New Year, Same Covenant

Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem should be gathered to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.

Methodists often hold a special service on New Year's Eve called a Covenant Renewal Service. It is a time when believers totally and completely offer their whole selves to Christ.

Yes; it is as intense as it sounds.

Although I won't be participating in such a service this year, I would like to share with you a part of a famous prayer that anchors the service. Sometimes it is a called the Wesleyan Discipleship Prayer.

Lord, make me what you will.
I put myself fully into your hands:
put me to doing, put me to suffering,
let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and with a willing heart
give it all to your pleasure and disposal.

Our Book of Worship stresses that this service is only meant to be done with much intentional preparation. It is not at all just a tradition, but an extremely significant expression of faith.

The reading above from 2 Kings is about the reforms of King Josiah. Amazingly, by the time he became king, the priests had literally lost all copies of the Book of Deuteronomy. During his reign, it was found, reread, "discovered" and the king re-instituted the old traditions. Once again, they weren't just "traditions" but extremely significant expressions of faith.

Our covenant with God never becomes "old" or is relegated to mere historical significance. But we do need to visit it from time to time. This is only because of us, not because of God.

I'm not big on beating anybody up for their mistakes, including myself (and you for that matter). But I am big on being honest and being intentional and clear about my spirituality. I need to renew my commitment to God and a new year is the perfect opportunity. It won't be done in a service this year, but with a post and a prayer.

quick thought from a queezy blogger

O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.

Out of the mouths of babes and infants... even by the words of babes and infants God's bulwark is strengthened.
As the uncle of two young nephews (babes and infants? Actually toddlers.) you don't need to convince me of the power of a young person's personality and words. Charlie and Joe could make me do just about anything. They are profound in their spirits though immature in body and behavior.

The Psalmist says that God uses us all in whatever way God chooses. The babe, the infant, the nauseous pastor... we all have something to offer.

As my head swims in this prescription induced dizziness, I'll meditate on that.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants...

Putting on the Lord's name

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

I'm not sure I know what it really means to bless someone. I know it reveals a good intention and it's a sign of love and care, but what does it really mean?

Unfortunately, sometimes I think that 'praying for someone' also becomes a euphemism that simply means to care for someone and want the best for them. We're a little too quick for ask for prayers in polite conversation and to promise them as well. I know I have certainly told people that I would pray for them and then didn't. Oddly, sometimes it seems to just be something you say (which I don't like at all).

In the passage from Numbers above, Aaron and the priests are given instruction to "put the name of God on the Israelites" with the words that have become a very famous blessing. 'Putting the name of God on the Israelites' sounds rather magical to me at first hearing. But then again it also reminds me of the euphemistic quality of showing our care and good intentions. A blessing is our attempt to associate something we care about with God. (In magic this is called a contagious property, but you didn't hear that from me...)

Putting God's name on something, associating something we care about with God, is a way of reminding ourselves what is important to us. I guess this morning it doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. However, I'm still troubled by our readiness to not pray when we intend to.

In the case of blessings like the quote from Numbers, it seems that they speak for themselves. It is very hard to ignore or miss the power of those words.

Accessories for the holidays

The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Everyone wants to look good for the holidays. The prophet Isaiah said that the praise we return to God for the promise that will be kept will make the people look better than ever.

But the diadems and the crowns aren't for us. We are God's jewelry. "You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

Have you ever seen someone who is so stylish, who breathes such a sense of fashion and confidence and beauty that it seems to shoot out from their body and touch everyone with whom they come into contact? Have you ever known the type of person who literally lights up a room and can change the feel of things just by being present? I'm not sure I have either, but I think Isaiah is talking about something like that.

Isaiah tells us that our faithfulness is an asset to God. Our praise is an extension of God's goodness. Our hope is an expression of God's grace.

I read these famous words again on a Christmas card from St. Nicholas a few days ago: "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless all people now." - Teresa of Avila

The metaphor of beauty and bling can be an odd one because it is often confused with superficiality. But Isaiah plays with the image of putting on virtues, to help us think that we are God's wardrobe.

We want God to look good, especially at Christmas.

how much better can it get?

Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."...
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

I don't mean to go and ruin a perfectly good holiday by getting all religious at Christmas...
Yesterday there was music and memories and fun and friends and family and wonderful nephews. I had perhaps the best Christmas ever. Yes, even better than last year or the year before.

I get the feeling that Simeon and Anna were religious fanatics like me; positive people who get a great deal of strength and meaning from their faith. Surely after their lives of devotion they were thinking, how much better can it get?

And then came Jesus.

They had never known God like this before. For you and me, Jesus Christ is a theological event, a historical person, teaching enough for a life time and life beyond the grave. The Evangelist Luke invites us to consider what it would mean to meet Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, in the person of a baby, to have all that we know and believe brought to life in the promise of a child.

It is almost impossible for me to do. But Simeon and Anna suggest something of what this joy could be.

Time to begin

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

I've been thinking of Christmas as the beginning, not the center or the climax, just the beginning. I haven't been thinking of Christmas as the beginning of Christianity... Christianity is both 'older' and 'more recent' than Jesus. The roots are more ancient. The practice came later.

I've been thinking of Christmas as the beginning of my faith and the faith we share at St. Nicholas. The last few Monday nights we read the Matthew and then Luke Christmas stories. They introduce who Jesus is and what his life was all about, not just historically but for us who seek God through him.

After centering on those stories, I'm ready to begin. I'm ready to follow down a new way, to ask questions, to be alert, to keep reading, keep learning and to look for the important signs. I'm going to look for life that is the light of all people. A good story won't be enough, how to be a better person isn't enough and neither is a convincing argument about why something is true.

At Christmas, we're beginning to see the light. But a beginning isn't enough. We need to keep going so that the light can be for all creation.

Why do we tell the story this way?

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

So why was Jesus born in a manger? Why was the young girl Mary the one who was blessed? Why did God send an angel to shepherds of all people to come to the manger?

Why do we tell the story this way?

This story reminds us that God acts outside of ordinary human means. No place for them in the inn? It's just as well, with God nothing will be impossible.

Mary was an unwed young girl? It's just as well, with God nothing will be impossible.

The only people close by to celebrate Jesus' birth were a bunch of shepherds? It's just as well, with God nothing will be impossible.

And what about from our lives? What facts of our daily lives or of this Christmas season hinder us?

It's just as well, with God nothing will be impossible.

Alternative energy

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

It is hard to adjust yourself to another way of thinking and another way of living. Somethings are easier than others. I'm getting very reflective looking back over the past year, my first six months at St. Nicholas.
Six months ago I became a vegetarian, easy!
But I have also become responsible for creating liturgy every week and I'm trying to use non-sexist language in our worship, very hard!

In the spirit of that challenge, I've noticed how violent some of the prophetic calls to "non-violence" are. It really isn't the same sort of thing we mean when we say "non-violence of the fist, heart and tongue." For example notice how the joy of the people upon seeing the great light is like the joy that comes when "dividing plunder." I know that it isn't saying that they will actually divide plunder, but the comparison isn't helpful for creating a non-violent ethos.

Doesn't make it a bad book or an unhelpful passage, but it could go farther to helping me cultivate true non-violence.

But there is one passage I truly love that has never stuck out to me before: For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. You may read this as violent but I read in it a terribly creative strategy for "alternative energy." I suppose I'm punning with that phrase as I think that both it would be a poetically just way of fueling your home (the place of safety), but also because I like what it would do for my spirit to see that the remnants of violence could be forgotten and gone.

Like the famous spears turned into pruning hooks, this theme of violent images taking on a make-shift creative utility reminds me of the way my grandfather will duct tapes old metal things together to make just about anything: a plum picker, a roof rake, a feeding trough. Trash becomes useful and helps new healthy things to come to life. This sort of reusing is the original eco-farming. Its a good idea because it works.

I suppose that's my theme with language used in worship also. The point is not to subscribe to an ideology, as we feminists are sometimes accused of. The point is for it to work: to practice total non-violence, to be truly female positive.

If we have to "destroy!" the old ways, we need to make something useful of them instead of just "throwing them away."

Storms and clearing a space

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."

David's life was a storm. Although we don't live life on the scale of a legendary king, our lives are stormy too.

The blizzard that continues to dump more and more snow on Massachusetts this weekend has amazingly given me space to clear a place for God. How curious that it takes a storm for me to have peace. A storm has blown into my life and forced me to slow down for a few days. Because of a storm, I have time to stop and reflect.

When David had a clearing in his life, ("when the king was settled in his house") he thought that it would be good to make a place for God, to build a place for God to dwell.

But through the prophet Nathan, God said thanks but no thanks. I am already present. I am already among you. You do not need to make room for me to be safe. I will provide for your safety.

Advent again teaches us that lesson. We wait for God but God is already here. No need for the drama of Isaiah or the warnings of the Baptist. Our lives are already a storm. God will seize the moment of rest and transform it in ways we never would have imagined.

Responding to angels

Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." It seems that he might have learned that from his mother.

I get the feeling that Mary's response wouldn't have changed whether the angel had brought her a blessing or a warning. Let it be with me according to you word.

The relationship of slave and master is among the most troubling inventions of humanity. It's the sort of corruption of creation that lets even the most liberal of theologians mention sin. But it's also a part of the world that is often named in scripture as acceptable and appropriate - not just for some people to be in but also for our relationship with God. I of course completely disagree with its practice and defense, and the Bible isn't changing my mind either.

And Mary says, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord", as if the gift she gave on that first Christmas was her very self to God.

God as Lord has to be different from a slave owner, just like "thy kingdom" is fundamentally different from any kingdom on earth. I just don't think it is possible to become slaves so that we can be free. I don't think that submission will release us. Even if we think we are slaves to God, the very fact that we are bound will restrain us.

The spirit of Mary's response shows us a different way. Instead of pledging her allegiance to another king, she freed herself from the dualistic determinations of this world. God's word is more than a blessing or a curse. Angels' messages aren't like the pieces of everyday news that we know how to respond to. Truly declaring yourself a servant of God in the spirit of Mary puts an end to ways the world and makes you a part of of the way of the word.

Christmas is our gift. It is time to ponder. It is time to move beyond our need to comprehend. It is time for faithfulness and to respond to angels in the ways that Jesus and Mary have taught us.

How good is your memory compared to God's?

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

At a holiday office party yesterday we were naming favorite Christmas songs. Everyone was in consensus; the religious songs are better than the commercial ones. Comparing them is the ultimate example of pitting meaning against meaninglessness, substance against silliness. My vote for favorite still goes to Charles Wesley's "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus." The description of Jesus as "Israel's strength and consolation" seems fitting for the lines above from the Magnificat.



The Magnificat is really the first Christmas song. And in a tradition that continues on commercial radio stations today, it was originally played before Christmas!

God remembers. God remembers the promises made to our ancestors, Abraham and his descendants. God remembers Israel and God remembers what mercy has done for us in the past.

Now the question is, Do we remember? Do we remember our connection to Israel? Do we remember what God has promised us? Do we remember that we are heirs of a promise? Do we remember our ancestor Abraham? Do we remember God's mercy?

In this time of looking forward and waiting for God, we need to also remember.

power against the proud

God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

This phrase is a puzzle to me. Sometimes the translation reads, "in the imagination of their hearts." It comes in the midst of a description of God's surprising and subversive acts: bringing down the powerful from their thrones, lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things and sending the rich away empty.



This phrase is a puzzle to me because I really don't know what it means. I would naturally consider "the thoughts of my heart" or "the imagination of my heart" to be akin to "the meditation of my soul" - an opportunity for good and pure things to give to God.



But in Mary's prayer, the thoughts of the proud are scattered. That is a very powerful weapon that God seems to have. Not just can people's lives be turned upside down, but their very hearts can as well.



I am moved by the opposite implication, those who feel dejected or depressed can be gathered together and cared for. But Mary takes the time to put this in the negative: the proud will be shaken by God to their very souls. Not even in their imagination will they be able to hide from what God is doing.



It's an unsettling image. But for Mary it seems to be as pleasing as an "amen." Maybe I should be more ready to name the power and not just the comfort that Christmas brings.

Public Blessings

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God's name.

I understand 'being blessed' in very personal terms. Being blessed is something I appreciate in my heart and I think one's self-awareness of blessing is a reflection of an inner spiritual life. So I suppose it's sort of funny in an odd sort of way that Mary sings "all generations will call me blessed" and is so confidant (confidence doesn't even began to convey it actually) that the blessings she feels will be evident for all generations going forward. I don't mean to put her down, it's just shocking to think about. (I rather like being shocked by the Bible...)

Of course, she was right. She has been called blessed for all generations since.

This morning, I'm reflecting on a simple point about all of this. It isn't a statement on Marian theology as much as it is an observation on my own spirituality. It is good to name our blessings and sing to God for the good things that we have seen in our lives.

I'm not claiming it will lead people to erect statues in your honor. But I do think that a responsible reaction to blessings is to sing about it. You can even tell someone. The honor and glory won't come back to you, but will go to God.

power of a prayer

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant."

(There's a Johnny Cash song about an auto worker who confiscates an entire car from the plant by stealing it "one piece at a time", in his pocket... in his lunch pail... under his cap... At the end of the song he has an awkward machine made from the many parts of different makes, models and years. I'm reminded of the song as I look at the Magnificat - Mary's prayer after learning that she will bear Jesus - the Gospel reading for this week. We'll pray it "one verse at a time..." I wonder if the result will be like that car: not a unified whole but disjointed and choppy, revealing the different days and experiences of the week. If that's the case, so be it. There are infinite ways to read the Bible - endless things the Bible will teach us - depending on the who, when and how of our approach. The important thing is not so much how we read but how the Spirit opens us up to the Bible.)

It has struck me before what an amazing claim it is that a person's soul can magnify God. Sometimes I think that God is beyond change. But there are those times when it feels like our love and relationship isn't just changing our lives but is also leaving a mark on God... Honestly, I've never gone there personally. But the psalmist's prayer "Bless the Lord, my soul" reminds me of this same feeling. It's as if our prayers are more important than we realize. They aren't just for us or those for whom we pray. In prayer, our souls seem to touch God.

Of course there are examples of prophets arguing with God or pleading before God. But Mary's confidence in her prayer is a different sort of phenomena. She isn't disagreeing or asking anything of God. She just feels that her soul is personally and powerfully relating to God's very self.

I want to pray that prayer with her.

Prophets and Prayer

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of my favorite passages from Paul are in the closing sections of his letters; this is one of those beautiful closing passages. Pray without ceasing is a very important concept to my personal spirituality. Paul also encourages us to have an attitude of constant thankfulness. These seem to go hand in hand.

But surprisingly, in this same passage we are instructed to "not despise the words of prophets." I suppose that without this reminder, there is a danger in this passage of forgetting the pain, the struggle and the challenge of a life of faith. In addition to being positive, being faithful to God also requires being mindful of our personal and social failings. Even as we give thanks to God for blessings, the words of prophets have a special power to bear on us.

I hope that my exposure to the prophets this Advent won't turn out in a few months to have just been an interesting history lesson about times of crisis but will instead be integrated more fully into my belief and practices.

There is a regular part for the prophet to play in our lives. It just isn't as obvious as the stereotypical images we already have in mind.

Witness & Testimony

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

Being a witness is a very special gift. In the spirit of John the Baptist and pointing to someone greater than myself, I'll let these words speak (please excuse the sexist language):

As a witness, the prophet is more than a messenger. As a messenger, his task is to deliver the word; as a witness, he must bear testimony that the word is divine. The words the prophet utters are not offered as souvenirs. His speech to the people is not a reminiscence, a report, hearsay. The prophet not only conveys; he reveals. He almost does unto others what God does unto him. In speaking, the prophet reveals God. This is the marvel of a prophet's work: in his words, the invisible God becomes audible. He does not prove or argue. The thought he has to convey is more than language can contain. Divine power bursts in the words. The authority of the prophet is in the Presence his words reveal. +

And of course, John the Baptist revealed the greatest word of all, The Word of God.

Sometimes it is most powerful if instead of giving our own witness, or a personal testimony, we clear the way and make room for God.

+ p. 22 of The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel- Harper Collins 1962

The Perennial Garden of Hope

For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
- Isaiah 61:11
Plant a radish.
Get a radish.
Never any doubt.
That's why I love vegetables;
You know what you're about!
-"Plant a Radish" from The Fantastics

"Plant a radish"compares the predictable joys of gardening with the unpredictable results of raising children. The sentiment reminds me (in a campy way) of the voice of God in Isaiah. There is nothing fun or playful about the words from Isaiah but God is willing to try to get different results one more time. This time, God is very clear about what will grow. Righteousness and praise will spring up.

I wonder why God thinks that this time is going to be different. Once again God says that a covenant will be created that will somehow ensure justice. But Israel is still following the old covenant and that one didn't work.

How will this time be any different?

I don't know if that's a question for God or a question for me.

The purpose of decorating... and hope

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

There is a tradition, and I'm not sure where or how it started or if it was just thought up by the people over in marketing, of naming each Sunday in Lent after a specific virtue: hope, peace, joy, love - or some such configuration. It may very well have been started by the first person to think to print these words on a wreath. For whatever reason, at St. Nicholas the last two weeks we've lit candles on our Advent wreath by saying, "This is is the candle of Hope" or "This is the candle of peace."

But even though the Sundays have moved on, I haven't really gotten over hope yet. There is just too much there to reflect on. It seems to be a perfect Advent theme. Maybe I should make a wreath next year that just says HOPE all the way around it... Perfect! There are four letters. It could be like a liturgical game of HORSE with a prayer like, "Give me an 'h'!"...

Maybe even an acrostic poem. 'H' is for humility. 'O' is for oramus. 'P' is for patience. 'E' is for eternal.

My thoughts on hope have led me to think about the difference between hope and optimism. Hope grows out of a need (to say the least) or even out of a crisis. Last night in Bible Study we read the entire book of Micah and thought about how much more powerful the real hope that prophet offers is than just skipping over the tragedy and beginning with a mild platitude that merely "God is good." (yawn)

Likewise in Isaiah, God responds to pain with power. These actions have a specific historical context.

Good news to the oppressed
Bind up the brokenhearted
Liberty to the captives
Release to the prisoners
Comfort to those who mourn

And in a particularly fitting image, garland is given instead of ashes. I felt good when I hung garland around the church a few weeks ago. It looked beautiful, it smelled lovely and perhaps the biggest deal of all was that it was a sign to me of the time of the year. We're supposed to decorate this time of year.

Reflecting on Isaiah and hope this morning makes me see that experience in a new way. What if the joy and decorating came not out of nostalgia and familiar expectations but out of deep pain and crisis. The garland is not to make the town look pretty. The garland is a response to the tragedy in Mumbai. The garland is for those who have reason to be afraid.

The decorations aren't for Santa or even for the baby Jesus- they're for the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners and those who mourn.

Like a prayer

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

The Book of Psalms

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there.

Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery.

Just like a dream, you are not what you seem.

Just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me there

The Prophet Madonna

The Psalm for this Sunday reminds me of the words of a prophet: the words of many prophets. A prophet creates an alternate reality with their words - even with the Word of God. A prophet does not merely engage in social action or in righteous protest. Instead a prophet gives access to another form of existence through the use of prophetic speech. (Guess what book I read this weekend!)

This reality can be like a dream. It does not seem possible. Given all that we know, how can we be so irresponsible as to invest our hopes in a God who says that a new way of life is coming? Who are we to put our hearts into something that we know isn't sustainable in this world?

But faced with such bold faith, we in fact we have no choice. The voice of the prophet can take us there.

How it works is a mystery to us. But somehow, those who sow with tears can reap the harvest of joy.

Mass Communication

Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"

Sometimes my image of a prophet is a lone, singular self who has the courage and strength to speak despite being just one soul in the midst of a busy and uncaring world.

But in this verse from Isaiah all of Zion (the city of God) is encourage to tell it from the high mountain. Jerusalem is instructed to "lift up your voice with strength". They are heralds of good tidings meant to speak to the cities of Judah.

Tim Rice once questioned the where and when of God's plan to send Jesus - "If you'd come today you would have reached a whole nation. Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication."

Isaiah seemed to think that the Word of God shouldn't just be shared with the masses, but should be shared by the masses.

Wherever your Advent journey takes you, remember that you are part of a big family and an inhabitant of the city of God. You are not alone. God is with you and we are connected through God's Word.

What should I type about?

A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?"
All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

I'm still a young enough minister that I can enjoy the reactions that people have upon learning my profession. Based on knowledge from older friends, I don't think this will last forever. I know plenty of clergy people who have "learned" to just say they work in social services. (But honestly, I know from being employed in social services full time that that can be a little complicated too)

The most common question I am asked about being a minister goes something like"how do you decide what to 'talk about' every week?" Just the other day someone asked me, "Do you give a little speech every week?"

It seems that Isaiah had a similar experience. At least in the 40th chapter of this book he seems to have had some self-imposed reticence. It's a common sentiment for anyone called to blog, or be a prophet.

The question remains as important for the faithful today as those in the past; I know I'm supposed to put something out there, but how can I given the way the world is? In times like these, when it seems that the only thing we can count on is the word of Lord, how can my words be anything more than impressions on a keyboard? How can God use me to deliver a message when all I see and sense is the need for this world to change and for God to intercede with steadfast love? How can the word of God be shared when it is so clear that the world in so many ways has not received the message even though it is the one the thing that will bring salvation and life?

...and then the Spirit says, "Gotcha ya'!" (as she so often does)...

Be open to God, in scripture and surroundings. Bring the Word - type it, preach it, live it. It is waiting - in Advent even God's Word is waiting - ready to come to you.

The Kissing Bandit

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for God will speak peace to the people, to the faithful, to those who turn to God in their hearts.
Surely salvation is at hand for those who fear God, that God's glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before, and will make a path for God's steps.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
What does it mean to wait for God's peace in Advent? What will God's peace look like? What are we waiting for?

Thank God I grew up with a concept of peace. Thank God that when I was a kid we sang, "Let there be peace on earth." Thank God that the prophet John prepared a way in a previous generation for us to give this message a chance. (That's John Lennon, not the Baptist)

Bu then again (you knew that was coming), sometimes our preconceived notions can limit our spiritual imagination and keep our Godly desires from powerfully coming to life.

Peace need not be timid or bland or passive. Peace is passionate. It seeks out its lover Righteousness with virtuous longing. They embrace and kiss.

This advent I am asking - What are you waiting for?

Peace may be different than anything we ever expected. It might be more passionate, more energetic, more surprising and more pleasurable. Peace may not be the same song we've been practicing singing all these years.

Pucker up.

A new way

A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

Even as a young boy I don't remember being excited by construction and big trucks. Perhaps this isn't surprising. But I did have one important spiritual moment in my life that was motivated by driving through a construction site. These famous words from Isaiah remind me of that experience.

I had just turned eighteen years old and was a few weeks from finishing my first year of college. It was late at night and I was making a very late night/early morning Crispy Creme Doughnut run with some friends. (is that spelt with two K's instead of C's?) The only store we knew of in Chicago was several miles away.

On the drive back for some reason I was in sort of a bad mood. Nothing horrible, just sort of a bad mood. It was late at night. I was a little motion sick. And we were driving through the most God-awful forlorn construction mess of cold deserted trucks, equipment and endless, incomplete exit ramps and disconnected highway scraps.

Looking out the window I thought to myself, "it doesn't get much more depressing than this... it doesn't get much more uninspiring than having these thoughts in these surroundings..."

But suddenly and peacefully, almost in a moment but not terribly dramatically, I saw the ugliness around me in a new way. I didn't feel sick or sad. I didn't see my surroundings as anything other than the setting for my life, the place where my soul was meant to be. It was neither meant to be regretted nor praised but simply lived in, as honestly as I could.

If I was feeling depressed or a little nauseated, that was okay. I felt that I didn't need to feel a certain way or be anything other than who I was. No matter what my situation, my environment, even my particular feelings at any given moment, I became aware of something greater than myself that made it okay. I suppose I might say it made me feel redeemed.

I'm just realizing now as I type this that this is what is known as a conversion experience.

Speak comfort to Jerusalem. All will be okay. God will make way into your life and into your world. A new way is possible with God.

The comfort of hope

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

There is no better news than comfort from God. It is something to be internalized into the heart and breathed and believed and lived. Comfort is coming from God.

In the last few years I have come to really appreciate the unintended reflection of spirituality I see in the secular season.

Expectation, wanting something, waiting and other descriptions from the marketing of Christmas somehow could describe my spiritual journey in Advent.

What are you waiting for? What do you want?

Comfort. It isn't the cheap comfort of not worrying about getting to the next place on time or not feeling hungry. It isn't the type of fulfillment we get when having received a nice present. The measure of the goodness of the comfort from God is double all our pain. It's a blessing we can't describe but can be hopeful for.