Friday, May 31, 2002

Friday, 31 May, 2002

The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



COMMANDMENTS

Tobacco, banjo playing, and dominoes do not figure in the Decalogue as recorded in the Book of Exodus. But particularly in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America, Christians have been adept, and remarkably inventive, at interpreting God's commandments to cover just about anything they don't approve of. The effect, of course, is to make the surpassingly large God of the scriptures into a petty Cosmic Patrolman. Addictions are not petty, but for Christians, fretting over them as exclusively moral issues can be a convenient way of ignoring Jesus' admonition that it isn't what we ingest into our bodies that is at the root of our troubles, but what comes out of our hearts and minds.




One writer talks about Wisdom is sticking close to the teaching of Jesus...and...aligning ones life according to the teaching of Torah. This is not a petty description of the Commandments. In fact, what we know as the ten commandments are are part of a powerful response to the love God has for us. Too often, we want to single out an action or a practice or something that is easily pointed at and called "bad" or "wrong" and be able to say we don't do "that." But the Commandments are those ways our lives are shaped. They become the routine...the way we prepare day-by-day to walk as though we really trust that our God walks beside us...forever and ever.



Connection: I like the image of the potter who molds clay into beautiful and useful pieces of art that have a function and are essential to everyday life. How are you being shaped today by the love of God for you? What are the ways you embody this love?



God of Grace you give us the gift of the commandments and we begin to walk into this day with a vision of what it means to dance to the loving word you have showered upon us from the beginning of time. Today, we praise you for your gift of life and love. Amen

Thursday, May 30, 2002

Thursday, 30 May, 2002

The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



REPENTANCE

Children who are picked on by their big brothers or sisters can be remarkably adept when it comes to writing cursing psalms, and I believe that the writing process offers them a safe haven in which to work through their desires for vengeance in a healthy way. Once a little boy wrote a poem called "The Monster Who Was Sorry." He began by admitting that he hates it when his father yells at him; his response in the poem is to throw his sister down the stairs, and then to wreck his room, and finally to wreck his whole town. The poem concludes: "Then I sit in my messy house and say to myself, 'I shouldn't have done all that." "My messy house" says it all: with more honesty than most adults could have mustered, the boy made a metaphor for himself that admitted the depth of his rage and also gave him a way out. If that boy had been a novice in the 14th century monastic desert, his elders might have told him that he was well on the way to repentance, not such a monster after all, but only human.




What a powerful story! Too often we do not let ourselves have the time and spend the energy voicing our pain and disappointment in ways that are quite appropriate. The words of the psalms give us that example. It is human to be disappointed...to want to fight back and inflict pain on others...to strike out, yell, and say "the hell with it all." It is also human and within the realm of God's people to say, "I shouldn't have done all that." A strong family or household allows people to run off and bark without the fear of being "cut off." When we mess the house...the house...the home...is still there for us. Yes, it often will take a good cleaning...a renewal of the space and our way of being in it...but it will be there. Coming home...even after raising a storm and a little "hell" is always a possibility...always.



Connection: Repentance is not a odd religious word that demands a list of things to do. It may well be the gift of insight that taps us on the shoulder so that we can be a part of the repair work that is needed in all of our lives. Broken people can have some wonderful insights about being broken and living within the rebuilding and restructuring of our lives.



O Lord you call us back into your gracious reign each of the days of our lives. Yes we wander and rebel and cannot and will not sit by and take in all the ugliness within our world, but you let us yell and scream and act out...and come home....again & again & again. Praise be to you. Amen

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Wednesday, 29 May, 2002

The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



BELIEF, DOUBT, AND SACRED AMBIGUITY

Praise of God is the entire reason for worship. It is the opposite of self-consciousness. But when a person is struggling mightily with conversion, anguishing over issues of belief and doubt, worship can become impossible... Remembering helped; it helped enormously. Believing in God, listening to Bible stories, and especially singing in church on Sunday mornings had been among the greatest joys of my childhood. And when I would remember that, a modicum of faith would enter my heart, a conviction that the God who had given me all of that would be likely to do so again. But if I had to find one word to describe how belief came to take hold in me, it would "repetition." Repetition as Kierkegaard understood it, as "the daily bread of life that satisfies with benediction."... Over time, it was the ordinary events of life itself, coming "in between" the refrain of the church service, with it familiar creeds, hymns psalms, and scripture stories, that most developed my religious faith. Worship summed it up and held it together, and it all came to seem like a ballade to me, one that I was living.




Many time I hear myself telling people that it is the "you of me" that enables me to put some devotion and power in my life. All that means is that it is so very easy for me to doubt and to be overcome by anxiety. It is as you tell me stories...it is as you act out in ways that are faithful and strong...it is as you remind me of the power of our God within all the everyday aspects of our lives that I find something onto which I can grab and hold...and keep holding. These simple devotions have been for me an example of that. Two years ago, on June 1, I finally started these daily devotions. I needed it. I needed to stay focused. I needed to enter into a "repetition" that would provide a place to stand and move and venture out into my day. You...you...have given me that opportunity. Remembering that the faithful of God are legion and are standing ready like a line of protestors who will not let the power of the day continue to brutalize the world, allows me moments of belief in the midst of my doubts.



Connection: What is it that you need to remember that will keep you focused on the way of our Lord among us? What are those repetitive acts within your day that you already are taking seriously or what are the ones you would like to initiate? Then again, what kind of help would you like or need along the way?



Lord of the Living Story of Faith, you promise to abide with us and you do. Sometimes we are not able to see you within the many roadways we wander through this day and yet we know...we know from the stories we remember...that you are indeed at our side and calling us into the fullness of your blessed Reign. Amen

Tuesday, 28 May, 2002

The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



BELIEF

I find it sad to consider that belief has become a scary word, because at its Greek root, "to believe" simply means "to give one's heart to." Thus, if we can determine what it is we give our heat to, then we will know what it is we believe. But the word "belief" has been impoverished; it has come to mean a head-over-heart intellectual assent. When people ask, "What do you believe?" they are usually asking, "What do you think?" I have come to see that my education, even my religious education, left me with a faulty and inadequate sense of religious belief as a kind of suspension of the intellect. Religion, as I came to understand it, was a primitive relic that could not stand up to the advances made in our understanding of human psychological development or the inquiry of higher mathematics and modern sciences.


Some folks say that if you want to find out what a person believes, look at their life. Some may say "Jesus is Lord of my life," but then it is quite obvious that other things and/or people rule as Lord. Dan Erlander in an booklet he wrote years ago called "Baptized We Live" drew a picture of a man on his knee asking a woman to marry him. He made the comment that with that answer, their lives would change dramatically. "To give one's heart to" is to share your life with another. To hold the belief that Jesus is Lord changes all things, we stay the same people, we use our gifts and our intellect, we engage the world and look at things critically, but the very core of our lives becomes attached to one thing. That one thing begins to shape us and direct us along the pathway of our lives. For example, if I want to hold an office and that is at the very center of my will to live, that "want" will influence and dominate everything else in my day.



Connection: To hold a belief in this day demands that we think and feel and stay connected to the world around us. Nothing can hurt us more than thinking that "believing" means we take something "hook-line-and-sinker." In fact I would suggest that throughout this day we each take a look at what we let rule our lives even as we claim to call other things "lord."



Lord God, in the very beginning of our lives you endow us with great gifts and you invite us to explore our world and share our gifts and time and talents with others. In setting us free for such a life you also promise to abide with us at all times. Encourage us as we stumble so that we may trust that you are present with us as we continue on within the life you have given us knowing that you will be and always have been the Lord of all hopefulness. Amen

Friday, May 24, 2002

Friday, 24 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



PRAYER

The ancient monks understood that a life of prayer would manifest itself in relationships with others. "If prayer is a matter of concern to you," said the sixth-century monk John Climacus, "then show yourself to be merciful." As "a dialog and a union with God," he said prayer has the effect of "[holding] the world together... More and more of us it seems, share Thomas Merton's belief, as he once stated it in a letter to Daniel Berrigan, written during the turmoil of the 1960's, that "there is an absolute need of solitary, bare, dark...kind of prayer... Unless that dimension is there in the Church somewhere the whole caboodle lacks life and light and intelligence too. It is a kind of hidden, secret, unknown stabilizer, and a compass too."




Sometimes I think so many people turn away from prayer or simply come to dismiss it entirely due to their image of prayer. Prayer is not like thumbing through a new catalog, gazing at the merchandise and then making a list of things you want. Prayer takes place before the catalog arrives. If there was nothing in the world that we wanted prayer would be the time spend shaping the day. We are not people of faith because of the things we are able to have or the things that happen to us because we pray. We are people of faith because we pray. Prayer gives us a place to stand or sit as we look at the many moments of the day that will whiz by us. Prayer becomes the workout done prior to entering the moments of the day...the warm up...the navigator.



Connection: Sometimes it is enough to simply say, "Be present Lord." But know this. The Lord God is present. It is me who needs to know how present the Lord will be. That knowing -that request- can bring a new view of life around us.





Be present in this day as we go about the work and play around us. It is as you are present Lord that we begin to see new opportunities and joys within our lives even when we face dead ends and utter sadness. Amen.

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Thursday, 23 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



PERFECTION (part 2)

Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to give ourselves to others. Whatever we have, no matter how little it seems, is something that can be shared with those who are poorer. This sort of perfection demands that we become fully ourselves as God would have us: mature, ripe, full, ready for what befalls us, for whatever is to come. When I think of perfection in this sense...I am thinking of an acquaintance, Catherine LaCugna, a professor of systematic theology who, when doctors informed her that there was nothing more that they could do for her, and that cancer would kill her within a few months, did not run away to nurse her wounds but continued teaching. She told only a few close friends that she was near death, and she went on living the life she had chosen. She was able to teach until a few days before she died.


In Philippians we hear "Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself taking the form of a slave..." We have this wonderful affirmation of who we are and who we are called to be. The giving of ourselves to others is a vital part of the life that is called Christian. This does not mean we become or think less of ourselves in the face of others. Rather it is the power to affirm ourselves completely due to what God says about us...and then...we are free to take part in the most important aspect of community building - giving ourselves completely to others - especially those who are in greatest need. We each have much to offer. It may appear little to us...but to others...when it is shared with them, find it to be a great gift.



Connection: You have been given the gift of your life. It is...a gift to the world around you. There are those you will encounter today who may need just you...you...to be a word and presence of grace for them...go for it.



Blessed Lord, you have given us a great gift in the life of your beloved, Jesus. In him we see the power of life that is given and shed and shared for and with others. Inspire us as we begin to follow Jesus in this day. Amen

Wednesday, 22 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



PERFECTION

Perfectionism is one of the scariest words I know. It is a marked characteristic of contemporary American culture, a serious psychological affliction that makes people too timid to take necessary risks and causes them to suffer when, although they've done the best they can, their efforts fall short of some imaginary, and usually unattainable, standard. Internally, it functions as a form of myopia, a preoccupation with self-image that can stunt emotional growth.

To be perfect in the sense that Jesus means it (If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. Matthew 19:21), is to make room for growth, for the changes that bring us to maturity, to ripeness. To mature is to lose adolescent self-consciousness so as to be able to make a gift of oneself, as a parent, as teacher, friend, spouse.




Rather than be consumed by a need to do everything "right," we are simply reminded that we are called to grow into the fullness of our calling...our life. In some ways, as we are called to be the beloved children of God, "being perfect" is the journey we enter in which that love unfolds from day to day...changing us...recreating us...making us more fully who we are in God's eyes. There is wonderful freedom within such a view of perfection. Rather than having to "fall in line" or "color within the lines," God bids us to be take who we are and bring that to the table of life and share ourselves so that our gifts may be added to the wonderful collection of the gathering of saints who are claimed by God.



Connection: Try to be in touch with the many times during the day that you step into a box and let the box rule you and all you do. Often it will not be easy to see. Often the box can rule us and drive us and then...even inhibit us from being who we are with others. Stop. Look. Listen.



Lord God you promise to nurture our faith in you so that in each day we may stand before others as a gift to the world and also ready to receive the gifts of others as we come together in community. We ask that you will teach us the ways of your blessed reign. Amen

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Tuesday, 21 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



EXORCISM

When I think of the demons I need to exorcise, I have to look elsewhere; inward, to my heart and soul. Anger is my best demon, useful whenever I have to go into a Woman Warrior mode, harmful when I use it to gratify myself, either in self-justification, or to deny my fears. My husband, who has a much sweeter nature than I, once told me that my mean streak grieved him not just because of the pain it caused him but because it was doing me harm. His remark, as wise as that of any desert abba, felt like an exorcism. Not that my temptation to anger was magically gone, but I was called to pay closer attention to something that badly needed attention, and that was hurting our marriage.




Demons...we all have them. I remember when I first took the enneagram (sp) and read about the my "type." It wasn't pleasant. Unlike the Meyers-Briggs Type Inventory, the Enneagram shows you the dark side along with the light side. I was quick to say, "That's not me." But as I walked away and spent some time looking at myself...there I was...light and dark. O how I wanted to be able to say the dark side was not there...but it is. Now, just as Norris notes above, I must pay closer attention to a part of my life that is very real and able to turn my head in a direction that is less than graceful and peaceful. Becoming whole means we take in all of who we are. It also means we come to understand what those various parts can do within our lives. It is vitally important to see it all so that we can see the various times the different "heads" of our self raise a voice and attempt to be heard. At that time, we can name the voice and possibly name the reason for its activity. I know that when I am very anxious, there are some demons in me that just love to lift their voice and make their presence known.



Connection: Many time, it takes someone else to point out those demons. It is important to have friends and family you can trust. People who will serve as a mirror for us to let us really see how we being who we are.



Strengthen us O Lord, that we may be willing to face the demons within ourselves and be aware of the demons in others as we all attempt to move through our lives as your saints. Give us patience and give us courage to be attentive to the many ways we may choose to react with demonic force in our lives. Amen

Monday, May 20, 2002

Monday, 20 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



CONVERSION

God is limitless, and I have been slow to recognize that this has implications for conversion... Conversion is a process; it is not a goal, not a product we consume. And it's a bodily process, not only an emotional or intellectual one. The very cells in our body are busy changing, renewing themselves, every few days. Yet we remain recognizably ourselves. That is how conversion works, a paradox beautifully expressed in two vows that are unique to Benedictine life. To join a monastic community people promise stability, pledging to remain in that community for life. At the same time they also promise to remain always open to change, to what is loosely translated as a "conversion of life."




Putting an active edge on a word that is so often used to describe what happened in the past or what we hope will take place in the future invites us to be a part of an ever changing present. Life changes and that in itself adds to the adventure that we all enter. When we are people of faith, the changes that take place need not be feared. In many ways, as we face the changes of time we are drawn into a dialogue in which we must continue to make sense of our call to be followers of Jesus and how that will take shape within the present time. The stories we heard as children and how we interpreted them are the same stories but now as adults the way we see them and what we hear from them may bring a basket full of fresh images for life's way. There is always a tension between that which is used as a guard rail in life and the amazing vision that comes to life as we continue to engage the day at hand and invites us to take another look at how things are to be



Connection: Where will the limitlessness of God be experienced today and invite you to look again at how you see your relationship with our God and our world.



Precious Lord as you abide with us this day open our eyes and ears that we may attend to the many ways we are invited to share in the boundlessness of your blessed reign. Encourage us so that we may step out of what we what things to be and take the risk to walk with you along new pathways that may open themselves to us in our faithful journeys. Amen

Friday, May 17, 2002

17 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



DETACHMENT

The word "detachment," valued by early monks as a virtue, has almost lost its positive connotation... in this tradition it means not allowing either worldly values or self-centeredness to distract us from what is most essential in our relationship with God, and with each other. One sixth-century monk, Dorotheus of Gaza, describes detachment as "being free from (wanting) certain things to happen." and remaining so trusting of God that "what is happening will be the thing you want and you will be at peace with all."




In some ways I would like to say that detachment is focused engagement. We are invited to engage the vision of the reign of God even as we make our way through the many pieces of our daily life. Detachment is not then a removal from the world and the ways of the world. Rather, upon fixing our eyes on our relationship with our God and the promises that go along with God's embrace of us - all of which demands prayerful attention - we encounter the decisions of life as though we see them through a new lens. Detachment also is a way to remember the importance of letting go. The agendas we carry through the day often occupy so much of our attention and our energy that we lose sight of the gift of life and the amazing things that can take place right in the midst of all the adventures going on around us. I find that as I am now riding my bicycle and I am "detached" from my car, I see roadways in a new way. My vehicle brings into my vision the flowers alongside the road, the faces on the people walk in the street or cutting the law. When our vehicle for the day is the Reign of our Gracious God, we become detached from the flow of what is routine and we are handed back the same-old, same-old...in a new way.



Connection: Taking the time to unplug and to plug into another way of experiencing this day may turn into a blessed adventure.



Ground of our Lives and Lord each moment, take us and call us and touch us so that we may look to you as we begin our day and begin the many acts of this day. Inspire us to see our relationship with you as the defining mark etched into each moment. Amen

Thursday, May 16, 2002

Thursday, 16 May 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



INCARNATION

For me, the incarnation is that place, if you will, where hope contends with fear. Not an antique doctrine at all, but reality - as ordinary as my everyday struggles with fears great and small, as exalted as the hope that allows me some measure of peace when I soldier on the daily round.
Norris then writes of the Annunciation - Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary to inform her of the babe she will carry. When Mary asks, "How can this be?" The angel then speaks of what we have come to call the incarnation. It also resonates with my own life. When a place or time seems touched by God , it is an overshadowing, a sudden eclipsing of my priorities and plans. But even in terrible circumstances and calamites, in matters of life and death, if I sense that I am in the shadow of God , I find light, so much light that my vision improves dramatically. I know that holiness is near. And it is not robed in majesty. It does not assert itself with the raw power of empire...but it waits in puzzlement, it hesitates. Coming from Galilee, as it were, from a place of little hope, it reveals the ordinary circumstances of my life to be full of mystery, and gospel, which means "good news."



"Where hope contends with fear." What a powerful way to describe life...faithful life within the struggle of everyday. We can find ourselves confronted by fears and anxieties that attempt to take all of our energy and demand all of our attention. When that is the case, we can move through the day as though we are not fully alive. But then life becomes full when we are able to look beyond that which is trying to subdue us. To hope is to be able to stand up when the forces of the day say sit down...to love when the cloud of hatred hangs over us...to forgive when the world operates on pay backs. Incarnation is the everyday opportunity to bring the fullness of life out into the open and not hide anymore. There in that openness is where the holy shines among us.



Connection: Lift up your eyes and catch the rest of life that is offered to you even when today is a day that seems to hold only more grief and pain. When we can begin to see beyond our fears, ordinary life greets us in a whole new way.



Lord of this Day, bless us with the vision to see how you bring newness and joy and confidence into those days we feel as though we are wading through the mire of life's travails. Praise be to you for the breath of new life you promise to bring to us through your Holy Spirit. Amen

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Wednesday, 15 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



SALVATION

Norris tells a story of a friend who had been hanging out with an odd character and one day he realized he was literally going in the wrong direction with this man so he decided to get out of the car because it had become over his head. She continues:

Having turned, suddenly from the path he was on, our friend seemed a bit lost but also glad that he had been able to name something was wrong, and to walk away from it. He had tasted a kind of freedom and wasn't sure what to do about it, except to tell the story. He felt good but uneasy, I think, unsure of what to do next. I could not have said this to him then, but accepting salvation is never easy. The Israelites, having been led by Moses out of Egypt, began complaining as soon as they hit the desert.... What God had done, of course, was to set them free from what had long held them in bondage. But they, as any of us might, began longing for the devil they knew, rather than face the unknown road ahead.



Norris also notes that salvation in Hebrew means "to make wide" or "to make sufficient." When you think about it, we may be saved from a "tight place" in our lives and yet when that takes place we are placed in a "wide open place"...a place of opportunity...a place of new possibilities. We all know the road we are on. It is the road that is familiar. It may not be the best road for life nor the most healing road of life nor the most liberating road of life...but to be free to go another way can be too frightening for us. Like the Israelites who complained the whole time God was bringing them to Mt. Sinai, there are too many times when we do not want to be saved...made whole, for it is new and outside of our experience.



Connection: It may be very difficult to step into a new dimension of our lives. Some days we would insist on keeping things as they are...even if they are broken and insufficient for growth and wellness. What are the ways God is continuing to bring you along a saving journey today?



Lord of liberation and healing, it is with joy that we call upon you to be the God of promise whose history is filled with saving acts that pull us into your loving domain and challenge us to live freely within your promises. We give you thanks for you never-failing love for us. Amen.

Tuesday, 14 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



SILENCE

What interests me most about my experiment (having children make noise and then be silent) is the way in which making silence liberated the imagination of so many children. Very few wrote with any originality about making noise. Most of their images were cliches such as "we sound like a herd of elephants." But silence was another matter: here, their images often had a depth and maturity that was unlike anything else they wrote. One boy came up with an image of strength as being "as slow and silent as a tree," anothe wrote that "silence is me sleeping waiting to wake up. Slience is a tree spreading it branches to the sun." In a parochial school, one third grader's poem turned into a prayer: "Silence is spiders spinning their webs, it's like a silkworm making its silk. Lord, help me to know when to be silent." And in a tiny town in western North Dakota a little girl offered a gem of spiritual wisdom that I find myself returning to when my life becomes too noisy and distractions overwhelm me: "Silence reminds me to take my soul with me wherever I go."


Noriss' whole piece on silence is quite good. I wanted to share this piece because of the powerful images from those children. Silence is that experience of great imagination. Often when I am cutting my lawn (mega-noisy) I find that I retreat into the silence of my thoughts. It is a silence that lets me wander and flit through my head without any pressure to produce. The lawn is indeed being cut...but there is this internal journey that has my full attention. I remember having a person ask me if I ever took the time to hug a tree. He said it was really special for him to hug a big old tree that may have been around for more years than anyone he knew. The powerful silence of a tree reminding us of the steadfastness of our God in the face of anything that may come our way to disturb us is simply a gift of nature from which we can draw great encouragement.



Connection: During this day, make a note to yourself to mark the times of the day that bring you moments of silence. Those times come knocking throughout the day in many and various ways. There may also be moments that you carve out for yourself in a very intentional manner.



"Silence is spiders spinning their webs, it's like a silkworm making its silk. Lord, help me to know when to be silent." Amen



Monday, May 13, 2002

Monday, 13 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



ANTICHRIST

In her attempt to find out what "Antichrist" meant, Norris goes to see the pastor.

He quickly summarized and dismissed the tendency that Christians have always had to identify the Antichrist with their personal enemies, or with those in power whom they have reason to detest. It is an easy temptation: in our own century, the Antichrist has been equated with Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, and given the current state of political hysteria in America, no doubt Bill and Hillary Clinton as well.

What the pastor said was so simple that it will remain with me forever. "Each one of us acts as the Antichrist," he said, "whenever we hear the gospel and do not do it."


I find it interesting that this is the second word in Norris' book. Then again, it is one of those religious "scary" words. The bible literalists are taking a few passages of scripture and turning the Antichrist into an "end of the world" monster. Many folks, as Norris' pastor notes tie the world to demonic sorts of people...the ones that are especially awful in their life journey. I like the final definition of the the Antichrist given above but I would change it just a bit. The "gospel" is not something we "do." It is what we trust. It is the vision of life from which we enter the day. The gospel is "good news." It is the announcement of God's unconditional love for us that promises to bring us life...a fullness of life...both now and forever. The gospel lets us in on how the story ends and we are called to hang our lives on it. The Antichrist is what comes to life when we hear the gospel and do not trust that it is the truth for our lives. For if we do not trust that unconditional love...we will trust something else and usually that something else is quite contrary to God's love for all people in all times. Anti - Christ.



Connection: We are invited to believe that our God is for us. Trusting such love is a part of the power that can and does transform the present into a Christ-like adventure. Then again, there are so many other things and powers we would rather choose and with those choices comes a life that will rule over us...each of us.



Gracious God you so love the world that you gave your only Son and we as your sons and daughters are thus given a new way to view the day ahead of us. Keep us within the embrace of your eternal love. Amen

Friday, May 10, 2002

Friday, 10 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



Eschatology

I was sixteen years of age when I discovered the word "eschatology." Right away, I knew something was different about this word. I seemed much larger - more roomy and important - than it dictionary definition would allow: "A belief or doctrine concerning the ultimate or final things." ...The motto of the Norris family crest that my father found in England reads "Regard the End." Maybe eschatology is in my blood. ...I didn't do living right, at first. When I was six months old, I nearly died. All wrong, for an infant, to be so caught up in the last things. Naturally, the hospital was called Providence; in all likelyhood, as I was in danger of dying a nun baptized me there. My official baptism came four months later, in the arms of my grandfather Norris, a Methodist pastor. Six months of age is too early to learn that one's mother and father are helples before death. But the struggle that took place in my infant body and still-forming, pre-verbal intelligence was between life and death, and I am convincedd that a sense of something vast, something yet to come, took hold in my unconscious and remains there still.


How do you see the end of the story...your story? There are many voices attempting to spell out the End. The end of our story has much to say to us as we go off into today. St. Paul would often talk about the life we are called to live today. Some churches want us to believe that as we "do" things, we gain entry or place in the grand and glorious scheme of things at the end of time. I tell our confirmation students to say "baloney" when they hear that kind of talk. I would suggest that as we contemplate the End, envision the Lord welcoming us into the great banquet - yes you!!!...and me!!!...and a strange assortment of people!!! From that vision...from knowing the End that is promised to us in Christ, Jesus, live the day at hand. The End is handed to us and it features God's eternal "Yes" that cannot be taken from us. So...what does that have to do in the face of today? Traditionally we say it has the power to shape today. Regard the End....and see what begins.



Connection: I'm on a kick of telling stories of Luther. He would have us regard each day in the light of our Baptism. We are baptized into the end of God's story for us. So as you walk around today...remember that you are still wet from your baptism...walking wet is how one person put it. Remember that as we die and rise again in baptism, we've been to the end already and today we can face what hits us as though it cannot defeat us and do us in.



Lord of the Beginning and End of all things, shape us this day so that we might know the freedom of life within your promise and challenge of life that is blessed by you from the start to the finish. Amen

Thursday, May 9, 2002

Thursday, 9 May, 2002

This is will be the last segment from Paul's Letter to the Romans. Friday I will start a new resource for the devotions.



We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. For Christ did not please himself; but as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:1-6

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:7-13



If we would do just this. Welcome one another - just as Christ has welcomed us...what a witness and what a life! To magnify this admonition, the welcome was not to be for insiders alone...but for the nations...all y'all. Today is the Ascension of our Lord and this passage fits well the vision of Christ, Jesus, lifted up to be Lord...of all...everywhere and in every time. No one is outside the reach of the welcoming love of our God as it is known in Christ Jesus. There are no conditions on the love. In fact, it is precisely this unbounded love that comes to life within the body of Christ that will be the most powerful witness we can ever offer. There is no need to "scare" people into believing when we need only embody Christ's welcome and love for us in order to have people see the powerful and graceful and eternal reign of the one who sits on the throne as eternal Lord of all. Through this Love of Jesus, people will be encouraged to praise the Lord Almighty.



Connection: Lord of all is a big title. It is a much bigger reality. Know that this Lord is with you and for you in the midst of anything that may come your way...from the biggest to the most insignificant events. This is also the Lord who moves us therefore, to seek out justice and peace for all...not just my own.



Lord of All, praise to you for your love that does not let any of your beloved go. Make us the community of Joy and Forgiveness and Love that reflects the wonder of your blessed reign. Amen

Wednesday, May 8, 2002

Wednesday, 8 May, 2002

Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up building. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. Romans 14:19-23

We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. For Christ did not please himself; but as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:1-6



How do you bring along the neighbor whose faith is "weak" or to say it another way "immature?" Not by wielding a bat. Rather, we must know how to bring them forward and strengthen them so that they come to a see the glory of God in a new light. Change happens in the Church not when we have a majority vote, it takes place when the faithful nurture faithfulness in one another - particularly as it is nurtured in those who do not yet see the transforming power of God's grace as it becomes life within the Reign of God. We need to pray for a divine stick-to-it-ness and the courage to remain strong within the grace of God as we enter the struggle with all the powers that would be willing to settle for something less than God's gracious reign. The strong do not get their way because they can bowl over others...."Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death...even death on the cross."



Connection: Stop. Look. Listen. When we are about to enter the traffic patterns of the day that can take us off in so many directions and be of danger to us, it is good to remind ourselves of the grace of God in which we stand. From there we begin to take in the action around us and firmly but wisely be a witness to the cross of Christ and the life given to us all.



God of steadfastness and encouragement, we need to have your power present with us each moment. As you enrich us in faithfulness toward you, give us the patience and the love to bring along those who may not see the world as we do. Grant us all an extra measure of your grace. Amen

Tuesday, May 7, 2002

Tuesday, 7 May, 2002

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Romans 14:13-18

Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. Romans 14:19-23



The matter of food is not essential to the faith. There are many things that are not essential to the faith. Even with these practices and things that are not essential, there will be those who - for some reason of their own - hold such things to be a piece of the rock upon which they stand. This is why I so often contend that we must be willing to be followers of Jesus who persistently study and discuss and enter into a good give-and-take about what it is that is essential for the Church to be the Church. Yes, there will be those who find they have a strong need to hand onto items of their "piety" that -to them- must be in place. Again, sometimes it is only time that enables people to move and grow and find what is truly at the core of our faith. It is important to remember that often the things that "condemn" us are things within our "piety" that are not anchored and do not necessarily grow from our trusting in the Good News.



Connection: What is at the core of your faithfulness? What is it that has contains the grace of God and must be for you the center of your life today? Sometimes we must aske ourselves each day...what matters here...what is the vision for life in Christ, Jesus, doing in my life in regard to how I see all things and participate in the events of this day?



In times of trouble and confusion O Lord, be the resting place upon which we can gather our thoughts and actions and mind so that we may meditate on your never ending love for us and how it becomes our all in all. Amen.

Monday, May 6, 2002

Monday, 6 May, 2002

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother of sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then each of us will be accountable to God.Romans 14:10-12

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Romans 14:13-18



When the Grace of God rules among us and we are set free within its domain, we are then confronted with the variety of ways and degrees by which it is accepted into the hearts of individuals. As we all come to the Good News with our own history and baggage and piety that is so much a part of us we cannot see ourselves with them, when we are now living with and worshipping with and praying with people who are very much at odd with our own piety, it can be disruptive. Pastorally, the community needs to keep the vision of the peaceable and merciful reign of God before us. For then, when our differences are so great that they could cause a split and warfare among us, we must take another look at how we help one another encounter again the Good News within our divisions. In that way, the Good News is not used as another fence post to divide - rather, it is vision that draws us all to a deeper truth about God's reign that bids us to find ways to be together even as we differ and grow.



Connection: One of the joys of life is that people are so different. One of the great difficulties in life is that people are so different. How do you manage in the midst of differences that seem to be so at odds with what you are doing? One great pathway to consider is the one on which we simply spend a lot of time listening.



Lord of Peace and Mercy, give us patience and keep us faithfully walking within the vision of your graceful reign so that we move the whole community of the faithful along a journey in which we blossom as you beloved people. Amen

Friday, May 3, 2002

Friday, 3 May, 2002

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; wile those who abstain, abstain in honor the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:5-9

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother of sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then each of us will be accountable to God. Romans 14:10-12



How many times have you misjudged someone or someone's actions. I know, never...but if you really had to imagine it...I would guess it has been a few. I know this is the case for me. And when I'm speaking about misjudging someone, I talking about the simple little things that take place in a day...the gestures...the tone in voice...the way someone attends or doesn't attend to something said or done...etc. Too often, when we make a judgment about someone based on any number of things in the day, a relationship can me broken or ignored. The difference or the action is judged to be so different that we pull ourselves away from the other person or persons. Unfortunately, we all lose when we do that. This is magnified when we judge people from the religious convictions we hold. I have see people literally leave very close relationships or congregations or whole denominations because one side or person has judged the other side to be wrong or guilty of some sin. The judge somehow not only seems to know what is right and wrong absolutely, they also know how God would judge those other people. Whoa! Talk about stepping over boundaries.



Connection: I don't think we are ever left with the commandment to "Judge one another." If we were, there would be nothing, absolutely nothing different between us and the world as it is in all it brokenness. Rather, we are commanded to "Love one another." Go ahead and see if you notice a difference in your day as you put one or the other of these commandments to life.



Forgiving Lord, again and again we are pulled into your presence as you welcome us by your unconditional grace and love. Your love has the power to change our world and how we view all things. Inspire us to walk within the power of your love as we engage our neighbors so that your loving presence will be reshaping all of our relationships. Amen

Wednesday, May 1, 2002

Wednesday, 1 May 2002

Besides this, you know what time it is , how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:11-14

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Romans 14:1-4



What if we were not just talking about food here. Obviously we have come to accept people who come to a potluck at church and are vegetarians or meat eaters. Even though there are still some odd looks directed at people who don't do "any meat." But what if we are also to consider the differences among us even as they would cause us to consider some "weak in faith" - not yet able to freely live within the realm of God's unconditional love? Isn't the most important basis for participation in the church the fact that we are each welcomed by God? From that foundation the church is formed and built. It is not our calling to serve as "gatekeepers" or "inspectors" who think we can judge the appropriateness of the life of another person in the body of Christ. We must not be afraid to let the Holy Spirit shape us even as we gather as a diverse and odd collection of people who stand together in Christ even as we may have as great a difference between us as what we eat.



Connection: We must learn to listen to the people who are in the church. Listen to what it is that has taken place in their lives that has caused them to come into the church and join in the praising of our God. The life stories may differ and the life decisions may differ and the life directions may differ...but listen....listen to the common bond we have...listen to the name of Jesus lifted up and the praise of our God who delivers and sustains us all.



Blessed Lord, take us all. By the power of your Holy Spirit inspire us to be graceful with one another and to become so concerned about the welfare of others that we actually listen to their story of how you have acted in their lives to make them followers of your Son, Jesus. Amen