Lectio: Luke 19:28-40
March 26, 2010
Lectio: John 12:1-8
March 21, 2010
John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. ” It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
This is a story of gratitude. Jesus enters Bethany where, at Lazarus’ house, a dinner is thrown in his honor after having previously raising Lazarus from the dead. Whatever your favorite and finest meal may be, Martha’s cooking was the finest, the house was no doubt all together and everything just right. Mary also poured out extravagantly to Jesus, her brother was dead but now alive. They didn’t think twice about how much the dinner cost, or how much the oil cost, it was nothing at all in comparison.
This is a story of paradox. Jesus, who’d raised Lazarus from the dead, would soon go to his own death, which Mary anointed him for, wiping his feet with her hair. They poured out love and respect to Jesus this day, in a few days he would be mistreated and abused, even the disciples would run away or deny him.
We have a choice to react like Judas, considering ourselves the first priority in all things. But if we remember the things Christ has done, pouring his love on us like a sweet perfume, how can we react any other way but to desire to reciprocate like Martha and Mary?
Cultivating and Sustaining Authentic Discipleship
March 15, 2010
The following an excerpt from my friend Tri Robinson’s new book, Rooted in Good Soil: Cultivating and Sustaining Authentic Discipleship, which will be released in Spring 2010. I first met Tri when we were both joining the Father in combating the wickedness of human trafficking. What I love about Tri is the authenticity and embodiment of discipleship that his life has witnessed to in terms of sustainable faith. He not only teaches about living faith in a sustainable long-term way, but in classic Wimber-ism, Tri is a small-”e” e-pistle, and his life and faith journey witness to how sustainable living is part of a sustainable faith. He and his wife Nancy have just built and moved into a Green ranch outside of Boise, Idaho. Tri is the founding senior pastor of the Boise Vineyard Christian Fellowship and a leader in the environmental justice movement of creation care. In November 2009, Tri and Ken Wilson were invited to Windsor Castle in the UK by Prince Phillip and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as part of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, which is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to develop their own environmental programs, based on their own core teachings, beliefs and practices. They help the religions link with key environmental organizations – creating powerful alliances between faith communities and conservation groups. This is the first of several guest-posts that we will feature from Tri over the next few months.
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Knowing how to grow a healthy bumper crop for harvest on a plot of land isn’t so much a matter of science as it is an art form. Farming demands a passion to create as much as the know-how to grow things. It requires a love and willingness for hard work, gratitude for God’s provision and a love for the gift and miracle of the earth’s soil. Maybe I’m wrong, but sometimes I think working the land somehow taps into and touches a hidden strand of ancient DNA that God placed in the human spirit for a purpose greater than growing fruits and vegetables. I believe successful farming requires not simply the rooting of various plant species, but more so, getting in touch with the very roots of human existence, realizing that all of humanity began with a lone working couple who were called to tend a garden that God had established. Genesis records, “Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. – The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen. 2:8-15) Mankind was created with a built in love and even a drive to participate in the thrill of harvest; it has been in us all from the very beginning of time. My conclusion is that everyone has been called to farm and harvest in one form or another and because of it, bearing fruit in our lives is the only thing that really satisfies the authentic need for human fulfillment.
I’ve watched Nancy come alive this past summer as she has labored in our vegetable garden. She and Lily, our small golden lab, spend hours together day after day planting, carefully cultivating between rows, watering and pulling undesired weeds with an anticipation of a fruitful future harvest. Our garden is now becoming bountiful and beautiful and it is having the same effect on her. It is medicine to her soul and a sedative of peace to her fears and emotions. It is more than a plot of dirt but a place of healing, renewal and expectant vision. A garden is not only a picture of the Kingdom of God, but is a tangible means of learning about it.
The Bible tells us that the natural speaks of the supernatural, and because of it I believe the things we experience in a natural garden is characteristic of the things He desires for you and I. He wants us to become rooted and established in His (the Fathers) love, he desires for us to mature and grow in strength under the warmth and in the light of His Son, and to experience the refreshing and empowering of the Spirits’ rain. God made us for His spiritual garden, a garden that would one day be used in the process of producing a great harvest of human souls.
Lectio: Luke 15:1-3; 11b-32
March 12, 2010
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 ” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “
Grace. The Gospel story is Grace.
It is the story of us who, like the younger son, dig ourselves into the deepest hole imaginable. Through careless choices, honest mistakes, and willful rebellion and self-centeredness, we break ourselves. We lose all of our pride and dignity, and then dig further. Then, recognizing that we’ve dug as deeply as we can dig, that we’ve lost everything that we thought we had or were, we look around, shrug, and resign ourselves to the humiliation of “I told you so”, of “I’ve told you a thousand times”, and of “Do you really expect me to forgive you?”.
Even that would be a step up.
But, as we prepare ourselves to meet our Maker, our Maker changes the story. Our Maker re-Makes us by loving us, by choosing us again, by caring deeply for us even in our broken-down jalopy of a life. We are welcomed Home, tattered clothing and stories-we-can-never-tell and all.
And our Maker, our friend - the only friend we truly have left - spares us the tongue-lashing we believe we deserve, and instead, speaks kindness and love to us.
Our Maker speaks Grace.
Lectio: Luke 13:1-8
March 7, 2010
Luke 13
1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8” ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ “
***
Repentance.
My view of repentance was dramatically altered several years ago when I read The Challenge of Jesus by NT Wright. I used to think of repentance in purely moral terms and cutting bad behaviors out of my life. Repentance was a fresh commitment to NOT drink, smoke or chew or go out with girls who do. You’ll have to read NT Wright for yourself if you want the fuller explanation (and it would be WELL worth the time and effort, I promise) but the short version is that repentance has more to do with changing allegiances and cutting ties from anything anti-Christ - and the original context was very political and military - and putting all your eggs in the “Christ is King” basket. So repentance has to do with our loyalty and where we pledge our allegiance as much or more than it has to do with changing a morally questionable behavior…. although that comes as part of the package… its just not where Christ and his original audience would put the emphasis. And here’s why. If we change our allegiance and where we trust then all the rest comes with it. If we simply change a behavior our heart can still be far from Christ.
So that brings into focus what Christ is saying here in this passage and how it hangs together. Christ is saying to the people standing there that if they don’t give up their agenda and alter their allegiance to him they will literally die when God comes in judgement… and God did exactly that shortly after Christ’s departure as Christ had foretold on several occasions (but that is a much longer, theological discussion for another time).
Last week I began asking myself: What would my life look like today if I were to live in complete loyalty to Christ and align with his agenda? And of course there is no one right answer to that but a lifetime of turning to him and shifting all my loyalty, pledging all my allegiance to him alone as areas of my life are uncovered and new idols to turn from are discovered. Repentance is the work of a lifetime not a simple event.
What allegiances need to be broken in your life so you are more free for loyalty to Christ?
+++ Lord, help me become a great repent-er! I know there are areas you want me to turn from so I can more fully be yours. Will you show them to me and help me know how to cut ties with them so I can follow you more fully, more faithfully in the days and years ahead. I am yours, all yours. Amen. +++
living the questions
March 2, 2010
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” - Hebrews 11:1
When I was in 4th grade (Miss Logan’s class! Go locomotives!!), I volunteered to be one of several students to be ‘blind-for-a-day’. We were blind-folded as soon as we got to school and paired with a classmate with sight, who would be our guide. This experience left quite a lasting mark on me. I vividly remember having to ask my guide for everything and about everything, and through our interaction, I learned that I could trust my guide. I learned it through asking and then living the questions I was asking, like:
- where is my pencil (like I could actually write anything?!)
- where exactly were we in the hallways? (and where was the restroom?)
- what was for lunch? (I trusted them to help me sit down in a seat at lunch time and that the seat was there…and that it was my lunch in front of me.)
…but probably my most vivid memory is of my other senses coming alive in Miss Howell’s music class as I experienced music without eyes and only with my auditory and feeling senses…I could feel the music! It made me realize that something that I could not see even with my eyes open had substance and verve and delved deeper inside me than merely my ear-drums. And while I was utterly dependent for almost everything from my guide to live this one day in a disoriented fashion without sight, I discovered something: there was substance to things I could not see, like music and fresh air and even closed air inside the building felt different than outside at recess; I could live by faith (trust) only as I allowed myself to risk trusting my guide and then actually step into the experience that hobbled some of my senses but activated others.
“…for we walk by faith, not by sight…”
2 Corinthains 5:7
The eternity in that teachable moment in my life has had a formational effect that echoes in my journey of faith. As I have reflected on it since that time, quite possibly because of that profound experience, I am comfortable with mystery and living out questions that I may not fully answer completely. I love this quote from Henri Nouwen:
“…we need to live the questions of our lives, both alone and in community, as we seek our mission in the world…frequently, we are restlessly looking for answers, going from door to door, from book to book, or from church to church, without having really listened carefully and attentively to the questions within…Without a question, an answer is experienced as manipulation or control. Without a struggle, the help offered is considered interference. And without the desire to learn, direction is easily felt as oppression.”
Pat answers are seen for what they are: unreal and unloving. Instead, as we interact with people who are truly struggling, I find this piece of advice from the prophet Jeremiah– as translated by Eugene Peterson in The Message at Jeremiah 23:25 – to be essential: “Instead of claiming to know what God says, ask questions of one another, such as ‘How do we understand God in this?’ But don’t go around pretending to know it all…”
Having studied and practiced spiritual direction for a few years, I have come to realize not only how important being non-manipulative is, but also how important the questions are – and following those questions by living in them, toward them in a centered-set kind-of-way; this means I need to trust Jesus. I think we need to trust God in our endeavours to live the questions. The advice the poet Rainer Rilke once wrote to a younger poet seems to ring true for us today:
“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”