Fighting fear

       I recently read that worry is simply praying for something bad to happen. It really struck a cord in me for me to remember one line from an entire book. Another problem for us as humans is fear. Fear would seem to be a lack of hope and certainly a lack of faith.  The response is often to recoil into one's self and deceive ourselves into thinking of the 'good old days' when life was better. We often forget the moaning we had done at the time, noting how miserable were. 

       If we look back and take a long view however, we can see how far we have come. We can see how graced we have been. We can see how far the Spirit has taken us in wisdom and truth. In rejecting the movement forward though we are rejecting the Spirit.

       So was the case in today's passage from Acts where some rejected the Word. The message was then opened to the gentiles as well. Today's Holy person is Alexander Crummell.  A holy man , Priest, who strove for equality even in his own faith, his own church. That I am familiar with.  The church of my birth labels me and other gay men and women as "intrinsically disordered" in their very own catechism.  It seems the movement of the Spirit is fought tooth and nail even today.  When the light of wisdom and truth is revealed and embraced by many churches, others ( like the Roman Catholic Church ) find fit to fight enlightenment and hold fast to ancient and outmoded philosophies and scientific information. Certainly the movement of the Spirit is rejected and insulted.

        Far from an indictment of a church, today's reading is an indictment of us all but also an invitation to be aware, repent and live without the fear of unknowns and move forward in the Spirit as God has promised and delivered - always.

        What fear do we embrace rather than move forward with the Spirit in love and peace? 

Acts 13:44-52

 The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles,
   so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” ’

 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Salt, light and the Big Bang

       Have you ever tried to stuff a Jeannie back in it's bottle? OK, let's ask a more realistic question. Do you think it would be possible to reverse the Big Bang?  Whether or not you believe that God created this 'Big Bang' , the fact is the universe is expanding almost beyond our comprehension. Can anyone reverse it?

         It seems to me that there is a specific essence to everything. Something that God created has a nature all it's own and it has no choice but to obey. Thoughts of Barbara Eden aside, we cannot change what God has created. Our choice is to cooperate and contribute.

        Today's passage from Matthew speaks quite pointedly of all this. Salt has it's saltiness, without that character it is of little value. Light? You put on a stand. You don't light a light to hide it. Light is for illumination. 

       My first real experience with this concept came at a glacier in British Columbia. It had no choice but advancing, even in it's looming death due to global warming, it advanced. The glacier had to be true to itself. I have described this many times before. At that time I was just becoming aware that I might be gay. As funny as that might sound at the age of 50 it scared the hell out of me. The glacier was telling me that if I was gay, there would be no retreating from such a fundamental aspect of my being. It was cooperate with God's plan and contribute or . . . . I do not know. I am not accustomed to saying no to God in such a fundamental way.  When I was in therapy and both 'coming out' and 'staying in' so to speak both seemed like unrealistic and impossible choices, I know I began to understand how a person could contemplate suicide. No way to turn.  But perhaps that is my answer. Even though I know suicide is a permanent choice to a temporary problem, that solution involves death. Perhaps that is what not cooperating with God is, death. Cooperation, acceptance and love then, is life.

         Most of us, I think, do not have to deal with the decision of cooperating with their very nature in such a fundamental way. Saltiness, light, being gay.  We can cheat at it too, put the light around the corner for indirect lighting. We now have dimmer switches and the like.  But the example of accepting the essence of our being, our very nature, is still clear, bright and strong. Accept the gifts and characteristics which God has created.  Enter into your being, appreciate it, get pruny in it.  This is true of all creation. Perhaps it is one reason why meditation can yield such enormous peace and truth simply looking at a grain a wheat, a flower or basically anything that God has created. Perhaps acceptance and appreciation of the essence of things is how Mother Theresa could love so many people that were deemed cast offs. Perhaps the very nature of Jesus and His love for us was why he entered into his crucifixion so willingly. His nature was  to love us and that is why he did what he did, why he lived as he lived and shared his divinity so freely and completely. 

        Can God reverse the Big Bang?  Let some philosphical or theological brainiac think on that. For me that kind of question is trouble with a capital T.  Let's just accept joyfully the essence of things, especially ourselves. Give thanks and praise to God for it and cooperate with that essence and always, always, love yourself and others

       

Matthew 5:13-20

 ‘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.

 ‘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.

Are you listening to the prophets?

       The information had been there for centuries. The prophets and Scriptures attested to what was going to occur. A descendant of David, would be the redeemer, the Saviour, the Christ! The words were repeated for eons in the daily services of the observant religious. John came along and spoke all the more, attesting to the coming of the Christ, the one whose sandal he was not fit to tie.

       What signs are you willing to accept? What signs do we overlook with willful ignorance? I guess the question might really be, do we try at all? Do we test ourselves as much as we might at the gym, pushing to the point of pain. No pain, no gain!

        Are we willing to listen to the voices of those that we least admire, that might hold a kernel of truth for us while we are repulsed at everything else they say and do.  Think of those people we detest, are we willing to accept that they hold a sincere and holy message for us? When we view the justice of the world versus the justice of God, are we willing to accept that message from God?  How do you feel when some Johnny come lately at work gets paid the same as you for a mere portion of the entire work day? (Mt. 20:1-16)   Is that an injustice? Is it God's justice? How do we handle all the discrepancies in our lives that we want to make sense of. Perhaps we demand things be changed to follow our own idea of justice?  Perhaps we tag along and adopt someone else's idea of justice.

          The question really is, do we accept the teachings and life of our Saviour because they are more often than not, in direct contrast to what we want or proclaim by our actions.

Would you, are you, listening to the prophets?

Acts 13:26-43

 ‘My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people.And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm,
“You are my Son;
   today I have begotten you.” 
As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“I will give you the holy promises made to David.” 
Therefore he has also said in another psalm,
“You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.” 
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you: 
“Look, you scoffers!
   Be amazed and perish,
for in your days I am doing a work,
   a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.” ’

 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath. When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

The oculist

        Have you seen your oculist lately?  I find it's always good to get a check-up from the neck-up no matter how you read that, eyes just being one portion. If you get a new prescription for glasses you are often amazed at how much clearer the world is. Periodic adjustments in all of your life are an excellent idea.

       In reading this selection from Psalm 37, I am reminded of what my path is. My entire life has been seeking the Lord. While I try to remind myself daily that I am a part of the world but not "of" the world, sometimes I can get caught up in daily routines, the news and world events. It is a distraction to say the least and before you know it, you could easily be off the path you've decided on. Lost in the very spot where you stand or sit. How many people are lost souls, unguided or misguided by worldly things? I think a periodic adjustment or reminder of what we believe and where we truly want to go is a good thing.

          Truth be told though, even in this psalm there is a germ, a hint of how we go astray. I was thinking how so many people of my age are into 'reconnecting' via FaceBook and a whole aray of media platforms. It's not just to rekindle old friendships which is a good thing. It is good to share one's roots and reaffirm your path. That periodic readjustment if you will.  Sometimes though I think it may be used to see where the others are, have they gone astray? How many people have you connected with that seem to have missed the messages of love and inclusion that we were raised on? Ruler whacking aside, which I never was on the receiving end of, the good Nuns gave us excellent examples and were superior teachers of the love, forgiveness and truth that the Gospel message tries to convey. There is more than one or two people that have been 'blocked' because their rants and opinions slide to just this side of lunacy, heresy and just bat-shit-crazy. In all fairness, the inclusive loving message of the Gospel does not always win me awards either. Jesus' radical message of love is not always accepted well. The fact that I don't cherry pick passages from Scripture to support my own agenda goes against a current trend as well.  

        While I think it's great to have even a daily means to self reflection and self assessment, I believe that I am better served sticking with Scripture as my guide than posing to myself how well or good I have done in comparison to others. There will always be those who have done better or worse than myself. 

         Once you know your course in life, it's a far far better thing to do, to travel along letting God be your guide. I guarantee you will always be loved, surprised, amazed, filled with joy and always be thankful.

Psalm 37

Of David.
Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers, 
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act. 
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices. 

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
   Do not fret—it leads only to evil. 
For the wicked shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. 
But the meek shall inherit the land,
   and delight in abundant prosperity. 

The wicked plot against the righteous,
   and gnash their teeth at them; 
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he sees that their day is coming. 

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
   to bring down the poor and needy,
   to kill those who walk uprightly; 
their sword shall enter their own heart,
   and their bows shall be broken. 

Better is a little that the righteous person has
   than the abundance of many wicked. 
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
   but the Lord upholds the righteous. 

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
   and their heritage will abide for ever;

Don't worry, I'm in control

       Human intervention in God's ways, His intentions, and plans never goes very well whether it is the hierarchy of a church or as individuals. Today we recall the holy man, Gregorio Labayan Aglipay. Gregorio was a Roman Catholic Priest who like Luther knew first hand of the errors of the hierarchy's ways. Like Luther, a new sect of Christianity arose from it. A new schism if you will. The beliefs may be the similar or even the same but separated wildly and deeply by the ministrations of men trying to foist their own will and control over the faithful.

       In the Canon Law course I attended in Seminary, we were given many strict admonitions. One was to avoid anything that would cause scandal. The example given was a Priest seen entering a strip club/bar. Oh, if only that were true, that would really be the least of the Catholic churches worries. Let's set aside that Jesus himself would likely find friends in such an establishment. Avoiding such scandals in honesty and innocence should be the depth of the scandals but sadly, it is not nearly so. What we were never brought in on was the enormous and heinous scandals of covering up other enormous and heinous acts of the Church itself.

       I think it is safe to say the church really bollixed themselves up into a corner on this one. No way out. Horrible evil perpetrated on innocent youth and handled in a most deceitful and power holding way.  No, again, controlling God's plans don't work well for us humans.  Trying to force celibacy on human men with normal natural inclinations has only served to induce pedophiles into the Priesthood and caused more scandal and tarnished the good name of our Lord and Savior in the process.

         But let's move on if we can. Not forget, no, never forget. But let's move on to ourselves. Are we any better at controlling the will of God in our lives? Do we try to plan and coordinate the way we want things for ourselves and others? Perhaps not on the same gigantic scale as the hierarchy of the Roman Church but we are guilty of other sins. Is it a sin to not listen to God? Is it a sin to speak for God like we are the all knowing? We certainly have shown we are not the all loving. The church certainly is not all loving.

          There are some scandals that are worth it though. Jesus showed us and they all involve love. Loving the lepers. Reaching out to the Samaritan woman at the well. Curing a Roman Centurions male lover. Allowing work and curing on the sabbath. The list of Jesus' scandals are legion. Those are what we should be emulating. We have a great deal of arrogance in the way we control, decide who is worthy and who is not. The world is going haywire it seems and it is all our own doing.

         As Bonnie Raitt would sing "Let's give them something to talk about" but let it be in loving ways, the ways Jesus would love and does every one of us. No controls.

Acts 12:18-25

 When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. The people kept shouting, ‘The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!’And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

 But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark. 

Freedom or slavery?

       Reading today's Scripture passage, I'd be hard pressed not to think of the freedoms we enjoy here in these United States. Far from perfect, always great and purported to be the last best hope of mankind. But what freedoms do we enjoy?

       Years ago at the height of the cold war I heard a very compelling response from a communist apologist about freedom. Oddly enough he argued that a communist citizen was more free than any citizen of the United States. His theory was that communist citizens had only to be concerned with fulfilling their lives not having to worry any longer about health care and housing which was all supplied by the state. In theory.  In reality it is nonsense of the highest order. But it begs the question of what we are free from in any country, in any situation.

        Freedom is quite a charged word. The United States was formed on the premise of separation of church and state. Yet there are many this very day that are trying to eliminate that barrier to make this a "Christian" theocracy.  In reality, this too is nonsense of the highest order. We are free to embrace whatever religion, or no religion, as long as it does not impinge on the rights of others.  That Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, once engaging in the public domain must  comply with rules and guidelines of the government which should be non-denominational. ( No preference for any religion ).Not doing so impinges on other constitutional rights, the freedom to the pursuit of my happiness and my freedom of religion. If you are not willing to abide by some universal governmental guidelines, you have no business in the public sector.  Of course that's how I feel. Intelligent minds can argue but in the end we are supposed to have a separation between church and state. We certainly were not founded as a Christian country no matter who proclaims it to be so. It just isn't so.

        As citizens of the world and especially these United States, I do know that we are a horrible disadvantage. We seem to be slaves to a large number of 'things', none of which have a relation to God.  Whether it 's the slavery to materialism, prestige or some other human construct, we are not as free as we like to think we are.  This slavery quite often takes us far away from our creator that wants to have a personal relationship with us when we seem more attached at times to our phones than perhaps even our kids, spouses or families. Who is trapped in slavery now?

           We at least have arrived at a point where human slavery seems to be universally abhorrent even if it is not eradicated.  We see that just because it is mentioned in Scriptures, it is not morally right. But now we have enslaved ourselves and it is up to us to rebel and fight back at the hands that bind us, even if they are our own hands or our own minds.

            Let us not take freedom for granted. Perhaps we would be freer in a United States that takes away the concern of health care and allows us that much more freedom to pursue more productively the objectives of a more humane society. 

       Today's thoughts, freedom or enslaved?

          

John 8:33-47

They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’

 Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.’

 They answered him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does.’ They said to him, ‘We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.’

Apostolic example of the best kind

       Do you recall reading a math equation in school about train A and train B leaving, add speeds and come up with an answer as to where they might meet or how long it will take for Train A to get to it's destination? I might start with a new one involving the Concorde leaving New York for Paris. It might seem like minutes if not perhaps seeming to go back in time it is so fast. How about we look back at the Apostles and their travels as noted in today's passage. How long does it take Barnabas to get to Antioch? It would be at least a six day walk, perhaps a bit faster by some more modern transport - like a horse. 

       The Way was spreading almost like wildfire it seems and without benefit of FaceBook, Twitter or CNN.  These ancient believers, Apostles and Saints of Jerusalem travelled much of the known world and even further on in the coming years.  It seems a far cry in comparison to the world we would know , a far cry even from a world we might see as destitute or poverty stricken by our standards. Rich living was not something that truly existed save very few.  The decadent American lifestyle of the rich and famous was a bit down the road beyond imagination, not part of their nightmares.

          But in this ancient world of travel, they did have something that we are familiar with. Well, we have heard of such things anyway - famine. It's worth noting that the combination of long distances and the ability and to help others was not beyond their abilities. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

       When life seems to hold almost bare sustenance for themselves, when persecution is a way of life for them, the faithful feel compelled to help their brothers in a foreign land quite some distance away. How do you even get any large amount of assistance to their destination in this ancient world? There are is no DHL, no FedEx, no air drops. They did what they could as best they could even in the face of some serious logistical problems.

        So the question remains. If we have the money to board the Concorde in New York, couldn't we just board a Lufthansa flight for far less money and make our own journey to wholeness that much better by giving the excess to the poor and needy? The real question is, to what lengths are we willing to go to help our fellow man? Are man made borders our limit?  How about nationalities?  What time, talent and monetary restrictions do we place on God's love?

         Once again, the disciples give an example. 

         

Acts 11:19-30

 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord.News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they associated with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.

 At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.