Evil seeds

          When I was in my last year of seminary before ordination, the phrase "the devil's year" was bantered about. The thought was that the devil would do anything within his power to get you to abandon what you were truly called to do.  Further, his plans were so insidious that he would use whatever tools available to accomplish his plans. Like espionage, the plan really involves using your own weaknesses as a wedge against you. What are your personal weaknesses? that is, what the devil would use as a lever to tip you away from your calling.

            When I think of "false prophets" that is what I think of. Using your weaknesses against you.  It is not unlike Donald Trump who says all the things you want to hear even in your immaturity like building walls and sending every immigrant 'back home'. Mr Trump plays into your worst feelings and fears and exploits them, not unlike the devil, and tells you it's ok to feel that way. Your worst attributes are justified! He is insidious.  Perhaps it is Mr Trump that is "lucifer in the flesh" and not Mr. Cruz as  John Boehner suggests.  Or perhaps Ted and Donald are twins!

              Politics aside though, we are dealing with more that the election of the next President of the United States, we are dealing with our immortal souls.  Life is much more robust than dealing with a new President, no matter how powerful he may be. 

             What about the religious leaders of our day?  It was easy to track down pictures of some of 

 the 'homes' of some televangelists. Wow. No vow of poverty here, eh?  I have to say that between the car and the architecture, this is how the devil might tempt me. How about that shack by the seaside? (right) I could be tempted. Really though, whether we are talking seaside resorts, elegant cars or ginormous pools, the temptation is pretty obvious.  It would seem more insidious if you did tremendous works, preached peace and love all the while molesting children and using your sizable influence to cover the whole affair up. THAT is evil. The Pope runs around in a Fiat, there is no hiding the Rolls in the picture above (left).

            

A large villa not your cup of tea? Little kids really not your weakness? Perhaps you might settle for a weekend away at the picture to the left which looks more like a resort than someone's home. 

My point is this, most of us are not tempted by enormous wealth. We are tempted by the gentle breeze of a suggestion that our bad thoughts are good ideas. We are lead astray by giving in to the notion that " I deserve that " as if we have done something extra special to merit just a little selfishness.  In so doing we have judged that we deserve something more than some one else, that they have not done something as good and we have have done something more or better.  From there it is a slippery slope. The devil has gotcha!

              Perhaps it would be better if we just woke up each day and gave a resounding round of applause to God. A sincere thank you, a large serving of gratefulness instead of grapefruit. Perhaps we could wake up with the realization that we have new day, a new opportunity to love others, to spread the Good News. We can be the the good fruit in today's scripture passage. This is what God created us for. Love and living in joy.

Matthew 7:13-21

‘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.

‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. 

‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Aliens among us

        There seems to be a visceral reaction by many in this country to illegal aliens. That is especially true when the hate mongering and lack of compassion comes from religious right wing nuts. The viciousness and lies have even been trumpeted by leading presidential candidates in a far from presidential way.  I have been thinking quite a bit about the reading below which is actually from yesterday. You may note there was no fresh blog entry for yesterday.  The line that strikes me to the core is in the second to last paragraph of the passage ( Lev.19:35 ), the section that specifically speaks about aliens among us.  

        It seems quite telling that Hebrew scripture would have the Israelites be kind to aliens. The Hebrews were often aliens themselves. Perhaps while it was fresh in their collective memory it was reduced to 'paper' so that no Jew would ever forget what it is like to be a stranger in a foreign land, an alien, an illegal. They were slaves to other countries not unlike the pseudo-slavery illegals in the United States of America are living today. Indeed, look at Greece or Italy or any one of the European countries trying to  come to grips with mass immigration, legal and otherwise.

          This seems like such a timely passage to me.  How is it that so many can so easily dismiss such a blatant and powerful admonition on how we should treat a stranger? This is certainly not the only passage in Hebrew scripture that deals with hospitality to strangers.  The story of Lot and the two angels, often used as a batter passage against gays is actually a story about God taking retribution on Sodom and Gomorrah for their lack of hospitality. Indeed, raping people is certainly far in excess of mere inhospitality. This interpretation of the clobber passage of Lot is born out by all the earliest Rabbi's and hermeneutics.

            How about we approach this in broader terms then since many people seem to have collective amnesia or cherry pick passages so to ignore others that might cause them to be ashamed of their behaviour. How do we decide how to act towards our brothers and sisters in any given situation? Most especially though, ones where we can choose by biblical means to act one way or another. 

         Certainly we can try to act on God's behalf. We can make judgements based on what we want to read into scripture or based on some flawed exegesis. That is precisely what many religious right wing nuts do. Heck, that's what the Roman church does all the time. I don't think we are only talking here about aliens, illegals from Mexico or other countries of South America; Not even simply Syria or Lebanon or any place where people flee tyranny, oppression and war. If only that were the limits.  People are aliens in their own lands, people born here but born 'different'. That encompasses anyone in the LGBTQ community. Blacks. Asians.  Native Americans. Challenged people. What is our stance on rights for everyone, for welcoming everyone?

        If we are people of faith as Christians ( or any other faith ), how do we determine our course of action when our religious texts can give us options. I might say, we have an option to dismiss, justify, segregate, abuse or enshrine inequality. How do we decide? When facing opposing viewpoints in scripture, the course of action has to be the highest order of love we can come to and the most loving action we can muster. Love is the final arbiter. It's almost as if Jesus knew this kind of scriptural dichotomy exists or had the possibility of existing. Maybe that is what the Pharisees did all the time.  Jesus gave us a higher commandment and that has always been to love.

        Now what is the loving course of action towards 'aliens'?   

Leviticus 19:26-37

You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practise augury or witchcraft. You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.

Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land may not become prostituted and full of depravity. You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

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: I am the Lord your God.

You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them: I am the Lord.

Our leftovers are an abomination!

         As a gay man who subscribes to all manner of LGBTQ blogs, RSS feeds, facebbok pages, websites and the like, I hear a great deal about people who hate our community.  Under the heading of 'know your enemy' I am aware of the scripture passages so often used as battering devices to force us into a  submission of will that will help us out our stubborn and sinful lifestyle. We are an abomination!

          How many times is the word abomination used in scriptures and to what else besides 'men sleeping with men as with a woman' is the word ascribed to? The word abomination though comes to us from several different Hebrew words and often do not accurately elicit the tense, sense or true meaning of what an abomination would be. In any event, there are so many things that are an abomination that it might border on the absurd if we were to take it literally. Foods , sex, prostitution, lying and a whole range of cheating to child sacrifice. Question: Does eating shrimp and child prostitution merit the same word of abomination and with it a similar penalty? We just had a shrimp, feta and spinach dish for dinner, are we to be stoned?  What punishment should be meted out for those who cheat in business dealings which is also an abomination.

          But I have gone on a bit of a tear here because the original line that caught my sensibilities was that leftovers (the third day) was also an abomination. If my previous arguments didn't sway you as to the lunacy of how everything seems to be an abomination, what will we do with our leftovers? What will become of our diets?  Must we eat everything on our plate? Wait, would we then be guilty of gluttony? Is that an abomination ( Phillippians 3:19 ? ). So much for killing the fatted pig. Stone the fat man! I think we might want to revisit some of our literal translations, translation for a designed purpose, cherry picking passages and looking into some kind of intent or cultural contexts.

           Meanwhile, I am going to give myself at least a double whammy. The big gay man is going to heartily dine on leftovers tomorrow. Amen  and Yummo!

Leviticus 19:1-18

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall each revere your mother and father, and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the Lord your God.

When you offer a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, offer it in such a way that it is acceptable in your behalf. It shall be eaten on the same day you offer it, or on the next day; and anything left over until the third day shall be consumed in fire. If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be acceptable. All who eat it shall be subject to punishment, because they have profaned what is holy to the Lord; and any such person shall be cut off from the people.

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.

You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord.

You shall not defraud your neighbour; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a labourer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling-block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbour. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbour: I am the Lord.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.

Things were going along so well

          Things were going along so well. I was returning from a family vacation and had a great time. The house had been locked up so tight it was like an oven when we returned causing the refrigerator to burn up. Food remnants discarded, a new refrigerator was quickly in place. Things were going so well then the very next morning my mother had a stroke. Things were returning to a semblance of normaility, going along fairly well and then one week later my dad had a stroke.  True story. Honestly, never ask what could happen next.

        Famous last words, "things were going along just fine..."  We all have our own versions, some worse than others perhaps. It might involve a kid getting sick, the car breaking down, someone dying, a cancer diagnosis just when things were .... going along so well. You can fill in your own blanks, we all have a story to tell. Why one-up each other?  The point is it happens to all of us, that's life.

         What we don't all have in common is whether we are people of light or people of the dark.  Being a follower of Christ or being one with God, there is a calmness and a sense of over riding peace no matter what happens. It seems odd to many, but people of faith know where their foundation is laid and it's not in the shifting sands of this world. It's not that you don't struggle but you have hope  and it is not coming in the form of the latest i-phone. In fact, the more your hope seems to be placed on material things, the more disappointed you may be when things 'happen'. 

         

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved,are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. 

Personal acts of piety

          It was the year of my  'coming out' and I was about 50 years old. I wanted to immerse myself in everything gay.  Gay expo, gay bars, gay books, gay pride. And so it was that I found myself in New York City on Pride weekend with some great friends. And lest you think I have changed, one of the things I wanted to do to celebrate was go to church. Bishop Gene Robinson had been asked to speak at a Presbyterian church in town and I wanted to hear him. I realized I am gay but I am also true to the fact that it is through God's graces that I have lived. It is through God's graces that I am gay and blessed being so I would add. 

       So as I enter the church, good Catholic boy that I was, I genuflect as a pass the alter. One of the ministers is quick to point out, "we don't do that here".   It seems like such an innocuous practice and certainly a sign of respect but a practice that speaks to definite differences between denominations. I am all for respect but I thoroughly understand the Presbyterian stance. I agree with it. So much for small acts of piety.  

         In the parish in which I used to serve there was a deacon, I have written about him from time to time. We have special names for him around the house here but let's just call him Joe.  Joe was amazingly devout except when it came to practicing and being a good Christian.  He was able to spout that this or that being a "mortal sin", almost about anything really. He "vomited" people out ( his words, not mine ), and routinely said people were "dead" to him.   Anyway, you get the picture. On the altar serving, Joe had a large number of religious flourishes  and actions to highlight the holiness of a given moment or perhaps himself.   When I was in the Seminary at this time I found out what actually was a mortal sin ( rarely did anyone's actions rise to Joe's criteria ), what proper actions were really to be performed on the altar and so forth. I realized just how many of Joe's actions were simple acts of personal piety. 

          As with many things in the Roman church, there are  myriad, a multitude, a mammoth amount of actions required and in proper sequence,  timing and execution.  To not do this or that properly put the entire Mass or event at risk of nullification or disrespect - probably a mortal sin! The intent of honoring God in our actions was locked up in precise, mechanized actions. So sad. What was especially funny to me was the time Joe prepared 'home made' hosts for a service. He and his wife put honey in the host to make it blend better, taste better or some such. It certainly was unleavened. However when news got out, it was 'honeygate'! The host was not 'valid', there was all kinds of calls to have him punished and the wires between our parish  and the bishop were overtaxed and sizzling.

          What have I learned from any and all of this?  Does it all really matter? Does honey in the host matter? really?? What is our intent or his intent in attending Mass?  Is the presence of Christ limited to a section of the Altar? only the altar? Is it a precise incantation and formula that is required for the living presence of Christ in a host?

        Perhaps I am getting old and tired of the minutea of religion.  So many have tired long before me and abandoned the lunacy of the Roman church. But in our lives and the life our faith, do we really need personal acts of piety to guarantee our legitimize our faithfulness?   Is our relationship with God that tenuous and must we be afraid of every little thing we do as a sin?

        My thoughts for this morning.  Have a truly beautiful, loving and God filled free day.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Hard look inside

          I rejoice in hearing the word of the Lord. I acknowledge my sinfulness to God. I am not as sure that I truly hear or truly respond to the call. I am aware how much God loves me, I mean, God really loves me and I take great solice in that, great comfort. This knowledge gives me peace.  I wonder if I allow myself to wallow in some quiet realm of self righteousness.  I read today's passage and I imagine myself sitting in the synagogue as Jesus unfolds the scroll and reads.

         I notice the words that are used.  

                               good news to the poor         

    

                               release of the captives

                               recovery of sight

                               oppressed go free.

         Then Jesus notes how most of the people are not going to get the message or they will reject it because of who it is that's giving the message. Jesus says this to people who are already in the synagogue, the people one would think are ready to listen, ready to see, ready to help. Jesus should be preaching to the choir so to speak. If I am one of the ones sitting it that synagogue, how would I react?

         The real questions is, how do I react?  While I am aware of my own sinfulness, do I take it enough to heart to change?  As an oppressed person, do I hold some level of self righteousness that some how allows me to think I am better than them?  who ever they are. 

           I know God loves me but is God weeping because the one he loves ( me ) is not getting the message He sends?  What will it take for me to truly hear and truly see? Surely I am not the worst but is that an excuse I can hold like a trump card? Better by comparison. Who am I to judge.

           If today allows some quiet time I think I should ponder and reflect on what is going on around me and perhaps most importantly, what going on within me. 

            How about you? 

      

Luke 4:16-30

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

   because he has anointed me

     to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

   and recovery of sight to the blind,

     to let the oppressed go free, 

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ 

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

Good sex, bad sex, no sex

          Another gay myth debunked.  If it wasn't so sad and riddled with ignorance and stereotypes, some of the most common anti-gay statements might be funny. One of the most pernicious is that gays recruit straight people to their 'lifestyle'. While recent studies point to a whopping 40-50% of straight people that have tried some form of same-sex experience, the truth is that no one is recruiting anyone and anyone who 'tries it' does so quite willingly and perhaps our of sheer curiosity. Bravo I say !. BravOH I say for lightening the yoke of sexual rigidity and puritanism. Sex is one of the many gifts from God to be shared, embraced and rejoiced in.

         Related to the idea of recruiting others is that gays want everyone to be gay and that if we let that happen, well, what would happen to the next generation? There won't be any ! Yikes! Can't let that happen now can we? Honestly, what a stupid idea.

         Some of the religious right wing nuts who teach such tripe and quote scripture ( like today's ) to allegedly support their position are misreading this passage or worse, take the word of some hack's interpretation of it and co opting it as their own 'facts'.

          If I were to take this passage and try to take a literal translation I could argue that no one , not even heterosexuals, should engage in sexual relations as lustful.  Then really, where would our next generation come from??

          Truth be told, here is a much more accurate account of this passage and it's translation. This passage was written when Christianity was spreading out to areas of the world that were multi-cultural with much different foundations philosophically and had many different competing ideas and certainly practises. For example, pederasty and prostitution were common. The Christian leaders found this contrary to what they were trying to preach and achieve. Certainly it gave a broader meaning to love one another.

        To clarify, they did not argue against right minded loving committed sex or homosexuality ( even though the term would not be invented for nearly 2000 years in the future ), they were just against lustful, abusive sex. In our time that would be anonymous sex, one night stands and general promiscuous sex.  They did not argue against loving committed sex of any kind.

            If we are to paint with a very broad anti-gay brush then it is equally correct to paint ALL sex, even heterosexual sexual relations as bad and prohibited.

           Context and translation can make a big difference just as ignorance can. Sadly it is often ignorance that make the news and gets the voice.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you knows how to control your own body in holiness and honour, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one. 

Having a friend for lunch?

          Did you ever watch a nature show where there is a herd roaming a savanna and a cheetah or tiger is aiming to pick one off for his lunch? The predator invariably tries one of two tactics. Aim for the center of the pack and pick a meal in the ensuing melee or start the chase and pick off an animal on the fringe. I think this idea of safety in numbers and huddling is instinctive to us for survival as animals.  Perhaps it is even where we get the notion of marginalization of individuals who are within a group but on the fringes. 

             In todays passage we hear about  rules and obligatory religious rituals. Many of these rituals are designed for cohesion of the group because the Jews lived in a hostile land and among hostile peoples. Survival was key and unity was essential if they were to survive as a people. Many rules were designed to set themselves apart, to prevent attrition through the community absorbing foreign customs, customs that would have them rebel against their God. In the end, this is still the herd trying to stay together.

           We still act this way as humans, trying to stay together. Common rituals are practiced as a way of cohesion. Whether it is a clique at school or work, a religion trying to maintain their own identity and existence, a political party with a myopic view of righteousness or an ethnic group who have been marginalized. We seem to always form these cohesive groups.

           To survive though, especially if you are on the fringes, you have to run fast.  I'd like to take a twist though on what it means to "run".  To me it isn't so much a literally running to survive as with a gazelle trying to avoid its spot on a cheetah's lunch menu. To me running is a decision to survive. Well, more than survive. Are we animals? Yes. Do we have a capacity to be more that just a gazelle on a survannah, no matter how magnificent that might be or look? Are we not designed to be more than that? Our ability to think, make choices and to love are all part of design to allow us to be the most that we can be. It is a design by God.  'Running' to me is more than survival then, it is a personal decision to make each day and each moment more than mere survival.

   

        We are confronted with choices all day long. When we wake up we make a decision, new sunrise and new opportunities. At almost every moment of the day things can 'go wrong' . Challenges abound but again they are opportunities. We decide what we are going to do, what we are going to become. We can immerse ourselves in some clique and disregard the fringes or we can rise above a herd mentality.  We can decide to love on an individual basis instead of having someone fro lunch.

        What choices will you make today? Right now? Survival or rising above?

              

Exodus 34:18-35

18 You shall keep the festival of unleavened bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.

19 All that first opens the womb is mine, all your male^* livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. ²⁰The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.

No one shall appear before me empty-handed.

21 For six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in ploughing time and in harvest time you shall rest. ²²You shall observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. ²³Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. ²⁴For I will cast out nations before you, and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

25 You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven, and the sacrifice of the festival of the passover shall not be left until the morning.

26 The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.

You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

27 The Lord said to Moses: Write these words; in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. ²⁸He was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.^* <VN>29</VN>

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant^* in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. ³⁰When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. ³²Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. ³³When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; ³⁴but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Suffering: it's all your fault

      In today's passage from a letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, the topic of suffering comes up.  We all undergo suffering of some sort. The problem seems to be, who is to blame?  Very often, so called people of faith try to foist it off as the result of someone else's action, it's someone else's fault or God is punishing you.

       To most of this I say balderdash! It is so easy to play the blame game. Most of the time, especially with societal ills and sufferings I think we have to look at ourselves, either personally or collectively.

        The manner in which we live, greenhouse gasses, global warming, rampant meat eaters and the like all contribute to an environment under assault. I am sure you could think of many more 'social ills'.  Genetic engineering perhaps?  deforestation of the amazon? poising ourselves with chemicals etc., etc., etc. I haven't touched on how we respect birth but seem far less concerned about respecting all of life, cradle to grave so to speak.  Do we respect each other as people? family? neighbors? countries? as fellow animals on a magnificent orb created by God and entrusted to us?

        So where does suffering come from? Are we so naive to think that our actions have no systemic repercussions?  When we flip off someone on the road, do you think it ends there? Perhaps the recipient carries it forward to someone and not in a nice way either.

      We often fail to see how far our good actions can carry and we are oblivious to how our selfishness and lifestyle can carry through to the rest of humanity too.  We see a rock thrown in a pond and the resulting rings on the water. Do our actions have any less a reaction?

     I find it laughable, sad, ignorant and arrogant when someone says something akin to 'Hurricane Katrina struck because of  the 'gays'. I find it plain stupid when anyone feels free to blame anything on just about anybody. 

      Before we blame a group of people, immigrants, political parties even or conworkers and strangers, I think we should pause at what we ourselves may be complicit in.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last.

As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!

Fulfilling the law.

          I have beleived for quite some years that God is revealed to us in the simplicity and complexities of the world. Yesterday I wrote about the power of glacial movement as a witness to the power of God and to the example of fully embracing who and what God created you to be.  There is no inticate formulizing or logic involved. You have eyes to see and you see God's created world. Observe and see. Observe and learn. On the other end of the spectrum there is the incredible intracacies of physics, particles and complex mathematics. This helps us see God a bit clearer but at the same time bears witness to how much we do not know about God and how awesome God is. All of this without philosophies and circular logic so rampant in some religions. Truth should be plain to see for all of humanity.

          It is quite true also with laws. We are very adept as humans at creating laws, religions seem to have an advanced degree in law making. Jesus railed against such nonsense all the time. It wasn't that he was against laws per se but Jesus knew the intent. Just as Jesus said "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, Jesus might say the laws were created for man not man for the laws. How do laws affect humanity? Can we obey all the laws in some rote fashion?  By strict adherance can we be saved? Jesus said he wasn't getting rid of the law, he was fulfilling it. 

           Laws are not meant to be easy, they are a kind of cliff notes for our behaviour. Thow shall not kill is not simply about murder or taking a physical life. It is about not loving, it is about killing someone's spirit, it is about devaluing life that has been created by God; a life that God cherished at least as much as God cherishes you.  Never picking up a gun and blowing someone away is not fulfillment of the sixth commandment.

        The real meat of the laws is in those two great commandments.  How do the ten play out when you circumscribe them with the great two?  Now you have to start using your brain. You can no longer check of boxes of questionable acts you did not do. Now you have to think,  if I live by the rule "whoever dies with the most toys wins" am I living up to the first commandment?  Even if I go to church every day in my Bentley and chic clothes I think the whole point is missed and you have failed at fulfilling the law. 

         How can you fulfill the law and how have I failed at fulfilling the law? That is the question.

Matthew 5:17-20

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mmmmm, salty taste

      One of the most important lessons I have ever learned is that you have to be true to yourself. One of the biggest examples I suppose was me realizing and acknowledging that I am gay. What brings these thoughts to mind is the discussion in this passage about what happens when salt loses it's flavor, 🎼  It ain't got much in it's favor! as it is sung in Godspell.

      So here we go. About ten years ago when I began to have twinges of emotional discomfort that eventually led to the realization that I am gay, I went on a retreat to the Canadian Rockies with an old friend ( a nun ) and my spiritual director ( a Priest ).  The time offered some incredibly powerful images and revelations that I still feel quite vividly to this day.  At one point in the retreat we were walking on a glacier which our guide described as powerful and relentless. The locals had fashioned many roads out to the glacier every one of which had been engulfed by the ever advancing glacier. Even though it's march forward had slowed, it still swallowed up everything in it's path that was stationary.  The glacier was a force of nature and could not help but be true to itself by advancing and being ....a glacier. Mountain tops had been softened from jagged peaks, whole parcels of land had been engulfed and moved in it's path.   This process was easily grasped even by me especially since I live on a glacially formed island with terminal moraines and small remnants of what would be fjords in a different geology. The glacier is a yet another vision of God, his power and the example of being true to be who and what you are. 

       Even further into my past, when I began working for a governmental agency, I recall the use of sick time being an issue. It was never something that really bothered me, it was a benefit offered to us and as far as I was concerned it was to be used ... are you ready?...if you get sick! Of course there are people who think the first 80 degree day is a cause to call in sick with the prescribed treatment being 18 holes of golf.  Still others I suppose simply give in to the urge to stay in bed on any given day since they know they will be paid anyway. The system seemed to foster abuse of sick time. So why did I not convert to a sick time abusing government employee? In the end, you have to be true to yourself. You cannot be someone you are not. 

       Whether you're are talking about the glacially powerful knowledge that you are gay or that you are guided by moral values that precludes you from betraying a trust (however comical this sounds) where one uses sick time for being sick, you have to be true to who and what you are. Salt is salt you might say.

       When you try to not be gay, try to hide being gay, convert to being someone you are not or behaving in ways that go against your nature, all sorts of horrible things come about.   Your nature being as strong and sure as only God can make it,  your denial becomes manifest is some other way.  Some of the most obvious are self hate and anger. Depending on your life and who your are and what you do for a living, your actions can be profoundly dangerous to not only yourself but to the public and your family and friends. Hiding who you are is one of life's biggest mistakes. I would hasten to add that denying whom God made you to be is an affront to God. God made you who you are for a reason.

     If you are salt be salt. If you lose your saltiness,  you become useless and your whole life becomes tainted .

Matthew 5:11-16

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The spousal beatings will continue...

          The other day I noted that there is a section of Leviticus that says we are allowed to have slaves so long as they are from other countries. The question asked was, did that apply to Canadians as well as Mexicans?  Here again we find a passage from scripture which on the face of it seems to condone slavery. Are we really to take this literally?

          When I was a young boy and up until not too long ago, the Church, that is the Roman church as well as many others, used this passage for another reason. You could have the worst son of a bitch husband in the world, a lying, beating, drunken bum of a guy and a wife was told to go back to him because, "wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord". Didn't anyone see this as horribly wrong?? 

        In fact we've come to realize slavery is wrong, abusive spouses is wrong, rape is wrong  ( see Leviticus 1-29; Genesis 19:30-38 ).  People who take such passages literally are really incerdibly ignorant of the message and context of scriptures. Sadly, this kind of ignorance is not only rampant in some "Christian" churches, their spiritual leaders still teach it!  

         Also when I was growing up, I know there were a great many phrases our parents used to keep us in line. There were outlandish threats like 'I'll beat you within an inch of your life' or 'If I have to pull this car over, I’m leaving you by the side of the road' or the famous 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!'.  How many of you kept your nose to the grindstone?  We say so many silly things mostly routed in exaggeration. We got the message because we had the intelligence to understand.  Do we have the intelligence to understand that the passages of scripture were often written simply in accepted norms of the day? Whole passages used back then applied without reflection of morality or any kind of modern enlightenment. To take passages written millennia ago out of context is absurd. 

         And the message of Christ seems subverted lmost from the getgo with emphasis placed on absolutely the wrong things.  It was Christ who railed against the Pharisees and Christ is synthesized all of Jewish law into the two great commandments. Let us keep those in mind. 

Colossians 3:18-4:18

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. ²¹Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.

Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

If I only had

     I have to admit I was not always good with money. The truth is, I squandered a vast fortune before I was jolted to my senses.  IN just one example I spent a considerable amount of my income to buy a really nice van. Yep, you got it, a van. Ewww, a van, how exciting!  I had convinced myself that if I had this van I could do some great stuff for my family and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. The payments were astronomical and when it finally came to doing I had little left to buy fuel.  It was comical and very sad. I had convinced myself that if I had this van all good things would happen.

      I am sure we all have examples of what we could buy or find, or have and then we'd be happy.  We are capable of incredible mental gymnastics to justify almost anything. Perhaps that is the seed of the devil.

      What I have come to know however is that God is clever enough to give us whatever we truly need to be happy inside ourselves. In fact, being happy with who we are as individuals is what will make us truly, truly happy.  One step further then, when we share who we are and share what we have, we are happier still. 

       It took me quite a long time to realize who I am. Thankfully, in that process of accepting who I am and loving myself I realized how wasteful and useless it was to accumulate 'things', to live beyond one's means and to let myself be guided by Madison avenue  rather than Jesus whom I had always claimed was my savior. 

        Not much more to say. You can write your own script for this with your own examples in life.  When you do share who you are and what you have, you discover it is much more than enough and you enrich everyone around you.

Mark 6:30-44

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³²And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ³⁵When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; ³⁶send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ ³⁷But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii^* worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ ³⁸And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ ³⁹Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. ⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴²And all ate and were filled; ⁴³and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. ⁴⁴Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

Love when you least expect it.

     I have always been intrigued by the appellation "the disciple whom Jesus loved".  As a youth I suppose it touched an unknown part inside that Jesus might possibly love another more than the rest. Jesus clearly loved all his disciples and certainly all of us but by singling out an individual, it' seemed weird. I always thought so. Of course the writer of the Gospel himself (John) would think that Jesus loved him best. It is telling though that none of the other 'authors' noted the same thing about themselves.

      So in researching John further, the fourth apostle invited to follow Jesus, I found rather interesting commentaries about why the name was given John, why Jesus asked Mary to care for John and visa versa. The mental gymnastics to support a given person or denominational view about the Jesus / John story is telling. It isn't so much that they are so particularly convincing. I find it interesting that many of the same translational and biblical critique practises are used to support the idea that Jesus and John were in fact lovers. 

       Where does the truth lie?  After changing my own opinion several times in my life, I have finally come down to a decision of my own. Based on a much more intensive study of actual words used in scripture, the actions of Jesus as they compare to the other disciples, a greater understanding of exactly how they lived at the time. and recent publications. Very intellectual perhaps but I do not dismiss the emotional aspects either as Jesus was fully human. Jesus had a need for companionship which he clearly had from Martha, Mary, Lazarus and so many others noted in scripture. But it is John who lays on Jesus' breast reclining at table. It is John who accepts not only the responsibility for Jesus' mother but also accepts that he (John) is now her son.  A biblical bonding or acknowledgement of their relationship akin to David and Jonathan or Ruth and Naomi?

          What I find fascinating too is the manner in which Jesus finds John.  Finding a companion, friend , lover or anyone close usually does not come at the point of a direct search, advertisement or arrangement. Your 'one true' comes when you least expect it and when you are perhaps not even looking.  And Jesus found a soul mate and companion in John when he least expects it. Jesus is looking for disciples, not a lover or even friend though he seems to me to find all three.

            I could go on about Jesus and John, I am not an expert but certainly more knowledgeable that most. What I find most impressive is that finding the love of your life or any meaningful relationship is quite often at the hands of God. You turn a different corner, you meet someone in an odd place, you are thrown together in unexpected circumstances. 

          To witness and love we all are called to keep our eyes open and our ears peeled but we often don't realize the import of being that good listener or what we might see if we keep our eyes focused on what is going on around us. It might very well mean the love of our life.

Matthew 4:18-25

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

This Blog is silent today

A Day of Silence Prayer: Stop bullying God's LGBTQ youth

Day of Silence Prayer (long version)

by Kittredge Cherry

Silence is memory....

Remembering those who died young,

Driven to suicide by bullying

Or killed 

Because of who they loved

Because of the way God created them

Because they were called 

Gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, sodomite…

Remembering Tyler Clementi, Leelah Alcorn, Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, Gwen Araujo, Haylee Fentress, Paige Moravetz, and many, many more.

Silence is action….

Calling attention to how people are silenced

When bigotry is disguised as humor,

When prejudice turns into threats

And even violence.

Silence is solidarity…

Students, family, teachers, friends

Who care enough

To share the stigma,

To stand with the queer and questioning

Stopping hate with compassion.

Silence is pride, LGBTQ pride…

Not letting the bullies win.

Claiming our right to be.

With dignity

Part of God’s rainbow.

Silence is prayer…

For Mary’s child.

Whenever any child is bullied,

Christ is bullied.

Whenever any child is called names,

Christ is called names.

Mary’s child said,

“Whatever you do to the least of these,

you do to me.”

With sighs too deep for words,

Listening in the silence

For the still small voice of God.

Amen.

Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The first Day of Silence was organized at the University of Virginia in response to a class assignment on non-violent protest. More than 8,000 schools have participated in the event, which is held every year in April.

___

I can quote the Bible so I am right

     There is an older Internet meme, copied on The West Wing, involving an alleged letter to           Dr. Laura about quoting the Bible. It is clever and funny and asks Dr. Laura such questions as "How much can I sell my daughter for?" and 'if I can only have slaves from neighboring countries, does that apply to Canada as well as Mexico'? Clever indeed, all the while quoting the scripture passage which sanctions such behaviour and poking fun at Bible quoting religious zealots who apparently have little knowledge about true faith and true love. 

      Anyone can quote the Bible, cherry pick verses for their own agenda and never actually be a true Christian or a good person. Case in point here is Satan who seems to have a handy knowledge of scripture to test Jesus with while trying to have our Lord betray all he stands for and kneel down before the subservient Satan.  

      I wonder how many of us use scripture to bend God's will to ours?  Be that as it may the truth here is not found in quoting scripture passages. As I said anyone can do that, it proves nothing at all without action. It's those great commandments that will get you every time.  Who cares how learned you are about anything in this entire world unless you love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself?  Everything is based on that. To go off quoting scripture for your own end is a falsity from the get go.

       Scripture passages, like ancient customs and pious traditions are fine to enrich your faith but they are not unto themselves, faith. We need always to put things into perspective and always have love at the heart of every action.

      Now,  let's go stone some hunky football players for touching pigskin on the sabbath. Sunday football indeed!

       

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,

“One does not live by bread alone,

   but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

“He will command his angels concerning you”,

   and “On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’ 

Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

“Worship the Lord your God,

   and serve only him.” ’ 

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The inheritance

     As a father myself I know what it is like to be proud of one's son or daughter. You kvell inside. It is not usually because they have managed to make peace in the middle east or found a cure for AIDS. The grounds for pride is usually much simpler. Living a good life and being a person of character is grounds in my book for great pride even if I had little to do with the life decisions that make the man (from a son).

     I wonder what the pride would be in case of a man like Donald Trump? Already wealthy by parentage and "loaned" a million dollars, what did he do with the money? Is that the basis for pride? I hear the almost raw sewage that flows from the man's mouth and he thinks it is like liquid gold. Truth be told it is heinous, venomous speech. Is that what you might be proud of a son for? Is the speech and character ( or lack thereof ) overlooked because of the empire created?

      When God looks down on us as sons and daughters, what have we done with our birthright? We are co-inheritors of this planet and of eternal salvation. What have done with that?  Sometimes I think God looks down on us and He weeps at what we do to each other and what we have failed to do (for each other). 

        Am I a trumpeter of God's love and joy or a 'Trump'ist who squanders, scares and sacrifices brothers for power and selfishness?

        What have you done with your inheritance?

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Both sides of the fence

     I confess to my utter amazement at the self righteousness and arrogance of the far right uber Christian wingnuts (too much?) when they speak for 'Christianity' in condemning me, all other gay people and everyone under the umbrella of LGBTQi. These zealots are so sure that they have interpreted the Bible so perfectly and that God has given them them the task of proclaiming and condemning. 

     I too read holy Scripture and in my own arrogance feel that if I am not quite certain of the translations of key passages used to condemn people like me or others, it at least is not what they say. God is certainly more loving. Jesus lived a life of rebellion, inclusiveness, forgiveness. Jesus railed against the Pharisees  for goodness sake. What more proof do I need?

      It seems there is a bit of arrogance and self righteousness all around, at least for both sides of the religious / political fence if you will.      

     Two phrases though have caught my attention, Bear fruit worthy of repentance and God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. I have already written about the necessity for us to live what we preach.  That's not to say that I am good at it but I try. I hope I get some credit for that.

      What I think we forget about is that second phrase I re-printed, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. God does not need us. Really, God does NOT NEED US. 

WE NEED GOD.  God wants more that just about anything to have a relationship with us as 'parent' so to speak. God was willing to die for us but God really does not need us. God could whisk us away and could start all over. But realize God did die for us. God loves us that much.

       What are we to do? Perhaps judge less, keep our ears open more. Maybe we could make that extra effort on both sides of the fence to try to understand more and know, really know that God loves them at least as much as God loves me.

Matthew 3:7-12

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

Ancestry of Jesus

     If you are of sufficient age you may recall a television mini-series called Roots. Roots are something we all can get into. Today there are abundant resources on line to help you find your ancestors going back pre colonial America and with DNA you can trace your biological ancestry even further. All very impressive.       

      When I read this passage from Matthew it overwhelms you with the lineage of Jesus. It's intention for one is to note that Jesus has the 'creds' for the job.  He's an itinerant preacher with a pretty highbrow background.

        I know from working in big organizations that very often it is who you know that may help get you a job. An introduction. But like Jesus, you wind up having to stand on your own actions and performance. We have to know who we are inside, that we have the goods and not really as much as our ancestors did. 

       How do we find out if we have what it takes?  How do we even know who we are aside from who are ancestors were? A tried and true method has always been heading into the desert. Often a literal trip of solitude it can easily be a personal desert, a barren time or challenge that tests our mettle. Some people call it testing by fire. We are tested and we succeed, now we can lead, that's pretty much how it goes.

         It would seem fool hardy to literally march off into the desert these days. What we need to do is search our soul, get to our own depths, challenge the easiness we may have in life, challenge the temptations we face and with prayer and guidance emerge better off, better prepared to live a life of leadership and faith in God's name.

         

          

Matthew 1:1-17, 3:1-6

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. 

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

   make his paths straight.” ’ 

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.