Lenten Journey: I've got the power !

      I am thoroughly enjoying my readings and 'retreat leader' so far this Lent.  There is much personal terrain to cross. It's a wonderful feeling to be in a seat of power over drifting aimlessly.

      The Gospel for today is just about power. The devil is tempting Jesus in the desert and Jesus comes through flawlessly as one would expect. The question posed to me then is how would I respond to such temptations. Then I realize, the question really is how do I respond to temptations, you know, the ones that you and I come across every day. Rarely do they involve transmuting rocks to bread or having dominion over the world or even a small portion thereof.

        But I realize I do have power all the same and the temptations I face are perhaps mundane compared to the universe but are powerful all the same. In the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life Jimmy Stewart has difficulty realizing the great impact his life has on everyone around him.  To the thinking person, this has enormous power and one realizes how our own actions can and do have a broad ranging impact on our community and even the world.

        What small decisions will I make today that will have a much broader affect? It can be as simple as a smile, recognizing the dignity of a stranger, a patient, a neighbor or even someone we find repulsive like a political candidate. Challenges indeed. Some simple, some not so simple, all to be used and exercised wisely.

        Part of the power that we hold is in the dignity given to us by virtue of our creation by God. How many of us can imagine being present at the moment that God, the creator of all we see and cannot see, made the decision that what the world needs now is the human in the form of me? You?
I was graced to be transported to that moment when I walked a labyrinth many years ago. The power of God in that moment was humbling, scary and enormously powerful. It was all more that I could take in before I broke into tears, trembling and weak in the knees.

         What do we do with the realization that we have such power in ourselves?  One is to respect who we are, be proud of who we are. Hopefully not arrogant but certainly some amount of a mature pride.  Pride in self is key and respect for self is key. No matter who you are and what God created you to be, if you truly know what God created you to be, love yourself, and use that power wisely.

          I am proud to be a decent and loving husband, father, minister and gay man. There is much more but this is what I am working with right now. I have the power! How about you?
         

Lenten journey: A Valentine's date with Jesus?

     If I were a Jew, akin to some kind of born again, Bible thumping Christian, I would be so troubled. The literal interpretation of Hebrew Scripture would be quite a challenge. Whether it is Leviticus that would have me stoning people right and left, or the "eye for eye" scenario, half the world including myself would be blind. I love the current call for a reality show where people would have to live a year by totally strict Hebrew scripture. Bedlam I am sure!

     I've said on these pages since it's inception, the Bible is not a document written directly by the hand of God to be taken literally. Hebrew scripture is more of a library with stories, albeit holy and inspired stories, of God and his people. The people writing of their trials and tribulations and their fervent desire to be holy. That is a beloved people of God, the chosen people and they truly want to live up to that. Hence, the rules and rubrics of Leviticus not to mention the literalness of the Ten Commandments.

       But here it is Lent. We are trying to challenge and grow. Isaiah today continues his call for repentance and not to some literal call to purity by the law. The call is to "give up" or fast from the way we live. Can we give up hatred for Lent? Can we give up being stubborn? Can we give up on our social injustices? Can we give up on us trying to be the judgemental hand of God and leave that to him? Her?

        In Luke's reading today we have our ray of sunshine and again, a call to move beyond the rules and rubrics that the elite claim as their raison d'etre of holiness. Luke notes that Jesus is not calling the holy ones. (Does a healthy person need a doctor?) Jesus consorts with all the worst people and socializes with them and seemingly loves them as much as the elite seem to love their fellow elite.

        What gives here?  In the same breath that we are called to repent, to look at our lives with blanched honesty, in that 'tearing down moment of honesty', we need to know that Jesus is calling us. Jesus is calling us, the sinners. Jesus wants to have a real relationship with us! In fact, Jesus loves us, warts and all, saints and sinners, just as we are. No matter where we are on our journey, Jesus would have loved nothing more than to sit down with you and break bread, perhaps have that glass of wine and shoot the breeze over who you are, where you are in life, and says 'so how was your day today?'

        In the midst of calling for brutal self honesty and perhaps looking at our worst attributes and deciding to move forward towards God and the totally beautiful person we are called to be, Jesus loves you and wants to be your friend. Cool. Way cool.

   

Lenten Journey: Engaging yourself

     What a spectacular reading from  Isaiah today ( 58:1-9a ), I encourage you to read it.  How bold Isaiah is to challenge the temple elite as Jesus did, perhaps it's why he met the same fate as Jesus, an early death.  Isaiah speaks of what kind of fasting God truly wants and it is not the obnoxious, omnipresent lamentations of the religiously fervent and devout. These are the same people who are scrupulous at Sunday services who are overt in their acts of personal piety, bends, bows, beatings of the breast, hands raised to the sky - until they verbally assault someone in the vestibule of the church or mow someone down on their way out of the parking lot.

      God asks a different kind of fast, an active, vibrant and offertory fast of social action, liberating, loving action.

      Here's a thought. Jesus embraced his humanity to the full. He was born normally, was raised, loved, played, and grew into a normal man with friends and perhaps even a lover or two. Who knows. The point is, he embraced his humanity to the full.  It would seem a spectacular idea to embrace our own humanity, our own unique, God created, humanity.

     So as we ease into Lent, read verse 6 from  Isaiah 58,
                                                           
                                                             Is not this the fast that I choose:

                                                             to loose the bonds of injustice,

                                                             to undo the thongs of the yoke,

                                                             to let the oppressed go free,

                                                             and to break every yoke? 

But here's the twist, here's the real thought, gear it to yourself with the same fervor any religious zealot might. Be generous with yourself, lavish yourself with love, acceptance and work fervently to free yourself from the things that hold you back from being the fully loved and fully engaged human that God created you to be. Embrace your humanity as Jesus embraced his.

     This is a lifetime effort for sure but making the decision to try and do this is an admirable goal for Lent. By all means, also try to engage Isaiah 58:6 in the world in every way you can see and are called to. But first, for now, engage yourself. Set yourself free and fly.

Lenten Journey: Black or White

      In today's reading from Deuteronomy and Luke I am reminded of how I ( wrongfully ) looked at religion as a child. It still affects how I and many others mark our Lenten Journey. Perhaps we could look to the Baltimore Catechism to see why I beleived God had a great tally book in which the all knowing God marked what things I had done wrong and what things I had done right.

       The notions of either/or , black or white, good or bad and the way that plays out in our life and for today, our Lenten journey is very important. How we perceive ourselves and our journey in Lent and in our journey to wholeness are seen in these terms. We judge ourselves and others in these terms.

       Isn't our life and faith more like a dance though? We move forward , we move back, we move around, we adventure, we discover, we learn, we grow. We also challenge ourselves, our thoughts; We discover that the world is not so black and white. Not only are there grays in God's created world but a spectrum of magnificent colors waiting to explode in our sights, in our lives. Our life activities and decision are not just black or white, good or bad.

       How can we encourage more rainbows in our lives this Lent and less judgemental dualism?

       I have come to beleive, quite ironically, that the answer to the dualism, polar vision and judgement that I once blamed on God is actually solved by faith in God. I am not talking about rules and rubrics of religion, that solves very little and can easily casue a lack of faith.  God loves us as we are, as He/She created us and I believe God loves the dance. Our dance of life that goes backwards and forwards and dances all around. God's wish is to love us and that we love him. That is, God wants to engage us in a dance of love, a very personal dance of love.

          God's dance of love is never black or white. Our Lenten journey is similar. It is not based on whether we give up a bar of chocolate or never say a swear word or put a coin a day in a little folded box. What matters is the dance. The movement towards and engagement with God.

      Realize this, we are not perfect and we never will be. We will never measure up to some rule or ruler that tries to measure us in some finite way. God loves us though, completely, radically, passionately and just as we are. Our faith and journey to Him is what is loved and appreciated, not how many times we failed or succeeded.

      So Lent becomes a journey, albeit perhaps an imperfect one, towards God and  a real decision to make that journey. The question in my mind is to actually make that decision and make that journey with my eyes open and an intent to love and grow. That would be my definition of Lent for today.

   

Lenten Journey, Ash Wednesday.

Good and glorious morning.

Today I am offering myself a Lenten retreat that starts today and starts with Richard Rohr.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a journey, a continued journey, an offering of self and a prayer for completion in Jesus Christ and God our Father. May the Spirit be fully alive in me and in us all.

"God give me the desire to desire what you want me to desire"  This seems like such a simple task yet wrapped in our humanity, our brokenness and our hope, that is the essence of my Lenten journey.

What prayer can we offer that offers us fruitful movement in our selves?  A prayer of action that bears fruit in our growth. Is pruning what I need?  For today I will pray. I will read the readings, pray for teh desire and discernment. I will offer myself as an empty vessel, a broken vessel. Can the potter re-mold me? If I let God?

If I let God.

First Sunday of Advent - reflection

     Today I started the day with a rousing worship by the three R's, that is, the right reverend Roland at his "candy shop".  Always inspiring and challenging, he  had me thinking about today being the first Sunday of Advent. What is that we truly want to learn in this season? What are we celebrating? What are we preparing for?

     Certainly we recognize and celebrate the birth of the Christ child.  Doesn't all the celebrating spring form this one humble human act? A messy, painful birth; a coming into this world in a most traumatic way. Our tradition tells us it is in the lowliest of places too, a manger.

      Surely, even if we can foresee what the Christ child's future will hold we see more than our salvation as a singular act of redemption by him.

      Advent brings a time of reflection and preparation. The festival of lights, the light of the world has deep significance for us in this darkest time of the year. Indeed, this time should have us reflecting also on the darkest times of our lives. 

      One of the blessed messages of Jesus as child and adult is that we should seek the light and turn from darkness.  How easy it would be to be overcome by the feelings and sensations of darkness in our lives or the world and embrace that darkness.  What Advent asks us to do is to prepare for Christ's birth by looking at the light that exists all around us.  There is light shining in every corner and every person if we choose to see it.  Even if that seems a daunting task, we are called to walk toward the light, to see the hope of light in our future. We are called to never give up hope because we believe that with God, all things are possible.

        Perhaps most importantly, we are called to see the light in ourselves. How and where will we let our own light shine?

No redemption required

John 14:1-7

           Perhaps it is a peculiarity of Christian denominations that the phrase No one comes to the Father except through me carries more weight than words found in the very same reading that says In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places.

          Once that first line is accepted, it becomes the lens for all that follows. That is, arrogance, self righteousness and indignance that any one should question an idea or person outside the officially saved realm. Indeed, the vision of the officially accepted becomes the lens for official conversion, repentance and salvation. No other views need apply. It all becomes self perpetuating and self supporting. 

            I ran across the following drawing on FaceBook the other day and posted a comment that someone should forward it to the local Roman Bishop. Said Bishop had accused me not too long ago of "attempting to marry another gentlemen".  From his view and belief my soul was in danger by attempting such a "union".  

                                                                                   

I would note that I not only attempted it but had in fact succeeded. Not only was ours a legal success but it also was consecrated in a ritual ceremony rich in both Jewish and Christian tradition. Yes, I had even married a "nice Jewish boy". 

My only further comment, had I felt a need to reply, was that not only was I not in danger from attempting such a "union" but no repentance or redemption was required (outside of those normally associated with humans ). 

One of joys of getting older is having the wisdom to see the true importance of this passage is the sentence about God having many dwelling places. To my mind, Jesus' life was a constant example of showing us just how wide God's love is, embracing all sorts of people that the power holders of the day seemed to think were not worthy, doomed and needed redemption. Alas the true message of Jesus and of God's abiding love is still lost in rules, theology,righteousness, power, rhetoric, purity and clubs.

          One of the joys of being separated from the (Roman) church is the freedom to challenge and see that they are in fact, not "all that".  Any system that is self perpetuating by it's own 'powerful' design and depends on myopic views and circular logic cannot be a true vision of God's love. I can see that now. Perhaps I always did and hoped there was room for internal dissension and questions. It isn't true. there is no room for anything in Rome but arrogance, self righteousness and hypocrisy of the highest order.

          We can look at Jesus as a rebel, we can emulate his anti-authority stances, his penchant for deriding and chastising the religious leaders and for his warm and wide embrace to all of the marginalized and sinners of his day. However, the best and most extraordinary way to be a Christian is to embrace and love all those margins, include everyone and see that everyone has a valid perspective, something to bring to the table if you will. There are many paths and there may be one gate, but that gate is incredibly wide and there is enough room for everyone. There is a room for everyone.

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’