restored

Scripture: Psalm 126

¹When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
  then were we like those who dream.
 ²Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
  and our tongue with shouts of joy.
 ³Then they said among the nations,
  “The Lord has done great things for them.”
 ⁴The Lord has done great things for us,
  and we are glad indeed. 
 ⁵Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
  like the watercourses of the Negev.
 ⁶Those who sowed with tears
  will reap with songs of joy.
 ⁷Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed,
  will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. 

Observation:

In 587 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (present-day Iran) led his army into Jerusalem and burned the city to the ground.  Many Jews were slaughtered.  Many were deported back to Babylon as forced labor.  Those who remained were left to starve in the barren city streets.  This initial crisis was followed by 70 years of exile for the Jewish people.  Uprooted.  No temple ( the location of their God and of their ritual religious sacrifices was destroyed).  The question, "Why has God allowed this to happen to us, God's chosen people?" generated a lot of creativity.  The Jews remained faithful apart from the temple by focusing on their sacred writings (the torah---1st five books of the Hebrew bible).  Rabbis and synagogues were established in exile to remember God's promises and mighty deeds.  Many of the prophets' writings (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) and a lot of the book of Genesis came out of this period. Their hope was rooted in their history.  God had rescued them before and God would rescue them again.  They trusted God's goodness and mercy.  And so they were resilient as they waited patiently for God.  And after 70 years, they were freed and sent home---a new generation.  They would be conquered and threatened again and again.  In the 1st century world of Jesus.  Even in the 20th century.  But they remain because they have experienced God's faithfulness, power,and liberating intervention on their behalf.

Application:

I love this Psalm.  The first line is poetry to me.  Zion is another name for Jerusalem, the holy city.  It is an endearing name for 'home.'  Exile and return, deportation and homecoming, wandering and settling, slavery and freedom.  These are major themes in the bible.  Because the bible was written from the perspective of the losers and not the winners,the defeated and not the victors; the weak and not the great.  These are people who have known suffering, oppression, traumatic violence, and despair.  But they have the most powerful weapon of all---Hope.  This Psalm is hopeful.  A season of weeping will be replaced by one of laughter.  Sowing seeds with tears will end with a  harvest of joy.  They will be restored.  They will go home again. The hopeful yearning of these people made them resilient.  The God of the bible doesn't prevent suffering, but shows compassion to those who suffer and brings justice to the oppressed by setting them free.  Death and resurrection is the gospel's version of this perpetual story.  Restoration and healing, justice and freedom don't always happen in a single life time.  Generational change is the way God works.  Dr. King said, "The moral arc of the universe is long and it is bent toward justice."  When we get discouraged in our part of Jesus' mission to end poverty and the world's many injustices, we remember this Psalm, the stories of exile and return, the story of Jesus the healer who is wounded and killed and raised from the dead.  His story will be ours.  We are invited to keep the dream alive, the dream of a restored creation.  Where do you see suffering and injustice?  What brings you hope? 

Prayer:

Lord we pray for refugees, and for any people separated from loved ones by war, incarceration, or borders.  Give them hope to trust in your promise to restore their fortunes one day. Amen.

the dogs

Scripture: Mark 7

24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.^* He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, ²⁵but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ ²⁸But she answered him, ‘Sir,^* even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ ²⁹Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ ³⁰So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Observation:

Jesus has basically left Israel and entered a predominantly Gentile territory.  He is in what is now  Lebanon.  He has just finished teaching his position on Kosher cleanliness laws that set Jews apart from non-Jews.  Jesus rejects these laws as the basis of morality and religious exclusivity.  He says that what comes out of the human heart, not what one eats or does not eat,determines how faithful someone is.  Its not how badly you eat that determines what kind of a person you are, but how badly you treat other people.
And then he meets a woman whose daughter is possessed. Think of her daughter as a heroin addict.  Or struggling with severe schizophrenia. This woman somehow hears about Jesus (his message and mission precede him, he is known beyond the borders of Israel now).  She comes seeking help.  He flatly and rudely denies her.  Because she is a "dog", a non-Jewish woman---a nobody to a righteous Jewish rabbi.  He says, "the children are fed first."  Jesus is prejudiced against her.  But her humble and bold response lets him know that she believes he alone can and should help her.  So he does. If he had rejected her, would his mission fail to expand and welcome Gentile women?  And what would that have meant for the future of his movement? Jesus' teaching is put to an actual test.  How far does inclusion in God's kingdom go?  Who is eligible for help, for God's mercy, for Jesus' life-giving power?  Who is ineligible?     

Application:  

Have you ever been ignored, rejected, or disqualified from anything because of your race, ethnicity, culture, language?  If not, you experience privilege.  Many people experience daily ineligibility and denied access because of those things.  Because of skin color or metal illness.  Prejudice and privilege seem to be natural expressions of the human condition.  And yet, we are called to a higher way.  Jesus' heart and mind was changed by a mother's tenacious, pride-swallowing insistence that Jesus help her daughter.  Dorothy Day, activist, said "I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least."     Being on mission with Jesus will take us to new territory, outside of our safe, comfortable, suburban worlds.  We will encounter people who are not like us.  Will we embrace and help them?  Or will we deny and reject them?  Who do I love the least? Who are the "dogs" God intends for us to welcome and serve? 

Prayer:

Jesus, as a Lebanese mother once challenged and changed your mind, so now challenge and change us so that we might see the person or people you need us to love and serve.  Open our eyes to see and our arms to receive with mercy those who are suffering on the margins of community.  Amen.   
   
    

majoring in the minors

Scripture: Mark 7

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, ²they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. ³(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands,^* thus observing the tradition of the elders; ⁴and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it;^* and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.^*) ⁵So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live^* according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ ⁶He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
“This people honors me with their lips,
   but their hearts are far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
   teaching human precepts as doctrines.”
⁸You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’ 9 Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said, “Honor your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” ¹¹But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban” (that is, an offering to God^*)— ¹²then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, ¹³thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.’

Observation:

An initial read of this story suggests that there is some internal conflict or debate within first century Judaism having to do with interpretations of Scripture (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament) and human-formed religious traditions or rules.  Like most religions and cultures, there were purity rules that were followed to one degree or another.  These cleanliness laws protected people from disease (thought to be related to evil spirits and the power of sin in the world).   We know a lot more about the spread of infection now.  And we know that washing hands is important for prevention.  No one today would argue that purity rules are important in avoiding the spread of infection.  So, what's Jesus' point?  Apparently, Jesus' followers were not participating in the routine purity practices around meals.  They were ignoring these traditions and eating with dirty hands. This disobedience marked them as "unclean" or "impure" and kept them outside the "safe community".  But Jesus turns the matter onto their accusers,  the religious leaders. He suggests that they are living as hypocrites, ignoring what truly matters in order to follow their "human traditions". They validate their own sense of "holiness" or "righteousness" as God's people, while excluding people who do not observe the way they do.  Jesus is intolerant of traditions and routines that create insiders and outsiders.  He's even angry about the way they use the rules to ignore greater responsibilities. 

Application:

We can get stuck in routines, patterns, and habits that distract us from doing the things that truly matter.  Churches (late 20th century American congregations) have too often "majored in the minors"---focusing energy and resources on things that matter only to a few "insiders" but mean nothing to the rest of the neighborhood, community, or world.  Church buildings and pipe organs became religious idols that determined a congregation's financial stewardship.  I have heard congregational leaders say, "We can't take care of the community until we take care of ourselves first".  It's no wonder so many people have abandoned American religion.
But Jesus' movement did not have a building (not even the temple) or a fancy instrument.  The only instruments were the voices and the healing hands of his followers.  We need to be discerning and critical of any religious requirement that threatens to take us off mission and message   The mission and message are reconciliation, forgiveness, healing, and inclusion of those who have been rejected, cast out, or marginalized in any way.  We are called to embrace those as beloved children of the one God.   And when routines, rituals, or religious activity gets in the way of the people we're supposed to care about, then we ought to stop doing them. 

Prayer:

Lord, you are critical of religious people who care a lot about minor things, but are indifferent toward major things; congregations and churches that care about furniture and instruments, but do not care about racial or economic injustice.  Keep us focused on the people and things that you care about.  Give us hearts that beat like yours.  Amen.  

an adverse wind

Scripture:  Mark 6:45-52.

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. ⁴⁹But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ ⁵¹Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, ⁵²for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Observation:

After a day of teaching and feeding hungry people, Jesus spends time alone in the mountains in prayer.  He sends the disciples on ahead of him.  They experience an adverse wind on the lake.  Without Jesus, they struggle to make headway.  I always wondered about Jesus' intention to pass them by.  But they do see him walking on the water and are afraid.  As soon as he enters the boat, the wind stops.  I also wonder about the last sentence; "they were utterly astounded for they did not understand about the loaves, but their heart were hardened".  What did the mutliplication of loaves have to do with their astonishment about Jesus' power to walk on water?  And what does hard heartedness have to do with this story?  Are they struggling to comprehend his power?  Are they failing to understand his identity as God's anointed messenger?  They fail to perceive the truth about Jesus. 

Application:

It's difficult to understand Jesus' actions and abilities.  He is fully human like me and you; and he is somehow different.  He is able to do things we cannot do.  He walks on water.  He calms waves.  He multiplies loaves of bread.  He has enough energy to teach, heal, and feed thousands of people and then abandons his disciples to remain alone on a mountain to pray.  He causes fear and says "Don't be afraid."  The disciples are entering D2, a season of conscious incompetence.  They will fail to understand or believe Jesus, even while they watch and listen and experience him in action every day. 
Think of a time when you struggle to comprehend something that was taking place; when you had a hard time learning something.  We all have these challenges.  They are part of any learning process.  We hit a wall, a point of uncertainty, a moment of doubt when we fail to comprehend.  Any life of faith that is real will encounter a D2 period, when one does not know or understand.  God is gracious and patient with us when we do.  It is necessary for growth to go through these times.  We must face the harsh headwinds of uncertainty and ignorance, in order to experience the calm and peace of new understanding.  This moment on the water will begin to prepare the disciples for another experience, in which they will see Jesus and not know how he is alive with them.  Perhaps then they will remember this time and trust that what they are seeing is possible and real.  Sometimes God gives us experiences we don't understand that will only become clear to us in the future.    

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes we don't understand you, what you're doing or what you're teaching us.  Be gracious and patient with us. Encourage us to keep following you, even when we fail to perceive your powerful presence.  Amen.

rebels, rule-followers, and rescuers

Based on Luke 15 and the story of the Father and his two sons.

Grace and peace from God the Father and the savior Jesus Amen.

Two people.  Two very different worlds.  The rebel and the rule-follower.  The rebel resists authority; the rebel is self-indulgent, following his or her passions or cravings; the rebel is not typically religious unless it benefits him or herself; the rebel is not concerned with the law, sees himself as above the law, is willing to break the law for selfish gain.  They are not interested in rewards or entitlements, they prefer to take what they want; The rebel values personal freedom above all else, even if the exercise of that freedom hurts others; The rebel likes chaos; the rebel is often not a planner; The rebel takes risks, chooses adventure over stability; they want to have fun; and thinks rule followers are hypocrites.  The rebel lives excessively and love extravagance and likes to share it with others; They think everyone should be a rebel.

The rule follower despises the rebel; they value obedience above all else; they follow authority whether they agree or not; the rule follower is self-righteous and judges others based on the rules they follow; non-compliance is a betrayal, treasonous; rule-followers believe in conditional rewards and entitlements, they expect to be rewarded for good behavior;  the rule-follower is religious because it’s right to be so and because they anticipate a reward for fidelity; They think you get what you deserve; they practice stability, consistency, hard work, thoughtful planning, thriftiness, discipline. Think boy scout.  They appreciate simplicity.  They think everyone should be a rule-follower and those who are not should be punished. 

Now, a show of hands---who self-describes as a rebel?  A rule-follower?  Neither?  Then you’re a rebel.  Unless you don’t think you are…then you’re a rule follower. 

Some of you might think, I’m a little of both.  These are generalized caricatures, to be sure. And there’s a dark side and a light side to both, right?  We can identify people who conform to these persona though, can’t we?  There are people who rigidly follow the rules and people who go their own way.  We admire people who are purists in both camps.  Superman is a rule follower.  Batman is a rebel.  You can be either of these and be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white, man or woman.  These types cross cultural, social, economic borders.  Because they speak of the human condition.  Think of famous pairings; Cain and Abel.  Jacob and Esau. Laverne and Shirley; Bert and Ernie.      

The whole gospel is contained in the story we heard this morning.  It’s a story told to self-righteous rule-following religious Pharisees and rebellious tax collectors and sinners; It’s a story about these two brothers; the rebel and the rule follower.  The younger son demands his inheritance, one third of the family property.  He wants it immediately, thus abandoning his place as a son, and rejecting his father.  You get an inheritance after all when a loved one dies.  And his father divides it up.  He had to sell off a third of his livestock and land to pay off the younger son. This will affect retirement and the elder son’s inheritance. No one in their right mind does what the father does.  But people do.  More often than we care to discuss. 

The younger son takes off to another country.  Spends all the money on lavish living. He goes broke and a famine strikes; when he runs out of everything, he gets a job slopping pigs on a farm.  This is rock bottom for the Pharisees in the room. Can we get a collective “EW”?  Thanks.  When he’s finally realized how bad things are, he comes up with a plan.  Highly unrebel-like. He rehearses a speech. He doesn’t expect entitlements.  He’s willing to be hired as a laborer. He’s still not willing to be the son.

He makes his way home.  And then the father runs out to him.  He does not wait for the son to come groveling.  He meets him on the road.  The son starts his routine.  I wonder if he thought the father might beat him.  Instead he embraces and kisses him.  Go get the best robe in the house (his own robe), the ring and prepare a feast.  The son is reinstated, restored, welcomed, received.  He hardly apologizes. He shows up dirty and broke.  And the Father throws him a party?  What? No consequences?  He says, “he was dead and is alive again, lost and has been found.”

The elder son catches wind of it and refuses to join the fun.  Not sure this guy would know fun if it bit him in the you know where.  He’s angry, bitter, indignant.  When the Father leaves the party to beg him to come in, the elder son says, “All these years I have slaved for you and never disobeyed you but you never gave me even a goat to have a party with my friends; but when this son of yours (denying brotherhood) who spent all your money on prostitutes comes home, you through him a party?  He sees himself as a slave, not a son.  And he doesn’t want a relationship with the father either, just enough reward to enjoy a dinner with friends.  Of course reinstatement means the elder’s inheritance will be divided with the younger again, so he’ll get less than 2/3 of the original estate.   

The Father is concerned about only one thing; Coming home.  My sons are with me.  He is willing to share everything with both of them.  He is mostly concerned about the younger, who was dead and is alive, lost and is now found.”  Will the elder son come around and embrace his younger brother? Will they live happily ever after? What does this teach us?

Jesus represents a third person, another way.  The reconciling rescuer.  He stands between the two groups, the two brothers.  He welcomes the younger rebels home with open arms (he eats with them) and invites the elder rule followers to open their hearts and do the same.  Jesus comes to rescue us from ourselves and to reconcile us to one another and to the father who loves us all extravagantly, absurdly, and unconditionally.  Jesus represents the rule-follower who loves to be with the rebels. He restores the only condition of our humanity that truly matters; we are one family to the God and Father who loves us all. Come home, he says.  Come home.   Amen.      

leftovers

Scripture: Mark 6
when Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.
^35-36 When his disciples thought this had gone on long enough—it was now quite late in the day—they interrupted: “We are a long way out in the country, and it’s very late. Pronounce a benediction and send these folks off so they can get some supper.”
³⁷ Jesus said, “You do it. Fix supper for them.”
They replied, “Are you serious? You want us to go spend a fortune on food for their supper?”
³⁸ But he was quite serious. “How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory.”
That didn’t take long. “Five,” they said, “plus two fish.”
^39-44 Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred—they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass! He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. They all ate their fill. The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. More than five thousand were at the supper.

Observation:  Jesus' disciples were tired and hungry.  They're ready for the day to end and for the crowd to disperse.  "Send them away to fend for themselves," they suggest.  But Jesus has another idea. "You give them something to eat."  Of course, their resources are scarce and the needs are excessive---thousands of hungry people, 5 loaves of bread and two fish (barely enough for Jesus and his disciples).  Jesus invites the crowd to sit and then he takes, blesses, breaks, and gives the bread to them.  And all are fed and are satisfied and there are 12 baskets left over!  Scarcity becomes abundance.  Resistance becomes generosity. Hunger becomes satisfaction.  An end to the day's work becomes a promise of more feeding yet to come (leftovers!)  It's amazing!

Application:  God is willing and able to provide in ways we can't imagine or believe.  Because God is the creator and giver of life.  And food is a gift of creation for all living things.  I have seen abundance appear where once there was scarcity.  If you create the conditions and the intention, God will provide.  Peter's Porch was started after some leaders listened to this story and heard Jesus command us to "give them something to eat."  By creating a hospitable feeding ministry, more resources have become available to us.  We receive generous gifts all the time that allow us to do more than we ever thought possible, to serve more people than we ever imagined we could.  Jesus is all about multiplication.  His "UP" relationship with God allows his relational mission ("OUT") to thrive.  He gives away his powers, so that others might do what he does.  Disciples are "equipped' with "baskets full of leftovers", so that they can continue the work of "feeding the hungry."   What have we been given in abundance that we are invited/challenged to share with those who hunger?  What hungers exist around us that cry out to be satisfied?   If you could ask God for more of something, what would that be? 

Prayer:  Jesus, your generosity amazes us.  Your resourcefulness surprises us.  Your commands challenge us.  Forgive our reluctance and our belief in scarcity.  Give us baskets full of leftovers to continue your mission of generosity. Amen.  
 

Rest

Scripture: Mark 6:30-24. 

^30-31 The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.

^32-34 So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.

Observation:
"God designed us to be productive.  But we build our identities around our activities.  We are not living in the truth of who God created us to be.  We have become human "doings" rather than human "beings".  We need a biblical framework for a rhythm of life that allows us to be fruitful in balance with being at rest." --Mike Breen, "Building a Discipling Culture."   He points out that God created human kind and commanded them to rest on the Sabbath day.  God established a creative/recreative rhythm that requires rest.  We are not made to work 24/7/365.  We are made in God's image, and God rests.
Mike goes on to suggest that our productivity as people of faith begins with rest.  We grow and bear fruit out of a season of abiding in the still presence of God.  This is not easy for American busy bodies like us.  We reverse the order and usually crash exhausted after a period of overwhelming busyness.  Rest comes only after we're worn out, weary, and dragging.  We are a commodity society of endless production that considers rest a sign of weakness.  And we are teaching our kids this vicious cycle by involving them in as many extracurricular activities as we can tokeep us endlessly running and constantly moving.  
In contrast, Jesus invites his enthusiastic disciples to take a break and rest after their first exciting and successful day out on mission together.  They were literally running low on fuel, with no time even to eat!  Rather than send them back out, he invites them to come away on retreat with him. 
While they rest at his feet, Jesus teaches the crowds who gathered around them.  He invites more than his disciples into his rest.  He invites crowds of people---all anxious and restless, looking for help and guidance for their lives. I suspect Jesus invited all of them to relax and trust in their creator to provide for them in every need.  No need to work now.  Rest and let God do the work.   

Application:
 We are made to live in a holy and healthy rhythm of rest and work, abiding and frutifulness (see Gospel of John chapter 15).  Jesus knows you need times for rest, reflection, restoration, and re-creation.  Every day. Every week.  Every month and season and year. This contemporary culture will work us to death if we let it.  It will devour all of our time, our attention, our physical and mental energy and reserves until we have nothing left.  Have you ever been so busy that you failed to stop to eat? I have, more often than I care to admit. 
This week, make sure you're getting to rest (not just enough sleep).  Rest includes time apart with your beloved community, your extended family.  
What restful activity is restorative to you?  What would restful worship look like?  How can dinner church and huddle be space/time of restoration for us? 

Prayer :
O Lord, you bid us come and rest awhile and you see how busy and restless we are.  Help us to choose your life rhythm.  Help us to find balance and teach us to trust you to do the heavy lifting today.  Amen.   

sent

^{Scripture: Mark 6:7-13.}

^7-8 Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. He sent them off with these instructions:

^8-9 “Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple.
¹⁰ “And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave.
¹¹ “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
^12-13 Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.

Observation:  Jesus did not do what he did alone.  He invited 12 others to join with him in the health and justice movement he was advancing.  12 people would remind the Jews of their origin story in Genesis, in which the 12 tribes of Israel were first identified.  He sent them in pairs.  This sending onto mission is what gave them the title "apostles" which means "sent".  No one goes alone. Partnership is an important characteristic of this movement. This mission required a community of friends, willing to go all in together. 
Jesus gives them power to "deal with the opposition."   And he advises them about their response to rejection, as if they ought to expect it.  These people were not well-trained experts.  They were not experienced leaders or practitioners of this work.  Jesus suggests that they don't need anything more, that their presence is enough.  It is clear, however, that they were sent to people who were sick, to people who were failing to thrive, to people who were disoriented, to people who were struggling to live "in the light." The opposition included religious people, political leaders, and those whose power came from wealth.  It also included mental and physical illness.  

Application:   Jesus chooses ordinary people to spread the good news of God's powerful mercy.  He recruits and sends people who are willing to go and share.  It is a movement of anybodies for everybody, and especially for those who desired healing and a better life.  The learning is in the doing of the work, the encounters they will face along the way.  Participants can anticipate rejection, because we are challenged to confront systems of injustice, oppression, and sin.  (Sin is the inner condition of the human heart that draws us away  from the right path, the lighted way, the good and righteous cause.  Both indifference to evil and active malice are equally sinful.  No one is exempt from it's power.)  When it's hard, we ought not to get discouraged, but simply move on.  Jesus' followers have seen and heard him in action, and are now invited to imitate him. He expected them to be able to do what he did. And they did it!  Simplicity, humility, community, and joy characterize their journey.  We have been invited to be part of Jesus' healing work, too.   

Prayer:  O Lord, we dare to believe that we can be your disciples.  Send us together to spread your compassion, your forgiveness, your peace.  Give us courage to confront injustice with urgency and hope.    Amen.

rejected

Scripture: Mark 6:1-6

He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. ²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary^* and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence^* at him. ⁴Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Observation:  Jesus has had a successful road trip in which he has confronted illness and suffering, brought healing and mercy to individuals and communities suffering under the weight of oppression and hopelessness.  His mission is bringing hope to a population of people who feel abandoned by God.  They are victims of imperial violence and economic paralysis.  They experience, in Jesus, the possibility that God is still with them.  They see him as a messenger from God, a prophet, the Messiah (anointed by God to save Israel).   

Now, he comes home.  And he is received with incredulity.  The people who know him the best, know his story and his family, are unable to experience him in this new vocation as a prophetic teacher and healer.  They are shocked by his authoritative teaching.  Where did this come from? They ask. He is rendered practically powerless by their disbelief.  Jesus’ humanity is highlighted in this experience in Nazareth.  They simply cannot receive him as anyone other than the carpenter, the son of Mary.  It’s a reminder to us that before Jesus’ adult baptism and spiritual conversion, he was known as an ordinary Galilean Jew.  His life changed at the river and the wilderness and he was inspired/empowered to be a teacher/healer.   

Application:     It’s not easy to accept when someone experiences a significant change in their lives; when someone goes through a kairos and comes out of it a different person with a new set of values, goals, purpose/mission.  When someone suggests that God has spoken to them, called them, reached into their lives we may be skeptical.  The people who know us the longest or best may have the hardest time accepting that God is doing something new with us.  Jesus knows rejection and the powerlessness of familiarity.  “Isn’t he a carpenter?  What’s he doing teaching people about God?  What’s this about healing and forgiving sins?” It’s audacious for any of us to claim that God has authorized us to speak/act on God’s behalf.  And yet, we believe that in baptism God has claimed and called even us to demonstrate God's way of love to others.  To whom are we being sent to bring hope, healing, and help?  Who might reject us along the way? 

Prayer:    Lord, help us to receive criticism, rejection, and failure as a part of the journey of faith.  Help us to trust your invitation and calling in our lives. For you have named us as your sons and daughters and empowered us to serve the world as authorized agents of your merciful love.  Amen.  

Mark 5:21-43

(I follow a prescribed daily reading that includes an Old Testament story, a Gospel story, and a New testament letter.  I’ll mostly connect us to the gospel, so,we’re becoming familiar with the story of Jesus). 
Scripture:  Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat^* to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’ Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ He looked all round to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing^* what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Observation: Jesus is becoming known in the villages around the Galilee region as a teacher and a healer.  Crowds have begun to follow him.  His activity has taken on the flow of a movement or a campaign.  His activity is both public (crowds) and personal (one-on-one).  Increasingly, he risks his reputation by actively engaging with outcasts.  The bleeding woman in the story would have been ineligible for marriage and generally cut off from community as cursed.  A sick and dying child, though tragic for her family, was not uncommon.  Most families would have known the loss of children.  Jesus walks in solidarity with the most vulnerable; women and children.  Both were facing impossible circumstances; with no other help available to them. Jesus allows himself to be interrupted in order to bring restoration.  Jesus ignores social norms and barriers to show mercy and justice.   Jesus breaks Jewish laws when he is touched by the bleeding woman and touches the dead girl.  He says, “Daughter your faith has healed you.”  And “Do not fear, only believe.” 
Application:  Jesus represents God’s intentions for humanity.  God intends for the most vulnerable to receive help and healing.  Suffering and death are not God’s intentions for us. Faith is the willingness to accept what God alone is able to give:  Life. Women and girls are still unjustly mistreated in the world, and continue to be the most vulnerable people on earth.   Who is vulnerable around us today?  How can we enter into their story to bring mercy, healing, and hope? Who is touching you or in need of your touch?  Who needs you to go with them? 
Prayer:      Lord Jesus, you came to rescue the vulnerable from suffering and death.  We pray for women and children in need of health care.  Amen.        

Jonah

I'm reading the Book of the Prophet Jonah. We named our first born son after this guy.  To say that I identify is an understatement. Here is the abbreviated version:
The LORD God calls and Commissions the prophet to be the voice of God.
The Prophet despises the people to whom God sends him and, therefore, rejects call.
Prophet attempts to flee/hide from the presence of God.
God finds and chastises prophet by making life uncomfortable for the prophet and those who unknowingly participate in the prophet's flight.
Prophet brings peace to his co-conspirators by choosing to go out alone.  He literally enters the abyss, (point of death), believing that he has achieved absence from God.
God rescues the prophet from the abyss.
Prophet spends 3 days in limbo.  Solitude. Neither fully alive, nor dead.
Prophet prayerfully gives thanks to God for gift of salvation and promises to sacrificially "pay what he owes" in allegiance for the gift.
God releases prophet from limbo, restoring prophet to life.
God re-issues call and commission to prophet.
Prophet obeys call.
Prophet enters city and publicly announces God's Word; a word of judgment and potential condemnation/punishment against them.  (The city is a 3-day journey for the prophet.)
Sinful people immediately and surprisingly accept God's judgment, repent, issue a kingdom-wide period of fasting, and faithfully wait for God to act.
God changes God's mind (repents) and does not punish the people.
Prophet becomes angry with God for sparing the people he despises, believing them worthy of divine judgment, anger, wrath, condemnation, and destruction.
Prophet begs God to end his life, so that he does not have to see the mercy and abundant love of God offered to an undeserving people.
God asks, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
Prophet sulks and waits for God to act.
God produces a bush to shade the prophet from the sun.
Prophet is pleased.
God sends a worm to kill the bush.
Prophet grows faint in the hot sun and begs to die.
God says, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night.  And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?"
The End.

The Lesson:  Jews and, by adoption, Christians are called and commissioned by God to go to the people who do not know God; God's ways, God's laws, God's intentions.  
We may not like them, agree with them, or trust them.  We may despise them, fear them, or misunderstand them. We may be prejudiced against them.  We may neglect or ignore them, create walls and borders between them and us.
We may resist, decline, or outright reject our calling and commission.  We may hide in the boat (read church building and our friends).  We may surround ourselves with people who don't rock the boat, who prefer maintenance of status quo.
We may think the city is a scary place that we dare not enter.
We may rather drown than speak in public.  
We may feel justified in our disobedience, because we think we're right about them.  And we have evidence to support that.
But, we have no right to be angry.  Because we are no different from them. Our disobedience, our hiding, our prejudices, our reluctance means that we are just as broken as they are.  Maybe more so. Because we know.  We know God.  We know what is right.  We know better.  

God, on the other hand, is committed to restorative justice---setting things right between God and us and them.
God is committed to a process of healing that requires something akin to death and resurrection.  For all of us. The broken human condition affects all of us; Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists...and everyone else.
We can't set it right.  Not personally.Not systemically.  Not globally.
But God can.  God does.  God will.
God has changed God's mind about you and me.
God chooses merciful restoration, not punishment.
God chooses reluctant, stubborn, disobedient people to do God's restoring work.
There is a pattern, a way, a transformation process.
The 3 days.
Day 1= death (end of former self, grief, loss);
Day 2= limbo.  Start of healing process. Reconnection with God is established;
Day 3. A resurrection. A new way of life, a new pattern, a new relationship emerges.
This pattern is repeated in the story of Jesus, a prophet mighty in word and deed who declared forgiveness to all the people.  (See the gospels)
Jesus announced and enacted the restorative, healing justice of God.
Jesus was crucified for it. He died and was buried.
On the 3rd day he was raised from the dead.
That we might also live a new life.
This is what God has done.
For you.  For me.  For them.
Even for the animals.
The end.