When truth is not truth

We live in a time when government leaders tell us not to believe what we read and hear.  We live in a time when 'alternate facts' is somehow a 'thing,' and 'truth is not truth'.  (a quote from attorney Rudy Guliani on national TV).

So we won't find it hard to stand with the crowd around Jesus who is claiming that to eat his flesh and drink his blood will grant them eternal life.  We've heard some outrageous claims in recent history; this is a 1st century whopper.  Yet, Jesus is dead serious as we wind our way through the 6th chapter of John.  "the one who eats this bread will live forever" and "the bread that I give to the world to eat is my flesh".

I don't want to water down this promise of  'eternal life' with some fanciful picture of people with wings living in the clouds.  Our picture of 'heaven' makes for good comics but very poor theology.  I don't want to water this down to 'grandpa is looking down on us' wishful thinking which eases our grief but doesn't provide any vision for living today.

I want us to believe that because Jesus lives, we live too.

.....that, our life, when hidden in the life of Jesus, is likewise hidden in the Divine Creator for all time.

.....that eternal life is not an endless stretching out of days and months and years; it is not a endless succession of seasons but rather it is all time and no time, it is before time and after time, it is eternally now, beginning today.

.....that to abide in Jesus is to enter into the deep mystery of God where our earthly powers of reason and understanding are not useful.

There is nothing out there in the world which will explain this to you.  In fact, I think it is the stuff that is out there in the world that drives us to seek God, to listen for an answer beyond the talking heads and loud politicians.  Hope that is linked to the economy or our personal work ethic or politicians or doctors or even (in this age of rampant sexual abuse) in clergy is hope which will disappoint and betray.  Only hope in a living Lord Jesus will prove faithful beyond this temporary world.

Come to the table to eat and drink.  Come to meet the living Lord.

This bread and wine can be a source of strength and hope or it can be a stumbling block because in this meal we come face to face with Jesus..........

the Jesus who is either strength and hope ..........or a snake oil salesman.

the Jesus who is either full life, all life, with no qualifiers......or he is nothing.

Here there is no compromise.  There is only covenant; relationship; intimacy and trust.

Eat and drink trusting that the living Lord will now become the center of your being, the north star of your life, the one who will hold you and never let go.

She told him the whole truth

"the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before Jesus, and told him the whole truth."  Mark 5.33



It is a story about a desperate woman.  There are a lot of stories about desperate women in the Bible; they parallel the plethora of stories about desperate women filling our news cycle.

This story is about a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  Beyond the natural discomfort and annoyance, her continual bleeding left her in an untenable situation with the community.  She was unwelcome until the bleeding stopped and she had ritually purified her body.  She was separated from others, and I would guess, a wee bit suspect.  Twelve years?

But she'd heard about Jesus, and sliding up behind him in a crowd she touched the hem of his garment, believing that in this way the power of healing would come to her.  It did.  Jesus noticed and he insisted on knowing who it was who touched him.

Thus the scene above.  She knelt and told him the whole truth.  The whole truth.

I wonder what she said, don't you?

To speak the truth is to confess.  We find confession uncomfortable because the truth that we are telling is generally something embarrassing or dishonorable or just plain wrong.  The truth we tell is this:  we are not perfect human beings and our actions at times cause pain and suffering to others.

We tell this truth to God not because God doesn't already know about our reality, but because there comes a point in every life when our masks need to fall away and we must own ourselves.  We fear this moment.  We fear that those who hear our truth will reject us, mock or vilify us.  I think we are afraid that we won't like ourselves very much either.  So we seek out a large enough bush to hide behind, just like Adam and Eve who said, "I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself"  Gen 3.10

She told Jesus the whole truth.  I am not sure I would know where to begin, but in the end, where I begin is less important than the very beginning of the thing itself.

Discovering ourselves in all our nakedness is not the worst thing that could happen to us.  Spending a lifetime hiding from ourselves just might be.



The whole story of this woman can be found in Mark 5.21-43

Beneath the cross of Jesus

"Beneath the cross of Jesus, I long to take my stand.

The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land

A home within a wilderness, a rest upon the way,

from the burning of the noontide heat and burdens of the day."  ELW 338

The cross is not a place to hide from this world.  Rather it is here that we find truth: our own weakness and the strength of Christ's love.

stop making me feel guilty....

I am called to be a pastor of this Church, the Christian one, a Lutheran persuasion.  So to be clear up front, I am well aware of the failures of the Church  - times when our humanness overshadowed any connection we might have had with the divine.  The Church has been guilty of supporting slavery, the Spanish Inquisition, burning Joan of Ark and John Hus at the stake....and a thousand other sins, large and small.

Local congregations have been guilty of moral judgmentalism, hypocrisy, petty conflict and both greed and parsimony in equal measures.  All these things are true.  If anyone should be aware of our own imperfection, it is the Church.

That however, doesn't change the perfect gift that is the grace of God in Jesus.  God called Jesus beloved and Jesus calls us the same.  The connection between the Divine and the Human was broken open through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  It's an open connection.  You are invited.  You are welcome.  You are loved.

I cannot fathom why this is not good news to folks.  I can understand that some folks think that it is irrelevant news of no interest to them.  But I cannot fathom how some can conceive of it as bad news.....but here is a possible clue.....

Stop making me feel guilty.  Stop saying I am doing stuff wrong and doing wrong stuff.  If you cannot say something that is uplifting and affirming than don't say anything at all.

OK but even if I remain silent, you will still feel guilty.  Because you already know that what you have done and what you have failed to do has caused this world to be a less friendly place.  Sometimes your actions arise from ignorance or inattentiveness.  Sometimes it's intentional, sometimes it's not.

I know this is true about you because it is true about me, and every other person I've ever met, and this kind of thing often becomes a burden we haul around everywhere.  We already know this stuff.  No one has to tell us.  But each of us does have to decide what to do with this truth about ourselves.

Jesus says, "Come, tell me the truth.  I already know it, but say it aloud so we can move past this road block.  Aren't you tired of the race to perfection?  Rest here, and let's put this behind us."  In Church language, we call that forgiveness.  You are welcome to call it whatever you like, but be assured it is a powerful release from the dance of perfection and pretending.  Say it like it is.  It will set you free.

The other option is to pretend you are not the kind of person who has ever done something that harms another.  You can use your energy to run and hide (from yourself and others) and put on a different face for the world.  You can even scold the church for making you feel guilty.  It won't work, but you can try.

Blessed are the meek.......

This being Super Bowl weekend, it is hard to decide which of the beatitudes are the direct opposite of the over-the-top craziness which is this last week of the NFL.  Blessed are the meek has to be a front runner (my alternate choice is blessed are the poor in spirit....)

Meek is the last work we would use to describe any of the men who make their living playing professional football.  I was reading an article this week about one player who was caught on tape (the ultimate faux pas) being outrageous, ridiculous, and at moments incoherent.  The author noted that this man (like all the others who play his position) had to be a warrior in order to enter the fray of this physically destructive 'sport' and sometimes warriors get a little crazy.

OK, back to the meek.  The American tendency is to equate meek = weak.  Doormat.  Walter Mitty.  Mice. Cowards.  Meek is not what any American wants to be called.  So we need to ask, What did Jesus mean by 'being meek'?  Perhaps we are missing something here because Jesus promises that they will inherit the earth.....and that surely sounds like a good thing.

A great deal of what Jesus teaches is about power and how it is used in this world.  He speaks of political power (John 18) and economic power (Lazarus at the rich man's gate Luke 16) and relational power (see Matthew 5: marriage and enemies) and religious power (healing of the crippled woman Luke 13). Jesus is not fond of folks who use their power to make the lives of someone else miserable.  Using power to get more for yourself, no matter how you define 'more' is the antithesis to being a neighbor or a brother or even a friend.  Using power to secure your position is the perfect example of counting yourself more worthy than the other. And there is no way you can Love God. Love your Neighbor. if you are busy ignoring someone's humanity in order to use them as your stepping stone.

Jesus takes a different road.  He refuses to play by this world's rules.  He refuses to strike back.  He refuses to destroy the humanity of the one who is destroying him.  Jesus chooses meekness.

Jesus does not hesitate.  He does not run away when the situation gets hot.  Speaking the truth, Jesus holds up to the light the actions of the oppressors, and calls them to choose truth and  love over power.  Jesus prays for his enemies as much as he prays for himself and his followers.  Jesus allows his own death for the sake of those who are killing him.

Jesus is meek, but it takes an enormous degree of courage to be that strong.  Follow this Jesus and along with him, you too shall inherit the earth.....no matter how awful today might look.

the spirit of Truth

Did you notice what I did?  I made the 's' of spirit lower case and the 'T' of Truth upper case. We Christian believers are more accustomed to capitalizing that Spirit - which is a nod to the Holy Spirit and not just any old spirit - but I want to focus on the word Truth. 

Jesus promises that the Advocate, the Comforter, the Spirit he is sending is the spirit of Truth (John14.17). Pilate asked, "What is truth?" (John18.38) when Jesus was standing right in front of him.  I think that Pilate had no idea that truth was a synonym for revelation of God in the gospel of John.

"What is truth?" The answer is as concrete as it is eternal. Truth:  the love of the Creator for those who were created is so profound that Jesus emptied himself and took on the form of a servant so to reconcile this world to the one who created it.

That's you.  That's me.  That's every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Now that's a Truth well worth capitalizing.

What is truth?

That's Pilate's question, "What is truth?"  You are not really clear to whom he is speaking....Jesus, or the world in general.

The world in general has a bundle of answers to this question (like 'statistics don't lie' or 'the one who dies with the most toys, wins') and it would have you believe that anything which you believe sincerely enough qualifies as truth.  This eliminates the possibility that you could be 'sincerely' wrong or deluded or mired in denial.

Christians believe that Jesus is truth; we believe that Jesus' forgiveness is true forgiveness and his promises of life upon life are trustworthy.  Jesus is truly God and truly loves the world for its own sake. 

If that sounds complex it is because nothing which is connected directly to the Divine can be simple. Pilate figured that much out, but, in the end he decided that washing his hands of the whole question would rid him of its demands in his life.  He was deluded in that as well.  Many of us are too. John18

Living with the real you

Theoretically when you look into a mirror you see an accurate reflection of yourself.  You see the real you. 

I think it takes a photograph to capture the real you, especially when it's a candid.  I am continually amazed at how old I've gotten.  Apparently when I look into a mirror I do a little bit of mental improvement without even thinking about it.

We are the same way about our whole selves.  We look into our lives (actions, choices, comments, desires) and do a bit of mental editing without a great deal of thought or effort.  We think we know and are willing to admit, if only to ourselves, the truth about ourselves.

Taking up the task of discipleship to Jesus means learning how to live with the real you.  Peter, having denied knowing Jesus three times, must admit to himself that he was the kind of person who would deny Jesus in a moment of fear and self-preservation.  Thomas, who wanted to touch the evidence before he would embrace the concept of a risen Jesus, had forever to admit to himself that he was the kind of person who asked for proof.

Telling the truth about yourself is a process of learning to live with the fact that you are the kind of person who.................well, what would you put in the blank?  Once you accept your own frailty, nastiness, envy, pride, fear, (whatever you want to put in that blank) then you can begin living with the real you.  And you can begin to give the guy next to you a little more space to be less than perfect.

BTW, Jesus has always known this about you.  Jesus has always loved you just the same.  Just don't convince yourself that God loves you because you are such a nice person, because none of us are.

Oh no, he's going to speak the truth?

How annoying and inconvenient and seriously embarrassing!  What's s/he trying to do?  Guilt us into changing?  Really, the truth is overrated.

If you've ever tried to gently, with love but conviction, speak the truth to another you've come up against this reaction.  Really?  I have to listen to this?  Jack Nicholson wasn't so far off when he said, "You can't handle the truth."

The truth forces us to face ourselves without blinders or soft lights or Alanis Morissette playing in the background.  No place to hide.  Adam and Eve figured this out when God confronted them in the garden.  Jean Valjean figured this out in Les Mis.  You've figured this out at some family gathering or other when 'do you remember when' stories are being told.

John tells us "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free."  (8.32)  But that isn't our usual reaction to the truth.  We want to squash the embarrassing, guilty, foolish stuff about ourselves.
(Although once you admit the truth, what more can be said?  Once it is out there, there is no threat anymore.  Of course, you have to learn to live with the real you.  A thought for another day.)

The people in Nazareth had the same reaction to Jesus.  I think they were expecting either a pat on the back or an insider's path to acceptance or maybe even a step up with God when their hometown boy came back and taught with authority.  They just didn't want the authority turned on them.

It was the beginning of a long road to the cross where Jesus was in his body the truth about God's love for all creation.  Hold your truth up to that truth and you will begin to learn the power of God's love for you.

Plenty left over for me

That is center of my message for Sunday.

That is the rule by which we too often 'discern' what is right and appropriate when it comes to money.

And even when we have been what we would describe as generous, the truth is, in the end,
there is always

Plenty left over for me.

Lord grant me the courage to look this truth in the face and discern your will and your path and then follow.  AMEN

"Seek good and not evil, that you may live"

This is Amos' advice to the people of the Northern Kingdom (sometimes referred to in the prophets as the house of Joseph, sometimes referred to as Israel).

This is what it has come down to:  seek good and not evil, so you may live.  Because there will be nothing else left after God's judgment prevails.  Amos 5.6-7, 10-15

Amos is one of only two prophets whose primary focus is economic justice.  He speaks of the economic oppression of the poor by their own people.  He speaks of the lack of justice at the city gate, both for those with disputes but also for the needy who sought help.   (Note:  a judge or wise elder would sit at the city gate and any party who had a dispute would take their case to the judge and he would make a ruling.  Amos claims the judges were bribed to rule in favor of the wealthy.)

In other words, the system was rigged.  That is what 'justice' is about in the Bible; establishing an even playing field for all where political or economic power is a tool to be used for the betterment of those in need and to advance the common good.  Not every one ends up 'rich' in a just system; but everyone has equal access and is the concern of every other citizen.

You may have noticed that we are in the heat of the political system.  We have heard claims, counter claims, truths, half truths and outright lies.  The thoughtful among us know that no matter what the candidate says, s/he must contend with the system once in office, and the unforeseen events that shift our choices.

And yet we must decide.  We need to listen closely.  Who will benefit from the position this politician is taking?  Who will lose out?  Am I concerned only with what will happen to me or have I considered the common good?  Are they telling some version of the truth about what is possible to achieve? 

This applies to both domestic and foreign policy.  Most of this is way beyond my pay grade; I don't really understand the intricacies of economic policy nor the complex situations that exist in Libya or the Middle East.  I work to think through, to listen closely to whether what is proposed will, in any way, increase the common good.  Is it just?  To all?

This text from Amos comes at a good time for us.  To quote Jesus, "Let those who have ears, listen."

Prophet's work: speaking truth to power

A prophet's job is to speak the truth to those who are in power.  All is well when the truth you are speaking coincides with the interests of those in power.  When the truth you hold confronts the practices and attitudes of those in power, then you better duck.

No one wants to hear that their behavior is inappropriate, arrogant, greedy, nasty, oppressive.  No one.  You didn't like it when your mother told you to 'straighten up' nor when a teacher called you on some behavior.  Consider our tendency as teens to 'mouth off' (however you might define that) and the sting of being called on our disrespect.

So we are all familiar with the emotional experience of being called out by another.  Therefore when we look at a story where a prophet challenges a king because the king is acting poorly, we can understand how the king might feel.

But few of us have ever had the power to silence the speaker - destroying both message and messenger.  For most of us the closest we come to that experience of power is in our relationships with our children.  With only a little imagination we can take the role of the mis-behaving king while our children speak the uncomfortable truth to us.  Not all of us have reacted kindly.

That is what makes the prophet's calling so dangerous.  A prophet (that is, one who speaks the mind of God) is only called in when there is bad news to report - bad news that will leave folks feeling shamed, angry, embarrassed.  And who knows what the king will do next?

This Sunday we have the prophet Amos going head to head with King Jeroboam and his chief counsel, Amaziah, and John the Baptist at the mercy of King Herod.  Only Amos gets out of these encounters with his head still in tack. 

BTW, we who follow Jesus are called to speak God's truth as well - especially for the sake of the oppressed, specifically to those in power.  For Jesus, this led to a cross.  Where will it lead us?