On doing the wise thing

Morning: Psalm 118; I Samuel 10:1-16; Romans 4:13-25

Evening: Psalm 145; Matthew 21:23-32

We can easily find reasons not to do the wise thing.  We don’t even need reasons … we just don’t get around to it, or we feel lazy, or lose our will to act well, or – as with Jesus, and as maybe with our mothers – we protest: “Who says your way would be better!?”  What a mixed-up race we human beings are!  Which is why we need help.  Jesus offers it … See if we’ll accept.  Are you kidding?  Do you think we’re helpless?  J   I’m doing one wise thing anyway – taking vacation … see you in August!

Graham

St. Peter and St. Paul … vive la différence

Morning: Psalm 66; Ezekiel 2:1-7; Acts 11:1-18

Evening: Psalms 97, 138; Isaiah 49:1-6; Galatians 2:1-9

The Anglican Church of Canada will vote in July about providing for the possibility of same-sex marriages within its definition of marriage.  Given people’s divergent yet conscientiously-held views, we may continue living with difference on this as on other matters.  The early Church made a contentious decision, too – not to circumcise every new male Christian. Peter and Paul (whose Day it is today) made peace in their difference. So Peter continued attending to the circumcised (Jews) while Paul went out again to the uncircumcised (Gentiles) … they learned to celebrate difference rather than let it divide them.

What discipleship means and where it may lead

Morning: Psalm 102; I Samuel 9:1-14; Acts 7:17-29

Evening: Psalm 107:1-32; Luke 22:31-38

At one poignant moment in “The Crown” TV series, King George VI asks his son-in-law Prince Philip whether he realizes how big a task he will face after George dies.  Philip says he does; George doubts it.  Simon Peter, too, does not know the hardships he will face when Jesus is arrested.  Those who choose to follow Jesus must not be naïve about what discipleship means and where it may lead.  Now Simon’s story is ultimately very encouraging … Jesus trusted that, even after failing badly, Simon Peter would recover, find new strength, and then strengthen his companions.

Who is the greatest? … Wrong question

Morning: Psalm 105:1-22; I Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 6:15-7:16

Evening: Psalm 105:23-45; Luke 22:24-30

Here, the Gospel story needs little interpretation: A dispute arose among Jesus’s disciples about which of them was the greatest. But Jesus said to them, “Kings lord it over the peoples … But with you, the greatest must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater?  Is it not the one at the table?  But I am among you as one who serves.”  For Jesus, the question about greatness is the wrong question. The real question is: Am I ready to serve?

People being people together

Morning: Psalms 101, 109; I Samuel 7:2-17; Acts 6:1-15

Evening: Psalms 119:121-144; Luke 22:14-23

When we eat with our Ojibway daughter-in-law she thanks the Creator for everything, for our life, for our family.  Don’t you think this is what Jesus means when he shares bread and wine?  He invites us, whenever we eat together, to remember and embody all that he represents – Love and Reconciliation, Life restored, Good News for the earth, victory over deathly powers, endurance, hope, and more.  In church, we call it communion.  Communion is people being people together, strengthening one another, seeking Peace with one another and with the earth, and inviting the Great Spirit to help them with that.

A meal to remember

Morning: Psalms 97, 99; I Samuel 6:1-16; Acts 5:27-42

Evening: Psalms 94, 95; Luke 21:37-22:13

We humans develop rituals to honour the importance of eating together … fine food made from fine ingredients; good dishes; wine.  All such rituals hark back to other meals that we remember as significant life moments.  When they prepared for Jesus’s Passover meal with his friends, who knew what would come next?  You cannot know what special significance one particular meal may come to have for you. But as you look back, you recall how important other meals were.  So, you prepare every special meal with reverence and anticipation.  Who knows … perhaps this will be a meal to remember?

Unexpected message, unexpected messenger

Morning: Psalms 82, 98; Malachi 3:1-5; John 3:22-30

Evening: Psalm 80; Malachi 4:1-6; Matthew 11:2-19

Listen to people debating big problems. They may think they have answers; it’s perhaps easier to be a spectator on life than to be ‘on the playing-field’.  We may welcome an unexpected messenger who tackles things from a new perspective, but don’t stray too far from our own answers and expectations (as did John the Baptist, whose day it is today).  If you speak truth, it can be disconcerting.  ‘Fake News’ may be easier to hear?  The phrase ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ is real when the message calls for more radical change and deeper awareness than we want.

Pray ... and expect to be surprised

Morning: Psalms 66, 67; I Samuel 4:12-22; James 1:1-18

Evening: Psalm 103; Luke 1:5-23

We don’t know what Zechariah prayed for, but the way his prayer was heard was that Elizabeth, his wife, bore a child. Zechariah probably had not prayed for a child, since both of them were “getting on in years”, but a child is what they got.  And that child (John the Baptist) transformed the nation.  When you live well – like Zechariah and Elizabeth – you pray to make a positive difference for others in the world.  It could be that those are the prayers most often answered ... and in surprising ways!

Redemption (God) is always near

Morning: Psalms 87, 90; I Samuel 4:1b-11; Acts 4:32-5:11

Evening: Psalm 136; Luke 21:20-28

Haven’t apocalyptic events always been a part of human history?  These things are always happening: “... distress on the earth ... [people] fall by the edge of the sword and [are] taken away as captives ... Jerusalem trampled ... distress among nations ... fear of what is coming upon the world.”  But Jesus says, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  To me, this means that release from these perennial terrors is always near.  These horrors happen in every age, yet God is ever near.

Time to awaken from domesticated slumber?

Morning: Psalm 88; I Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 2:37-47

Evening: Psalms 91, 92; Luke 21:5-19

The predictions Jesus makes about the cost of discipleship sound remote from our domesticated Church.  But this week’s dire predictions from scientists sound as apocalyptic as any of Jesus’s predictions.  Arctic permafrost is melting far more rapidly than expected.  Our way of life is seriously threatened. Surely Christians are called to respond, as earth’s stewards, with decisive action.  Some may criticize, even persecute, those who confront this disaster in the making. But Jesus encourages endurance ... “By your endurance you will gain your souls.”  He doesn’t mean our ‘eternal souls’ so much as our lives in all their rich vitality.

Generosity ... measured how exactly?

Morning: Psalm 34; I Samuel 2:27-36; Acts 2:22-36

Evening: Psalms 85, 86; Luke 20:41-21:4

Sometimes people say about others, “Oh, they give too much” or “They can’t afford that.”  Or, they presume to say it directly ... “You’re too generous.”  What is ‘too much’ generosity?  Can I measure your generosity by mine?  Jesus does not say that the poor widow, who gives all she has, is too generous.  He simply observes those who give out of their abundance, then points out that the widow gives more than all of them.  It’s strange, eh? ... It’s OK to tell someone, “You’re too generous,” but to say, “You’re not generous enough” is offensive.  Why is that?

Focus on life, not on what comes next

Morning: Psalm 119:97-120; I Samuel 2:12-26; Acts 2:1-21

Evening: Psalm 81, 82; Luke 20:27-40

You wonder whether Jesus didn’t sometimes roll his eyes (at least inwardly) at some of the ridiculous questions his opponents employed to try to catch him out.  Here is one about a woman who has been married, in life, to seven men.  All seven have died ... and they wonder whose wife she will be in the age to come.  Jesus basically suggests that they are making the mistake of dwelling on questions that have no relevance for their present lives.  Focus on life, not on what comes next ... live in the now.

Divided loyalties ... whom will you serve?

Morning: Psalm 78:1-39; I Samuel 1:21-2:11; Acts 1:15-26

Evening: Psalm 78: 40-72; Luke 20:19-26

As the religious leaders perceive Jesus’s authority and wisdom, they try to trap him into betraying either the emperor or God – should they pay taxes to the foreign occupying power that oppresses the people, or not?  Should they rebel on God’s account? Jesus leaves them to resolve this for themselves – “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.”  In effect ... don’t try to catch me in being disloyal.  It’s your own loyalties that are divided, not mine; so decide whom you will serve when the chips are down.

Religious leaders ... look to your foundations

Morning: Psalm 80; I Samuel 1:1-20; Acts 1:1-14

Evening: Psalm 77, 79; Luke 20:9-19

Religious leaders are offended at Jesus’s challenges to their authority.  He accuses them of ignoring, even abusing and killing those who call them to account for their actions.  Often, the powerful want to answer only to themselves – which is no accountability at all.  But here they are called to line themselves up with the truth they find in Jesus, who likens himself to the cornerstone of a building, the strong foundation, the key reference point and guide for the whole building.  Leaders, if you want to remain true, build on the cornerstone.  And the cornerstone is not you!

Trinity: the infinite mystery of God

Morning: Psalms 146, 147; Job 38:1-11; 42:1-5; Ephesians 4:1-16

Evening: Psalms 111, 112, 113; John 1:1-18

Christianity’s astounding claim is that the creative Word of God takes flesh in Jesus, a man; moreover, it is that the Spirit of God sustains and gives life to all things.  After Albert Einstein asks whether the universe is friendly, he goes on to affirm: “God does not play dice with the universe.”  He believes there is an underlying order to the Creation. The universe is not a random occurrence, nor do things happen here at random, but it is full of mystery.  The ‘Holy Trinity’ is Christianity’s attempt to point to and reach towards the infinite mystery of God.

Love strengthens your inner being

Morning: Psalms 75, 76; Numbers 3:1-13;  2 Corinthians 13:1-14

Evening: Psalm 104; Ephesians 3:14-21

Einstein is reputed to have said that the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ If we decide it is, we will work hard to understand it, even though much may remain mysterious to us.  St. Paul addresses the same theme when he says the Love of God is far greater than we can know.  But if we comprehend even a little how vast that Love is, and how Love does indeed make the universe a friendly place, we will be strong in our inner being

Enough to make a grown man cry

Morning: Psalm 69; Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:14; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Evening: Psalm 73; Luke 19:41-48

When Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, it is his deep lament that Jerusalem has not found the way to peace.  History has made ‘Jerusalem’ a metaphor for human longings, for a desirable future.  That dreamed-of Jerusalem is a long way from being realized.  Which is why Jesus confronts those who abuse religious power and the sacred, those who misconstrue what life is about and use life not to pursue peace but for selfish gain.  Living like that only leads to our own destruction.  The reason for Jesus’s tears is his deep concern for humanity.  What moves you to tears?

To do what I came here for, and not to fear

Morning: Psalm 71; Ecclesiastes 11:1-18; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Evening: Psalm 74; Luke 19:28-40

What do you believe you’re here for?  Here on this earth, I mean.  Jesus’s purpose seemed clear to him ... he was going to Jerusalem, to stand before the powers that dominated his people, both spiritually and politically.  John O’Donohue must have yearned for Jesus’s clarity of mind and heart when he wrote: “May I have the courage today to live the life that I would love, to postpone my dream no longer but do at last what I came here for and waste my heart on fear no more.”  Pray for such a focused and fearless life!

The consequences of our choices

Morning: Psalm 72; Deuteronomy 31:30-32:14; 2 Corinthians 11:21b-33

Evening: Psalm 119:73-96; Luke 19:11-27

Were you ever set a task, and you knew you would feel badly if you accomplished nothing, so you chose to work hard at it? Or, maybe you felt incompetent, you were afraid of failing and chose to procrastinate so did poorly?  All of our choices have consequences, of course.  Jerusalem – indeed the whole earth – is not yet the city of Peace Jesus longed for it to be, because of the choices we humans make. The Gospel expresses Jesus’s longing for us to choose well, and to seek the help we need, because he wants us to do well.

The rare gift of trusting someone else’s gifts

Morning: Psalms 15, 67; Job 29:1-16; Acts 4:32-37

Evening: Psalms 19, 146; Acts 9:26-31

It’s St. Barnabas Day.  Barnabas is true to his name, which means “son of encouragement”.  He is generous, selling property to support the disciples’ work.  Barnabas also vouches for Paul, reassuring the Jerusalem Christians that Paul has changed ... Until now, Paul has persecuted them!  A striking aspect of Barnabas’s generosity is not money, though, but his willingness to trust Paul’s gifts.  In our competitive and egotistical human society, it is a rare gift to trust someone else’s gifts, or to regard their gifts as greater than your own.  We still remember Barnabas for his open and generous ways.

Spiritual sight makes us fully ourselves

Morning: Psalms 56, 57; Deuteronomy 30:1-10; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Evening: Psalms 64, 65; Luke 18:31-43

The story begins, “See ...” and then predicts Jesus’s death and resurrection, but his disciples do not see (i.e. do not understand).  In the next story, a blind beggar by the roadside calls to Jesus for mercy: “Let me see again.”  It seems those who doubt Jesus remain blind to his truth – that we need not remain trapped by the power of death.  The one who trusts Jesus can finally ‘see’ this truth and live life to the fullest.  Physical sight is a wonderful gift, but without spiritual sight (or understanding), we are not yet fully ourselves.

The Spirit will teach you

Morning: Psalm 118; Isaiah 11:1-9; I Corinthians 2:1-13

Evening: Psalm 145; John 14:21-29

These are challenging times for religion, because it is shaped by humans – therefore, religion has not always reflected the ways of Love.  If there is no power greater than human power, we are in a bigger mess than we may even imagine.  But I am not without hope for humankind or the earth; I trust that the Spirit Jesus promises will guide us into truth and love, if we are open.  In those rare moments when I do well with love, I’m relying on the Spirit and not entirely on my own wisdom.

Chosen and empowered to serve

Morning: Psalms 107:33-43; 108:1-6; Hebrews 9:1-14; Luke 11:14-23

Evening: Psalm 33; Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20; I Peter 2:4-10

The Jews are called God’s chosen people.  Now, followers of Jesus are also called God’s chosen.  What does it mean, to be chosen?  Were you ever part of a group of people from among whom a team was chosen?  Not being chosen can be painful.  It’s not just that you feel devalued; it’s that you don’t get to use your gifts.  Followers of Jesus both choose to follow him and are chosen to act, to employ their gifts in serving his Way.  Being chosen is not only about comfort and affirmation.  When you are chosen you are empowered to serve.

The one thing necessary

Morning: Psalm 102; Ezekiel 34:17-31; Hebrews 8:1-13

Evening: Psalm 107:1-32; Luke 10:38-42

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote a book with the title: “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing.”  Jesus says to Martha, “You are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.”  For Kierkegaard, the “one thing” is the good.  For Jesus, the “one thing” is being with him.  So Jesus invites Martha (and us) to spend time with him, as Mary does, rather than being distracted by too many tasks.  Jesus seems to be saying that when we attend to his Way, we will be able to discern better which tasks are most important.

Love with heart and soul, mind and strength

Morning: Psalm 105:1-22; Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Hebrews 7:18-28

Evening: Psalm 105:23-45; Luke 10:25-37

Love in our culture has been watered down to romance ... But Love is a movement of the will more than of feelings; Love decides to behave in a particular way.  Even in marriage, romantic love cannot sustain a relationship for the long haul.  Similarly, in love of neighbour, the will makes the heart and soul of our being ready to put Love into action.  Love involves heart, soul, mind and strength; it shows itself in simple, neighbourly deeds without which human society fails – help in time of need, kindness, a listening ear, trust, friendship, mercy and generosity.

Wednesday June 5th – Hearts of flesh not stone

Morning: Psalms 101, 109; Ezekiel 11:14-25; Hebrews 7:1-17

Evening: Psalm 119:121-144; Luke 10:17-24

The ancient prophet is hopeful of a better future for his people.  Because of their hardness of heart, they are scattered and exiled.  The modern world is no different.  Ignoring our instincts about what really matters, we run after idols and false gods, pursuing limitless economic growth and wealth at the expense of our own and the earth’s well-being.  We seem to be exiled from our best selves.  But we hold deeper values about what is good for us and for the earth.  The prophet in me hopes that Love will soften our hearts and restore us, and the earth.

The work of healing and peacemaking

Morning: Psalms 97, 99; Ezekiel 7:10-15, 23b-27; Hebrews 6:13-20

Evening: Psalm 132; Luke 10:1-17

We have made following Jesus sound far too pious.  Jesus did not intend to found new religious communities ... He wanted to change the world.  Jesus’s followers still want that; they do not want simply to create or preserve inward-focused groups that only care about their own survival and their members’ well-being.  Jesus intended much more than this, so he sent his followers out to support one another in the work of Healing and Peacemaking.  The Good News is that when we do this work, we bring the world back closer to the Love that created it.

No turning back

Morning: Psalm 89:1-18; Ezekiel 4:1-17; Hebrews 6:1-12

Evening: Psalm 89:19-52; Luke 9:51-62

Once you start down the path towards reconciliation and truth ... Once you plan to live in the cause of Peace and Justice, there is no going back.  Jesus’s face was set towards Jerusalem, towards the confrontation that he must have with the powers and principalities of the age. He demanded the same determination from his apprentices.  Less and less does it make sense to ask: What if I had done this instead of that ...?  You are on the path you’re on; no turning back.  Do not be discouraged when things don’t always go according to plan.  Keep going.

Not peace but a sword ... for now at least

Morning: Psalms 66, 67; Ezekiel 3:16-27; Ephesians 2:1-10

Evening: Psalms 19, 46; Matthew 10:24-42

Jesus’s words sound harsh to our ears, we who have become accustomed to desiring and expecting comfort.  One old cliché says: ‘Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable’.  I don’t like it much (maybe because I’ve gotten too comfortable!?) but it rings with truth.  When we finally comprehend that peace may only be won through suffering, we may begin to move towards it. We have not yet grasped – for we resist the hard words of Jesus – how demanding it will be for us, even with God’s help, to set this old world to rights, including ourselves. 

Love can be simply scary

Morning: Psalms 87, 90; Ezekiel 3:4-17; Hebrews 5:7-14

Evening: Psalm 136; Luke 9:37-50

Jesus prepares the disciples for his being betrayed. “Let these words sink into your ears”, he says. But they do not understand.  Sometimes Jesus’s words are so straightforward and simple, but we complicate them or miss what he is saying.  Maybe that’s because the raw simplicity of learning Love – learning to Love one another – is actually very demanding and scary to us?  I don’t suppose the next thing Jesus says is any easier either: “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me ... for the least among you is the greatest.”  Let these words sink in too.