word usually shows up where we do not expect it. God's Spirit is revealed to us when we are not looking.
All of us have our own predictable prompts -- places, experiences, practices -- to which we run when we want to hear a word from God or when we need to discern our next step forward.
Advent invites us to be alert for the unexpected, to wander off the grid, to look outside the usual, to move away from the norm. Certainly you may hear God's voice in an Advent sermon or a Christmas musical. But don't miss God's word in the red kettle bell-ringer . . . in a child's face . . . in a greeting from the stranger . . . in an act of kindness at the grocery . . . in a phone call from a longtime friend.
For Reflection:
Be alert for how God's word comes to you today. Especially be attentive to persons who are outside religious structures, who have little training or credentials in God-speech. In short, notice those whose authority comes from God, not from institutions or power structures.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Second Thursday of Advent - December 13, 2018
Violence and the Kingdom of God
Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15
In the Gospel text today, Jesus introduces John the Baptist. We, the Gospel readers, have met John already. Now Jesus speaks to who he is.
John played a critical role in the unfolding project of God, but John's understanding of Jesus was incomplete. He imagined God's Messiah would come with fire, as an ax ready to chop down trees.
So Jesus claims that those who truly give themselves to a God-oriented life (kingdom of God) as modeled by Jesus, would have greater understanding and do more to shape the world than John . . . a wild and extreme claim.
Then, in a verse which is subject to a variety of interpretations, Jesus points out that people have been violently trying to live the kingdom-of-God-life (God-centered life) since the time of John. Perhaps the violence itself was influenced by John's fiery rhetoric, his ax-chopping-down-the-trees metaphors.
From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. (Matt. 11:12, CEV)
For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God's Kingdom. (Matt 11:12, The Message)
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (Matt. 11:12, NIV)
In his life's work and in his life's words, Jesus is clear that violence has no place in the kingdom of God. The God-centered life is not forced upon anyone and is not achieved by violence done to persons. It is not accomplished by powerfully forcing on people a set of beliefs or standards. There is no coercion in the kingdom of God.
And yet Christians all through the centuries continue to get this wrong. When Emperors Constantine and Licinius in 313 issued the Edict of Milan, they ushered in an age when the interests of the Church and the state were intricately woven together. With Christianity the favored religion, citizens of the empire were expected to be baptized, sometimes by force. The marriage of the Church to the state created an unhealthy union propelled by coercion.
Our own times are no stranger to that kind of compulsion. A friend -- and "research assistant" -- shared a blog with me Monday, the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, which remembered Merton warning that the marriage of religious fundamentalism and American nationalism would produce "the greatest orgy of idolatry the world has ever seen." (http://www.matthewfox.org/blog/on-the-50th-anniversary-of-thomas-mertons-death#)
Advent reminds us that God's ways are radically different from the ways of the world (and even the Church). The kingdom of God among us does not come in force and violence, but as a vulnerable child born to parents who were outside society's power structure.
For Reflection:
Have you ever used violence, excessive power or force, or compulsion to accomplish what you thought were noble ends?
Reflect on your experience in light of this Advent text.
Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15
In the Gospel text today, Jesus introduces John the Baptist. We, the Gospel readers, have met John already. Now Jesus speaks to who he is.
John played a critical role in the unfolding project of God, but John's understanding of Jesus was incomplete. He imagined God's Messiah would come with fire, as an ax ready to chop down trees.
So Jesus claims that those who truly give themselves to a God-oriented life (kingdom of God) as modeled by Jesus, would have greater understanding and do more to shape the world than John . . . a wild and extreme claim.
Then, in a verse which is subject to a variety of interpretations, Jesus points out that people have been violently trying to live the kingdom-of-God-life (God-centered life) since the time of John. Perhaps the violence itself was influenced by John's fiery rhetoric, his ax-chopping-down-the-trees metaphors.
From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. (Matt. 11:12, CEV)
For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God's Kingdom. (Matt 11:12, The Message)
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (Matt. 11:12, NIV)
In his life's work and in his life's words, Jesus is clear that violence has no place in the kingdom of God. The God-centered life is not forced upon anyone and is not achieved by violence done to persons. It is not accomplished by powerfully forcing on people a set of beliefs or standards. There is no coercion in the kingdom of God.
And yet Christians all through the centuries continue to get this wrong. When Emperors Constantine and Licinius in 313 issued the Edict of Milan, they ushered in an age when the interests of the Church and the state were intricately woven together. With Christianity the favored religion, citizens of the empire were expected to be baptized, sometimes by force. The marriage of the Church to the state created an unhealthy union propelled by coercion.
Our own times are no stranger to that kind of compulsion. A friend -- and "research assistant" -- shared a blog with me Monday, the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, which remembered Merton warning that the marriage of religious fundamentalism and American nationalism would produce "the greatest orgy of idolatry the world has ever seen." (http://www.matthewfox.org/blog/on-the-50th-anniversary-of-thomas-mertons-death#)
Advent reminds us that God's ways are radically different from the ways of the world (and even the Church). The kingdom of God among us does not come in force and violence, but as a vulnerable child born to parents who were outside society's power structure.
For Reflection:
Have you ever used violence, excessive power or force, or compulsion to accomplish what you thought were noble ends?
Reflect on your experience in light of this Advent text.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Second Sunday of Advent - December 9, 2018
Preparing the Way
Luke 3:1-6
Philippians 1:4-11
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene — during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’” (Luke 3:1-6, NIV)
In the year of our Lord, Two-thousand, eighteen . . . when world leaders met in Argentina for the G-20 . . . in the third year of Donald Trump's presidency . . . when Jared Polis was elected governor of Colorado . . . when Francoise Bettencourt Meyers was named the richest woman in the world . . . when Jorge Mario Bergoglio was in the 5th year of his papacy as Pope Francis . . . and in Joel Osteen's 19th year of pastor at Lakewood in Houston . . . the word of God came to John, living in a small, nondescript town apart from the centers of power and wealth.
While the names and titles in Luke's litany are mostly foreign to us, taken together they are Luke's way of reminding us who truly controls in human history . . . not presidents and kings and the wealthy and religious leaders.
No. God grants the course of history, not humans. And rather than visiting traditional halls of power, God chooses to bring reveal God's-self to John in the obscurity of desert.
John is an ordinary man living an ascetic life, stirred by the word of the Lord to proclaim a message that would prepare people to see God's anointed.
Preparation is John's message. Get ready. Wait, but in waiting, straighten what has become crooked. Bring down what has become high. Raise up what has fallen into disrepair.
Advent waiting is preparation, the preparation John proclaimed. And what has to be prepared? I do. And you. The road he describes is the way into you, the road into your interior. Make it straight, stop being crooked. Don't be too high and proud. Don't be too low and full of shame. Don't litter the way with impediments.
Because the One who is coming wants to enter you!!
As Paul says in the Philippians text, the Spirit who began this good work in you is going to bring it to completion (Phil. 1:6).
For Reflection:
Today is a time to prepare the road into your interior. Is there anything high in you that has been unduly inflated? Is there shame that keeps you lower than you truly are? Is there anything crooked that needs to be straightened? Today we make ourselves ready for the One who seeks to come to us.
Luke 3:1-6
Philippians 1:4-11
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene — during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’” (Luke 3:1-6, NIV)
In the year of our Lord, Two-thousand, eighteen . . . when world leaders met in Argentina for the G-20 . . . in the third year of Donald Trump's presidency . . . when Jared Polis was elected governor of Colorado . . . when Francoise Bettencourt Meyers was named the richest woman in the world . . . when Jorge Mario Bergoglio was in the 5th year of his papacy as Pope Francis . . . and in Joel Osteen's 19th year of pastor at Lakewood in Houston . . . the word of God came to John, living in a small, nondescript town apart from the centers of power and wealth.
While the names and titles in Luke's litany are mostly foreign to us, taken together they are Luke's way of reminding us who truly controls in human history . . . not presidents and kings and the wealthy and religious leaders.
No. God grants the course of history, not humans. And rather than visiting traditional halls of power, God chooses to bring reveal God's-self to John in the obscurity of desert.
John is an ordinary man living an ascetic life, stirred by the word of the Lord to proclaim a message that would prepare people to see God's anointed.
Preparation is John's message. Get ready. Wait, but in waiting, straighten what has become crooked. Bring down what has become high. Raise up what has fallen into disrepair.
Advent waiting is preparation, the preparation John proclaimed. And what has to be prepared? I do. And you. The road he describes is the way into you, the road into your interior. Make it straight, stop being crooked. Don't be too high and proud. Don't be too low and full of shame. Don't litter the way with impediments.
Because the One who is coming wants to enter you!!
As Paul says in the Philippians text, the Spirit who began this good work in you is going to bring it to completion (Phil. 1:6).
For Reflection:
Today is a time to prepare the road into your interior. Is there anything high in you that has been unduly inflated? Is there shame that keeps you lower than you truly are? Is there anything crooked that needs to be straightened? Today we make ourselves ready for the One who seeks to come to us.
Monday, December 3, 2018
First Monday of Advent -- December 3, 2018
The Unfolding Plan of God
Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 8:5-11
Most mornings I make the mistake of checking the news before I am fully grounded. I read about acts of aggression . . . hostility among races . . . mean tweets that exaggerate facts and belittle others. If I fall too deeply into the hole, despair knocks on the door.
Scripture always resists despair, but is completely realistic about our human situation. The words of prophet and Gospel-writer alike address a fractured world, while also chasing after alienated humans with hope for a reconciled world. The final word is not fracture and alienation, scripture insists, but oneness, healing, and compassion. The world is not a forsaken garbage dump in which good things miraculously happen; rather, God is at work in and around the world in mercy, to bring all things to wholeness. In the words of those who follow the path of Ignatius of Loyola, God's project for the world is to bring all things to oneness. And God is somehow present in all things to bring God's vast project to fruition.
Of course, there are wars and divisions, competition and conflict, racism and sexism, lands and peoples who are plundered. But the work of God is about healing and saving those who are caught in the grip of conflict, destruction, and unjust systems.
The work of God is about restoring the earth so that vegetables and fruit, oil and wine, might feed and refresh all people of the world.
The work of God is about using creativity and ingenuity to fight disease and to create just systems of government for our communities.
The work of God is about compassion, sharing with those who struggle in famine and flood, through hurricane and wildfire.
The work of God is about stepping across divisions between haves and have-nots, using power and authority for giving fullness of life, not diminishing life.
Advent proclaims the truth of our current reality, but also the vision toward which God is working. Our world is being made still, as you and I still are being made. And God is in the making, the unfolding, even now.
The birth of Jesus into the world is part of the unfolding plan of God.
For Reflection:
In what part of life are you most tempted to despair? What helps you to recognize when you are in a place close to despair?
Above I shared with you a partial "litany" of what I sense God is about in the world. Write your own litany, or statement of what you feel God is about in the world. You might begin each line with something like: "The work of God is about __________."
Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 8:5-11
Most mornings I make the mistake of checking the news before I am fully grounded. I read about acts of aggression . . . hostility among races . . . mean tweets that exaggerate facts and belittle others. If I fall too deeply into the hole, despair knocks on the door.
Scripture always resists despair, but is completely realistic about our human situation. The words of prophet and Gospel-writer alike address a fractured world, while also chasing after alienated humans with hope for a reconciled world. The final word is not fracture and alienation, scripture insists, but oneness, healing, and compassion. The world is not a forsaken garbage dump in which good things miraculously happen; rather, God is at work in and around the world in mercy, to bring all things to wholeness. In the words of those who follow the path of Ignatius of Loyola, God's project for the world is to bring all things to oneness. And God is somehow present in all things to bring God's vast project to fruition.
Of course, there are wars and divisions, competition and conflict, racism and sexism, lands and peoples who are plundered. But the work of God is about healing and saving those who are caught in the grip of conflict, destruction, and unjust systems.
The work of God is about restoring the earth so that vegetables and fruit, oil and wine, might feed and refresh all people of the world.
The work of God is about using creativity and ingenuity to fight disease and to create just systems of government for our communities.
The work of God is about compassion, sharing with those who struggle in famine and flood, through hurricane and wildfire.
The work of God is about stepping across divisions between haves and have-nots, using power and authority for giving fullness of life, not diminishing life.
Advent proclaims the truth of our current reality, but also the vision toward which God is working. Our world is being made still, as you and I still are being made. And God is in the making, the unfolding, even now.
The birth of Jesus into the world is part of the unfolding plan of God.
For Reflection:
In what part of life are you most tempted to despair? What helps you to recognize when you are in a place close to despair?
Above I shared with you a partial "litany" of what I sense God is about in the world. Write your own litany, or statement of what you feel God is about in the world. You might begin each line with something like: "The work of God is about __________."
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