The Right People

The pharisees and the Temple authorities were right, you know. Jesus hung out with the worst people.

It’s true. In their eyes, at least. And those good ol’ pharisees, the keepers of Hebrew Law, even tried to help Jesus realize that. They’d try and help by pointing out that some of the people he spent time with were tax collectors and sinners. And that’s on a good day. Sometimes it was the sick, the poor, social outcasts, the ritually unclean and even prostitutes. There’s more, I’m sure, because there always seems to be an abundance  of sinners, especially in the eyes of those who consider it their job to judge. I imagine they kept accurate lists of all the sinning those people had done so they could show Jesus documented proof. I’m not entirely certain they wanted Jesus to spend more time with them, they just wanted him stop hanging out with “those people” and being, well, inconvenient.

But that Jesus was stubborn. He didn’t give up on his misfits. He’d double down with a parable or two. Like the one about the shepherd who had one hundred sheep. He counts them one day and there’s only ninety-nine. So he leaves them and goes in search of the one missing sheep. When he finds it, he brings it back and has a party to celebrate. (I hope they didn’t serve mutton.)

Or the woman who had ten coins. (Ugh, that just reminded them he spends too much time with women, too.) She counts her coins one day and there’s only nine. She lights lamps and scours her house from one end to the other looking for it. When she finds it, she invites friends over and throws a party to celebrate.

I have a feeling that the pharisees didn’t get the point. Or, I suppose they did, in fact, get the point and it just made them angry and defensive.

The real question is do we? From all these stories of Jesus and all these stories Jesus told, do we get that people in need are not “the wrong people?” Do we get that God’s love is most extravagant to those most in need? Do we get that we need to be that love? Do we get that’s a moment worth celebrating?

Yes, grace is messy. (And kudos to whoever said that first. It sure wasn’t me, but they’re sure right about that.) It’s complicated, it needs discernment and care. Yes, there’s risk reaching out and yes, it needs some work. But God’s love can’t stay in the pen with the other sheep or in the purse with the other coins or the church with the most seats. It needs to get out there and “bring good news to the poor … proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” That would be Jesus, earlier in Luke, reading from the prophet Isaiah.

Why can’t we do that without judgement? Or a cost analysis? I know, as a society, we’ve learned to value, compare and look for the best deal, but this isn’t about dollars and cents, it’s about love and grace. There’s still a price. But imagine the value when the broken are healed, the unloved find love, the tired rest, and the imprisoned soul is freed.

Be like Jesus. Go embrace “the wrong people.”

Making, Moulding, Creating

Remember playing with Play-Doh when you were a kid?  Or, if your parents or school teacher made their own, it was play dough. It was, and still is, a lot of fun. You could make some amazing sculptures, pottery and other cool stuff with it. At least, it probably looked like an amazing dinosaur to you, even if it really looked like a blob of clay to someone else. That’s the power of a child’s imagination.

I suggest that you get some (or make some) and play with it while you read this. Really. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah says that God spoke to him and gave him the metaphor of the potter’s wheel for how God can be in our lives: we are the clay, says Jeremiah, God is the potter who moulds and shapes us.

There can, of course, be a negative side to that image, one of manipulation and control, but that’s not at all what Jeremiah means, is it? He knows that with God in our lives, we are not only created as wonderful things, we continue to be worked and moulded, formed over time into something even more amazing. Our awareness of God - however we know God - is part of loving ourselves and our neighbours and making our relationships affirming and rewarding. It’s about making our lives better, not in competition with each other, but with each other.

But as any good artist knows, or even a child playing with play dough, the medium has a part to play in the creation.

So what kind of clay are we? Hard as a rock, unchanging and unmoveable? Or so fluid and easy going that we never take a single form. Or are we firm enough to stand, but ready to be moulded, open to being created into something.

Or creating something ourselves. After all, we live in relationship with each other and we have a responsibility to be creators, teachers and inspirers of others, as much as we need to be open to receiving what other artists have to offer us.

I’m particularly mindful of that right now, because it’s back to school time. I’ve seen the children headed to school this week, some for the first time, some sophomores, some wily veterans of the elementary grades, and a few grizzled grade twelves, hunkering down for one more year.

There’s the look of excitement and wonder, some anxiety and a little bit of fear. On the teacher’s faces, too…

What an awesome responsibility to have, to be responsible for the “moulding of young minds.” And you have to thank school teachers for that, you really do. But I also hope that you, yourself, recognize it’s an awesome responsibility, because it’s not just school teachers that have it, is it?  It’s all of us.

Play with some play dough (or real clay, if you can). You don’t have to be an artisan to make something, even if it’s an “ashtray” like some of us made when we were kids. Think about how often we are like the clay and how often we are like the hands that form it. And think about when that clay is our hearts or our minds or our spirits. And think, too, about how often, as the clay, we might not just need to be open to God’s hands, but how often we might seek God’s hands and need God’s hands in our lives.

Play-Doh’s not just for kids, is it?

You're invited to find out

For quite some time, scholars studying the Bible have been pretty sure that the Letter to the Hebrews attributed to Paul wasn’t really written by Paul at all. And by “for quite some time,” I mean since the second and third century. They’re not really sure who wrote it, but they’re pretty skeptical - for a variety of reasons - that it was actually Paul.

Not a big deal to me, personally. I think that when the early church leaders were putting together the Bible, they liked what was in this letter and wanted to include it. Maybe someone thought making it a letter from Paul gave it added weight, an additional significance because, if it was by Paul, then, hey, it must be important.

Really? So the value of the ideas is directly influenced by who said them? That’s too bad, because not everything that scholars think Paul actually wrote is golden. But that’s the case with everyone, isn’t it? One of the most quoted persons in history is William Shakespeare, but even Will wrote a few duds. Really.

Whoever did write what we now know as the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote some great stuff. Stuff like this: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25.

I’m not sure that needs “The Stamp of Paul” to make it credible. But then, I think we spend far too much time considering something as credible or valuable or meaningful simply because of who said it. Or not credible or valuable or meaningful for the same reason. Sometimes we are far too quick to dismiss something because of who said it, rather than consider the value of the ideas or the words themselves.

I’m sometimes in awe, reading the paper or watching the news, to realize just how un-discerning we are. Sometimes people we don’t like have good ideas that get ignored or actively opposed just because of who said them, only to reappear later from someone we do like. Then they’re okay. All you have to do is look at politics to see that.

Sometimes we do it with church. It becomes less about what we personally believe and more about who said it, or what group or church or faith tradition said it.

There is a movement in a number of countries called “Back to Church Sunday.” In North America, the suggested date is usually sometime in late September. I think it’s a great idea. I don’t know who started it, but it includes churches of all denominations.  Some have adapted it to “Back to Church Day,” recognizing church is more than Sunday.

The point of it is that surveys suggest that people who don’t attend church would be open to it if someone personally invited them. Why? Because whoever wrote “The Epistle to the Hebrews” was right. People find their lives improved by meeting with others who are willing to support and encourage them as we all wonder, ask questions and seek whatever it is that we know as God. That’s what makes community. And whoever wrote Hebrews knew that.

I think everyday is an occasion to invite someone to church. It’s worth finding out for yourself what really happens there, what people - all people - really think and believe. Going to church shouldn’t just be about the “label,” the name or denomination on the door, it should be about the people, the community of faith that gathers there. Sure, it’s way easier to just make assumptions, but there’s only one real way to find out who and what church is about - you have to visit. Not just this church or that church. Any church.

So, maybe it’s not “back” to church for you, but a first time. All the more reason to find out for yourself, any day. Maybe now’s a good time. You’re invited.

Unburdening the Sabbath

The gospel of Luke recounts a story in which Jesus heals a woman “with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years” and he does it on the sabbath. This draws the ire of the leader of the synagogue who accuses Jesus of violating the sabbath law by doing work on the holy day of rest. “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day" (Luke 13:14).

I have to feel sorry for this guy. Because he's absolutely right: according to the law, you can't do work on the sabbath. And not only is he in the right, he believes it, too.

That's why I feel sorry for him.

Leaders of the synagogue, temple leaders, pharisees - the keepers of the law, rites and culture of the hebrews - almost always seem to be the bad guys in the gospels. It's often such a caricature, they might as well be Snidely Whiplash, only with a full-on orthodox beard. But I don’t think they’re really that bad, though it seems useful to portray them that way as a foil for Jesus' teaching and actions. What they are - and maybe I’m being overly optimistic here - are believers in the power of the law to guide their lives. Strict adherence to the law governs how they live.

But it doesn't give them life.

And that's precisely the point so constantly being made by Jesus. In order for the law to give life, one must live by the spirit of the law, not the letter. The law written on your heart is more powerful than the law written in a book.

Jesus heals on the sabbath. That may be work to this pharisee’s understanding of the law, but to Jesus it's life-giving compassion and that's what the sabbath is for. That he heals a bent over and broken woman couldn't be a clearer indication: she is unburdened, freed from what weighs on her spirit, restored to health, given new life.

If only the church leader could see that.

Sorry, I meant to say synagogue. Or did I? Maybe a question we ought to be asking about our churches or any religious institution, about our society and our community, about our way of living, is this very thing: is it life-giving?

How do you use "sabbath" time? Just for a minute, let go of the letter of the law that says what you can’t do that day, let go of the argument about what day, exactly, it is. Whatever moment it is for you, whenever you make it - and you must make it - it should be more than a time of rest from labour and it should be more than routine ritual. It’s a time for unburdening yourself, it’s a time of renewal and refreshment of your relationship with God (by whatever name or means that you know God), it’s a time for finding new inspiration for your spirit,  it’s a time for finding new life through rest and healing.

The days ahead need that. 

I see good people

Who are your heroes? Why are they your heroes? What have they inspired in you?

Sure, we have people we might look up to because of a skill or gift that they have: an athlete, artist, soldier, tradesperson, maybe even a politician. (Could be. Maybe.) Someone with a gift we aspire to share. But what about the person? Who inspires you to be a better person? Who helps build family or community? Maybe it’s not one person, maybe it’s people. Or an event.

I wonder if we really think about that enough. 

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews in the Bible did. In the eleventh chapter, they wrote about faith and gave a long list of examples of people of faith, people who’s lives and experiences demonstrated a faith that was life-giving, bold and forward thinking. They were witnesses to God being at work in the world. It reads a bit like it’s a test of your Bible knowledge and, to us today, some of the names might be a little dusty, maybe even unfamiliar. Their stories even more so. But to the first century audience of faithful Jews hearing this letter for the first time, I think it would have been a familiar list indeed.

And they weren’t just heroes with happy stories, of course. Inspiration can come from moments of hardship and suffering, too. Some it says, "suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented" (Hebrews 11:36-37). Yikes. Many of them didn’t even see the real results of their faithfulness in their lifetime.

But, as unfamiliar and remote as some of those stories may be, it reminds me that we should pause for a moment and consider what examples of faith we might find around us, what people and events we see that bear witness to God being at work in our world, in love and grace, kindness and goodness. And how might they inspire us today, these people who  might be right in front of us or in the more recent past - our contemporaries.

What about all the heroes in your life?  Like the examples in Hebrews, some may have struggled as much as celebrated. Some may no longer be with us, in person. 

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes that "since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). How ironic that we think of having a "head in the clouds" as being someone who isn't really aware of their surroundings, someone who's off in a fantasy world of their own imagination. I'd challenge you to put your head in this cloud for a few minutes and think about who might be an example of faith for you, an example worth following.

Hang on, though, it's not as easy as it sounds. It requires some discernment. First, discerning what is truly an example of a faithful witness to God in the world (however you may know God) and second, how it might apply in your own life. After all, everyone's journey is uniquely their own.

So look both ways as you step out in this cloud: look back - look around you! - and see the examples of faith that are there; and look forward, on to your own journey.  

All in the Circle

One of our summer children’s programs this year featured stories with the theme of “rock.” This story for all ages, inspired by Genesis and The Lion King, reminds us that we are all connected, all equally a part of creation from the beginning. We need reminding.

In the beginning, the Bible says, there was nothing until God began creating. And then there was light and dark, day and night, land and water and air, trees and grass, animals for the land, fish for the sea and birds for the air and people who could enjoy the wonder and beauty of all that was. And in the Bible story, it says that it took six days. Six very busy days.

After God had created, on the seventh day God took a break and had a well deserved rest. On the eighth day, God called a meeting. God invited everyone to come to one place, a Great Big Rock that stuck out of the ground and they all gathered round it in a big circle and they called it the Great Big Rock.

All living things were there - Eve and Adam, the first humans, the animals, the insects, the fish even came into the rivers near the rock. The trees, the grass and the flowers all leaned in a little closer. Even the oceans came as a light rain on the edge of the circle, which meant that everyone got a refreshing shower because everyone was equal in the circle. 

And God told them that everyone belonged to everything the light touched and everything the light touched belonged to everyone.

A unicorn said “how can everything belong to everyone and everyone to everything?”

And everyone and everything looked at the unicorn.

“Shhh,” said a zebra, who secretly wished he had a horn like the unicorn, “God’s talking.”

And a bunch of monkeys all went “shh shh shh.”

But God said, “no, it’s good to ask questions and think about things for yourself. And that,” God said, looking right at the unicorn, “is a good question.”

“God’s pet,” mumbled a goat, who secretly found the unicorn’s sparkly-ness annoying. And a few other goats agreed and bleeted their support.

“Listen,” said God, “we are all connected. Through me, through creation, there is a power that ties us together. That power is love. When love is shared, we are all made better, we all grow, we all live, fully in every way. The love lives in each of you. I,” said God emphatically, “I live in you.”

All the animals made their respective noises as if they understood. But, in fact, they didn’t and they didn’t want God to be disappointed in them, so they said nothing. All except …

“Um, unicorn here again,” piped up the unicorn. “Cool, cool, cool. So what you’re saying is that all us animals, the fish, the birds, the reptiles and the humans, we need to be respectful of each others’ needs and care for each other then?”

God said “yes - and thanks for your question again,” because God knew that the others didn’t understand and the unicorn was the only one bold enough to ask. “But it’s more than that. It’s everything as well as everyone. All things are connected in me. I am in this rock where you stand. As long as you respect it and care for it, it will care for you.”

Everyone looked wisely at the Great Big Rock sticking out of the ground and nodded as if they understood. They all murmured their thanks to God and said “great, thanks God, we’ll take it from here” and they all tried to move closer to the Great Big Rock, hoping to feel its power for themselves.

All except that same unicorn. The unicorn said “wait a minute. How can we all be connected through that Great Big Rock? Guys! Hey guys, I don’t think God meant that Great Big Rock, I think God meant the Earth. I think the earth is the rock on which we stand. Guys?”

But everyone was too busy trying to get closer to the Great Big Rock. There was pushing and shoving and grunting and mooing and barking and growling and no one could hear the unicorn or God’s last words: “listen to the unicorn ….”

Suddenly the lion let out a great roar and all the others stepped back and were silent.

“Wait everyone!” said lion. He had heard the unicorn. “I think the unicorn is right. The unicorn is wise, and probably delicious, but most certainly wise: God didn’t mean this one rock, God meant the rock which is the earth that we live on, the world we live in. Everyone and everything exists in a delicate balance. That’s how we’re connected.”

Lion’s young cub ran up and sat next to him. “But dad, don’t we eat other animals, like the antelope?”

“Yes,” said lion, “but only what we need and then, when we die, our bodies feed the grass that those animals eat. It’s like that song, it’s The Circle of Life.”

“And God’s part of that?” said the young cub.

“You bet,” said lion. “Let’s ask the unicorn.”

And the lion looked for the unicorn, but couldn’t see them anywhere. Everyone looked for the unicorn, but they were gone. “Anyone seen the unicorn?” said lion.

“Unicorn?” said another lion, “I thought it was an antelope.”

Richer than you think

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly.  And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’  Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”  (Luke 12:16-21)

Are you rich?

I wonder how many people pass this parable by because they've reasoned out an adequate explanation of why it doesn't apply to them based on their answer to that question. I'm not rich at all, so I can give this one a miss. I'm not rich, I'm "well off." I'm not really rich, I'm saving for my retirement. Well, I think that’s a little more nuance than Jesus would have been familiar with. Times have changed since the first century. 

But that's not the point anyway. The question isn't about material wealth, of course, it's about spiritual health. And we should all want to answer that question with a resounding “yes! I am rich!”

So can you? That's what the parable asks us to consider. What really matters?

Being rich isn’t inherently bad. The “rich man” in this parable doesn't suffer from being rich. He suffers from greed. Greed is all about gathering to oneself more than you could possibly ever need our want. So let's start there.

Look how many times the rich man in the parable says “I.” Every action he takes, everything that seems important to him begins with "I." When he's that focused on himself, where is his relationship with the world around him? Or his relationship with God?

And what does he do with all that he has "produced abundantly?" What does he really need to "relax, eat, drink and be merry?" Now those are good questions. And a lot harder ones to answer in our consumer driven society.

Our desire to acquire "stuff" has skewed our sense of what we need. We are convinced to think from scarcity (we must have more) rather than abundance (look what we have already). Jesus invites us to think from abundance and to see that in relation to the world around us  Jesus asks us to consider what we have and how we can share it with others.

And that's not just about money or stuff.  It's about the greatest treasure of all: you. When you share yourself with others, the reward is far greater than any money, treat or toy.

The time for all of that, of course, is now. This moment. Share your abundance now, don’t save it. Share it now, share it extravagantly, share it with all the love in your heart. We’re all already rich.