A Way Forward: Be Like Thomas

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Today we feature an excellent, provocative teaching by Rev. Douglas Avilesbernal, Executive Minister of the Evergreen Association, the region of the ABC-USA CrossWalk calls home. Enjoy!

Be Like Thomas  (John20:19-31)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”        But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Growing up. I was taught that Thomas doubted Jesus and therefore no one should be like Thomas. First, let me be clear that this is not a sermon against Jesus' treatment of doubt in this passage. I think there's a whole lot to explore there. “Those who have not seen yet believed,” that is powerful. However, what I would like us to focus on today is the conditional Thomas at the start of this passage versus the late transformed Thomas, Scriptures give us about a week’s time in that transformation.   

The birth of this question for me is in how largely doubting Thomas loomed during my faith formation years. I couldn't even see the conditional way of  his “if/then” reaction to the disciples who saw Jesus. Thomas seems to have been saying that the work of his own believing without seeing was entirely on Jesus. Sounds familiar? 

All your expertise and education does not matter as much as what I think after reading articles for a couple of hours, days, weeks. I’ve done my research! 

How could I not see this? I never thought about the transactional aspect of early Thomas. Especially since I do it all the time?  If you get me through this… If you get me this job Jesus I will tithe, I mean at this time! I think we Americans tend to measure everything in this zero-sum calculation. If you do this for me, I will do that for you. And we see it in how fractured our world is now. “What's in it for me?” Is embedded in everything.  It's so conditional that we now live in a world where refusing to come to reason even when wrong is praised, especially when one wins. 

I saw a woman say: “doctors can line up around the block and I will still not vaccinate my children.” Because I read articles I agree with. Or, “it's just locker room talk.” Or, “Everyone makes mistakes everyone is entitled to a mulligan once in a while.” This is from Mike Lee of Utah on the former president’s insurrection speech in January 6th. 

We have witnessed precedential candidates on national TV boldly say they have never been wrong. We have seen and heard one candidate even say that he has never asked God for forgiveness! We have all seen or even have fallen for believing a crazy conspiracy theory someone has told us about rather than believe a truth we disagree with. It is as if we want to be able to control all about our faith. If/then.

To me that is the problem, early Thomas wants to decide the conditions for believing. Jesus himself will need to come to my living room for me to consider changing my mind, doctors could line up around the block and I will still not vaccinate my children.

My faith is your job Jesus. But when we set the conditions, we're free to decide what those are right? We’re free to decide the rules of the game and we’re free to change them whenever we want. which might be the reason why there is endless forgiveness for me and mine yet very little change and much less transformation in our country. It’s as though we're saying I will not change my mind unless Jesus himself shows up and I get to decide if the one in front of me is actually Jesus.

That attitude, let's call it early Thomas, has us divided to the point that we refuse to entertain the possibility that I might be wrong or worse that the other side that I dislike might be right. Worst of all, it leaves us open to be manipulated, to be divided and to continuously agree to hurt each other, even if we have to go against our own interests. Voters do this all the time; we vote against our own interests just so that the other side will not win. legislators vote against their own proposal if it looks like it might benefit the other party. is that a way to live our faith? is early Thomas with his “if/then” a good way to live our faith?

Yes, in that sense I agree, don’t be like early Thomas. 

If we begin in that space then Surrender to Jesus becomes a necessity. Because in this world there are winners and losers, someone has to win and therefore someone has to lose. Jesus is stronger than me so Jesus wins and I lose. I have to surrender to Jesus because there is always a winner and a loser. But can you remember a time when you were glad to have surrendered? Nobody surrenders willfully. Nobody is glad to be forced to surrender. Nobody's happy to lose, you only do that after bitter struggle where you give it all you can, kicking in and screaming and once you know there's nothing you could do so you are forced to surrender. can you think of anyone, ever, who when forced to surrender begins a process of deepening relationship with the one with the one who forced them to surrender?

Now, online and in our teaching, someone will always say, well the difference is that when Jesus makes you surrender it’s for your own good, your own interests. But I still don’t like it.  Fortunately, there is a way out, let's call it, the late Thomas way out. That path is radically different that the normal way out. The late Thomas way asks that we be free from the winner and loser zero-sum transactional relationships we so love.  

This path though is no easy path. Especially since we have always been taught we need to surrender to Jesus. I surrender all, as the hymn goes but is that what scriptures say? look it up search for it, living sacrifice that we must show ourselves to be living sacrifice (Romans 12) –  is that to surrender? Galatians 2:20 says “It is no longer I who lives but God who lives in me.”

Maybe Matthew 16 24 and 25 pick up your cross and follow me or mark 10:28 we left everything to follow you or mark 8:35 for whoever wishes to save their life will lose it – 

are those surrender? These are the results I get when searching, what does it mean to surrender to Jesus? Is that what those Scripture passages are saying? Surrender. You can look it up yourselves. Pause this and look up, surrender to Jesus Bible verses. But I tell you that I do not see surrender in any of these verses nor do I see that in our passage for today. Far from it what I see there are bold leaps forward toward love a leap fully embraced and solidly rooted in love that the before then just doesn't matter because love is so much better. that is not surrender.

I know surrendering is so embedded in our faith formation that we might be tempted to argue that we are surrendering because we're saying no to other things, we are surrendering our previous life, we love the surrender language. But how often do we think about the fact that, by definition, to surrender is to recognize that the enemy is too strong for us to keep fighting? that's important because it points to an important question. Is surrendering to Jesus the only good kind of surrender there is? All other types of surrendering are bad. 

The question needs to be asked because to surrender is not to be transformed To surrender is not to love. it's simply to know that the other side is stronger, and it makes no sense to keep fighting. I don't think Jesus wants us to surrender because if Jesus wanted us to surrender he would have come down from that cross when the when the priest asked them to and kicked the Romans out of the holy land we surrender to the stronger.

Fortunately,  there is a way out of our divisiveness and lack of trust but it isn't to surrender at least not in the meaning of the word. The late Thomas Jesus encounter illustrates this very well. Seems clear to me that when Thomas comes to his Jesus moment there are no signs of surrendering. Scriptures don't show us frustration or pain or regret or anything other emotion or sign that comes with having to surrender. Thomas doesn't even bother to check the wounds as Jesus offers, that is completely different than surrender.

Thomas is so taken by love and his full embrace of Jesus that is conditions, the conditions he has set for believing, just don’t matter anymore. It isn’t that he can no longer enforce his conditions, Jesus gives him a chance to do that. But he just doesn’t care anymore. That is not surrender, that is love. 

Still, our minds might still be wanting to find surrender in all of this. I know surrendering to Jesus is part of the core of our preaching our teaching and our learning of faith in our American Christian faith. I searched, what does it mean to surrender to Jesus here are some quotes, 

“Answer: This world is a battleground. There are different levels of surrender, all of which affect our relationship with God. The act of surrendering is very difficult for those who realize that the battle is lost. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are duty-bound to him.” 

It goes on like that for hundreds of pages. We love the surrender language because it fits our culture so very well. we like listening to the strong. we are attracted to strength we want leaders who are decisive. Leaders who worry less about being right or wrong and more about making a choice right now right here. We like that might makes right even if we cannot get ourselves to say it. But is that what Jesus taught us? is that what scripture say about our relationship with Jesus? yes saying yes to Jesus means saying no to a lot of other things but is it a surrendering or stepping forward in love? when we surrender, we are forced to say no to many things. we are forced to live under the thumb of the stronger.

When we step forward in love we want to say no to other things. when we know we are loved we want to not do other things. when we know we are loved we want to love back. but it doesn't mean others all other things are no longer appealing it also does not mean that we will be kept from doing them which is what will be the case in a surrender.

It is in our language; this is why hell is so important in our language because someone has to lose. Jesus says if you don’t surrender, I will punish you. The more I think about this the more embrace fits better than surrender. think about the beginning of falling in love. when we first fall in love nothing else matters. is that what we feel at the beginning when we have to surrender?

So, what if part of the message in this passage is don't be like conditional Thomas.

Conditional Thomas has to surrender because someone has to lose in that exchange. If/then. There must always be a winner and a loser. But instead, what if an important part of this passage is, aspire to be like embracing Thomas. love so deeply that who you were before with your conditions your mistrusts your disbelieves and more just doesn't matter anymore. That is the way out, that is our freedom. That is what Thomas sees in his Jesus moment. hallelujah Christ is risen! and he did but don't surrender to Jesus. Embrace him by boldly going forward to him in recognition of the love you see. do you best be like Thomas and love so deeply that being wrong is no longer embarrassing or to be feared or avoided or as the worst thing that could happen. Instead, the fear of being wrong is just forgotten because loving is so much better.

Step forward in love toward Jesus. Don’t be like conditional Thomas. Be like loving Thomas. 

2021 Easter: "I'll meet you there."

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Happy Easter!  If you grew up going to church on this day, you would hear someone say, “He is risen!” and you would respond, “He is risen indeed!”  Easter is the most important Christian holiday – without it, Jesus would have been forgotten along with his teachings.  At best he would have garnered a footnote in the history books.  Here is the shorter account of that first Easter according to the Gospel of Mark:

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"

Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."

They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone. – Mark 16:1-8 (MSG)

            Easter Sunday takes on deeper meaning when we first allow ourselves time to dwell on and in the Friday and Saturday which precede it.  Those were days of absolute agony and despair as Jesus was unjustly tried, found guilty, severely beaten, sentenced to death by crucifixion, and summarily executed. From initial arrest until death probably took less than 18 hours.  Of course, it was horrific for Jesus.  But it was also unbearable for his disciples.  If I suffered, the suffering would be worse knowing that it would cause those who love me most to suffer as well.  It is so hard to lose loved ones.  

            Losing loved ones in a pandemic is harder.  If they were hospitalized before death, visiting would have been restricted.  Once gone, our mourning rituals were forced to change.  I think about those at CrossWalk who lost loved ones since the pandemic’s restrictions were imposed.  Bill Swanson, Dot Hoover, Roger Langley, Larry McCart, Kenn Vigoda, Max Proteau, and Lawrence Paul Scott, Sr. left us.  Have you lost a friend or relative in the past year?  How have you grieved?

            The pandemic wasn’t our only challenge over the past year.  Napa faced two major wildfires that were among the largest in state history.  CrossWalker Karen Kenny lost her home.  We grieved along with her – such a complex, multifaceted process when you’ve lived in one place for so long, with so many memories.  A number of CrossWalkers lost their jobs due to the pandemic’s impact on the economy.  The physical realities of income loss are one thing; the emotional toll is quite another.  Of course, we weathered one of the most contentious, divisive presidential elections in a generation, made more so due to COVID.  Altogether, this created a toxic environment that affected us all whether we acknowledge it or not.  Friends and families were torn apart leading up to November.  The drama continued all the way to its climax on January 6 when we witnessed a violent uprising against the United States government at the US Capitol.  It was the very definition of insurrection.  We collectively held our breath wondering if there would be a peaceful transfer of power.  Gratefully, there was.  Yet we are still left with the damage that such division has caused.  We could go on to talk about children and education and burned-out medical personnel and toilet paper shortages and so much more. Meanwhile, the death toll in the US from COVID has surpassed 550,000.  We have carried so much death this past year.  The whole year has been a perpetual Friday and Saturday. We are so eager for Easter morning, yet it is wise to acknowledge and grieve the loss we have endured. Please do so, knowing that you are deeply loved and held by God.  God will meet you in your mourning, to remind you of who you are, to give you comfort, peace, and strength.

            While the core followers of Jesus were mourning and in hiding, a lovely thing happened.  A man of means named Joseph of Arimathea stepped up to provide Jesus with a proper burial.  Under normal circumstances, those poor souls executed by crucifixion would be left to rot on the crosses – utterly inhumane and humiliating for the deceased’s loved ones.  That didn’t happen to Jesus, thankfully, because Joseph stepped up.

            CrossWalk didn’t rot over the past year because we had a lot of Josephs rise to help us in our time of need.  We – the Board of Stewards, CrossWalk officers and myself – were prepared for the worst, not knowing how the pandemic could impact our ability to continue to serve the community.  We shut down the campus in accordance with state and county instructions.  Your support continued.  Because it did, we were able to take advantage of the empty campus and make improvements that will serve us for a long time – some of which are still in process.  I cannot thank you enough for being so faithful over the past year.  In the first phase of COVID, I was pretty confident we would survive without too much damage, but I never would have guessed that we would emerge in good shape – better shape in many ways – to meet the new day.  Thank you for your love, your prayers, your contributions – all forms of support have been Joseph maneuvers that are so deeply appreciated. In so many ways, you have loved CrossWalk in ways that resemble how God loves us.  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you have made God blush. 

            The first Easter morning offers us some really important help and hope that I’d like to point out.  The first has to do with something we love but also take for granted: there was more beyond the grave.  I have presided over many funerals and memorial services in my 25 years as a pastor.  Hundreds, I suppose.  I have never attended one where the theology of the Sadducees prevailed.  There is an assumption that is widely held by people of faith in the United States if they were in any way exposed to Christianity (which is everyone to varying degrees).  The assumption is that there is life after death, and that we will be welcomed “home” by family and friends who have preceded us, and God.  The fact that this is commonly held is a testament to what happened that first Easter.  In a relatively short amount of time, the disciples came out of hiding and boldly proclaimed what they experienced at Easter, and shared Jesus’ life and teachings with anyone and everyone.  When you experience something like they experienced, it changes you, giving you a hope and confidence that is hard to come by any other way. I believe with them.  Because I do, I believe that we really will experience more beyond the grave.  I hesitate to simply say life beyond the grave only because I don’t want to minimize our expectations with our puny dreams of what may come.  Whatever our loftiest images of heaven might be, I am confident that they will pale in comparison to what will be.  Whatever limited expressions of justice and mercy we might place on God, I am certain we will be wonderfully shocked at how extraordinarily beautiful, gracious, and just God is.  Those who we lost over the past year or so have the advantage over us and already fully know what we only know in part.  Having faith in who Jesus was and what he taught isn’t an admission test, it’s more of a prep school for what is really real. Because of all that Jesus taught, and also because of how his death was viewed through a sacrificial lens, we are confident that in death, God will meet us there, and after death, God will meet us there, too.

            The second obvious thing in front of our noses that I would like to point out is that all of the humans involved in the Easter story were dazed and confused.  Even after the disciples went back home to Galilee where they experienced Jesus alive again, their experience was so different than before that it took them awhile to really grasp and integrate it.  Their emotions ran from terrified, to indignant, to doubt, to denial and beyond.  They went back home, but nothing was the same, really.  The surroundings looked the same, and yet everything had changed.  I believe we can relate to that in a very real way right now, and, building from their experience, I think we can be hopeful.  God showed up in new ways after Easter that were unprecedented – new ways that allowed God to move powerfully in the lives of entire populations that would have been unreachable otherwise.  God moved through CrossWalk in new ways this past year, and I believe is inviting us to consider more new ways to be conduits of God’s love and mercy.  What can we expect based on what happened on Easter and following?  We can expect to be surprised, afraid, doubtful, stubborn, and more.  Yet we can also expect God to be faithful to be with us, to be faithful and good, and to help us move forward in our faith and our lives in ways that are healthy, wise, and good for ourselves and everybody else.  We will find ourselves in unfamiliar territory in our own backyard.  And yet, ever so faithfully, God will meet us there.  So, keep your eyes open as you move forward from this Easter morning!  Christ is here, yet Christ is already where we will be – wherever that might be!  In our grief, our confusion, our angst, our fear, our cowardice, our doubt, our sense of despair, our joy, God will meet you there.

2021 Maundy Thursday

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter first to the Corinthians (11:23-25 |MSG) reminds us of what happened on this night 2,000 years ago:

Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said,

“This is my body, broken for you.

Do this to remember me.

After supper, he did the same thing with the cup:

This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you.

Each time you drink this cup, remember me.”

Maundy Thursday commemorates what is called the Last Supper, which was true – it was the last meal Jesus and the disciples would enjoy together since Jesus would be arrested later that very night.  By the next afternoon, Jesus would be dead.  I wonder what the dinner-table conversations were like that evening?  I wonder if it would have been similar to conversations we may be having this week, in 2021.

This week marks the beginning of the trial of Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd, who died while being taken into police custody last Memorial Day.  Floyd’s death sparked a global movement decrying racism.  We have not witnessed such a movement since the Civil Rights movement a generation ago. Depending on who is invited to dinner, you may or may not talk about what happened to George Floyd and the trial.  If you are all on the same ideological page, it will be an unpleasant yet unifying dialogue.  Yet many will be reluctant to allow the conversation to begin because it represents a larger, extremely divisive issue that often falls along party lines.  Black Lives Matter finds itself in a head-on collision with Blue Lives Matter.  There is no shortage of strong opinions on either side.

For Jesus and his closest followers, this week was similarly charged. They made the trip from the northern region of Galilee where they were from to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast that remembered the miracle-laden drama that led to Israel’s release from Egyptian captivity.  Jewish people – especially those outside of Jerusalem – were hoping and praying for history to repeat itself where God might free them the oppression of the Roman Empire.  Jesus and his disciples anticipated some fireworks that week, knowing that Jesus was seen as at least an upstart if not the very person God would use in Moses-like fashion to free Israel yet again.  There would be talk of Pilate, the Roman Governor ruling over the entire region that included what we call Israel.  He likely couldn’t have cared less about the Jewish people, their traditions, or their land.  He made sure things were kept quiet by ruling with an iron fist.  The disciples would also be criticizing Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest who was a Sadducee, one of the primary sects of Judaism that primarily found adherents in and around Jerusalem.  They were known for their legalism, which was a practical pursuit – if they kept Jewish people obeying the law of God, they would not have to endure as much harsh treatment from Rome.  The Sadducees were an elite group of Jews, too – richer and more educated than the other sects.  They saw their wealth as a clear indication of God’s favor, blessing, and endorsement.  They also believed that there was no hope beyond the grave – once dead, that was it.  Perhaps their belief was allowed, in part, because their current life was luxurious and there was little need for correction after death?  The poor followers of Jesus had little respect for the Jewish elite and were more than ready to see them topple.  The signs of their corruption were everywhere.  They were ready to be part of a new exodus.  Lucky for them, they sat very close to the new Moses.  Life would soon be good for them.  It would be animated conversation about what they saw as the problems of the world and how to solve them.  Not unlike conversations we might have today.

Do you recall how long George Floyd struggled to breathe?  Many of us have memorized it: eight minutes and forty-six seconds.  In fact, that answer is wrong.  The more accurate answer is that George Floyd struggled to breathe since 1619, when Africans were taken from their continent and shipped to our land to provide cheap labor that would eventually allow our economy to be sustainable beyond the British crown.  Global protests didn’t arise because of one case of police brutality, but rather the ongoing treatment of people of color – especially black people – in the United States and around the globe.  The case now being tried regarding George Floyd’s death is really about a system that contributed to George Floyd’s struggle with crime and drugs up to and including the last day of his life.  This wasn’t simply a story about one “bad dude” who met his demise because of one “bad cop” – this is more complex, with centuries of stories that lead up to and include what we are still seeing today.  George Floyd has come to epitomize the plight of the black lives, and Derek Chauvin (who kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8:46) has come to represent oppression.

The disciples knew they were oppressed, and they knew who was doing the oppressing. They had their strong opinions about what needed to happen, and for many of them it involved a long-overdue revolt led by their leader, Jesus. The names of the characters have changed, but I imagine the themes of the conversation were not too different.  I also think that their reaction to Jesus’ words that night was as challenging as they are for us today.

Jesus washed their feet – something nobody else was willing to do – a clear and bold identification with servanthood.  He told them that what he did was a model for them to follow.  The disciples were quieted and humbled by Jesus’ gesture.  They were so caught up in their passionate conversation that they failed to do what needed to be done, even and especially for the one they honored as their leader.

Jesus then gave them a new commandment, that they love one another the way Jesus loved them.  They would forever tie that command to the experience of their feet still drying from being washed.  To love as Jesus loved was to humbly serve the other. 

Jesus’ mandate here is where we get the term, Maundy (mandate) Thursday.  We remember who we are called to be and what we are called to do.

The next day is so well remembered because Jesus followed his own command.  He chose not to add to the violence and instead absorb it while the world watched in horror.  This is nonviolent resistance at its best.  An innocent victim of centuries of injustice played out in the life of one poor Jewish peasant at the hands of Church and state in collaboration.  

We need to remember this night in history so that we can more adequately see what is happening now and decide whether or not to hear and heed the invitation of Jesus to be who God calls us to be and what God calls us to do.  To see, hear, and understand.  To be wise in the way we shine a light on the deep and complex challenges we face today.  To help shoulder the burden, even taking our licks, so that the world may see it, too.

As you take the bread, remember the body of Jesus that took a knee to wash feet.  Remember the blood that coursed through his veins as his heart rate rose as he went from disciple to disciple, foot to foot, toe to toe.  Remember the body of Jesus that he willingly offered that was subjected to unjust, harsh treatment from his arrest all the way to his death.  Remember the blood he shed, the beatings he suffered as a sign of all that is unjust in the world.  Remember that because he chose not to respond in similar retaliation, the world is still captivated and drawn to him as the model for change.

Even if the world around you clamor for violence and violent response, remember Jesus, and be a part of the way forward that leads to peace, lest his flesh and blood be wasted and our communion an offense to his name, as Paul instructed to the Corinthians below:

What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.

Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of "remembrance" you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.

If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.

So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord's Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. If you're so hungry that you can't wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast. – 1 Corinthians 11:26-34 (MSG)

Spring Cleaning 4: Hidden in Plain Sight

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

I was excited to give a tour of my church to my college friend and her husband.  It was my first pastorate, and I was really proud to show off the place as I knew it was nice.  As soon as we walked in the door, however, I was shocked to see so many things that I wish weren’t there: ugly furniture, ugly wall hangings, an ugly coat somebody left with us on our coat rack.  I was a little embarrassed, actually.  The funny thing was that these items had been there ever since I had arrived a year or more before.  I simply hadn’t noticed because they became so familiar to me.  They were hidden in plain sight.

            I’m sure you can appreciate this phenomenon.  Maybe for you it happens when you realize you have company coming to your home, and all of a sudden you noticed piles of stuff laying around that you let accumulate over time and now needs to be dealt with.  Or perhaps you’re going to go on a date, and you see your car through the eyes of the one with whom you hope to make a good impression: how did it get so filthy? What’s that growing on the back seat floor?  How long has that In & Out bite of a Double Double been there?  Is it safe to eat now?

            The story of Jesus so-called “Triumphal Entry” on what we remember on Palm Sunday is kind of like that.  There is stuff hidden in plain sight that needs to be addressed, cleaned up, for us to really appreciate what’s going on.  All four gospels remembering Jesus’ life and ministry feature this story with remarkable similarity. This happened five days before the Jewish Feast of the Passover celebrating God’s liberating of the Jews from Egyptian captivity:

The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered:

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in God's name!

Yes! The King of Israel!

Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it:

No fear, Daughter Zion:

See how your king comes,

riding a donkey's colt.

The disciples didn't notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: "It's out of control. The world's in a stampede after him." – John 12:12-19 (MSG)

            There are a number of things hidden in plain sight that tell us a lot about the complexity of the story’s context.  Jesus is going to make his way into the capitol city of Jerusalem where he knows he is unpopular, and also knows he is ready to challenge the leading Jewish authorities.  There will be fireworks!  When he rolls into the city, his fans showed up and paid homage by laying down palm branches and their cloaks – a tribute that matched their declaration of Jesus as King of Israel.  There is a word for the act of declaring a person king when another leader already sits on the throne: insurrection.  We witnessed an attempt at insurrection on January 6, 2021, when ardent Trump supporters broached the capitol building to thwart Congress’ affirmation of the Electoral College results declaring Joe Biden the President of the United States.  Some who entered muttered murderous threats against key officials including Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.  People died that day due to their attempt.  Former President Trump has been accused of fomenting the crowd, and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel stated that Trump was morally responsible for the actions that took place on that day for both his action and inaction.  Since then, more than 200 arrests have been made.  In Jesus’ day, insurrection was not looked on kindly, either.  Justice likely moved quite quickly (and perhaps unfairly) as the Roman Empire would simply kill those accused of such acts of treason.  Make no mistake: to utter words declaring Jesus “king” and follow it up with acts that back it up would not be missed by anyone.  Risky business here.

            Jesus, knowing that most Jews (except the ruling Sadducees) hated Rome and were hoping and praying for a God-anointed Messiah to crush Rome with a miracle-powered revolt, made his transportation decision for his grand entrance very carefully.  He chose a jackass.  How many paintings of US military war heroes can you remember where the hero was riding a donkey?  None.  Why?  Because donkeys are a really stupid choice for battle!  They’re not very fast.  They are stubborn and don’t always go where you want them to go.  And they aren’t very tall compared to a horse.  If a horse is akin to a Hummer, a donkey would be a Prius.  Jesus chose the vehicle that would communicate anything but war.  The donkey communicated peace to his raving fans.

            The Jewish leaders who were present cared less about Jesus’ ride and were much more impressed by the size and tenor of the crowd.  They realized that even if Jesus’ intent was peace, the crowd perhaps had other ideas.  They needed to take care of business.

            One thing that has always struck me is that within a few days, this vociferous crowd was nowhere to be found.  Even Jesus’ closest followers were mostly hiding in fear, distancing themselves from Jesus.  Only a few stayed close enough to him to know what was happening.  What happened?  Why the shift?  It could be that the crowd who called for Jesus’ crucifixion was mostly comprised of Jerusalem Jews who had more to lose if Jesus lived.  Yet I believe that as each day passed, those who were cheering him into the city may have realized the Jesus wasn’t flowing along with their undercurrents.  He wasn’t interested in being a king or leading a military revolt.  Just the opposite – he embodied and modeled non-violent resistance. I wonder how many people simply walked away like they did when he invited people to pick up their crosses and follow him.  Undercurrents in people’s lives hold a lot of power – they are the often unseen and unknown forces at work beneath the surface, guiding us to believe and do its bidding.  When unchecked, we find ourselves going downstream almost unconsciously, wondering how we got there.

            We have been reminded of late about the undercurrents of our culture and their power.  Racism is real, as reflected in the mass shooting at a massage parlor in Georgia.  The mass shooting reminds us that we also have a violence undercurrent.  The shooting reminds us that we have a gun rights undercurrent, which quickly inflames politicians to remind us that we have a binary/partisan divide undercurrent.  If that is not enough, the flood of immigrants seeking hope at our southern border reminds us of that undercurrent.  Of course, we are still in the fight against COVID-19, which reminds us of other undercurrents which we’re dealing with, such as the question about what is true or not, safe or not, and the balance between personal freedom and the greater good.  Lots of undercurrents.  Do you know what is flowing beneath your surface?  If not, you may be going with the flow – but not necessarily the same flow as Jesus.

            The presence of God is still with us, entering into Jerusalem in a Prius every day in all of our hearts, competing with the other currents active within us. Sometimes we don’t know of the other flows until we find ourselves feeling discontented, and maybe at odds with what Jesus is about.  When we notice, we must remind ourselves that we are in tension in the invitation to follow the Spirit of God.  To follow one means, at times, to not follow the other.  To go against our personal undercurrent will create dissonance, which is painful to varying degrees.  The question is, when the incongruence comes between the flow of the Spirit and the flow of your undercurrents – and it will come again and again – which flow will you give yourself to?

            Jesus said that the flow that he followed – the Spirit – leads to an abundant life for us, for all, for the world itself.  He also said that his yoke is easy and his burden light when we give into the flow.  When we don’t however, I think it is an incredibly difficult life of tension, with at least two flows in competition with each other. The undercurrents are sometimes hidden in plain sight.  Simply taking a fresh look can make them jump out at us like pop-up books.

            So, what’s flowing in you?  Which flow are you going with?  How do you know?  

Spring Cleaning: How to Move Forward

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Last week we looked at a difficult, rather ugly story reflecting pain and loss on the part of Sarai and Hagar before Ishmael was born.  I doubt if Sarai and Hagar ever grew very close.  There was rivalry and jealousy at work, no doubt.  Ishmael grew into his teenage years, which is when the story between Sarai and Hagar came to a head:

One day Sarah saw the son that Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, poking fun at her son Isaac. She told Abraham, "Get rid of this slave woman and her son. No child of this slave is going to share inheritance with my son Isaac!"

The matter gave great pain to Abraham—after all, Ishmael was his son. But God spoke to Abraham, "Don't feel badly about the boy and your maid. Do whatever Sarah tells you. Your descendants will come through Isaac. Regarding your maid's son, be assured that I'll also develop a great nation from him—he's your son too."

Abraham got up early the next morning, got some food together and a canteen of water for Hagar, put them on her back and sent her away with the child. She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba. When the water was gone, she left the child under a shrub and went off, fifty yards or so. She said, "I can't watch my son die." As she sat, she broke into sobs.

Meanwhile, God heard the boy crying. The angel of God called from Heaven to Hagar, "What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy and knows the fix he's in. Up now; go get the boy. Hold him tight. I'm going to make of him a great nation."

Just then God opened her eyes. She looked. She saw a well of water. She went to it and filled her canteen and gave the boy a long, cool drink.

God was on the boy's side as he grew up. He lived out in the desert and became a skilled archer. He lived in the Paran wilderness. And his mother got him a wife from Egypt. – Genesis 21:9-21 (The Message Translation)

Remember that the story is about the development of Israel as a people, explaining their origins and the influences along the way that resulted in their present and future.  The enmity between Sara and Hagar was more than about two women – it was about two peoples.  These two people groups struggled to tolerate each other as time progressed.  When people don’t address their pain, their pain addresses them.  This story may be about Israel, but it is also about humanity as a whole.  Unaddressed pain caused by any number of things has a way of leaving a wake of destruction behind its carriers.  Lots of wounds.  Lots of broken or severely incapacitated relationships.  You’ve probably heard it before, hurting people hurt people.

I don’t know many people who wake up wanting more pain in their lives.  I think we are wired to want peace and harmony.  Yet dealing with pain is itself painful, which leads us to denial, which means the pain doesn’t get addressed.  Pain addresses us in myriad ways on an individual, interpersonal level as well as larger scale problems.  Racial prejudice is still alive and well in the United States because we have failed to really face it squarely.  It is hard work.  It feels easier to pretend everything is fine.  Unfortunately, that only leads to harder work for a longer period of time.

Check out my interview with Jim Wornack on the video or podcast to hear his advice for dealing with the pain associated with loss.

The story of Hagar and Ishmael being kicked out of Abraham’s compound is absolutely horrible.  It reflects so poorly on Sara and Abraham both.  Nothing to be proud of here.  They both totally messed up on this one for a very long time.  God didn’t want what happened to happen, but God did come alongside to give hope to the brokenhearted.  Because that’s who God is.  If you are working through grief and loss and it feels really hard, know that you never walk alone, and that the One who walks with you really is interested in your healing, your wellbeing, your future, and will be working at all times to help you move forward.  There is comfort and strength in this truth, even if things don’t always turn out as we’d hope.

Israel messed up a lot, and it came back to bite them many, many times.  Yet they experienced God being with them through it all, picking them up again and again and again and again with the same comforting presence.  Many generations after the above story, Israel was overtaken by Babylon.  Jerusalem was sacked and the Jewish leaders and skilled laborers were taken into exile.  In Jerusalem, there weren’t enough Jewish people (and not enough of them skilled) to pose any threat to Babylon anymore.  Those in exile felt hopeless.  Jeremiah, the great Jewish prophet, wrote them a letter where, in one part, he reminded them of who God is and what God is about: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29: 11 NLT)”. These words are still true today, no matter how far from home we may feel.  Whether home is an address or state of being, God is with you and for your best.  Live like it is true, because it is.

Questions.

1.     Has there ever been a time in your life when you were reluctant to deal with your pain?  Why were you reluctant?  What were the consequences – positive and/or negative – of your reluctance?

2.     What pain do you imagine Sara, Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael endured in their dramatic story?

3.     How do you make sense of God’s kindness in response to all characters?  Is it just?  What are the upsides?  What are the tension points?

What pain are you dealing with right now – or not dealing with? How’s that going for you? What’s hard?

Spring Cleaning: Two Holy Questions

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

In light of the first anniversary of COVID’s intrusion into our lives, I asked CrossWalkers to share with me their reflections on the past year.  Andrea Langley wrote the following (shared with permission):

Here's my experience of the last year.  The most precious thing that COVID stole from me last year was the last 4 months of [my husband] Roger's life.  It was gut-wrenching not being able to hug and kiss him and getting in only when he was in a coma.  Grateful though for being with him for the last few days of his life here on earth.  COVID also stole my family from me when Roger died and is still doing that as we can't be together yet for his burial.  I lost my freedom – no shopping, no socialization, no helping my neighbors.  I was heart-broken with people losing loved ones, people dying alone, job losses, businesses closing, children losing their school community, the fraud in our systems – and then there was the political scene and the insurrection.  I think one of the hardest things for me personally was losing the hugs.  We all need human touch so that was rough.  The stuffed bears are just not doing it for me!

What have I gained during the last year?  I learned that I am a strong woman and that I am capable of living in isolation.  I am learning how to deal with all that goes with death and grief.  We are all grieving our losses and we have all had losses this past year.    I was able to handle issues that I knew little about.  One of the positives was learning more technology and finding I needed to update some systems.  Zoom was a lifesaver for me in connecting with people...  COVID gave me quiet time as I have never had before.  I got much needed rest and restoration to grieve, to reflect, to question.  I was given a sound guide for health from a Dr. I had the privilege of working with for 6 months.  Brilliant man!  My faith grew in having the time to do more in depth Bible study and discussion on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  My faith also grew through the people that I came in contact with that I have never met.   I was able to make new friends and connect with old ones via phone calls and correspondence.  Coming out of COVID I will have more appreciation for community, I will be looking to find adventures other than those that find me, I will continue to strive to be the woman that God created me to be wherever God chooses to put me.  In some ways the last year has given me more than what it has taken away.  I will move forward with optimism. Hope, Healing and Patience are my words for this year.  

            Aren’t you grateful that Andrea took time to reflect on her year, and also share it with us?  The details of Andrea’s story are unique to her, of course, yet we all have our own story to tell.  There is a remarkable story in the Bible’s book of beginnings – Genesis – which has a lot to offer us as we think about our own stories.  The context: Abram sensed God calling him to begin a new chapter on his own in order to create a new people, a new way of thinking about life, a new way of interacting with God that was unique in the world.  He gathered his possessions and he, his wife, and all of his servants ventured out together.  He was seventy-five years old (maybe – this is one of those instances where we need to appreciate the fact that the author is wanting us to see that he was older – a sign that God had already blessed him greatly).  He and Sarai struggled with infertility, which is where we enter the story:

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)

So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The LORD will show who’s wrong—you or me!”

Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.

The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”

And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”

Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born. – Genesis 16 (NLT)

            Questions.  What is going on here?  What are the obvious conflict issues that present themselves in this story?  What might be among some undercurrent issues beneath the surface of simple tension between Sarai and Hagar?  What might be under the undercurrent?

            I am seeing the obvious thing here: some attitude exchanged between the authority figure Sarai and the surrogate-servant Hagar who might not be acting much like a servant anymore.  Deeper than than that there is Sarai’s pain associated with infertility, exacerbated by Hagar’s fertility.  Hagar may have been quite young – a teenager? – and likely not thrilled at the prospect of creating a child with Abram (now 85).  How many times did she feel abused before she became pregnant?  Getting pregnant may have ended having to endure Abram’s visits, but also meant that her own dreams would not come true.  This was not what she wanted.  She didn’t have a choice.  This was not Sarai’s dream, either, adding salt to her wound.  There are power issues at play here.  There are age issues at work.  There are injustices.  There is pain and grief – because there are multiple losses for each of them.  Lots of losses intersecting each other, feeding each other, making the whole thing very complex.

            COVID-19 has brought great loss to us all on many levels, making our grief complex.  Can you articulate what you’ve been through?  Can you answer the holy question God posed to Hagar, “Where have you come from?”  God knew the answer – the question was for Hagar.  She could have simply answered, “from Sarai’s tent – we just had an argument – weren’t you paying attention?” But that really wasn’t the intent of the question.  Where have you come from – where have you been – begs for deeper reflection that will help us heal, grow, and eventually move forward.  

            Part of the answer to the question for us is to recognize the stages of grief that we have already traversed.  My friend, Rev. Jim Warnock, who retired a few years ago after serving as Chaplain at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, encourages us not to think of “stages” of grief but rather “faces” or “facets” of grief.  Shock, denial, bargaining, confusion, anger, guilt, depression, and acceptance don’t necessarily flow in linear fashion.  Rather, we process these things in different ways over time, sometimes revisiting a facet or two, all of which is normal.  Processing our journey is part of answering the question, “Where have you come from?”  

Identifying and appreciating where we have come from will make a massive difference on how fully we are able to answer the second question, “Where are you going?”  Hagar knew the literal answer to the question – she was going to end up back at Abram’s massive compound.  Time and attention may have shaped her path a bit as she recognized the depths of her own pain and how it affected her capacity to respond.  I wonder if she – for survival if nothing less – held her tongue around Sarai? I wonder how powerful it was for her to realize that God showed up to meet with her, and Egyptian servant girl, in the middle of nowhere.  She knew she was seen – and cared for – by God.  How would that encourage her moving forward?

Earlier in my interview with Jim, he said something quite profound along these lines: to the extent that we deal with our grief we will experience healing and renewal.  I would suggest that to the extent we answer the question, “Where have you come from?”, the greater the possibilities we will have to answer the other question, “Where are you going?”

May you know where you’ve come from so that you will have a healthier journey ahead.

Spring Cleaning: Adam, Eve, and Being Human

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

When you hear the word “loss”, what comes to mind?  I bet for many of us, death tops the list as we recall those we have quite literally lost.  For others it may be divorce or a significant breakup with a lover or friend – we are painfully aware that the relationship as it once was will never return in the same way.  The global pandemic we find ourselves in certainly has brought loss – over 500,000 deaths (and climbing) just in the United States.  We know that when we lose someone that we love we will find ourselves on a journey of recovery that has some predictable themes.  When we don’t honor that grieving process, we hinder our capacity to move on.  The grieving process is hard enough even when we are intentional, yet life is even harder when we deny or ignore grief and its impact on our lives.  Could it be that other forms of loss also require a similar process?  My friend Rev. Jim Warnock shared this quote with me:

In every change, there is loss;

In every loss there is grief;

In every grief, there is grieving;

It is unavoidable;

It is necessary;

It is how God made us;

It is good.

We have all experienced many forms of loss since the pandemic hit, not just death or ended relationships.  Spring is around the corner – literally and figuratively.  I think we will be much more able to live again if we do the hard work of grieving what we’ve lost before we jump into whatever may be next.  I’m calling this series Spring Cleaningbecause, like our homes, there may be some unaddressed stuff laying around that we haven’t dealt with just yet for lots of reasons.  Just like literal spring cleaning, when we see what’s been piling up, clean up what has been collecting dust, we will feel better and more prepared to enjoy more life ahead.  That’s what the next few weeks will be about.

            March is Women’s History Month.  Some of the great stories in the Bible that deal with loss involve incredible women.  Take a moment and realize how incredible it is that the Bible honors many women throughout its books.  The earliest stories were told somewhere around 1500 BCE and the last pen stroke of the Christian canonical books dried in the 90’s CE.  This was at a time when most women were seen and treated as property not unlike cattle or sheep, and did not enjoy many more benefits or legal protections!  The very first story in the Bible from the book of Genesis even celebrates the feminine nature of God!  No joke!  What we call the “Spirit” of God is literally feminine, not masculine.  And the first woman in the Bible, Eve, was given a role description when “introduced” to Adam.  Eve was to be a helper to Adam.  We read/hear “helper” as derogatory and demeaning.  But the original language used the same “helper” language to describe the role of the “Spirit” in the make-up of God.  There is no hierarchy in the nature of God.  There was never supposed to be a hierarchy between men and women.  Men and women were equal in the beginning.

            The story of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Serpent-Tempter, the Forbidden Fruit, and the resulting consequences have been viewed by Christianity as the story of the entrance of sin into the world that led to the fall of humanity from the presence of a holy God who cannot tolerate imperfection and forever condemned them for their total depravity.  Therefore, much sacrifice would be required to appease the wrath of God, setting the stage for humanity’s need of someone who could save them from their sins.  Christianity names Jesus as that savior and views his horrific death as a final sacrifice to ransom the captives from the grip of sin forevermore.  This view made a lot of sense to an ancient people who were very comfortable with the idea of sacrificing birds and sheep and bulls as a way to insure that God still welcomed them.  For most of humanity living today, however, this doesn’t resonate or relate as much.  While there is surely room for this interpretation when appreciated in context, it doesn’t do much for me, and in fact is so riddled with problems that I cringe whenever this interpretation is referenced.  Thank God it wasn’t the original interpretation of the story, and therefore need not be the only perspective worth considering.

            Appreciated through the lens of ancient Eastern culture (which is the fertile ground in which Judaism took root), the story of Adam and Eve’s fruitful garden chapter isn’t one about the fall of humanity, but actually about normal, natural maturing.  Adam and Eve were safely cocooned in their bubble, were given very clear instructions, and their mettle was tested by a common antagonist found in literature from antiquity: a serpent.  The snake wasn’t to blame here – it was merely asking questions which served to display Adam and Eve’s desire to be grown-ups.  This is every human’s story.

            Also part of every human’s story when significant decisions are made, even if for good? Loss.  Innocence was lost.  A sense of security was lost.  The freedom of running around naked without anybody caring – lost.  Complete vulnerability and transparency was also lost.  Loss of ease also resulted, as well as a loss of protection from some forms of pain.  Realize that the story itself gives us a hint that they were on their way to this moment.  Something was up between Adam and Eve – they weren’t as close as they could have been – were they beginning to grow apart or more greatly individuate in some way?  When the tempter came, neither bothered to offer or ask for assistance.  

This story is about coming of age.  It was told to kids from early on so that they would know that this was part of being human.  It was part of the Jewish storyline as well, reminding the Israelites that this was their story as a people, too – all of Genesis should be viewed as such.  Knowing that loss would come with maturity would be helpful for those who knew it, even as they might be excited about the good future ahead.  Being aware early on that loss is part of the deal would help people recognize it, own it, and hopefully process it.

We have all been kicked out of the nest this past year.  The snake’s name is COVID-19, and it has tested us.  Our individual and collective character has been seen for what it is, and it’s a mixed review.  We have all lost a lot.  What losses have you experienced over the past year?  How many can you name?

I asked my friend, Jim, to offer some insights here to know whether or not we are dealing with loss and therefore grief.  He noted several things in our discussion, some of which I resonated with quite a bit.  The things that he noted are symptoms that something more may be at play – I think that thing is grief.  We may lack energy.  We may have lost resolve.  We might feel unshakably sad.  We may be eating too much.  We may spend the entire day (or week?) in our pajamas.  We may find it hard to exercise.  We may be more irritable than normal.  Things we used to really enjoy don’t seem as enjoyable.  We may feel stressed a lot of the time. We may find ourselves with less emotional reserves than before, which means we might find ourselves in conflict more than previously.  The list of symptoms is long.  What symptoms of dealing with loss and grief have you been experiencing?  If you aren’t sure, ask someone close to you if they see any of the above showing up in you.

Perhaps a good first step in Spring Cleaning is to simply recognize that there’s some stuff that needs to be addressed.  Perhaps we need to admit that we’ve been grieving and may not have known it.

The way Christianity portrays the “Fall” story is that Adam and Eve get punished – banished forevermore from the Garden of Eden.  What is often overlooked is that while they couldn’t re-enter the womb, they weren’t without the help and love of God.  God was in the womb, but God was also outside of it.  God cared for Adam and Eve in paradise, and God was also with them as they left it.  God was as much in Eden as God was East of it.  The very good news told to Jewish children and to a listening Israel was that God truly cared enough to look after them and assure them that they could make it.  It wouldn’t be easy.  There would be pain and struggle.  But they could flourish.  And they did.

You and I and all of humanity may have been in an Eden of sorts without knowing it.  It was called pre-pandemic.  We’ve been kicked out of that reality for a year now, and it has been filled with loss of many kinds.  We need to remember that grieving well is very good for us if we will have it, if we will honor it.  And we need to remember that God has not forgotten us or left us on our own without hope.  The Spirit of God, the Divine Feminine – She will mother us in the best sense of the word and will love us forward.

May you become fully aware of the losses you have endured so that you might grieve more consciously and intentionally.  May you know that leaving Eden is simply part of life.  May you know that God is with you no matter what space you are in, and that She is loving, kind, nurturing, and supporting. Always.

Colorfully

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Today I finish out the Colorful series which tapped into biblical history and US history to guide our thoughts regarding how we think about others in our community – particularly African Americans.  I revealed some pieces of my personal history regarding family racism and prejudice, we took a look at an example of Jesus’ prejudice which was formed by his upbringing (racism is both caught and taught), we examined a sermon Jesus gave which championed inclusion (he was nearly killed for suggesting it), and last week we reminded ourselves of how far the early church shifted given Paul’s instruction that in Christ there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female (and whatever other binaries we might come up with).  We close today by examining four stories.  The first simply because it provides deep backstory for Jewish people, especially on this day which celebrates the Jewish holiday, Purim, honoring Queen Esther’s courageous role in saving her people from the pogrom of Haman.  The three other stories are from the early days of Christianity.  I link you to the text below – I hope you’ll read the stories for yourself.  I also offer some thoughts and questions related to each component.

            Esther.  Antisemitism has been with humanity a very, very long time.  This particular story hails from the mid-300’s BCE.  It is meant to be read like a novella.  Grab a lovely beverage and enjoy it!  Then ask some questions...

1.     What prompted Esther to put her life on the line? 

2.     What would prompt us to stick our necks out?  

3.     What do you imagine went through her mind as she considered what was happening and what she could do?  

4.     Try and place yourself in her story and imagine her emotional roller coaster, the reaction of others, the fear of risking everything, and the joy of seeing her hopes realized.

Philip (Acts 8:26-40). This short scene from Philip’s life is quite provocative because it involves big-time inclusion of an African!  And, given his life story, it is also an early nod to intersectionality given the different category of inclusion that the Church is deeply divided over today: our LGBTQ neighbors.  What I love about Philip is that he just goes with what he senses God asking him to do: get on the road to Gaza, go walk near that official dude in the fancy carriage and see what happens...  Then the guy chooses to embrace the Good News of Jesus!  Then requests baptism!  And Philip just does it!  For a guy that would have been denied access to the Temple!

5.     Have you ever moved forward with such simple faith?

6.     What do you imagine that would have been like for Philip?

7.     What fears did he have to overcome?

8.     What do you think he thought about when the baptism request came?

9.     What else are you wondering about here?

Saul’s Transformation (Acts 9).  I love this story for so many reasons.  Here is a devout guy who is extremely confident in his view of these Jesus-following Jews – they are wrong and need to be stopped before they direct more people down the “wrong” path.  He was zealous for their demise.  On his way to Damascus to round up some of these apostates, he was stopped in his tracks by a mystical experience – a blinding light from the heavens identifying as Jesus!  The experience blinded Saul – or was he blind before but now he knew it?  He was led to Damascus where he was eventually cared for by Ananias – one of the folks Saul was going to arrest!  Now he had to trust him with his life!  God healed Saul’s blindness through the prayerful work of Ananias and immediately joined the ranks of Jesus followers, eventually changing his name to Paul to appeal to the Gentile people.

10.  What do you imagine shaped Saul’s prejudice?

11.  What do you suppose went through Saul’s mind when he had his mystical experience?

12.  What do you suppose Saul made of his blindness?

13.  What do you think went through his mind when we learned that Ananias was his caregiver?

14.  What do you think Ananias went through in this process?

Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10).  Here we find hungry (and hangry?) Peter, given a vision about food which was really about what was clean and unclean according to God’s covenant with Israel.  Peter knew the answers, yet God was making it plain that the rules had now changed.  God also made it clear that it wasn’t just about food – it was about creating a table big enough for all people.  Peter follows along, his prejudice in full view every step of the way.  By the end of the story, Peter finds himself welcoming these Gentiles into the Christian community with baptism!

15.  What do you think Peter was feeling when he was told by God that the tradition he had honored his entire life was no longer valid? What would this imply about the nature of God?  What about the nature of faith?  Have you ever been in a similar crisis of faith when you sensed God was doing something new even though it was counter to former ways of understanding things?

16.  What sort of attitude do you imagine Peter had when he went into a home full of people he couldn’t stand?

17.  What did it take for Peter to loosen up and welcome these people into the faith?  What does this suggest about why prejudice is so hard to shake for human beings?

18.  How are you like Peter when it comes to the prejudices you hold?

Colorful You and Me.  It appears to me that there are some patterns we can learn from in these stories.  In each there is a certain level of discomfort, even if it is to simply hit the road for reasons yet unknown.  Most people don’t change or shift unless their level of discontent is greater than their comfort.  Few are proactive.  That’s not great news for those who want to see the world change by end of day tomorrow! 

This series has been heavy for a number of people.  For some it has been really annoying, and they are really glad it’s nearly over.  Why the discomfort?  Where is it coming from?  In light of what we’ve been working through, which of the four characters do you resemble in this season of your life?  Perhaps there are bits and pieces of each of them that resonate with you?

Remember, Jesus struggled with this stuff – that means we should expect to struggle as well, even if we don’t want to admit it even to ourselves (why is that?).  Remember, too, that Jesus sensed that the Spirit of God that anointed him was leading toward greater and greater inclusivity and mutual respect which is sometimes difficult to pull off.  If you call yourself a Jesus follower, it means that we strive to follow Jesus even if we don’t like parts of the journey.  The salvation he brought is a package deal – you don’t become more wholly well, more filled with shalom by picking only the parts of the Jesus buffet you know you like.  Guess what?  Dealing with existing inequality and inequity by recognizing it, calling it out, and doing what we can to remedy it is on the menu for good.

So, we can either embrace it and decide to milk it for all it’s worth, allowing it to grow us in ways we didn’t know we needed and thus becoming more wonderfully whole and well, or we can drag our feet, get grumpy, throw fits, stomp our feet, and basically become worse than roadblocks to the redemptive work God is always doing.  When we choose this, we are worse than an anchor slowing progress; we misrepresent the Jesus we claim to follow and serve to cause others to question whether or not we really need to follow Jesus fully.  Even worse, for those who know little about the Way of Jesus, we leave them with the impression that Jesus must not give a rip about really significant issues that tear humanity apart – he’s only relevant for the afterlife.  When we choose this path (even if by apathy), we become complicit with all the forces that keep our world from being the beautiful creation it can be for all people.  Please don’t do that.

Be colorful instead.  Choose to stretch your mind, wear out your knees in service, humbly pursue justice while loving mercy and extending grace.  Stay connected to God using all the spiritual practices that make sense for your evolving seasons of life.  Don’t be suckered by the American Lone Ranger lie that life is mostly an individual pursuit for happiness.  Instead, choose to love each other and all your neighbors well.  Jesus assured us that when we follow the Way that it will lead to an abundance of life.  Our choosing the Way by giving ourselves to it does not drain our resources but rather ties us into the living water which never runs out.

The world needs Jesus followers who actually, joyfully follow Jesus.  This is a daily choice that leads to life.  Will you choose to follow Jesus fully?

Don’t have a clue what to do?  Check out this article that will probably offer something.

Colorful US

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

I invite you to take a slow look at the following timeline regarding Black History in the United States. I linked two additional sites with more historical stuff as well. The highlighted entries are ones I touched on in my teaching.

Questions to think about…

What do you imagine has been the cumulative impact of attitudes and behaviors toward African Americans given the historical record? How do you suppose racism may have influenced laws that were written, as well as laws that were enforced and others that were ignored? What does it say that there was such a flurry of court activity in the 1950’s and 1960’s? Why did it take so long to address obvious freedoms granted by the 13th Amendment that were not really enjoyed by African Americans? What might the impact have been if, for a century, black Americans in the South were not able to vote for leaders they thought represented their voice? What do you think has been the impact of an educational system that still disproportionately favors white Americans over black? How might the historical lack of opportunity for educational, employment , and property ownership contribute to inequality and also serve to fulfill a prophecy of ongoing negative sentiment toward black Americans? If we equal success with educational achievement, good employment with good earning potential, and property ownership, what happens if an entire people group is not given the same chance? How does that feed into and perpetuate classic attitudes of prejudice toward African Americans?

Racism in America was poured into our country’s foundation in 1619, deeming non-whites as “less than”. The decisions made based on this underlying paradigm is what led to what we can now identify as systemic racism. It didn’t happen overnight, and it will not change overnight. As Jesus followers, however, we are called to do our part to insure that all of God’s children are equally loved, expressed by truly equal access to all that God has for their flourishing.

African American History Timeline: 1619 - 2008 

1619 The first African American indentured servants arrive in the American colonies. Less than a decade later, the first slaves are brought into New Amsterdam (later, New York City). By 1690, every colony has slaves. 

1739 The Stono Rebellion, one of the earliest slave revolts, occurs in Stono, South Carolina. 

1793 Eli Whitney’s (1765 – 1825) cotton gin increases the need for slaves. 

1808 Congress bans further importation of slaves. 

1831 In Boston, William Lloyd Garrison (1805 – 1879) begins publication of the anti-slavery newspaper the Liberator and becomes a leading voice in the Abolitionist movement. 

1831 – 1861 Approximately 75,000 slaves escape to the North using the Underground Railroad. 

1846 Ex-slave Frederick Douglass (1818 – 1895) publishes the anti-slavery North Star newspaper. 

1849  Harriet Tubman (c. 1820 – 1913) escapes from slavery and becomes an instrumental leader of the Underground Railroad. 

1850  Congress passes another Fugitive Slave Act, which mandates government participation in the capture of escaped slaves. 

Boston citizens, including some of the wealthiest, storm a federal courthouse in an attempt to free escaped Virginia slave Anthony Burns (1834 – 1862). 

1857 The Dred Scot v. Sanford case: congress does not have the right to ban slavery in the states; slaves are not citizens.

1860  Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) is elected president, angering the southern states. 

1861  The Civil War begins. 

1863 Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation proclaims that all slaves in rebellious territories are forever free. 

1865 The Civil War ends. Lincoln is assassinated. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting slavery, is ratified. The era of Reconstruction begins. 

1866 The “Black Codes” are passed by all white legislators of the former Confederate States. Congress passes the Civil Rights Act, conferring citizenship on African Americans and granting them equal rights to whites. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in Tennessee. 

1868 The 14th Amendment is ratified, defining citizenship. This overturns the Dred Scot decision. 

1870 The 15th Amendment is ratified, giving African Americans the right to vote. 

1877 The era of Reconstruction ends. A deal is made with southern democratic leaders which makes Rutherford B. Hayes (1822 – 1893) president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and puts an end to efforts to protect the civil rights of African Americans.

1879 Thousands of African Americans migrate out of the South to escape oppression.

1881 Tennessee passes the first of the “Jim Crow” segregation laws, segregating state railroads. Similar laws are passed over the next 15 years throughout the Southern states. 

1896  Plessy v. Ferguson case: racial segregation is ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court. The “Jim Crow” (“separate but equal”) laws begin, barring African Americans from equal access to public facilities.

1954  Brown v. Board of Education case: strikes down segregation as unconstitutional.

1955  In Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005) is arrested for breaking a city ordinance by refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. This defiant act gives initial momentum to the Civil Rights Movement. 

1957 Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 – 1968) and others set up the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a leading engine of the Civil Rights Movement. 

1964  The Civil Rights Act is signed, prohibiting discrimination of all kinds. 

1965  The Voting Rights Act is passed, outlawing the practices used in the South to disenfranchise African American voters.

1967  Edward W. Brooke (1919 - ) becomes the first African American U.S. Senator since Reconstruction. He serves two terms as a Senator from Massachusetts. 

1968  Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. 

2008 Barack Obama (1961 - ) becomes the first African American to win the U.S. presidential race. 

Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement in the US

Timeline of African American History

Colorful Napa

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Napa’s history was first remembered by indigenous people who lived in Napa Valley and beyond for thousands of years before they would be introduced to the advanced military of Mexico, and along with it the notion of land ownership.  Over time, the Mexican government would be subdued by the United States and those who were granted land.  Catholic missions were introduced as well, although the Good News they claimed to share often felt more like subjugation. Time passed, and so did the likes of General Vallejo and Chief Solano.  Eventually, nearly all of the indigenous peoples of Napa County were pushed north into Lake County, where they were far enough away to not cause the settlers any significant trouble.  As the California gold rush made headlines, people came to California from all over the United States and abroad – including China.  African Americans found their way to Napa by sea and land and settled.  Over time, however, they would find themselves leaving Napa Valley due to lack of opportunity – the color of their skin made it virtually impossible to run a business or hold a job with a future.  Chinese settlers experienced the same fate and moved away. Migrant workers were welcome for the most part, until some in politics deemed them a threat to American jobs. Even to this day, the majority of vineyard workers are Latinx.  Their standard of living is not yet equal to their Caucasian counterparts, but not because of any lack of effort on their part.  There is something deeper at work.  To learn more, watch an interview with Napa historian Alexandria Brown.

            The story of Napa raises questions for me: what were the causes of the inhospitable atmosphere in Napa toward people of color?  Why the hostility?  This reminds me of a story from Jesus’ life where he experienced severe hostility from a group that knew him his whole life – the fine folk from Nazareth:

Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,

for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

“Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way. – Luke 4:14-30 | NLT

            What the heck happened here?  They were willing to kill Jesus simply for reminding them of their own history and the fact that it might be repeating?  And then they fulfill his very words?  Jesus’ words triggered their not-too-covert prejudice and racism toward non-Jewish people. The hatred’s origin went back centuries, was apparently endorsed by God, and fueled by their multiple-centuries-long occupation by foreign oppressors.  They believed they were God’s chosen people dating back to Abraham.  They believed God was bigger than geographical boundaries – a novel idea in the ancient world.  They believed God called them to be special, instructing them to take by force the Promised Land (even if at the expense of incalculable numbers of innocents).  They believed that at times they failed to live up to their end of the covenant, but God always kept God’s side of the covenant.  Even though they wanted a king (which was against God’s direction), God worked with them for centuries anyway.  God, through the prophets, warned them against neglecting the practice of their faith as the beginning of their end, but Israel ignored the call.  Eventually and predictably, their actions caught up with them.  Their kingdom was divided in half, and eventually they would lose their Promised Land to foreign oppressors – three different empires over several centuries.  Yet they still believed that they were God’s chosen people, and that God would redeem them through an anointed leader (Messiah) at some point.  In the meantime, their disdain for non-Jewish people exponentially increased as they awaited redemption.

            Jesus’ hometown teaching pointed a spotlight on errant thinking held by his longtime friends, prejudice that grew over time, was enculturated, codified, and even celebrated among the Jews.  

            Could it be that a similar phenomenon has taken place in the United States that has shown up in our Nazareth?  I don’t know any white people who can identify the development of their own prejudice, if they will even recognize it.  Is it possible that realized racism exists, that what we are being told by the voices of people of color, our own history, our own legal battles, our own statistics, our own current areas of inequality and inequity – are true?  Will we have ears to hear, or will we make like the faithful in Nazareth and prefer to kill the messenger?

Colorful: Me

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

            Why this series, why now?  February holds several important distinctions that most of us are aware of.  Valentine’s Day reminds us to show love to the most important people in our lives, and in grade school, a little love for every kid in class with a cheap little card.  Also celebrates Presidents Day in honor of two very different US presidents: Washington and Lincoln.  And, for the purposes of this series, February is Black History Month.  As a Jesus follower, I am invited to follow in Jesus’ way of life, which is founded on an understanding of God being known primarily by love which then leads to us viewing and treating all people from a loving stance.  The first and second greatest commandments are to love God and our neighbors, respectively.  Jesus was convinced that this orientation leads to an abundance of life and a transformed world:

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:12-13 | NLT 

I agree.  Yet I am fairly aware that I easily love some people while struggling to love others.  I am quite certain that in our beloved United States, love has been afforded to some more than others, which can be traced through our history, our laws, religious debates, and the varied experiences of citizens who call the US home.  We might think we are loving, but perhaps we are not loving in the same way that Jesus loves us.  Why do we see this so differently?  What has happened?  How does our faith mirror our reality, and how does it call us forward?  This series, for me, is an outworking of some very pertinent issues in our world related to what it means to be a Jesus follower in a very divided world.  Interestingly, though his call to love was very challenging, the disciples rose to the occasion, evidenced by this much later instruction from the Apostle John to the churches:

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. – 1 John 4:7-8 | NLT

 I grew up in a healthy home and household.  Human, for sure, but healthy. My parents are still married – on June 14, 2021, they will celebrate 64 years.  My dad’s job was as a pastor (or pastor-related), which meant our family was very involved in our faith.  Church every Sunday, some sort of weekly youth group gathering, and often a church camp in the summer. My parents were solidly mainline in their theology, reflecting the core of American Baptist beliefs, which meant that we were on the progressive side of things, even if quietly.  There was never much talk of heaven or hell as the primary motive for faith.  Faith was taught more as a way of life, a culture.

            My parents were also model “nice people”.  My dad’s professional reputation is that everyone he met felt valued by him.  The same could be said of my mom.  We were taught by example to respect other people, regardless of who they were or what they drank or smoked (in our house, drinking alcohol and smoking anything were vices eleven and twelve, respectively, of the Ten Commandments). My folks modeled generosity, too, both directly with people in need as well as toward the church and the extended efforts of the church nationally and internationally.  I’m trying to paint a picture of a balanced home life where I was taught by example how to be a good, compassionate person along the lines of Jesus.  The older I get, the more grateful I am for the foundation they provided.

            As good as it was, however, I found myself in some uncomfortable situations that I couldn’t quite make sense of, mostly with people who were American but did not look much like me, especially along racial or ethnic lines.  Not so much with people of Asian descent, however, but more so with Latinx and African Americans (only recently did I learn why).  I remind you that my parents treated all people really well – including Latinx and black people (as few as they numbered in our suburban world). My folks never used overtly derogatory language about any person different than us in terms of ethnicity or race, ever.  In retrospect, I realize that we simply never talked about it.  Maybe my siblings did?  I was the last of four, after all – my parents kind of dialed it in with me...

What was the discomfort about? I am pretty sure the discomfort I felt had much to do with a heightened awareness of the “otherness” of (especially) African Americans – there weren’t many Latinx people where I grew up back then, in Kansas and Michigan.  I remember being really self-conscious, not wanting to say something stupid, being really careful to be polite, trying to make a good impression, and feeling really anxious the whole time.  My personality drives me to want to make a good impression - in this environment, it was exponentially turbo-charged.  The few black people who sparsely inhabited by extremely Caucasian world might as well have been from Mars, they appeared so foreign to me. I also was aware that black people got a raw deal in the United States beginning with slavery.  I wasn’t sure how to feel or act in light of it, it just created an awkwardness in me.

All the while I knew the ethic of Jesus which directed its adherents to love our neighbors, even if – or especially if – they didn’t look like us.  Somehow, this kid (me), raised in a loving home where seeing others as equally valued and loved by God, still manifested a significant degree of awkwardness and clumsiness when it came to interacting with and processing my feelings related to people of other ethnicities or race.  It was almost as if something were in the air.  How much worse for those who were raised in homes that were not so genteel?

The early church recorded a remembrance of Jesus that served to answer some things about Jesus’ development.  Did you know that Jesus developed his identity and thought?  I think sometimes we think of Jesus like a Jack-in-a-Box – at just the right time, God turned the crank and out popped Jesus-in-a-Box!  If we really, really believe he was fully human, we need to let him have a fully human experience, which, if any depth of maturity is involved, includes coming to grips with how we’ve been shaped by our context and deciding who we want to become.  In the following story, I think we get a glimpse of the prejudice Jewish people held toward non-Jewish people.  I believe Jesus had to work through this in his development.

 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed. (Matthew 15:21-28 | NLT)

            I think we see an undeveloped Jesus in this story where the forces that shaped him were in full view.  Commentaries that want to preserve an idea of Jesus being “perfect” in a very specific way will excuse Jesus’ rude exchange, even suggesting that he made the comment with a twinkle in his eye and a wink.  Just kidding around like we do.  Scholars who think differently about the full humanity of Jesus see it quite differently, akin to a white person today essentially using the “N-word” toward a black person: “Why would I waste anything good on a “N...” like you?  The picture changes a bit, doesn’t it?

            I will teach more about the culturally held views of non-Jews held by Jewish people more next week.  Suffice it to say that Jews in Jesus’ day and age did not view the “others” around them with favor.  They were under Roman occupation and they hated it, and clearly hated those who enforced it.  Ugly yet understandable.  Jesus was raised in a backwater community in the shadow of thriving Roman-influenced and Empire-money-infused shiny cities like Tyre and Sidon, which were in contrast to the relatively shabby city of Nazareth.  Jesus’ contemporaries were not particularly educated, and really didn’t care a lot about what was happening in the bigger cities funded by their tax dollars.  I maintain that Jesus’ insult to the woman who asked for help was a reaction based on everything that had formed Jesus up to that point, both the obvious and the subtle shaping forces that human beings experience by their families of origin, their culture, their moment in history – all of it has its affect.

            This may startle some folks who want Jesus to be squeaky clean to the point of being dismayed and disheartened.  Why bother with Jesus if he was THAT human?

            I find that this interpretation actually makes following Jesus more compelling, not less.  Jesus somehow overcame those culturally infused biases and was transformed before our very eyes to see the woman not by her label but as a human being worthy of compassion.  I need to learn from that!  What happened to foster such a shift?

            One of the things that helped my discomfort with people of color was exposure to people of color.  The more I was in the same space with these colorful friends, the more I realized we were much more alike than not.  We might structure our language differently and see the world differently, but at the end of the day we share a deep longing for the same dreams to come true.  We long for love, wellbeing, harmony, a good life for ourselves and those we love.  The deeper we dig into that great dream, the more we realize that we want it for everybody.

            I was afforded little opportunity to rub elbows with people of color growing up.  My high school in Michigan was in Okemos, an affluent suburb of Lansing, Michigan.  Until my senior year, there were only a couple of African Americans in my school.  College was a little better, where I became good friends with Adolphus Lacey who, like me, was headed toward pastoral ministry.  My Masters degree threw me into the deep end, reflecting the full diversity of the Chicago area.  Older, wiser men and women of color provided friendship and conversation that was so helpful in overcoming my fears of “the other”.  I wonder if that exchange with the desperate mother was one (of many) with non-Jewish people that exposed Jesus not just to the shared humanity with all other people, but also exposed his own jaded vision born from all the forces that shaped him.  He saw himself from a different plane, as an observer viewing himself, and could then decide whether or not he wanted to keep his jaded lens or get corrective lenses afforded by the Spirit of God.

            Oh, if we could do the same...  Jesus invites us to follow, which implies that we can should we accept.

Stuff to think about...

1.     What was your upbringing like on this?

2.     How did your family of origin communicate (or not) about other ethnicities or races?

3.     How colorful was your view of the world?

4.     How much interaction did you have with people of other ethnicities or races?  What was your experience like?  Any obvious discomfort or attitude or held values regarding these folks?

5.     Did any of your personal influencers use a different tone, or makes jokes more at the expense of some than others?

6.     When listening to someone else describing an encounter experienced or witnessed, was a person’s race ever mentioned even if it had no relevance to the story (e.g., were people’s color or ethnicity noted unless they were white)?

7.     How does the idea that Jesus needed to mature along these same lines mess with you?

8.     What are the concerns you have as we move forward in this series that might hinder you from more deeply engaging this subject?

Embracing Forgiveness 5: Why Forgive?

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Barbara Cawthrone Crafton concludes her teaching and group interaction on the subject of forgiveness.

Process Stuff (from Embracing Forgiveness, Morehouse):

A friend told Barbara that if someone offends him, then that other person is essentially dead to him. This assertion leads Barbara into a compelling theological reflection which responds powerfully to the question, “Why forgive?” Here are 10 quotes from Barbara’s case for forgiveness:

1.     If someone has to be dead to me, then the world I hold is maimed, it’s damaged, it’s not complete, and it’s not true, because the person is not dead and does have lines in my play. I can’t take a pencil and draw a line through that person’s role in my life.

2.     The power of God, the energy of God, is the energy of existence, not non-existence.

3.     God is about being, not non-being. God is not a God who wants us to be less than we are. God is a God who has created us to be everything that we can be.

4.     When we refuse to forgive, we shrink our world. It is against God’s reality for us to shrink the world, because God’s energy has created an expanding universe, not a shrinking one.
God has set into motion this energetic creation so that we would be seeking our union with God. God attracts and we respond.

5.     There is a potent attractiveness between us and among us that is part of the attraction God has for us and the response we have toward God.

6.     To stand back from forgiveness is to feel that you can somehow decide not to be attracted to God.

7.     If my anger at you continues to sit in here (heart), I will be less able to respond authentically to the God who longs for me to respond.

8.     Wouldn’t it be better to have the energy of anger and non-forgiveness to use in some way other than keeping each other at arm’s length?

9.     The energy of God, the love of God flows unimpeded—a strong and powerful river. Wouldn’t it be better to let that river flow without any of the dams that could interrupt the flow of it?

Test the validity of these 10 statements for you by considering these kinds of questions:

1.     When have you felt “penciled out” of someone’s world? What was that like?

2.     What happened on occasions when you were trying to shrink your world while God was working to expand it?

3.     What’s that like when you just allow yourself to be drawn by the magnetic energy of God and let that be the force at work in your relationships?

4.     When have you noticed the difference between living fully into the spaciousness of God’s creation as opposed to expending energy on anger and non-forgiveness?

Embracing Forgiveness 4: How to Start

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Barbara Cawthrone Crafton continues her teaching and group interaction on the subject of forgiveness.

Process Stuff (from Embracing Forgiveness, Morehouse):

A powerful thread running through Barbara’s teaching in this session emerges from the story of Joe and Erwin, the two evening prayer officiants in one of Barbara’s parishes. You have heard the story of how Joe became a spiritual allergen for Erwin. And you have heard how Barbara provided Erwin with a kind of ‘homeopathic cure’ for this spiritual allergy in the form of a tiny prayer: Just say his name, “Joe.”

Barbara offers a thoughtful progression of insight as she opens for us this concrete way of getting started on our forgiveness projects:

Putting a tiny bit of the offensive substance into the system repeatedly, bit by bit, over times helps the swelling to go down. The swelling has to go down in order to get healed from the allergy itself.

Using this prayer of the name means you can let God do the work. Don’t you do the work.

Over time you will change. This prayer will change you for sure. It will also change the one whose name it is.

Prayer is energy. It’s the gift of God’s energy. Love is energy. We are made of God’s energy and love.

In saying the name, “Joe,” you begin to create an opening through which this energy can flow.

Over time you change. Something good will happen to the person you are praying for; the energy of God does not create evil.

In these intractable situations where forgiveness seems impossible, step back and let God do some work. The sufficiency of God is bigger than ours.

It involves not trying to run everything ourselves, not thinking that forgiveness is a job we need to do. All we have to do—like all the spiritual practices—is to ask for it.

You say the name and you allow God to do the healing. You are patient with it.

You expect a miracle but you don’t know what it is because prayer isn’t shaping; we don’t order stuff and send it back if it’s not what we want.

It is just coming into the presence of God and allowing ourselves to be open channels for the love of God.

What are your “Joe” stories where you might have responded to a “spiritual allergy” through something as simple as saying the name of the other as part of your regular prayer practice?

Barbara clearly has a way of “seeing” prayer: prayer is energy; prayer can flow through an opening which you create with just one word; prayer allows the strength and power of the universe to move through us if we allow it; and we can get into this river of life and love and go with it.

Where does Barbara’s teaching on prayer practice intersect with your experience of Prayer?

What new possibilities of prayer are opened in you as you listen to Barbara?

Embracing Forgiveness 3: Chipping Away

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

You have now experienced Barbara’s gifts as storyteller as you listened to the story of Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Day. Having enjoyed the story, we will harvest the learnings from it. Here are five quotes from Barbara that will guide us in appreciating her reasons for telling this particular story:

·       The thing we are focused on when we have been injured gives the perpetrator more power than he or she really has. When we turn and face the situation more accurately, he or she shrinks to a normal human size.

·       If the perpetrator does the deed and you hold on to the deed, you’ve helped the perpetrator continue the deed; you’ve become a coconspirator with your own aggressor, not in a matter of guilt—the guilt is still theirs—but in the effect. There is a perverse identity between perpetrator and victim.

·       We can define ourselves as “the ones against so-and-so”; as the ones that must disagree with our enemy. Politics is often like that: “Well, I’m against whatever he’s for.” It becomes a substitute for thinking. We need to define ourselves as ourselves and not allow our enemy to define us.

·       Forgiveness is not this “wonderful thing” I’m going to do to welcome the perpetrator back into my world. Forgiveness is almost an act of self-love. It is a gift to myself. It is primarily for me that I need to forgive. Do you want freedom enough to turn your focus from the one who has hurt you to you, yourself, so that you alone can take the action you need to get out of jail—a jail the perpetrator may have built for you, but a jail whose door you continue to keep locked?

What insights will you take from the story of Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Day and from Barbara’s reflection about those two people and the choices they made?

When have you found yourself in the kind of relational jail that Barbara describes in the story and in her reflection? If you are still in one of those situations where you have given the perpetrator more power than is good for either of you, what options do you have to move on?

What options did the congregation of Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Day have other than building their own congregational life around the stubborn willfulness of these two “grand dames” of the congregation

Embracing Forgiveness 2: You Have heard It Said

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Barbara Cawthrone Crafton continues her teaching and group interaction on the subject of forgiveness.

Process this (from the Embracing Forgiveness workbook, Morehouse):

One of the reasons that we have a hard time with forgiveness is that we hold incorrect ideas about what it is. Perhaps we are trying to do things in forgiveness that are not life-giving, edifying and useful.

Here is a review of six things that Barbara refutes as characteristics of forgiveness. For each one, there is a quote or two from Barbara to remind you of the fullness of her teaching on that matter.

You have heard it said that to forgive is to forget, but I say to you forgiveness is not forgetting.

People don’t forget important chapters in their lives. Forgiveness does not erase history. Your history has happened and it deserves to be honoured. If it’s not honoured it’s liable to be repeated.

You have heard it said that to forgive is to acquit, but I say to you forgiveness is not acquittal or exoneration.

We still have to pay the price for what we do. If someone is acquitted it means they didn’t do anything. We only forgive those who are guilty of something.

You have heard it said that to forgive is to pardon, but I say to you forgiveness is not pardon.

Even when forgiven, you may still have to pay for what you did. When you are pardoned, you don’t have consequences.

You have heard it said that forgiveness is a matter of degree, but I say to you forgiveness is not a matter of degree.

We have confused our feeling of horror at the crime with the capacity or lack of capacity to forgive. Even one death is too much. It’s difficult for us because of the horror we feel for large and heinous crimes. We cannot say that the power of God is not greater than these things. It might take us a while to wrap our minds around this one; and longer to wrap our hearts around it. “Okay” has nothing to do with anything when we’re talking about forgiveness.

You have heard it said that forgiveness is led by feeling, but I say to you forgiveness is not feeling.

If forgiveness is a feeling and if somehow, in order to forgive, I have to develop warm fuzzy feelings about someone who did something horrible to me; or, with regard to my own shame, if somehow I have to develop feelings of being welcomed and loved before I can be forgiven—feelings can’t lead me to that state.

You have heard it said that forgiveness is all about the past, but I say to you forgiveness is not about the past.

Forgiveness is about the present and the future. Who do I want my future to belong: the guy who hurt me in 1998 or me and God? I want to live my life with God. I don’t want to give it to anybody else. I want my present to be mine. I want my future to be mine.

As you listened to Barbara teaching about what forgiveness is not, where did you find her teaching intersecting with your lived experience? Which of these six “nots” has the most energy for you as you consider this matter of forgiveness?

Share stories and insights in twos, threes or small group, as time allows

In the midst of talking about what forgiveness is not, Barbara offers a helpful reflection on forgiveness as a process:

There’s a trinity of the human being: we are reason—we are feeling—we are will. We are not any one of these three things exclusively. All three are present in us, or we are not human. No one of these three can lead all the time. They each have functions. We have to balance them.

In the project of forgiveness, feelings aren’t going to lead you there. You might be too mad or too hurt. But feelings can follow. What will lead you to forgiveness is your will. I can’t make myself not hurt, but I can make myself take a step forward. If I can say, “I don’t forgive him. I don’t even want to forgive him, but I want to want to forgive; I want to be different,” then we’ve taken the first step. We haven’t taken the last; forgiveness is a process, not a moment.

If you can say, “Yes, I’ve begun the process of forgiving. I haven’t finished. It might take a whole life time to finish it, but I have begun here, so I can answer yes.” My will has begun to lead me in a direction that my feelings never could. If I can take a small step, God will bless that step and will increase it. It is a theological decision.

Tell the story of a time when you experienced forgiveness as process, not as a moment.

Embracing Forgiveness 1: Seventy Times Seven - Really?

Process Questions (from Embracing Forgiveness, Morehouse Education Resources):

Barbara states:

“Everybody has something about forgiveness. There’s somebody [who] did something terrible you can’t get past, or maybe you did something you can’t forgive yourself for, or [there’s] someone else [who] can’t forgive you.”

What is the first thing that comes to mind for you in this matter of forgiveness? What personal involvement in forgiving is still unfinished for you?

Barbara explains:

“This idea of ‘forgiving as we have been forgiven’ —maybe what it’s saying is if you forgive, you will know what it is to be forgiven, and if you don’t forgive, you won’t be able to accept this gift. “It’s not that I (God) am not giving it to you—I (God) am giving it to you all the time—it’s that you won’t be able to accept it.”

When have you experienced the power of forgiveness in the way that Barbara is describing? When have you received the gift of this reciprocal relationship between forgiving and being forgiven?

Barbara suggests:

“What makes forgiveness so impossible for us is the way anger functions in us over

time. It latches on. It lands in the heart and makes like a tumor there. Over time it makes its own blood supply and pretty soon it can’t be removed. It’s gotten too deep; it’s become a part of you and you feel as if you’d die. There are tumors like that; there are inoperable tumors you can’t excise because you’d kill the patient. Anger, the holding of a grudge, the lack of forgiveness is a tumor—a growth in the spiritual body.”

When have you experienced the persistent presence of anger as a kind of tumor that makes it increasingly difficult to move to forgiveness?

Barbara tells us:

“The lack of forgiveness that we experience is really an opportunity for us to come closer to God in asking for help. It makes us better than we were. That’s paradoxical.  ‘You mean this thing that I had, this sin of mine that I couldn’t forgive or wouldn’t forgive or that I could not get free from—my own shame—that thing is a means of grace?’ Why, yes.”

When have you experienced the grace of God as a gift of one of these situations that seemed to be completely lacking in grace?

Barbara assures us:

 “I can’t do much about what happened in the past, but I have a lot to say about who I’m going to be now and who I’m going to walk with. It’s hard for us to choose life sometimes, but we can still make that choice and we have help. We don’t have to do it all alone.”

 What’s one choice you are sitting with right now that could make a difference about how you move forward with life and with the possibility of grace? How will you remember that you are not alone?

O Come Emmanuel: Say Yes

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

2020 has left much to be desired. We have reason to hope for a better 2021 simply because it is hard to imagine anything worse than the previous year! We all have dreams for what could be. God has bigger dreams than we do, and they are actually the source of our deepest, truest, best dreams. The Christmas Story gives us guidance to how to realize those God-sourced dreams.

Christmas Eve: Weird

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

As we take some time again this year to reflect on the birth of Jesus, consider the context.  Israel had been under the thumb of foreign oppressors for centuries (save for a blip or two when they revolted, only to be squashed again).  Around the turn of the first century BCE, the Roman Empire was fully in place and in charge.  They were brutal in many respects, and the Jewish people longed for someone to lead them out of oppression into new freedom.  Would God send a messiah, and anointed one, to bring about such dramatic change that would surely include a military conquest?  Many surfaced, claiming to be the messiah, and were usually wiped out soon enough.  In addition, the leadership of the Jewish faith was corrupted by the power and influence they were awarded by Rome to keep the peace.  Reform was needed. That’s the basic historical context into which Jesus was born.

What about your context?  There is a continuum that represents how we approach the birth narrative of Jesus.  On one end are those who engage the story as literal, historical fact.  On the other end are those that see it as fiction created to provide a clearly God-ordained beginning story for the person who would become such a powerful conduit of God’s Spirit – a truly anointed Messiah, even if not what people expected.  Wherever you are on that spectrum, choose to wonder what truth is here for you today in the story, regardless of factuality.  That’s where the greatest power comes from anyway.  Use the song Silent Night by Pentatonix to warm you up to the story we will revisit.

Mary’s part of the story (Luke’s Gospel). In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

What a weird story.  Wouldn’t you agree? I wonder if what God was doing impacted Mary’s health: how she felt physically and emotionally.  I wonder if she became more conscientious about what her lifestyle once she realized she wasn’t just looking out for her own health, but someone else’s.

We’re living in a weird story, too.  We are being asked – all of humanity – to be conscientious about our physical and emotional health.  And not just for ourselves, but for someone else.  The physical limitations aren’t anywhere near being pregnant, but the emotional weight of what we are all experiencing is pronounced.  We are not invited to give birth to a baby, but we are invited to welcome Christ into our lives anew, to make room for more of God, more life and light, more shalom – a deep peace that comes from harmony within, with each other, and with all of creation.  Mary was under tremendous stress, yet God was fully with her.  We are under incredible stress, yet God is with us, too, ready to be realized in new ways every day.  The song Be Born In Me, performed by Francesca Battistelli invites us to reflect on the dynamics Mary endured and perhaps what we endure, too.

Joseph’s Story (Matthew’s Gospel).  This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,

which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born.

What a weird story.  Wouldn’t you agree? I wonder how Joseph’s life was impacted by this turn of events in any way, shape or form?  I wonder if his pride was hurt in any way?  I wonder if he ever felt like this was an unwelcome intruder into his life’s unfolding narrative?  I wonder if he ever felt like being voluntold was unjust – why should he have to change his life, his plans?  How unfair?

We are living in a weird story, too, where we may feel that our rights and freedoms are infringed upon by others.  It may even feel unjust at times what we are called to do.  We may assess the price we are having to pay to weather the multiple storms of 2020 as unfair.  If we’re honest, we might admit that our pride has a way of eclipsing our compassion.  Why should I be forced to wear a mask?  Why should my business be shut down?  Why should the business I want to support be shut down?  Why shouldn’t I be able to gather with whoever I want?  In a country that is built on radical individualism, a pandemic that calls us to radically consider the “other” is a tough medicine to take.  Joseph must have felt like he got ripped off, and likely struggled from time to time with the cost he was called to bear.  Yet God was present with him, helping him bring Jesus into the world and Christ’s presence into history in a new way.  Reflect on Joseph’s perspective with this song, The Carol of Joseph, by For King and Country.

The Birth (Luke).  At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. And Joseph named him Jesus.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

What a weird story.  Wouldn’t you agree? I wonder what fears these shepherds faced that night.  They were given a job to do that night – were they terrified?  Did they feel like the risk was too high?  Were they in danger?  What about their flocks?  Would their following the orders of the angel jeopardize the safety of their flock?  I wonder what went through their minds going to a cave-barn to see the heralded baby – why is this the setting for such a birth?  They would surely be aware of their poverty, along with Mary and Joseph.  They would be fully aware of the fact that they were poor, too poor to get a room.  Poor enough to realize that the crisis of a government decision does not affect everyone equally, but as is always the case, the vulnerable pay a much greater price than everyone else.  Yet God showed up even in the barn, even in the manger, proclaiming that Christ comes for all, all the time, in all places.

We’re living in a weird story where we’re seeing the gap widening between the vulnerable and less vulnerable.  Storms highlight where the roof leaks, and we have been reminded that our country, as great as it is and as proud as we are to be her citizens, has a leaky roof.  Some simply aren’t protected from the elements.  For them, it might be easy to believe that God has left the scene.  But the Christmas Story suggests otherwise – God is especially with the poor.

In contrast to the poor shepherds and the poor parents of Jesus we have a story about some rich dudes to add in as well... 

The Wise Men (Matthew’s Gospel). About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

What a weird story!  Wouldn’t you agree? I wonder what the Wise Men thought about all of this – a bunch of rich, well-educated leaders who went to honor a king, at great expense to themselves, only to have it lost and wasted on a poor peasant couple.  Did they at any time feel incredulous?  Or too good for the cave/stable, or for Joseph and Mary?  How did their sense of privilege get in the way of their experience? I bet this experience was surreal for them.  I wonder if they thought their wealth was a sign of God’s favor and blessing like so many people do, and could not imagine what this scene meant?  

We’re living in a weird story, too, where we are being asked to see things differently about ourselves and everyone around us.  The Wise Men did their part in welcoming Jesus and bringing Christ into the world – they honored God’s anointing with humility and generosity.  They recognized that a gift had been given the world by God and they responded in kind.

The greatest character in this weird story is the one that is in every scene.  The very Spirit of God through various means is everywhere – in angelic visits, dreams, choirs, and stars.  The very Spirit of God is in our weird story, too.  Can you perceive it?  Can you appreciate that while we celebrate and honor the birth of Jesus, we are at the same time invited to allow Christ – the anointing – to be born again and again in our time?  Will you welcome the gift of love and life into your life, knowing that you are loved, valued, and held?

Our final song is All Is Well, performed by Voctave.  This may seem in contradiction with the reality of the weird Christmas Story and our weird story right now with all that 2020 has ushered in.  This is no saccharine gloss over of denial.  This is actually a bold proclamation that no matter what we face, alone or together, there is something – some One – who is greater than our suffering, who will carry us through and welcome us fully whenever we lean into it and will welcome us home when our suffering ends.  There really is a peace that passes understanding, and it is witnessed in that stable, in that manger, in the whole scene and in all the characters.  Christ is born.  Then. Now. Forever.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel: Wise Men

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. - Matthew 2 (NLT)

This story is shocking. God was communicating through a star - this is not orthodox Jewish stuff. The Wise Men were probably not Jewish - which means God was inclusive to other peoples from the very beginning of Jesus’ life.

The story is also shocking because the Wise Men discovered that the measure of worth as the world sees it was completely irrelevant to what God was doing in the life of Jesus. This Prince of Peace was not born in a palace, not laid in a gilded cradle, but rather a damp, stinky cave where animals were kept, and placed in a manger, where animals put their filthy mouths. In order to even see the baby, the Wise Men wold have to get down from their Italian camels, take of their fancy hats, and nearly crawl into the cave. In other words, if they wanted to see Jesus, to experience “God with us”, they had to humble themselves. If we want to experience God, humility is required.

Apparently they stayed humble, because they were able to sense God directing them to not report back to Herod. They had no idea what saying yes to that nudge would mean - they just did it. Because they did, Jesus went on living instead of getting killed the next day by Herod. Stay humble if you want to keep experiencing God and be part of something that is bigger than you can imagine!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel: The Shepherds

Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. – Luke 2 (NLT)

The shepherds in the story were likely not treated with much cultural respect. They were working the late shift, which nobody wanted. The fact that they were treated to the first announcement of Jesus’ birth speaks volumes about how God views all people equally. What did they see in the manger? A baby that looked like God, but also reflected themselves. What did it communicate to these young men that “God with us” would be happen in a place where they dwelled?

They didn’t leave the scene happy simply because the baby was cute. Their lives were transformed know that they were cared for and valued by God.