“You got to have a dream”

Morning: Psalms 46, 48; Isaiah 62:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2

Evening: Psalm 90; Revelation 21:1-6

My parents’ South Pacific record had a song with the line: “You got to have a dream; if you don’t have a dream, how you goin’ to have a dream come true?” John of Patmos dreams of the new reality that is coming, a new heaven and a new earth, a new human community where Love is at home …  Don’t we all share such a dream?  Oh that we might keep inviting Love to make its home in us – as individuals and as communities.  Is this ‘pie in the sky’?  No, even realists ‘got to have a dream’.

Joseph: a wise and honourable man

Morning: Psalms 93, 96; Isaiah 62:6-7, 10-12; Hebrews 2:10-18

Evening: Psalm 34; Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph is Jesus’s father ... Biological paternity is not fatherhood.  While Joseph knows he did not father Mary’s child, he is persuaded that God has special plans for the child.  Joseph accepts that he will be the child’s father.  History has focused on Mary’s virginity.  However, in Isaiah’s prophecy, the Hebrew word ‘almah’ is used and it means, simply, a ‘young woman’ will conceive and bear a son.  That’s what matters. Joseph accepts that Jesus will be better served by having a real human father to nurture his growth to adulthood than by worries about how Mary got pregnant.

Water for the thirsty soul

Morning: Psalm 18:1-20; Isaiah 60:1-5; Revelation 1:1-8

Evening: Psalms 23, 27; John 7:37-52

Water is scarce in many parts of the world.  We all depend on water, especially those in desert lands.  There is another kind of desert … the inner wilderness of the human heart, when you long for refreshment or relief from life’s burdens, or when a sense of purpose eludes you.  Jesus affirms that trusting him and his Way will be like experiencing a refreshing stream bubbling up within us.  Most people know what an inner wilderness experience feels like.  Spiritual well-being is knowing where to find water when your soul is thirsty.

How easy it is to betray others to protect myself

Morning: Psalm 26; Isaiah 26:1-9; Colossians 1:20-29

Evening: Psalms 2, 8; Matthew 2:13-18

Some go to terrible lengths to maintain their grip on power or status.  King Herod is afraid that Jesus will challenge his power and promote justice.  So Herod murders children to try to get rid of Jesus … Innocent people often suffer when the unjust and powerful try to manipulate the truth because it threatens to expose their abuse of power.  Both followers and opponents of Jesus can misunderstand and misrepresent him as is convenient for them.  May I resist using my power to betray the vulnerable (or anyone else) in order to preserve my own reputation or privilege.

Jesus invites us to live humanly

Morning: Psalms 148, 149, 150; Isaiah 25:1-9; Colossians 1:11-19

Evening: Psalms 125, 126; Luke 2:41-52

Like any adolescent human, Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge.  When they find him, he asks, “What’s the problem?” One mistake in Christianity is to over-spiritualize Jesus and obscure his humanity.  But Jesus is a real human being.  Gregory of Nazianzus, a 4^th-century bishop affirmed, “Jesus couldn’t help humanity to be healed if he was not human.”  Being human is not about being messed up; when we think that, it leads us to excuses like: “I’m only human.”  Being human is dignity and grace.  Jesus lives a truly human life.  He invites us to live humanly too.

Who will save the earth?

Morning: Psalm 145; Isaiah 12:1-6; Hebrews 1:1-12

Evening: Psalms 146, 147; Luke 2:22-40

Simeon and Anna are elders who both recognize that the child Jesus is destined for greatness … he will save his people and his land from their troubles.  We called my own first-born son Simeon, praying that in his lifetime he too might recognize how the Way of Jesus can help the earth and its inhabitants.  He is now 38, but I still pray this for my son; I still trust the Way of Jesus to guide the human species, if we allow it, out of our troubles and into paths of peace and fruitfulness.  May it be so.

The unavoidable Christmas story

Morning: Psalm 2, 85; Zechariah 2:10-13; I John 4:7-16

Evening: Psalms 110:1-7, 132; Micah 4:1-5; 5:2-4; John 3:31-36

The Gospel says that Jesus comes as a messenger from God, full of God’s Spirit.  This is the unavoidable Christmas story, whether one accepts it or not … that whoever trusts Jesus will find life. But for the one who rejects what Jesus stands for (Love, Peace, Hope, Justice, Joy), things will probably not go well.  The ‘not going well’ part was once called ‘God’s wrath’.  Well, the disruption caused by human hatred, war, despair, injustice and sorrow could very well feel like heavenly wrath … that disruption is what Jesus came to mend.

The most astounding thing imaginable!

Morning: Psalms 45, 46; Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 1:67-80

Evening: Psalm 89:1-29; Isaiah 59:15b-21; Philippians 2:5-11

If it is true that Jesus is God, but did not exploit this fact, and instead emptied himself, becoming like a slave, being born in human likeness … If it us true that God humbled himself even to death on a cross … If this is true, it is the most astounding thing imaginable, right!? – Like, you can’t make this stuff up, eh? –  If it is true, and yet thus far you have doubted him, you may wish you had given Jesus a second chance.  Who can say any more reliably that his story is untrue?  Believing is seeing.

When silence is not an option

Morning: Psalms 93, 96; Isaiah 33:17-22; Revelation 22:6-11, 18-20

Evening: Psalms 148, 150; Baruch 4:21-29; Luke 1:57-66

They are logging old growth forest in BC.  My daughter, horrified, is a sort of prophet of a better future, where nature is valued not plundered.  All his life, Zechariah (John Baptist’s father) has trusted the prophets who proclaimed their hope in a better future, but Zechariah is struck dumb when he doubts that his aging wife can give birth to hope.  When John is born, hope kindles again; Zechariah bursts with joy and is silent no longer.  There is yet hope of a better future for earth and its peoples. We proclaim that vision. Silence is not an option.

When you allow God to touch your life …

Morning: Psalm 80; Isaiah 29:13-24; Revelation 21.22-22:5

Evening: Psalms 146, 147; 2 Samuel 7:18-29; Luke 1:39-56

Were it not for the stories of Jesus’s resurrection, we might not have any stories of his conception and birth; they were written after his death.  Jesus’s mother Mary’s amazing humility and holiness greatly influenced those who wrote the story of her son, Jesus; and his story has defined subsequent history.  Mary’s song celebrates that compassion and justice will prevail in human life.  Mercy, strength, kindness, generosity and faithfulness are touchstones for Jesus and for us.  But these qualities do not express themselves through our own efforts; they arise when a person – like Mary – allows God to touch her life.

Let it be … wisdom that gives birth to love

Morning: Psalm 72; Isaiah 28:9-22; Revelation 21:9-21

Evening: Psalms 111, 113; 2 Samuel 7:1-17; Luke 1:26-38

[Computer died, hence the silence … 3 days later we’re back up.  No Easter miracle required … computer was not resurrected; we got a new one!] Paul McCartney says his song, ‘Let it be’, is about his mother comforting him.  But she comforts him using the words of Mary, mother of Jesus.  Her ‘let it be’ accepts her destiny and God’s will.  Even if you do not believe in God, the wisdom of both these mothers-Mary is that they welcome what comes, they let it be.  And wisdom gives birth to love.   Always.

Born to confront the power of death

Morning: Psalms 41, 52; Isaiah 8:16-9:1; 2 Peter 1:1-11

Evening: Psalm 44; Zechariah 1:7-17; Luke 22:39-53

One week before Christmas Eve, the Gospel of Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion carries a stark reminder … The Christ-child we now celebrate eventually suffers and dies while confronting evil on behalf of his people.  Jesus seeks to protect his disciples from suffering the same fate that befalls him. Realistically, Peter and the others need to escape so they can continue Jesus’s work; their own day of trial will come soon enough.  Evil inevitably confronts every child that is born; we all have to tackle evil in our lives. Jesus wants us to be ready for that challenge.

Transformation of the Heart

Morning: Psalms 63:1-8, 98; Isaiah 13:6-13; Hebrews 12:18-29

Evening: Psalm 103; Amos 9:11-15; John 3:22-30

With his focus on repentance, John Baptist sees that we really need not only repentance that leads to a change of behaviour, but repentance that leads to a change of heart.  So John said: “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming ... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” What Jesus offers is utterly transformative on a deep level … he addresses not surface dirt that can be washed off; he addresses the deep wounds of the soul and invites an inner transformation of the heart

Despite misunderstandings, we press on

Morning: Psalms 30, 32; Isaiah 8:1-15; 2 Thessalonians 3.6-18

Evening: Psalms 42, 43; Haggai 2:1-9; Luke 22:31-38

Jesus’s relationship with his disciples is fraught by opposition, doubt, misunderstanding and denial of his mission and purpose.  This may be the experience of anyone with a particular vision or special vocation.  Peter promises to remain true, but Jesus knows that Peter will deny him, for fear of persecution or violence.  In spite of human failure, though, God’s work continues, even through those who fail.  In spite of his denial, Peter carries on Jesus’s work.  Thus, we are not discouraged when people misunderstand what we’re after; we press on.  In the end, perhaps they will catch the vision too.

Servanthood is the measure of greatness

Morning: Psalm 31; Isaiah 7:10-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

Evening: Psalm 35; Haggai 1:1-15; Luke 22:14-30

When Jesus eats the Passover supper with his friends, he says that one of them is about to betray him.  Sure enough, before long, some of them start arguing about who is the greatest among them, probably already denying that they could possibly be the ones who would betray Jesus.  And yet, their argument is itself already a kind of betrayal.  Jesus does not want his disciples to behave like this, jostling for position, favour and power.  Betrayal comes in many forms.  Servanthood is the measure of greatness.

A meal to remember

Morning: Psalm 37:2-18; Isaiah 7:1–9; 2 Thessalonians 2.1-12

Evening: Psalm 37:19-42; Amos 9:1-10; Luke 22:1-13

Last night friends invited us to dinner … a lovely chance to get better acquainted, and an opportunity to share honest challenges.  When Jesus wants to give his disciples a way to understand and remember him, he gives them not a talk but a meal.  At Passover, Jewish people celebrate their rescue from Egyptian oppression. Jesus now offers himself to deliver humanity from the power of evil.  In a meal with his friends before being betrayed and called a liar, Jesus gives us a meal by which to remember that the power of evil is defeated; its days are numbered.

People who live in glass houses …

Morning: Psalm 38; Isaiah 6:1–13; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Evening: Psalm 119:25-48; Amos 8:1-14; John 7:53-8:11

“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” was a common saying in my childhood family.  We all live in ‘glass houses’ … none of us is perfect.  The woman ‘caught in adultery’ is a case in point.  When Jesus says, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone”, he rejects the thought that some might be more or less perfect than others.  We all make mistakes, therefore we all owe mercy to one another and deserve mercy from one another.  We also owe it to ourselves and to one another to try to do better.

Keeping awake is about patience

Morning: Psalms 26, 28; Isaiah 5:13-17, 24-25; I Thessalonians 5:12-28

Evening: Psalms 36, 39; Amos 7:10-17; Luke 21:29-38

Jesus tells his followers to ‘keep awake’ because there are people, in every generation, who discredit faith … In Jesus’s time and now, they challenge: ‘Why follow Jesus?  It isn’t working!’  They choose to forget what followers of Jesus have patiently accomplished down the ages – the end of slavery, hospitals, schools, lives transformed.  It’s too easy to point just to the human failures.  So keep awake, urges Jesus … Keep awake to all the good that comes from his Way of being in the world.  Hold firm.  Be patient, and you will see the world transformed.

The darkest hour is just before dawn

Morning: Psalm 25; Isaiah 5:8-12, 18-23; I Thessalonians 5:1-11

Evening: Psalm 9, 15; Amos 7:1-9; Luke 21:20-28

The Mamas and the Papas song, Dedicated To The One I Love, has a line: “And the darkest hour is just before dawn.” It echoes in my memory. Jesus tells his followers (whom he loves) about the end times and the terrible signs they might see.  But then he says, ‘When you see all these things, keep your chin up; this means your ordeal is nearly over, and soon all will be well for you.’  When things are darkest, know that the light is coming.  Now you don’t tell people you love that the dawn is coming if it’s not.

When God doesn’t fulfil your expectations … ?

Morning: Psalms 148, 149, 150; Isaiah 5:1-7; 2 Peter 3:11-18

Evening: Psalms 114, 115; Amos 6:1-14; Luke 7:28-35

People don’t reject God so much as their own ideas, or what other people have told them, about God.  When people say, “I don’t believe in God,” it may mean simply that what they’ve been told doesn’t work for them.  Fair enough – we may all get God wrong.  Lots of people were surprised when Jesus did unexpected things.  They thought he was a warrior king … he wasn’t.  They thought he shouldn’t associate with marginalized people … he did.  Even John the Baptist misunderstood Jesus.  When God doesn’t fulfil your expectations, maybe your ‘god’ is too small? … think bigger.

Saturday December 8th – seek truth; pursue wisdom; be patient

Morning: Psalms 20, 21:1-7; Isaiah 4:2-6; I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Evening: Psalms 110:1-5, 116, 117; Amos 5:18-27; Luke 21:5-19

In one Beyond the Fringe skit, a group of devotees prepares for the ‘End of the World’.  When it does not arrive at the appointed hour, the leader says, “Not quite the conflagration we were anticipating, was it? … Oh well, same time tomorrow?”  Perhaps as a species we are inclined to dramatic predictions and expectations about dire circumstances (not that there is nothing to worry about!), but Jesus advises: beware of being deceived; tell the truth as you understand it; pursue wisdom; be patient … Pretty good advice for most situations.

Self-righteousness is blind to its own hypocrisy

Morning: Psalms 16, 17; Isaiah 3:8-15; I Thessalonians 4:1-12

Evening: Psalm 22; Amos 5:1-17; Luke 20:41 – 21:4

Integrity is measured by actions not words.  The religious leaders whom Jesus confronts expend much time and energy giving instruction to people about what they should believe or do.  But their behaviour does not measure up beside that of the poor widow who gives generously of the little she has.  The religious leaders seek their own benefit when they use their legal expertise to trick the vulnerable.  Next to the rich generosity of the poor widow, the religion of the scribes in their long robes is worthless.  Self-righteousness – either religious or secular – is blind to its own hypocrisy.

Keeping an open mind about resurrection

Morning: Psalm 18:1-20; Isaiah 2:12-22; I Thessalonians 3:1-13

Evening: Psalm 18:21-50; Amos 4:6-13; Luke 20:27-40

Debates about resurrection occurred long before reports that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Some – the Sadducees – refused to believe in resurrection; others – the Pharisees – accepted it.  Jesus seems to have understood resurrection as a way of speaking about the mystery of a reality in which all are ‘alive to God’, even those who have died.  How do you believe in a mystery?  Well, probably because you trust the one who points to the mystery without trying to explain it.  I tend to trust Jesus … so I am keeping an open mind about the mystery of the resurrection.

The beginning is nigh!

Morning: Psalm 119:1-24; Isaiah 2:1-11; I Thessalonians 2:13-20

Evening: Psalms 12, 13, 14; Amos 3:12 – 4:5; Luke 20:19-26

I love cartoons of ragged prophets carrying billboards predicting catastrophe.  This Advent season is characterized by dramatic prophecies of the demise of twisted human systems.  Before something new and redemptive is born, we name the evil that the new beginning confronts.  If we just skip quickly to the celebration of a new birth, we may find that the unacknowledged thing that needed to die comes back to bite us.  In one wonderful cartoon, the prophet carries this billboard, ‘The beginning is nigh!’  To live in hope is to know: we cannot rush that better Day, but it is surely coming.

Your own violence will consume you

Morning: Psalms 5, 6; Isaiah 1:21-31: I Thessalonians 2:1-12

Evening: Psalms 10, 11; Amos 3:1-11; Luke 20:9-18

How many politicians or sports teams, following defeat, declare, “We win!”?  In Jesus’s parable of the tenants, the vineyard owner (Jesus’s metaphor for God) is defeated.  In other words … those whom Jesus calls to account will reject and kill him.  Yet Jesus still declares, paradoxically, that his Way will triumph.  His disciples should expect resistance, yet the ‘landlord’ will have the last word.  But what about the violence the landowner uses to punish the tenants?  I understand it to mean: If you treat people violently, your own violence will consume you. It’s another law of nature. 

True authority shows itself in Love

Morning: Psalms 1, 2, 3; Isaiah 1:10-20; I Thessalonians 1:1-10

Evening: Psalms 4, 7; Amos 2:6-16; Luke 20:1-8

Has anyone in authority ever shouted at you? Jesus exercises authority, but not like that. The chief priests ask where his authority comes from?  Instead of arguing with them he asks them whether John’s Baptism was from God?  His question challenges them because they know the people believe John was a prophet.  True authority shows itself quietly, not in noisy rhetoric or domineering behaviour.  Jesus challenges old regimes quietly, even as he hangs on the cross.  In him, the authority of healing and forgiving love asserts itself until everyone acknowledges how powerful Love is.  True authority shows itself in Love.