Another Pharisee?

Nobody wants to be caught being the Pharisee.

Nobody wants to be the one at the front of the group guilty of spouting their own accomplishments.  To be more clear:  we don't mind tooting our own horn (occassionally) but it is embarrassing to be so obvious that Jesus has to use you as an example in a parable.  Know what I mean?

First off, you look like a cad whose mother never taught them how to behave in public.  If you are going to brag, you need to learn how to do it quietly and with poise.  A little self-deprecating humor helps.

Second, folks are going to react poorly.  When confronted with 'the star pupil' we begin to look for flaws we can highlight.  You know, he might fast twice a week but he eats chocolate with every meal!  (not so horrible in my eyes, but you get the idea).  He might get an A in physics but he failed his driver's test 3 times.  She might be the lead cheerleader but her sister's .......   On and on it goes as we come up with nasty comparisons in order to 'take her down a peg or two."

Third, once you claim it outloud, you will need to live up to that reputation.....always!  Folks have long memories when you have successfully made them look bad and they are simply waiting for an opportunity to turn the tables.

Therefore, my advice is, brag in private.

No, not really.  That's terrible spiritual advice.  If we expend all our energy (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) comparing ourselves to others, then what is left to focus on God and the work Jesus has called us to in this world?:

If all our attention is given to how we measure up......and here it goes both ways: whether you think you are better than everyone else or you think you are worse than most...........what attention do we have for God?  What thanks do we have for the gift of life?  What attitude do we hold for our neighbor?  How are we a part of bringing the kingdom of God into this world today?

In Luke 18 Jesus tells this parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector who go to the temple to pray.  Except, of course, the Pharisee isn't praying to God, he is running for office.  He neither hears nor sees God because he is so full of himself.

Nobody wants to be caught being the Pharisee.

Difficult Conversations......for the good of all

So you are not planning on having a Difficult Conversation in the near future.  Well, few of us do.  We rarely schedule "difficult conversation" in our planners; they just pop up and we are pressed to remember our manners, and the teachings of our Lord as well.

But I was remembering back to conversations with my children when they were teens.  Such a challenging time for both parties.  Our children are stretching and growing and trying out new identities just as they try out new clothes.  They try different language and different conversations styles (grunting is a favorite). They will try new behaviors and dream outrageous dreams.  The child we thought we knew seems to disappear, but then that is what is happening from their perspective as well - they can't figure out what is going on.

All of which results in some Difficult Conversations.  Now these are not equal conversations.  Parents are parents: that's their job.  But some of these 10 Commandments for Having Difficult Conversations might be helpful as you jump into the fray one more time.  With our children it is easy to see our vested interest in maintaining order and working for their good (we do love them).  That is not always the case when we talk about volatile topics with others, but it might help us find our way.

[All this while confessing that I have resorted to "because I'm the mother, that's why" more than once in my parenting career.]

Our last two 'commandments.'

9. Never ridicule another’s faith/ position. Those on either side of an issue often smirk, raise their eyebrows, and adopt a snide tone of voice when speaking of those on the other side.
Ridicule does not lead to constructive engagement.

10. Pray for those with whom we differ. Pray not that God brings them to see the truth as we see it, but that God brings us all to see the truth as God sees it and to repent of the pettiness and arrogance that blinds us.

A gracious and open heart can stop division in its tracks.  Peace be with you today, and as life comes at you.  Our Lord be your guide and your comfort.

Shalom.

Difficult conversation, part II

Lord, slow us down so we might look and see the person across from us as a brother or sister.  Teach us a new patience born out of a willingness to give the other one space to think and express themselves.  Amen

That is our prayer today as we consider this next group in the Ten Commandments for Having Difficult Conversations.  Sometimes those difficult conversations are about BIG topics, but often they are about smaller yet annoying things.  Think about your congregation's last discussion about "Changing Worship Time" or maybe "Using the New Hymnal" and you will see we need these skills for all kinds of conversations.  We start with #5.

5. Emphasize agreements. It is easy to focus on the points in which we disagree, when we  may agree about most things and about the most important things.

6. When others criticize, try to bring out favorable points. (rather than become defensive? yes?)

7. When there is misunderstanding, go directly to the parties involved when possible.
This can be hard to do if communication with others has been cut off, and there is no
guarantee that they will respond graciously when we approach them. But it is the faithful
course, and it is what Jesus tells us to do (Matthew 18:15-20). And you may find out that something has become distorted.

8. Try to remember that God’s truth is too big for any one mind. “My thoughts are not
your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). This applies not
only to the thoughts and ways of those who differ from us, but to our own thoughts and
ways as well.

I want to be right all the time; it avoids uncomfortable feelings.  But I am not, and how I manage conversations when there is a difference between us will either enrich my life and relationships or slowly condense it all to a narrow strip of existence.

I will try to remember these wise thoughts when I am in the heat of frustration or disagreement.
Lord, hear my prayer.

Talking with others

At a recent conference I attended, a colleague offered up a list of Commandments for Having Difficult Conversations........you know, talking with others who might disagree with you about stuff that often gets us a little hot under the collar.

The 2016 presidential election has made it abundantly clear that we lack skills in this delicate art of listening and speaking.  We tend to listen too little and speak too much and in the end, there is more heat than light.

The pastor who shared these rules posted them in the social hall and then simply chose a difficult topic for this week's conversation.  It wasn't something that their congregation was wrestling with; it often had little to do with their community.  The idea was:  get yourself a cup of coffee and come together with other people of faith and practice having a mutual conversation.  With enough practice, it was her hope, that these folks could tackle the more delicate subjects that were important to their shared life......and do it constructively and as a community.

Topics could include:  What to do with 81 (strictly a Syracuse question)?  Vouchers for private education.  The morality of privatizing prisons.  Dress codes for girls only.  Managed health care.  3 strikes and you're in (prison, that is). Abortion.  Gun control.

Over the next week, let's look at the Ten Commandments for Discussions that she shared:

First, start with prayer:
Teach us, O Lord, to check in ourselves and in others all ungenerous judgments, all promptings
of self-assertion, all presumptuous claims; that being ever ready to recognize the needs and
aspirations of others, we may with patience do what lies in us to remove suspicions and
misunderstandings and to honor all people in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Pick your topic and mentally work through the list.

1. Seek to discover the best and strongest points in the other’s position. The weaknesses
in the position we oppose may be clear to us, but we are often blind to the weaknesses in
our own position. Moreover, we are tempted to overlook the strengths of other people’s
positions and the legitimate concerns they are seeking to address.

2. Give other people credit for sincerity. Only God knows the inside of a person’s soul.

3. Do not listen to gossip and secondhand information. What has been filtered through
the mind of someone with an agenda (even if it is our own agenda) is at best only part of
the story and could be a twisted distortion.

4. Avoid classifying people and assuming that they have all the characteristics of the
class to which they are supposed to belong. The “class to which they are supposed to
belong” may not be what people say it is, and everyone is entitled to be taken seriously as
a person, not treated as a stereotype.

Tell me again

"We know that our actions cannot bring in God's kingdom for which we long.  

But hope plunges us into the struggle for victories over evil that are possible now.  

Hope gives us courage and energy to contend against all opposition

 no matter how invincible it seems for the new world and new humanity 

are surely coming in Christ our Lord."*

It is so hard to stand up against the forces of this world - forces as simple as the town government who fails to collect the garbage in the poorer sections of town.  Perhaps if it is your problem, your garbage, your teen who is being stopped by the police on flimsy excuses, your elderly parent who is not receiving good care from the medical community, your child who is always the receiver of harsh treatment at school - it is easier.  It is easier if  you know and love someone who is the victim of injustice, but it still takes courage and strength.

We know that Jesus insisted on the worth of every person.  We read stories about lepers and tax collectors and women of the night and Roman soldiers who are accepted and acceptable to Jesus.

 We watch as 'those people we would never invite to dinner' feast with Jesus.  We are challenged to consider that our judgments are jaded and nasty and far from God's judgments and do not reflect God's love.  Jesus loves.....everyone....and most especially the folks we find really hard to love.

We know that, but it is very difficult to take the next steps.  It is hard to stand up and confront the powers of this world and demand change (nicely, but persistently).  It is hard to hear someone pounding on our door demanding justice and to respond in love.  

It is hard to make the break with this kingdom to begin to incarnate the kingdom of God.  Following Jesus is difficult work.  Thank God we are empowered by the very Spirit of the Resurrection to do God's work and participate in the breaking in of God's kingdom.  

The new life revealed on Easter morning is the source of all hope for all ages and all people. Tomorrow does not have to be like today.  In fact, the resurrection says, 'tomorrow is going to knock your socks off.'  When we stand for justice, we get a glimpse of Jesus' tomorrow.

*This is a declaration of faith from the Presbyterian Church - USA

Just give it a little time......

Demanding action against injustice will separate you from the masses.  Standing up and insisting that injustice be addressed will get you labeled 'fanatic' or even 'unstable'.  Folks will want you to soften your language, and decrease your demands.  You will be set apart to some degree.  The larger the injustice the greater the waves you will cause by your protest.

In my lifetime this was clear in those who protested the Vietnam War; those women who wanted equal treatment in the workplace; and those citizens who demanded equal treatment for all races of people.  Boy were there some heated debates.  Families experienced estrangement.  Marriages were stressed.  The nation struggled and chism was everywhere and in some places, very, very deep. Assassination became a solution for some.

Martin Luther King, Jr in his Letter from a Birmingham jail, acknowledged all of this.  He was the leader of a group who pounded on the door of the American legal system and demanded justice.  He demanded that we live up to our own ideals as a nation.

I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the eighth-century prophets left their little villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their hometowns; and just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Greco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown........

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct-action movement that was "well timed" according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "wait." It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never."


When we read the parable of the Persistent Widow* through the lens of King's letter, it is no longer amusing and the expectations of those who follow Jesus are no longer comfortable.  Jesus said that this parable was about praying always without losing heart.

Seems like that is the least we can do for those who continue to stand oppressed.  It seems like calling on the name of the Lord is the most powerful thing we can do as we live in this world.



Luke 18.1-8

That annoying woman......

It's called the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18. 1-8) but I think that if we had encountered this woman at our front door again.....and again.......and again....well, we might use much less neutral language about this woman who simply won't go away. Our society has some pretty nasty language for women who don't conform to our idea of appropriate behavior.

Jesus, however, has no problem with the widow, but is fairly clear about his opinion in this situation.  The problem is the Unjust Judge and not the widow who keeps coming back for satisfaction.  In fact, Jesus would be hard pressed to draw the picture of this judge any more harshly:  "..I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone...." the judge says about himself.  Or to paraphrase, I am really only concerned about myself (and maybe his family but even that isn't for certain.).

The humor in this little story is lost in our translation into English.  The judge is concerned that the widow would 'wear me out' with her persistence, but the Greek verb gives us a different picture: it implies that the judge will end up 'black and blue' from the widow's constant harangue.  This leads us to a picture of some poverty stricken woman who will not be silenced, perhaps even shaking her fist at the judge.

I like to picture her pounding on the judge's front door. 'Don't you ignore me.  I know you are in there.  Give me justice you [perhaps she included a few descriptors here like 'good for nothing'] judge.  Give me justice.'

Jesus tells this parable in the context of prayer.  Luke says, "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart."  Prayer would have been my last thought about this scene of a widow demanding justice.  Certainly Luke concludes with "will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?"   I would conclude that we, like the persistent widow, are not to flag in the work of bringing the injustice of this world to the throne of God.  We are not to get lazy and allow injustice to flourish.

We are to enter into the fray wherever and as long as injustice continues here among us.  We are to be the ones pounding on the door of heaven, and the doors of the unjust judges around us, so that action will be taken and the powerless protected.

How will this re-shape your prayer life?  How will this prayer re-shape your day to day life?

Lord I believe; help my unbelief

Jesus says, "if you had faith the size of a mustrad seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea' and it would obey you."


One can read this passage and take it as a challenge:  let's see what we can accomplish with our faith.  For a myriad of reasons, I think that is a problematic reading of Jesus' words.  So, I have chosen to focus on those things within the Christian tradition that require a mustard seed of faith.  These are teachings which cannot be proven and without faith will appear nonsensical.  Once we trust these things, we have a foundation for a life of trust.

 Here's the toughest: Absolution.

As a part of the Christian Church, how often have you heard these words "In Christ's name, and not by any human authority, I forgive you all your sins."?  In the Lutheran tradition they are a portion of almost every worship service.  In the Roman Catholic tradition, a penitent can seek sacramental absolution through the Rite of Reconciliation.

As followers of Jesus who is reported to have said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" we have come to understand the central place of Forgiveness in the coming of God's kingdom.  However, believing that we are forgiven is another matter entirely.

 For many, this is pronouncement of forgiveness is almost too much to believe.  With differing amounts of sincerity, we stand before the cross of Christ and confess some thing that has broken our relationship with God or with our fellow human being.  We clearly state the case as we understand it and most of the time we have every intention of turning away from the kind of behavior that brought us there in the first place.  That is, we repent with every intention of amending our lives.

However, believing we are truly forgiven, that the slate is wiped clean, that we can go forth and live in joy in that forgiveness is really difficult.  We often believe that we have 'gotten off too easy' that no one, even God could forgive whatever we have done. Often we cannot forgive ourselves for being less than perfect.The little sins don't really need forgiveness and the big sins are unforgivable.

I think we may have lingering doubts about the forgiveness we receive because we are aware of how frequently we are repeat offenders.  We have trouble living as forgiven people. Old sins haunt us.  The same sins are repeated.  The forgiveness we seek we do not offer to others who also seek it.  Too often, as we face our final moments of life, we panic and seek assurance again.

Living as God's forgiven people, forgiving and reconciling with one another, living in peace and harmony is a hope beyond our wildest dreams.  To believe it, even a little bit, better on some days than others, can shift your whole world.

Just a mustard seed of faith can change everything.  That's powerful.

Mustard seed faith: this is my body

"Take eat.  This is my body broken for you.

Take drink.  This is my blood shed for you."

The presence of the risen, living Lord Jesus in, with and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion is received by faith.  This is not ordinary bread, although it tastes like ordinary bread.  This is not wine, although it tastes like ordinary wine.  These are the elements consecrated through the re-telling of the great story of life and love and sacrifice of Jesus.  These are bread and wine joined to God's great self-giving in Jesus.  These are the risen, living Jesus.

All of this is received in faith: faith in the one who first gathered his followers together and taking a common meal gave it new meaning.  First were the words:  my body and my blood.  These were joined to the ancient words of covenent and promise and then blessed with the gift of forgiveness.  Then there was the embodiment in the sacrifice of love.

Each time we call on the name of Jesus and tell again this story, each time the elements of bread and wine are blessed we become the body of Jesus.  The body is made of all who share the meal at that moment and all who share the meal, whether in our little gathering or across the globe, are the body.  We are washed with forgiveness and nourished for the work of Jesus' body in the world: healing, feeding, forgiving, and making peace.  

Every time we gather at the communion table, we re-member the body: make the body anew, refreshed and strengthened for the tasks ahead.  We are joined to Jesus and Jesus to us.  In bread. In wine.

As we approach the meal we carry our mustard seed of faith with us, praying that we will once again receive the very gift that has been promised and for which we thirst.  

....and we give thanks that no more than a mustard seed of faith is necessary.

The size of a mustard seed........

Did you ever own one of those necklaces that had a 'mustard seed' encased in a glass globe? (probably none of the guys reading this ever had one.  Pity.) I'm fairly sure it wasn't a mustard seed, but it was a good reminder of this teaching of Jesus in Luke.

"If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea' and it would obey you."  Luke 17.6

Now, I haven't tried commanding a mulberry bush or even a couple of weeds out of my garden and into the trash heap lately and I doubt that I will ever try it.  It just seems like a silly experiment that isn't worth the effort.  Somehow testing out our faith is an oxymoron:  if you are testing it, it isn't faith.  If it is faith, it can't be proved.

But that doesn't mean it isn't powerful and life changing.

Let's start with our lives together in the church.  What do we need to receive in faith?  That is, what teachings can never be proven but are held to be true through the faith of the believer?  Here's my short list:

#1  The faithfulness of Christ: that Jesus had the authority and the power to keep the promises he made

"For God so loved the world" is the foundational promise: that God sent Jesus into this world out of great love to bring life to all - and not to condemn and taunt it.  Our lives often leave us wondering if this is true; we wonder if we are being punished.  We wonder if we will be 'good enough.'

"This is my body given for you"  Luther said the most important portion of that promise is the words 'for you' because we need to believe that Jesus' love and sacrifice included us.  We are the ones for whom Christ died.  We are the ones that Christ loves.  Me - you.

 "Where I am you will be also"  is the most powerful one: that after we are placed in a tomb we too shall see the light of new life again and live in the glory of the Creator. This promises that in the deepest darkness, the most horrible of suffering, God is at work bringing forth new life - in this world, in our communities, in our neighbor and in ourselves.

Looking at this, I know that on good days, a mustard seed of faith is all that I can manage in the face of such promises which are, in fact, too monumental, too wonderful, and sometimes too overwhelming.

'Trust' Luther tells us....even if only a mustard seed's worth.