SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

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  • Captivated

    It is really interesting what captivates our minds and pulls us in…what so easily distracts us from all that is around.  Over the past week or so, developing stories of the virus have spread…changing situations moment by moment.  It is all we talk about and all we hear.  Panic has set it and fear reigns down like fire on a pile of kindling.  We are captivated, waiting to hear what is next, checking to see how many cases there are now, and wondering how we will find toilet paper.  We seem to breathe in the news of the world and we exhale with long breaths of despair and worry.  It has truly taken over.  But, if we take a moment…turn off the TV…put down the phones…keep our distance from others…and simply walk outside…all is not in chaos.

    It is SPRING.  There are trees beginning to bloom, flowers starting to bud, and the birds seem to be singing their song louder than ever.  I wonder how many have even paid attention to the beautiful symphony of music played by God’s creation.  How can we become captivated…not on the chaos and worry and fear…but on the One that gives us life and breath – peace and joy (even in the storm)?  Maybe today we stop focusing on all the things that are going wrong and focus on what God gets right…EVERY…SINGLE…DAY.  May we become captivated by creation…beauty that can overwhelm if we simply pay attention.

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  • You are LOVED

    February is a time when we think of love.  Cupids appear, cards fly off the shelves, and candy with flowers is the staple.  How better to express love than with little chocolates and roses?  This is the time of year when people talk about their valentine and love should be in the air, or at least that is what the commercials tell us.  It can be a beautiful time if you have bought the “right” gift or if you are with the “right” person.  Overall, though, it can be an overwhelming time for many.  There are those who have not found their love yet, those who are miserable with the ones they are with, those who do not want to celebrate something they do not feel…and then there are those who struggle because their love is no longer here.  Grieving the loss of a loved one can make this holiday even more challenging.  With all these discussions of love and relationships, it can seem to be a cruel time rather than a celebration.  And we could just skip over it, ignore it all.  Or, it could be a time that we are reminded just how much we are loved.

    This could be the right time to remember how much we were loved by the one we are missing so much. Whether we are missing our spouse, child, parent, or friend, this is a time we can remember the love that was shared.  We can remember the times when we shared a good belly laugh and had a great time.  We can remember special moments that only we would understand.  We can give thanks for the love that was given to us and that continues to grow within us.

    Love is not over.  Death does not stop love or end it.  Our love changes in the way we express it, but it does not change in the way we feel.  Love changes, but it does not end.  In the Bible, we are given an example of love that seems out of reach.  1 Corinthians 13 is an often quoted scripture but we never seem to grasp the enormity of the love.  In summary, we read that love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered…and it doesn’t stop there.  But what I think is transformative is this:  love always hopes, always perseveres, and love never fails.  Death does not take love away.  Love never fails.  That is powerful.  Consider that your love never fails…and the love given to you doesn’t either.

    Remember that you are loved.  You are still very much loved.  No matter where you find yourself during this time, love has not left you.  We are also told in the Bible that God is love.  Since love never fails, neither does God.  He has not left us nor abandoned us.  His presence may not seem always apparent, but that does not mean we are alone.  We are loved beyond measure and this love is unconditional.  We have not earned it.  We do not do enough to deserve it.  God simply loves because that is who HE is.

    This Valentine’s Day, regardless of where you find yourself in your grief journey, take a moment to remember the love you have been given.  Celebrate the love that has been shared with you and continues to grow in you.  Remember that love is not over and death cannot steal this love.  Love never fails.  And God’s love is the most powerful love ever…and this love is offered to you.  You are loved.

  • New Year: Treasured Memories

    When we begin a new year, there are familiar themes that pop up.  We can count on seeing commercials for popular weight loss products and programs.  There will definitely be promotions for exercise equipment for your home.  Local gyms will run specials to entice people to sign up.  This is all in an effort to attract those that feel like the beginning of the year is the time to do all the things that have been neglected.  This will be a new year with a new you – or at least that is how it is advertised.  This is the time to start over and get the body or the life or the health that we have always dreamed about.  There are, of course, challenges to all of this.  Apparently you have to show up to the gym and work out regularly, not just sign up.  That seems to be a problem.  And evidently you have to continue to eat healthy or follow the program longer than a few weeks, even though the cake and pizza is still calling.  And you have to follow the new program way longer than was initially planned.  Finally, what if you simply don’t want to be new?  What if you liked the old, you were comfortable where you were, and you would simply like to go back to those things?

    When we grieve, there are often thoughts and desires to just want things to go back to the way they were before.  We want to have our loved one back.  We want things to return to normal, the way they were before he got sick.  We want to go back to the times when she was still here and we could talk and laugh.  We just want things back to the way they were and forget this new you talk.  And we don’t want anything else new.  We want old because old brought us comfort.

    The problem is that we can’t go back and we are forced to move forward in some way.  We are pushed into this new year, often kicking and screaming.  But I want you to consider moving into this new year with a little old and a little new.  It is a compromise since you are required to move forward anyway.  For the little old, you are given something treasured.  You are given something that is special and comes at just the right time.  You are given something that doesn’t require anyone else and doesn’t have to be forced.  You are given the gift of treasured memories.  There are special times and moments in your life that continue to live on in you that no one can take from you.  You are given the gift of trips and experiences that you had with your loved one that continue to encourage and make you smile, laugh and sometimes cry.  You carry these into the new year because they mean something to you and you don’t have to give them up.  Actually, you can do things to help you remember.  As you move into the new year, you can create new memories from the old.  You can frame a special picture and hang it in a place where you are always reminded.  You can take a special arrangement to the cemetery or a special memorial location.  You can create a new tradition that helps you to treasure a memory.  The possibilities are endless.

    The importance is that as you move into the new year, you carry those memories with you.  You do not have to create a whole new you.  Your life is not moving on without your loved one completely because you are packed with memories and treasures.  You move on with these gifts that help you create new memories without forgetting the old.  Things change but the old is not forgotten.  You move forward but you have a lifetime of joys you bring with you.  So as you start this brand new year, find ways to do this with your most treasured gifts.  It can be a new year with treasured memories.

    May God bless you and keep you…may his face shine upon you and bring you peace…may he bless you with beautiful memories and new opportunities…and may your new year bring joy beginning with the joys that are already a part of you.

  • Imagining Something Different

    Ever had the thought…this is never going to get better?  Ever wonder if it will always be this way and nothing is going to change?  It is difficult to believe things could really be any different.  We imagine a new world, hope for things to change, look for signs to see where God is at work.  And then we notice what we really see… fighting and backstabbing, lying and cheating, bullying and degrading.  And that’s on the 6 am news before the day even gets started.  Children are starving around the world and many of the world’s diseases could be prevented with something as simple as clean water.  Greed rules the day and selfishness is the theme of so many.

    Even in the church, the place where we should be seeking and striving for a new way, it is difficult to imagine sometimes.  If we are honest about it…we tend to be judgmental and cruel…we tend to think that people should act a certain way, dress a certain way, have their hair a certain way, smell a certain way, and should adapt to our way of life.  We don’t have a lot of patience for those that are different and if we do for a moment, it is because we have the expectation that they will soon enough change to be who we want them to be.  We don’t have a lot of experience with other cultures so we dismiss them.  We don’t understand our differences so we seek to eliminate rather than to embrace them.  We don’t often take the time to know someone else’s story because we are waiting for them to change.  We like the way things are and to do anything different would be…out of the question – even if we don’t verbalize that feeling.

    Now, you may think that this cannot possibly apply to us, as the church today…but I would challenge you to take a second or third look.  Do we really want people who are different with us…do we really want to reach those that come from different cultures…do we really want to welcome those that we might consider an outsider…and the fact that we can use the word outsider in this sense really does answer a lot of the question.  We don’t really want to consider that there could be another way.  To envision something different is difficult because we become comfortable and fear causes us to push back on anything that takes away that comfort.  We like the way things are because that makes us feel better.  We aren’t ready for anything different.  So we push out those that do not quite conform…those that do not quick enough make the change…that do not see like we do.  And we become a group of people…like us.  And to do any different is scary.

    It even happens among us…among those that are already here…that have stayed and are a part and we have accepted.  We have created a culture that rewards conformity to such an extent that it is sometimes difficult to express what you really feel.  For instance, if someone is struggling at home, it is better to keep that under wraps – for fear of judgment.  If one of us is facing depression or loneliness, anxiety or fear…if we mentally just don’t know how we are going to make it…we don’t express that in church – people tend to gossip about things like that.  And let’s face it, historically, the church’s answer in general to our problems has been one of…pray about it and if you have enough faith, all will work out.  The problem is that this a hollow, one liner that doesn’t really seek to understand the real struggles of the person.  No…having enough faith does not cure all things.  No…praying enough does not take away depression or anxiety.  No…pretending to conform just so you fit in is not the pattern of Jesus.  And no…this is not what is taught.  This is not okay.  We have to do better.  There is still hope, though.  And wouldn’t you know it…it is found in the Bible.  There is hope of a new way…hope of a new day…hope that this is not all there is…and it begins with words from God.

    Isaiah 65:17-25

    God is presenting a new vision…one that the Israelites can’t even wrap their minds around…and frankly, neither can we.  God is presenting a vision of peace, of justice, of health…it is a vision where no one is hungry.  It is a vision where his creation…which he created as good…really is good.  It is a place where there is joy.  There are tangible realities…eating from the crops that are grown…living healthy lives because of living off the land – a land that they take care of, love and tend…peace rules…not because everyone is the same, but because they use their gifts for the greater good.  All comes together, as God intended, created, and ordained.  This is good.  And it is to come, God says.  All being made new.

    When we read this, it is such a beautiful picture that we can see this as idealistic…a type of utopia that never will be.  We can miss the possibilities contained in the scripture.  We could easily skip over that God says he is doing this.  This is a vision that God has at work…is putting in place.  God can make this happen!

    We could say this vision is for the future  – it is a new heaven and new earth after all.  And that is true – it is a future glimpse.  But that is not all.  We could also look at it as beginning here and now.  God may just be at work reforming, renewing, remaking right now.  We could think of it as the kingdom of God.  We could think of it, as Jesus taught us to pray…Your kingdom come, Your will be done…on earth as it is in heaven.  Your kingdom is to come and yet is already here.  Jesus brought the kingdom and yet…there is so much more that awaits. But that begins with us doing as we are called and created – right here and right now.  That begins with us giving up our ideals of how we think things should be and focusing on what God thinks things should look like.  And I think this new…looks a lot more diverse.  I think this renewal looks a lot more welcoming and loving…accepting and exciting…I think it looks a lot more joyful and promising.  And I don’t think it is idealistic as we want to make it out to be.  I think it is accessible and real and right before us.  But we have to be willing to let the old things go…the things that we want…the ways that we want…the ideals that we have…

    Note…I am not suggesting giving up our values or beliefs…I am not suggesting giving up following Jesus or living by God’s word.  I am suggesting that the ways that we have of doing that may not be the right way.  I am suggesting that things could be different…joyful and peaceful and equal and above all else, loving of all.  I am suggesting we begin to follow Jesus, truly follow his lead.

    I admit…it sounds idealistic to me – I long for this picture to be so.  I so want to know that God is making all things new and that there is hope for a new creation…that God can once again say that it is good.  I want to see where God’s children come together in peace and no one is hungry.  What a joy it would be to see this vision to become reality.  But what if it means we have to begin to re-vision what we expect? What if it means we have to do some changing to be more like God?  What if it means that we have to be willing to take a step back and realize where we are not doing what we should – where have we missed it?

    If we are honest, keeping things the same is always easier.  Change is hard.  Doing things like we always have is much more comfortable.  Living where our ways are the ways and people conform to that makes us feel better.  Worshiping with people like us alleviates fear.  Giving quick answers is easier than getting to know people and their stories.  Ignoring what is going on in life is more comfortable that walking with others through their fears and struggles.

    But the problem is…I don’t read anything in the Bible about that being okay.  Jesus broke all the molds by fulfilling what God has taught.  What he did completely shook up the establishment.  How he lived was so radical that they wanted him dead.  He made the religious so nervous with his ways that they wanted him eliminated…silenced…done away with.  Are we living like that too?  There is a different way.  There is a better way.  But it is scary and uncomfortable and different…it means people that look different and act different will be with us.  It means that people will able to talk openly about mental health and their struggles and the church will have a better answer than simply praying and having faith.  It means that people don’t have to dress or smell or act like we do to be loved and welcomed and accepted.  I wonder…could it be so.  Isaiah’s vision says…it certainly can.

    Jesus began to change things…he challenged those that thought they had it all together…he loved on those that knew they needed him…he pushed people out of what they had always been doing and always had known.  Jesus began to help people see that it could be different…that the church didn’t have to be like it was…that faith was so much more…that love required action rather than just words.  Jesus understood the struggles of people…their mental struggles, their physical struggles, their health struggles…he got it and reached them where they are…he didn’t ask them to become more like the religious people…he helped them become their best – who God had created them to be.

    If we become more like Christ, this vision becomes clearer and clearer.  If we walk like Jesus, the reality that this is the kingdom to come and yet, is here becomes more apparent.  We begin working for reform right where we are.  And we begin with ourselves.  We begin with changing who we are so that we reflect Jesus.  We don’t worry about what others are doing…we work on us…who we are, what we think, how we act, why we judge, what we need to do to become who Christ calls us to be.

    I say…we look forward to this vision…make me an instrument in your plan, God.  Renew, remake, shape, form and help me to see what you are up to.  And Lord, use me to help make your vision of the kingdom a reality.  Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done…on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.

  • The Value of Difficult Scriptures

    There are often scriptures that make us uncomfortable – those that make us wonder what this is trying to tell us and if it means anything for us today.

    Lamentations is one of those books…most of us would prefer to skip it over.  Who wants to hear about a person in difficulty, going through really tough time, struggling to make it?  We have enough problems of our own and we don’t want to hear about someone else’s… But there is value in hearing about the struggles of those in the scripture.  There is something about learning of the struggles and how they overcame…or didn’t.  It can remind us that we are not alone in whatever we go through.  It can let us know that our current situation is only but for a moment – even if those moments seem to last forever.  And we can be reminded that God does not leave those that suffer – he does not leave them in their distress or in their celebrations.  God is with us, no matter our situations.

    In this book, the author is struggling with the destruction of Jerusalem.  Their place of worship, their identity, their home has been destroyed.  Who they are has been trampled upon.  They look around and see nothing familiar because it is all war torn…destruction envelopes their very being.  There are children starving, people dying, and no place to turn.  The situation for so many seems hopeless.  In Lamentations, there is a cry out to God…a tension of whether God cares…a wondering if God will ever help them again…a really feeling of abandonment.  It is a place where the people are not sure where God is or if they are even his people…whatever that means.  They are searching for identity.  They are searching for rescue.  They are searching for answers.  And they are not finding any.  It is a long, difficult road – and while they know they have broken promises…is God even in the middle of this anymore?  Does God even care?  Has God simply forsaken them and left them to die?

    For the first two chapters and the beginning of the third, this is the essence, the searching, and the longing.  It is difficult to read, yet we might just find a home in the middle of the mess.  We might recognize what is going on.  We might find we identify, at least in some part, with the struggles of those that lament.  In chapter 3, the author is struggling with those that mock him for calling on God…those that have overtaken and destroyed the land…seeking to deflate the people…those that once had a strong name and served a powerful God…they are disgraced in the face of their enemies.  What do they do now?  What do we do when all we see are ruins where once there was beauty?  What do we do with our lives when things not only didn’t turn out right…but turned out real wrong?  Where do we go when our world continually gets hit…time after time after time…bad news, horrifying situations, indescribable pain?  What do we do in the middle of it all?

    And that is where today’s scripture comes in.  That is where a little glimmer shows up…a little bitty light in the midst of a dark storm that has wiped our entire lives out…a welcome light in the middle of a night that has lasted way too long.  Lamentations 3:19-26.

    Now as we hear these words, I want to remind you that this is in the middle of the struggle…there has not been any changes to the situation…there have not been rescues or redemption or some awe inspiring revelations.  The author has struggled and then…all of a sudden…at just the right time…he calls something to mind.  Something deep in him reminds him of something he had forgotten.  Deep down in the memory, there is something that appears and brings that glimmer.  He writes…I call to mind…in other words, I remember.  And in remembering, something changes.  There is hope that was not there that appears…shows up…begins to change him…not the situation.  A hope that is so small, yet so powerful.  What does he call to mind?  What is it that he remembers?

    He writes…the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…his mercies never come to an end…they are new every morning…great is your faithfulness…the Lord is my portion (that’s what his soul tells him)…therefore he hopes in God.  Wow!  What a remarkable glimmer of hope in an otherwise difficult, horrible situation!  Just a little hope can turn things around when that hope is in God.  And by turn things around, I don’t mean what is going on around him, the situation…I mean what is going on inside.  This is a hope that abides even when all circumstances seem out of control and in destruction.  This hope comes because of the steadfast love, the mercy of God.  God is faithful.  Even when we do not experience him…even when we do not understand…even when we look around and wonder where he is in all of this…even when we feel like we are abandoned…God’s steadfast love does not end…his mercy is new every morning…great is his faithfulness!

    That is an amazing hope that does not answer any of our questions or alleviate the suffering…but at least begins to help us to move forward…to seek what God is up to…to trust that he is still with us.  When we can be reminded…either by our memory…or by others that love us and are with us…we can find hope…God does not leave us.

    And that is still not all…The Lord is good.  But this goodness comes in both waiting and seeking.  The author finds God’s goodness in waiting and seeking.  If we are continually held down in our distress, we may miss what is right before us.  We may not seek if we are so captured by our struggles.  To simply stop…wait…and seek.  God is here.  God is present.  God has not left us.  God is still good.

    None of these are easy answers and I’m glad.  Easy answers and cliché sayings offer little or no comfort when we are in the type of distress that the author has been describing.  Long term, these do not offer true hope or help or answers.  They are good things to help us through a small, quick struggle.  But when we get caught up in the mire…the mud…the overwhelming despair, we need real answers.  And this is where the hard work pays off…we begin to remember that we will not understand it all.  We remember that God calls us to wait…to seek…to simply be.  His mercies are new every morning…even though the night seems to have lasted for weeks on end.  His steadfast love is greater than any of our distress…even when we are not sure of it looking around.  God is faithful.

    Where is your hope?  Maybe today is the day to begin to dig down deep…to remember…to wait…to seek.  God just might be offering us a glimmer of hope that we did not even know existed.

  • No More Time

    SLOW DOWN!  So many times we want to scream this to the top of our lungs…as life speeds by quicker than we can comprehend.  When we see our children growing up or experience so many “firsts” or celebrate special occasions…we want to be able to slow time down.  We want to savor the moments that we treasure so much.  But no matter how loud we scream, time keeps moving…and we can grow weary trying to capture what has already passed.

    Recently, I was a part of a training that discussed differences among cultures.  A big difference for so many that come to America is our fixation on time.  We schedule ourselves to death…almost literally.  We value promptness…getting upset with those that don’t.  We don’t want wasted moments in life…so we have big, fancy planners to remind us to keep up and do more.  We are fascinated with how much we can fit into a day and disappointed when we can only squeeze 24 hours out of most days.  Some try to figure out how to sleep less so they can do more.  For those that work too much, they seek more time so they can also see their families.

    Time is something we can’t buy, though.  We don’t get the option to purchase an hour or barter for an extra 15 minutes…can you imagine the national deficit if we could?!?!  We only get so much time and often, that is way shorter than we planned.  So what do we do?  We have money to make and goals to accomplish and children to raise and ladders to climb.  We don’t have time…

    I am as guilty as anyone else.  On my wrist is an intent bracelet.  There is printed on it this word…REST.  Yes, I require this word to be on my wrist to remind me that rest is important.  I am horrible about taking the time to rest and this is my little reminder of the value and the need to simply rest.  In some ways, I am almost disappointed I have to be reminded.  But in other ways, I am grateful I see the value of rest and treasure it enough to figure out little ways to remind me.

    Since we can’t buy time, borrow time, or trade for it…maybe we stop counting it.  Stop worrying about how old we are and how much time we supposedly have left.  Stop focusing on what we haven’t done and is still to accomplish.  What if time doesn’t matter?  What if we simply enjoy the gift of each moment?  What if we stop to see the beauty in this life we have been given?  What if we take a moment to just breathe?  It isn’t a waste.  Maybe we even change our rhythm…count treasured moments rather than hours passed…count experiences rather than dollars…count relationships rather than transactions…count gifts rather than accumulation.  Maybe today is the day to stop counting and start…living.  And maybe today, we rest.

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    image from Google Images

  • Caregivers…YOU are a gift

    You are seen…you are heard…appreciated, valued, loved…overworked, overwhelmed…precious, gifted, treasured… You have the most difficult job that I know.  You are a caregiver.

    Caregivers rarely get credit, accolades, recognition.  They are often the unseen gifts, left unopened on Christmas morning, but the most valuable of anything under the tree.  Those you care for often are not able to express their gratitude.  For those that care for family with memory loss, there is most often no ability by their loved one to say thank you and sometimes comes out as hatefulness instead.  For those that care for the dying, it is all your loved ones can do to take the next breath and speaking thanks just isn’t an option.  For those that are there, day in and day out, with children of mental disabilities, they do not have the capacity to understand that sacrifice and love you are giving (although they KNOW deep down they are loved by you).  It is most often a thankless, unseen, underappreciated place in life.  But it is also the most COURAGEOUS act.

    It takes courage to get up each day to love and care for others.  There are days that seem to drag on with demands that are too much.  There are moments that you just need to find your own breath.  And as much as I talk about taking a break, many of you simply do not have the option of taking time for yourself.  You are consumed by the position you fill.

    All of that being said…I want you to hear “THANK YOU”.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  Thank you for giving of your life to care for those that you love and that love you.  Thank you for the moments you could have spent on yourself and instead, you gave of yourself.  Thank you for the times when you were having to do difficult tasks in the face of much opposition but you carried on because you loved so very much. Thank you for loving with your whole self…with all you had to give…and still giving.  Thank you!  YOU are a gift.

    And…YOU are seen.  We see you…mom that is caring for children that will never be able to care for themselves… Dads that are taking care of moms that have lost the ability to function…  Children that are caring for parents that can no longer call their names and don’t recognize your face any longer… Families that are taking turns feeding and clothing and bathing… Friends that sit at bedsides so families can find some sense of rest… WE SEE YOU.  And YOU are a gift.

    As a pastor and grief counselor, I have the privilege to watch caregivers at work. They are often quiet, unnoticed, and simply doing what they know needs to be done.  But they are there…loving when loving is the toughest.  And I couldn’t be more grateful for those that love like this.  My prayer is that God renews the strength of those that are caring for others.  May God hold up those that do not know if they can carry on.  May God fill these servants with peace.  May God wrap them with love.  And may God remind them that they are seen and we are grateful.

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  • Don’t MISS the party because of the guests!

    Who invited them?  Have you ever walked into a birthday party or social event, looked around the room, and found unexpected people there?  Most of us would wonder…who invited that person?  Why is he here?  Who told her about it?  We can be caught off guard when the event we thought was happening ends up with different people than we had envisioned.  Now, I know not all of you are introverts…but for those that are…what do you begin to do? My guess is that you start checking out where the table is, who you could sit with and who you are most likely to carry on some sort of a conversation with…how you can avoid sitting in the middle of everything and go fairly unnoticed.  It is likely you already had that planned before you arrived and with unexpected people, you have to re-adjust…and you don’t like re-adjusting.  To throw another surprise into the room, the person you thought was the honoree actually isn’t…the party isn’t for who you thought…you can likely feel your eyes roll in the back of your head.  If you have already been seen and there is no easy escape route, you look for the seat closest to the door with the least noticeable people so that a trip to the restroom can turn into getting lost and accidentally getting in your car and heading home.

    For others of you…you might find a way to have a good time anyway when you see unexpected people.  I mean, you can socialize with anyone so this won’t stop you.  You will find the fun group to sit with, enjoy the company…you bring the party with you anyway.  All is good until you find that the person being recognized is not what you thought and this event isn’t at all what it was supposed to be.  You are likely frustrated and you make sure you talk loud enough about it so that those within ear shot know how ridiculous you think all this is.  You will have a harder time leaving unnoticed because, well, you are noticed.  But you can make a statement if you do have to leave. Things aren’t always as they seem…sometimes life happens, events change, and our world has to be…re-adjusted.

    Eric found himself in a similar situation.  He hears about this amazing event, THE event of the year.  He has a place of honored guest.  There is the best of the best there.  The best food, the best music, the best people…this is THE place to be.  This event was put together as a celebration, a festival…something wonderful has happened and the whole community needs to hear.  There is a special guest and an award.  This will be awesome.  Eric’s invitation shows that he gets to sit at the head table with the special guest.  Eric IS somebody at this event and that intrigues him.  He can’t turn down the invitation – this is just too good to pass up.  His desk is overloaded with work and he has other things to do…but this, this he makes time for.  He jumps in his SUV, heads over to the place and finds a parking spot just for him.  It IS awesome!  He gets out and he sees one of his friends, they decide to walk in together.  Neither of them has heard who the honored guest is…but as soon as Eric walks in, he sees him – all the way from across the room.  It is him and he can’t believe it.  Eric thinks the best thing for him to do is to turn around and leave NOW.  This will not end well.  The host of the party…the one that sent the invitation…the person that wanted Eric there runs after him…Eric continues to leave…he can’t believe this party is for this guy…and it is not happening today, not with Eric there.  This guy doesn’t deserve a party or an invitation or even to be in town…this guy is a loser, a nobody, a complete and utter mess up. What Eric missed in the whole thing was…this party wasn’t even about that guy…this party was about the host…but Eric doesn’t understand that as he speeds away in his SUV.  Eric missed the party because he didn’t understand the invitation.

    This story of Eric, I adapted from the scripture I would like for you to read, maybe in a new and different way… Luke 15:1-2, 11-32.

    Notice that Jesus is telling a story in response to something that has happened.  This is the 3rdstory in the series, and likely the most well-known.  In the audience were:  tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and scribes…and likely the disciples which may have fit in one of the first 2 categories.  The religious leaders were frustrated and upset that Jesus is welcoming sinners and eating with them.  How dare he!  Remember that table fellowship is sacred and you wouldn’t want to be unclean by eating with the wrong people.  So in order to answer that, Jesus tells the stories.  This 3rdstory is what we call the parable of the prodigal son.

    In most cases, we tell and hear the story from the prodigal son’s perspective.  And he is one of the main characters in the story.  The prodigal son insults his family, disgraces the family name, disrespects the land that is considered given by God, and spends his time doing things which are…well, less than acceptable.  He likely makes friends but only keeps them when he has money.  When the money runs out…and it always does if you spend it without care…he takes a job that is…disgusting.  It is disgusting not because of the work, but because of his faith and heritage.  He continues to disrespect and forget all that he is…he loses himself in it all, not just the money.  He returns home and Dad does more than he should…he disgraces himself to run to his son to embrace him.  Note that Zaccheus was the last person we looked at that was willing to disgrace himself by running in order to see Jesus…The son simply wants to be a slave, a servant, to have decent food and a place to lay his head.  The father gives him more than he deserved, more than he could ever earn, more than anyone should be given by worldly standards…he gets his sonship. He gets to be a son…something he had thrown away, squandered, trampled, and set on fire…enjoying the flames at a campfire.

    The second person in the story is, of course, the father.  He is willing to let the son go off and do what he will.  He doesn’t know that this son will ever return.  But every day, he goes out and looks down the road for the son to return…though he continues to be disappointed day by day.  Then…one day…it happens.  His son returns and he takes off running down the road to give him the biggest bear hug ever.  His son is back and it is a joyful day to celebrate!  His son will not be a slave or servant…he is a son and a son he shall be.  The father gives reckless grace in the face of a disaster…his son.

    The third person…the older son.  We don’t often like to talk about him.  We love the idea that the prodigal son is loved so much and given a place back in the family.  We hear and feel that warmth, that embrace, that welcome despite the mess that we are.  We rejoice over the amazing grace of the father that overwhelms not only the son, but us, as the reader.  We hear that the father has extravagant love for a sinner such as I.  We want the story to just end with the feast.  That would make it easier.  But that isn’t where Jesus ended the story.  Remember, Jesus is answering the issue of him welcoming and eating with sinners.

    It is the older son that makes us uncomfortable, most likely.  This son is…well…seemingly justified and we don’t know what to do with that.  This son, the older, arrives to the feast…the party…the event that is THE festival.  It is a party unlike any other.  The problem is that this son isn’t the honored guest.  This son…the good one…the one that never left his father…the one that didn’t stomp on his heritage…the one that was faithful even when it was hard…the one that put in the long hours and cared for his family…the one that was the responsible one…this is the one that doesn’t get a party…not even so much as a little birthday cake.  The delinquent, wayward, irresponsible younger son is the one that gets the big event…the good son gets – NOTHING?  He is furious.  And we are uncomfortable with this story because we would be too.  He did everything right, how dare the father do something for the son that disrespected him.  Did the father not understand?  Was the father playing favorites?  What do we do with this?  We want to drive away in our SUV and tell them to have a great time without us!

    The problem, though, is that the son that stayed…the one that never left his father’s side…the one that was faithful through it all…he missed it.  What he saw was a party for his brother that didn’t deserve anything except a swift kick in the rear.  What he saw was a big celebration like no other for the son that had basically spit on the entire family in an attempt to get his way.  What he missed was HIS place at the party.  What he missed was the FATHER.  He could have missed the love because his envy, his jealousy, his anger consumed him in an effort to prove he was the better child and deservedthe best.

    What he missed was that he didn’t earn his place at the party any more than the younger son.  What he missed was that while he was born a son he was not perfect.  What he missed was that despite all that he had done right, that didn’t mean he got the best place at the head table as an honored guest.  He got all that he had BECAUSE OF THE FATHER.  He wanted to compare his place with others at the table without recognizing that he had a valued place at the table given to him by the one that loved him more than he could imagine.  He wanted to prove his worth as better,  when actually his worth was given to him by grace not by works.  He got a place at the most extravagant table because he was loved…just like his brother.

    And why not welcome everyone to the table?  Why not have a seat for his brother?  Who was he to judge who could sit at the table…it wasn’t his table, it wasn’t his feast?  It was the father’s to give and he was given a place because all that the father had, he was willing to give.  He was chosen and loved and welcomed.  But he was willing to walk away from the table because he didn’t like who was on the guest list.

    Are you grateful to be at the table?  Have you decided who will be there…who is on the invited list…who will be gathered around…who is in and who is out…who is better, who is worthy, who is the deserving? If you think you know who is invited, you might be shocked.  But instead of looking around the room, maybe you pull up a seat, take your place, and thank the Lord that he gave you a place…not because you earned or deserved it…but because you were loved more than you could ever imagine.  Maybe you start telling people about the table rather than judging who is worthy.  Welcome to the party…Jesus is throwing the most extravagant bash you could ever imagine…and I can’t wait to see who is there!

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  • Sacred Spaces

    We know we have encountered a sacred space when we arrive there…it has happened to me before.  I am always surprised and joyful when I know I am there, as if I have been invited by the One who loves me.  The space this time was discovered while spending a week in retreat at Mepkin Abbey.  The week was the gift of breathing, rest, and worship.  It ushered in solitude, grace, love, and warmth…healing my weary soul.  The sacred space was revealed in the garden, in the most inconspicuous of places among it all.  The beauty of the gardens overlooking the waters of the Cooper River invites the visitor to come and sit, listen and pray.   But it was on a set of steps leading up to a cemetery that I felt washed over with love…in a ravine with lush underbrush and beautiful random flowers.  The most amazing songs were sung by the symphony of birds, songs that were the most welcoming and joyful I have ever encountered.  They stole the silence of the grounds and my heart invited their song. My heart needed their song.  The beauty of it all was indescribable.  I wanted to stay in that place, in that moment, forever.  Or, at least to return often, to know I was close enough to capture the sacredness of it all, again and again.  But that isn’t how some sacred spaces work.  Some are given to us for just a glimpse, a season, a breath.  They are a momentary vision of God’s amazing beauty and grace wrapped in greenery and song, and my heart was full.  But at some point, I had to move…to move on, to move forward, reaching ever closer to the call.  I am grateful to be given the space, if just for a little while.  I was reminded of God’s Presence in the songs of his small but powerful creation.  While I can’t stay forever, I can carry the joy, the love and the peace with me as I serve.  May God continue to give sacred spaces, if just for a moment…and may I stop to hear his still, small voice that changes everything.  Until next time…

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  • I am…

    (This is the message delivered at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday March 10, 2019.  The equipment was not working, so this is the manuscript)

    “I just don’t get it!”   These words can be expressed from most any student that has tried to solve an equation, anyone trying to learn something new, facing the challenge of fixing a broken piece of machinery, or simply reading a difficult passage.  It can be frustrating to search and dig and try to discover only to find a complete loss in the end.  Some things are just difficult to understand.  Not all of life comes with easy answers or quick fixes.  I find that the most valuable lessons I have learned have come from difficult times when I have had to keep learning, keep asking, keep exploring, keep asking “and”…until finally, the lightbulb moment occurred.  It can be so rewarding to either see the light or help someone else to see it.  The “I don’t get it” turns into an “ah ha!” moment and it is priceless.  In today’s reading, I find myself in the position of searching…and listening…and exploring, trying to uncover what Jesus is teaching.

    John 8:31-38

    Jesus is talking to a group of Jews – those born and raised in the faith…believers in God…Jesus’ own people, these are people that were searching and trying to put all the pieces together.  They didn’t get it.  They had not turned away…they had not given up…they were still struggling through Jesus’ teachings.  And if we are honest with ourselves, we should find ourselves in this position a lot as we read and study the teachings of Jesus.  He presents some difficult teachings on loving and following and serving. He does not sugar coat or spoon feed. With Jesus, he is teaching and leading from the ultimate place of love…but this love convicts us that we are not who we should be…nor do we do all that could… His love challenges us to become more like him and less like the world…and it changes us into the people he has created.

    In today’s teaching, Jesus is explaining what it means to follow…to be a disciple…a real disciple.  In this, he explains that being a disciple is continuing in his word, the truth.  This truth will make the disciple free.  This sounds great and we often speak this verse…you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.  Mostly we speak it when we have remembered a Bible verse or trying to prove we are right. But this verse also insinuates something.  If the truth makes free, then the opposite is to be a slave…to be oppressed…to be held down…to be not free.  The opposite of free is captured and contained.  For a Jewish person, this means something.  If we reference back to the Old Testament teachings, there are many indications of freedom from oppression.  Indicated here…being a descendant of Abraham means that they are God’s chosen…and as a child of God, not slaves.  They may have also thought about Passover and how Moses had led God’s people out of slavery, to be set free.  For Jesus to speak about needing to be free is a difficult and possibly offensive teaching.

    While we may not find that immediately difficult, the application hits a little closer to home for us, as non-Jews. Jesus answered them that the slavery he is talking about is a slavery to sin.  Sin is holding them as slaves and due to the sin, they are unable to see an opportunity for sonship…the chance to be a child of the King.  They are missing a place at the table because they don’t understand there is something better for them.  They are happy being slaves because they don’t realize that there is more to this life than where they are.  They haven’t seen the master’s table, where the children of the Master sit. And they don’t see it because they don’t understand how Jesus fits into their picture.  God, they get.  Abraham, they understand.  Moses, they have learned about.  The Law, they have expounded.  But Jesus…they do not have a place for.  They don’t understand how God has shown them who he is because it is easier to stay like they are, than move forward with Jesus.

    They are not the only ones that didn’t get it. There are so many of us that are held as slaves to sin because it is easier than living in the light.  There are many of us that would rather live in sin because that is a life we understand.  The truth may set us free, but we have to see how enslaved we are to see how free we could be…  When we are slaves of sin, we are held back.  We are under oppression of sin.  We are not free to be as we were created to be.  We don’t see that there is a place at God’s table for us.

    Sin seeks to destroy, and eats away at us from the inside out.  Sin tells us who we are not.  Sin whispers that we are losers, defective, failures, bad people, worthless, unclean. Sin says that we have no way out…that we are the way we are and nothing can change that.  Sin steals our joy and our hope.  Sin…missing the mark, not seeing who we are as God’s beloved…takes the life we have been given and crumples it up like the paper we have written and erased on way too many times.  Sin says we can try but we will never succeed.

    And the waters become even more muddy because we really are sinners.  We make mistakes.  We can try so very hard and still mess up.  We can make every effort and still find ourselves at a loss…still not good enough…still not succeeding.  Sometimes, it seems the harder we try, the more we fail.  Sin…those things which hold us back…that keep us from living…that take our eyes off the One that loves and created us…that tells us we are failures…they can take a toll on us.

    But Jesus has overcome all of that.  Jesus is our way out of all of that.  Jesus seeks to reclaim us, to remake us, to reshape us…to mold us into the people we were created to be…free.  To be free reminds us that we are God’s beloved.  We have a place at God’s great big table because he calls us his own.  We are loved and chosen.  We are a disciple when we follow Christ.  We are a disciple when these words begin to seep into our being and take over our world. We are a disciple when we allow Jesus to consume us.  We are disciples when we answer the call of Christ…come and follow me.  Drop it all and follow.

    To become a disciple…is as simple as following. A disciple is a follower, a learner, a discoverer.  It is not about being perfect or getting it all right.  It is not about always being successful or receiving any physical gifts. It is about finding peace and hope and joy in the journey.  When we are disciples, we find that we are the beloved…we are beautiful creations of a God that continues to mold and shape us into exactly who we were made to be…we are good and chosen and free.  To be a disciple is freedom…we choose to follow the One that calls us his own. Do you have a place in you to follow?

    It begins with answering the call to follow…Jesus says, come and follow me and I will make you my disciples.  Once we follow, he guides and directs where we should go.  This is not in a slave situation, but in a freedom situation…we choose to follow the One that created us and gave us life…and he leads us into a life that is free and abundant and where we are loved.  When we begin to follow, we begin to listen and learn and grow…to become the people God knows we can be.  We hear his Word…we see him at work…we receive a hope that there is so much more. Sin does not have a hold on us any longer.  We are free. Will you follow?  The cost is everything…the reward is even more than that…the gift is being a child at the Master’s table.  Come take your seat…you are one of his beloved.  He has been waiting for you.