tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39156617613809546582024-03-13T05:24:52.632-07:00tree gardeners of uptownbaum = tree ,
gartner = gardenertree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-52003868231828037262020-09-14T06:48:00.005-07:002020-09-15T08:41:22.512-07:00Jonathan Ferrell, Broken Body<p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_dDppbluHocIXrRjUXdFk55CtNZTYknJfmn9w0MZkvEcBziWasxMS7xbM0wN0hChxZWOTf6uV0TizfEW5-ksEN2zF4xHsneSaxPZI9F8GwpukLKSD8UqrImWzQEbn5lUvdXrfvN0YHg/w240-h320/jonathan+ferrel+rain.jpg" width="240" /></div></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It was 2:30 in the morning</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You lost control of your </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Car on the curve </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Smashing into the trees </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Your door unopenable </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Maybe you fell asleep </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Or maybe you were thinking of </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The discussion you had with your fiance that morning </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">(technically the morning before)</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">She was wanting you to commit </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">"Do you know where you're heading?"</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Working two jobs </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Trying to find your way in the world</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You'd been together for seven years </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">High school sweethearts </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You followed her here </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Because she got a good job </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Seems to know what she wants </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Where she is heading </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">"Are we still on the same path?" </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Maybe that's what you were thinking </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">When the trees came impossibly close </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The impact must have been jarring </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It was already the middle of the night </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And now you're trapped </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Inside the broken body </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Of your car </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You dragged </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Your broken body </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Out of the back window </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You went to the nearest house </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You knocked loudly on the door </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Since the occupants were most likely asleep </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You didn't want to alarm them </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">But you were bleeding </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You needed help</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">A woman came to the door </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Opened it </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Then quickly closed it </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">She switched on the house alarm </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The yard was flooded with light </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You yelled at her to turn off the alarm </span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"Hello?!" <br />Why didn't she help you? <br /><br />You heard sirens<br />"Oh, good"<br />Even though she didn't help you <br />She called for help <br />Police cars arrived <br />You wondered if your vision was reliable <br />You couldn't trust your eyes <br />Surely there aren't three officers <br /><br />There seemed to be a lot of yelling <br />Your head was splitting <br />You couldn't make sense of what was happening <br />You put your arms out <br />And walked towards the police <br />One of them reached out to you with <br />Something <br />There was more yelling <br />Your body, broken <br />Couldn't make sense of what was happening<br /><br />A loud sound split the night air<br />You realized too late <br />They were not there to help you <br />"Did you shoot me?!"<br />The stinging pain <br />The rapid sounds <br />12 shots <br />10 entered your body <br />You fell to the ground <br />Thinking of your mother, Georgia <br />Your brother, Willie <br />Your precious Caché <br />As the lifeblood watered <br />The earth of the house <br />Of the white woman <br />Whose tears <br />Brought these men <br />To serve and protect her <br />From your <br />Brown body <br />Broken<br /><br />"I was afraid" </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">She said<br />"I was afraid"<br />The officer said <br />When white people are afraid <br />Brown bodies <br />Pay the price <br /><br />It's ironic <br />This year you would have been <br />The same age as that white woman <br />Whose tears <br />Brought the men <br />To serve and protect her <br />It was just her and her baby <br />Alone in that house <br />Her husband working the late shift <br />At the hospital <br /><br />It's ironic <br />Maybe if they had brought your <br />Body, broken <br />To the hospital <br />He might have been there <br />They both could have helped you <br /><br />Instead <br />He will tell the reporters <br />Standing on his blood-watered lawn <br />"We just want to get on with our lives"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />When he walks to the porch <br />From the driveway <br />Will he stand for a moment <br />At his door <br />Where your body, broken <br />Stood and frantically sought help? <br /><br />When she kisses him <br />Before he leaves for work <br />Will her eyes be drawn <br />To the spot in the yard <br />Where your body, broken <br />Took its last breath?<br /><br />"I was afraid"<br />"We just want to get on with our lives"<br /><br />Maybe those were the same things <br />You were thinking<br />All day<br />Maybe you were afraid <br />That she'd be better off with someone else <br />Or that you weren't going to last <br />I hope you came to the conclusion <br />That you wanted to get on with your lives </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Together <br /><br />We'll never know <br /><br />Your body <br />Broken <br />Was seen as a threat <br /><br />Your blood <br />Poured out <br />At the base of a tree<br /><br />I painted your name <br />On a piece of poster board <br />Every Sunday <br />For weeks now <br />I hold up your name <br />I'm joined by many others <br />Too many others <br />Holding up other names <br />Why are there so many names? <br /><br />Cars honk their support <br />Cyclists ch-ching their bells <br />Fists raised <br />Neighbors stop to express thanks <br /><br />As I hold up the sign <br />With your name <br />Sometimes I realize <br />I am swaying side to side <br />Strangely like I'm holding a baby <br />Soothing him with a rocking motion <br />That's what I most think of Georgia <br />And pray for her <br /><br />After all these weeks <br />The sign is getting tattered <br />Hard to hold on to <br />The wind tries to <br />Rip it out of my hands <br />Other times the wind <br />Plasters the sign against me <br />I wear your name <br />I lift my arms above my head <br />Gripping the sides <br /><br />And although your life was taken <br />7 years ago today <br />There will be no rest <br />For this grief <br />This 7-year cycle <br />Won't bring back what was taken <br />No restoration <br />No setting back the clock <br /><br />That is why <br />I will hold up your name <br />And remember <br />Your body, broken <br />And proclaim your death <br />Until the long arc of the universe <br />Finally <br />Reaches <br />Justice</span><br /></div>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-29061149164183816112020-04-02T07:19:00.003-07:002020-04-03T20:29:16.986-07:00Nolan the Star Thrower<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eighteen years ago, I went to the hospital with some abdominal pain. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but what I thought was happening was an ectopic pregnancy—a fertilized egg that lodges in the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus and then grows there and often causes the tube to rupture. We had been trying to get pregnant for almost two years—so many doctor visits, tests, and procedures and just as many rides on the mental, spiritual and emotional roller coasters.<br /><br />So here it was, a Monday night and school was starting the next day. Being a teacher, I didn’t want to miss the first day of school, but the pain was not going away and so off we went to Cook County emergency room. Abdominal pain is pretty low on the priority list at a busy hospital, so David and I waited hours and hours just to be seen.<br /><br />Finally, around 2 a.m., my name was called and the doctor decided that an ultrasound was in order. I got wheeled off to what seemed like a closed part of the hospital—down a dark hallway to an ultrasound machine that was in a row of dimly lit curtained “rooms.” The technician looked up at me and said, “Do you want to see your baby?” I was so shocked—I didn’t know how to respond! The ultrasound technicians are usually sworn to silence and silently take pictures and tell you to wait to talk to your doctor about your results.<br /><br />I couldn’t wait to tell David! He was in the waiting room and I came out and told him the good news! We left the hospital around 5 a.m. and went to an IHOP and had breakfast. We called his parents as soon as we got home because they lived in Europe and were several hours ahead of us. We had to wait to call mine because they were living in Seattle which was two hours behind us.<br /><br />After we called all of our relatives, it was time to tell our friends. Having been up all night and then finding out our miracle baby was on his way, I was feeling very giddy and excited. I got to school and couldn’t wait to tell all my students and co-workers who had been praying for us. I had just finished telling them when Cynthia came into the room and said, “A plane just flew into the Pentagon!”<br /><br />We switched on the TV and watched as the news reported on the plane flying into the World Trade Center. There was stunned silence in the room.<br /><br />All that day, I had such a mixture of emotions. I had this amazing personal news in the midst of tragic national news. All day long, we kept asking “Have you heard our news?!” It was like we were offsetting the bad news just a little. Bringing a little light into a dark day.<br /><br />Nolan was born 5 weeks early, which was totally unexpected, and the date of his birth fell on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. These two juxtapositions of dates, along with him being my miracle baby, made me see him as a harbinger of hope. My little Star Thrower—a glimpse of life in the midst of the overwhelming tide of darkness and death.<br /><br /><i>Silently, I sought and picked up a still-living star, spinning it far out into the wave. I spoke once briefly. “I understand,” I said, “call me another thrower.” </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Only then I allowed myself to think. He is not alone any longer. After us there will be others. We were part of the rainbow —like the drawing of a circle in men’s minds, the circle of perfection. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I picked and flung another star. I could feel the movement in my body. It was like a sowing—the sowing of life on an infinitely gigantic scale. I looked back over my shoulder, and small and dark against the receding rainbow, the star thrower stooped and flung one more. I never looked back again. The task we assumed was too immense for gazing. I flung and flung again while all about us roared the insatiable waters of death, the burning sun, for it was men as well as starfish that we sought to save, a thrower who loved not man, but life.</i><br />–Loren Eiseley “The Star Thrower from the Unexpected Universe”</span></div>
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tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-80663734534881610992020-03-03T11:11:00.001-08:002020-03-03T12:10:20.982-08:00A Message to Y'all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Recently I had the distinct privilege to spend a weekend in the company of a Quaker elder in a retreat setting. One thing that especially caught my attention from this kind, calmly powerful gentleman was his use of the pronouns "thou, thee and thine" when talking to someone one-on-one. It was distracting at first because I didn't realize what he was saying, but once I heard him correctly and knew what he was saying, I found the practice quite intriguing. <br /><br />Several years ago, I learned that the pronouns "thou, thee and thine" are like the "tu" pronoun in Spanish - the singular, familiar form of the second person pronoun. This was surprising to me since I had only seen them used in formal hymns and they always sound so distant and foreign - leading to my misinterpretation. I love the idea that the hymn writers used Thy and Thou because they felt intimately connected to God and wanted to use the pronouns to reflect their close relationship.<br /><br />In the King James Version (KJV) Bible, anytime the singular form of the word "you" is used in the original Hebrew or Greek, it is translated "thou," and anytime the plural form of the word "you" is used, it is translated "ye" or "you." I have often in the past used the contraction popular in the southern states:"y'all" when indicating the plural "you." <br /><br />For example, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 should read: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Or do y’all not know that y’all’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within y’all, whom y’all have from God? Y’all are not y’all’s own, for y’all were bought with a price. So glorify God in y’all’s body.”</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although this language is a little distracting, it is an important distinction to make and can change the intent quite a bit. I think in general, when taking the message of the gospel for myself instead for ourselves, by which I mean the body of Christ, we miss a lot of what God intended. There is an online <a href="http://yallversion.com/">Y'all Version</a> of the bible, if you want to read it with that particular pronoun inserted. <br /><br />As I read through Deuteronomy this week, I thought that this book was probably particularly filled with "y'all"s since it is a message from Moses to the Israelites. But I was surprised to find that there are quite a few "thou"s in these chapters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />For instance and probably the most surprising to me is that the Shema is singular. In the beginning verse of Chapter 6, we read, "These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord y’all’s God directed me to teach y’all to observe in the land that y’all are crossing the Jordan to possess." (Y'All Version) That wasn't surprising, but a few verses later the pronouns change: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."(KJV) The Ten Commandments are also singular pronouns. I find it interesting to see where there is corporate responsibility and where it is personal. All throughout Deuteronomy, the pronouns switch back and forth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think the Y'all Version is easier for me to read and digest than the King James, but that's just me. I feel so privileged to live in a time with so much technology on hand to make my personal bible reading time more meaningful which I hope in turn enriches or builds up the body in some way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One small way I thought about how this plays out is found in John 15:7: "If y’all remain in me and my words remain in y’all, ask whatever y’all wish, and it will be done for y’all." If we all have to decide together what to ask God for, that is a big difference from what I might want to ask for myself. In fellowship with other believers, agreeing what to ask for collectively is an essential way to accurately understand what Jesus is saying here. As <a href="https://chadashby.com/2014/02/10/without-yall-youre-misinterpreting-your-bible/">one seminarian</a> puts it, "How much more would we value the local church if we realized most of the NT speaks to y’all, not you?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So grab your KJV or get online and go to the Y'all Version and read some of your (y'all's) favorite scriptures. See if it changes the way you (y'all) think of what the verses are saying. </span><br />
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<br />tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-68796599971369855142020-02-17T18:31:00.001-08:002020-02-17T21:05:37.947-08:00Imagos Dei<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This week's scripture readings in Numbers had some troubling accounts. The earth swallowed up some dissenters, there was fire from heaven, God threatened to disown and/or destroy the Israelites several times. As I was reading one of these more "angry" passages this week, I remembered something from a book that I read this summer. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The book is <em>Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God</em> by Lauren Winner. Early on in the book she offers “A Short Note on Gender and Language for God,” where Winner challenges the reader to use either non-gendered or female pronouns for God - even for a short time - arguing that the he/him pronouns influence our picture of God and overly connect God to the masculine. The biblical foundation for the feminine God can be found when God compares Godself to a mother, a laboring woman, a hen and a midwife and there are plenty of non-gendered self identifiers: a rock, a bird, cloth, flame and a gate, to name a few. She issues a warning with the she/her challenge - that we shouldn't just use feminine pronouns when God seems nurturing and masculine pronouns when God seems warlike. Replace them all and see how it feels; how does it shape the way we imagine God.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I was thinking about this in respect to the Numbers reading, I thought it might be nice to listen to an audio version of the Bible read by a woman. So I searched for one. There are no complete audio Bibles read by women. I couldn't believe it! There is an app called <a href="https://courageforlife.org/app/">Courage for Life</a> that has a large portion of the Bible available in female voices, but they haven't done Numbers yet. Another <a href="http://www.shirleybanks.com/bible">project </a>by a woman named Shirley Banks is trying to crowd source a female voiced audio book version of the Bible. There are only 12 completed books on her website. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since I couldn't hear the book of Numbers read in a female voice, I thought it might help to pick a modern image of God from one of the many film portrayals and think of that actor/actress speaking every time God comes on the scene. When I googled film portrayals of God, I found pictures of Octavia Spencer, Alanis Morrisette, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, George Burns, and even Will Farrell. I was also reminded of the Oracle in the film the Matrix portrayed by Gloria Foster. I watched a few clips of these different expressions of God and then went back to the text.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was surprisingly helpful to read God's voice as a woman. Especially a grandma. It reminded me of my own Grandma Billie, my mom's grandmother who would somewhat playfully swat my backside and say "help your mother" when I needed a little prodding to do the right thing. I realized that the angry male voice was terrifying to me, but the angry old female voice was somewhat comforting and had more of a right to be angry. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just try it with the following passage. Imagine your favorite grandma - maybe your own or maybe a TV or film grandma - a feisty one works best for this text. Got her in mind? Ok, now read these verses:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Num-11-16">Then the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle<sup> </sup>to stand there with you.</span><span class="text Num-11-17" id="en-NLT-4018"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>I
will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit
that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will
bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to
carry it alone.</span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Num-11-18" id="en-NLT-4019"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>“And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> will give you meat, and you will have to eat it.</span> <span class="text Num-11-19" id="en-NLT-4020">And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty.</span><span class="text Num-11-20" id="en-NLT-4021"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Num-11-21" id="en-NLT-4022">But Moses responded to the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’</span> <span class="text Num-11-22" id="en-NLT-4023">Even
if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even
if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Num-11-23" id="en-NLT-4024">Then the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In my journey to find the best on screen portrayals of God, I came upon clips from a show I had never heard of: Joan of Arcadia. After asking around, several friends said that they thoroughly enjoyed it. It ran for 45 episodes back in the early 2000s and during its run, God appears to Joan as a Little Girl, Old Lady, Dog Walker, Cute Guy, Goth Kid, Twin Girl, Chess Player, Mime, Naval Officer, Housewife, Businessman, Homeless Man, Sidewalk Vendor, Mascot, Street Guitarist, Balloon Sculptor, Majorette, Rich Woman, Loner Loser Kid, Bad Stand-Up Comedian, and an East Indian Sunglasses Salesman - just to name a few!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I watched a few clips and most of the first episode online, and I felt comforted and challenged by this idea of God appearing to this teenage girl in all of these normal people. After watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNMBTmAVrzo">this montage</a> put to music, I found myself wondering how each of these Imago Dei's voices I could hear speaking scripture to me. And how many times I miss God speaking to me because God comes to me in unexpected ways. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the beginning, God said these words to Godself, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us." Every person we meet, every person who has ever lived, has been made in God's Image. But more than that, it is only when we learn to hear God in every voice together - the unison of all of the images and all of the metaphors - the fullness of God! that we begin to get a glimpse of who God really is. And a glimpse is all we get, even with all of creation singing its chorus together.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I will keep listening with different voices as I read through the Bible this year. Maybe today, I will hear the voice of my friend's little girl, and tomorrow the voice of Vito, the karaoke singing senior citizen who lives in my building. A chorus of voices in unison speaking truth to me. All of it helping me to enter the Presence and helping me to be present to those Imagos Dei I encounter each day. </span></span></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-25972215971955769162020-02-10T10:21:00.000-08:002020-02-10T10:27:29.732-08:00Food for the World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week as I was reading through Leviticus, it struck me how much God was talking about washing. In a keyword search for the following words: bathe, wash, and clean, Leviticus was by far the front runner in the use of these words. So I guess that was on my mind when I went to prepare dinner on Friday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cook lunch and dinner for around 150 people every Friday in our commercial kitchen here at JPUSA with a team of about 3-4 others. Some of the tasks require more skill than others, and some tasks are downright tedious. One of the most tedious tasks is washing potatoes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I volunteered to wash them this time around since I had escaped this task the last time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone else was busy with other prep, so I was alone with 40 lbs of potatoes at the sink. As I started to wash, I was reminded of the Leviticus accounts of cleaning. I asked God to help me make any connections that the Spirit was trying to show me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why are you washing these potatoes? The question came to me. I am washing them so that they can be clean. That was the simple answer. I am constantly thinking of movies and TV connections, so the scene of Dorothy and her friends getting washed up to be presented to the Wizard came to mind. They went through an elaborate cleaning and beautifying process to be presentable to this Great and Powerful being they were trying to reach. I liked that picture, but it seemed incomplete and the metaphor totally broke down because the Wizard turns out to be a fraud and is demanding, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I kept scrubbing potatoes and listening to the Spirit and the question came to me again: Why are you washing these potatoes? The simple answer came to me: so that they can be eaten. Did you know that the skin of the potato has the most nutrients? Leaving the skin on makes the potatoes much more nourishing. This reminded me of Jesus's words in John 6:51, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the life of the world. This is the reason that God is making for Godself a people in the wilderness - so that they would be an example to the world of how to come near to God. God was cleansing and setting apart a people that would act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is still why people are called to be God's own. So that we can be food for the world. We are being cleaned and set apart so that we can bring the nourishment of God to those who have yet to experience it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On their website, the organization Bread for the World states their purpose as this: "As followers of Christ, we seek to express and embody God’s reconciling love at all times and in all places. Throughout the Scriptures, God speaks of our purpose to rebuild, restore and renew all that is broken (Isaiah 61). We work to end the brokenness of hunger and poverty in our communities, in our country, and around the world. We partner in God’s work to remove the barriers that impede the flourishing God intended for all people."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In order for Jesus to become the living bread, He had to die. And He told us that we have to die too. Over and over again. In all four gospels, we find the words, "whoever loses their life will find it." The synoptic gospels all have the words, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." We are called to die daily to identify with Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This death isn't for our own sake. Just as Jesus died willingly to become the living bread and the cleansing blood for us, He calls us to do the same so that we can spread this "good infection" (as C.S. Lewis calls it) to the rest of the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In his daily devotional, Bread for the Journey, Henri Nouwen writes, "When we take bread, bless it, break it, and give it with the words 'This is the Body of Christ,' we express our commitment to make our lives conform to the life of Christ. We too want to live as people chosen, blessed, and broken, and thus become food for the world."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is why resurrection is so important. Not just to signify that we will live forever in heaven someday with God, but that we can die each day and be reborn each morning with new mercies given to us by our faithful, steadfast God. In the book of John, just before Jesus tells His disciples that they have to give up their life in order to find it, He says these words, "unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it will only be a seed. If it dies, it will give much grain."A seed dies, produces fruit that has usually many seeds in it, and then those seeds can die and produce more fruit and the cycle goes on and on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several years ago, Metro Trains in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia created a video to promote railway safety called "Dumb Ways to Die." It became a viral hit and produced a spin-off game that is now in its third iteration. As Christians, we should be all playing a game every day called "Good Ways to Die." Let me explain. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If we are to take up our cross daily, that means to find ways to die each day. Some of these include denying our self by giving preferential treatment to others or by fasting. Another way was reinforced in our sermon at Uptown Church yesterday: forgive! We can die to our need to be understood. We die to the sinful ways of life that are destroying us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mother Teresa has a beautiful poem that illustrates these good ways to die:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Deliver me, O Jesus:<br />From the desire of being esteemed<br />From the desire of being loved<br />From the desire of being honored<br />From the desire of being praised<br />From the desire of being preferred to others<br />From the desire of being consulted<br />From the desire of being approved<br />From the desire of being popular.<br /><br />Deliver me, O Jesus:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the fear of being humiliated<br />From the fear of being despised<br />From the fear of being rebuked<br />From the fear of being slandered<br />From the fear of being forgotten<br />From the fear of being wronged<br />From the fear of being treated unfairly<br />From the fear of being suspected<br /><br />And, Jesus, grant me the grace<br />To desire that others might be more loved than I<br />That others might be more esteemed than I<br />That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I decrease<br />That others may be chosen and I set aside<br />That others may be preferred to me in everything<br />That others may become holier than I, provided that I, too, become as holy as I can.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God isn't calling us to be doormats, God is calling us to live a life hidden with Christ in God's presence. We can suffer these deaths because we know who we are and Whose we are. We read in Colossians 3: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." This secure position and right relationship give us the ability to die in these ways so that God can be revealed to the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech the night before he died, he said these words, "Like anybody, I </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">would like to live a long life - longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />In order to follow Jesus, we have to be willing to die in order to become food for the world. We have to say to God as He said, "not my will, but Your will be done."</span></div>
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tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-45610315325956021962020-02-04T18:24:00.000-08:002020-02-04T18:24:39.737-08:00Little Drummer Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past Sunday, we were privileged to be at the Bloomington Catholic Worker in Bloomington, Indiana. Matt prepared a wonderful worship service for us to share which included several of the lectionary readings for the week. He read them each twice slowly with silence in between the readings. I invite you to read them in the same way:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Micah 6:6-8<br />6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,<br /> and bow myself before God on high?<br />Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,<br /> with calves a year old?<br />7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,<br /> with ten thousands of rivers of oil?<br />Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,<br /> the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”<br />8 He has told you, O man, what is good;<br /> and what does the Lord require of you<br />but to do justice, and to love kindness,<br /> and to walk humbly with your God?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Corinthians 1:26-31 <br /> 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. <span class="text 1Cor-1-27" id="en-ESV-28374"></span>27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Matthew 5:1-12 <br />Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. <br />2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: <br />3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. <br />4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. <br />5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. <br />6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. <br />7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. <br />8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. <br />9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. <br />10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I sat in silence, the image and the song of the Little Drummer Boy came vividly to mind. I have always loved this song and I can't ever sing through it without crying. I was reminded of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIW7HR2LOo">TV special</a> that was on when I was a kid. It was TERRIFYING! It begins with the "little drummer boy" playing with his animal friends in the desert. The narrator tells us several times through the 30-minute special that he hates people, all people. Within minutes, the boy is kidnapped by two men who want to use him and his performing animals to make money. We are told in a flashback that his farm was burned down and he escaped while his parents perished - which is the reason he hates people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I think it was the wording in Micah that made the connection for me. The asking how to come before the Lord and what to bring made me think of that one with "no gift to bring that's fit to give our king." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then as we moved on to the 1 Corinthians passage, I already had this picture and so it was reinforced with the weak, low and despised being chosen. Also, the "not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth" phrase resonated with this little drummer boy image - especially the one in the TV special. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I listened to the Beatitudes, those beautiful familiar blessings, they also had new meaning in the context of this simple children's song. I hadn't seen the TV special in years, but I had a vague memory of the boy being poor, orphaned and kidnapped. He was poor in spirit and mourning and meek and hungering for things to be made right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I hadn't seen it in decades, I decided to watch it when I got home. It was definitely just as scary as I remembered it and also didn't really stand the test of time in respect to how some of the Middle Eastern characters are portrayed, but there were a few pleasant surprises. The transformation of the main character who learns to give up his hate in the presence of his Savior for one. But the most surprising was the last sentence in the show as the music swells and the "camera" pulls back from the manger scene to the star overhead: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." </span></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-88827818369559754582020-01-28T09:16:00.002-08:002020-01-28T09:16:51.744-08:00Lapis Lazuli <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.themodernpostcard.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Treasures-of-King-Tut-at-Field-Museum-of-Natural-History-Chicago.jpeg?w=901&ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="800" height="210" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.themodernpostcard.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Treasures-of-King-Tut-at-Field-Museum-of-Natural-History-Chicago.jpeg?w=901&ssl=1" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week as I was reading through Exodus, a passage jumped out at me. I have been reading the Bible for as long as I have known how to read and I have always enjoyed the Pentateuch. Some find it tedious or unnecessarily detailed, but I have always found it interesting. All of the descriptions of the laws and the garments. The instructions for building, for partying, for creating a life together between God and God's people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But this week as I read Exodus 24, when I got to verses 9 - 11, I felt like I had never read those verses before! I'm sure I have, but I don't remember them. When this happens, it always feels like a portal has opened up, a secret passageway that I could have sworn wasn't there before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here the verses are in the New Living Translation:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Exod-24-9" id="en-NLT-2187"><sup>"</sup>Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain.</span> <span class="text Exod-24-10" id="en-NLT-2188">There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.</span> <span class="text Exod-24-11" id="en-NLT-2189">And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them.
In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!"</span></span><br />
<span class="text Exod-24-11" id="en-NLT-2189" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this picture of a party to celebrate the peace/covenant made between God and God's people. There is so little description and I want to know so much more!</span><br />
<span class="text Exod-24-11" id="en-NLT-2189" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What did they eat? Did God serve them food? Why do they only mention God's feet? Did the surface separate them or were they all on it together? </span><br />
<span class="text Exod-24-11" id="en-NLT-2189" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was little, my family went to see the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum here in Chicago. It was 1977 and I remember waiting and waiting to get into the exhibit. I'm not sure what 7 year old me thought was behind those doors, but the waiting heightened my expectations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Exod-24-11" id="en-NLT-2189">It was late by the time we went into the exhibit and the hush and the darkness were palpable. There were glass cases containing treasures, each one lit from inside - the majority of the light in the room came from these magical boxes. Traveling back in time to ancient Egypt, touching a bit of history. Mummies and pharaohs were mysterious figures, one from cartoons and the other from bible stories. </span>I don't remember much of what I saw that night, but I do remember seeing lapis lazuli for the first time. The blue was so stunning and I loved the sounds of the words together. So luxurious. So kingly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This passage's mention of lapis lazuli transported me back to that night for a moment, and some of the emotions from that experience seem apropos - the awe and wonder in the presence of a king, the timelessness, the inability to describe what I saw. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever Moses and his family and the elders saw that day, I am sure it was full of these same emotions. Sometimes the telling of it doesn't measure up, so it seems better to treasure it instead. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lately I find myself doing this. Instead of taking pictures of gatherings with friends, I find that the times I don't post on social media or document it in any way are more precious to me. A time to treasure and not to broadcast. A private moment. A hidden event. Just a sentence in my journal or a ticket stub. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever happened that day on the mountain was just such a moment. A time to bolster these leaders as they prepared for their wilderness journey. A reminder that God was with them and would feed and provide. A seal on the covenant that they were making together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throughout the wilderness wanderings and the making and keeping of the tabernacle, the color blue will be a major theme. Blue threads, blue cloths to cover the most holy instruments of worship.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The surface was also described as "clear as the sky" - did they look up on a clear day and reminisce about that time at God's table? Built into creation and commandments, there are these reminders of God's presence and provision.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This story is an example of God breaking through in a tangible way. The blue surface seems to be the most vibrant memory from that day. In my life, the times that I have felt closest to God sometimes have these types of touchstones: a smell, a touch, a sound, a feeling. Then when I see that color or touch that ticket stub in my pocket, or whatever it is, I am reminded of God's faithfulness. And just for a moment, I am transported to my hidden life with God and I feast on God's presence. </span>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-20343766628067742222020-01-20T13:16:00.001-08:002020-01-20T20:33:50.696-08:00Good News for All People<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c38bf650-7fff-c0d1-3d40-cfa0947bcf8f" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="468" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xlwQGSmS0bru9_N_uyfpRHg7iU2KLwkdF-lOw4gtqOXj_0S7YoSrqzlcz3BlsbJSKxqVd521S9cwCklhw6d4uWhTXxD9eWOVxsJoltmK6svWFw5t_e6Mw2wnjIXfxoQiBAjyaqW3" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -63px;" width="624" /></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week in our <a href="https://www.readscripture.org/">scripture readings</a>, the people of Israel made it into Egypt. It is a story of redemption and reconnection. A resurrection story - this son that Jacob thought was dead is alive, the son that was lost is found. The family moves to the land of Goshen and settles separately from the Egyptians because of their agrarian way of life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward hundreds of years and the Israelites have become numerous and the new rulers in the land fear them and enslave them. God’s desire is to fulfill God’s promise to the people of Israel that they would live in the land of Canaan - the land promised to Abraham. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God calls to Moses from the burning bush to get his attention. The beginning of many strange wonders, but Moses has a hard time trusting God. In order to show Moses that God desires a collaboration, God gives Moses a partner - his brother Aaron - to accompany him. Through a series of devastating plagues, God demonstrates sovereignty over the gods of Egypt and provision for the people of Israel. Before each one, God gives Pharaoh a chance to avoid the oncoming plague.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This has always been presented to me as a story of good guys and bad guys. God’s chosen people and those destined for destruction. It’s easier that way. Clear winners and losers. But I am trying to listen better to the good news for all, so I tried to see how this story could possibly be good news for Pharaoh and the Egyptians.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the specific context of Egypt, they worshiped many <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLomnZIvoFs">gods</a> - even Pharaoh was considered a god in human form - often as Horus, the son of Ra. Each of the plagues dismantled the power of the Egyptian gods in increasing measure of importance and power. The last two plagues, darkness and death of the first born, attack Ra, the Sun god, and Pharaoh as the son of Ra.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s part of the good news for the oppressors.. A chance to see that the gods that they depend on for their safety and dominance are nothing compared to the God of the universe. God dismantles the systems little by little, giving Pharaoh a chance to change - to repent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The redemption for the enslaved people was physical freedom, but the redemption for the oppressors was breaking down the systems that made enslavement possible. Israel will be on the receiving end of this type of redemption several hundreds of years later when they find themselves conquered and in exile. It can’t be good news for Judah and Israel later if it is not also good news for Pharaoh and Egypt now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I was praying about how this story could possibly be good for all parties in the story, the picture of the end scene of The Lord of the Flies flashed into my mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you haven’t read it or seen any of the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G3B6bjwBfk"> film adaptations</a>, the basic story is of a group of boys who find themselves without adult supervision on a deserted island after their plane is shot down and the pilot (the only adult!) is killed in the crash. They start to develop some rules of order and leadership, but things start to disintegrate quickly as one of the boys, Jack, sets himself against Ralph. He leads most of the others to accidentally kill a boy named Simon during a frenzied violent “dance” and mistreat and eventually kill another boy whom they nicknamed Piggy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the book, Jack is leading all of the other boys to hunt down and kill Ralph. They can’t find him in the thick jungle of the island and so they decide to smoke him out. This large fire attracts the attention of a nearby ship who comes to the island to see what is happening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As Ralph emerges from the cover of the jungle onto the beach where he is vulnerable and exposed to his attackers, he finds himself at the feet of a soldier. As the other boys emerge from the jungle, screaming and covered with war paint and wielding homemade weapons, they too see the soldier and they are stopped in their tracks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmHy34EWlpw">90s film version</a>, the soldier says to the boys, “What are you guys doing?” In the book, it is even more profound and deeply layered: “What have you been doing? Having a war or something?” This interruption provides salvation for not just Ralph but also for the boys who were about to do something unthinkable and destructive. This type of violent behavior affects the perpetrators as trauma.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this <a href="http://www.theinclusionsolution.me/point-view-lets-talk-identity-based-trauma/">article </a>on the Inclusion Solution’s website, this type of trauma is described: </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.markcharles2020.com/">Mark Charles</a>, a Native American (Navajo) pastor and activist,<a href="https://vimeo.com/202824732"> contends</a> that white people who have perpetrated injustices against people of color over generations also experience trauma, not as victims but as perpetrators. Perpetration Induced Traumatic Stress (PITS),<a href="https://mettacenter.org/definitions/pits/"> a term coined by peace psychologist Rachel MacNair</a>, describes incidents of PTSD resulting from the trauma of having committed violence, as contrasted with trauma caused by witnessing or being the recipient of a violent act. Charles says that a nation built on 500 years of perpetuating injustices must also be experiencing historical trauma. He quotes Socrates: “The doer of injustice is more miserable than the sufferer. “</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This act of the Egyptians giving up their wealth to the formerly enslaved people, this example of <a href="https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/reparations-from-egypt/">reparations</a>, is part of their redemption story. The good news for the oppressors (and we’ll see this later when Nehemiah goes back to rebuild) is that they can participate in the restoration of the oppressed.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This concept is part of the messianic song which we see in Isaiah and then again in Luke: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Every valley shall be raised up,<br /> every mountain and hill made low;<br />the rough ground shall become level,<br /> the rugged places a plain.<br />And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,<br /> and all people will see it together.<br />For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The good news for the oppressors is different from the good news for the oppressed. For those of us experiencing relative privilege in the world, the words of John the Baptist provide a simple path to this type of redemption: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And of course, Jesus Himself gives us instructions along these same lines when He describes the sheep and goats: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me,” (more on this <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/biblical-narrative-economic-policy">here</a>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At <a href="https://uptowncov.org/">Uptown Church</a> yesterday, Pastor Jeremy gave a similar message. In our sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer, the focus was on the first words, “Our Father.” This inclusive, plural pronoun packs a punch. It shows that God is the God of all! In the practice of faith in this country, this has not been the case. He reminded us of the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o'clock on Sunday morning.” He then outlined racial injustices in the history of the church, in particular around the <a href="https://www.ibramxkendi.com/stamped">Great Awakening</a> and the <a href="https://blackvoicenews.com/2006/05/08/race-religion-and-the-azusa-street-revival/">Asuza Street Revival</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am thankful to be part of a church that is actively seeking to give voice to the disenfranchised and marginalized among us in Uptown. Our corporate benediction reflects our values: “Lord, help us to disrupt suffering and mend what is broken with the hope of Jesus.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I read the Old Testament this winter, I am asking God for the grace to read from the perspective of an oppressor. I am asking God to show me the good news for all people so that I, together with every nation, tribe, language and people, can look into the face of my Savior and be made whole in His presence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-11653687534669252512020-01-13T16:52:00.000-08:002020-01-13T16:54:35.855-08:00Look at Things in New Ways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Many years ago, I was driving in rural Illinois when all of the sudden the car filled with a familiar but unpleasant odor. "Ugh, a skunk!" I lamented. My friend, who had grown up on a farm, commented, "I actually kinda like it. It's just a strong musky smell." I was shocked. I had never heard anyone say anything positive about skunk smell! After she said this, I breathed in a little of the odor with this in mind, and it really didn't smell as bad as I thought. In fact, as it dissipated, I started to see what she meant. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This moment has become a memorial to me of sorts. I have often thought back to this when I hear or read things radically different than what I have heard most of my life - especially when I realize I am just parroting some idea or thought that is widely held but rarely challenged. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recently, I have been thinking a lot about what I learned about women in the Bible and women's roles in church and home. Most of what I heard and thought was what might be considered traditional or conservative. Women supporting men in roles of leadership but not leading themselves. No women pastors or elders. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am thankful to have landed in a denomination that recognizes women in leadership and I am now a pastor myself, but that didn't keep the old thoughts and rationales from rising up again as I started to read through the Bible at the beginning of the month. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are still so many places in the church where women leaders aren't affirmed. The recent comments from John MacArthur about Beth Moore and the subsequent responses doubling down in his defense started making me feel discouraged. So many voices saying that they are seeing things "biblically" and that the issue was "clear."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I started the bible reading plan, I asked God to show me as I read through the Old Testament what God thinks about women. Not that I hadn't thought of this before, but I really wanted to hear God for Godself on the issue and not any other voices. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first story in the bible where anyone has any dialogue has a woman main character. Have you ever thought of that? I don't know about you, but all during my school years, most books we read had male protagonists. If a movie or a book has a female lead, it's usually considered a "chick flick" or "empowering" and the expected audience is female. But here we see a strong female character. She has agency, leadership, influence - she makes a decision to be independent of God and to have the ability to decide good and evil for herself. This is usually considered to be the fall of humanity, but in many senses, it is actually the rise of humanity - this act sets in motion the complicated and intricate plan of redemption and salvation of a people with the freedom to choose. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several chapters later, the main character of one of the stories is Hagar, a slave woman who has been mistreated and runs away from her masters. In this story, a disenfranchised woman is sought out by God - God appears to her, talks to her, addresses her plight and redirects her path. She gives God a name - "the God who sees." </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God talks to her again after she is sent away a second time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sarah is also a main character in this story with a lot of agency (for good and bad) who is also addressed by God through angelic messengers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rebekah is also a strong female character - God talks to her directly concerning her unborn children. In the story of her family, we know about her preferential treatment of her younger son and the role she plays in the trickery that he undertakes to steal the blessing from his brother. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Already in the story that God is telling about God's people, there are enough indications that who the women are and what they do is significant to God. Women are named, have agency, are talked to directly. In most history books that I read in school, I do not remember hearing any stories of women. If there were an occasional story about a woman, she was usually someone's wife or mother (which is also sometimes the case in the biblical narratives) but definitely not disenfranchised or powerless. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am definitely hearing God loud and clear that women are valued and their voices matter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Going back to the skunk story, maybe you think it's a stinky example (ha!) since it's so widely acknowledged as being a "bad" smell. I think that is precisely why it is such a great analogy. According to <a href="https://www.dana.org/article/ah-sweet-skunk-why-we-like-or-dislike-what-we-smell/">Rachel S. Herz, Ph.D</a>, odor preference is learned and not hardwired. I think that some of the ways that people arrive at their beliefs are influenced by their environment and/or "inherited." I find it refreshing to read and reread God's word with the Holy Spirit guiding my thoughts and pointing out things I hadn't seen before. As Jesus said to His disciples, "</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the
kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his
storeroom new treasures as well as old.” I am looking forward to polishing some old treasures that I cherish and also to discovering new ones in the vast storeroom of God's word. </span>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-16406919459586607262020-01-05T16:36:00.001-08:002020-01-05T19:57:06.473-08:00So Many Threads<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Inspired by the <a href="https://www.journeywithjesus.net/lectionary-essays/lectionary-essay-index?jwjyear=2019">weekly liturgical writings of Debi Thomas</a>, I made a New Year's resolution of sorts to write each week reflecting on the readings in the<a href="https://thebibleproject.com/#study"> Read Scripture app</a> that we are doing together as <a href="https://uptowncov.org/">Uptown Church</a>. I love<a href="https://thebibleproject.com/"> the Bible Project</a> and was so excited to hear that we are doing this together. Reading the Bible as a people has always been God's intent - one of the many threads we see throughout the Word, but I am getting ahead of myself. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At the end of last year, my friend Angela posted a picture of her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157218388613051&set=pcb.10157218394363051&type=3&theater">loom and a piece of cloth</a> that she had woven. I have vague memories of my mom having a loom when I was very young and I definitely remember passing the shuttle back and forth and pressing the threads together. I didn't realize that this image was in the back of my mind while I was reading this week until I got to the story of Melchizedek. This verse stood out to me: </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">"Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High" Genesis 14:18. When I saw the bread and wine reference, I wrote down in my journal, "so many threads to follow." Immediately, the picture of Angela's loom was in my mind and her comment of having to rethread the 300+ threads several times to get it right. </span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">Is the world God's great loom? or is time the great framework? This made me stop and think of all the threads that are already started in the first 18 chapters of Genesis: </span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">covenant</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">belief/trust in God</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">good and evil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">barren women/birth/seed</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">trees</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">offering/altars/sacrifice</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">stories with women main characters</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">I am excited to watch these threads be woven again and again into the story of God and God's people partnering together to make a world where God is welcome and the people of God are a blessing to those around them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">I watched a lot of weaving videos and they were all so beautiful and breathtaking. The attention to detail. The breadth of the set up and preparation. Mostly replaced by machines these days, but still so many made by hand - all over the world! The one machine that especially caught my attention was the Jacquard loom - probably because of my love of mathematics and order but also because of the nature of the process. Watch here for a short explanation. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am hoping to write a poem each week as well, but I am not going to force it. This is one that I wrote in the wee hours of the morning today as I prayed and reflected on the many threads we are invited to follow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Master Weaver</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a reflection on Genesis 1 - 18 </span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the beginning</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the framework was bare</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the Master Weaver assembled the loom</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tying countless strings</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">blocking the pattern</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">preparing the cards</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">then, when all was in it's proper place,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the machinery lurched into action</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">strings going every which way</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the slap of the beater</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the motion of the treadles </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the shuttle passes through</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">back and forth</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">each pass creating a new measure of fabric</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">threads combining</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">being forced together</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this seemingly chaotic concomitance of chords</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">making order out of the tangled webs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the weft. the warp.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">passing through the proper threads</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">at the proper time</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this intelligent design</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">counterweights from above</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">working in concert with the countless threads</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to make a single cloth</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the fabric lengthens</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">until the time when</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the pattern is complete</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the final card is read</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the final row is secured</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the fabric is ready to be cut loose</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">all the loose ends tied</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the rough edges made plain</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ready to be placed</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">on the banquet table </span></span>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-57931512389805379842019-03-21T09:18:00.000-07:002019-03-21T09:42:28.121-07:00When The Party’s Over<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For the last few weeks, a line from a song has been on repeat in my head. And though sometimes there are just ear worms that invade my brain because a song is catchy, this felt different. The song itself has a haunting melody and the line that keeps playing is “when the party’s over, will you take me home?” The music and the words are full of such longing and sadness and speak to the part of my soul that is world-weary and discouraged. I see a girl standing in the midst of the wreckage of a wild party. There is garbage and dirty dishes and vomit and destruction all around her. In the midst of the party, I sense her making eye contact with her friend, her lover, her parent - someone who she senses will be there at the end. Someone who she senses will get her out of the mess and take her away from there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />I like this metaphor of a party because I love to throw parties. I have often set up parties from start to finish. Moving every chair into place. Decorating each table’s center. Setting each fork and knife and spoon just so. Making sure everyone has what they need. Filling water glasses, answering questions, serving food. And then at the end of the night, restoring the room to the clean slate. Everything back in its proper place. I am always exhausted and ready to go home. <br /><br />I was recently behind the scenes at a gala for a non-profit. Auction items were going for over $10,000 a piece. Everyone sitting at their beautiful tables talking and laughing with one another hardly noticed how many people it took to make the evening seem so flawless. But I noticed. When it was time for dinner, 3-4 servers descended on each of the 41 tables with precision so that everyone at the table got their food at the same time. And similarly, as people finished, their plates were whisked away. Out of sight, out of mind. <br /><br />Jesus talked a lot about parties. He also attended parties. Many gospel stories happen at a dinner or a party. Jesus talks about throwing parties over lost sheep, coins and sons. He talks about inviting people off the street, about how not to take the best seat, about accepting an invitation to a party without making excuses. He eats dinner with all sorts of people, many of them shocking or surprising to the religious people of his day. <br /><br />I have been participating in an Ignatian Bible Study for the past year and a half in which we do a lot of imaginative prayer. One way to engage in this practice is to put yourself in the story - imagine yourself as one of the people in the scene - and write a first-person present account of what is happening. It’s interesting where I see myself in these scenes. Sometimes I do imagine that I am a servant in the home where the dinner is happening. I’m overhearing the conversation as an outsider. In those imaginings, Jesus’ words are especially comforting. Hopeful. Restorative. But if I put myself in the place of the Pharisees, I find Jesus’ words combative, threatening and challenging. “Who does He think He is?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Recently at Uptown Church, there was a Bible Study for doubters. Anyone who felt like they had questions or doubts was invited to be a part of this group. My friend Linda, who lives in our neighborhood, decided to join. Linda has had a rough life and as a single, older African-American woman she had a particular perspective to share. One Sunday, as two younger white guys were discussing their doubts and questions about the thief on the cross and his promise of paradise, Linda interrupted. “There had better be something after this life! This can’t be all there is.” <br /><br />Romans 8:18 - 23 says it this way, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal his children. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.”<br /><br />As believing people, we are called to groan alongside those who groan - recognizing the signs of decay and being a part of the restoration of God’s kingdom here and now. Maybe the sheep and the goats parable is more about position than anything else. You saw someone hungry or naked or sick and you knew it was your job to feed or clothe or visit them. Not your job, but a sign that you are part of the movement of God to make things right in the world. The need, the lack, the sickness is a direct and outward sign that things are not ok. That our world needs saving. That God’s ways are not in place. <br /><br />Luke reiterates the words of Isaiah as he tells of John’s mission: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth” In this gospel account, it goes on to describe John instructing people to share if they have coats or food to spare and not to extort or cheat their fellow humans. <br /><br />As people of God, we are foreigners and strangers in this world. We are looking forward to our new home, as the writer of Hebrews says, we are “longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” While the great human party is divided between the haves and the have-nots, the heavenly party awaits where all are welcome and all are equal. As we participate in making this human party more equal, we declare that God’s kingdom is arriving. We prepare the way. Every place that Christians come to should be affected in this way. Relationships restored. Inequities evened out. Barriers broken down. <br /><br />But for every barrier knocked down, the enemy puts up a new one. For every relationship restored, others are broken apart. The work is constant and the signs of destruction are rampant. We will not see the promises fulfilled - only at a distance, in a dim glass. <br /><br />After putting on a big party or wedding, after the last dish is washed and dried and put away, I want nothing more than to soak in a bath or lay in my bed. It reminds me of C.S. Lewis’s description of heaven: “the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard.” So I will not grow weary, for He who calls me is faithful. And in a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. <br /><br />When the party’s over, God will take me home. </span><br />
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listen to the song here: <span style="background-color: white; color: #006621; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXYtwL4DXRU</span></div>
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tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-9219771794332679782018-09-02T16:31:00.001-07:002020-01-14T16:55:24.400-08:00The Meaning of Sacrifice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past winter, I was reading a book for pleasure entitled “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” by Arundhati Roy. It was a strange but beautiful novel; as one reviewer described it “attentive to the dispossessed, the marginalised, and the oppressed; fractured, broken, and sprawling.” I was enjoying it and it was, as all good stories do, speaking to me on a heart level, but I wasn’t prepared for the way it stopped me in my tracks. The main character in the book was a poor Muslim woman and unable to afford an animal to sacrifice on Eid. A friend gives her a goat and she treats the goat as a member of the family. She lets it sleep in the house and takes special care of it. She explains her care for the goat with this sentence that made me put the book down: “Love, after all, is the ingredient that separates a sacrifice from ordinary, everyday butchery.”<br />
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Since then, I have been thinking a lot about the word sacrifice and the act of sacrifice. I have been asking people what they think the word means in a modern and a biblical sense and I have been reading over scriptures in both old and new testaments that talk about sacrifice. <br />
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It’s a word we see all the time and it is used to describe heroic acts or giving up something good for something better. There is usually some sense of bargaining or leverage inherent in the word. At its best it sounds noble, but at its worst it sounds manipulative.<i> He sacrificed his life for his country. Your father and I have sacrificed a lot for you to be able to go to university. </i><br />
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The English word comes from Latin <i>sacra </i>meaning sacred, dedicated, holy + combining form of <i>facere </i>"to make, to do". So it could be translated as make holy or perform a sacred act. The Hebrew word for “sacrifice” is <i>korban </i>קרבן which means “coming closer”. Looking at the roots of this word and digging into the verses about sacrifice gave me a richer picture of this word. I don’t do this for purely academic reasons. I want to understand what God is trying to say to me. As I was doing this, I realized that pouring over scripture with the intent to draw near to God is a sacrifice of time worth giving.<br />
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During this process, I was reminded of a film I saw a couple years ago called Arrival. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. In the film, Dr. Louise Banks, a linguist played by Amy Adams, is hired by the government to decipher a message from aliens. Their written language is a nonlinear orthography - which means that there is no beginning or end in the structure of a written thought - which is why the phrases are written in a circle.<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qr-FIHjS-S_w3FlU9mudAMp5HrHJe_ldBWEFCEL5XMM_w0TvEsT2J53RaoPrDJbVUp9FcKP_V3xKUputp-l_HUg6yOmkRMvrntYiEdjkeRKP0tEMMOvH_UiPJHUHp775f1DrpwVt" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qr-FIHjS-S_w3FlU9mudAMp5HrHJe_ldBWEFCEL5XMM_w0TvEsT2J53RaoPrDJbVUp9FcKP_V3xKUputp-l_HUg6yOmkRMvrntYiEdjkeRKP0tEMMOvH_UiPJHUHp775f1DrpwVt" width="200" /></a><br />
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As the movie progresses, Dr. Banks and her team learn more and more words from the aliens and begin to communicate with them. There are 12 total alien ships that have landed around the world and the different country’s experts are working together to determine why they have come. <img height="213" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8BVA0PzTvi_o903CGqKagCbHsEhkfbkEx95kgaIl0ejh6hvGQ2a8dIXPshOfRBbjMxv-UO5ayYnUVYA2YwHgaZFUVC_PnlssyGUh3gdPvLkv9XaorRRWX7fwrbDvICdgm1d3ZGWn" width="320" /><br />
The same message comes through at several locations and different countries interpret in different ways. Because Dr. Banks believes that the intent of the creatures is benevolent and also because she is beginning to have a relationship with them through their regular encounters, she interprets the message as friendly and wants to continue to keep the communication lines open. <br />
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That same message was being interpreted as a threat by some of the other country’s experts, but Dr. Banks poured over all of the other messages with similar words and attempted to understand not just the message but the heart of the messenger. And, this is key, she isn’t able to fully understand the message until she has an encounter with the creature itself. <br />
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Most of us haven’t encountered aliens, but most of us have experienced this with email or text messages. When we get a message that seems rude or short, it is best to stop and take a deep breath before answering. What is my relationship with this person? Are they stressed or in the middle of something? Do they have a history of sending me similar messages? And also a little self-examination is in order. Am I hungry, angry, lonely or tired? This can also contribute to misinterpreting the message. <br />
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Often we can get to the root of why we feel so wronged or frustrated with the message and it usually boils down to some resentment or distrust in our relationship with the sender. <br />
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In Jeremiah 2:5, God asks His people, “What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me?” When we find ourselves far from God, we probably can trace it back to some break in trust, some misunderstanding of His intent.<br />
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Just like the linguist who poured over the alien’s messages to find the context of their words, we have to study scripture in light of God’s character. And also like her, we cannot totally understand without an encounter with God, the Holy Spirit. <br />
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So as I read and reread passages about sacrifice and looked at the Hebrew roots and talked to God and others about it, I kept in mind my relationship with God and His intent for communicating with me. Which brings me back to that quote from the book and why it struck me: “Love, after all, is the ingredient that separates a sacrifice from ordinary, everyday butchery.” - I do believe that love is the governing ingredient of the universe and that everything God does is motivated by love. <br />
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That sounds so cliche and so elementary but let me tell you I haven’t always thought this way. For many years, I believed that Jesus’ death, His sacrifice, on the cross was to take on the wrath of God so that I could be spared. This theory of atonement is widely accepted but is deeply problematic. This idea of sacrifice as some sort of appeasement can be damaging to the way we see God and the way we interact with one another - it can unconsciously give credence to punitive solutions such as vengeance and retribution. <br />
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It is the Covenant heritage in the pietist movement that I have to thank for helping me to see differently. The understanding of atonement in that tradition is as a display of God’s love and restorative nature. God so loved the world that He sent His Son. It is important to know what we believe about the nature and intent of God as we study His Word. This way of approaching scripture is a core belief of our denomination with the question, “where is it written?” as our cornerstone. We as a church body are encouraged not only to find the scriptural basis for our questions, but also to work together as a community of believers to come to a fuller understanding of what we are reading. <br />
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When I read the Old Testament I often want to ignore or skim over the parts I don’t understand or don’t seem to resonate with the God I know. All of the wars and the earth opening up and well, basically anytime God seems angry makes me feel uncomfortable. But pouring over these scriptures in the context of relationship and intent and asking God the Holy Spirit to come alongside me as I read, the scriptures come alive to me. I wrestle with God until I receive a blessing and sometimes walk away limping. <br />
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One of the reasons I often misread God’s intent in the Old Testament is because I misunderstood the Law. I always saw it as some ideal that we couldn’t measure up to no matter how hard we tried to remind us how separate we are from God. But as I have shifted the way I think about God and His intentions towards me, I have begun to see the Law as a way that God was entering into every part of His people’s lives. From the clothes they wore to the way they prepared their food, God wanted to be present to His people. His instructions about how to care for the poor, the widow, the foreigner and the 7 year cycles of economic restoration show God’s heart for justice. And in the sacrifices and offerings, God gives them a way to come near to Him and also to be a people.<br />
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It struck me as I read that the Levites were provided for by the sacrifices, tithes and offerings of the people. A whole group of people were dependent on the others drawing near to God in these prescribed ways.<br />
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So imagine you feel the need to bring a sin offering. A lamb is hard to hide. Can you imagine? You are walking your sin offering to the tabernacle and there are people seeing you on your way: “Didn’t she just go last week with a goat?” You wave sheepishly - ha! Pun intended. This model of community where people are dependent on each other’s honesty, confession and celebration is a model for the modern church. <br />
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My friend told me this story of being a student in Paris many years ago. This was way before cell phones and even (if you can imagine it!) before the internet. She was alone and it was winter and she had a bit of a cold. As she was blowing her nose, she noticed that her snot was black! She was a little nervous about it and didn’t know exactly what to do. She arrived at class and there were other students there too. The professor was running a little late and one of her classmates started up a conversation. “I’ve been blowing my nose a lot lately.” Several people’s ears’ perked up. “There’s this black stuff coming out of my head - I’m a little worried.” The classroom exploded in discussion and relief with several other students saying, “me too!” “I thought it was just me” “I thought I was dying!” Come to find out, there were a lot of chimneys in the area and the soot they were breathing in was coloring their mucous. <img height="159" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/HvC46TN8kgiC-tWzl5rLFV6c3jOzkej_H5h8iCbaZ4YPCzE8_xRejipGG-cFVjkgey5kLTw7VGaiPliI_fSFA0pj9h_BP2gSVXZf9NUn3eHHVhWroaGTGiEWZWK4I4W6lHQ7kj27" width="320" /><br />
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When people are open and vulnerable about their struggles it is nourishing for others. We are able to breathe a sigh of relief that we aren’t the only one who fails or feels inadequate and that gives us courage and confidence to keep moving toward God and others. <br />
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Another thing that struck me was the laying hands on the head of the sacrifice. I don’t hunt or raise animals for food, so my experience with the process is very limited.I have some friends who own a small farm and they raise goats there.<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vbxzpQ0e-Co2lJ2i2-k6aCJqTHiK4WC3X68XsnJsrGU6p3PB93x9Ay1-nFORSJp-Unyf6K3DxY62Ge_hpX_-y_yYp5m9BnVXrut3hxkrgVI6bwIeIonDV0mXPBvS8JyMqG5Yc1Mf" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vbxzpQ0e-Co2lJ2i2-k6aCJqTHiK4WC3X68XsnJsrGU6p3PB93x9Ay1-nFORSJp-Unyf6K3DxY62Ge_hpX_-y_yYp5m9BnVXrut3hxkrgVI6bwIeIonDV0mXPBvS8JyMqG5Yc1Mf" width="112" /></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ks3TXX_CNuuRkvI6vpc5lWsJxro8EIOw5wpeflPPvruMKuXkDs3k82ati78xpo8wxGgte7lmah4cojbwkT0VU9lYvZMWJYdSvG1OoqS2ocWVRJEQHPSZbVCr98Wqt5gEGAjlvJJT" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ks3TXX_CNuuRkvI6vpc5lWsJxro8EIOw5wpeflPPvruMKuXkDs3k82ati78xpo8wxGgte7lmah4cojbwkT0VU9lYvZMWJYdSvG1OoqS2ocWVRJEQHPSZbVCr98Wqt5gEGAjlvJJT" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/N5mc8nZTHoCLdTi6R_RiH-PyEBP6Ixf7iwg_tzBYGZ7Uwo1WV2CIhqxsYM4lZPgYnAKvbFF_JhwPWmex_VtmSzfz5aUhUIXjNV5Zk_V0rTsyTaNjlr1s0CKfhdMKb3XdwarWORkW" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/N5mc8nZTHoCLdTi6R_RiH-PyEBP6Ixf7iwg_tzBYGZ7Uwo1WV2CIhqxsYM4lZPgYnAKvbFF_JhwPWmex_VtmSzfz5aUhUIXjNV5Zk_V0rTsyTaNjlr1s0CKfhdMKb3XdwarWORkW" width="200" /></a>Here are some pictures of Cirrus when he was a baby. I have visited them, and I got to hold some baby goats and it was really great. When someone brought an animal to the priest to be offered to God, they were supposed to bring their best one. For sin offerings, they were to put their hands on the animal’s head, and make a confession before the animal was killed.<br />
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I tried to imagine doing that to little Cirrus here. Can you imagine? Maybe some of you do hunt or prepare animals for food, so it might be easier for you to be detached, but seriously, look at this cutie! Now imagine that you raised him from birth and he is the strongest, best looking animal that you have. You have walked with him to the altar and there he is bound by the priest and you put your hand on his head and speak your confession. The priest then slits his throat so that he dies quickly and so that the blood pours out on the altar. Then the priest would prepare the fat and organs to be consumed by the fire and prepare the meat to be eaten by himself and his family.<br />
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It is no accident that John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God. This would have been a vivid picture for the Jewish hearers. What about us today? What do we think of when we hear these words?<br />
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Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. God’s word says in Hebrews 10, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.<br />
I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”</div>
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I invite you this morning to think of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. <br />
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He is nailed to a cross. <br />
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Imagine putting your hand on His head and speaking your confession. Speak it out loud. Name the things that are keeping you far from God. <br />
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He is lifted up. <br />
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Look at Him on the cross. He is there to show His love. His provision. <br />
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This is His body, broken for you. Take and eat. <br />
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This is His blood, shed for you. Take and drink. <br />
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Let us pray.</div>
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tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-56871070874699273822018-05-06T13:26:00.000-07:002018-05-06T13:39:06.847-07:00Reflections on the Good Samaritan - Lakeview Church of Christ<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1759976d-3723-b6ca-3fdf-c30782ed068c" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Today’s text is from Luke 10:25-37 and is known as the story of the Good Samaritan. But the context is (as always) very important to understanding this story, so as I read it to you this morning, listen to the bigger story surrounding this well known story. <br /><br /><i>25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”<br />26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”<br />27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10&version=NIV#fen-NIV-25391c">c</a>]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10&version=NIV#fen-NIV-25391d">d</a>]”<br />28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”<br />29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”<br />30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10&version=NIV#fen-NIV-25399e">e</a>] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’<br />36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”<br />37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”</i><br /><br />On one level, this is a story, a familiar story, of what it means to love our neighbor. All my life growing up I thought of it as just that. I have heard many sermons reinforcing this idea - and it is true that God wants us to love our neighbor. As Martin Luther King Jr. says in his sermon the day before he was assassinated:<br /><br />Now, you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn’t stop. [and] I’m going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It’s possible that those men were afraid. You see, the Jericho Road is a dangerous road.In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the ‘Bloody Pass.’ And you know, it’s possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. And so the first question that the priest asked, the first question that the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ <br /><br />But then the Good Samaritan came by, and he reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'”<br /><br />That is a beautiful reflection on this story and I don’t want to miss that. We see in this discussion with the law expert that loving your neighbor is an essential ingredient to eternal life with God.<br /><br />And so I could preach a sermon on reaching out, on not being afraid of the cost or if they are the “right sort of people” and be neighbors to those around you, but I think it would fall short of the big picture story that is happening here in this passage. <br /><br />Let’s look at the scene a little closer. Jesus is usually described as being surrounded by His disciples who seemed to travel together in a group from place to place. Maybe you’ve seen a film portrayal of Jesus that has a scene like that. He is walking through a town or sitting among some followers teaching and talking to them. And the religious leaders of the day were not at all happy with Him. They were suspicious and maligning and taking opportunities to test him in public with questions about the Sabbath and the resurrection and who He was hanging out with. <br /><br />And this is one of those occasions. An expert in the law stands up in the midst of this gathering of Jesus and his followers and wants to see how He will answer this fundamental question. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”<br /><br />And being the great Teacher that He is, Jesus turns the question back on the asker. How do you interpret what God says on the subject? What does the Law have to say about it? And surprisingly (or maybe he heard Jesus give this answer on another occasion) he says that the Law says to love God and love your neighbor. Great! Jesus affirms him - do this! You got it!<br /><br />But, the text tells us, he wants to justify himself - wants to prove himself right, wants to show off his goodness - so he asks a second question. “Who is my neighbor?” he was pretty sure of himself and of what Jesus would say. <br /><br />But Jesus cannot be contained or contrived or cajoled to fit into a human way of thinking. This is a showdown where Jesus asserts His kingdom values. Instead of a quick answer, a checklist, or an easy definition, Jesus tells a story. <br /><br />Thomas G. Long, of Emory’s School of Theology, describes the scene this way, <i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Jesus did not respond as expected. He did not congratulate the lawyer as a man of good standing. To the contrary, he buckled the lawyer’s knees and threw him into a ditch. He did so by telling a story, a parable. “A certain man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho…,” he begins. Because this “certain man,”... is generic and everybody had traveled that Jericho road from time to time, Jesus was, in effect, saying to the lawyer, ‘Imagine that you were heading down the old road from Jerusalem to Jericho and then a terrible thing happened to you. You fell into the hands of robbers who stripped you, beat you, and left you for half dead.’ In short, the lawyer, who Luke says ‘stood up to test Jesus’ and wanted ‘to justify himself,’ now finds himself face down beside the road. No longer in the stance of righteousness, he is now in the posture of dire need.</i><br /><br />Jesus was not in the business of giving out a moral code or a formula - He was describing a Kingdom and an upside-down one at that. <br /><br />Putting the story in the context of Jesus’ purpose and message, I realized that it wasn’t just a story with a moral. The words that Jesus uses are important and definitely not accidental. <br /><br />First of all, the priest and the Levite are significant choices for the ones leaving the guy in the ditch. What is Jesus trying to say about that? The priest is a representative of the Law. The Law was what this lawyer was banking on to guarantee him eternal life. The Levite was one who carried out the duties in the Temple which represents service to God. So, neither adherence to the Law nor service to God saved this man from his helpless condition.<br /><br />“Then a certain Samaritan came by.” Using a Samaritan as the hero of the story is no accident. Another well known story involving a Samaritan is the woman at the well. While talking to Jesus, she asks Him about the proper place to worship God stating that the Jews say it is Jerusalem and the Samaritans say it is Mount Gerizim.<br /><br />The hearers of the Good Samaritan story would have known this controversy. The Jewish lawyer, like any other Jew of that time, would have considered himself as worshipping correctly.<br /><br />But how does Jesus answer the Samaritan woman? He says “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem...a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.” <br /><br />In using a Samaritan for the hero of His story, Jesus is reinforcing this idea. There is not a right way, a right place, a right rule to follow. <br /><br />Is it possible that Jesus is saying that true worship is happening here? That somehow when we take care of one another, when we love our neighbor that God is present? As Jesus says a little later in the book of Luke, “the Kingdom of God is already among you.” <br /><br />Looking even deeper, we see that the Samaritan is someone who was "despised and rejected" by the Jews. In the story Jesus says "when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him" which is almost word for word what the Bible says about Jesus in Matthew 9:36 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless" <br /><br />This “certain Samaritan” is a picture of Jesus. The rescuer. The unexpected Messiah who doesn’t fit into the picture that everyone at the time had in their minds of what a Messiah should be. The one who binds up our wounds. The one who takes care of our needs. The one that we would be dead without. <br /><br />Ultimately, He is trying to tell this lawyer a deep truth - that he is in need. That he is not going to be able to have eternal life with God in his own rightness. He is, like everyone else, desperately in need of a savior. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. <br /><br />As Thomas G. Long goes on to say, “the real answer to the lawyer’s question ‘who is my neighbor?’ is that you have no idea who your neighbor is until you, yourself, know how needy you are, and in that need receive the unexpected grace of being neighbored by God.”<br /><br />Jesus finishes telling the story and now it's His turn for questions: "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” The expert in the law can't even bring himself to say the word Samaritan. He answers: “The one who showed him mercy.”<br /><br />Then Jesus says, "go and do likewise" Show mercy. Find those lying in ditches and bring them hope and healing in His name. But he also has to recognize that he was once in that ditch himself. Jesus is asking him to do kingdom work. Because it is only when we see our own need for God’s grace and mercy that we can reach out to others from a place of mutuality and compassion instead of advantage or privilege.<br /><br />I think we are not all that different from the lawyer in this story. At least I know I am. I like to ask Jesus questions that I already know the answer to. I like to look good in front of the crowd. I like to have my way of doing things rubber-stamped by God and be on my merry way. But it doesn’t work like that.<br /><br />When I really take time to listen to Jesus, He turns my world upside down. Doreena, a woman in our community, had a great word for us at our prayer meeting on Wednesday - she said something to the effect of “Jesus turns our world upside down but because the world’s way of doing things is so upside down - when Jesus turns it upside down He is really turning things right side up!” <br /><br />This Good Samaritan story is so beautiful because of the many layers of truth. We are absolutely called to love our neighbors. But as we do it, we must acknowledge that we are enacting the Kingdom of God. Bringing God’s order and the gospel of reconciliation to life. And we do this not to earn God’s favor or eternal life, but to worship and revere God as our true King. To say no to the world’s upside down way of competing and comparing and categorizing. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus came to set the oppressed free, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and to preach the good news to the poor. Jesus absolutely made Himself poor and powerless and let Himself be nothing - considering equality with God not worth holding onto in comparison to the restoration of His relationship with us and each other. <br /><br />Jesus says, “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” We know it when we see it. We feel it deep within our hearts when God is present. When forgiveness is extended. When prisoners are set free. When the impossible becomes possible through the power of reconciliation. This means that we shouldn’t merely be good neighbors, but we should also let ourselves be neighbored. <br /><br />We sometimes have groups come visit our community from the suburbs or from small towns and they want to come see what God is doing here in the city. Many of these groups end up serving at Cornerstone Community Outreach, a homeless shelter just a few blocks from here. <br /><br />Before we go, we talk together about the people we are going to meet and spend time with at CCO and I always have them imagine what it must be like to be on the receiving end of being served. And then we talk about how it feels to give. To serve. And then I challenge them and we brainstorm together some ways that we can receive from the people we will interact with. We remind each other that we don’t give anyone dignity because dignity is God-given - we simply recognize the dignity of the people we encounter. Children of God. Made in God’s image. We let ourselves be neighbored. <br /><br />Lilla Watson, an Australian Aboriginal elder, educator, and activist says “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” <br /><br />We must die to our own privilege, our own selfish ambition, our own interests - we must take up our cross daily to follow Jesus. It is in our mutuality - in our shared life together that people will come to know this God we serve. <br /><br />Richard Rohr says it this way, “Until and unless Christ is experienced as a living relationship between people, the Gospel remains largely an abstraction. Until Christ is passed on personally through faithfulness and forgiveness, through concrete bonds of union, I doubt whether he is passed on by words, sermons, institutions, or ideas.”<br /><br />The God who loves us and knows us is the first community. The three persons of God exist in a continuous giving and receiving relationship with Godself. When we reach out to our neighbors and let ourselves be neighbored we are reflecting God’s glory. <br /><br />There is an old Hasidic Jewish tale that goes like this: <br /><br /><i>A Rabbi gathered together his students and asked them:<br />‘How do we know the exact moment when night ends and day begins?’<br />‘It’s when, standing some way away, you can tell a sheep from a dog,’ said one boy.<br />The Rabbi was not content with the answer. Another student said:<br />‘No, it’s when, standing some way away, you can tell an olive tree from a fig tree.’<br />‘No, that’s not a good definition either.’<br />‘Well, what’s the right answer?’ asked the boys.<br />And the Rabbi said:<br />‘When a stranger approaches, and we think he is our brother, that is the moment when night ends and day begins.’</i><br /><br />36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” <br />37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”<br />Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”<br /><br />Yes, let us go and do likewise. Amen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br />
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tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-5778974580398454732018-03-28T07:51:00.002-07:002018-03-29T21:48:28.764-07:00Acts 8 Sermon from summer 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Pastor Todd asked me to speak a while back on Acts 8, I started reading it almost daily in order to hear what the Word had to say to us. Some themes started to emerge and I started to zero in on some of the big picture ideas just as the events in Charlottesville took place. As always, God’s Word has a lot to tell us even in our current day. The Word of God is indeed living and active, sharp as a scalpel ready to perform the necessary surgery to our hearts. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s pray and then we can look together at this chapter. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The chapter starts out with the completion of the story of Stephen. Stephen has just been stoned to death under the authority of Saul (who will soon be Paul). Saul’s persecution of the church accelerates and people are being dragged out of their houses to prison. Philip and Stephen are 2 of the 7 from Acts 6 described as “seven men...who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” Philip, being a close associate of Stephen, was rightfully concerned about his safety, and, as it says in verse 5: “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.”</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Verses 6 - 13 describe Philip’s ministry in Samaria with many people believing and being baptized. There is one person who we meet by name, Simon the Sorcerer. SImon also believes in Jesus and is baptized, but is following Philip around amazed by the signs and miracles that accompany Philip’s preaching. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Word gets back to Jerusalem that many people are being converted in Samaria, so Peter and John go to see what is happening. When they arrive, they lay hands on the converts there and they receive the Holy Spirit. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simon had been impressed by Philip, but this particular display of divine power really gets his attention. He offers to buy this ability from the disciples. Peter rebukes him in no uncertain terms in verses 21-23: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simon asks them to pray for him as an act of repentance? Or is he just afraid? It’s hard to say. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On their way back to Jerusalem, Peter and John preach to many Samaritan villages that they encounter along the way. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In verse 26, we read, ‘Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (as a side note, wouldn’t it be great to have that direct of an instruction from God?!!)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So Philip goes and he meets an Ethiopian Eunuch who is returning from Jerusalem where he had gone to worship and he is reading the words of Isaiah from a scroll:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so he did not open his mouth.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Who can speak of his descendants?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For his life was taken from the earth.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.’</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then they traveled along the road a bit and there was a body of water of some sort and the eunuch asks Philip if he can be baptized. Philip baptizes him and whoosh! he is taken by the Holy Spirit away from there and the Ethiopian eunuch goes on his way rejoicing. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the beginning of Acts 8, in the account of Philip’s time in Samaria, we see that the gospel is for those who are racially and ethnically different from the Jews.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was radical news to the first believers, but they had been given many hints and outright examples of this by their leader, Jesus. Specifically in dealing with the hatred that Jews had for Samaritans, Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan and He also demonstrated His acceptance of Samaritans by talking to the woman at the well and then staying for two days in her village to talk to others who wanted to know Him. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Word in Life Study Bible talks about the implications of this hostility for today’s believers: “There are countless modern parallels to the Jewish-Samaritan enmity—indeed, wherever peoples are divided by racial and ethnic barriers. Perhaps that’s why the Gospels and Acts provide so many instances of Samaritans coming into contact with the message of Jesus. It is not the person from the radically different culture on the other side of the world that is hardest to love, but the nearby neighbor whose skin color, language, rituals, values, ancestry, history, and customs are different from one’s own. Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Samaritans were near to the Jews geographically, but far away in their hearts. And even though the Jewish scriptures are filled with stories of outsiders becoming insiders, the Jews of Jesus time missed that point and felt that they were somehow racially and spiritually superior. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Without realizing or recognizing it, we can do the same. We can feel or act superior to our neighbors who are different from us and who we perceive of as “less than.” If we are college graduates, it might be those with less education. If we are well-off financially, it might be those who are poor. If we are Americans, it might be those from other countries. If we are democrats, it might be republicans. If we are Cubs fans, it might be Sox fans! The list of things that divide us goes on and on and on. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The study Bible goes on to ask, “With whom do you have no dealings?” Like Philip, for us following Jesus should take us places we had never thought to go and lead us to talk to people we thought were “outsiders.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the story of the Ethiopian eunuch later on in the chapter, we see that the gospel is for those who are considered impure by the Jews.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">According to Deuteronomy 23, eunuchs were not allowed to go into the temple. The Ethiopian eunuch that we meet in this chapter is a religious man; he has come to Jerusalem to worship and he is reading Isaiah from a scroll. Most commentaries agree that he would not have been allowed in the temple but would have been able to be at the court of the Gentiles. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Inter-Varsity Press New Testament Commentary says that “The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch graphically demonstrates the inclusiveness of the gospel. No apparent obstacle--whether physical defect, race or geographical remoteness--can place a person beyond the saving call of the good news.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is so fascinating that he is reading Isaiah 53. The person being described sounds like a eunuch: “he was humiliated, his rights were taken away: And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living.” He is reading about someone like himself who was denied justice and harmed and humiliated. He sees in this description of Jesus someone with whom he can identify. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And Philip, being told by God to be there and talk to this man, doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t care that he is a eunuch - a sexual “outsider” or an Ethiopian - a racial “outsider.” He talks to him about Jesus and he baptizes him into the body of Christ. No one is excluded from the invitation of the gospel. All are welcome.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few chapters later in Isaiah 56, we find these words that perfectly fit the situations in Acts 8:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to backtrack in Acts 8 to the visit of Peter and John to Samaria to point out something important for those of us who are believers in Jesus: The “insiders” need to reach the “outsiders.” </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Peter and John come from Jerusalem to Samaria, not because Philip needed back-up or his work wasn’t complete without them; they come because they are known leaders in the church and their presence would legitimize and confirm the birth of the church in Samaria. It is the responsibility of those in positions of power and privilege to extend inclusion to those who might be seen as “other.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">James Rochford, on his website Evidence Unseen describes it this way, “These important apostles from Jerusalem put the exclamation mark on the inclusion of these non-Jews by stopping and staying with Samaritans throughout the region.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just a few outsiders in today’s culture are refugees, those experiencing homelessness, the LGBTQ community, illegal aliens, the incarcerated, and those experiencing mental or physical health challenges. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I said earlier, the list of things that divide us goes on and on and on. What can we do to become more welcoming, more like Christ - loving God and our neighbor?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Henri Nouwen says that, “We become neighbours when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation: between black people and white people, between gay people and straight people, between young people and old people, between sick people and healthy people, between prisoners and free people, between Jews and Gentiles, Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics. There is a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the street once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might become neighbours.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think this is hardest when we think our neighbors are wrong. It may be easy for us to stand up for those who are disenfranchised, but we are also called to love our enemies. This is a hard word and we all have to know our limits - what is safe and reasonable in our own contexts, but one thing is true for all of us - we can’t use the enemy’s weapons - the weapons of our warfare are not worldly - we must use prayer, the Word of God and love to fight against hatred. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to end with a story. I wish it was my story, but it’s not. But it’s such a great story about road crossing and loving our enemies that I am stealing it! It’s from a blog called Urban Confessional: A Free Listening Movement. One of their defining quotes is "BEING HEARD IS SO CLOSE TO BEING LOVED THAT MOST PEOPLE CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE." </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story takes place at the Republican National Convention where the Urban Confessional had set up a Free Listening station. A woman approached the table and said “I don’t usually do this, and I know this isn’t a hot button topic anymore… But, I think abortion is wrong. It’s not a form of birth control, and people who have them should be arrested for murder." Benjamin Mathes, the listener on call at the time, in his own words, “<i>had been Free Listening at the RNC for a few hours, and most people who spoke with me told me about their families, their jobs, and the things that brought them to Cleveland. </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No one had opened up about a serious, but controversial issue.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But here she was.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...when she told me [people] should be arrested for terminating a pregnancy, the familiar burn of disagreement started to fire in me. There were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted to change her mind, to argue, to disagree. It's a natural response. </span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, if my story brought me to my beliefs,I needed to know how her story brought her to her beliefs.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I asked:</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Thank you for sharing that. Tell me your story? I’d love to know how you came to this point of view.”</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She seemed surprised by my interest.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Why? It doesn’t matter. Your sign said Free Listening, so I gave you something to listen to.”</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Give me more to listen to.”</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“They should be locked up! It’s wrong. It’s not right to go out and sleep with whoever, then just vacuum away the result like it never happened.”</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She paused…then inhaled the entire world.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“And it’s not fair. All I’ve ever wanted to be is a mom. My whole life, I knew I was meant to have children. Then, when I was 18—18!—the doctor told me I’d never have children. My ovaries were damaged, or missing...it doesn’t matter which. I kept it a secret, and when my husband found out, he left me. I’m alone, my body doesn’t work, I’m old…who will ever love me…”</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wondered if she could hear my heart breaking.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“…so, I guess I get upset when I see people who can get pregnant, who can have kids, whose bodies work…who can be moms…and they just choose not to…”</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes, there’s nothing to “disagree” with.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t need to be right. </span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just needed to be there.”</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No one is excluded from the invitation of the gospel. All are welcome.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes we are surprised by where God calls us to go. Sometimes we are surprised by who God asks us to love. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In light of all that is going on in our country and in our world, my challenge to you this morning is to be a listener. To cross the road. To go where the Spirit of God leads you and to bring the good news to whoever is in your path. Those outside will be brought in and miraculous things will happen! </span></span></span><br />
<br />tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-37288414206219068592018-01-28T11:45:00.002-08:002018-01-28T11:49:56.678-08:00Hineni <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hineni</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I started preparing a totally different sermon than the one I am about to preach. I had it practically finished, and so when I said to my family the other night that I needed to work on my sermon, my daughter said, “I thought you were done” to which I responded, “I’m not using that one. I don’t write sermons, sermons write me and there is a sermon that has been writing me all year that I need to get out.”<br /><br /> And so I started writing it down, but I started going in too many directions, so I had Juniper read over it and she helped me rearrange and focus. <br /><br /> So this is that sermon. The sermon that has haunted and guided and written me all year.<br /><br />Let us pray.<br />Holy God who is present to us in all times and in all ways. You are closer than our next breath. You know all of our days before one of them came to be. You have searched us and know us. Help us to be present to you and to each other as we depend on Your Spirit’s comfort, wisdom and peace. Amen<br /><br /> Several years ago, I ran across a poem and then a blog by Macrina Wiederkehr. On her blog, she wrote about choosing a word for the year. This was not a new idea to me, but I thought I’d give it a try. So I picked a word and I think I forgot it by January 15th. So I tried again the next year and again didn’t really have follow through. In 2016, over the holiday break, I read a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer entitled Here I Am which is a pretty messed up story about some pretty messed up people and a family falling apart. But, in the midst of the story was such a beautiful through-line which resonated with my soul. The title comes from the Hebrew word, hineni, which means “here I am.” And so, with Jonathan and Macrina’s help, I chose hineni for my word for 2017.<br /><br /> So this totally new-to-me word cropped up in unexpected places. In the song “You Want it Darker” by Leonard Cohen on his last recording before his death, hineni appears in the chorus. When asked what it meant, he responded, “That declaration of readiness, no matter what the outcome, that’s a part of everyone’s soul.”<br /><br />A new acquaintance had it tattooed on his forearm. The band Gungor has a beautiful song called “Every Breath” which ends with a haunting repetition of the phrase “Here I am.” At times of deep joy and also of deep desperation, I found myself with arms outstretched to God saying “Here I am, hineni.” And so, I kept my word all year long.<br /><br />There are 2 ways to say “here I am” in Hebrew – one of them is poe which is like saying “here” when called from an attendance sheet. The other, hineni, has a deeper sense to it. Hineni implies readiness, total availability, an “at your service” all-in kind of response. Rabbi Ari Kaiman describes it this way, “Hineini means, ‘I am here for you fully, with the trust and vulnerability to do whatever it is you ask of me.’”<br /><br />My text for this morning is Genesis 22:1-14 and I wish it wasn’t. It’s an upsetting story to say the least, but I, like some of you, grew up in the church coloring pictures of it and reciting the facts as if they were no big deal. The story is Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah. The reason that I chose this text is that it is the Torah portion for the eldest son, Sam’s bar mitzvah in the book, Here I Am. Before reading this book, I must admit, I had no idea that there is a part of the celebration, the bar mitzvah speech, where the 13 year old boy speaks on the Torah portion for the week of his birthday. He is called upon to reflect on the scriptures and tell those gathered how it spoke to him and/or how it applies to his life. And so instead of reading the text, I want to tell you the story in Sam’s words:<br /><i><br /></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>God’s Test of Abraham is written like this: “sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’, ‘here I am’, Abraham replied”. Most people assume that the test is what follows:God Asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. But I think it could also be read that the test was when He called to him. Abraham didn’t say “what do you want?” He didn’t say, “Yes?” He answered with a statement: “Here I am.” Whatever God needs or wants, Abraham is wholly present for Him, without conditions or reservations or need for explanation.” That word, hineni – here I am – comes up two other times in the portion. When Abraham is taking Isaac up Mount Moriah, Isaac becomes aware of what they are doing, and how [messed] up it is. He knows that he is about to be the sacrifice, in the way all kids always do when it’s about to happen. It says: “And Isaac said to Abraham, his father, ‘My father!’ and he said ‘Here I am, my son’. And Isaac said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood but where is the sheep for the offering?’ And Abraham said ‘God will see to the sheep for the offering, my son.’” Isaac doesn’t say “Father”, he says, “My father”. Abraham is the father of the Jewish people, but is also Isaac’s father, his personal father. And Abraham doesn’t ask, “what do you want?” He says “Here I am”. When God asks for Abraham, Abraham is wholly present for God. When Isaac asks for Abraham, Abraham is wholly present for his son - But how can that be possible? God is Asking Abraham to kill Isaac and Isaac is asking his father to protect him. How Can Abraham be two directly opposing things at once? (…) My bar mitzvah portion is about many things, but I think it is primarily about who we are wholly there for and how that, more than anything else, defines our identity.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It was this bar mitzvah speech that stayed with me throughout the year as I meditated on Hineni. Who am I wholly there for and how is that, more than anything else, defining my identity? What does it mean to be wholly there for and available and present to someone else or to God?<br /><br /> When I read this story in the past, because of the Sunday school picture familiarity of it, I didn’t think about this being about a real person. I didn’t think about how Abraham could have said no. Or about whether or not he talked it over with his wife or anyone else. I didn’t think about the tedium of getting the servants and animals and Isaac ready to go on this journey and how every excruciating moment of it must have felt like a lifetime. Or about how old Abraham was. He and God had already been through a lot and the promised son had finally come. Abraham might have thought it was time to sit back and relax and enjoy his final days. <br /><br /> Eliezer Berkovits in his book, With God in Hell: Judaism in the Ghettos and Death Camps, imagines what Abraham must have been saying to God in those days (three days, as a matter of fact) as he is preparing and traveling to make the sacrifice:<br />“In this situation I do not understand You. Your behavior violates our covenant; still, I trust You because it is You, because it is You and me, because it is us. . . . Almighty God! What you are asking of me is terrible. . . . But I have known you, my God. You have loved me and I love You. My God, you are breaking Your word to me. . . . Yet I trust You; I trust You.”<br /><br />Abraham had waited decades for this promised child that he is marching up the mountain to kill. And when Isaac calls to him and says, “My father?” Abraham says, “Here I am.” How could Abraham be present to Isaac at that moment? The same way we are present to our loved ones as they suffering through an illness or heartbreak. The same way we are present to those who have been discarded and undervalued. This dark and unexplainable place where we feel terrified - where easy answers won’t work. <br /><br />Ellen F. Davis, in her essay The Blinding Horror of Abraham’s Faith says:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This story of Abraham and God and Isaac is the place you go when you are out beyond anything you thought could or would happen, beyond anything you imagine God would ever ask of you, when the most sensible thing to do might be to deny that God exists at all, or deny that God cares at all, or deny that God has any power at all. That would be sensible, except you can’t do it—because you are so deep into relationship with God that to deny all that would be to deny your own heart and soul and mind. To deny God any meaningful place in your life would be to deny your own existence. And so you are stuck with your pain and your incomprehension, and the only way to move at all is to move toward God, to move more deeply into this relationship that we call faith.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> This type of faith is a step out of the boat type of faith. Defying the laws of gravity and nature and seemingly God himself, we trust that we have heard His voice and we step out. And as long as we have our eyes on Him, the water becomes like firm ground. <br /><br /> We sing this song nowadays, this “Oceans” song by Hillsong United, that has a repeated bridge that says “Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me.” <br /><br /> Do we mean that? How can we possibly mean that? If I am honest with myself, the song of my heart is “Spirit, lead me where my trust isn’t stretched too far, let me walk on the nice safe ground where I can reach You if I need You.” But that isn’t very catchy or inspirational and it has nothing to do with faith. <br /><br /> We can only be present to others because God has been, and is, and will be present to us. When Abraham hears God’s voice, he responds, “Hineni, here I am” because he knows God and is available to Him. And when God asks him this unthinkable thing, this thing that seems to go against God’s very nature, he reaches in to the deepest reserves of his faith and obeys.<br /><br />A heartbreaking obedience drawn from a reservoir of faith. <br /><br />And then in the midst of the painful walk up the mountain, when Isaac calls out to him, Abraham says Here I am, son. I’m here. I’m here. <br /><br />Here I am and I don’t have any answers. Here I am and I love you. Here I am and God is here too and He will provide. I don’t know how, but I know Him. <br /><br />This is the essence of faith. We can only be authentically and unreservedly available to others as much as we have been authentically and unreservedly available to God. Otherwise, when the darkness comes and we feel like we and everyone around us will be swallowed up, our fear will drown us.<br /><br />When I was a teenager, my cousin died in a car accident. The church that my aunt and uncle attended had a Laity Sunday where the lay leader of the church gives the sermon. That year, my uncle was the lay leader and the Sunday after my cousin died was Laity Sunday. The pastor and staff of the church offered to find someone else, but my uncle said he wanted to go ahead with it as planned. I remember sitting in the sanctuary that Sunday knowing that if he could show up for God that morning that God must be real and knowable and more than anything a co-sufferer with those who suffer. <br /><br />As my uncle talked about faith, he compared it to crabgrass. He went on to describe a patch growing in his patio - as he went to remove the weed, he reached down and pulled and almost fell on his face. This is why he said that faith is like crabgrass - because you don’t know how strong it is until you try to uproot it. <br /><br />At the end of the Here I Am book, Sam’s younger brother is preparing his bar mitzvah speech. His Torah portion is the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. <br /><br />He has this to say, “It’s easy to be close, but almost impossible to stay close. Think about friends. Think about hobbies. Even ideas. They’re close to us—sometimes so close we think they are part of us—and then, at some point, they aren’t close anymore. They go away. Only one thing can keep something close over time: holding it there. Grappling with it. Wrestling it to the ground, as Jacob did with the angel, and refusing to let go. What we don’t wrestle we let go of. Love isn’t the absence of struggle. Love is struggle.” <br /><br />And so we struggle. We struggle to be present to each other. To not let go of each other without a fight. To hold on in good times and bad. <br /><br />And we struggle to be present to God. To hear His voice. To find the courage to say “here I am” when He calls. "I am here for you fully, with the trust and vulnerability to do whatever it is you ask of me." <br /><br />I want to close with the last part of the Gungor song, “Every Breath.” As you listen to the words as they are repeated, I encourage you to ask God to help you say Hineni to Him today. Here I am! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm5mYgFznXM">Gungor song, start at 3:42</a><br /><br />Benediction:<br />Isaiah 6:6-8 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”<br />I said, “Here I am. Send me.”</span></span><br />
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tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-2280829806791544002017-10-29T13:51:00.003-07:002017-10-29T13:51:54.078-07:00guest blog at The Perenniel Gen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Check it out here: <a href="https://theperennialgen.com/when-i-am-weak-then-i-am-strong/">When I am Weak, Then I am Strong</a>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-13978989774097206852017-07-09T16:47:00.004-07:002017-10-06T19:21:32.775-07:00Line of Best Fit<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-81dd536b-29bc-471a-8f39-e2aa17cea4c0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our text today is James 3:13-18</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">James 3:13-18New International Version (NIV) Two Kinds of Wisdom </span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">13 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">14 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">15 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">16 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">17 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">18 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">James lays out for us here two kinds of wisdom: one is earthly, unspiritual, demonic even and the other is a wisdom that comes from heaven. Last week, when we talked about the tongue - there was a similar contrast. David Kersten talked about the fire of the Holy Spirit vs. the fire that is ignited by the fires of hell also of the spring of Living Water vs. the well of brackish water from which we can choose our words. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the dictionary, wisdom is defined as “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” And this isn’t a bad starting point, but what experience? What knowledge? What is good judgment vs. bad judgment? In order for this definition to make sense, we have to have some parameters - a way to further define the terms. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As James says there is a wisdom that is earthly and this wisdom is characterized by selfish ambition and bitter envy. Now that doesn’t sound very wise to me - but if your goal is to be a billionaire or the top in your field or first chair in the orchestra - then these two “virtues” can get you far. Our society looks favorably on people who exhibit these qualities and although we might not consider them wise, they live close to their principles and accomplish their goals. If you want to be an olympic gold-medalist, you have to think primarily of yourself, and you also have to know how you are doing compared to others - the definition for the Greek word translated envy in this passage includes the idea of a contentious rivalry - something that is highlighted regularly in our competitive society. Jeremy talked about this two weeks ago when he was pointing out the ways scholars for centuries have pitted James against Paul.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">David Brooks, in his article entitled “The Moral Bucket List”, says that there are “two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues” A eulogy is what someone says about you after you die whereas a resume is written, usually by yourself, to make your accomplishments sound good enough to get the job. Sounds a little like our two types of wisdom. The article goes on to say, “We all know that the eulogy virtues are more important than the résumé ones. But our culture and our educational systems spend more time teaching the skills and strategies you need for career success than the qualities you need to radiate that sort of inner light. Many of us are clearer on how to build an external career than on how to build inner character.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But even these “eulogy values” can be selfish - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">if </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">we value what people say about us or how we compare to others - we are still living according to earthly wisdom. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So how do we tap into heavenly wisdom?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking to the Old Testament, we find written several times this phrase or a variation of this phrase, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Daniel Goleman, author of the book “Emotional Intelligence,” said, “One aspect of wisdom is having a very wide horizon which doesn’t center on ourselves,” or even on our group or organization. For us as Christians, the way that we find this wide horizon is to fear the Lord. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This might sound strange - to fear the Lord - but it doesn’t mean to be afraid of God, but to have a right picture of the power, majesty and magnitude of the God of the Universe. JB Phillips wrote a book many years ago entitled </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your God is Too Small</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and I think this is the beginning of unwise decisions and actions - putting God in some comfortable box or diminishing Him to some good teacher or thinking of Him primarily as our Friend. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One practical way to fear God was introduced by Benedict in the 6th century in his rule for living: “Keep death always before your eyes.” This isn’t meant to be morbid or taken out of the context of a life of faith. Death is a perspective giver, we have to think about what happens next - will we stand before the God of the universe? This gives us a healthy “fear” or awe of Him. Jesus invites us to die every day - “take up [your] cross daily and follow Me.” We see this same idea over and over in Paul’s letters, one example is found in Colossians 3:3 “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We are invited to live an </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eternal </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">life - this eternal life starts NOW not when we physically die - we are invited to die daily to this earthly existence and live a new life, a different life, a life hidden with Christ in God. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes taking up our cross </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">daily </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">doesn’t seem often enough. We are bombarded with choices constantly to live as good-newsers or bad-newsers, to live into the reality of the gospel or to give in to the value system of the world. Paul has a further exhortation to “take hold of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">each and every thought</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and make it obey Christ.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C.S. Lewis gives us this illustration: “[E]very time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m gonna get a little mathy on you now. Please don’t panic. I promise to take it slow and explain it so that even if you hate math you can see the connection I am trying to draw. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s say you flip a coin. What are the chances that you get tails? 50/50 - right! So, in theory, if I flip a coin 100 times, how many times will I get tails? 50, correct. What about if I flip it 40 times, how many tails? 20, right! So, what if I flip it 15 times? Not so easy to answer now is it? There is no such thing as 7.5 tails. So what happens in reality, doesn’t always match what the ideal. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-eUfkUbMj5hIRxgKHHg-4b_AnInoPNnY80e1VirhtjMdHa4lY67f0AEHIMv0KBTs8NgDJ3Mu0prBK1D7QkWN5LdrzdxgXf5MVzu4aeAk7125Exo7XEzXfS7cuzjCfcwm_baDc94kckU/s1600/pasted+image+0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="892" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-eUfkUbMj5hIRxgKHHg-4b_AnInoPNnY80e1VirhtjMdHa4lY67f0AEHIMv0KBTs8NgDJ3Mu0prBK1D7QkWN5LdrzdxgXf5MVzu4aeAk7125Exo7XEzXfS7cuzjCfcwm_baDc94kckU/s400/pasted+image+0.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This graph shows in orange, the theoretic perfection of half - the 50/50 chance of getting tails when you flip the coin. The blue dots represent what actually happened when I flipped a coin 18 times. Sometimes I hit the mark and sometimes I didn’t - in fact it was impossible half of the time. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="181" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/QNU8FdmDBFARbN8i10m8ym8Fkoix1gbL8i1GqPZX_94WY2ywmtLg1KvGT61LWTnMMhu_t9EaPcaXpwzOhVqt9uRF9JU4TJ4BbcQkBzAipQHte5rpp-QGhnJF0OHC-wkgmQFCVTGb" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="200" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="189" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/TvbWsZCJVlJdq7MnTDCNCAD86oEMreY6LbkZ2jOV8p0LjVAZ_5sW_uJ9_qjES-CzEywM2htC_cy9l1hNQdRELgbZbzDsuoSjkIHiJIWOTufwdoSCY2TfjWxUkkbzjTAj_1294ep6" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="200" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When experiments are recorded on a graph, scientists look for a pattern to determine future events or to make a conclusion about the success of the experiment. In both of these cases, there is a positive correlation, meaning that the trend is upward. One has a stronger correlation than the other. After the data points are on the graph, you find the “trend line” or the “line of best fit” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="256" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3h_Thh3CzEMc1w7txC7LFByHrRQV8BG3m8xg-I1nZlfEAxbyJqmIs2QBBMHkuvMs7UT4Eb0QDzz36x3q4BU41J4zHNawE0KzCLDdDO8Of5cAgtMYwOqqn1IQy2Mrb26qsT0LTXls" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All of the points don’t hit the line, but you can see where it is trying to get to or what the trend is. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just read a book called The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and in the book there is a despicable character. As much as I disliked this character, I had to respect him for one thing: his tenacity and determination to stick to his goals. Now, his goals were horrifying, but they determined his every action and he stayed very close to his own depraved principles. His line of best fit and his actions were aligned but I think it was definitely a negative correlation. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You have to know where you are aiming so that you can know how well the “experiment” is measuring up. I am suggesting this morning that the life of Jesus is our line of best fit. J.B. Phillips, in his book </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your God Is Too Small</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> explains it this way: “The truth taught by Jesus Christ is the right way to live. It is ... God Himself explaining in terms that men can readily grasp how life is meant to be lived.” The trend line, the line of perfect fit! Jesus lived a perfect life manifesting all of the properties of wisdom found in our passage this morning. He was “pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” And when we embody these characteristics, we come closer to that new life, that kingdom life, that eternal life that Jesus invites us into. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Norvene Vest puts it this way, “How odd that one small act of kindness or indifference has anything to do with eternal life? And yet, once I begin to see it that way, how comforting the sense that there is some continuity between the fact of charity here and whatever life is like there. My hunch grows that it is by these daily acts that I begin to build habits or dispositions which draw me closer to God or take me further away, till one day I shall realize that the Kingdom has already come and I did not know it.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God has come! We can live in it even now and bring it close to those around us. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This seems impossible. And it is! Just like you can’t have 12.5 tails with 25 coin tosses, we cannot live a perfect life. God knows this and He wants to help us! In the beginning of James we were promised “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” And now we know what wisdom is - you can substitute any of these parts of heavenly wisdom: If any of you lacks purity, If any of you lacks peace-loving-ness, if any of you lacks submission, mercy, impartiality, sincerity - ask God and He’ll give it to you without finding fault. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But thinking of Jesus as our line of best fit makes Him into this impossible ideal that we are trying to reach and that’s not good news. So I have another analogy that shows that the power comes from Him and not from us: a tow rope! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you have never had to use a tow rope on a ski or sledding hill - let me tell you about the first time that I ever used one. Heather Stahnke and I were on a ski trip together when she was a student, so we’re talking over 20 years ago and we were going sledding on a hill that was built as a ski hill, but was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">just </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">not tall enough and so was converted to a sledding hill. In order to get to the top of this almost ski hill, there was a tow rope. You were supposed to sit in your sled and then grab a hold of the already in motion tow rope just above your shoulders. So we did this, but we were sharing a sled and I’m not sure how, but all of sudden we were being dragged up the hill on our coats and snow-pants while trying to hold on to the sled with our boots. It was quite the sight. I have this short video to show you a tow rope in action. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Which calls to mind the verse that says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” but that’s a whole different sermon. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The tow rope is like the line best fit, but it pulls us along with it! If we stay connected to the source, then we’ll stay on the right track. Even if we fall, we just pick ourselves up and take hold again. The end of the rope holds secure, anchored within the veil and Jesus ever moves us heavenward. Crazy thing is, if we stay connected to the vine, the tow rope, the trend line, the source, we will realize that the kingdom has arrived and we have already started living eternally with God. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/49mCVd_wr9hrcPY0FrYjiTaEh-le9KiZqO4-3lSqujzes5oTH4ryMvy37YVyvH4CNJarnMyP34vwlriAQozKYJsSVEMOt6CmuQYc3IXQtb28g-cwP0m3pDsd-VwvYUXsyzOsIjeo" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s go back to the line of best fit illustration one more time. Here are 3 different experiments, one with positive, one with negative and one with no discernible correlation. What does your life look like? Are your wisdom, decisions, actions and thoughts lining up with the line of best fit life we see demonstrated in the life of Jesus? If so, then you are probably tapping into that eternal life more and more and living into the kingdom. If not, you are probably experiencing a lot of cognitive dissonance and pain. If you are all over the map, it might be time to choose. Philippians 1:6 assures us that God, who began the good work within us, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have a couple of humorous illustrations to reinforce this idea:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xgU0b35PhIjXIvo-OI-bMKZKLPrV8go_ZlmyW0bx9UC8aGqUtA1VDMzIZHcLLLbQhPGnHZHYGnlju9rhj1s5udf7yXyYzZTn5cGP5wFC0v77cKHdYeaiE5aIxcaJS-OiyyrDhKFx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dh50e603e3.jpg" border="0" height="207" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xgU0b35PhIjXIvo-OI-bMKZKLPrV8go_ZlmyW0bx9UC8aGqUtA1VDMzIZHcLLLbQhPGnHZHYGnlju9rhj1s5udf7yXyYzZTn5cGP5wFC0v77cKHdYeaiE5aIxcaJS-OiyyrDhKFx" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">click here for the video clip (I muted in church!) </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWnkH7tcnTk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWnkH7tcnTk</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just hold on! No amount of falls will undo us if we keep getting up. Jesus, ready, stands to rescue you, full of empathy, love and power.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">None of us can live a life perfectly pleasing to God - and no matter what our life looks like or has looked like, we can tap into the Holy Spirit power that is transforming us - 2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way: “... we all, with unveiled faces, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory...”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I want to leave you with these words from the Benedictine Abbey of St. Walburga: “St. Benedict wasn’t asking us to be morbid when he told us to keep death daily before our eyes. Rather, he was asking us to be wise: know your reality, cherish it, live it fruitfully right this minute, growing in your awareness that Christ is with you in this little here and now, making you ready, and through you making your world ready, for that day when “now” will open out into the “forever” we anticipate joyfully…” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">BENEDICTION: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jude 24-25</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.</span></span></span></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-40178879352813053362017-05-28T12:57:00.000-07:002017-05-28T12:57:25.887-07:00Exile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyv0GQGrRrzaSYQRI09gOTzc-M_t-H4GARU-mEud_vpZ01jKx2dJu7eWoc91KOpVCv1CMnU1yVV9uP1Rom9-NaHl0MvliiXIy8md4B0UhoY8aWVjl1e6320-xJBdTAquwuBGhD_n4K84/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyv0GQGrRrzaSYQRI09gOTzc-M_t-H4GARU-mEud_vpZ01jKx2dJu7eWoc91KOpVCv1CMnU1yVV9uP1Rom9-NaHl0MvliiXIy8md4B0UhoY8aWVjl1e6320-xJBdTAquwuBGhD_n4K84/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our text for today comes from Jeremiah 29.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Starting in verse 4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Skipping down to verse 10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised and I will bring you home again. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let us pray.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eugene Peterson describes exile this way "The essential meaning of exile is that we are where we don't want to be. We are separated from home ... It is an experience of dislocation - everything is out of joint; nothing fits together.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just read a delightful book entitled </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Britt-Marie Was Here</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> by Fredrick Backman. In this book, Britt-Marie, a woman in her sixties, is looking for a job for the first time in decades because her marriage has ended and she is frankly a little lost. On the back of the book she is described as a "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">socially awkward, fussy busybody."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She gets a job as the caretaker of a soon to be closed recreation center in Borg, a run-down forgotten town. The book overview continues: “The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The skills she had perfected in her marriage were hosting dinner parties, taking care of her plants and her husband’s children and cleaning. She also is supremely good at making and following lists - So when she finds herself in this new place, she does what she knows how to do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And somehow, through it all, she endears herself to this little broken down town and they are all the better for it. From the book, Britt-Marie </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“wonders how much space a person has left in her soul to change herself, once she gets older. What people does she still have to meet, what will they see in her and what will they make her see in herself?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am telling you this story in the context of exile, because I think her story gives us some great guidelines for the life of an exile - which is what we all are if we are Christians - aliens and strangers in the world. And I also think it echoes back to the message God gave through Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first lesson of Jeremiah 29 is found in verse 4 "Build houses. Plan to stay." Make yourselves at home. Settle in.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the beginning of the book, Britt-Marie is scared and lost and so so sad. Stripped of everything she knows and living alone in a room in a hostel - a place that “has an address, but it’s certainly not a place to live nor a home.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is devastating to find yourself in exile. Exile has many forms: a physical limitation, a difficult relationship, a tense work environment, a lost romance, having to move to an unknown place, dreams failing to come true.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have you been there? Are you there? When you find yourself in exile somewhere in your life, what is your tendency? Do you run away? escape into fantasies? numb with food or other substances? Do you try to find someone to blame? take it out on others? Do you try to hurt someone so you won’t be hurting alone?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eventually after getting the job at the rec center and settling in a bit, Britt-Marie finds a place to live. She moves from being a visitor, an outsider, to being a resident, a part of the community.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here you are. Far from where you thought you’d be. Build a house here. In your brokenness and your isolation. In the unfamiliar territory. Plant a garden. The only way through is through.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You didn't even know how much you needed God until you got here. Going along in your everyday routines and the busy-ness of life, you hardly noticed how much you were crowding out God's presence. Suddenly, seemingly without warning, you find yourself in exile. And it's a grace. Kathleen Norris explains this grace: “For grace to be grace, it must give us things we didn't know we needed and take us places where we didn't know we didn't want to go. As we stumble through the crazily altered landscape of our lives, we find that God is enjoying our attention as never before. ”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God has our attention. now what?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The second lesson of Jeremiah 29 is found in verse 7: "work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you" roll up your sleeves and get to work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Britt-Marie and her "unrivaled knowledge of cleaning products" gets to work. She cleans and cleans and runs the pizzeria </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">slash</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> grocery </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">slash</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> post office </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">slash</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> car repair workshop when the owner is hung-over or asleep or both. She washes soccer jerseys and cuts hair. She does whatever comes her way. She uses what she knows and applies it to her new circumstances.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She does the next right thing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All through the books of the Law, God gave the Israelites specific instructions on how to live. From the clothes they wore to the way they prepared their food, God wanted to be present to His people. His instructions about how to care for the poor, the widow, the foreigner and the 7 year cycles of economic restoration showed them how to be good neighbors, filled with compassion and justice. It can be summed up with this simple blueprint for living: "do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In exile, the Israelites are expected to live this way in the midst of their captors so that they can bring about peace and prosperity to their enemies. Jesus echoes this in His sermon on the mount: "love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your exile might be intensifying your attentiveness to God – bringing about your salvation in a deeper way – but your salvation is not for you alone. It is for the welfare of the city – the peace and prosperity of the place in which you find yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Through her care for her fellow residents and her attentiveness to their needs, Britt-Marie causes this small neglected community to dare to hope again.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jesus tells us: "You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The third lesson of Jeremiah 29 is also found in verse 7: "its welfare will determine your welfare" if the city thrives, you will thrive. In its peace, you will have peace.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This reminds me of what Jesus says about the sheep and the goats. You saw Me naked, lonely, hungry and you met My needs. When did we see You hungry, when did we visit You? they ask Him. They didn't know. They didn't do it because they thought it was Jesus. They didn't have a checklist of righteousness – they sought the welfare of those around them. Their faith and compassion in action reflected the condition of their hearts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is what happens when you choose to do the next right thing. You plant your tiny seed of faith that becomes branches where birds can nest. Work your little bit of yeast in the dough. Plant seeds in good soil. You bring the kingdom to earth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The title of the book is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Britt-Marie Was Here</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and – this isn't really a spoiler – the last sentence in the book is "Everyone will know that Britt-Marie was here." By being present, working for the prosperity of the place in which she was exiled, she makes a lasting impact.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The fourth and final lesson of Jeremiah 29 is found in verse 10: "I will bring you home again." restoration. homecoming.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C.S. Lewis describes our homecoming this way: "No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am not going to tell you how the book ends for Britt-Marie. I will say this: restoration comes in a different form after exile. There are things you thought you needed that you no longer need. There are things you wouldn't have even dreamt to hope for. Near the end of the book, Britt-Marie comes to the conclusion: "At a certain age almost all the questions a person asks him or herself are really just about one thing: how should you live your life?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jesus assures us, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Eugene Peterson says in his book </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Run With the Horses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “The aim of the person of faith is not to be as comfortable as possible, but to live as deeply and thoroughly as possible—to deal with the reality of life, to discover truth, to create beauty, to act out of love”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think some of you know what comes next in Jeremiah 29. Even if you didn't know it was the next verse, I think it will sound familiar to a lot of you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope; and then verses 12-13</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The "those days" that the Lord is referring to is the days of exile. While you are in exile, you will find what you are looking for.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Britt-Marie found restoration in soccer balls and window cleaner, whiskey and cutlery drawers, rats and snickers, prison and hospital waiting rooms, pizzerias and parking lots.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God is in the least of those around us, in the whirlwind and in the whisper. In the midst of your pain, in the midst of the wreckage, in the midst of the dislocation and isolation, if you look for God wholeheartedly, you will find Him. He will be found by you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Benediction</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God speaks to each of us as he makes us,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">then walks with us silently out of the night.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These are the words we dimly hear:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"You, sent out beyond your recall,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">go to the limits of your longing.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Embody Me.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Flare up like a flame</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and make big shadows I can move in.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just keep going.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">No feeling is final.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Don’t let yourself lose Me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nearby is the country they call life.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You will know it by its seriousness.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Give Me your hand."</span></div>
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<br /></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-42862486085277149502017-02-12T12:10:00.002-08:002017-02-12T12:13:46.283-08:00Playing it Safe?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The text is Matthew
21:28-33 the Parable of the Two Sons: “But what do you think about this? A man
with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went
anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I
will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?” Which of the two
obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” "Then Jesus explained his
meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get
into the Kingdom of God before you do.
For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you
didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you
saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins."</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Let us pray.
</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">no with your
mouth and yes with your heart. or yes with your mouth and no with your heart.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What would
cause someone to say yes with their mouth and no with their heart? I really
like being the "yes" person. It feels good to tell people yes. They
smile and look relieved and you get to be the hero of the moment. But the
saying yes can be a cover up – Sometimes we say yes because we want to get
someone off our back, or we want them to like us or we feel like we <i>can't</i>
say no.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What does it
say about the relationship between the two parties? ‘Yes, sir, I will,’ but you have no intention
of following through. It’s a “get off my back” kind of answer. An “if I answer
you, will you leave me alone?” kind of answer. And worst of all, it’s a “I know
better than you” kind of answer because you said yes but then you decided that
it wasn’t important or that it didn’t really need doing and you didn’t even
think it was worth arguing about. The attitude behind this betrays a broken
relationship and disrespect for the authority of the asker. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What about the other son? What makes you say no with
your mouth and yes with your heart? This happened to me last year around this
time. David was writing his licensing
paper for the Covenant. He asked me if I would read over his answers to make
sure they sounded ok (most of you know this, but English is not his first
language and he sometimes words things or spells things incorrectly - like the
word double - he thought it was spelled d-o-p-p-l-e for a long time) and I was
so tired and didn’t want to read through them and so I whined a little and said
“please don’t make me do that” and he said ok I guess they’ll just have to be
good enough. And he didn’t pout or ask me again but as the evening wore on, I
thought about how he never complains when I do things like spend time with
friends or work on Saturdays and how he does the laundry and how he rarely asks
for help and how insecure he feels about writing things and I couldn’t take it
anymore - I said “OK, I WILL read it!” </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I couldn’t bear to <i>not</i> do it. I was compelled by his
love for me and mine for him and I couldn’t sit with the “no” any longer. He’s
my best friend. You don’t say no to your friends. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Jesus wants
to be your friend. In John 15:15 He says "I no longer call you slaves,
because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I
have told you everything the Father told me."</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Before you
say “yes! Of course! I want to Jesus to be my friend!” let’s look at what was
happening when Jesus said this. In order to be friends, you have to trust each
other so He’s letting them in on the plan. It’s the huddle before the big play.
Dave Coleman preached on this last year, he paraphrased Jesus like this, “ok,
you’re all gonna fail hard, Judas already did and Peter is going to mess up
super bad, also, I’m going to die. trust Me.” </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This is a
huge test of trust. a test of friendship. Now all of a sudden it doesn’t seem
like such a great idea to be Jesus’ friend. When we can’t see what God is doing
or if it looks like things are getting darker, it is hard to trust. it is hard
to believe that God is doing anything good.
</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
disciples had just enough information to make them terrified. And then what
happens next? Jesus is taken into custody, put on trial and killed. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Let’s sit
there for a minute. In that moment. Those few days. What would that have felt
like?</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We get a
glimpse from the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 - listen to what
they say in the Message paraphrase “Jesus the Nazarene...He was a man of God, a
prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then
our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and
crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to
deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of
our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb
and couldn’t find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a
vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the
tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn’t see
Jesus.”</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We had our
hopes up. You see, this disappointment with God, this “I don’t understand what
has happened, how could things have gotten so bad” moment is so painful. So
painful that we don’t know what to do with it. My God, why have you forsaken me?
</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Joshua Dusk
Peebles described it this way, “We have lost something that we think we need
from God. We need an answer. We need information. We need to know how it is and
He won’t give it to us or can’t give it to us or we can’t understand it and so
we say Fine! Fine, God. I’m not rejecting You - I will do what You tell me to
do. I’ll do it. I’ll go through the motions, but I’m going to keep you over
here…” Yes with our mouth but no with our heart. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The truth is
we don’t trust God. not really. as soon as there is a real price to pay or an
unanswered question or a deep wound, we feel like God has betrayed us. and so
we go through the motions. play by the rules. toe the line. all the while
gritting our teeth and bearing it. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">God came and
lived here. as a human. a man. a baby first, then a man. And he showed us how
to live. He isn’t the big general sitting in the air conditioned office sending
the soldiers off to fight. He sent Himself to the front lines. And it was not
safe. and people hated him. and even His closest friends turned their backs on
Him when it really got bad. this reality is frightening to us. we’re not sure
if we’re all in. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I think
these two sons boil down to two attitudes: play it safe vs. go for broke! And
let’s face it, prostitutes and tax collectors have a go for broke attitude in
life. They’ve got nothing to lose - and they have no pretense left! They are
what they are. Desperate. Graspers. misdirected, yes. but definitely going for broke.
</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Willing to
sell out their neighbors or sell their bodies to get what they want or need.
They've lost everything or lost enough to think that they've got nothing left
to lose. They aren't caught up in what anyone thinks of them or what society's
rules are – they are moral, religious, and cultural outsiders</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">They are
definitely not playing it safe.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We can’t
afford to either. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We have to stop
playing it safe. Safety is the god of this age.
Just last Sunday, as I was getting ready for church, I prayed that God
would bring David and Nolan home safe from their camp-out. That felt selfish, so
then I asked that <i>all</i> the boy scouts would be safe. Why stop there, I thought and I laughed at
myself a little. I thought of all the safety prayers God hears and that made me
pause. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What if they
don't come home safe? What am I asking God for? Do I think if I pray the right
way or live the right way or ask enough times that God will do what I ask Him
to do? This is how the Pharisees operated. Their legalistic way of living made
them think that they had God figured out. That they had Him in their corner. or maybe even in their pocket. But as Brennan
Manning points out, "The tendency in legalistic religion is to mistrust
God, to mistrust others, and consequently, to mistrust ourselves."</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Taking a
moment in silence, I realized that safety wasn't and isn't my strongest desire.
I took a deep breath and prayed instead, "Whatever happens, help me to be
faithful." </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">because
sometimes people don’t make it home safe. sometimes the diagnosis is terminal.
sometimes horrible unspeakable things happen to us or someone we love.
sometimes the world around us is devastating and hopeless and terrifying. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Jesus isn’t
promising us an easy life. He is just promising to be with us. “I have told you
all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many
trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Let’s stand under the cross one more
time. This time let’s stand there with Mary, the mother of Jesus. The
redemption of the world is about to be accomplished but it will cost Mary the
life of her son. God so loved the world that He gave His son – but He asked
Mary to give her son, too.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There is no resurrection without
death. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“The Son of Man must suffer many
terrible things,” Jesus said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading
priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third
day he will be raised from the dead.” Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you
wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross
daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But
if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Frederick Buechner says "…the
life you clutch, hoard, guard, and play safe with is in the end a life worth
little to anybody, including yourself; and only a life given away for love’s
sake is a life worth living. To bring this point home, God shows us a Man who
gave His life away to the extent of dying a national disgrace without a penny in
the bank or a friend to His name. In terms of men’s wisdom, He was a perfect
fool, and anybody who thinks he can follow Him without making something like
the same kind of fool of himself is laboring not under a cross, but a
delusion."</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Mary was just an ordinary person
willing to be used by God. And when God asked her, she said, “Yes” </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What about you? What are you saying
to God today? </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I encourage you to go for broke! Say
yes with your mouth AND with your heart. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i><span class="text"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></i></span><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></i></span></span></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-71776046036876066252016-11-06T14:13:00.002-08:002016-11-06T14:13:46.872-08:00Blessed are the pure in heart...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The text this morning is Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure
in heart for they shall see God.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let’s pray and look at this Beatitude together.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">God who lives in pure light, shine Your light in our hearts
and help us to see You this morning. Amen</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have been reading Mere Christianity aloud to my students
over the past few months and as I was preparing for this sermon, it seemed like
C.S. Lewis and I were preparing for the sermon together. There were so many
examples and quotes that seemed to dovetail with my thoughts. So I hope you
don't mind if Jack, as his friends and family called him, joins us this morning
and helps me as we look at this verse together.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think that if we are honest with ourselves, we don’t
really want to be pure nor do we really want to see God. Harsh, I know, but I
think it’s the reality of the human condition. I’ll come back to this thought,
but first let’s look at the verse in more detail.<span> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The word purity is so often used in the context of sexual
purity that it is hard to hear the word without bringing on that connotation.
So instead of the word pure, I want to look at the Greek word that is used here
instead: katharos. Katharos is used 28 times in the New Testament, mostly being
translated pure but also clean. The lexicon describes the word as physically
clean as in the phrase "purified by fire" also in the sense of a vine
cleansed by pruning and so prepared to bear fruit. The word is also used in a
Levitical sense, ceremonially clean – we see it in Matthew when Jesus tells the
Pharisees, “First clean (katharizo) the inside of the cup and dish, and then
the outside also will be clean (katharos).” The word katharos can also imply
ethical purity or cleanness, as in free from corrupt desire, from sin and
guilt. Synonyms include sincere, genuine, blameless, innocent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is where we get the English word, catharsis - one of the
Webster definitions of which being “a purification that brings about spiritual
renewal.” To rephrase our beatitude with this Greek word in mind, "blessed
are the blameless hearts which are cleansed and ready to bear fruit."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are three main methods that are mentioned in the Bible
for this type of cleansing or purification.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Psalm 119:9, the question is asked “how can a young
person keep their way pure?” and the answer is “by obeying God’s Word - by
living according to and conforming their life to God’s Word.” God’s very Word
purifies us. Of course, only if we live by it. We see this again in 1 Peter
1:22 “by your obedience to the Truth <i>through
the</i> [<i>Holy</i>] <i>Spirit</i> you have purified your hearts.” In 1 John 3, we read that
“when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. <sup><span> </span></sup>All who have this hope in Him purify
themselves, just as he is pure.” The more we spend time with God and in His
Word, the more we will become who we are truly meant to be - the purest version
of ourselves. C.S. Lewis says that it is the first job each morning to spend
time “listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting
that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” We get our marching
orders, so to speak. Check in with our coach for our daily routine - run the
race to get the prize - singularity or purity of purpose. The writer of Hebrews
extends this metaphor, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out
for us”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another way that we can become pure is confession. I think
that this can often come out of spending time with God and His Word. Is there
anyone one of us who can read God’s Word and not see in our own life places
where we need light and forgiveness and change? As Mark Twain said, “It ain't
those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the
parts that I do understand.” We read in I John 1, “If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. <sup><span> </span></sup>If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify (katharizo) us from all
unrighteousness.” This recognition of how and where we are missing God’s
perfect mark brings us to confess or admit our wrong and lets God work at the
right part of us. This cleanness of heart is what David asks for after he
confesses his sin of murder and adultery, “Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.” We agree with God that there is some dirt
there that needs to be cleaned. It’s a great feeling! Coming clean, repenting,
getting things out in the open – these take sin’s power away and we begin to
heal and make things right. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The other type of purifying that is mentioned in the Bible
is purification by trials. The clearest example of this is in 1 Peter 1, “for a
little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These
have come so that the tested and proven genuineness of your faith—of greater
worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in
praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” When talking about
trials in this sense, let’s think of some everyday type of trials, like dealing
with a difficult situation or being interrupted - these types of trials are a
gift to us in that they show the quality of our hearts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">C.S. Lewis explains, “Surely what a man does when he is
taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely
what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If
there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very
suddenly.<span> </span>But the suddenness does not
create the rats:<span> </span>it only prevents them
from hiding.” These small trials are gifts in the sense that they help to
purify us - to show us who we are so that we can change. We need to be students
of our own lives - examine them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paul encourages the church in Corinth to “Test yourselves to
make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for
granted. Give yourselves regular checkups.” If we do this work in the small
trials, when the life-crushing trials and tribulations come (and they will
come) we will have faith that has been tested and purified. In Jeremiah 12, God
asks, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can
you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in
the thickets by the Jordan?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Which brings me back to the beginning of my sermon. We don’t
really want pure hearts. We want to hold on to our pet sins, nurse our wounds.
And besides, we are trying really hard. Aren’t we good enough?<span> </span>Really God, what do you want? Perfection?
Well… yes, that is what He wants. This seems like bad news, but really it’s the
best news. The quicker we see our own imperfection and admit it, the quicker we
can turn to God and begin the process of becoming perfect. What He requires, He
also provides. Like the old hymn says “All the fitness He requireth is to feel
your need of Him.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We don’t really want to see God, either. We talk about God
so much that we lose sight of how big and powerful He is. Hebrews 10:31 says
“It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” In Malachi
3, “who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?” Being
in the presence of God is like walking on water, being surrounded by flames in
the furnace, standing next to a whirlwind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I think the most prevalent reason that we keep God at
arm's length is something different. C.S. Lewis has a great analogy to describe
it: “When I was a child I often had toothache, and I knew that if I went to my
mother she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night
and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother—at least, not till the
pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this. I did not doubt she
would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I knew
she would take me to the dentist next morning. I could not get what I wanted
out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted
immediate relief from pain: but I could not get it without having my teeth set
permanently right. And I knew those dentists: I knew they started fiddling
about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. They would
not let sleeping dogs lie, if you gave them an inch they took an ell.” [when
God says], ‘Be ye perfect’…. I think He meant ‘The only help I will give is
help to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you
nothing less.’ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Beatitude has a cyclical nature to it. When you see God
you are purified, when you have a pure heart, you will see God. This is exactly
the kind of loop that God wants us to get caught up in. Paul describes this
cycle in Romans 7 & 8 - at the end of Romans 7, Paul talks about how he
wants to do right but doesn’t seem able to do it - in desperation he asks “Who
will rescue me from this body of death?” but immediately he answers the
question: God will! God stands ready to rescue - there is no condemnation for
those whose lives are hidden in Jesus - all we have to do is stay in Him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">God himself said to Abraham, “No one can see me and live.”
and that’s the point! Spending time in the presence of the living God helps us
to die to ourselves. Colossians 3:3 says “For you died, and your life is now
hidden with Christ in God.” and again in Romans 6:11 “In the same way, count
yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are meant to live our lives as living sacrifices, taking
up our crosses daily and following our Perfect Example, Jesus. C.S. Lewis says
it like this, “Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much
of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! <span> </span>ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or
frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I
don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the
whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all
of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to
me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange
I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become
your heart.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last thing I would want anyone to come away with this
morning is a feeling of guilt or inadequacy. God is the one doing the work. God
is the one showing us gently where we need to grow and change. He does this
little by little – He is preparing us to live with him and each other forever. In
order to partner with Him in this good work, we need pure hearts. C.S. Lewis
has this analogy for this partnership: "[God] shows much more of Himself
to some people than to others—not because He has favourites, but because it is
impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are
in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot
be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one… the instrument
through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man’s self is not kept
clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred—like the Moon seen through
a dirty telescope."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jesus said it this way, "<span class="woj">Make sure that
the light you think you have is not actually darkness. <span> </span>If you are filled with light, with no dark
corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were
filling you with light."</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know I mixed a lot of metaphors this morning: Running a
race as an athlete, going to the dentist, rats in the cellar, being a mirror or
telescope. It all boils down to this: to quote one of C.S. Lewis's favorites,
G.K. Chesterton "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.” To
this I will add, but don't keep doing it badly! Be a little more patient next
time, a little kinder, a little more forgiving. Work <i>with</i> God and not
against Him and start where you know you need to. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lewis gets the last word this morning. A young woman named
Mary Neylan, a student of C.S. Lewis had an ongoing correspondence with him,
starting in 1931. According to Richard James of Taylor University, "Thirty-seven
letters from Lewis to Mary, her husband Daniel, and her oldest daughter, Sarah,
have been published. They span over a period of thirty years touching on many
personal, religious and literary themes, including marriage, confirmation,
Narnia and family illnesses." On January 20, 1942, Jack is writing to Mary
about chronic temptations – a topic on which she had asked his advice. In his
letter he says, "“Sorry you’re in a trough. I’m just emerging (at least I
hope I am) from a long one myself.” I think we can all identify. In a rut.
Stuck. Discouraged by our own sinfulness. Listen to what he says to her and if
you remember nothing else from this morning remember this: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>"No
amount </em>of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves
up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the
time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and
the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose
one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most
present to us: it is the very sign of his presence."</span></span></div>
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<![endif]--><br />tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-13572422306176619812016-07-04T15:28:00.000-07:002016-07-04T15:28:02.826-07:00Deborah sermon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1czBpSTgQSw9hrPX2pqqYK3ZpsKQw76yMzheVHB1jA_EeHXeH4ED7CCWkrYRLoRIBTFL3bz6RPQEi8EFn4KRJ3STu_8thA3N5D_QIz5Eg4t23d9EbvN4mTvUZZLN3-o1l1KFPb6ByUvg/s1600/deborah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1czBpSTgQSw9hrPX2pqqYK3ZpsKQw76yMzheVHB1jA_EeHXeH4ED7CCWkrYRLoRIBTFL3bz6RPQEi8EFn4KRJ3STu_8thA3N5D_QIz5Eg4t23d9EbvN4mTvUZZLN3-o1l1KFPb6ByUvg/s320/deborah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I chose Deborah as my Old Testament hero. Since that is my given name, I have always been<br />drawn to the story, but I hadn’t really explored it before at this depth.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Deborah is the only judge in the book of Judges that is female. She is also the only one in the book that is both a judge and a prophet. She is also the only judge in the book that the writer has only good things to say about. And she is the only singer/songwriter of all the judges. In studying this story I have found 4 spiritual principles for us to live by. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before we get started, let’s pray: God of all times and all people, thank you for your Word and for the ways that you speak to us through story and song. Open our hearts and minds to hear from you this morning. Amen<br /> </span><br />
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" 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" /></a>Before I get to the spiritual principles in the story, let me tell you the story of Deborah. In the book of Judges, the people of Israel go through 7 cycles of turning away and turning back to God. In this picture, we see the circular nature of this period of Israel’s history. Israel serves the Lord, Israel falls into sin and idolatry, Israel is enslaved, Israel cries to the Lord, God raises up a judge, and Israel is delivered. Then it starts all over again. </span><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Deborah is the 4th judge in the series of cycles – the center of the stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As her story begins, Israel is under Canaan’s rule – the king is Jabin and the commander of the army is Sisera. Israel is terrified of Sisera because he has 900 iron chariots – a fact that is mentioned several times. Deborah has set up a court in the middle of Israel – in the hill country of Ephraim, out under a palm tree – where people from all over Israel come to settle their disputes. The first description of Deborah says that she is the wife of Lappidoth – a name that is never mentioned again, but that can be translated as torches or flames. Also, the word ‘wife’ can be translated ‘woman’ – so she could be being described as a “woman of torches” or ‘woman of fire.’ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />I don’t want to spend too much time on this, but I do want to point out that there is no indication that anyone had any issue with a woman being a judge. I am thankful to be part of a denomination that recognizes women’s gifts for leadership – in fact this year is the 40th anniversary of that decision. There is an initiative within the Covenant Church called “Develop a Deborah” which "encourages pastoral leaders to identify and encourage women in their ministry contexts with leadership gifts."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Back to the story. Deborah sends for Barak, who lives in Northern Israel and gives him a direct and personal command from God. ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his [d]many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ But for whatever reason that is not revealed in the story, Barak doesn’t want to go without Deborah. He tells her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Deborah agrees to go with him, but tells him that because of putting this condition on his obedience God will hand Sisera over to a woman instead of him. So Deborah and Barak lead 10,000 men. Deborah gives the command of God again to Barak saying that the Lord had gone out before him to lead him in victory, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left. Even those chariots, which are mentioned several times, were destroyed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not one of his army was left, but Sisera himself escaped. He is desparate and goes to the tents of his allies, the Kenites. He goes into the tent of Jael, a woman, and asks her to stand guard at the door and hide him. He asks her for some water, but instead she gives him milk which seems to have a soothing effect on him and he falls asleep in her tent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While he is sleeping, Jael grabs a tent peg and a hammer and proceeds to hammer the tent peg through the temple of the sleeping commander all the way to the ground. The story of Deborah ends with her and Barak singing a song together that tells the story of the way God has delivered Israel once again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The four spiritual lessons that I got from this story are:<br />1. God gives us direct and personal instructions.<br />2. It’s Ok to ask for help.<br />3. If someone asks for help, help them!<br />4. Celebrate spiritual victories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Let’s look at these in a little bit more detail. The first one, “God gives us direct and personal instructions” is fairly self-explanatory. Sometimes these instructions come through our friends, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul and also through our co-workers, spouses or friends. This reminds me of that great Mark Twain quote, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." We do know what God is asking us to do. He has made it abundantly clear. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The second principle “it’s ok to ask for help” is easy to know but hard to do. We don’t like to admit that we are weak. Barak was up against 900 iron chariots – what are you up against? I think that most of us don’t realize where the battle comes in against us in our spiritual lives. The daily tasks of forgiving, loving and showing kindness are our battleground and many days it seems like there are 900 ironclad reasons for withholding these from those who have offended us. This is when we need to ask for help. ““If you will go with me, then I will go” – ask someone for prayer. Ask someone for help. It’s not only ok, but it is biblical – Ecc 4:8-9 is one example, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another<br />to lift him up.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />This leads to the third principle, “If someone asks for help, help them!” In studying this story, I came across some excerpts from Sandra Glahn’s book “Java with the Judges” – she had this to say about the story of Deborah, “is there someone in your life whose faith you can bolster by your presence?” let me ask that again, “is there someone in your life whose faith you can bolster by your presence?” We need each other and we really need to help each other without finding fault – the way that God says he helps those who ask for wisdom. If someone is humble enough to come to you for help, the last thing he/she needs is a lecture or a sigh or an “I told you so.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We all need help and the truly strong ones among us are the ones who are able to see and admit where they are weak. Romans 14 gives great instructions on how to help and support one another in a way that is non-judgmental, I highly recommend taking some time to study it this week. The first verse of the next chapter concludes the passage: (this is the Message version) “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The last principle is to “celebrate spiritual victories.” I think that it is easy and natural and human to see faults or failures, but I think it is good, hard spiritual work to see victories and growth. Israel went through 7 cycles of failure and success and I think sometimes I go through that many in one day! We will again and again do what is right in our own eyes or do what is evil in the sight of the LORD just as Israel did. But we have to celebrate those victories, small as they may be, when we make right choices. When we don’t say that snarky comment. When we recognize grace or maturity or kindness. The song at the end of the story recounts all parts of the recent events – the good and the bad. The power and majesty of God is recognized as the primary source of victory. The song rejoices in God and gives Him praise and credit for deliverance.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love to study these Old Testament stories and find treasures of spiritual truth. These 4 principles are essential for life together.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You know what God is asking you to do. I mean, I mostly always know what God is asking me to do in any given circumstance – turn the other cheek, do unto others, don’t let unwholesome talk come out of my mouth, just to name a few of my recurring instructions. If you don’t know what God is asking you, then spend some time in the word and in silence and he will tell you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once you know what it is that you need to do, ask for help. Identify a few people in your life that you think you could ask and then swallow your pride and go ask. You will be glad you did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />And when someone asks you for help, help them. Don’t mock them or talk about them or ignore them, just help. Pray for them, encourage them, ask them how it’s going. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then, when you or your friend has successfully forgiven or loved or shown kindness or whatever it is, celebrate! There is nothing more encouraging than recognizing where we have grown or where we have succeeded where we used to fail. And sometimes we are too close to see it. So if you see growth in someone – tell them! If you see where someone is succeeding, show them! I was lost but now I’m found; was blind but now I see. Sing it from the rooftops.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Sing with Deborah and Barak, “let those who love God be like the rising of the sun in its might.”Amen.</span><br />
<br />tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-11456419163817709242016-05-08T11:44:00.002-07:002016-05-08T11:44:40.810-07:00Groundhog's Day Spirituality <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was a
young girl, I went to camp every summer. One year, during bible study, my
counselor was talking about bullies. She said, "The lion with the loudest
roar has the biggest thorn in its paw." This has stayed with me all these
years and reinforces what the bible says in I Samuel 16:7 "The Lord does
not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.” This insider information about bullies made
me realize that there is insider information about nearly every situation. It
was an invitation to big picture thinking and compassion that has helped me in
dealing with conflict and reconciliation ever since. The Ian Maclaren quote
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle," has also
reinforced this idea. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kindness
doesn't come naturally to me. I am a quick reactor and often focused on
behavior or justice. I find it hard to ignore the whisperers at the movie
theatre or children being unkind to another child – even if I don't know them!
I want to jump in and correct and set things right. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being honest
about my struggle and asking for help is a key to growth. Living in community
has taught me the most about how unkind I am! That along with marriage and
parenthood! Community has also caused me to be transparent with my neighbors
and friends and ask for help when I need it. It is an amazing luxury to live
with people who are also concerned about your growth and maturity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is a challenge to accept help and to
keep accepting advice and correction – it can be tiring at times when you are
caught in a Groundhog's Day spiritual battle and living with people 24/7 in the
midst of it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you have
never seen the movie "Groundhog's Day" then you don't know what I
mean by the statement "Groundhog's Day spiritual battle". In the
movie, Bill Murray's character is trapped in the same day, February 2,
seemingly forever. He wakes up to the same day over and over and over. He goes
through the stages of loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance,
in his seemingly never ending Groundhog Day journey. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like this
as a metaphor for spiritual growth, because somedays it feels like I will never
overcome some of my life dominating sins, ruts, and patterns and I feel like
I'm trapped in the same spiritual "day". I think this is why it often
gets harder instead of easier to walk with God, live in community and not
become weary in well-doing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We never
arrive, and often our flaws and shortcomings become more pronounced instead of
less as we get older. And if we are living in community, a small town or
attending the same church for decades, people know us! really know us! and that
is such a gift and an un-gift! Like family, the people that we are close to see
us probably better than we see ourselves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Parker
Palmer – an author and educator who, among many other more recent honors,
titles and degrees, was named one of the thirty most influential senior leaders
in higher education and one of the ten key agenda-setters of the past decade back
in 1998 by the Leadership Project, tells this story about his mom:</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mom had a hard time
understanding how I could earn my living by working independently as “a writer
and traveling teacher." For her, a REAL job meant having a title at a
company, dressing in a suit and tie, and going downtown to an office, just like
my Dad did for sixty years. It did NOT mean spending half of one’s life pecking
out words on a keyboard while dressed in pajamas and a robe—and the other half
flying around the country doing God-knows-what!</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Mom was in her
late eighties, she asked me once again, "Parker, exactly HOW do you make
your living? I don't get it, and frankly, my friends don’t either!”</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I said, "Well,
Mom, I spend half my time at home writing books and articles, hoping to
communicate with people about things that matter to me. Sometimes, people read
what I write and invite me to give a speech or a workshop where we can talk
face-to-face. And… Um… Well... I guess that's about it.”</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can see her now,
sitting in her wingback chair, cane planted firmly in the carpet, looking regal
and annoyed. After a bit, she said, "So, you make your living by TALKING
to people. Is that right?"</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Knowing this was not
going to end well, I threw in the towel. </span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Yes, Mom," I replied.
"That's a fair way to sum it up."</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She thought for a
moment, then said, </span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Well, Parker, I don't MIND talking to you. But I
certainly wouldn't pay for it!"</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The grace
and kindness I receive from the people I live with is the best reminder of why
and how to be kind. But grace and kindness often arrive in strange wrappings.Kathleen
Norris talks about grace like this: “If grace is so wonderful, why do we have
such difficulty recognizing and accepting it? Maybe it's because grace is not
gentle or made-to-order. It often comes disguised as loss, or failure, or
unwelcome change.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, in the case of
letting ourselves be known and vulnerable, grace might come in playful teasing
from a friend until we can laugh at ourselves, in a gentle or not so gentle
word of reproach, or a look that means "you're doing that thing
again." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ultimately,
Bill Murray's character breaks the cycle by learning to be kind, to let go of
his selfishness and to be loved. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Several
years ago I had a head injury – I fell down the stairs in our building and
landed right on my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After several
weeks, I was still having headaches and memory problems. My doctor prescribed
"cognitive rest" – no reading, no screens of any kind, no long
conversations – "I tell my athletes to stare at a blank wall," he said.
So for two weeks, that is what I did. I took naps and baths and short walks and
I tried to not think about anything too complicated or worrisome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been learning about the practice of
silence right before this happened, so I also tried to listen to God's voice.
It was an amazing gift – this rest for my mind – and it started to change me. Dallas
Willard had this to say about solitude, which is a key part of silence:
"Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste,
isolation, and loneliness. You will see that the world is not on your shoulders
after all. You will find yourself, and God will find you in new ways."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So what do
these things have to do with each other? Well, I have always wanted to be
kinder and to be able to step back from a situation to see the underlying
causes and to believe the best about others, but I usually failed miserably: my
quick reactions overriding my desire to be kind. What I was lacking was this
silence. This ability to quiet myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I definitely haven't arrived, but I know that a few moments of
silence can help to right things again when I feel off balance. Not empty silence
– but practicing the presence of the eternal God. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I sit
silently before God, I can find that bigger picture more easily. Everything
else fades away and I am forced to think of eternity and meaning in a way that
brings everything into perspective. And I stop taking myself so seriously.
Spending time with the God of the cross, I can talk to Him about my pain; I can
talk to Him about being misunderstood and mistreated. And He knows. Hebrews
4:15-16 from the Message Bible tells us that "We don’t have a priest who
is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing,
experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what
he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." v16 in the NIV
says it like this "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time
of need."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And once
we've found that grace, we can extend it to others in their time of need. Like
Groundhog's Day, sometimes music gets in our heads and plays over and over and
over. And often, it's not music that we particularly love, but for some reason
it's stuck firmly in some remote part of our brain. There is a song that runs
through my head often that I couldn't even listen to all the way through while
preparing for this sermon with its 80's electronic music and dramatic vocals,
my apologies to anyone who likes this song, but the chorus says "it's your
kindness that leads us to repentance O God; knowing that you love us no matter
what we've done, makes us want to love you too." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And although
it's not a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tune</i> I want in my head, it
is a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">message</b> that I want to play on
repeat. and maybe, like Bill Murray's character, I will be changed little by
little by little, day after day as I pursue kindness and I know that one day I
will awake to find the lover of my soul by my side in a new day that will never
end. </span></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-77964083725766362902015-11-01T11:30:00.000-08:002015-11-01T11:30:23.761-08:00Use Your Words - a reflection on John 8<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Then
they all went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared
again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he
sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a
woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to
Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses
commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this
question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent
down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on
questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who
is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and
wrote on the ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this, those who
heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus
was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked
her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she
said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your
life of sin.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">As
I was studying for this sermon, many commentaries brought up the fact that the
woman should not have been brought there alone. As one commentary put it
"adultery is, after all, a team game." That the woman is brought
there alone felt significant. So I tried to read it with that fact in mind and
then I started to see echoes of the story God has been telling all along. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Marriage
is a metaphor that God uses from the very beginning to describe His
relationship with His people, Israel. Adultery is a metaphor that God uses
starting in Deuteronomy and continuing throughout the entire Old Testament to
describe the way His people will act towards Him. Over and over again we see
Israel as the harlot, the prostitute, the adulterous or wayward wife. In
Ezekiel, God says "I will sentence you to the punishment of women who
commit adultery…I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers; they will strip
you of your clothes and bring a mob against you, who will stone you..."</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The
accusations are swirling around Jesus' head and the woman is standing helpless
and accused. Jesus writes in the dust of the temple court. The first covenant
was written in stone by the hand of God. It established the covenant
relationship between God and Israel. These marriage vows that were meant to
unite God with His people became a list of do’s and don’ts. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">How
did we get here? How did our relationship get so broken? When God is talking to
Jeremiah about his unfaithful wife Israel, He says "“How bitter it is! How
it pierces to the heart!" God loves and longs for His unfaithful bride. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Then
Jesus stands up and faces the crowd. When Jesus sees the crowd of accusers, He
sees and hears THE accuser: the one who accuses us before God day and night.
Later that same day He will say to the crowd, "You belong to your father,
the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer
from the beginning." Jesus knows who the real enemy is. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">After
He says to them "anyone without sin can cast the first stone," He
bends down to write a second time. He is beginning a new love letter. A letter
that will be written on our minds and hearts. A new covenant that will make the
first one obsolete. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">When
Jesus stands up, He is alone with the woman. Such a powerful and intimate
scene. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">where
are they? has no one condemned you? </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">no
one, sir</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">then
neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Long
ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting
love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I will promise to make
you Mine forever. I will take you as My bride. I will keep My promise and make
you Mine. Then you will know the Lord. It shall come about in that day,” says
the Lord, “That you will call Me my husband."</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">God
uses language to speak to us in ways that we can understand. He used the
imagery of the wayward wife in order to communicate to the nation of Israel in
terms that they could relate to. He does not use this imagery to shame, but to
communicate His desire for His people. All through the Bible God uses different
words to describe His relationship to us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a Bridegroom, a shepherd, a king, a door, a Father running to meet
us on the road, a bird, a rock, living water, the bread of life and the Light
of the World.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">This all reminds me of another story: <i>The Runaway
Bunny</i> by Margaret Wise Brown. Let me read to you just a few pages: </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Once
there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.<br />
So he said to his mother, “I am running away.” </span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">If
you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little
bunny.”</span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">“If
you run after me,” said the little bunny,“ I will become a fish in a trout
stream and I will swim away from you.”</span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">“If
you become a fish in a trout stream,” said his mother, “I will become a
fisherman and I will fish for you.”</span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">“If
you become a fisherman,” said the little bunny, “I will become a rock on the
mountain, high above you.”</span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">“If
you become a rock on the mountain high above me,” said his mother, “I will
become a mountain climber, and I will climb to where you are.”</span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">This goes on like this for several more pages until
the conclusion: </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Shucks,”
said the bunny, “I might just as well stay where I am and be your little
bunny.” And so he did. </span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Over
and over again in the Bible, we see God like the mama bunny telling us how He
will meet us at every turn. And like the mama bunny, He desires for us to give
up our rebellion and wandering. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">So
what is our response? Can you see yourself as the woman in the story? Can you
stand before the living Christ just as you are? Caught in the act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Filthy, naked, exposed. In the presence of
Jesus our guilt is revealed; we have no defense. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Only
the one without sin has the right to cast the first stone. Only Jesus is in the
position to condemn. But instead of condemning, He rescues. Instead of
accusing, He intercedes on our behalf. He knows we are guilty but He wants us
to be free from shame. Brene Brown, in her study of shame and vulnerability
says this: “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable. If we cultivate
enough awareness about shame to name it and speak to it, we’ve basically cut it
off at the knees. Shame hates having words wrapped around it. If we speak
shame, it begins to wither...language and story bring light to shame and
destroy it.”</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Hosea, the prophet who married the harlot, writes
these words: “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your
downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all
our sins and receive us graciously" And God responds “I will heal [your]
waywardness. I will love [you] lavishly.”</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span id="goog_1289401905"></span><span id="goog_1289401906"></span>tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-84627599469335383442015-06-21T10:45:00.001-07:002015-06-21T10:45:23.449-07:00Lessons from Gideon<!--[if !mso]>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
text I have been reading for this sermon is Judges 6-8. I have actually been
reading and rereading this text over the past 2 years when I felt that God put
this story on my heart. It's the story of Gideon; which I think has some
familiar parts, but maybe the whole story isn't as well known. It is an epic
underdog story that has a lot to teach us today. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">so
let's pray and then we'll unpack it together</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I am not going to read all 3 chapters to you this
morning, but I am going to give you an overview of the story. First of all, the
book of Judges is a book of a repeating cycle – apostasy, bondage, repentance,
deliverance, freedom.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefMuA_x3KxKsFjfMB5nQObrRbKfCdkkEsQ9VWHE5B8agGswQhGHL9wnL9bSOn6gz4txZXDybs68Xa2vNCxPW_ITWG6wEvMQNosfvN37e9UNCpBoUrdotOkaLxsqj9Pzk0edDgmas4msc/s1600/cycle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefMuA_x3KxKsFjfMB5nQObrRbKfCdkkEsQ9VWHE5B8agGswQhGHL9wnL9bSOn6gz4txZXDybs68Xa2vNCxPW_ITWG6wEvMQNosfvN37e9UNCpBoUrdotOkaLxsqj9Pzk0edDgmas4msc/s320/cycle.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Apostasy
means an abandonment of a religious belief. Twice in the book of Judges, it is
described as "everyone did what was right in their own eyes." 7 other
times, it is described with the phrase: "the Israelites did evil in the
eyes of the Lord." The result of this<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>was bondage or slavery under an enemy nation. In the midst of their
suffering, they would remember God and call out to Him, and He would send a
Judge to deliver them and then there would be a period of freedom and peace.
Which would only last until the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord or
everyone did what was right in their own eyes yet again. Gideon is the 5<sup>th</sup>
judge that God has sent. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And so this is how our story starts: Judges 6:1 "The
Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them
into the hands of the Midianites." The Midianites were very oppressive,
causing the Israelites to leave their homes and hide in mountain caves. They
destroyed the Israelites crops, livestock and land. It was a terrifying time. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYV1BtXkFjykujZNXALQES6puB2ceul4tsD0GU2a4ucXc5qghxPNtp7qlax9KM-wkSNOXYEYNpsMbkax94PwKxUx2dkLlW4dwbUb0cMtZu8fXezzhUPlRSlyZh2dk8G3WevaBujAvl6g/s1600/100215-winepress-hmed-8a.grid-6x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYV1BtXkFjykujZNXALQES6puB2ceul4tsD0GU2a4ucXc5qghxPNtp7qlax9KM-wkSNOXYEYNpsMbkax94PwKxUx2dkLlW4dwbUb0cMtZu8fXezzhUPlRSlyZh2dk8G3WevaBujAvl6g/s320/100215-winepress-hmed-8a.grid-6x2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When we meet Gideon, he is hiding in a winepress, threshing the grain.
Threshing is something you usually do out where the wind can catch the chaff.
But because Gideon was so afraid of the Midianites, he is hiding in a hole in
the ground. As he is doing this defiant act somewhat cowardly, the angel of the
Lord appears to him and says "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” to which
Gideon counters with one of the most heartbreaking responses in the Bible.
Judges chapter 6 verse 13 “With all due respect, my Lord, if the Lord is with
us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his amazing works that our
ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’
But now the Lord has abandoned us and allowed Midian to overpower us.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">To
which the angel responds: “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of
Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” And again Gideon counters "With all
due respect, my Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my household.” </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Lord answered, “I will be with you" and Gideon starts to change. He starts
to trust. But he needs some proof. He asks for his first sign. He goes and gets
some offerings – some meat, some bread and some broth. The angel tells him to
put the meat and bread on the stone and pour the broth over it. Then the angel
touches the end of his staff to the offering and it goes up in flames and the
angel disappears! And Gideon realizes he has been in the presence of God.
Terrified, he hears God speak to him: “Peace! Do not be afraid."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gideon
built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So
now, God has a call to action. He tells Gideon to tear down the idols – an
altar to Baal and an Asherah pole. Not only tear them down, but then to build
on their ruins an altar to God. In Judges 6:26, God says, "build an altar
to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold with stones laid in proper
order." </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gideon
does this at night because he is afraid that his fellow Israelites will not be
happy about their idols being removed. And he's right. The next morning,
somehow word gets out that Gideon tore down those idols (maybe one of the 10
servants he brought with him blabbed) and people want to murder him for it.
Gideon's father defends him and says, if Baal is really a god, he can fight his
own battles and so they leave him alone. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Next
call to action God tells Gideon to fight the Midianites. This is where the well-known
fleece story comes in. Gideon says ok, God if you are really going to save
Israel through me, then show me. I am putting a fleece (wool from a sheep) on
the ground – make the fleece wet and the ground dry around it and I'll trust
you. </span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
next morning when that happened, Gideon felt a little sheepish (ha!) that the
laws of absorption could have caused such a thing to happen and so he
apologizes to God and says, can you do it the other way around? so the next
morning, the fleece is dry and the ground is wet and Gideon is ready to obey
God!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gideon
assembles an army of 32,000 and then God says – that's too many people. I want
to show you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My</b> power and strength.
Tell anyone who is afraid that they can go home. So 22,000 men leave. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
there are 10,000 and God says, still too many. Take them down to the lake and
anyone who laps water like a dog with cupped hands, those are your men. Only
300 men did that. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc1wY6dIk_Lu681x35lyGH37H-rYl_l736amgQ07wpEIbOG9GxjAzT8FULg64hGOdOJ_Nd7hyi6K0ltkoSsRm-F3zaoNcDdgNAOcDg4dN6QizjADtawhmaRSShLmyjD9xWUbmpW8l_Jg/s1600/img_6044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc1wY6dIk_Lu681x35lyGH37H-rYl_l736amgQ07wpEIbOG9GxjAzT8FULg64hGOdOJ_Nd7hyi6K0ltkoSsRm-F3zaoNcDdgNAOcDg4dN6QizjADtawhmaRSShLmyjD9xWUbmpW8l_Jg/s320/img_6044.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So now, Gideon and 300 men are going to fight the 135,000
Midianites. God knows that Gideon must be feeling a bit nervous about his odds,
so he tells him to go listen to what the Midianites are saying. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In
verses 13 & 14 of chapter 7, it says, "Gideon arrived just as a man
was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf
of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with
such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” His friend responded, “This
can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God
has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So
Gideon and the 300 men surround the camp at night, break jars to reveal torches
and yell "for the LORD and for Gideon!" which throws the Midianites
into confusion. Then they blow trumpets and when the trumpets sound, the
Midianites start fighting each other and the survivors flee.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gideon sends word ahead to other Israelite tribes to
fight the fleeing troops. There is some more fighting and ultimately Gideon is
the hero of the day. Then everyone wants to make him their king, but Gideon
wants God to be king. </span></span></div>
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</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6CfXMIlkOa-Ldp4DwMbybhqhP2VZrw6sN4f7XmC5AE7wVy7srAKtaE_UGccCLAH84tWftjLwtjccQjLgGXV9A1ZToW5rlr2N5lCbiWPBF-FBwAnnnK0nlTUaETje1IWglgOpsOw5hAE/s1600/hpbp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6CfXMIlkOa-Ldp4DwMbybhqhP2VZrw6sN4f7XmC5AE7wVy7srAKtaE_UGccCLAH84tWftjLwtjccQjLgGXV9A1ZToW5rlr2N5lCbiWPBF-FBwAnnnK0nlTUaETje1IWglgOpsOw5hAE/s1600/hpbp.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But
he asks everyone for their gold earrings and other plunder and melts them down
to make an ephod.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So then everyone
starts worshipping this golden ephod and it becomes a snare to Gideon and his
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Israel
has peace/freedom for 40 years while Gideon is alive and then in verses 33&34
of chapter 8: "No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted
themselves to the Baals and did not remember the Lord their God, who had
rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side."</span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">whew.
that's a long story. But it is so instructive. For today, I found 5 lessons
that we can take away from this story: </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> If God
wants to use you, it doesn't matter who you are. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gideon was a nobody. the least of the
least. God chose him and that's that. It wasn't about him – it was about God. </span>
</span><ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">God will
not compete with idols. They have to be destroyed.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Jeremiah 2:5 Eternal One: What happened
between us? What could I have done to your ancestors that was so wrong, so
unfair? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would they pull away from Me
to pursue the empty worship of idols that has left them just as empty? Modern
day idols are not altars to Baal or Asherah poles, but things other than God that
you are worshipping. Anything that is master over you. more on this later. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">God will
persist in His purposes until they are accomplished.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Through Gideon's doubts and tests of
God, God remains patient and steady in His purposes. He often uses methods we
don't understand and his numbers are way off, but He has a plan. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
miraculous way God accomplishes His work should leave no doubt that you
did it in your own strength.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">God wants us to know that it is His
victory, His power, His glory. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">After God
uses you in a mighty way, don't let others praise you.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gideon
says to the Israelites that God should be King, but then he acts sorta like a
king. He gets everyone's gold, he has many wives, he sets up a new place of
worship in his home town. The temptation to be important proves to be great for
Gideon – come see the guy that God used to conquer Midian! feels like the
general vibe.So
even Gideon, who witnessed the power of God so personally and so powerfully was
not immune from wanting the glory for himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>As
I was preparing for<span> </span>this sermon, I got
an email from Matt Walters, an intern from 2 summers ago. He and his wife Sandy
are raising $10,000 for clean water projects in South Sudan. In their support
letter, they wrote, " We are constantly being reminded that Jesus is the
real God, and money/the fear of having it or not having it, is not." They identified
a false god and are actively working to tear it down and work against its power
in their life. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In
his book <i>Your God is Too Safe</i>, Mark
Buchanan sums up the problem with these idols, or as he calls them "safe
gods"</span></span> "God calls us out of
secluded winepresses and into open battlefields. Why ruin the idol of the safe
god and risk our good standing in the community? The safe god is actually your
worst enemy. He breeds cowardice. He keeps you stuck, complacent, bored, angry,
threshing your meager wheat where the wind never blows. The Lord is with you,
mighty warrior. Now go, tear down the idol of the safe god; this flimsy, gimcrack
invention cobbled together from faintheartedness and softheartedness. On its
ruins build a real altar to the true God."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Identifying
our idols isn't that hard. In Timothy Keller's book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only
Hope that Matters</i> he gives us some very simple tests: "What do you
enjoy day-dreaming about? One or two day dreams do not indicate idolatry. Ask
rather, what do you habitually think about to get joy and comfort in the
privacy of your heart?"</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">"Another
way to discern your heart's true love is to look at how you spend your money." </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This next
test is for people who have been following God for a long time. Keller asks,
"What are you really living for, what is your real—not just your
professed—God? A good way to discern this is how you respond to unanswered
prayers and frustrated hopes…when you pray and work for something and you don't
get it and you respond with explosive anger or deep despair, then you may have
found your real god. Like Jonah, you become angry enough to die."</span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">He
goes on to say "A final test is [to] look at your most uncontrollable
emotions. Look for your idols at the bottom of painful emotions, especially
those that never seem to lift and that drive you to do things you know are
wrong." </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">God
will not compete. He wants your whole heart. Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and all your soul and all you mind and all your strength. Timothy
Keller again, "Why do we ever fail to love or keep promises or live
unselfishly? Of course, the general answer is 'because we are weak and sinful',
but the specific answer in any actual circumstance is that there is something
you feel you must have to be happy, that is more important to your heart than
God himself. " </span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Exodus
20 God said to the people of Israel: I am the Lord your God, the one who
brought you out of slavery. Do not worship any god except me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not make idols that look like anything in
the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the
Lord your God, and I demand all your love.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you worship idols, you become enslaved. If you worship idols, you become
worthless like an idol. If you put anything in the place of God, he will do
everything within His means to reclaim first place in your heart. 1 John
2:15-17 (PHILLIPS) encourages us to see “the world” for what it is "Never
give your hearts to this world or to any of the things in it. A man cannot love
the Father and love the world at the same time. For the whole world-system,
based as it is on men’s primitive desires, their greedy ambitions and the
glamour of all that they think splendid, is not derived from the Father at all,
but from the world itself. The world and all its passionate desires will one
day disappear. But the man who is following God’s will is part of the permanent
and cannot die."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
final thing I want to leave you with is these questions to help you identify
your idols. find them. tear them down. build proper altars to God in their
place. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Questions to Identify Your Idols<br />
from David Powlison's <i>Seeing With New Eyes</i></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
What do I worry about most?<br />
What, if I failed or lost it, would cause me to feel that I did not even want
to live?<br />
What do I use to comfort myself when things go bad or get difficult?<br />
What do I do to cope? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What are my release valves? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do I do to feel better?<br />
What preoccupies me? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do I daydream about?<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of what am I the proudest? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For what do
I want to be known?<br />
What do I lead with in conversations?<br />
Early on what do I want to make sure that people know about me?<br />
What prayer, unanswered, would make me seriously think about turning away from
God?<br />
What do I really want and expect out of life? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What would really make me happy?<br />
What is my hope for the future?<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915661761380954658.post-26713428668924682592015-05-10T11:18:00.003-07:002015-05-10T11:22:55.282-07:00The Transistive Property of Love<!--[if !mso]>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Uv6w_igfYx59tD2N985HdsMOjds6VQ92fFDoGTwUavXQU1Um-K-KMQoVx9qVlZnZ-cxkBrw6RiLx28lNljpWWowANSgU8ZW-t_P01sTyx7adQa1fxEuyvonm6cL0pF2oUXHsbydLg4/s1600/transitive.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Uv6w_igfYx59tD2N985HdsMOjds6VQ92fFDoGTwUavXQU1Um-K-KMQoVx9qVlZnZ-cxkBrw6RiLx28lNljpWWowANSgU8ZW-t_P01sTyx7adQa1fxEuyvonm6cL0pF2oUXHsbydLg4/s1600/transitive.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The texts
for this week were Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6 and John 15:9-17. Instead of
choosing just one of these texts, I read them all and prayed about finding a
connection. As I read over them, certain parts of the texts stood out and
started weaving together. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">From Acts:
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the
word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the
gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles…<br />
<br />
From I John: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of
God…By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey
his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
and from John: If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love…This is
my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has
greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">let us
pray.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">so
first of all, in Acts, when the circumcised believers are all shocked that
these unclean Gentiles can receive anything from God, this is so us. all of us.
We are so sure we know who God loves and doesn't love. who is deserving of
God's gifts. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
reason we are so sure is because we want to be the ones who receive God's
gifts. We want to be in right standing with God. That where the next text comes
in – believe in Jesus and obey God's commandments. ok, but what are God's
commandments?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">So
now the Gospel reading – Jesus tells us that His commandment is to love one
another. Ok! now we know what the requirements are, we can live right. Where do
we start?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">All
of this reminded me of a certain expert in Jewish law. He too wanted to make
sure he was the right sort of person. He wanted to justify himself, to declare
himself righteous, to defend his position. He too was surprised by the hero of
Jesus story.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
story goes like this:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">One day an
expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question:
“Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Jesus
replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The man
answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will
live!”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The man
wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Jesus
replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to
Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat
him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along.
But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road
and passed him by. A Temple assistant (Levite) walked over and looked at him
lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan
came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to
him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged
them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he
took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling
him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you
the next time I’m here.’</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">“Now which
of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by
bandits?” Jesus asked.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The man
replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Then Jesus
said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">This is a
weird answer to the question "who is my neighbor?" It seems
convoluted and lengthy. The priest and the Levite are supposed to be the good
guys in the story but they are not. Then this enemy, this unclean, despised
Samaritan comes on the scene. This is the where the dark music comes in – oooh,
the bad guy! what's he gonna do to this poor helpless guy lying in the ditch?
he has compassion on him. he binds up his wounds. he takes him to a place where
he can receive more care and promises to come back and pay his bills. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Jesus is
seriously blowing this law expert's mind. But, if we are careful in our reading
of God's word, we will see that God has been telling us all along that He
ALWAYS uses the "wrong sort" of person: Adam and Eve blew it, Noah
got drunk, Abraham lied about his wife and tried to hurry God's promise, Jacob
was a deceiver and trickster, Tamar posed as a prostitute, Rahab <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> a prostitute, Moses was a murderer,
Ehud was left-handed, Deborah was a woman Judge, Gideon was the least of the
least, Samson was, well, don't even get me started on Samson!, Ruth was a foreigner,
David was an adulterer and a murderer and a warmonger, Jonah disobeyed God,
then repented and then got seriously angry over a dead plant. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Jesus
stories and actions show us the same thing: healing beggars, celebrating the
prodigal son, talking to the woman at the well, going to Zacchaeus' house, hanging
out with tax-collectors and prostitutes and now this: the "good" Samaritan.
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">All my
life, I have thought of this story as a message to reach out to others who are
not like me or to help those in need regardless of their gender, creed or
color. And is it that. God does want us to love our neighbor and this story
does cast a wide net over who our neighbor might include. But Jesus is a master
story teller, and as I read this story over and over, I started to see some
other connections.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">First of
all, the priest and the Levite are not accidental choices for the ones leaving
the guy in the ditch. What is Jesus trying to say about that? The priest is a
representative of the Law. The Law was what this expert was banking on to
guarantee him eternal life. The Levite was one who carried out the duties in
the Temple and in that represents service to God. So, neither the Law nor
service to God saved this man from his helpless condition.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Then a
certain Samaritan came by. Someone who was "despised and rejected" by
the Jews – and Jesus says "when he saw the man, he felt compassion for
him" This is almost word for word what the Bible says about Jesus in
Matthew 9:36 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because
they were harassed and helpless" Then he goes over to him. The man can do
nothing but lie there half-dead. The Samaritan pours oil and wine over his cuts
and bruises. Oil and wine are used frequently in the Old Testament as examples
of how God will provide for His people. Joel 2:19 says The LORD will answer and
say to His people, "Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and
oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them." Jesus often uses wine
to represent His blood.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">He bandaged
the wounds and put him on his own beast and brought him to an inn. An inn is
not a home. People don't live in an inn forever. It is a temporary place of
safety, of rest. There is an inn keeper there who will take care of him. The
inn keeper is given what he needs to care for the man and a promise to pay back
if he spends more. And lastly, the Samaritan promises to come back. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Could Jesus
be talking about Himself? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Tullian
Tchividjian, professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando,
Florida, thinks so: "In a rich irony, we move from being identified with
the priest and the Levite who never perfectly love our best friends “as
ourselves,” much less our enemies, to being identified with the traveler in
desperate need of salvation. Jesus intends the parable itself to leave us
beaten and bloodied, lying in a ditch, like the man in the story. We are the
breathless bruised. We are the needy, unable to do anything to help ourselves.
We are the broken people, beaten up by life, robbed of hope. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">But then
Jesus comes. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Unlike the
Priest and Levite, He doesn’t avoid us. He crosses the street—from heaven to
earth—comes into our mess, gets his hands dirty. At great cost to himself on
the cross, he heals our wounds, covers our nakedness, and loves us with a
no-strings-attached love. He brings us to the Father and promises that his 'help' is not simply a one-time gift—rather, it’s a gift that will forever
cover 'the charges' we incur."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">This view
of the Samaritan as Jesus dates all the way back to the 3<sup>rd</sup> century.
It takes this story from the realm of a moralistic tale to a story of
salvation. The original question was “Teacher, what should I do to inherit
eternal life?” and it would uncharacteristic of Jesus and contrary to the
gospel for Him to give an answer that reinforces human effort as the way to
salvation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In answering the question
"who is my neighbor?” Jesus shows us the condition of our souls. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Romans 5
says, "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and
died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an
upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who
is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to
die for us while we were still sinners." Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t
need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are
righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Now it's
Jesus turn for questions: " Now which of these three would you say was a
neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” The expert in the law can't
even bring himself to say the word Samaritan. He answers: “The one who showed
him mercy.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Then Jesus
says, "go and do likewise" Show mercy. He is asking us to be his
hands and feet here on earth. To find those lying in ditches and bring them
hope and healing in His name. But we have to remember that we were once in that
ditch ourselves. We were dead in our sins and transgressions, and we have been
made alive in Christ. Only when we see our own need for God’s grace and mercy can
we reach out to others from a place of mutuality and compassion instead of
advantage or privilege. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">But we find
ourselves like the expert in the law and the circumcised believers trying to
figure out if we are doing it right. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
says "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love…This is my
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." So there's
not a formula per se, but if there were, it would look something like this: </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Loving God
= Obeying God </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Obeying God
= Loving one another</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">In
mathematics, there is something called the transitive property of equality which states
that if a=b and b=c, then a=c. Using this property, we can conclude that:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Loving God
= Loving one another</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">We can show
God how much we love Him by loving those around us. And we can also see how
much of God's love we have by noticing how much we love those around us.
Frederick Buechner describes this kind of love: "Loving each other doesn't
mean loving each other in some sentimental, unrealistic, greeting-card kind of
way but the way families love each other even though they may fight tooth and
nail and get fed up to the teeth with each other and drive each other crazy,
yet all the time know deep down in their hearts that they belong to each other
and need each other and can't imagine what life would be without each other--even
the ones they often wish had never been born."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Jesus saw our
need, had compassion, crossed the road, bandaged our wounds and brought us to
safety – go and do likewise. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
tree gardeners of uptownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895905248163311848noreply@blogger.com