SAFE SPACE for Recovery/Resurrection Seekers

CrossWalk offers SAFE SPACE for recovery seekers, which has everything to do with Easter.

     Easter is everything for the Christian faith.  On a Friday afternoon (33 CE) after Jesus was wrongfully detained, refused due process, mistreated, jailed, and sentenced to death, he was lynched just outside Jerusalem’s city wall on a hill named Golgotha.  The public nature of his death was a warning to his followers – this will be your fate should you challenge the status quo (even if it’s killing you). It worked – most of the disciples cowered in fear as Jesus hanged until he died before sundown.   But something happened Sunday morning. Women supporters of Jesus went to tend to his corpse and discovered an empty tomb.  They were met by messengers from God telling them that Jesus was resurrected, living on.  Multiple encounters of Jesus’ resurrection were experienced by his early followers. Because they interpreted this as God’s vindication of Jesus, their faith was emboldened. They left their hiding places to proclaim, “He is risen!”  He is risen indeed.  Christ lives on.

     Easter gives us hope that the love of God awaits us after death.  The overwhelming majority of people on the planet believe that Easter’s hope is true, emboldened by their own experiences of life that transcend flesh and blood.  When we face the subject of death, Easter reminds us that there is hope in the loving, welcoming embrace of God beyond our last breath.  Those in power tried to prove Jesus was wrong with his lynching. Easter proclaimed God’s love was bigger than whatever those in power threw at them – even bigger than death itself.

     The Apostle Paul wrote that Easter is everything. He wrote that if the resurrection didn’t happen we are to be most pitied among humanity (1 Cor. 15:19).  Of course, Paul never met Jesus – only the living Christ several years after that first Easter.  Yet he experienced the power of Easter firsthand, leaving behind a destructive life in favor of a resurrected one.  He traded a death-filled existence for transformed living.

     Easter is about life right now, not just after we die.  In fact, the bigger message of Easter is that new life is what God has offered throughout time.  Learning and living the faith allows us to shed old, dead ways of life for new, meaningful, rewarding lives.  Easter isn’t only about resurrection post-grave; it’s about resurrection right now. That’s the Good News Jesus came to proclaim – God loves us fully, completely, right now, just as we are, and invites us to discover what life could look like built on that love.

     Resurrected life is possible and happens a lot right here at CrossWalk!  Did you know that we host 40+ “Resurrection Labs” every week?  You may know them by other names, including Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Al-Anon. Al-Ateen, SAA, ACA, OA, and others.  Most people refer to these as “recovery” groups.  But what do you think is being recovered?  Recovery leads to new life, better than the one before! Death of our false selves giving way to our real, true selves.  Transformation. Resurrection!

     The Twelve Steps offer perhaps the greatest roadmap to experiencing resurrection long before we die.  For many people, nearly dying because of personal addiction or the effects of a loved one’s addiction is what wakes them up to their need and desire for resurrection.  Resurrection is not a return to the same life, it is growing into a transformed, new life.  This is what faith is all about. It is meant to save us from death for life at its fullest and best now and forever. 

     What is encouraged in these many Resurrection Labs that meet at CrossWalk? The process begins with an honest admission that we are all addicted to something (at least our egos) that is killing us or robbing us of life.  From there, the Steps walk us through the process of leaning on God’s love to help us sort it all out, heal ourselves, heal our relationships, heal our faith, and eventually land us in a new life where we work to help others heal which supports our own ongoing thriving.

     When you support CrossWalk, you support these Resurrection Labs.  When you support CrossWalk’s Capital Campaign: A Shelter in Life’s Storms, you literally ensure that CrossWalk will keep a roof over the heads of these resurrection/recovery seekers and a level path leading them to the door.

     Have you realized yet that you need the hope Easter provides?  May you sense the Spirit of God whispering to you the same truth that wooed Paul into resurrection: there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God that can weave your past together in a way that adds up to a whole and lasting life marked by wellbeing.  The good, bad, and the ugly can be transformed into something beautiful if we’re open and willing to follow.  May you find yourself on the Way of Jesus that guides us there for all the rest of our days, right on into the arms of eternity.

HAVEN for the Mistreated

Today marks another Palm Sunday, when we remember Jesus’ so-called Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  I think the title of the passage – which were added over time – is at once brilliant and misleading all at the same time.  It’s misleading because it reeks of an Imperialism that ruled the Church since the 4th Century that now fits into our Neo Imperialistic vision born from our being influenced by our Superpower U.S. culture.  Jesus as King coming into Jerusalem with fanfare feels right to us on some level. We have fashioned our idea of what we call the Second Coming similarly, where Jesus returns to rule and judge the whole earth and everyone in it. When our vision of Jesus is that of an omnipotent King, it makes sense.  But I maintain that on the surface of it, this vision is misleading, and thus, a poor title for this story.

     Yet the title may also be brilliant.  Jesus was apparently aware of the desire to welcome him into Jerusalem with pageantry that sought to publicly declare him to be, at the very least, king-like.  People lined the streets and shouted their approval, laying down their garments like the Oscars lay down a red carpet for Hollywood royalty.  They waived palm branches as they cheered –makeshift, natural rally signs of support. The whole thing may have gone unnoticed by most of the people attending Passover festivities, but Jesus’ supporters – and his biggest critics – were certainly paying attention.

     Jesus recognized the opportunity to make his own statement with the parade I’m not sure he even wanted (I doubt he did).  The people of Israel were longing for a strongman – a John Wayne tough guy who was going to ride into Jerusalem on his trusty steed and take care of business, draining the swamp. The dream was that he would kick Rome right out of their Capitol and reestablish Israel as the center of the universe. Judaism would get cleaned up, too.  This was a kind of nationalistic dream before such words existed.  Instead of coming in on a stallion, however, Jesus chose a never-ridden donkey.  Instead of a beefed-up Ford 150 tricked out to ooze testosterone wherever it went, he chose a budget-friendly, four-cylinder sedan that might be able to climb its way to Tahoe if there was a strong tailwind. In other words, a wimpy, humble ride. 

     Jesus had no interest in the popular role many wanted him to play. Instead, his entrance into Jerusalem was aligned with how he lived his life: humble, unassuming, accessible, approachable, kind, maybe even a little silly. That’s why it was brilliant. He turned the vision on its head, trading Imperialism’s crown for egalitarianism’s block party.

     As the week wore on, Jesus remained the same man, embodying shalom and extending a broad welcome and big God for all who had ears to hear.  The inclusion was too wide and too much for many who preferred a narrower view that excluded people who made them feel uncomfortable.  By Friday of that same week, Jesus found himself literally and figuratively beat up, standing before an angry crowd of haters who demanded his execution. He was to be lynched, hung on a tree of sorts for all to see – a warning for all who dared to dream like Jesus.

     Palm Sunday was the beginning of the end of Jesus’ life, brought to a harsh conclusion because he was too gracious, too loving, and too inclusive, which was all too dangerous for the status quo.  Palm Sunday calls into question our own vision of who Jesus was and who God is, asking us whose vision guides our lives? One vision makes us feel powerful over our perceived enemies. The other makes us uncomfortable by calling us to see everyone through eyes of love.  One is more popular than the other (and always will be, I think). One will get you lauded; the other might get you killed. One of those looks like Jesus.

     The global Church has always represented pioneers of change as well as those who stand firmly against it (and everything in-between).  Gender equality is championed by a relatively small percentage of the Church while most churches treat women as second class.  Even though Black, indigenous, and all people of color (BIPOC) are heralded as brothers and sisters by many churches, congregations and pastors remain silent in the face of inequality and inequity. The tragic irony is that the Church claims to be Christian – literally “little Christs” – even as most churches struggle to follow in Jesus’ footsteps of radical inclusivity.  Instead, the general public views Christianity as the opposite, standing in the way of love and acceptance of all.

     Ten years ago, Pastor Pete offered a teaching titled Jesus and Homosexuality in which he made the case that God does not view homosexuality (or its expression) as inherently sinful. Further, since same gender covenant is essentially built on mutual love, “gay marriage” is not sinful and is therefore blessed by God.  The most divisive issue facing the Church today is related to LGBTQ+ inclusion.  Tragically, most churches reject LGBTQ+ persons no matter how welcoming they appear, and with severe consequences. 

     Today, LGBTQ+ youth are more than 4X as likely to attempt suicide because of how they are mistreated.  Recently, efforts have been made – and in some cases realized – to limit or eliminate protections for LGBTQ+ citizens in the US.  The Church has in many cases fueled these efforts instead of standing with our LGBTQ+ neighbors as IMAGO DEI – fellow human beings made in the image of God.  (Note: DEI is GOD).

Key points to consider:

·       The Bible contains 31,102 verses. Just seven refer to homosexuality directly, and they refer to rape and exploitation, not consensual, loving sexual expression between freely choosing adults.

·       Jesus taught and modeled radical inclusivity, inviting people into fellowship who were not welcomed based on who they were: religion, ethnicity, culture, gender, health, labels, abuse, etc.

·       Jesus’ earliest followers took the inclusion even further, modeling the way for future followers.

·       The Rabbinical tradition that formed Jesus and the Apostle Paul invited multiple perspectives and welcomed information from external sources to keep biblical interpretation current and relevant.

·       Jesus and Paul did not consider the Bible to be inerrant, infallible, or so inspired by God as to erase its human authors’ influence and worldview.

·       Current interpretation must include cultural, linguistic, and historical exegesis, theological reflection, current understanding from science and other disciplines, lived experience, and intentional openness to the influence of God.

How have you been taught to consider biblical texts? Does it reflect Jesus’ approach?

The Biology of Sexuality

Rebecca Helm, Biologist and Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.

     Friendly neighborhood biologist here. I see a lot of people are talking about biological sexes and gender right now. Lots of folks make biological sex seem really simple. Well, since it’s so simple, let’s find the biological roots, shall we? Let’s talk about sex...

     If you know a bit about biology you will probably say that biological sex is caused by chromosomes, XX and you’re female, XY and you’re male. This is “chromosomal sex” but is it “biological sex”? Well...

     Turns out there is only ONE GENE on the Y chromosome that really matters to sex. It’s called the SRY gene. During human embryonic development the SRY protein turns on male-associated genes. Having an SRY gene makes you “genetically male”. But is this “biological sex”?

     Sometimes that SRY gene pops off the Y chromosome and over to an X chromosome. Surprise! So now you’ve got an X with an SRY and a Y without an SRY. What does this mean?

     A Y with no SRY means physically you’re female, chromosomally you’re male (XY) and genetically you’re female (no SRY). An X with an SRY means you’re physically male, chromosomally female (XX) and genetically male (SRY). But biological sex is simple! There must be another answer...

     Sex-related genes ultimately turn on hormones in specifics areas on the body, and reception of those hormones by cells throughout the body. Is this the root of “biological sex”?

     “Hormonal male” means you produce ‘normal’ levels of male-associated hormones. Except some percentage of females will have higher levels of ‘male’ hormones than some percentage of males. Ditto ‘female’ hormones. And...

     ...if you’re developing, your body may not produce enough hormones for your genetic sex. Leading you to be genetically male or female, chromosomally male or female, hormonally non-binary, and physically non-binary. Well, except cells have something to say about this...

     Maybe cells are the answer to “biological sex”?? Right?? Cells have receptors that “hear” the signal from sex hormones. But sometimes those receptors don’t work. Like a mobile phone that’s on “do not disturb’. Call the cell, they will not answer.

     What does this all mean?

     It means you may be genetically male or female, chromosomally male or female, hormonally male/female/non-binary, with cells that may or may not hear the male/female/non-binary call, and all this leading to a body that can be male/non-binary/female.

     Try out some combinations for yourself. Notice how confusing it gets? Can you point to what the absolute cause of biological sex is? Is it fair to judge people by it?

     Of course you could try appealing to the numbers. “Most people are either male or female” you say. Except that as a biologist professor I will tell you...

     The reason I don’t have my students look at their own chromosome in class is because people could learn that their chromosomal sex doesn’t match their physical sex and learning that in the middle of a 10-point assignment is JUST NOT THE TIME.

     Biological sex is complicated. Before you discriminate against someone on the basis of “biological sex” & identity, ask yourself: have you seen YOUR chromosomes? Do you know the genes of the people you love? The hormones of the people you work with? The state of their cells?

     Since the answer will obviously be no, please be kind, respect people’s right to tell you who they are, and remember that you don’t have all the answers. Again: biology is complicated. Kindness and respect don’t have to be.

     Note: Biological classifications exist. XX, XY, XXY XXYY and all manner of variation which is why sex isn't classified as binary. You can't have a binary classification system with more than two configurations even if two of those configurations are more common than others.

     Biology is a complicated. Be kind to people.

To watch the full, unedited Robert Simmons interview, click here.

To listen to the full, unedited Robert Simmons interview, click here.

To download the resource, Spectrum of Sex and Gender, click here.

To download the resource, LGBTQ+ Terminology Recommendations, click here.

REFUGE for the Evacuated

For decades CrossWalk has served as Napa County’s first-to-open, last-to-close evacuation shelter.  In 2014 my family was jolted out of bed.  We turned on the news to learn that an earthquake hit not too far from Napa.  My whole gang immediately got dressed and headed to church where we found lots of broken glass in our kitchens.  My office was totaled, with furniture thrown around the room.  After we knew it was safe to enter the buildings (no gas leaks or structural issues), my son and I worked to get the gym kitchen cleaned up because we knew it was just a matter of time before we would be called upon to open as a shelter.  CrossWalkers just showed up to help and make sure the church was okay.  One evacuee, Bruno Bardet, found the hospitality so lovely that he began attending church.  He joined and is still an active member to this day!

     Napa County, City, and nonprofit organizations found out how unprepared they were for a major disaster.  At that time, a new organization was conceived in CrossWalk’s sanctuary: Community Organizations Active in Disaster.  The COAD now fulfills  a critical role connecting government and NPO’s to serve the needs of Napans.  When not activated, the COAD helps the community become more prepared by fostering neighbor-to-neighbor caregiving and training for NPO leaders (and more).

     I remember when the fires came in 2017. I got a call in the middle of the night from the County Sherrif’s office that we needed to open.  Thirty minutes later, we were open and getting ready for hundreds upon hundreds of evacuees.  Once again, CrossWalkers simply showed up to help direct traffic and offer assistance as needed.  The first folks to arrive were from evacuated resorts who had the means to find other space, so they were only with us a few hours.  Then another wave of people came who didn’t have the same capacity.  Many stayed for a week, others even longer.

     In 2020, lightning ignited massive fires that caused widespread damage around Berryessa, into Vacaville and well beyond.  Still under the COVID pandemic restrictions and scorching hot temps, we were inundated with hundreds of evacuees from Calistoga.  There was no way we could provide social distancing.  I was sure it would be a super-spreader.  The gym and the sanctuary were packed as people waited to get vouchers for hotel rooms.  Eventually, all but a few got placed – we had a handful who stayed on campus for a while before moving back home.  CrossWalk’s own, Karen Kenny, lost her house overlooking Lake Berryessa.  She noted that the fire didn’t spread on the ground but in the air.  Her house was no match.  Gratefully, she was able to stay with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter until she was put up in a hotel for six months until she bought a new home.

     We are proud to serve in this capacity, and we have invested significant funds to improve our campus so that we can better serve those who come our way.  After the 2020 fires, we recognized that we needed to improve our locker room showers to accommodate neighbors with access and functional needs.  We created accessible shower stalls.  In our gym lobby, we remodeled our bathrooms to provide accessible stalls.  That renovation cost tens of thousands of dollars coming mostly from CrossWalk, but also from the Community Foundation, our denomination, and a memorial gift. 

     One massive, recent improvement that will allow us to serve more fully is the complete renovation of our gym kitchen.  Before, we could only use our kitchen for storage – it was not permitted for food preparation.  (Napa County is adamant about food safety with evacuees – nobody is served well if food poisoning makes its way into the meals provided.)  Now a fully permitted commercial kitchen, CrossWalk can provide meals prepared onsite.  The funds for this project came largely from Federal grants channeled through Feeding It Forward (who have full access to the kitchen for their purposes), CrossWalk funds, our denomination, memorial gifts and donor-restricted contributions.

    Why do we work so hard and invest so much for people we will likely never see again? Because that is the Way of Jesus. The Good Samarian came across a beaten up, left-for-dead victim of a robbery and chose to sacrifice his time and money to care for him, even though he knew the unconscious man likely reviled him. We do it because it’s the right thing to do, the loving thing to do, the Jesus thing to do. Our hope is that the improvements we make with thisCapital Campaign: A Shelter in Life’s Stormswill allow us to continue to serve fully and well for decades to come.

SANCTUARY for Immigrants

Enjoy Douglas Avilesbernal's fantastic talk on being sanctuary for immigrants. Doug is the Executive Minister of the Evergreen Baptist Association to which CrossWalk belongs. EBA is one of 33 regions that comprise the national work of the American Baptist Churches.

OASIS for the Faith Seekers

This week we kick of CrossWalk’s Capital Campaign, A Shelter in Life’s Storms. Each week, we will celebrate how CrossWalk offers shelter for many as they endure myriad forms of storms.  Our hope is that we will be reminded of how critically important CrossWalk is for so many, and how important it is that we take care of this space so that the work can continue indefinitely.  We hope it sparks a deeper level of generosity as we consider all the lives that are impacted.  During a chaotic time in our country when we don’t know what to do, we can be confident that CrossWalk’s vision-born mission will be a voice and a light of shalom, healing, hope – shelter no matter the storm.

     Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that a significant number of people find their way to CrossWalk because they are looking for different ways to understand and practice their faith.  Many have found CrossWalk to be an oasis for those faith seekers who find themselves in the desert of deconstruction and reconstruction.  A part of that journey requires a taste of persecution – a focal point of one of Jesus’ beatitudes:

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort, and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. – Matthew 5:10-12 (MSG)

     If you’ve chosen to pursue deconstruction and reconstruction – often because you could no longer thrive in other expressions of faith – you have tasted persecution in one form or another.  We face it from the company in which we dare raise questions. We face it in different ways from the loudest voices of Christianity proclaiming that they own the truth.  We face it from well-meaning people we love.  We face it from not-so-well-meaning people we struggle to love or like, because sometimes they can be mean.  Of course, we also face internal persecution that comes with self-doubt as we recognize that we are barbecuing  holy cows.  While at times incredibly freeing, life-giving, and exhilarating, the journey can also be daunting, lonely, filled with emptiness and despair.  Is it just me, or does any of this ring true for you, too?

     We are not alone in our quest to find more.  Jesus himself underwent the process. So did his followers.  There is a fascinating account experienced by the Apostle Peter found in Acts 10.  The story begins with a non-Jewish man named Cornelius, a Centurion in command of at least 100 Roman soldiers, stationed in the port town of Caesarea.  Known for being an honorable, generous, and prayerful man, he experienced a vision.  Pay attention: the Roman Centurion experienced a vision. Let that sink in.  The message received was to seek out Peter to hear his message.  He sent a couple of soldiers to Joppa – 30 miles south of the Caesarea.

     Peter was in Joppa, visiting a friend who was tanner. The home/business was a place that was inherently unclean giving the prevalence of dead animals. Read: not a holy space where God would choose to show up.  While he was in prayer around noon, he experienced a vision. Three times in a row, a sheet was lowered from heaven full of non-Kosher “foods” which Peter was instructed to eat. Each time, Peter refused out of his strict adherence to his Jewish tradition forbidding it.  The voice from heaven countered him, however, telling him “not to call unclean what God has made clean.”  Pay attention: the voice challenged long held Jewish traditions and went against scriptural teaching.  What an experience! Nothing could have prepared him for it.  The inner turmoil surely tormented him.  Did he persecute himself for even thinking such thoughts?

     As he was still thinking about it, the soldiers sent by Cornelius arrived, asking for him. Peter sensed the Spirit telling him to go with the men to Caesarea and share what he knew about Jesus with them. So, he went.  Pay attention: Peter willingly went with Roman soldiers on a two-day hike to meet with Captain Cornelius.  How terrifying!

     Cornelius prepared for his arrival by bringing together his family to listen to whatever he had to say.  As Peter was teaching them, Cornelius’ family experienced a baptism of the Spirit of God that had them speaking in tongues (a sign from Pentecost).  Seeing what was happening, Peter invited them to be baptized into the Jesus-following community, which they all embraced.  Pay attention: Peter just baptized an entire household of Gentiles. Roman soldier Gentiles.  This was crazy. Yet he remembered the lunchtime vision – do not profane what God made clean.

     The Jewish Jesus followers in Jerusalem heard about it.  When Peter was in town, they let him have it.  I’m sure that was a pleasant conversation, right? A taste of persecution for doing the thing he sensed God was calling him to do. A taste of persecution for extending grace. Pay attention: honoring the nudge of God may not sit well with other God-followers, even friendly ones.

     Taking heat is part of the deal, I think, even if it’s for grace.

     As long as I have been in any form of Christian leadership, I have experienced pushback when I have called for movement from and toward different expressions of shalom.  I am certain that I am not perfect (which undoubtedly contributed to the pushback at times). Personality aside, however, in many (if not most) cases, the central issue was about choosing a better way over a good way.  The status quo wasn’t necessarily bad, yet shalom beckoned forward.  Heeding that call was the better move, but naturally resulted in change, which always stirs things up.  My experience going through it has pretty much always included inner turmoil, external pressure, self-checking, and moving forward.  This is the process.  It lasts the whole of our lives. This is good news – it means that the faith we seek is increasingly knowable no matter how deep we go.

     Shalom’s depths are unfathomable, and so long as there is a lack of shalom in the world, the call of shalom will be with us, too, inviting us to take risks on grace, to stand with and for those who need our support.  To make some “good trouble” (John Lewis).  IF we’re not making joyful, shalomy noise, we may be missing the mark.  Pastor and Professor Gene L. Davenportwrites about consequences of starting and getting in good trouble: “Disciples are never punished by the state simply for violating this or that law, although for purposes of legality an indictment will be based on one or another specific law. They are punished because they threaten the entire system. The true offense is the disciple’s very existence” (70).

     Jesus got in a lot of good trouble.  He broke long-held traditions and got pushback every time. His very being challenged the system.  Yet he couldn’t help himself. He noted that he only did what he saw Abba doing.  He was living in shalom and therefore was impelled and compelled in all he thought and did to promote shalom.  He was living in what already was in God’s realm.  When we have breakthrough moments of epiphany and live into it, we find ourselves breathing new air.

     A friend decided one day to stop believing in God.  He immediately felt liberated! I don’t think it’s because there is no God, but possibly that the construct he had of God was so incomplete, so boxed-in with traditional thinking, that it was more of a straitjacket than a wingsuit.  He was (and we are) meant to fly. That declaration of atheism, an act of heresy, was the most God-honoring thing he could have done.

     Oscar Romero was steeped in shalom, giving him clarity on how much good trouble needed to be started in El Salvador.  Romero’s person and presence calling for shalom cost him his life.  He extends the invitation beyond individual faith seekers to churches, encouraging them to get comfortable making its people and the world uncomfortable (71-72):

A church that does not provoke crisis, a gospel that does not disturb, a word of God that does not rankle, a word of God that does not touch the concrete sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what kind of gospel is that? Just nice, pious considerations that bother nobody – that’s the way many people would like our preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny subject so as not to bother anyone or cause conflict and difficulty shed no light on the reality in which they live.

     CrossWalk is not that kind of church, is it?  I’m not that kind of pastor, am I? CrossWalk is an OASIS for those seeking more – even at the cost of breaking with tradition – in part because I have been in the process myself and cannot help but keep going.  I know how hard the process is, and I know how important it is to speak into the thorny subjects.  I also know how helpful it is to be in an environment that supports the dialogue.  We matter.

     We don’t always connect deconstruction and reconstruction with this kind of thinking, yet we should.  I have not discovered anyone who has undertaken the task of pursuing a truly deeper, more expansive faith only to make their worldview smaller. From what I’ve seen in myself and others, the growth leads us to be less self-centered and more compassionate toward all others.  Which is costly and risky in a radically individualized, self-centered culture. As Jeane DeCelles, a leader in the Catholic Charismatic movement noted, there is a price to pay (73): “Discipleship does have its costs – anyone who has dared to bring the gospel to bear on his or her own life knows that. Whether we feel it or not may be a good litmus test for discerning if we are truly following on his path or pursuing a false trail.” 

     Jesus did say that his Way was easy and his burden light, but he was comparing himself to the perfectionist agenda being promoted by Jewish leaders of his day.  Jesus also told people to pick up their cross and follow him.  The Way of grace is easier, and yet shalom takes us into risk.

     Aramaic translator, Neil Douglas-Klotz, in his helpful little book, Prayers of the Cosmos: Reflections on the Original Meaning of Jesus’ Words, translates encouraging words from Jesus’ Beatitude to all who are on the reconstruction journey: “Consider adversity as an incitement to take another step.”  And as you do, know that at CrossWalk you are in good company as you make good trouble.  Here is a space for you to rest, regroup, recenter, recharge, reevaluate, and recollect yourself with other on the journey.  Here lies an OASIS for you and other faith seekers looking for more.

 Watch the teaching related to this post on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa) or listen via your preferred podcast provider (search CrossWalkNapa).  Unless otherwise notes, references noted are sourced from Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will inform CrossWalkNapa teachings throughout 2025.

CrossWalkMoth!

How has CrossWalk been a provided of safe space for CrossWalkers? Hear for yourself!

Pure in Heart

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8 NRSVUE

Here are some questions to think about before we wonder about what Jesus was teaching:

1. What distracts or derails us from being our truer, better selves? What helps us stay centered and grounded?

2. How are our truer, better selves differentiated from cultural norms and paradigms?

3. When have good things gotten in the way of better things?

     What do you think it means to be pure in heart?  What might Jesus mean when he says the pure in heart will see God?  It may help to know that in ancient psychology, the heart was a person’s core, the location of thoughts, feelings, and decisions. A pure heart, then, is the opposite of deceit or trickery, but refers to integrity and sincerity.

     Sometimes other translations of the text help flesh out the meaning. The first three below are ways to interpret the Aramaic version which Jesus would have spoken, versus the Greek language of the written text (Prayers of the Cosmosby Neil Douglas-Klotz).  Take time pondering each of these:

Healthy are those whose passion is electrified by deep, abiding purpose;

they shall regard the power that moves and shows itself in all things.

Aligned with the One are those whose lives radiate from a core of love;

they shall see God everywhere.

Resisting corruption are those whose natural reaction is sympathy and friendship;

they shall be illuminated by a flash of lightning:

the Source of the soul’s movement in all creatures.

You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. – Eugene Peterson, The Message

     I like how all these together help us see, yet again, that Jesus was stating something obvious from his experience that is profound yet simple.  For his hearers then and now, I believe this was good news.  As we stay centered and grounded, tied into the flow of God, we will be more likely to recognize the flow of God around us.

     How do we stay grounded?  What informed Jesus?  When he was asked what the greatest commandment was, he surely remembered the following passage (Deuteronomy 6:4-10 CEB) that would have been familiar to Jewish people everywhere:

Israel, listen! Our God is the LORD! Only the LORD! Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.

     Clearly, the writers recognized that focus was required to foster such enduring, holistic love for God.  Apparently, without focus, our capacity to stay grounded even on something we care deeply about can get swayed.  Love of God, I think, goes beyond feeling, but represents a passionate allegiance.  The experience of being connected deeply to the Divine, and thus our truer, better selves, is powerful. I don’t think we’re just simply called to sing worship songs all day and call it good.  It’s not easy to stay in that God-centered pocket, which is why we are instructed to remember using various tools.  We can be tempted away from God as well, which happened to Jesus immediately following his baptism:

Jesus returned from the Jordan River full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There he was tempted for forty days by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and afterward Jesus was starving. The devil said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

     Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread.” [Note: this was a temptation to live life led by our physical cravings instead of from a more thoughtful, centered space.]

     Next the devil led him to a high place and showed him in a single instant all the kingdoms of the world. The devil said, “I will give you this whole domain and the glory of all these kingdoms. It’s been entrusted to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. Therefore, if you will worship me, it will all be yours.”

     Jesus answered, “It’s written, You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” [Note: this was a temptation to gain power or get what we think we want using a shortcuts that derail us from our grounding  in God.]

     The devil brought him into Jerusalem and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here; for it’s written: He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.”

     Jesus answered, “It’s been said, Don’t test the Lord your God.” [Note: this temptation was to manipulate God, which is an act of usurping or being God.]

     After finishing every temptation, the devil departed from him until the next opportunity. – Luke 4:1-13 (CEB)

     Jesus faced these temptations as he prepared to enter his public ministry.  How different would his ministry have been if he gave into his off-centered passions as a very popular speaker and healer! How different if he had chosen to gain greater power through force!  How different would his story have been if he had chosen not to honor God’s vision, which led to suffering and death at the hands of those in power whom he challenged.  Nobody would remember that Jesus. 

     We are still talking about him and trying to follow him because he maintained his connection with God, which allowed him to see God everywhere and in everyone and everything. Seeing with such eyes changed how he engaged everything: he couldn’t help but do life differently, taking the path of love for all. Perhaps that’s why, when asked about the greatest commandment, he offered up a second: to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Being centered on the love of God leads to loving others.

     Jesus wasn’t the only one tempted.  His friends, Mary and Martha, sisters of his dear friend Lazarus, were faced with an interesting situation that isn’t as trivial as it might first appear:

     While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So, Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

     The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:38-42

    Poor Martha gets painted in such a terrible light, doesn’t she?  Everyone reading it is saying, “C’mon, Martha! What’s your problem?”   Yet the story is more complex than that.

     In sitting at Jesus’ feet to listen, Mary was committing a social foul. Women were not allowed to be in that context, which was reserved for men.  She chose a seat that was supposed to be for disciples only, who were also always male. Did she do the right thing?

     Jesus said nothing, which tacitly endorsed her behavior. Did he do the right thing?

     Martha knew the custom and knew that Mary was out of line. Mary was supposed to help with hospitality – wasn’t she as shirking her responsibility?  Wasn’t Martha right to call her out?

     I think what we see here is faced by people in myriad ways throughout life.  We come into complex situations where we must determine what the better option might be.  Mary discerned that listening to Jesus was worth breaking the tradition, risking pushback. Jesus didn’t challenge it, which meant he agreed and endorsed Mary’s decision.  Martha, instead, remained committed to a good course of action, but not the better.

     Martha wasn’t an awful person in this story.  She leaned into a perfectly predictable and socially approved way of thinking.  We don’t know a lot of the details of this story – we are left only with broad strokes.  It is possible that Martha’s personality really thrived in hospitality, and not in listening to a lecture, which may have fit Mary perfectly well.  Her question betrays her heart, however – she apparently had attitude. She asked Jesus a question that first should have been directed toward Mary. Plus, the question she asked was more of a statement than and inquiry, more accusatory than inquisitive. Whatever her logic, she was not in the flow. Her frustration got the best of her. She missed seeing the divine because she was focused on a good thing more than the better thing.

     We face the same challenge every day of our lives.  Cultural influences would have us simply follow our cravings, grab more for ourselves with shortcuts and bad deals with the devil, usurping the guiding presence of God.  Yet if we don’t pay attention – and foster the paying of attention – we will easily give in and miss the opportunity to see that we are swimming in the flow of the Spirit all the time. In missing such a sight, we also might miss opportunities to experience the better and settle for less.

     Considering Jesus’ Beatitude which offers so much hope and promise, consider again the following questions:

1. What distracts or derails us from being our truer, better selves? What helps us stay centered and grounded

2. How are our truer, better selves differentiated from cultural norms and paradigms?

3. When have good things gotten in the way of better things?

Have Mercy

Enjoy this teaching featuring Rev. Dr. Angie Barker-Jackson, based on Jesus’ Beatitude, “God blesses those who are merciful, of they will receive mercy.”

"God has not called us to be warriors. God has called us to be wombs."

Satiated

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. – Matthew 5:6 NLT

 Sometimes when I read the Beatitudes, I want to call “Bologna”.  I see how divided we are in our country – and in the Church globally – and wonder where the satisfaction is.  The word play got my attention, though, and got me thinking differently.  Hunger.  Thirst. Satisfied.  I think of the word satiated as an appropriate substitute for satisfied.  It recalls times when I might be hungry or thirsty and finally get to eat or drink to satiation, to fullness.  Quite satisfying.  And then, in due time, I get hungry and thirsty again.  It’s a never-ending cycle, this hunger and thirst needing to be satisfied.  Perhaps my desire to see injustice finally and fully remedied has robbed me of some good food and drink in the here and now as we work toward the long-term dream.

     The Gospel of John gives witness to this very phenomenon.  In the fourth chapter, we see Jesus calling his disciples to take an unpopular route back home to Galilee from Jerusalem.  Most Jewish people took the longer route following the Jordan River, avoiding the region of Samaria altogether.  Jewish people had a centuries-old hatred of the Samaritans – they hated them more than any other group.  Jesus said that they “had to go” through Samaria, not because Google Maps wanted to avoid traffic, but because shalom impelled and compelled him to cut directly through the region of the enemy.

     In the heat of the afternoon, they came to an historic well that both traditions knew well.  Jesus stayed there while the disciples went into a village to get food – they were all certainly hungry after their long trek.  While they were away, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus started a conversation (a cultural faux pas).  She rebuffed him. He persisted. Jesus knew that the woman was not in a good place. She was drawing water all by herself in the heat of the day. Such daily tasks were handled in the coolness of early morning, with women carrying water together for safety and mutual support. As the story unfolds, we discover that the woman was likely shunned from her community, forced into isolation for no fault of her own.

     At one point, after Jesus correctly identified her situation, she tried to distract him with a theological fight that would have sent any Jewish person into a tailspin rage.  Yet Jesus was unflinching in his pursuit of justice. He recognized that she had been treated unjustly by her community. Further, he recognized that Samaritans and Jews had treated each other unjustly. This was an opportunity to stand for grace and justice on both fronts.

     Because Jesus stayed the course of shalom, even going so far as to let her be the first to hear him say that he was the anointed one Jewish people were waiting for, she left transformed.  The weight she carried to the well was off her shoulders.  She rushed back to her village a new person. The community that shunned her noticed the difference and even heeded her plea to see Jesus for themselves – and they did! It is remarkable what the love of God can do for a person.

     When she was headed back to her village, the disciples certainly passed her on the way back to the well. They had lunch ready to offer Jesus. His response surprised them: “I have a kind of food you know nothing about. My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing God’s work.”  Jesus was satiated.  Jesus’ hunger and thirst for justice in that moment was fully satisfied.  It didn’t solve all the world’s problems, but it changed the world in that village in Samaria. It changed the relationship between the villagers and the woman. It changed how the woman felt about herself.  Shalom was cultivated, providing a feast.

     I take heat from folks who have left CrossWalk because they think I am too political and want to keep politics out of the church.  But if we claim to be followers of Jesus, throwing political issues out of the church will require us to throw Jesus out, too.  The desire to not see this truth or follow Jesus’ invitation is in part why so many social ills are still as pronounced as they are today.  The decision to ignore Jesus’ teaching and calling is why Martin Luther King, Jr. had to write Letter from a Birmingham Jail, which was largely an indictment against mostly white churches who were telling King to “tone it down.”  Jesus was told to tone it down, too.  It was not met with acquiescence.  Rather, it was met with a stern, “Get behind me, Satan!”

     To be followers of Jesus is exemplified in the Samaritan woman’s story.  By the way, note the intersectionality of her situation.  She was a woman, of a different ethnicity, of a different faith tradition, and in her own way undocumented. She was blind and then saw.  When she saw, she spoke. When she spoke, more people saw and believed for themselves. Justice was realized.  To say yes to Jesus’ invitation to follow him in standing up for justice is not to abandon our spiritual connection to God but rather the opposite.  She was a beautiful example of following Jesus fully. And I bet she was satiated, too.

     I wonder if the reason some Christians are so starving for more of God in their lives is because they are ignoring the buffet right in front of their faces, rejecting it as “too political.”  More worship songs will never satisfy like actually following in the footsteps of Jesus.  Maybe it’s time to learn from this woman, of color, of a different tradition, who was undocumented, who was transformed by Jesus only to find herself serving the transformation for others.

     How have you been overwhelmed by shalom? Shalom is overwhelming.  How have you been transformed by shalom? Shalom is transforming. How have you followed Jesus in sharing the overwhelming, transforming shalom?  The way you do this is as unique as you are. The satiation is assured. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? The buffet awaits.

     Take some time to learn how Benjamin Lay – The Quaker Comet – was overwhelmed and transformed by shalom who then used guerilla theater to stand up for grace and justice with his anti-slavery efforts.

     Take some time to appreciate Napa artist John Hannaford’s painting, “Birthday/Last Day” – a haunting critique of the unnecessary suffering a world away caused by hunger while others are full.

     How will you allow shalom to more fully overwhelm and transform you? How will you heed the call of shalom to cultivate its growth wherever you are?  From shalom, toward shalom, with shalom.

Things you can do...

·       Download the Five Calls app that gives you the ability to contact your representatives quickly and easily.  Contact them with your concern!

·       Show up. If there is a nonviolent gathering taking place for an issue you care about, show up!

·       Be an advocate.  White people, pay attention! Feeling guilt and shame regarding racial prejudice is not the goal. Becoming increasingly aware of its presence and stating its reality challenges voices that deny it and emboldens others to own it and do something about it.  Do your work!  Courage required! It’s the shalom thing to do! It’s the patriotic thing to do!

·       Support organizations that are doing good work on many fronts – you can’t do it alone, but a million people donating even $5/month can do a lot!

·       There is so much more you can do, of course. Part of the process is doing your own research to find out more.

Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).  This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will inform CrossWalkNapateachings throughout 2025.

Got Meek?

Enjoy Rev. Dr. Angie Barker Jackson's teaching on Jesus' provocative Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  See below for the resources she referenced.

Check out the covenant Angie referenced from The Poor People’s Campaign (PoorPeoplesCampaign.org/covenant-of-nonviolence) – and why not say yes to its invitation?

Check out the following books Angie noted as well:

Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope

Racial Ecologies

Becoming Rooted: 100 Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth

Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage

Check out these organizations:

SoulFlowerFarm.org

CanticleFarm.org

TempleofEarthApothecary.com

Check out these Voices:

Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll

Genesis Butler (2017 TEDxCSULB)

Good Mourning

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” – Mt. 5:4 NRSVUE

Jesus’ Beatitude about those who mourn finding comfort fits well with the rest of the “blessed” statements.  His audience was familiar with grief (as was he), and in his experience, God showed up with comfort for him which presumes God can for others as well.  Some scholars see the whole list as an allusion to the crucifixion and resurrection – all the “negative” representing the cross and all the blessings that come with being freed from the grave.  This reminds me that the scriptures are meant to be thought about, talked about, maybe even argued about, all with the intent of gaining the most from them. 

     Today, I see very practical advice in Jesus’ words.  I think he is speaking a very plain truth – those who mourn will be comforted.  The question is, do we mourn? How well do we mourn? What might the relationship be between how well we mourn and the level of comfort we experience? What is God’s activity in the process?

     What have you mourned?  Take a minute and give this some thought.    

     According to HelpGuide.org, the most common sources of grief are: bereavement (the death of a loved one); death of a pet; divorce or relationship breakup; loss of health; losing a job; loss of financial stability; a miscarriage; retirement; loss of a cherished dream; a loved one’s serious illness; loss of a friendship; loss of safety after a trauma; selling the family home; and a Kansas City Three-Peat at Super Bowl LIX.  How many of these have you endured?

     I think we hear mixed messages in our culture when it comes to mourning.  On the one hand, we expect people to grieve when they suffer loss, and we know that expressing care at such times is a loving thing to do.  You have probably expressed condolences and received them as well.

     Yet at the same time, our culture has other messages communicated in many ways.  We value toughness.  “Suck it up!”  “Keep a stiff upper lip!”  “Big boys and girls don’t cry.” “Get over it already.”  This relates to mental health in general.  Break a bone or have a heart attack, everyone gets a free pass as long as the doctor orders.  Suffer a broken heart? Not so much.

     One phrase comes to mind that is only somewhat true: “Time heals all wounds.”  Some broken bones will heal in time, but not necessarily straight, rendering the sufferer potentially incapable of fully functioning ever again.  Time doesn’t seem to favor those who have heart conditions or cancer.  We know that professional help is needed if we expect a full recovery from physical problems.  We need to heed professional advice when it comes to mental health in general, and for mourning in particular.

     When we don’t mourn well, we don’t heal as fully.  When we leave mourning to time alone, it can leave a lot of unfinished business that lingers.  When we don’t deal with our emotional life, it will always deal with us.  This includes mourning.  Mourning hindered or denied can sabotage relationships with others. 

     When we do not tend to our emotional wellbeing (including mourning), it can affect our emotional and physical health.  We might find ourselves touchier than normal, angry, depressed, or more anxious. We might self-medicate to ease our pain, leading to substance abuse, or overeating, or not eating enough, or not sleeping enough, or sleeping too much – all of which can lead to serious physical problems.

     With so much at stake, why don’t we all do a healthier job with our grief? There surely are myriad reasons specific to every person.  I wonder if, in general, it boils down to three reasons.  First, I bet most of us don’t know how to grieve well. It hasn’t been modeled well in our culture that celebrates being unaffected by struggle.  How many veterans struggled and still struggle with PTSD?  Loss in many of its forms is traumatic. Most of us are ill-equipped for the task.

     Second, I wonder if facing our grief is too painful because of the remembering itself.  Our lizard brains kick into gear, fleeing from the pain and suffering memories cause.  Thank God for Netflix! And Amazon Prime! And Apple TV! And Disney+! And HBO! And...  We can distract ourselves ad infinitum.  Pain avoidance – we’re really good at it.

     Third, and this may be closely related to the second, I wonder if in some cases we cannot mourn well because we are too threatened by what may be unveiled.  Some losses are unavoidable parts of life. People die.  Weather changes.  Economies react and correct. Many things that cause us to suffer loss are out of our control.  The main thing they remind us of is that we are human beings with limited power.

     Yet we have more or less significant roles in other losses.  It takes two to Tango; it also takes two to divorce.  We’re kidding ourselves when we think it was all the other’s fault.  The word we’re looking for here is denial.  Healthy relationships generally do not succumb to divorce.  It takes two to make and keep a relationship healthy. Perhaps we prefer not to mourn much because we don’t want to admit that we were complicit in the breakup.  We played a role. We caused significant pain for another.  Once again, our lizard brains kick in as the threat that we might be wrong, that we hurt someone begins to emerge in our consciousness.

     What keeps you from dealing with your grief, from mourning well?

     In the book, Following the Call, three authors offered reflection related to the subject of mourning.  American philosopher, professor, and Christian ethicist, Nicholas Wolterstorff (1932 –) mourned many of the world’s ills that needn’t exist, admitting on behalf of humanity that our hands are bloody. He stated that “the mourners are aching visionaries” (35). Oh, that more and more of humanity would feel such grief... 

     There are countries who have outpaced the United States in terms of racial equality, equity, inclusion, integration, and belonging.  One word I have heard repeatedly from the distant source1s is that as a whole, we in the United States have never fully mourned our awful, intentional inhumane history of white supremacy.  Prejudice against Indigenous Peoples, Latinx neighbors from the south, and of course, African Americans who did not choose to come to our shores but were abducted and enslaved.  We too quickly brush it under the rug of the aspirational platitudes written in our founding documents, pretending we have somehow arrived while the hemorrhaging continues.  Perhaps when we collectively not only confess, but mourn our past, we might finally see our dreams come true.  So long as the Confederate flag flies and the Civil War is referred to as the war of Northern Aggression, we’re stuck.

   Bengali poet and Nobel laureate in literature, Rabindranath Tagore’s (1861–1941) offering is so rich. In one moment, the author speaks of the gift of knowing that life is not a stable, permanent fixture – that death comes.  What a turn!  And then a related expression that occurs in mourning – not caring what the world thinks about how we are interacting with the world.  Every day is pajama day for awhile...  So rich and deep.

     Eastern Orthodox writer, Frederica Mathewes-Green (1952–), takes us to a place of mourning related to mistakes we have made.  Our sins negatively affect our own lives, the lives of others (more than we can imagine), and ultimately God’s dream for creation.  Leaning into a familiar vision of classic Christianity, the author finds that in mourning sins committed, comfort is discovered in the cross itself, where God’s love was so fully on display.

     I loved all these written offerings.  Different expressions on mourning. All in their own way suggesting that something divine was experienced in the mourning.  Some sense of comfort specific to the person.  Jesus’ words rang true for them.  Why?

     I think the reason why Jesus had confidence to claim that those who mourn will be comforted is rooted not only in his personal experience but also in his understanding of the character and nature of God.  God is love.  God is shalom.  Everything about God flows toward wellbeing for all, harmony, resolution, restoration, renewal, resurrection.  Shalom flows from one end of the expanding universe to the other, filling all space in between. We are swimming in the sea of shalom.

     When we choose to mourn – the more intentional the better – we tap into that everlasting spring that will never run dry. When we mourn well, we find ourselves embraced by the presence of God that is more intimately entwined in our lives than we ever dreamed.  A force stronger than the tides.  Why am I so sure? Because God is always with us in our pursuit of shalom. Supporting us.  Loving us.  Strengthening us.  Enlightening us.  Enlivening us.

     There is much to learn about how we can grieve well.  Choose to learn.  Spend some time on HelpGuide.org and see where it takes you.  For God’s sake, choose to learn!  For your sake, choose to learn! For the sake of everything and everyone in creation that you touch in big and small ways, choose to learn! Put what you learn into practice as you go – don’t wait until you’ve got it all figured out, because you never will. Yet your efforts will simply bring more beauty and shalom into a world that needs it.

     May you find yourself embraced by the loving presence of God, of Love, of Shalom, as you embark upon the journey of mourning well. May you grieve fully and find yourself everlastingly comforted.

 A Prayer for a Distant God (Rich Orloff)

Let me heal you, says the Divine
I know I seem far away
I have not always lived up to your expectations
Especially at times of your greatest need

If it looks like I stand behind barriers
They are not my creation
But the result of your doing
And the actions of others

Dismantle them if you wish to get close to me
Admit your role in building them
And perpetuating them
And looking away when others fortify them

If you rush by, I cannot heal
If you put up walls, I cannot heal
If you block me, I cannot heal
If you deny your wounds, I cannot heal

With each step to dismantle the barriers
I will become closer to you
If you surrender your defenses
I will feel so close
That you will feel me inside you
Healing from within

Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).  This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will inform CrossWalkNapateachings throughout 2025.

Poverty of Spirit

Various translations of Matthew 5:3 include the following:

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (NLT)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NRSV)

Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. (CEB)

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. (MSG)

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! (AMPC)

This weekend exemplifies NorCal winter: cold and wet.  As I zipped around running errands, I encountered a very familiar, recurring scene – a person begging for money at the parking lot exit.  Whatever you might feel about this, I think we can agree that being houseless when it’s cold and wet sucks.  I prefer my warm home.  If that’s what blessed or happy looks like, I’m not sure I want it.  If we are called to live life at the end of our rope or in poverty, that’s a tough sell.  I want to appear mature in faith, yet that invitation does not sound appealing at all. Hard pass for me unless there are no other options.

     Sometimes when we read this Beatitude, we are tempted to romanticize poverty and the poor.  We share true stories of impoverished people living with meaning, joy, and deep experiences of faith, proving the veracity of Jesus’ claim. We uphold the value of simplicity and even austerity as noble and good. We talk about the freedom we have when we don’t have much to lose.  All true, but all making it too easy to miss the other reality of poverty: hardship.

     I am reminded that Jesus’ original audience was mostly very poor. Jesus wasn’t only speaking words of hopeful encouragement to such people; he was speaking from experience as an extremely poor man who knew what it was to be mistreated and ignored by people of power and wealth.

     As we consider this Beatitude, we need to remember not to romanticize poverty while also looking for the principle that Jesus was alluding to. Plus, one additional step we’ll get to.  Monika Hellwig – “The People’s Theologian” – offers some insights into the “Advantages” of Being Poor”:

·      The poor know they are in urgent need of [help].

·      The poor not only know their dependence on God and on powerful people but also their interdependence with one another.

·      The poor rest their security not on things but on people.

·      The poor have no exaggerated sense of their own importance, and no exaggerated need of privacy.

·      The poor expect little from competition and much from cooperation.

·      The poor can distinguish between necessities and luxuries.

·      The poor can wait, because they have acquired a kind of dogged patience born of acknowledged dependence.

·      The fears of the poor are more realistic and less exaggerated, because they already know that one can survive great suffering and want.

·      When the poor have the gospel preached to them, it sounds like good news and not like a threat or a scolding.

·      The poor can respond to the call of the gospel with a certain abandonment and uncomplicated totality because they have so little to lose and are ready for anything.

     To gain further clarity from Hellwig’s list, Author Philip Yancey swapped out the word “rich” for “poor” and changed each sentence to the opposite.  After that, he swapped the word “I” for “the poor” to see how much he resembled those in poverty.  Probably worth a try?

     Yancey concludes:

I do not believe the poor to be more virtuous than anyone else (though I have found them more compassionate and often more generous), but they are less likely to pretend to be virtuous...  I now view the Beatitudes not as patronizing slogans but as profound insights into the mystery of human existence. God’s kingdom turns the tables upside down. The poor, the hungry, the mourners, and the oppressed truly are blessed. Not because of their miserable states, of course – Jesus spent much of his life trying to remedy those miseries. Rather, they are blessed because of an innate advantage they hold over those more comfortable and self-sufficient.  People who are rich, successful, and beautiful may well go through life relying on their natural gifts. People who lack such natural advantages, hence underqualified for success in the kingdom of this world, just might turn to God in their time of need.  Human beings do not readily admit desperation. When they do, the kingdom of heaven draws near (30-31).

     Given that we live in a culture driven by consumerism that taps into our sense of value and worth based on our comparison with others, the above provides insight, wisdom, and practical advice on how to stay grounded and rooted in the truth of this Beatitude, consequently fostering a richer experience of life in God.  For many radically individualized human beings, this would be a good stopping point.  But, as Yancey noted, Jesus spent much of his ministry trying to alleviate the causes of the poverty with nonviolent forms of speaking truth to power with resistance.

     Two parables come to mind that exemplify Jesus’ compassion toward the poor and his passion to combat poverty.  In the Parable of the Greedy Farmer, a famer has an incredible harvest and decides to build additional barns to hold the surplus and live on it for the rest of his days.  In the parable, Jesus criticizes the farmer for such an act.  Why was he so harsh? Jesus used the parable to speak against greed in a time of great want.  To live so selfishly when people around him were struggling for food was anti-shalom, anti-humane, and anti-God.

     In another parable, the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus paints an even more detailed account.  A wealthy man lives behind his gate in opulence, while the poor and miserable Lazarus lays on the other side of his fortress hoping for crumbs from the rich man’s table.  They both die the same night.  Lazarus is welcomed into Heaven, but the rich guy is condemned to Hell (Greek’s mythological Hades). The point of the story was that the rich man completely ignored the need literally at his doorstep and instead lavished himself in luxury.  We get fixed on the images of heaven and hell, conveniently avoiding the challenge to evaluate how well we are managing our tendency toward selfishness and greed.

     As already noted, Jesus was extremely poor along with most people.  He knew why.  It wasn’t related to a poor work ethic, but rather systems that made it difficult almost impossible for most people to get ahead.  Those with power and wealth have the power and wealth to keep it that way.  Are there systems in our time that make it harder for some more than others to get ahead? Is there any evidence suggesting that such systems exist and are working?

     I invite you to spend some time examining a resource: Nine Charts about Wealth Inequality in America. Since we are in February, when we celebrate Black History Month, I encourage you to check out Visualizing the Racial Wealth Gap as well.  I think a person would be hard-pressed to suggest that there are not systems in our beloved United States that favor the haves at the expense of the have nots, and of whites over non-whites.  Apart from wishful thinking, the evidence does not support a reality other than one where systems do exist and are perpetuated by those in power.  You did not create the system, but you can do something to positively influence the plight of the poor.

     When we view the Beatitudes as part of the whole Sermon on the Mount, we discover a potentially unsettling reality.  Faith is not just about getting inner peace. Following Jesus’ teaching and example yields a paradoxical experience of shalom as the Beatitudes imply, but to follow Jesus also means to work for justice. Given this Beatitude, it means working toward economic justice.

     Do you give a rip about this? If you don’t, start reading this blog all over again until you do.

     What can we do? On a very local level, you can do something directly to help the poor around you. I know of one CrossWalker who kept Subway gift cards on hand to give to people begging for help.  A footlong sandwich won’t solve world hunger, but it might solve theirs for a day or two.  You can donate to CrossWalk’s Food Pantry – go buy Cheerios to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs  for the Super Bowl next week. Want to go national or international?  Pick one of these organizations based on their Charity Watch rating.

     Specifically related to the intersectionality of racism and economic justice, first take time to become more aware of the problem right in front of our faces.  Napa has an historic race problem. Until and unless we are aware of our history, we are doomed to repeat it. 

     African Americans comprise .8% of Napa County’s roughly 77,500 residents.  That means we have around 620 black neighbors in the entire county.  Hardly any of them live in the city of Napa. Most live in American Canyon.  Do you know what California county has the highest percentage of African Americans? Solano County is the highest with 14.6%.  Let that sink in.  Directly south of Napa county is the highest black population in the state. Then tell me that there isn’t an historic race problem in Napa.

     We know that redlining was a reality in Napa. We know that African Americans do not get the same lending options as their white counter parts. We know that our black neighbors and family members do not get paid the same. Do you care? Jesus certainly did. Christ certainly does. The Way of Shalom would have us become aware and then do what we can to correct it.  If you want to do something right here in California, check our Western Center on Law and Poverty.  Learn about the history of the NAACP and the ACLU.

     Prejudice born from ignorance is a curse that passes from one generation to the next. There is an ignorance of innocence among those who have never been made aware of racism, and there is willful ignorance held and shared among those who do not wish to be burdened with reality. Most people who look like me begin with innocent ignorance.  If that’s you, I am sorry to tell you that you can no longer play that card. Well, you can, but it would be a willful departure from the Way of Jesus.

     The truth is that I can’t tell you what to do – you need to care enough to find out some things for yourself.  What I can tell you is that this is part of following Jesus, and when we follow, we foster the experience life in God. We find ourselves blessed. What are you going to do?

You didn’t create the system. But you can influence its change.

May we get over ourselves.

May we give a rip beyond Me, Myself, and I.

May we remember that our stuff will be tomorrow’s estate sale (and eventually dust).

May we learn to share better.

May we care enough to stand up for Shalom.

May we focus/correct our vision toward mercy.

May we recognize that we’re all the colors.

May we sense the Spirit’s woo toward Love.

May we experience blessedness because we did.

Blessedness

Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).  This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will inform CrossWalkNapateachings throughout 2025.

     For the past few weeks, we have been preparing to fully appreciate Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We have been challenged right out of the gate, being asked by the authors in varying ways whether we really want to take Jesus serious enough to listen to and follow his teaching and example.  Next week, we begin taking deeper dives into the text.  This week, however, offers another preparatory session, asking us to consider what it means to be blessed, who is blessed, and how do we stay in such a blessed state of being.

     We touched a bit on this last week in the chapter on Foolish Wisdom.  The wisdom of Jesus’ opening Beatitudes – a series of statements declaring certain people and life experiences blessed – seems foolish to modern readers.  Being blessed is often associated with having abundant creature comforts in our consumer culture, as well as having good health, a good job, and good relationships.  Sometimes a winning season for the Giants, Warriors, Niners, or Sharks is ample reason to feel blessed!

     Robert Schuller, a beloved mega-church TV preacher from a generation ago wrote a book on the Beatitudes called the Be Happy Attitudes.  Happiness and blessedness seemed to be the same.  In fact, some translations translate the Greek word, makarios, to happy (although most opt for blessed).  When you hear the word “happy”, what comes to mind for you?

     Pastor James C. Howell notes the depth that happiness meant to the Greek world, perhaps in contrast to the way many people think about the word today.  He writes, “For the ancients, happiness was a possession of the soul, something that one acquired and that, once acquired, could not be easily taken away. Happiness designated the supreme aim of human life... living in accord with nature, in harmony with our deepest aspirations as human beings (23).”  How is this similar or different than the way you typically think of happiness?

     Howell contends that modern Americans associate happiness with fun, which is something that we can conjure or create.  Blessed, he writes, is something different:  “[American] happiness is something I pursue; happiness is up to me. But Jesus’ Beatitudes are about what we cannot achieve, what we cannot make happen, what we can only receive as the most startling of gifts... So, to be ‘blessed’ is being swept up in God’s decisive moment in the world. [N.T. Wright noted that] ‘It’s about something that’s starting to happen, not about a general truth of life. It is gospel: good news, not good advice’ (24).”

     Happiness in our culture is a fleeting emotion.  Blessedness seems more like a state of being.  Jesus is offering some insight here that on the surface seems untrue, yet our experience, I think, in many cases validates his statement.  If blessedness is a state of mind – something we tap into, then we still have agency in cultivating it, but tapping into something assumes there is something to tap into, something that is present that we did nothing to create.  I think that “something” is God, or the shalom of God, or our Ground of Being, or unifying Love, or maybe even dark energy we are discovering, or perhaps the unseen web that connects everything in the expanding universe that fosters life.  It seems to me that the more deeply people tap into the Source, the more blessed they feel regardless of their external circumstances.

     How do we tap into it?  Pastor Kathy Escobar writes about the counter-cultural, counter-intuitive Way to which Jesus referred:

[For Jesus,] in the Kingdom of God, somehow down means up.  Much of my previous Christian experience was focused on rising up to be closer to God; now, I’m learning that downward is what draws me nearer to God. When I am with my friends in the darkness and pain, I am acutely aware of God’s presence more than in my comfortable places... Downward mobility is about discovering and revealing what it means to live into the kingdom of God as a Christ-follower.  [The Beatitudes] inspire us toward a better way. Jesus’ words of blessing to the poor, marginalized, and downwardly mobile were not a threat or a coercion technique to force us into a miserable life. His call to go downward is a methodology for the abundant life. It is the easier yoke. If we crave God’s peace and presence, then I guess we have to trust his methods, too. It’s easy to think more money, power, or status will give us security and a stronger sense of self, yet Jesus says [in Matthew 10:39] it will be exactly the opposite: to find our lives we need to lose them (24). – Kathy Escobar

     Being poor isn’t a magic remedy against the temptation of greed.  Far from it – poor people can be as obsessed with money and possessions as much as wealthy. The difference is when you are poor, you are more aware of the difference between needs and wants (because you must be), and you are, I think, given an advantage of being able to see the futility of over-emphasizing material possessions (in part because they are out of reach).  Poverty forces people to appreciate what they have and what is available to them, whereas the wealthier we become, the harder it is to see past our creature comforts and investment portfolios.

     As I have said at other times, I don’t believe we are called to pursue poverty or mourning or persecution.  I think Jesus was telling people who were in those experiences that even though it was difficult and painful, it was not in any way a reflection of God’s lack of love for them.  For them to hear from Jesus that they were loved by God was revelatory and transformative in that era.

     While we’re not called to poverty (although some take such a vow), we can remind ourselves of some things poverty teaches us.  One lesson poverty teaches is that material possessions need not dictate our level of joy. In fact, when we can take a minute to remember that we are dust and to dust we return (along with all the stuff we buy), we can become more grounded into the essence of life instead of the stuff we consume.  There is blessing in being satisfied with the basics of life.

     We are not called to mourn, yet when we mourn myriad forms of loss, we often get clarity on what matters most.  Especially when we lose a loved one, we don’t care much about politics or the stock market. Our priorities become aligned with love’s centrality – that’s an expression of being blessed in a very deep way.

     When we choose to be humble, we find ourselves more open to the world in which we live, more connected – not separate or above it.  There is a blessed peace that comes in such moments.

     When we stand for and with others with grace in pursuit of justice, we soon figure out that we are not standing alone.  The presence of God is already there, because grace and justice are always in beat with God’s heart.  There is a kind of holiness that is born from helping others experience grace and find justice. Another form of being blessed.

     When we choose to be merciful toward someone instead of retributive, we mimic the Spirit of God that always seeks our restoration and is not interested at all in our punishments.  Being merciful is easiest when we are in touch with our own humanity – we can then see it and allow room for its uglier faces because we know we are human, too.

     Of course, when we are pure in heart we see God – everywhere and in everything!  We can foster such purity usually only through disciplined, consistent work.  Meditation can be one of the most effective means of letting go of the impurities we carry. Music can sometimes be meditative, overriding our busy brains to get to our hearts. Have you ever been moved to tears by a musical piece – maybe even one without sung lyrics? We are laid bare – and pure – in such moments.  We sense connection with everything, everyone – a divine experience and divine blessing.

     Being a peacemaker is like standing with others with grace in pursuit of justice.  God is all for peace and is constantly working toward it for all.  Peace is the most common translation of the word for Shalom.  Shalom is what God is all about.  Shalom may, in fact, be God!  After all, the writer of one of John’s letters in the New Testament said God is love, which is core to shalom.

     Finally, it is hard to imagine feeling blessed while being persecuted.  And yet, as Jesus noted, there is strange comfort that dedicated men and women who we now call prophets went through the wringer, too.  A weird peace about it.  We just need to be sure the thing we are persecuted for is truly aligned with shalom, otherwise it may be suffering simply for our own ego.  There is a kind of joy knowing you left it all on the field in the hopes of fostering shalom in the process.  That is a blessing.

     How about you?  How about spending some time with each of the Beatitudes, imagining how they resonate and ring true?  Just because the words are counter-intuitive and counter-cultural does not mean they are untrue, wrong, or irrelevant.  It could be that as you reflect on such things, you will discover that Jesus was right all along. In that moment, you may just sense that you are indeed blessed.

Foolish Wisdom

Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).  This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will inform CrossWalkNapa teachings throughout 2025.

Who are the most celebrated people in the United States? Who gets the most attention and accolades? How do we assess such a thing? Perhaps based on who gets the most headlines or endorsements? Or who carries the most sway with public opinion?

     I think it is safe to say that the way our culture defines success is evidenced in who and what we celebrate the most.  In the business world, that means high profile leaders who led their companies and themselves to great financial success: Elon Musk (Tesla, etc.), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook/Meta), Bill Gates and Paul Allen (Microsoft), Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Tim Cook (Apple), Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway), etc.

     We also celebrate athletes at the top of their game, like Stephen Curry, Lebron James, Coco Gauf, Kaitlyn Clark, Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Travis Kelce. Kelce and Mahomes have dominated the endorsement realm in recent years – Kelce’s agents said his multi-million-dollar football contract only represents of a fraction of his annual income. 

     Since we’re talking about Kelce, we must talk about pop stars, which has to include Taylor Swift.  She has written songs about every moment of her life which has made her billions of dollars.  All these folks are successful in terms of personal performance and income. 

     In terms of leadership style, from the big screen to politics to media commentators, our culture has elevated “strong and tough” as a key character trait desired.  Even though he was twice impeached and convicted of a felony for covering up a story that would have potentially hurt his electability, Donald Trump was re-elected.  Why? For a range of reasons, of course, but certainly it had to include that for many people, he is the epitome of success: wealth, power, and fame.  In the U.S. cultural framework, Donald Trump is a blessed man. His victory is completely congruent with our culture’s lived and celebrated values.  Whatever your political disposition, consider what it means that legal, ethical, and moral issues were trumped by just under 50% of voters to give him the victory.

     The above doesn’t tell the whole story, but it cannot be discounted.  Because all the above are so prevalent in our culture, it must also be stated that we are kidding ourselves if we don’t admit it’s influence upon us individually.  We are in denial if we think otherwise. The broader culture we live within exacts incredible formative pressure on us all.  We don’t usually know how much until we are faced with something entirely different, providing contrast. We sometimes need a reference point to know where we stand.

     Author and English professor Virginia Stem Owens gave her Freshman students an assignment – write an essay in response to their reading Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount.  The responses surprised her:

·      In my opinion, religion is one big hoax.

·      There is an old saying that ‘you shouldn’t believe everything you read’ and it applies in this case.

·      It is hard to believe something that was written down thousands of years ago. IN the Bible Adam and Eve were the first two people and if they were then where did black people come from? Also, the Bible says nothing about dinosaurs and I think God would of mentioned them.

·      The stuff churches preach is extremely strict and allows for almost no fun without thinking it is a sin or not.

·      I did not like the essay ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ It was hard to read and made me feel like I had to be perfect and no one is.

·      The things asked in this sermon are absurd. To look at a woman is adultery? That is the most extreme, stupid, un-human statement that I have ever heard.

·      Many believe that this sermon should be taken literally. I believe, on the other hand, that, because the scriptures have been interpreted from so many different languages, we should use them as a guide – not law. Another fallback is that certain Beatitudes are irrelevant to current life-styles. Loving your enemies, for instance, is obviously no observed by the majority today.

·      In this essay the author explains the doctrines of an era in the past which cannot be brought into the future in the same context. This essay now cannot be taken the same way it was written. It can be used as a guideline for good manners.

     Owens didn’t just find it surprising, however.  She was also oddly encouraged:

I find it strangely heartening that, except for the young man who found the Sermon on the Mount a guide to good manners, the Bible remains offensive to honest, ignorant ears, just as it was in the first century.  For me, that somehow validates its significance. Whereas the scriptures almost lost their characteristically astringent flavor during the past century, the current widespread biblical illiteracy should catapult us into a situation more nearly approximating that of their original, first-century audience. The Bible will no longer be choked by cloying (syrupy-sweet) cultural associations (17).

     At the bipartisan 2020 National Prayer Breakfast, Harvard professor Arthur Brooks delivered the keynote address.  As reported by the Associated Press on February 6, 2020, in his address he decried a “crisis of contempt and polarization” and urged his listeners to ”love your enemies.” Trump responded directly to Brooks’ remarks, which were based in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, simply saying “I don’t know if I agree with you”, before taking a shot at Mitt Romney for voting against his impeachment acquittal.

     This should not be a surprise to anybody, given that Trump has never in his life – until he ran for president – shown any interest in the Christian faith with his attitude or behavior. He represents a very strong sentiment in the United States – one that is at odds with Jesus’ teaching and modeling, yet one that was endorsed by many self-proclaimed Christians.

     Author and retreat leader John Dear has written what he calls the anti-Beatitudes that he suggests are quite popular and prevalent in our culture today. He writes:

These anti-Beatitudes undergird the spirituality of violence and war that fueled our culture. If we imagine the opposite of what Jesus teaches, it may help us gain a little more clarity and insight into his teachings. As we ponder the culture’s ‘anti-Beatitudes,’ we realize how profoundly we have bought into the culture of violence, how deeply its false teachings have penetrated our minds and hearts, and how strongly we resist what Jesus has to say (20).

     If you are frustrated with me, thinking that I am using my platform to talk about politics, let me reassure you that that is not my goal. I am talking about you and me, because to varying degrees we reflect the culture that has formed us.  You may love or hate Donald Trump. He reflects a strong force in our culture. So do you. There is a little Donald Trump in all of us because we have been raised by the same cultural parents.  The question is, are we aware of how much we have been influenced, and do we care?

     For the most part, I believe that the Beatitudes are not mandates to become poor or mourn.  Rather, his words are a healing balm for those who have been told that their suffering is a sign of God’s distance, uncaring, or condemnation.  Similarly, our wealth and lack of cause for mourning is not inherently a sign that we are receiving a nod from God.  Throughout his ministry, Jesus affirmed God’s love for everyone, especially highlighting the fact for those who have been clearly told otherwise.  The vision is that when we discover that everyone is equally loved we might be impelled to live like it, and work for a world where such dignity is afforded all equally and equitably.

     Martin Luther King, Jr., growing up in the church his father pastored, was fully aware of this vision and sought to realize it in his time.  His understanding of equality for all ran much deeper than our nation’s founding documents that promised it. His was tied to Jesus’ theology which was born from his Jewish tradition.  He was so impelled by love that he became compelled to do something about it.  Recognizing that while the African American community technically had equal rights, they were not treated equally or equitably, were excluded instead of included, and were a very long way from truly belonging.

     King was so impelled and compelled by Love that he put himself at great risk in pursuit of this Jewish, Christian, and American dream.  He was roughed up, arrested, jailed, and eventually assassinated because of it.  We are a better nation because he shone a light on what was really happening in our country. When he did, a deeper dream was awakened in the United States by a growing number of people. That dream was not rooted in success as wealth, fame, and power, but love for one another. Loving our neighbors as ourselves. Being salt and light. Loving not just our loved ones but even our enemies (which means we treat people we don’t like humanely).  These themes are all found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and are as unsettling today as ever.

     Jesus ended his sermon with a cautionary parable for everyone but directed particularly toward the especially religious folk.  The story was saying that simply nodding our heads in agreement with Jesus misses the point.  We are called to a different way of being in the world that does help us weather the storms of life and does help the world become more filled with shalom.  Being is more than thinking. Being gives birth to doing. Our question today is, do we choose to be advised by the foolish wisdom of Jesus and follow him?

     I end with a few passages from the Bible. A story about one of Jesus’ followers struggling to shift his paradigm, another passage from Paul reminding us that the Way of Jesus seems ridiculous to us (not just Donald Trump), and finally, words attributed to Jesus’ bother, James, about what following Jesus – living Shalom – looks like.

          Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.

     But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.”

     Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

     “If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.” – Mark 8:31-38 MSG

     The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, ‘I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as shams.’ – 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 MSG

     Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

     Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. – James 3:13-18 MSG

How are these passages serving as a reference point for you, helping you see whether you are aligned with the foolish wisdom of Jesus?

Good News

Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).  This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will provide guidance to CrossWalkNapa teachings throughout 2025.

Have you ever been told, “You can’t see the forest for the trees?” Or the opposite, “You can’t see the trees for the forest?”  They allude to the same idea.  In the first, a person might be so focused on the detail (the trees) to miss the fuller picture (the forest). Or, people may be so focused on the general view (forest) that they don’t recognize the details (trees) that together make up the whole. 

     In our Western culture, we can easily get hung up on the details of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), dissecting what each verse or section means, and lose sight of the broader vision Jesus was communicating.  It would be like watching a documentary on last year’s Kansas City Chiefs progression toward their Super Bowl win, focusing so much on the romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as to forget that the story is actually about football. Before we get into the woods, let’s remember what the larger mission (the forest) in which the sermon (some trees) resides.

     In the paragraph preceding the beginning of the sermon, Matthew provides a Bob Ross forest-portrait of what Jesus was already known for doing.  “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23 CEB).  He was proclaiming good news (also referred to as the Gospel) to people about God’s love for all and its implications for everyone and everything. And he lived it out – he was good news – bringing myriad forms of healing wherever he went. The healing presence of God was flowing through him. He walked the talk.

     Decades later, an unlikely Apostle, Paul, would write to a messy-yet-thriving church in ancient Corinth.  In a time when people felt very small and powerless under the rule of the Roman Empire, Paul wrote that “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life” (1 Corinthians 4:20 MSG).  Jesus and Paul may not seem likes rebels in these two scenes, but they were.  The “Gospel” was a word ripped off by Jesus from the Roman Empire, which declared itself to be the genesis of life at its best.  Jesus was directly challenging the Empire when he taught that God was the origin, not the cheap imitation, Caesar.  This kind of talk could get a person killed.  Literally.  And it did, for both Jesus and Paul.

     We will always feel a tension as people of faith wherever we live.  The culture we live in operates with values and behavior that works on some level to maintain itself.  The dominant culture in the United States, regardless of whatever aspirational words may be in its founding documents, is served to all as a cocktail with consumerism, radical independence, and the assumption that we are God’s favorite chosen nation in the world.  We pursue success based on these foundations and elevate and celebrate wild wealth as a clear sign of God’s good news realized.  Financial success isn’t antithetical to Christianity, but that American vision is not the Gospel of Jesus. Thus, tension.

     Christopher Friedrich Blumhardt (1842-1919), a Lutheran theologian in Germany, became famous for his writing and what we might call revival gatherings where he would preach the Gospel and offer prayer for healing.  At that time in history, such gatherings were happening in various parts of the world, including the United States. Healing prayer – which had been abandoned by intellectualism and deism which dominated Christian thought for centuries – was making a comeback.

     Blumhardt did not preach the Prosperity Gospel that has grown wildly popular in the United States and globally, associated with healing and wealth.  He was much more aligned with Jesus, noting that “when the Kingdom of heaven comes close to us we experience something totally new. Into the life of each individual something amazingly alive comes. God’s will is for life, for what is good, free, genuine, eternal.”

     Even at that time, however, dominate Lutheran teaching did not seem particularly informed (let alone passionate) about Jesus’ Gospel, which communicated God’s love for all, with equal access to God’s grace regardless of any limits imposed by society.  Women, children, refugees, immigrants, and high profile “sinners” (tax collectors and prostitutes) we equally loved and should be treated thusly.  Further, if this is how God feels about everyone, then wherever injustice exists, followers of God must act. The goal? Shalom – “well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually, communally [and environmentally]”  (Henri Nouwen).

     So frustrated and disillusioned with the lack of passion for the poor and mistreated from the Lutheran Church, Blumhardt helped found the Christian Socialists organization,  and announced support for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, which resulted in his getting stripped of his ecclesiastical credentials (no more “Reverend” in front of his name). 

     He would eventually run for public office, hoping that through political action he might bring about greater justice for those who were refused it.  At first, as was the case within his work in the Church, he saw signs of success as a politician.  Over time, however, he grew weary in his pursuit of realizing the Gospel of Jesus, meeting resistance on many fronts.

     Germany was filled with good Lutheran folk. How could it be that such resistance to the obvious vision of Jesus would exist so powerfully?  I think we might ask the same today in our own country.

     The United States is dominated by Christianity even though every religion is legally welcome to practice their own faith tradition.  Even people who don’t attend church align themselves with Christianity more than any other tradition, simply based on their held and stated theological suppositions.  Yet we struggle to provide basic equality on many fronts. 

     Even more striking, how is it possible that the loudest and largest voices proclaiming themselves as representing Christianity seem diametrically opposed to the vision of Jesus?  Women are still not granted the same freedoms as men, people of color are not afforded the same level of equity, inclusion, or belonging, immigrants are viewed as a pariah to our country’s wellbeing instead of brothers and sisters, the LGBTQ+ community is treated as an abomination to God, foreign policy attitudes favor violence over peaceful resolution, and growing income disparity between the wealthiest and the rest is responded to with a disheartening “meh”.  Am I wrong?

     Richard Rohr suggests that the problem in Blumhardt’s Germany and in our beloved United States today has to do with how we engage Jesus.  He notes that “even today many Christians keep Jesus on a seeming pedestal, worshiping a caricature on a cross or a bumper-sticker slogan while avoiding what Jesus said and did. We keep saying, ‘We love Jesus,’ but more as a God-figure than as someone to imitate. It seems the more we talk about Jesus, the less time we have to do what he said.” 

     More than a century before, Blumhardt wholeheartedly agreed with Rohr.  Realizing that the vision of Jesus’ Gospel could not rely on elites alone, he challenged the very people Jesus mixed with to live into the vision themselves:

We should love nothing more than to fulfill the justice of God, not in church services (which often attract people as honey attract flies) but rather in our daily lives, wherever we are. That is when we have to work zealously for the commandments of God and God’s truth, yes, God’s rights; there we must show our hunger and thirst for righteousness; there we must prove whether or not we want God. We cannot prove that in our churches alone but must do it outside, in the fields, in business, in daily life, in your family – you husband, you wife, and you children. Together, we have to look out for the rights of God... We must gather together again. Who will come under God’s rulership – who? – Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

     Can you imagine how Blumhardt felt as The Great War began in 1914? I wonder if the stress and pain of the war’s development contributed to his stroke, which eventually led to his death.

     What can we do to heed his call, which is really to heed Jesus’ call to follow?

     In my experience, we humans need to keep the vision before us constantly, and incorporate practices into our daily rhythms that support and promote its mission.  If shalom is what we are truly about, how might we live it and not just agree with it’s principles?  What does it look like on the daily?

     What follows is an approach I developed that builds on five core practices evidenced by Jesus’s life that I think anybody and everybody can adopt on some level.  In his pursuit of shalom, Jesus chose to Stretch, Kneel, Stand, Commune, and Connect.  He stretched his mind as a lifelong learner.  He knelt in service to anyone who needed help without discrimination. He stood with and up for those experiencing injustice, leaning into a Micah 6:8 ethos.  He was intentional about communing with God incorporating solitude, stillness, and silence into his life’s rhythm. And he never did it alone – he connected genuinely and deeply with his community that he shaped and was shaped by in return.  Below is a daily recommended practice to help foster Jesus’ rhythm becoming our own (see “The Daily Guide Toward Shalom”).

     Finally, how you respond matters.  A recent article in The Atlantic tells a true story about a series of events in January 1933 Germany that could have changed world history.  Pre-Chancellor Hitler and his political adversary, Hugenburg, were arguing outside of German President Hindenberg’s office about calling for new Reichstag elections that would change the balance of power.  Hitler wanted to seize authoritarian power to deliver on his campaign promises to revive the economy, reduce unemployment, increase military spending, withdraw from international treaty obligations, purge the country of foreigners he claimed were “poisoning” the blood of the nation, and exact revenge on political opponents.   Had the argumented lasted just a little longer, President Hindenberg would have left his office, the elections would not have been held, and Hitler never would have become Chancellor.  I wonder if there was a still, small voice in Hugenburg’s consciousness that was pleading, “Stay!  Stay! Stay!” as his words to Hitler shouted “Nein! Nein! Nein!”  According to world-renowned Hitler historian Timothy W. Ryback, had Hugenburger stood his ground longer, there would have been no Hitler chancellorship, no Third Reich.  Imagine the consequences.

     Of course, there were many players who failed to listen to Shalom’s call with devastating effects.  Democracy and its constitutions assume good will, not immoral leaders like Hitler who seek to exploit its loopholes for personal power.  Joseph Geobbels, a critical player in Hitler’s disinformation campaign, ridiculed democracy, saying,  “The big joke on democracy is that it gives its mortal enemies the means to its own destruction.” 

     Knowledge of history can provide appropriate fear than can act as a motivator when the stakes are high.  Yet we must remember that Jesus’ campaign was not one primarily of fear, but hope, founded on the Good News of God’s comprehensive love for all ensconced in the word Shalom.  Remember Paul: “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life” (1 Corinthians 4:20 MSG).  And remember Blumhardt: “When the Kingdom of heaven comes close to us we experience something totally new. Into the life of each individual something amazingly alive comes. God’s will is for life, for what is good, free, genuine, eternal.”  And remember Blumhardt’s haunting question:

We should love nothing more than to fulfill the justice of God, not in church services (which often attract people as honey attract flies) but rather in our daily lives, wherever we are. That is when we have to work zealously for the commandments of God and God’s truth, yes, God’s rights; there we must show our hunger and thirst for righteousness; there we must prove whether or not we want God. We cannot prove that in our churches alone but must do it outside, in the fields, in business, in daily life, in your family – you husband, you wife, and you children. Together, we have to look out for the rights of God... We must gather together again. Who will come under God’s rulership – who?

May you find yourself impelled by love to join in the everlasting song that ushers in  exquisite, elegant harmony, beauty, and healing for all .

The Daily Guide Toward Shalom

     The purpose of the following guide is simply to aid a person in staying in shalom and promoting shalom each day.  There are check-in features to help begin and end the day.  There are also reminders of shalom-promoting activities that you are or want to be involved with.  Reminding ourselves that we support organizations that are promoting shalom for the creation, for instance, not only encourages us to be mindful of the same, but provides a boost in spirit knowing you are helping where you can.  Remembering the titles of books, articles, videos or podcasts helps us keep it prioritized and is a pride point regarding our intentional learning.  Let the tool do its work for you, let it serve you (and not the other way around).

The Daily Guide Toward Shalom

Review this at the beginning and end of your day.

Check In With Yourself

How are you feeling as you start your day?

() Anxious () Joyful () Angry () Sad () Excited () Disgusted

() Fearful () Happy () Bored () Dejected () Content

() Confused () Relaxed () Overwhelmed () Elated

What are you grateful for today?

Intentions

How will I choose shalom today? 

·      For myself? For the people I love? For the people I don’t?

For the planet? For the vulnerable?

Remembering the Way of Shalom

How am I Stretching my mind?

·      What books, podcasts, magazines, talks are you chewing up?

How am I Kneeling in service?

·      How am I using my skills to help others?

How am I Standing for Grace and Justice?

·      How am I using my voice, attitude, presence to help the vulnerable?

·      What organizations are you supporting?

o   Environment, Global Poverty, LGBTQ+,   Anti-Racism, Immigration Reform, Gun Violence, Human Trafficking, Food Insecurity, Women’s Rights, SmartVote.org

How am I Communing with God?

·      When am I breaking away to meditate, reflect, be still, be alone?

How am I Connecting with others?

·      Who am I connecting with for deeper friendship?

Daily Review

How did you experience shalom today?

What helped you experience shalom?

What got in the way of shalom today?

Master Teacher

Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).

“When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions.” – Matthew 5:1-2 (MSG)

Luke Skywalker.  The mention of his name conjures up so many thoughts and memories from decades of films.  A lot of humanity was showcased in his character.  Naivete. Innocence.  Heartache.  Love. Weird love.  Daddy issues.  Courage. Suffering. Honor. Discipline. Faith. There is a lot to resonate with in the transformation of a nobody into  Jedi.  A young man who sensed something more and pursued it, moving from immaturity to growing maturity.

     I love the slowly unfolding chapter about his getting mentored by Yoda, a Jedi Master.  Luke judges the book by the cover at first, not seeing the little green creature for much more than that.  Eventually, however, Luke accepted the fact that Yoda was legit after witnessing his work with the Force.  Luke was impressed. Luke wanted as much of that as he could get – who wouldn’t want to be able to levitate stuff? How much easier it would be to vacuum under sofas and beds!  Yoda patiently mentored Luke, who was trying to “do” Yoda’s moves rather than become like Yoda in terms of being immersed in the Force. 

     We are a lot like Luke. Especially in the Western world, we focus a lot on the doing, and struggle with the being. The doing isn’t bad, of course.  If we all simply followed the Judeo-Christian ethic (and similar ethics from other enduring religions), the world would be a much better place.  Yet rule following didn’t get Luke very far with the Force.  Mainly, he became frustrated as he could sense (and see in Yoda) that there was more to experience than “doing” alone could yield.  Luke needed to work on being like Yoda.

     We need to work on being, too, should we ever want to experience what Jesus really came to offer, which, as Henri Nouwen noted, Peace is shalom – “well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally (7).”  This well-being is not born from rule following alone (although it helps to eliminate those things which prohibit shalom and adopt things that promote it).  We need to become like Jesus, immersed in the Spirit, one who lived in God.

     Nouwen goes on to say:

“The whole message of the gospel is this: become like Jesus. We have his self-portrait.  When we keep that in front of our eyes, we will soon learn what it means to follow Jesus and become like him... Jesus, the Blessed One, is poor.  The poverty of Jesus is much more than an economic or social poverty. Jesus is poor because he freely chose powerlessness over power, vulnerability over defensiveness, dependency over self-sufficiency (6).”

     The choice is more than what to do with our resources. The choice is one of choosing and living within a different paradigm of life entirely.  That’s why it’s impossible to “do” – it is a matter of becoming, of maturing in our “being.”

     E. Stanley Jones, a Methodist writer and missionary to India, noted that “the Sermon on the Mount is practicable, for the man who first spoke these words practiced them, and the practicing of them produced a character so beautiful, so symmetrical, so compelling, so just what life ought to be, that his is as inescapable in the moral realm as the force of gravity is in the physical (4).”  Jesus came to teach, for sure, but what he was trying to teach was a new way of being, not a new set of laws to follow.

     Jones continues:

“You may point to parallel sayings in the past, and yet when you do, you miss the central thing here, for the central thing was the aroma about the words, the contagion of his moral person, the sense of depth that came from the fact that he spoke them – and illustrated them. He was not presenting a new set of laws but demanding a new loyalty to his person. The loyalty to his person was to be expressed in carrying out the things he embodied. He was the embodiment of the Sermon on the Mount, and to be loyal to him meant to be loyal to his way of life (4).”

     That Apostle Paul bragged about being the best Jewish rule-follower on the planet yet was stopped in his tracks when he saw the Light of Christ, which changed how he approached faith and life. He encouraged the church in Philippi to take heed:

On the difference between living a rules-based faith versus being like Jesus: “The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for (rule-keeping). And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

     “I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” – Philippians 3:7-11 (MSG)

     The author of the First Letter of John echoed the same sentiment:

“Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know him well!’ but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.” – 1 John 2:3-6 (MSG)

     Perhaps at first, Luke wanted to be like Yoda in order to be able to do the cool things Yoda did (but without living a swamp).  Over the rest of his life, however, becoming like Yoda meant being shaped by the Force.  That shaping was not always easy, requiring humility and self-sacrifice. 

     The Spirit of God calls us to the same.  Yet humility and self-sacrifice go against our lizard brains that are meant to protect us, not to make us more vulnerable.  Humility and self-sacrifice go against the grain of an achievement culture that rewards pride and sacrificing others (in various ways) for personal gain.  The Force called Luke, and Spirit calls us, to a paradigm for life that is both counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. 

     There are parts of the paradigm, the Way of Jesus, that are very appealing. And yet there are parts that may not be welcome at all. Henri Nouwen notes:

“The Blessed One of God is a threat to the established order and a source of constant irritation to those who consider themselves the rulers of this world. Without accusing anyone he is considered and accuser, without condemning anyone he makes people feel guilty and ashamed, without his judging anyone those who see him feel judged. In their eyes, he cannot be tolerated and needs to be destroyed, because letting him be seems like a confession of guilt.  When we want to become like Jesus, we cannot expect always to be liked and admired. We have to be prepared to be rejected (7).”

       Rejected.  Rejected?  Rejected!  Ouch.  Yet the more we sit with what Nouwen is saying, the more we must admit its veracity.  The Apostle Peter surely would agree, as would the Apostle Paul.  As would every sincere person who has ever pursued “being” like Jesus instead of settling for “doing” like Jesus.  The Spirit of God is Shalom, is the source of Shalom, the energy of Shalom, the Force of Shalom, and it invites us ever deeper into our becoming.

     I have loved Shalom’s invitation when it has clearly benefitted me, especially immediately.  When I have felt vindicated after being wronged. When I have felt loved after being rejected. When I have been saved from some really bad decisions because I followed a rule here and there.  But I have been reluctant and even obstinate to accept the invitation of Shalom when it has challenged my pride or called me at times to selfless sacrifice. Or when Shalom has acted for me like the Syrophoenician woman toward Jesus, holding a mirror to my face so I could recognize my own prejudice.

     Our beloved United States loves Shalom when we feel like we’re being Christian, yet we are not so inclined to embrace the invitation when we hear that slavery in all forms should be eradicated, even if it might mean less porn to watch or more expensive T-Shirts, household goods, or tech equipment. As a nation we struggle to accept Shalom’s loving beacon guiding us to see all people as equally loved human beings worthy of dignity and human treatment. We’re not so thrilled with Shalom when we want our leaders to be the epitome of Capitalistic success more than Jesus.  Pray tell, what would happen if we had such a wimpy leader like Jesus?!

     Scholar Andrew M. Davis sums a tenet of Process Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead thusly: “Becoming is foundation; being is byproduct.” Our being like Jesus follows our willingness to become like Jesus every day, every moment of our lives.  Becoming is an eternal process that Jesus engaged intentionally, which led to his being who he was.  Like Yoda, Jesus invites all Lukas into the process as well, not as a mandate with a threat, but an invitation.  Jones reminds us that “We mistake it entirely if we look on it  as the chart of Christian’s duty; rather, it is the charter of the Christian’s liberty – his liberty to go beyond, to do the thing that love impels and not merely the thing that duty compels.  The fact is that this is not a law at all, but a lyre (4).”

     May you find yourself impelled by love to join in the everlasting song that ushers in exquisite, elegant harmony, beauty, and healing for all.

Reflection Prompts (337)

·       Think of examples of how Jesus lived out the Sermon on the Mount.

·       Why is it important to not separate Jesus’ teachings from who he is and why he came? How is following a teaching different from following a teacher?

·       Do you see Jesus’ teaching, by and large, as “good news” or “hard commands”? Why?

This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will provide guidance to CrossWalkNapa teachings throughout 2025.

Wise

Enjoy this brief overview of what’s coming to CrossWalk in the coming weeks and months, as well as a brief teaching on the story of the Wise Men.

Christmas Eve

Watch this teaching on our YouTube channel, or listen to it on your preferred podcast provider (CrossWalkNapa).

Over the past four Sundays we have learned a lot of interesting facts about our solar system, galaxy, and the universe.  When Jesus was born, the prevailing view of the universe was that the earth was the center of everything, the most important thing, since obviously everything else revolved around it.  The science of the day fit the theology. Both helped each other out and propped each other up.  One story helped make sense of the other. One alluded to the other. The allusion mattered even if the basis was an illusion for lack of vision.  And yet, it remains a true story – a story bearing truth.

     We discovered about a century ago that our galaxy, what we call the Milky Way, was not the full universe, and not as big as we thought. Because we have the capacity to see beyond our galaxy, we suddenly found out that our big galaxy is actually just one of potentially trillions of galaxies that comprise the continually expanding universe.  Earth is just a speck within the Milky Way, which is a speck within the universe. 

     Yet for all its largess, we are continuing to discover much that we don’t know or understand, like Dark Energy, that comprises most of the space in the universe, connecting everything, providing energy and womb-like space for everything to flourish. We are discovering that there is something much fast than the speed of light at work in the universe, so that when one thing happens in one place it may have an immediate impact anywhere within the universe. This is mind blowing. What we know now impacts how we think. We draw conclusions from one and apply it to the other. The nature of the universe alludes to our sense of meaning. One day, we may know so much more than we do now that we will once again recognize that the allusion mattered even if our current vision is illusion.  Yet ours is a true story as much as our predecessors’ – a story bearing truth.

     I think the Christmas Story itself is kind of like that.  Depending how you were raised you may have a range of feelings about the story’s literal truth.  It is quite a story, after all! And yet, even if some may determine that it may be more illusion than reality, we may be wise to sit with the allusion despite the illusion. Because the allusion speaks truth beyond the story’s literal veracity.

     This is a story about God entering into the human experience in a new way.  What happens in this birth narrative foreshadows what will happen in the grown up Jesus’ ministry. The truths conveyed to the original audience are no less important or relevant today.  As distant as God may sometimes seem given the vastness of the universe, in reality, we are closer to everything, more connected to everything than we had ever imagined possible. We are not separate from the source of life, from the sustaining genesis of creation – we are in it.  It is part of us, and we are part of it.  This is at least a manifestation of the presence of what we call God, and it is everywhere. Not distant. With us.

     Sometimes it feels like God with us is unlikely.  Who are we to command such attention? Yet the Christmas Story raises our gaze toward a higher vision. Given what we know about the Big Bang as part of our origin story, we celebrate are all made from the stardust of that creation-starting Big Bang, from the same elements and essence.  We are truly connected with all of creation, and we all matter.

     More specifically, since we humans love to create categories designed to separate each other, the Christmas Story reminds us that we are ridiculous, and that our labels and groupings that place everyone in their place on the hierarchy is not just foolish, but harmful.  The birth narrative of Jesus has a bunch of societal nobodies play the lead roles, hearing from God, invited to participate, while the elites who mock them are in the dark. It’s a statement that the label makers are wrong, and everyday people like you and me have equal welcome and belonging in the unfolding story of life and God.

     Of course, this origin story was an allusion, a foreshadowing of what was to come. This baby grew into an older adult who experienced the profound presence of the Divine that set him on a mission to declare some very Good News that we are still talking about today. God is really near, really with us, all of us, and that the primary characteristic of God is nurturing of life’s flourishing, seeking wellness and wholeness for all. Harmony between people and between all elements of creation. The Hebrew language has a word for this: shalom. We might call it love at its greatest breadth, height, and depth.

     As we remember this birth, let us celebrate the great truths still being proclaimed today. God is with us. All of us. God is love, and invites us to play our role in harmony with the love that formed us, sustains us, and guides us. We are living in a true story, a story bearing truth. It happens to be a love story where we are all invited to love.

Love

Watch this teaching on our YouTube channel, or listen on your favorite podcast provider (CrossWalkNapa).

 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” – Luke 1:38 NLT

 This Advent season, we have used a resource from SALT project call Starry Nights, which is chock full of interesting, sometimes mind-blowing facts about our solar system, galaxy, the stars we see, and the expanding universe.  The Big Bang was the beginning of what became and continues to emerge as the universe. Everything that is stems from that origin.

     Because creation as we call it stems from that same event, everything that exists shares the same basic stuff.  To say that we are all related is not some hippy, peace loving slogan – it is literally true.  The Bible says we come from dust and to dust we will return.  More accurately, we come from stardust, which led Carl Sagan to declare that we are “made of star stuff.”

     Very recently in human history, we have discovered “dark energy”, which comprises roughly 70% of the expanding universe and appears to be the environment that fosters and energizes the current and developing creation.  I find that interesting. The womb of creation – dark energy – is hospitable to life.  Hmmm.

     Religion’s purpose has always been to help make sense of the world, the cosmos, and very personally, life itself.  Theology was science in antiquity, and our predecessors did the best they could with the information they had.  Brilliantly well, really.  Yet their understanding of what they called “God” or “the gods” seems primitive by modern standards.  One paradigm that is evident throughout the Jewish and Christian Bible is the held belief in many cultures that gods were geographical, holding power only in their respective territory.  The exodus story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt offers a clear picture – the Jewish God was powerful even though nowhere near “home.”

     Another idea that was held was that God generally spoke to a select few – usually prophets, other religious leaders, and other “important” people. Given that nobody had heard much from God in the centuries leading up to Jesus’ birth around 6 BCE, it was also determined that God could go silent for long periods of time.

     The context into which Jesus was born? God was silent, and not looking very present (let alone powerful) given that Israel was under Roman occupation.  Jesus’s life and teaching changed the paradigm, which are alluded to in the stories offered by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke regarding the birth of the one who would save us from former ways of thinking and being.

     Mary and Joseph are each paid a surprise visit by a messenger of God, informing them that God is no longer silent, distant, or powerless, but rather is up to something unexpected and unprecedented.  The unlikely parents’ lives are part of the story: two extremely poor, powerless, uneducated “nobodies” from “nowhere” become central characters in the birth story of Jesus.  God is no longer silent. When God speaks, God chooses the most ordinary example of humans possible. 

     What was spoken? An invitation to participate in God’s self-disclosure in the person who would become the world-changing Jesus of Nazareth.  What was God’s stated mission in the life of Jesus? That through his ministry people would recognize that God was really with them, reversing the way most people saw the world, and the love and grace of God would be experienced in profound, salvific ways.

     The storyline itself points to another truth about God that seems to always come across as startling and revelatory: God works in cooperation with creation, not coercively.  God does not force even very good things on people but rather invites people to participate in the very good vision and mission God offers.  We are not pawns but serious players in what God is wanting to create.  We are at once in the womb with everyone else, and we are the womb for what will be born from us.

     God is present. With everybody. Inviting all to birth something new and good.

     We don’t know a lot about Joseph, except that he obviously got on board in positive ways.  Luke’s Gospel has Mary giving us much more, beginning with here beautiful, faithful response (Luke 1:38 NLT), “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”  This, of course, was simply one of countless affirmative responses to God’s invitation for her to co-create.  For the next nine months, how many decisions did she make to ensure that the child within would have a healthy beginning?  Once born, how many yeses did she evidence as she did her part raising the child through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood? We find her saying yes at the end of Jesus’ life as well.

     God’s love for the world led to Jesus becoming who he was.  Mary’s love for God and for Jesus led her to choose love time and time again. Love beckons us as well.  All the time.  Love’s vision and mission has not changed. It remains to foster love and wellbeing for all, to allow creation to continue to unfold.  Like Mary and Joseph, we have agency to decide how much we want to cooperate with this vision.

     Sometimes are choices feel exhilarating and, even though they carry significant consequences, they are fairly easy to make, like falling in love and making a serious covenant with each other.  Sometimes the choice is hard, especially when our egos flare up like an angry rash and try to dictate our every move.  Pause and perspective help us remember what we are invited to embrace and hopefully love wins more than not.  Sometimes the decision is wrought with pain, like grief when faced with loss of many kinds.  Time heals a lot, yet time and intentional, loving processing of our pain heals faster and better.  Sometimes our choices are completely mundane and ordinary – maybe most of the time, as surely was the case for Mary.  Choices like, should we eat more broccoli or Twinkies, more pure water or water mixed with fermented grapes or barley, more balanced life rhythms or frenetic, high stressed pursuing?  All choices in response to the ever-inviting presence of what we call God.

     Science and theology used to be bedfellows until 500 years ago or so when they split over competing view of reality.  Science was correct about the universe. Theology was not wrong about the loving, creating presence called God.  Perhaps science and theology might fall in love with each other again, as theologians continue to describe something all around us that seems to be loving, kind, generative, and supportive on life’s flourishing, and scientists learn more about dark energy’s influence everywhere, all the time, and similarly benevolent.  Call it what you will, but know this: it exists, and it invites.  How will we choose to respond?

Joy

I think you would agree that the sun plays an important role in our lives, yes?  So important that if it ceased to exist, so would we!  If our closest star was the size of a tennis ball, the earth would be the size of a grain of sand – 1.3 million Earths could fit inside of it!  The external temperature of the sun is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, generated by a fusion reaction at its core where the temperature sores to roughly 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.  The resulting life-giving rays take eight minutes and 20 seconds to travel the approximately 93 million miles to reach us, traveling at close to 671M miles per hour.  Our Sun is big, hot, and delivers scorching rays very fast.  Sounds kind of threatening to me.

     Some preachers now and in the past used the idea of the threat of fire to terrify people toward repentance.  “Change your life and faith or you can expect the eternally burning fires of hell to somehow torment you forever!” If we fell into such fire, wouldn’t we just immediately be turned to ash?  Never mind such questions – it ruins to flow of the appeal!  John the Baptist who preceded Jesus on the Chosen People Revival Tour that ran from 27-30 CE, apparently used such rhetoric:

     Then John said to the crowds who came to be baptized by him, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon? Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives. And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones. The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and tossed into the fire.”

     The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”

     He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.”

     Even tax collectors came to be baptized. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

     He replied, “Collect no more than you are authorized to collect.”

     Soldiers asked, “What about us? What should we do?”

     He answered, “Don’t cheat or harass anyone, and be satisfied with your pay.”

     The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn. But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.” With many other words John appealed to them, proclaiming good news to the people. – Luke 3:7-18 (CEB)

     Merry Christmas, to you, too, John!  Good grief!  Ever take a seminar on how to win friends and influence people?  Of course, we just experienced a national election where we were reminded of just how much fearful rhetoric is used and why: it works.  Our lizard brains, upon sensing threat, hijack everything else and cause us to react like the frightened animals we sometimes resemble.  Somehow this text ended up on the third week during Advent when we are supposed to be considering Joy.  How did John’s rhetoric get overlooked? Did some old school Baptist preacher sneak this in after the final edit?

     Believe it or not, while some of John’s language and imagined tone sound every bit like Jonathon Edwards’ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (give it a read – super full of Christmas cheer!), there is within his words and passion truly good news of great joy.  Yes, he does begin with a horrible introduction, calling his growing audience “children of snakes”.  They were probably Dodger fans, and John, being from the Bay Area, simply slipped.  It happens to all of us, right?  Note, however, that he doesn’t send them packing.  Instead, he invites them to rethink their theological position based on spiritual pedigree alone.  You think being a genetic Jew is the point? You think simply saying you were baptized into the faith as an infant (or adult, for that matter) is what God is really wanting? Could a simple confession of the correct words be a big enough agenda for God?  And, by extension, do you think God really is like some judge in the heavens just waiting to exact justice?

     This does not require deep thought.  Yes, our theological convictions matter, largely because they shape our worldview which then directs our every thought and action.  Yet to suggest that all God is interested in is the right answer to a question to which you may have only been fed the right answer just before being asked?  Who in their right mind would think God so shallow, so cheap, as to believe such an exchange qualifies as salvation?  This does not challenge the notion of grace – it actually affirms it.  To the Baptizers deeper point – grace genuinely received results in the fruit of grace expressed in John’s instruction.  This is why John gives instruction to his audience to choose (or produce) such fruit. 

     For regular folx who can spare some of their own surplus so that others’ basic needs are met, share the spare!  For tax collectors who had the power to rip off their brothers and sisters with the full authority of the Empire behind them, choose to treat them with justice in mind instead of greed.  This may result in less income at the end of the year, but is more income really okay if only gained inappropriately on the backs of one’s siblings?  Where is the line for such a thought-required ethic? 

     For soldiers who had the authority to push Israelites around (likely beyond the law set by Rome), grace requires a response as well.  Stop bullying. Stop extorting. Stop framing.  Just because you can get away with something doesn’t mean you should.  Choose to abide by the law you are supposed to uphold. Earn the respect you get instead of simply enforcing your title.  Respect for title has its place, but it is the lowest form of respect. Instead, command respect from the quality of your character molded by the grace of God.

     In case you hadn’t noticed the obvious that is often lost on us reading this text two millennia and 7,400 miles removed from its original cultural context, note that John didn’t refuse to talk to the tax collectors and soldiers.  I don’t know who the parallel to tax collectors and soldiers would be for you.  Dodgers fans and players?  Of course.  But perhaps there are others who, by the very mention of their name, you have a visceral reaction.  Pedophiles? Drug dealers? Illegal drug producers? Crooked politicians? Corporate fat cats who enrich themselves on the backs of those they can legally and illegally take advantage of? Warmongering world leaders? Your Ex?  We each probably have our long list.  John, in his response to all who came to hear him is unequivocal.  All are welcome to receive the grace of God, with the proof of receipt being a changed life marked by the fruit of grace – all the things that contribute to shalom.

     Have you ever watched or read Charles Dickens’ tale, A Christmas Carol? At this time of year, you should.  I hate to be a spoiler, but how do we know Ebeneezer Scrooge was a truly changed man after his night of heavenly visits?  It wasn’t just his changed attitude, or his words of “Merry Christmas” to those he encountered.  It was his behavior, too.  He became immediately generous, born from his joyful transformation.  Are you “Scroogy” this year?  You don’t have to wait for nightmares.  Watch the movie.  Or get your head out of your gloom and wake up to the beauty as well as the need around you.  You and me – we have a life to live, and a life to offer that will make a difference.  Often times, the more “we” we offer the world in love, the more joy we feel.  Stinginess leads to less joy in my experience.

     But what about the texts about inextinguishable fire or separating chaff from wheat?  While these certainly appear to pose grave threat, commentators quickly point out that such an interpretation may be robbing us of John’s joyful Gospel intent. Separating the wheat from the chaff isn’t about separating people into binary camps of “in and out.” Farmers then and now separate the husk-chaff from the wheat not to ruin it but to save, extract, or cull the grain, to allow it to be used for its intended purpose – used to provide nourishment for others.  The separating is an act of redemption, not condemnation.

     What about the fire?  The fire burns that which we don’t want, not what we do want.  It disposes of it entirely, never to return.  This is great news!  It means there is hope for us to move beyond the worst of our past, to realize the hopeful aspiration that we are new creations in Christ!  You may have been a stingy jerk all your life until you came to grips with grace, and it leveled you with love.  Let the stinky jerk husky shell burn! Embrace the generous lover within you!  You may have been getting away with cheating someone you should have been loving.  Let the cheating husk die! Embrace the faithful love within you!  You may have been a bully all your life because bullies get away with a lot because they are big and loud.  Let the bully husk die and win favor with grace and love.  Choose to be a big, bold lover instead of a big, bold bully.

     I believe John’s heart and mind were warmed by a heat greater than our Sun.  That heat had and still has the power to melt away our greatest fears, our deepest insecurities, and are darkest dread.  The unquenchable fire of the Spirit of God is here to burn away your chaff, my chaff, our chaff, the whole world’s chaff so that we might thrive as the new beings we were intended to be.  That is so hopeful!  That is such joyful news!  Luke wasn’t off his nut after all!  This really was and is the Gospel!

     May you choose to realize that the Love that is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all creation still welcomes you to the waters of transformation.  You “Children of Snakes,” Merry Christmas!  May the Joy that is before you bring you to your knees in joyful adoration, and as you begin to trade your non-shalomy attitudes and behaviors for those reflective of the new life within and before you, may you have eyes to see the unwanted chaff blowing in the wind toward a fire where it will be eradicated once and for all.  May you become the “you” that you were intended to become.  May we become the “we” we were intended to become, that together we will one day sing from our collective experience, Joy to the World!  The Lord IS come!And is always and forever coming at every moment.