Boxes....a word from an old soul

"We are meant to get messy, make mistakes, 

and not be judged to death because of them. 

Boxes are for hiding this away........."**

pretending that we are perfect, wonderful, gracious, kind.....pile up all the positive adjectives you can imagine and they only begin the scratch the surface of the hard shell we put around ourselves.....

the words that pretend that we are not who we are
you know, the people who 'get messy, make mistakes....'

and because we are so busy protecting ourselves from our own truth, 
we build boxes.....with labels.....that reject and demean and ridicule others.

Because if I keep you busy judging others, you'll have little time to judge me.

This would all go away if we learned two things
    first, to accept ourselves
    second, that all the others are wonderfully flawed just as we are.

If we learn to love ourselves, we have a chance to love all the others......to give them space to figure things out, to learn, to grow, to make mistakes, to seek and give forgiveness.....to engage this challenging life just like every other human being.  Just like we are, messy and mistake prone; somedays even a bit nasty and jealous.  

Yet we have this word from the Divine:  you have been made in the image of God; fearfully and wonderfully made.  You are loved.  These are words you can trust like no others.

***Thank you Kathleen, an old soul at 17, for these words of wisdom and a heart filled with compassion.  How blessed we are to call you friend.

[apologies for the strange print this morning.  blogpost is having a difficult morning.]

Reformation Tuesday: priesthood of all believers, part 2

I thought we might better stick with this subject for two days with the hope that we will be able to bring it to some kind of conclusion.

If Luther's thoughts about the sacraments led to pastors replacing priests, the why would Luther develop an idea of a priesthood who is not ordained, is not presiding at Communion or baptizing?  How could Luther call all believers 'priests'?

It begins in baptism (as almost all things do with Luther).  In baptism, every believer begins a new life which is formed and found in the risen Lord Jesus.  We live because He lives; our lives are now transformed by His life.  This baptismal calling is a lifelong journey of faith, not just the increase of personal faith, but also the living out of the Divine Plan through word and deed.

Remember how in your baptism and confirmation promises were made to live among God's faithful people, to be present at communion and study scripture, to practice prayer and almsgiving.......and to work for peace and justice for all people throughout the world?   These promises define what a baptismal life looks like (some days we do better, some days worse).

We are called into a life of faith which is manifest in both word and deed.  We are called to be 'little Christs' to one another: to care for others as Christ cares for us; to forgive others as Christ forgives us; to welcome others as Christ welcomes us. So in each of these actions, we are to be the face of Jesus to others.  We are to be the conduit for the presence of the Holy Jesus in those moments with those people.  When we do so, we function as priests.

Luther was not elevating another class of people, but reminding and reiterating the response that is expected of a person who calls on the name of the Lord for salvation.  Baptized persons are expected to live holy lives, to be the presence of the holy in this world and to bring the word of salvation through Jesus to others.  These tasks belong to all of us.

We can be the conduits of God's presence in actions as simple as a hosting a meal, or caring for a neighbor or visiting the sick.  As important as the sacraments of baptism and holy communion are for our continued spiritual strength and growth, these other actions are likewise sacred moments when the love of Jesus flows through us to those around us.

Luther's priesthood of all believers does not eliminate the role and function of persons set aside specifically for ministry.  Pastors have dedicated their lives to learning, teaching, proclaiming and bringing the Word of Love in Jesus to all, and to equipping their flock to do this same work in the world.  It is a joy and wonder to live out our baptism in this way.

However, in the middle of the night, or in the ER, or even when you want your child to begin the baptismal life, there are pastors (and priests) standing by, ready to remind you of God's saving word of grace.....and to remind you that God's word of grace is for you.

Reformation Monday: priesthood of all believers, part 1

Before we wrap our heads around the concept of a 'priesthood of all believers' we might want to clarify a few issues around the title 'priest.'

We don't have priests in the Lutheran tradition; we have pastors.  The difference is more than semantics.  There are a very different understandings of the function, power and role of the individual who is ordained, whether as a priest or as a pastor.  It has nothing to do with whether the person is male or female; it has everything to do with the relationship between God and humankind.

A priest, as a result of his/her ordination, receives specific powers to effectively bring into reality the holy intersection of Divine and Human.  Eucharist, baptism, holy anointing of the sick, anointing of the dying are moments when the membrane between this world and the next is very thin; these are moments when the presence of the Holy is more palpable.  Priests are able to take the ritual and bring about the presence of the holy, that is, to make the bread and wine or anointing oil a conduit for God's holy presence.  This is the sacramental work of a priest; these things and events are holy because the priest makes them holy.

Lutherans have a different understanding of God's interactions with the creation God loves along with the unique role of Jesus as the ultimate high priest, the divine-human, god-man and intermediary between God and humankind.  Jesus is the final, complete revelation of God on this side of life.  Jesus is holy and through him the holy touches down on this earth.  In the cross, Jesus crosses the divide between this world and the next and carries God's beloved children with him back into the arms of the Divine Creator.  Jesus does the work; Jesus makes it happen and no one can repeat that transaction.  Nor should anyone have to; either Jesus is enough (as Son of God) or Jesus is not.

Therefore, there is no need for priests.  There is no need for a person, elevated through ritual, anointing and prayer, to bring the holy into reality among us.  The living Lord Jesus is always present, and most especially present at those times and places that Jesus identifies:  baptism and Eucharist.  Jesus promises to be present in the holy meal of bread and wine, and in the new birth that comes through baptism.  God is present because Jesus said God would be present, not because of special powers granted to the person who presides at the ritual.

So Lutherans have pastors.  These women and men are set apart by the faith community to give full attention to continued learning and teaching, and to organize and oversee times for worship, praise, prayer and the sacraments, and to lead God's people in the work of serving others.

A priest is a mediator.  A pastor is a shepherd.  Eucharist is 'made holy' by those who understand themselves to be priests.  Those who understand themselves to be pastors, also celebrate Eucharist, but the bread and wine are made holy by Jesus' eternal promise to be present. [please understand that this is the most basic description of the differences between these two offices, and as such, ignores all the fine nuances of theology involved.]

All of this to get us to Luther's concept of a priesthood of all believers.........more tomorrow, and thank you for reading this far.



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