Getting our own importance in perspective

Morning: Psalm 72; I Samuel 1:1-20; Hebrews 3:1-6

Evening: Psalms 146, 147; Zechariah 2:10-13; John 3:25-30

When you’re wondering about the significance of your life – we all do that from time to time – it might help to consider it from a couple of angles: Firstly, your particular life matters immeasurably; nobody in the world has the same unique qualities that you do.  Secondly, your life gets its significance from the vital part it can play in bringing Love to flourish in the world.  That requires a choice ... to let your life play second fiddle to Love.  John the Baptist was doing that when he said of Jesus: “He must increase, I must decrease.”

First learn Love then serve the ways of Love

Morning: Psalms 8, 47; Ezekiel 1:1-14, 24-28b; Hebrews 2:5-18

Evening: Psalms 24, 96; Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus commissions his apprentices to take up their Master’s art ... He is audacious ... he does not shrink from sending them to work in the ways of Love, the Love they have learned from him, and to trust that they are not alone. Love is the Cosmic reality that every generation must choose for itself, but they can use help.  The so-called Great Commission is simply this: Learn Love – this learning is the work, and Jesus’s life is the guide for it.  Some forget this essential first step: First learn Love ... then go in the service of Love. 

Don’t worry yourself to death

Morning: Psalm 119:97-120; James 5:13-18; Luke 12:22-31

Ascension Eve: Psalm 68:1-20; 2 Kings 2:1-15; Revelation 5:1-14

By a supreme contradiction, our society trains us to worry – about food, clothing, how we look, and whether we have enough of everything.  Trouble is, the worrying makes us want to get more things than we need ... to prepare ourselves for every imaginable ‘rainy day’.  Multiply this habit by several billion people, and the earth groans from the impact of our having too much!  About the nuclear threat, Dr. Helen Caldicott used to say: “If you love this planet, you must change the priorities of your lives.” She might now add “... or you will worry yourselves to death!”

Ask and you shall receive; but ask for what?

Morning: Psalm 78:1-39; Deuteronomy 8:11-20; James 1:16-27

Evening: Psalm 78:40-72; Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 11:1-13

Today is a Rogation Day, from the Latin “rogare” = to ask.  Jesus urges his apprentices to pray using the Lord’s Prayer; then he teaches them to ask without hesitation.  It sounds like you will get whatever you ask ... until, in the last line, it becomes clear that you are to ask for the Spirit.  So, ask not for things, but for the Spirit’s wisdom and love to guide all your seeking and all your actions.  Prayer is not a grocery list of requests; rather, prayer is – first and foremost – seeking the deep wisdom of the Spirit of God.

What’s a life for but to spend generously?

Morning: Psalm 80; Deuteronomy 8:1-10; James 1:1-15

Evening: Psalm 77; Leviticus 25:35-55; Luke 9:18-27

It is a constant theme with Jesus that life is more than personal well-being or satisfaction.  For Jesus, you can only find those things if you do not make them your goals.  When you make your own life your top priority, you are lost.  But if you lose yourself ... if you know that Love always leads beyond you and your own needs ... if you accept that you will have to face hardships in the service of Love ... then you will know fullness life.  What’s a life for but to spend generously?

Love transforms things for the better

Morning: Psalms 93, 96; Leviticus 25:1-17; I Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

Evening: Psalm 34; Matthew 13:24-34a

We probably all dream of ‘better days’... when the Good will prevail in our lives and in the earth.  The Bible turns such dreams into a promise.  And nothing can break it.  When the Good prevails, Love rules in every heart.  Nothing can quench Love, no matter how much hatred and evil is pitted against it.  As one small light pierces the deepest darkness, so the smallest seed of Love grows exponentially into a strong and vibrant force for Good, until it does indeed transform things for the better .... and the promise is fulfilled.

Not a bad way to live a life

Morning: Psalms 75, 76; Leviticus 23:23-44; Romans 15:1-13

Evening: Psalms 23, 27; Luke 9:1-17

Many organizations these days have a “Mission, Vision and Values” ... Roughly, it’s about Purpose, Goal and Behaviours.  When Jesus sent out the 12 apostles, their Mission was to tell people about a Vision for humanity and for the world that would renew it and make it whole.  They should travel light, work with urgency and not waste time on unfruitful ventures, keeping their priorities clear.  Live with purpose, focus on the renewal of Creation, be an instrument and agent of healing ... not a bad way to live a life, any life.

Aliens no longer

Morning: Psalm 71; Leviticus 19:26-37; Romans 14:1-12

Evening: Psalm 74; Luke 8:26-39

Yesterday, we moved to a new home.  I feel a bit like a stranger in my own land again, even though we’re just down the street. Then I read a wonderful law in the book of Leviticus: “The alien ... shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself.”  I thought ...  we settlers were all aliens here once in the eyes of indigenous peoples.  And unfortunately, we have not always loved the indigenous peoples with whom we settled.  Love is still able, though, to make us no longer aliens to one another.

Deafness may be not wanting to hear

Morning: Psalm 61, 62; Leviticus 16:20-34; Romans 12:1-21

Evening: Psalm 68:1-36; Luke 8:1-15

There’s a saying in the north of England: “... none so deaf as them that doesn’t want to hear.”  Many Biblical stories about Jesus’s followers are told by men, about men.  But, Luke relates, women also hear Jesus’s Good News, follow him as disciples and bear good fruit.  Even in his own strongly patriarchal culture, Jesus refuses to marginalize women.  Traditions that devalue women prefer to be obedient to the very culture that Jesus challenges while choosing to be deaf to his ways and words.  Jesus neither teaches nor applauds misogyny.

Love is strong enough

Morning: Psalms 56, 57; Leviticus 16:1-19; Colossians 4:2-18

Evening: Psalm 64; Luke 7:36-50

When someone loves you even though you feel unloveable because of your failings, their love frees you to love yourself.  And when you love yourself, that frees you to love others, including those who feel they are unloveable too.  Love multiplies in the world every time you love someone, until in the end Love embraces all who feel unloveable, unforgiveable or unforgiven.  It may take some time, because we are more inclined to judge than to love and forgive either ourselves or one another.  But Love is strong enough to get us there.

Choose the narrow road that leads to life

Morning: Psalms 24, 29; Leviticus 8:1-13, 30-36; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Evening: Psalms 8, 84; Matthew 7:7-14

Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”, is about how important our choices are; many of our choices are irrevocable.  You may not get the same chance again; other choices maybe, but not this one.  Jesus speaks too of an important choice ... the narrow gate leads to a hard road but it is the road to life; the broad gate leads to an easier road, but ultimately to destruction.  Jesus encourages us to pray boldly to be shown the right road ... When you choose the road to life, the well-being of others becomes as important as your own.

You cannot act on wisdom you don’t have

Morning: Psalm 55; Exodus 40:18-38; Colossians 3:12-17

Evening: Psalm 138, 139:1-17; Luke 7:18-35

Sometimes children, like adults, can be cruel; they learn this from the ways of adults.  Bill Plotkin writes on human maturation.  He thinks 50% of North Americans have not matured much beyond adolescence ... They haven’t yet worked out who they are and may protect their own vulnerability by offering judgments about others.  Jesus wonders about human maturity, too.  For him, the community leaders and legal experts are like children, taunting one another in the market-place and refusing to accept the truth themselves, or shape their lives in accordance with it.  Any of this sound familiar?

Who does Jesus think he is? Who do we ...?

Morning: Psalms 40, 54; Exodus 34:18-35; Colossians 3:1-11

Evening: Psalm 51; Luke 7:1-17

Jesus is clearly a great teacher, but he is much more.  He heals a Roman centurion’s dying slave; he raises from the dead a widow’s son. Jesus himself encounters death and shows his authority over the power of death.  Clearly Jesus is not simply an unusually wise person; he is One who carries the power of the Cosmos with authority, compassion and love.  The Gospel invites us, like the centurion, to take a clear step of faith about who Jesus is and about just how strong is his authority over death.

Beware of taking short-cuts when building

Morning: Psalm 50; Exodus 34:1-17; Colossians 2:8-23

Evening: Psalms 114, 115; Luke 6:39-49

Jesus sometimes teaches serious things by using humour ... Are we so keen to look for little specks in other people’s eyes while we have a plank in our own?  Do we build without a foundation?  Do our plans and projects look good on the outside but do not spring from a change of heart?  Jesus’s call to build a radical new way of life is very demanding, We may be tempted to take short-cuts.  In building something new, though, short-cuts can result in the collapse of the whole venture.

Love your enemies ... love your enemies

Morning: Psalm 119:49-72; Exodus 33:1-23; Colossians 1:24-2:7

Evening: Psalm 49; Luke 6:27-38

“Love your enemies.” Jesus says it twice, perhaps because it’s counter-intuitive.  But some grasp its wisdom and live it ... I think of two in particular.  The followers of Mahatma Gandhi (not a Christian but a disciple of Jesus) practised non-violent resistance to the abuses of the British Raj, loving the soldiers who beat them.  Martin Luther King said Jesus was very serious when he gave this command ... so when someone mistreats you, you just keep loving them and they can’t stand it too long ... there is something about love that is redemptive ... so, “Love your enemies.”

A captive to the Spirit

Morning: Psalm 80; I Samuel 16:1-13; I John 2:18-25

Evening: Psalm 33; I Samuel 12:1-5; Acts 20:17-35

Today the Church remembers Matthias, who replaced Judas.  Tradition holds Matthias is the first apostle chosen, not by Jesus but, by the Spirit.  The Acts of the Apostles describes the early Church as living in the power of the Spirit.  St. Paul’s life is so directed by the Spirit that he is “a captive to the Spirit.” Many early apostles let go of their own priorities and give their lives over to sharing Good News.  But their ‘captivity’ is not harsh or onerous to them ... they gladly let their lives be directed by the power of the Spirit.

Sometimes, people try to be holier than God!

Morning: Psalms 41, 52; Exodus 32:1-20; Colossians 1:1-14

Evening: Psalm 44; Luke 6:1-11

The leaders of the synagogue rage against Jesus for what they see as his breaking the law by allowing his disciples to pluck grain to eat and by healing on the Sabbath.  Jesus responds by saying that since he is the human face of God (or ‘the Son of Man’) he did in fact make the Sabbath Law (the 4^th commandment), and therefore he is ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ ... And he says that sabbath rest is meant to benefit humankind, not to be a burden.  Sometimes, people try to be holier than God!

Build on rock not sand

Morning: Psalms 63, 98; Exodus 28:1-4, 30-38; I Peter 5:1-11

Evening: Psalm 103; Matthew 7:15-29

If you believe modern-day rhetoric, you may think ‘fake news’ is a new evil.  But Jesus, long ago, warns his hearers: “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.”  In other words, beware of those who tell you “this is true”, while deliberately lying to you.  Discern what is true by checking the outcome.  Don’t believe every silver-tongued peddler of ‘truth’. Put your trust in what bears good fruit.  Build your life not on sand that changes with every tide, but on rock-solid wisdom.

Everything will change ... it must

Morning: Psalms 30, 32; Daniel 6:16-28; 3 John 1:1-15

Evening: Psalms 42, 43; Luke 5:27-39

This week I was privileged to attend the première of a film about climate action (Resilience).  A university professor interviewed in the film says that the climate crisis demands ‘transformational change’ in our culture that will affect every aspect of our lives.  Some have been saying this for years, but I pray we are now at a tipping point.  The scale of change we require is exactly what Jesus is talking about when he speaks of societal transformation.  Jesus says it’s like ‘new wine’ that requires ‘new skins’ ... Everything will change.  Because it must.

The power of prayer and a simple touch

Morning: Psalm 105:1-22; Daniel 6:1-15; 2 John 1:1-13

Evening: Psalm 105:23-45; Luke 5:12-26

Before modern medicine, fear of contagious diseases like leprosy provoked many safeguards to protect populations from infection ... Lepers were permanently isolated from their families and communities.  Think for a minute about the healing power for you of someone’s caring touch.  It must have been incredibly healing for the leper when Jesus simply reached out and touched him.  Where did Jesus find the courage to do that?  Luke says Jesus “used to slip away to remote places and pray”.  It was in prayer that Jesus nourished his spirit and his extraordinary and ‘infectious’ Love and healing power.

When Christ calls a person ...

Morning: Psalm 37:1-18; Daniel 5:13-30; I John 5:13-20

Evening: Psalm 37:19-42; Luke 5:1-11

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian and leader in the German resistance against Adolf Hitler, writes: “When Christ calls a person, he calls them to come and die.”  And Bonhoeffer does die, at the hands of the Nazis.  Jesus, after showing seasoned fishermen how to catch fish, calls them and says: You and I are going to be working together from now on to draw others into the Way of peace.  It’s not an invitation; it’s more like a command.  Jesus is willing to give his life for justice and truth and does not shrink from expecting others to give their lives too.

Jesus is no-one’s private healer

Morning: Psalm 38; Daniel 5:1-12; I John 5:1-12

Evening: Psalm 119:25-48; Luke 4:38-44

The people of Galilee see Jesus’s healing power in action and they want to keep him for themselves.  But he insists that other cities also need the good news he has to share.  From the beginning Jesus is clear that he is no-one’s private healer.  When you encounter him, you may experience healing, but it is not for your own benefit alone.  You are to use your well-being for the common good.  Nor are Jesus’s healings an end in themselves.  They are to draw our attention to his larger purpose, which is the healing of the world. 

“I’m only human” is no excuse for inhumanity

Morning: Psalms 26, 28; Daniel 4:28-37; I John 4:7-21

Evening: Psalms 36, 39; Luke 4:31-37

Jesus’s mission is to invite us back to ourselves.  He is the truly human one who calls evil out and names it.  Evil easily overwhelms us, but evil is not who we are.  Inhumanity is to be dominated by forces alien to our humanity.  We excuse our shortcomings by saying, “I’m only human”, but Jesus will have none of it.  To be human is to live out the instinct for love that we carry in our DNA.  “I’m only human” is no excuse for inhumanity.  Hatred is in-human.  To be human is to love one another.

Love is the way, therefore Love must reign in the end

Morning: Psalms 97, 98; Proverbs 8:22-30; John 13:20-35

Evening: Psalm 145; Isaiah 44:1-8; I John 5:1-12

John the Evangelist is full of hope. He is known as Jesus’s “Beloved Disciple”.  On this, John’s Feast Day, it is perhaps good for us to recall a few of the lessons that John distilled into his Gospel from his personal encounter with Jesus: ... Love is the way to a full life.  Love in action is what counts.  A change of heart makes Love possible.  Love guarantees forgiveness and a chance to begin again.  You are not alone; you can count on help from beyond ... Jesus offers the help you need.  Love must reign in the end.

When you grow old ...

Morning: Psalms 148, 149, 150; Daniel 4:1-18; I Peter 4:7-11

Evening: Psalms 114, 115; John 21:15-25

Jesus encourages Peter to continue on the path, even following failure ... He reminds Peter that in youth, you decide what you do and when; but when you grow old, you have obligations, though you might not want them.  Like so much of Jesus’s teaching, this is counter-cultural ... Life is supposed to get easier with age, isn’t it?  But instead, Jesus seems to be saying: With age, you have skill and experience to compensate for having less energy and youthful zeal ... and there are the young ones to care for ... So, “Tend my lambs,” says Jesus.

[Apologies for yesterday’s missed reflection ... Who imagined 20 years ago how challenging a day without a computer might become?!]

Persistence and courage to make a difference

Morning: Psalm 145; Acts 12:25-13:3

Evening: Psalms 67, 96; Isaiah 62:6-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-11

St. Mark, whose Day this is, wrote the earliest account of Jesus’s life; he also accompanied Barnabas and Paul, as they carried Jesus’s message throughout the Mediterranean world.  Paul influenced and encouraged Mark, as he did others, to be persistent whether the moment is favourable or not; to convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching; to be sober, to endure suffering, to do your best to bring good news.  Without Mark, the world may have turned out quite differently.  All of which makes me wonder what difference I myself might make by sharing Jesus’s message?

Hands and feet follow the heart

Morning: Psalm 18:1-20; Daniel 2:31-49; I John 2:18-29

Evening: Psalm 18:21-50; Luke 3:1-14

John is an ‘advance party’ for his cousin Jesus, preparing the way, smoothing the path.  John practices tvilah, a Jewish ritual washing signifying an inner cleansing, a transformation of the heart.  The inward transformation leads to an outward transformation – embodied in sharing clothing or food with the needy, refraining from cheating others and from engaging in extortion.  We may work hard to change our behaviours and we may do well ... for a while.  But without the heart’s transformation, we easily ‘lose heart’ and flounder.  Hands and feet cannot sustain the energy to go where the heart doesn’t want to.

Do I really know what I stand for?

Morning: Psalm 119:137-160; Job 23:1-12; I John 1:43-51 (? 1 John 1)

Evening: Psalm 139; Proverbs 4:7-18; John 12:20-26

When I was a boy, they said “stand up for yourself”.  That was not enough ... I learned I should stand up for others too.  Two weeks ago, today’s Gospel story came up; it’s here again because today is St. Philip’s Day ... Two weeks ago, my response to it was to ask: “do we really know what Jesus stands for?”  Today, I find myself asking: “do I really know what I stand for?”  For Jesus invites me to stand for something much bigger than myself.  My challenge is figuring out who or what exactly, and how?