No book-learning may be an advantage

Morning: Psalms 24, 29; Isaiah 51:9-16; Hebrews 11:8-16

Evening: Psalms 8, 84; John 7:14-31

Some, when asked for their thoughts, say: “Well, I have no book-learning, but this is the way I see it ...” We want to hear from them. We realize most real wisdom is won from living life with generosity, faithfulness and trust, from facing life’s inevitable wounds with courage and magnanimity. Such learning comes not in a classroom but from the school of the Spirit. Jesus shows how by attending to God, we learn most of what we really need. Which can be an advantage when compared with how little understanding you sometimes find in those who think they know.

 

Cleanse your hearts, not just your hands!

Morning: Psalm 55; Isaiah 51:1-8; Galatians 3:23-29

Evening: Psalms 138, 139:1-23; Mark 7:1-23

The Pharisees knew: handwashing protects health. Superficial washing does not purify duplicitous hearts, though, even if we obey the rules. This pandemic reveals deep stains in the fabric of our society - national selfishness, racism, injustice, intolerance, inequity. These can only be removed by a change of heart. Soon, maybe this year, handwashing and physical distancing will help defeat this virus that can infect our bodies. Purifying our hearts, though, and rebuilding our social fabric? These are tasks for the ages, the truly great health priorities of our times to which Jesus calls us to attend with all our souls.

 

 

When you do not understand, be amazed

Morning: Psalms 40, 54; Isaiah 50:1-11; Galatians 3:15-22

Evening: Psalm 51; Mark 6:47-56

Jesus’s followers understand little about who he is or what he does ... walking on the lake, healing the sick. Yet they continue to follow him. The things they cannot explain do not repel but draw them to him - they know there is more to the Creation than they see. Many people allow their lack of knowledge to block their path. But as Shakespeare’s Hamlet says to Horatio: ‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy’. When you cannot explain the mysteries of the Cosmos, allow yourself to be amazed by them.

 

Friday Jan 29th - When you do not understand, be amazed

Morning: Psalms 40, 54; Isaiah 50:1-11; Galatians 3:15-22

Evening: Psalm 51; Mark 6:47-56

Jesus’s followers understand little about who he is or what he does ... walking on the lake, healing the sick. Yet they continue to follow him. The things they cannot explain do not repel but draw them to him - they know there is more to the Creation than they see. Many people allow their lack of knowledge to block their path. But as Shakespeare’s Hamlet says to Horatio: ‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy’. When you cannot explain the mysteries of the Cosmos, allow yourself to be amazed by them.

 

Thursday Jan 28^th - Busy with good things? Take time out regularly

Morning: Psalm 50; Isaiah 49:13-23; Galatians 3:1-14

Evening: Psalm 118; Mark 6:30-46

The saying, ‘No rest for the wicked’, describes busy people. What it meant originally, though, was that wickedness keeps you from finding peace (Isaiah 48:2). Jesus and his followers are busy with good things, so they are in demand ... like, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person.’ When they seek Jesus out, even when he is trying to rest, he does not send them away. We can learn about how to deal with our own busy-ness, though, from the fact that, after they have all gone, Jesus still goes away to a quiet mountain to pray.

 

Promise whatever serves Love

 

Morning: Psalm 119:49-72; Isaiah 49:1-12; Galatians 2:11-21

Evening: Psalm 49; Mark 6:13-29

If, in a rush of enthusiasm, your promise is like a ‘blank cheque’ - ‘Whatever you want!’ - you may, like Herod, end up being obliged to do something you do not want. Your rash promise makes you break another earlier promise you made to yourself. Jesus promised, ‘Whatever you ask’, but with a strict condition: ‘whatever you ask in my name’, that is, whatever unarguably serves Love. This should guide any situation that involves promises. Promise whatever serves Love. It is right, for instance, that Governments promise vaccines. Even with vaccines, though, under-promise. Over-deliver later if you can.

Make friends and share your Good News with strangers

Morning: Psalm 45; Isaiah 48:12-21; Galatians 1:18-2:10

Evening: Psalms 47, 48; Mark 6:1-13

One dark aspect of politics is that candidates dig up hometown ‘dirt’ on their political opponents ... maybe a bad project someone supported once, or an embarrassing, shameful secret. Even Jesus was not honoured and lacked credibility in his own hometown. There doesn’t need to be a hint of scandal ... Perhaps people think you’re still the awkward teenager they used to know. Thankfully, towns have outsiders; maybe you are one? Strangers do not remember your childhood, nor you theirs. So, here’s a thought ... Make friends with strangers, if you can, and share your Good News with them!

 

An Amazing Thing Happened on the Way to Damascus

Morning: Psalm 19; Isaiah 45:18-25; Philippians 3:4b-11

Evening: Psalm 119:89-112; Acts 9:1-22

Amazingly, St. Paul’s Conversion changed the world. Saul, arch-enemy of the early Church, encountered God so dramatically that he became history’s greatest champion of the most significant human phenomenon of the last 2000 years in the West, the Jesus Movement. In spite of Paul’s learning that he must suffer for his new-found faith, what happened to him that day empowered the rest of his life. I believe Paul experienced deep forgiveness in Jesus that prepared him for anything. Trying to be faithful? Be ready for surprises ... Love confronts and forgives your failings then, right away, calls you to serve!

 

 

Do you want to be made well?

Morning: Psalms 63, 98; Isaiah 47:1-15; Hebrews 10:19-31

Evening: Psalm 103; John 5:2-18

When Jesus asks the man who has been ill for 38 years whether he wants to be made well, you get the sense that the question is also addressed to you. It might sound like a surprising question. But leaving aside whether Jesus can do it or not, it is absolutely the right question. No person can be made well who is not ready to admit their need for healing. And what person is not broken in some way? Do you want to be made well? Actually, Jesus may be the one to help you with that.

 

Comes A Time

Morning: Psalms 30, 32; Isaiah 46:1-13; Ephesians 6:10-24

Evening: Psalms 42, 43; Mark 5:1-20

A man healed of demons wants to go with Jesus. Instead, Jesus sends him to tell others the great things God has done for him. Comes a time to stop looking for more good things and share what God already gave you. In his song, Comes A Time (https://youtu.be/qxH_4e7W7hc), Neil Young suggests you actually get to keep what you give to others: ‘We were right, we were giving / That's how we kept what we gave away.’ So, take courage - tell others what God has given you. You lose nothing, but your faith may inspire theirs. Comes A Time.

 

When are you really going to believe that Love wins?

Morning: Psalm 31; Isaiah 45:18-25; Ephesians 6:1-9

Evening: Psalm 35; Mark 4:35-41

The power of evil often flourishes when Love grows in communities or nations. Jesus shows the power of Love to the world, but things can still turn nasty. Storms arise. People demonize one another. You think you’re going down, like a boat swamped by waves ... Jesus’ friends in the boat do not yet know that, in Jesus’ death and rising, Love defeats the power of death. The story of Jesus calming the storm asks ... When you find yourself in a storm because of Love, did you know that Love wins? When are you really going to believe it?

 

Amazing things grow from small beginnings - so begin!

Morning: Psalm 37:1-18; Isaiah 45:5-17; Ephesians 5:15-33

Evening: Psalm 37:19-42; Mark 4:21-34

Yesterday, someone emailed me a picture of a 247ft tall, 27ft diameter Sequoia tree in California. Their one-word comment was, ‘Incredible!’ That tree is 3200 years old and began its life - before Christ, before Aristotle, before Isaiah - as a small seed. Jesus likens the work of Love in the world to a tiny seed that grows into a large tree. Often, we will plant and not live to see the results, like the elderly farmer who plants acorns along his driveway. Our loving actions are not for us. Few truly worthwhile things come to fruition overnight. Plant anyway!

 

Tell all the truth but tell it slant

Morning: Psalm 38; Isaiah 44:24-45:7; Ephesians 5:1-14

Evening: Psalm 119:25-48; Mark 4:1-20

‘Tell all the truth but tell it slant’. For Emily Dickinson, ‘The Truth must dazzle gradually, or every man be blind.’ On the surface, Jesus’ parable of the sower is about the Word of God sown and bearing fruit in people’s lives. If you dig a little, though, it is a deeply prophetic, political message about God restoring to Israel her own land and making her fruitful there. Jesus says more than meets the eye, he tells the Truth ‘slant’. He teaches that understanding grows with faith. Blunt Truth is blinding. Truth is often a mystery. Believing is seeing it.

 

You cannot receive Love if you do not trust your lover

Morning: Psalms 26, 28; Isaiah 44:9-20; Ephesians 4:17-32

Evening: Psalms 36, 39; Mark 3:19b-35

If the title grabbed your attention, consider this ... To discredit Jesus, the scribes said he was mentally ill, which they called being ‘possessed’. Jesus pointed out their contradiction ... If he was possessed by ‘demons’, how could he fight ‘demons’ in others and make them well? That would be like a nation destroying itself in a civil war. In short, if you believe that the goodness and Love in Jesus is a lie, you cannot enjoy its benefits ... You cannot receive Love if you do not trust the One who loves you.

 

The duties of love

Morning: Psalms 66, 67; Ezekiel 3:4-11; Acts 10:34-44

Evening: Psalm 118; Ezekiel 34:11-16; John 21:15-22

When Jesus asks Peter, 3 times, “Do you love me?” it echoes Peter’s betrayal. Jesus responds to Peter’s betrayal by re-affirming his trust in Peter, “Follow me.” It may appear that all this is to let Peter know that he can make up for his betrayal by caring about what Jesus cares about. That may be so on some level. But the duties of love are not payment for love. On a deeper level, Jesus teaches that the real duty of love is to go on trusting those you love, even when they betray you. Forgiving love heals even betrayal.

 

Doing what we came here for

Morning: Psalms 148,149,150; Isa 43:14-44:5; Hebrews 6:17-7:10

Evening: Psalms 114, 115; John 4:27-42

We all ‘stand on someone’s shoulders’ and others will stand on ours. The work of the human race - we are still discovering what it is - continues from generation to generation. It is challenging to think that others labour and we enter into their labour, or that we sow and others reap. We would like to do it all, from beginning to end, to start a job and finish it. But our calling is to find our place in the family of things, and do what we came here for, our special and particular part. What is that?

 

The love that passes knowledge

Morning: Psalms 20, 21; Isaiah 43:1-13; Ephesians 3:14-21

Evening: Psalms 110, 116, 117; Mark 2:22-3:6

I first encountered St. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians in a hymn: “It passeth knowledge that dear love of thine.” I was 18, searching for a more satisfying and fulfilling life than wealth or materialism could offer. A friend took me to Oxford Place Chapel in Leeds, where I attended university. They sang this hymn. Hearing it that night helped kick-start my personal journey to discover the inexpressible love that creates the Cosmos. You can listen to it here: https://youtu.be/zwfnJ9Xkj18 . I am certain that the power of this love beyond knowing is what moves the Creation. My journey continues.

 

Who does not deserve respect?

Morning: Psalms 16, 17; Isaiah 42:1-17; Ephesians 3:1-13

Evening: Psalm 22; Mark 2:13-22

Waiting hours on the phone makes people angrier about their complaints, and Canada Revenue agents catch the flak ... as do public officials who enforce pandemic restrictions. Levi, the tax-collector in the Gospel, didn’t have to falsify tax bills to make people angry. There are those in all societies who, like Levi, become lightning-rods for the people’s anger. But Jesus goes to dinner with Levi, this tax man. And Jesus calls us to extend welcome and kindness to everyone, particularly those whom we are sure, like Levi, do not deserve it. Jesus’ whole life demands: Who does not deserve respect?

 

The power of forgiveness

Morning: Psalm 18:1-20; Isaiah 41:17-29; Ephesians 2:11-22

Evening: Psalm 18:21-50; Mark 2:1-12

Think back to the pent-up energy that was released in you when someone forgave you. Maybe it was even stronger when you forgave them? That near-shout of relief - “Yes!” “Thank you!” “Thank God!” A mutual rush of power, a sense of release and new freedom. All the energy that had been imprisoned in you both, bubbling and seething like a steam engine before its power is harnessed for locomotion. Jesus releases creative, world-shifting power by the surprise of forgiveness. Revenge moves nothing. Is there someone you need to surprise with forgiveness? Is there someone whose forgiveness you must seek?

 

Take time to be alone in a quiet place

Morning: Psalm 119:1-24; Isaiah 41:1-16; Ephesians 2:1-10

Evening: Psalms 12, 13, 14; Mark 1:29-45

In today’s story, Jesus is extremely busy healing and teaching, but still, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” We may feel quite isolated in these pandemic days, but all around there is also an atmosphere of flurry and crisis that is noisy and disturbing to the spirit. Can we learn from Jesus, who took time to be alone and quiet? This could be a vital discipline for our times, too. Archbishop Desmond Tutu says: “I am far too busy not to pray.”

 

What if you were asked to step out in faith?

Morning: Psalms 5, 6; Isaiah 40:25-31; Ephesians 1:15-23

Evening: Psalms 10, 11; Mark 1:14-28

What if you were asked to give up your place in the family business that had sustained you and your ancestors for generations? It would have to be for something urgent. When Jesus called Galilean fishermen to leave their nets, they stepped into a world-changing movement at its very inception and helped to make it grow. That same world-changing movement has new obligations ... Jesus’ present-day followers may be asked to take the same risk - let go of secure, familiar ways, trust God and step in faith towards an unknown future. What if you were asked to do this?

 

How our world treats its children

Morning: Psalms 2, 26; Isaiah 49:13-23; Matthew 18:1-14

Evening: Psalms 19, 126; Mark 10:13-16

We might like to believe that, in our world, we treat children the way Jesus did, with kindness and welcome. However, the WHO reports:

• Nearly 75% of children aged 2-4 (that’s 300 million children) regularly suffer physical punishment or psychological violence from parents and caregivers;
• One in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report being sexually abused as a child or adolescent;
• 120 million girls and young women under 20 years of age have suffered some form of forced sexual contact.

It makes you want to embrace every child you see as Jesus did, and bless them with love.

 

A Higher Power ... One greater than I

Morning: Psalms 146, 147; Isaiah 40:1-11; Hebrews 1:1-12

Evening: Psalms 111, 112, 113; John 1:1-34

If there is no higher power than the strength that you and I can muster, we are most assuredly in a sorry state. Given the human messes of the week - pick a week, any week - one might be forgiven for concluding the world is going to hell in a handbasket! But John the baptizer says: there is ‘One greater than I’. Most of us believe John, sort of. By whatever name you call this great One (not Gretsky!), this One is the source of our hope. Our own power is limited. There is a Higher and Holy Power.

 

Quod Tuum Tene - Hold fast to what you have

Morning: Psalms 121, 122, 123; Isaiah 63:1-5; Revelation 2:18-29

Eve of Baptism of the Lord: Psalm 104; John 6:1-14

Quod Tuum Tene - hold onto what you have - was my old school motto. To me, it sounded selfish; I thought it was about material possessions, privileges and power. But in Revelation, almost the same words show up twice ... The writer uses this Latin proverb to invite fledgling churches to resist temptation and hang on with all their might to greater treasures than property or prestige ... that is, all the rich gifts of the human spirit which come from trusting and following in the Way of Jesus. That motto sounds better now - remember who you are.

 

Are you looking for signs or for the Love they point to?

Morning: Psalms 117, 118; Isaiah 59:15-21; Revelation 2:8-17

Evening: Psalms 112, 113; John 4:46-54

Jesus performs ‘signs’; people want him with them because they want more ‘signs’ (or miracles). But the signs are only pointers. Did you ever play a game where you had to solve clues that would lead you to a secret or a treasure? I so love cryptic crossword clues, though, that I am sometimes disappointed when I have solved the crossword! Jesus’s signs are not important in themselves, only as they point to the Love at work in him ... The signs are less about how great he is than they are about how great is his Love for us.

 

Returning to the love you had at first for your calling

Morning: Psalm 103; Isaiah 52:3-6; Revelation 2:1-7

Evening: Psalm 114, 115; John 2:1-11

Few people read the book of Revelation, but it contains some gems. Today, John of Patmos praises the community in Ephesus for its toil, patience, exacting standards and perseverance. But he has this against them, “that you have abandoned the love you had at first”. The Ephesus Christians lost the love they once had for their calling. Doggedly, they are going through the motions. John calls them to return to what they did at first. Is there a passion you once had for a particular life task, art or pursuit that you lost and to which you wish to return?

 

Epiphany ... realizing that God has (y)our back(s)

Morning: Psalms 46, 97; Isaiah 52:7-10; Revelation 21:22-27

Evening: Psalms 96, 100; Matthew 12:14-21

Epiphany is that moment when truth dawns on you and you break through to a new understanding. It is an ‘Aha!’ It is when a people realizes its destiny as an agent of justice. It is when a woman perceives she has a vital job to do. It is recognizing that strength belongs with gentleness - for gentleness is not weakness - as when a strong warrior defends his family from an enemy and then tenderly cradles his baby with tears in his eyes. It is the moment when you grasp: God has your back, or better - our backs.

 

Stay connected and make sure you are well-pruned!

Morning: Psalms 2, 110:1-17; Hebrews 11:32-12:2; John 15:1-16

Evening: Psalms 29, 98; Isaiah 66:18-23; Romans 15:7-13

Ed Lawrence, CBC gardening guru, talked about a plant (don’t ask me its name!) that benefits from a really good pruning - it will come back stronger. With today’s Gospel being about us as branches on the Vine, Ed’s advice sets me thinking about what Jesus’s teaching means for us. There are 2 obvious conclusions, both easy to say, but challenging to put into action ... 1. Stay connected to the life-giving Vine which is Christ; 2. Submit to the regular pruning away of those aspects of your life that are dried up, unfruitful or overgrown.

 

Christianity is not about going to heaven when you die

Morning: Psalms 85, 87; Exodus 3:1-12; Hebrews 11:23-31

Evening: Psalm 89:1-29; John 14:6-14

Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father except through me,” not to guarantee Christians admission to a spiritual ‘heaven’ where there are no Buddhists, Hindus or Moslems! Thomas asks, “How can we know the way” ... the way to where you’re going? Jesus affirms he himself is the Way of truth and life intended for all humankind and if you want to be on that path here and now, you may learn more about it from him. If you wonder what lies beyond this life, for that you must trust God’s Love and Mercy, mysterious though they be.

 

Do not complain among yourselves ... pray for courage

Morning: Psalms 66, 67; Sirach 3:3-9, 14-17; 1 John 2:12-17

Evening: Psalm 145; John 6:41-47

Jesus’s hearers complain among themselves ... about him. He does not say: ‘Do not complain about me.’ Instead, he generalizes: ‘Do not complain among yourselves’ ... about anything. Jesus teaches us to attend to what matters, that is, on learning from God. If you focus on trusting that God’s Love will show you the path, you will find satisfaction in life. Grumbling about someone is destructive and gets you nowhere. If you have an issue with someone, pray that Love will show you the path to courage, so that you are able to take the matter up with them directly.

 

Welcome one another. Everyone belongs here.

Morning: Psalm 34; Genesis 12:1-7; Hebrews 11:1-12

Evening: Psalms 29, 98; Isaiah 66:18-23; Romans 15:7-13

Ever feel unwelcome? The late Richard Wagamese, Ojibway writer, tells of learning his own language. His first word, spoken at age 24, was peendigaen: ‘Come in’ ‘Welcome’ ‘You belong here’. He learned his language is sacred: ‘To speak it is to reconnect to our sacredness’. We all belong. Racism and persecution - treating some people as unwelcome - threaten the extinction of Ojibway language and culture. A spirit of welcome may restore them. Amid conflict over race and culture, St. Paul encouraged the Romans: “Welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Everyone belongs here.

 

Friday Jan 1st 2021 - Onward! Ultreya! ... Seek God’s help and press on

Morning: Psalm 103; Genesis 17:1-16; Colossians 2:6-12

Evening: Psalm 148; John 16:23-30

They keep saying this pandemic is a marathon not a sprint. When you run a marathon, people shout encouragement to you - “Good job!”. It helps. Pilgrims on the Way to the shrine of the apostle James in Spain shout a greeting to one another: “Ultreya!”; "Keep going", "Press on", “Onward”. This is to encourage others on their journeys. “Onward!” is what I will call my ongoing reflections in 2021. Our journeys go well when we encourage one another. Jesus encouraged his disciples: “Ask God for what you need and your joy will be complete.” Happy New Year, friends! Onward!