How ordinary and how human

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

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

The hometown crowd took offence when Jesus taught in Nazareth.  He said: ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’  This morning, I arrived back in England to visit my mother.  Now I am no prophet, nor do I presume to teach my family.  Nonetheless, sometimes it feels to me as if people think I am still that teenager, as if I just left - though that was 48 years ago!  Perhaps you, too, can imagine how ordinary and how human was his experience.

Time to get up … moving from fear to trust

Morning: Psalms 41, 52; Isaiah 48:1-11; Galatians 1:1-17

Evening: Psalm 44; Mark 5:21-43

“Talitha koum!” were the words Jesus spoke to a young girl who seemed at the point of death … “Time to get up, little girl!” he said.  These were ordinary words in Aramaic, the local language that Jesus used every day.  Here was a sign – because the little girl did in fact get up – of something extraordinary breaking into ordinary life, inviting her and her fearful family to trust in a power beyond their understanding.  To only ever trust what you can understand doesn’t leave much room for trust, does it?  Jairus chose to trust Jesus and was not disappointed.

Conversations about what “sin” is

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

Evening: Psalm 103; John 5:2-18

People seem to think clergy know the answers to thorny questions!  Or maybe they want to see if you’re arrogant enough to assume you know!? Lately, a few people have asked me what “sin” is, or whether some action is a “sin”.  When Jesus heals, he says, “Go and sin no more.”  So … If healing means being delivered from isolation, like the man at the pool, maybe sin is simply broken-down relationships – us with God, us with others, or with our own divided heart?  So let me ask you: What do you think “sin” is?

Absorbing evil so that others can go free

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

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

The Romans overran the Mediterranean before Jesus was born.  Their rule was thought evil; the nations were ‘possessed’ by them.  Then Jesus frees the naked, wounded demoniac from demons.  The demons go into a herd of pigs, who rush into the Sea, suggesting the Roman occupiers will be thrown back into the Mediterranean.  Yet greater than the defeat of Roman rule is Jesus’s story … human evil absorbed in his naked, beaten form.  Jesus is the pioneer on the Way to the healing of human brokenness, taking the full force of evil on himself so that others can go free.

The minstrel of the dawn

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

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

Do you remember being on one path in life, but then you started to see things differently?  Whether slowly or suddenly, your world changed – your life, your relationships, your work, everything.  Some sunrises are hidden, light dawns slowly; Saul’s new ‘dawn’ was like blinding sunlight bursting over him … suddenly he realized who Jesus was.  When that light dawns, buckle up – you’re in for quite a ride.  For Saul it meant a new name, Paul; it meant becoming what Gordon Lightfoot might have called a ‘minstrel of the dawn’ for millions of others.

Measure for measure, small is beautiful

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

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

Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” paraphrases Jesus: “The measure you give will be the measure you get”.  But Jesus is speaking here not about justice so much as investing ourselves in God’s dream for the earth.  The more you give yourself to the dream, the more you will be intrigued and inspired by it; the less you engage, the less you will care.  Our addiction to instant success may blind us to the long-term value of faithfully planting seeds – in small gatherings and devoted attention to right action. A couple of dreamers working diligently in some backwater can change the world.

Wednesday Jan 23rd – Not everyone thinks Jesus’s News is Good!

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

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

Oxfam says 26 people (who would all fit into our living-room) possess as much wealth as the poorest 50% of humankind.  The world’s treasure is held by fewer and fewer people.  This is unjust.  But Jesus’s Good News sees justice restored.  Some don’t hear; some don’t want to; some can’t; some rejoice.  Others resist for fear of losing out.  For us, part of Jesus’s Good News may be that the rapid concentration of wealth (and power) in a few hands is unsustainable.  Eventually, justice will be done.  This is dangerous News – because powerful people may object – but it’s Good News.

Cutting off your nose to spite your face

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

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

The recognition Jesus enjoys among the people causes his opponents to use ugly rhetoric to slander him.  (This is a common political strategy.)  But Jesus turns the tables on them, demonstrating instead that he is One who is strong enough not to be bound or inhibited by their falsehoods.  On the contrary, because they ridicule Jesus’s healing power, they put the possibility of forgiveness and freedom beyond their own reach.  Demonise no-one ... you may be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Healing all of life

Morning: Psalm 25; Isaiah 44:6-8, 21-23

Evening: Psalms 9, 15; Mark 3:7-19a

People flock to Jesus because, in an age of primitive medicine, he heals people’s physical ailments.  Spiritual healing, though, can cause spiritual upheaval and rebellion, with inevitable social consequences.  All life is interconnected.  For instance, Jesus’s appointment of 12 apostles has a political significance that everyone understands.  Israel’s original 12 tribes have all but disappeared.  But now, Jesus the healer may be the leader who restores the nation’s common life.  Nothing is irrelevant in the work of reconciliation.  Thus, Jesus’s followers also seek healing and transformation on every level – physical, spiritual, social and political.

If you knew my heart … you would love me

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

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

Have you been in a situation where you thought, “If only you really knew me; if only you knew my heart”?  Perhaps someone judged you unfairly based on their own prejudices.  Perhaps you were struggling to express a contrary idea and they did not understand, or it didn’t come out right.  Perhaps you were in trouble because of some mistake but they didn’t want to listen.  When Jesus met the woman at the well in Samaria, he valued her for herself and refused to judge her for her misdoings.  He knew her heart and he loved her.

When the good law is made an ass

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

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

Time changes things.  James Russell Lowell wrote: “Time makes ancient good uncouth.”  Jesus showed that not all laws are timeless.  We may misunderstand or misinterpret their intent.  Laws formulated for one era are eclipsed by new understandings or attitudes.  For Jesus, the Sabbath Law protects people’s well-being, but legalists use it to punish him for caring for people’s hunger or healing.  Jesus always challenges the status quo when it serves itself rather than the people.  The ‘new wine’ of justice destroys ‘old wineskins’ worn thin by habit, neglect or malice.  Do you obey any old rules that no longer serve?

Maturity: entitlement or surrender?

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

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

I’m a Baby Boomer.  We feel entitled.  We believe we should get what we want, right?  Jesus disagrees.  He says to Peter: “When you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”  Could this mean, perhaps, that maturity should make us ready to give up more not less, to control less not more?  Will we Boomers ever grow up?

Forgiveness heals and brings new life

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

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

The friends of a paralysed man dig through Jesus’ roof. He forgives them for ruining his roof.  But his forgiveness signifies something bigger … In a world that often lives and dies on revenge, Jesus demonstrates that forgiveness is a powerful healing force.  Forgiveness is counter-cultural, though, and therefore costly.  Jesus is prepared, for forgiveness’ sake, to offer the best he has – his life.  This story is a microcosm of Jesus’ life … the teacher and healer condemned for blasphemy, but ultimately vindicated as the one who makes all things new.  Forgiveness may be our greatest gift, received or given.

Guard against the wrong kind of attention

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

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

Clergy collars attract the wrong kind of attention. Even strangers behave differently and make assumptions about you based on thiers idea about what clergy are like.  I prefer to avoid all that.  Full disclosure can wait until we know one another. Jesus told a leper to keep his healing quiet and follow accepted ritual practices.  Jesus’s healings by-passed the religious system; he wanted to stay hidden to avoid discrediting the faith by being thought disloyal.  There are many good reasons for discretion and privacy.  Maybe sometimes it is just wise to guard against attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Drawn from darkness to light

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

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

Sometimes I don’t like what the Gospels say, often because there’s something I do not understand.  For example, when Jesus calls fishermen to “fish for people”, it sounds offensive to me.  But then I learn that the word here for ‘to fish’ in the original Greek means literally to bring people from darkness into light, as you would draw a fish out of the dark depths.  As if to confirm this, the Gospel tells next about Jesus healing a man “with an unclean spirit” … Jesus brings him out of the dark depths of mental illness into a brighter place.

How do you know somebody loves you?

Morning: Psalms 1, 2, 3; Isaiah 40:12-23; Ephesians 1:1-14

Evening: Psalms 4, 7; Mark 1:1-13

With love, actions matter.  Loving words bowl you over, but if they’re not matched by actions, you stop believing them.  Sometimes, though, the loving action is so unbelievable, it blows you away … like, someone tells you the Creator of the Universe is beside you!  I mean, really!?  Can you even get your head around that?  I like Woody Allen’s line: “80% of life is just showing up.” And some actually believe the Creator has shown up in human life.  Someone who loves you shows up nearby.  And when love is nearby, it makes a difference.  Maybe you have noticed.

A loving purpose at the heart of Creation

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

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

Happy 2019!  Amazingly, we still count Jesus’s birthdays.  He began a radically new era.  And he still exerts a huge influence in the world.  Because of Jesus, many believe that God is not far off but near; they trust that there is a loving purpose behind the Creation.  Have you wondered how that loving purpose might make a difference to you … and to everything?

Can you get with this program?

Morning: Psalms 90, 99; Isaiah 66:1- 2, 22-23; Revelation 3:14-22

Evening: Psalm 104; Isaiah 61:1-9

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus read in the synagogue from Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has … sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; … to comfort all who mourn …” Then Jesus told the people that in him this prophecy (prophecy is truth-telling not prediction) was now fulfilled in him.  Now Jesus’s is a program I can ‘get with’. Can you?

Jesus stands with the vulnerable

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

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

Children are not treated well in Jesus’s time.  They are thought unimportant.  Jesus’s attitude of hospitality and welcome for children is quite uncharacteristic of his society.  To us, Jesus’s care for children seems normal.  Yet his advocacy for the little ones goes against the cultural grain.  He puts children at the centre of his world; others want to push them aside.  This is Jesus’s pattern; he sides with the vulnerable – the poor, outcasts, women, the sick, and children – rather than pander to power.

All will be fed; together we will renew the earth

Morning: Psalms 138, 139:1-23; Isaiah 65:1-9; Revelation 3:1-6

Evening: Psalm 147; John 6:1-14

The ‘feeding of 5000’ sets me to thinking about the world’s hunger. GM foods, rampant food insecurity and climate change caused by corporate agri-business mean ‘our daily bread’ is still a huge concern.  At its root is human hunger for meaning.  Jesus knows the disciples can feed the crowd.  Hope lies within us … everyday people responding to the deep spiritual hunger of our times, by cultivating our own plots of land with care, building sustainable food practices in our communities, and rediscovering hope in the future.  Then all will be fed, and together we will renew the earth.

Healing the wound of isolation

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

Evening: Psalms 131, 132; John 5:1-15

The lame man at the pool of Siloam, ill for 38 years, when Jesus asks him if he wants to be made well, responds: “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.”  What a stark phrase: “I have no one …” His most painful affliction is his isolation. For this, we can all be healers; we can all help heal the wound of isolation by restoring to community those who, because of illness, are alone.

Believing is a movement of heart as well as mind

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

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

Some reject Jesus because they think he just wants them to believe certain ideas. Being a disciple is not about accepting precepts; it’s about trusting the one you follow.  It goes something like this: … I don’t know if I understand everything you’re saying, but I do trust you, so I’m with you … not on everything, but I’m with you.  The royal official believes in Jesus, trusts him, and then things start to change … This is a movement of heart as well as mind.  When your head cannot fathom the mystery of God, give your heart a chance.

Those who turn the world upside down

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

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

Contrary Warriors are elders among the Cheyenne who teach cultural practices in a fashion contrary to traditional Cheyenne culture.  They say that followers of Jesus turn the world upside down. Jesus certainly does … he consistently behaves in contrary ways, challenging people to think.  This is vital if we want to live our lives consciously.  The miracle of the wine at the wedding in Cana is a case in point.  Jesus provides the best wine late in the feast, overturning the usual custom.  He uses his extraordinary power judiciously and so teaches us how to use our power.

How do you know truth when you hear it?

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

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

I searched long and hard for a path that I could follow with integrity. Strident voices made extravagant claims about political change; impatient voices fell silent when they encountered difficulties; religious charlatans twisted and perverted faith beyond recognition.  But about Jesus they said, “He will proclaim justice to the nations. He won’t yell or raise his voice, there’ll be no commotion in the streets. He won’t walk over people’s feelings, or push people into a corner. His justice will triumph. Even the sound of his name will signal hope.” – Now that was the path for me … still is.

Receive Love, then pass it on

Morning: Psalm 2; Hebrews 11:32 – 12:2; John 15:1-16

Eve of Epiphany: Psalms 29, 98; Isaiah 66:18-23; Romans 15:7-13

I was once part of a team shaping Values for a major Health Sciences Centre, like Teamwork and Accountability. We agreed Love did not belong on a corporate Values statement, but we felt Compassion did.  Compassion is willingness to share others’ suffering.  It is loving one another.  Jesus teaches, “Love one another as I have loved you.” How challenging that can be.  So how can we Love?  Jesus claims that he is a Vine of Love and we are its branches.  In other words, when you go to the source of Love, you receive Love, then pass it on.

If you want to see what God is like, look to Jesus

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

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

Jesus invites us to put faith in him and bracket our skepticism.  By “the Father”, presumably he means God. Jesus also claims to be “in the Father” and the Father in him.  He is so close to God that he and the Father are one. Why does Jesus call God ‘Father’?  It does make it easier for us to comprehend this mystery … Jesus’s bottom line seems to be: ‘If you want to know what God is like, pay attention to me.’

On becoming a Gate for others

Morning: Psalm 68; Genesis 28:10-22; Hebrews 11:13-22

Evening: Psalm 136; John 10:7-17

Yesterday, Jesus called himself ‘Bread’.  Today, he is ‘the Gate.’  Later he speaks about laying down his life on our behalf.  When someone is ready to forget themselves for you – maybe your mother gives up her own opportunities to open up opportunities for you; or your father acts with humility so you can feel good about yourself – when people do these simple but profound things, they become ‘gates’ to new possibilities.  Jesus, sacrificing his life, opens up a Way for us courageously to confront ‘wolves’ or ‘thieves’ or ‘bandits’, living life to the fullest, and thus becoming ‘gates’ for others.

Chew on the Word

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

Evening: Psalm 33; John 6:35-42, 48-51

Bread and wine in communion (“body and blood”, but not literally) signify Jesus’s self-giving Love.  If he truly embodies creative energy, and you tap into that, you will be fully alive!  You will be living “in the Age”… not so much a forever life, but a full life.  Jesus invites you to ‘feed’ on his Word, on him (the way you might ‘devour’ a book).  To be transformed by the Word, by him, first you must ‘eat’; you must sit down and take him in, chew him over … all that his story means for the world.  Take your time.

Tuesday January 1st 2019 – Seeking Understanding

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

Evening: Psalm 148; John 16:23-30

Happy New Year!  Today, I am taking more space than usual to explain what you might expect in these daily 100 words during 2019 …

Beginning today, I am calling these reflections ‘Seeking Understanding’.  They attempt and invite understanding.  Mostly, I use non-religious language accessible to all, though the central character is Jesus.

Many people say they do not understand the Way of Jesus – they either believe it blindly or reject it.  These reflections invite us to dedicate time and effort each day to understanding the things we believe and the things we do not.

In so many areas of human endeavour, it takes a lifetime to gain mastery – Art, Mechanics, Carpentry, Parenting, Medicine, Cooking, Law, Science, Politics, Psychology.  Yet sometimes we imagine we will understand the Way of Jesus in a moment.  Or we believe we already understand without effort … which can actually lead to huge mis-understanding.

Perseverance is required. St. Paul writes, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit.”  If you want to be sure things make sense to you, don’t just believe all you’ve been told, nor dismiss things out of hand … explore more deeply.

I am inviting you to reflect with me on a couple of levels:

1. Digging into things so as to give a more reasonable foundation to whatever faith you have; and, if you are not a person of faith, you may want to understand what leads some people to faith.
2. Once you take the step of faith, you are on a new journey of understanding.  St. Augustine (354-430) said, “Believe in order to understand.”  If you are a person of faith, I hope you will explore daily the new territory that has now opened itself to your imagination.  St. Anselm (1033 – 1109) called this “Faith seeking understanding.”

I am calling this daily reflection ‘Seeking Understanding’ because its goal is to invite both the understanding that precedes faith and the understanding that is enriched by faith.

Onward! …