What is it that one makes a habit? Many things can become a custom. Things such as exercise, reading, and spending time with loved ones can be considered good habits. Some things lead to destruction such as drinking, drugs, and sexual addictions. Drinking too much hounded me for many years. I often drowned my sorrows in beer, but thanks be to God for lifting me out of that habit. What is habitual for you?
I ask this because the word ethos in Greek is in the second verse of the gospel lesson appointed for this day. Ethos is translated in the NRSV as custom, but a more literal translation is habit. It was the habit of Joseph and Mary to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. I find that amazing. To travel from Nazareth to Jerusalem took four days one way, let alone the time spent at the Passover festival meaning the trek lasted at least two weeks. Imagine what dedication this took. Going on a two week vacation takes not only time, but a large amount of money. This rings true today, and rang true in the first century, but Luke tells us that traveling to the festival was the habit of Joseph and Mary. The habitual trek to Jerusalem for Passover indicates that Jesus grew up in a religiously dedicated family.
Traveling to Jerusalem became the routine, the practice, the custom, the habit of Jesus, and this shows that Jesus knew the practice of observant Jews. A very good habit. I wish my habits were as good. I tend to eat too much. I tend to watch too much brain numbing television. I have a tendency to spend too much time reading garbage on the internet. Do I spend too much time in prayer? Do I spend too much time reading scripture? Do I spend too much time with my family? These would be wonderful habits. I wonder what most people’s habits are?
Looking further into the text, Mary and Joseph leave after the festival, but they do something unimaginable. They left Jesus in the temple! How could they? This text brings up amazing things in my mind. It goes completely against my modern mindset of childrearing. Since the birth of my first child, what I have feared the most when out in public with him is losing him. I cannot imagine what people go through when they lose a child in a store, and it is easy to do. Children run quickly. Children can hide in the most amazing places and think it cute not to come out when mom or dad are looking for them. Children can be taken in an instant and then never return. I fear what happens to Jesus in the gospel lesson for this Sunday.
I must say that to travel for almost a day without knowing where one’s child is amazes me. I cannot go a minute without knowing where my children are. They are at school, which is an everyday thing. They are at home with me or their mother. They are spending time with friends. If they take off without telling me where they are going, they are in trouble, and yet Jesus is left by himself at 12 years of age and Mary and Joseph travel a day’s journey without knowing where he is. The text tries to justify this by saying that Mary and Joseph think he is in the group of travelers, but that is no justification. Theologians try to justify this by saying in that time, people would need to travel in large groups for safety, and this might be so, but that is no justification for leaving a large city without knowing where one’s child is. I have even tried to justify this by saying “it takes a village to raise a child” and this saying rings true today, and it was even more so back then, but that is still no justification. Mary and Joseph do an unthinkable thing and there can be no justification for this. If this happened today, the department of children and social services would be knocking on one’s front door in a heartbeat, and yet we think nothing of this when we read this text. What is the purpose of this text? What is Luke trying to tell us with this amazing left behind scene?
This is the only incident in the four canonical gospels that relates a story from the childhood of Jesus. Why would Luke choose this story? I am flabbergasted by his choice. There must have been some other stories that would have been better. An incident where Jesus helps another child learn about God, a tale of Jesus rescuing a child from danger, even a legend of Jesus fixing a broken toy for a weeping friend could have been included, but no. We get this account of Jesus being left behind in the temple.
I find numerous theological reasons for including this saga. Jesus knows from a young age that he is the Son of God, Joseph was not the natural father of Jesus, and even Jesus besting the best of theologian at the temple to show that the theologians are blind to what God was up to in Jesus, but I find it hard to get past the particulars of what has happened. Fundamentalists are always ranting that one must not add a single word to the literal words of the bible, and I am having a hard time getting past those literal words, but I must. What can I glean from this text? How can I relate this text to the modern arena to show the people I lead what God is up to in their lives through this amazing anecdote?
I think God is asking us to see what our habits are? Do we have good habits like the Holy family or do we teach our children other habits? Do our children learn to come to church as a habit or do we instruct our children that Sunday is a day for recreation outside of the faith community? I find that the church is getting smaller and smaller because people don’t see the need. Why would they? National churches are constantly arguing about things they need not argue about, and the leaders wonder why people don’t come to church. Leaders wonder why people don’t make church a habit. Furthermore, do we teach people that prayer can be a habit? Conversing with God in prayer leads to knowledge of God, and God loves this. What a good habit.
What is my habit? Peace!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Christmas Eve-Luke 2:1-20
Christmas Eve is a splendid time to share with people. There will be presents passed and eggnog shared. There will be hymns sung and food eaten. There will be babies born and joyous parents and grandparents shouting from the rooftops that a new child has been added to their family. I long for Christmas time each day of the year for Christmas brings hope and joy and peace and happiness to my heart.
As I reflected on the Christmas story told in Luke’s gospel, many things meandered through my mind. A census to find out how many people lived in the country. A census demanded by the then thought of savior of the world, Emperor Augustus. It was during his reign that true peace came to the Roman Empire. His leadership brought prosperity and happiness. During his reign, people's wealth began to burgeon. “Praise be to Caesar Augustus! He has brought new life to the world” would be on the lips of the people, but not on the lips of the oppressed whose hands did most of the work. For on them there was nothing but despair. On them, there was nothing but hard work and an early death. Caesar Augustus was nothing more than a tyrant who made them travel to a distant land to be registered. But “to you is born this day in the City of David a savior, who is the messiah, the Lord” is the message. Not Augustus. Not a political dynasty. Not a governor or a warrior or . . .you get the meaning. A savior born today for you. A savior is born, born a descendant of David the great king with earmarks of his great story. David, you know the one. He is the one taken out of the sheepfold to be the king, but now a king is born in the sheepfold who is more than a king, he is Messiah, Christ, the anointed one of God. David who brought the nation together will have another who will bring the cosmos together. There is another who will bring the divine and the creation together at last. He is born for you.
Like the shepherds, I am afraid. I am afraid of many things. The world is full of terrible disasters. Wars and rumors of wars. Hamas and Fatah fight for control of Palestine. In the region of Darfur, genocide. In my own country, Republicans and Democrats fight over control of the government and the distribution of power. I am afraid. Fear immobilizes me at times. How can I feed my family on my meager earnings while trying to keep the bill mongers off my steps? How can I build a nest egg for retirement when costs of living are skyrocketing out of sight? How can I take care of my sick child with no health insurance? These fears right true, but for me, a savior is born today.
What does it mean for me today in 21st century North Dakota that a savior, the Messiah, is born today? What difference can this make for me today? I am an alcoholic. I drank myself into a stupor for years. One beer led to 15 beers a day, and one day led to everyday and I am afraid that I might slip into another drunken haze, but not today. Because for me, today a savior is born who has resurrected me into sobriety. Today, a Messiah who is king has given me grace enough for this day to say no to a demon that tormented me for many days trying to tell me that alcohol was king.
In 21st century North Dakota, it means that my good friend can plant a crop and know that something will come up and a harvest will be had in the fall. Maybe not the biggest, but enough to put food on the table for another year. For him is born this day a savior who gives him courage to plant each year with faith to know that God will provide. Or for my wife who teaches, she can know that each year more young people will come and learn how to write. Or for my mother who decorates cakes, she will know that someone will have another birthday where her cakes will make them smile. Or for my father who saves lives on the ambulance. He will know that his skills, God given skills, will be used by God to help people in distress.
For us, today, where ever we are, who ever we are, a savior is born to give us hope. Hope enough for today. Enough to see us through these days of wars and rumors of wars, and enough hope to see us through until the end of time. For us, a babe wrapped in bands of cloth will give us enough hope to get up out of bed each day and do our best to make his world a better place. To that I can say, thanks be to God.
As I reflected on the Christmas story told in Luke’s gospel, many things meandered through my mind. A census to find out how many people lived in the country. A census demanded by the then thought of savior of the world, Emperor Augustus. It was during his reign that true peace came to the Roman Empire. His leadership brought prosperity and happiness. During his reign, people's wealth began to burgeon. “Praise be to Caesar Augustus! He has brought new life to the world” would be on the lips of the people, but not on the lips of the oppressed whose hands did most of the work. For on them there was nothing but despair. On them, there was nothing but hard work and an early death. Caesar Augustus was nothing more than a tyrant who made them travel to a distant land to be registered. But “to you is born this day in the City of David a savior, who is the messiah, the Lord” is the message. Not Augustus. Not a political dynasty. Not a governor or a warrior or . . .you get the meaning. A savior born today for you. A savior is born, born a descendant of David the great king with earmarks of his great story. David, you know the one. He is the one taken out of the sheepfold to be the king, but now a king is born in the sheepfold who is more than a king, he is Messiah, Christ, the anointed one of God. David who brought the nation together will have another who will bring the cosmos together. There is another who will bring the divine and the creation together at last. He is born for you.
Like the shepherds, I am afraid. I am afraid of many things. The world is full of terrible disasters. Wars and rumors of wars. Hamas and Fatah fight for control of Palestine. In the region of Darfur, genocide. In my own country, Republicans and Democrats fight over control of the government and the distribution of power. I am afraid. Fear immobilizes me at times. How can I feed my family on my meager earnings while trying to keep the bill mongers off my steps? How can I build a nest egg for retirement when costs of living are skyrocketing out of sight? How can I take care of my sick child with no health insurance? These fears right true, but for me, a savior is born today.
What does it mean for me today in 21st century North Dakota that a savior, the Messiah, is born today? What difference can this make for me today? I am an alcoholic. I drank myself into a stupor for years. One beer led to 15 beers a day, and one day led to everyday and I am afraid that I might slip into another drunken haze, but not today. Because for me, today a savior is born who has resurrected me into sobriety. Today, a Messiah who is king has given me grace enough for this day to say no to a demon that tormented me for many days trying to tell me that alcohol was king.
In 21st century North Dakota, it means that my good friend can plant a crop and know that something will come up and a harvest will be had in the fall. Maybe not the biggest, but enough to put food on the table for another year. For him is born this day a savior who gives him courage to plant each year with faith to know that God will provide. Or for my wife who teaches, she can know that each year more young people will come and learn how to write. Or for my mother who decorates cakes, she will know that someone will have another birthday where her cakes will make them smile. Or for my father who saves lives on the ambulance. He will know that his skills, God given skills, will be used by God to help people in distress.
For us, today, where ever we are, who ever we are, a savior is born to give us hope. Hope enough for today. Enough to see us through these days of wars and rumors of wars, and enough hope to see us through until the end of time. For us, a babe wrapped in bands of cloth will give us enough hope to get up out of bed each day and do our best to make his world a better place. To that I can say, thanks be to God.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Advent 4-Luke 1:39-45
It seems to me that everything for this week is wrong. There is no snow on the ground here in North Dakota, which is abnormal to say the least, it has been unseasonably warm for the upper Northern Plains, and women are acting like prophets in the gospel lesson for the last Sunday in Advent. Something is just not right!
But then again, God often turns everything we think as right upside down, and I praise God for this. In the gospel lesson for this week, Mary takes off by herself which was something unthinkable for women in that time and continues to be for some today. As I watch the news, women in some Middle Eastern countries cannot go anywhere without a male escort. In some cities right here in the U.S., a woman would be smart not to venture out alone due to the increased risk of attack. Even right here in North Dakota, an escapade in the cold without a companion might lead to death. Could God be telling us something in this? Could God be telling us that we are made to be in community? We need others around us to be safe. We need a companion on a tough journey to help us arrive at our destination. God is a community unto God’s self. If we claim to be followers of this God, then maybe we need a community around us more often than not. Curious?
But the strangeness of the gospel continues. We are included in the conversation between Elizabeth and Mary. Two pregnant women who speak of their soon to be born infants include us in their chat. I think of my wife as she carried our children. She worked at an office with other women. When I would enter into that sacred space during those times when the women were talking of child birth, it would get quiet. I often felt an intruder, but not today. Mary and Elizabeth include the entire cosmos in their dialogue. Everyone hears this discussion and are blessed by it. But this is not the arena for men, right? The XY chromosome should not be included in this chitchat. We have manly stuff to do. There are tires to change, sidewalks to be shoveled, and engines to repair, but maybe the men of the world are supposed to hear this.
Maybe God is trying to turn the world upside down with these women. Maybe God is trying to show those who carry the XY chromosome that the tried and true way of doing things doesn’t work. Maybe Mary and Elizabeth and their children are meant to change the entire cosmos. John will prepare the way for Jesus. John will show us that even religious people need baptism. This was a strange idea for the religious people of the day. They were the holy ones. They were the people who others came to for guidance. They were the righteous ones who would need no cleansing, but John shows another way. A way in the desert that is hard to hear. Everyone needs baptism because baptism brings relationship. Moreover, Jesus will show us that life comes out of death. Jesus shows in his life, death, and resurrection that things are often not the way they seem. God will turn the universe upside down in God with us, Jesus of Nazareth. Now that is the ultimate reversal. Maybe my way of doing things isn’t the best way and I might be wrong about life. Maybe life is not about accumulating wealth and having the most toys. Maybe life is about giving things up and dying to live. Maybe God is trying to show us that God’s way is not our way, and God’s way is better. Curious?
But there is even more. These women who are not supposed to be prophets are showing us that God can use everyone to do God’s work. Even a woman of the first century can be a vessel of God’s grace. Even an old woman who was thought to be barren can bring life into the world. Quite the reversal. Even an outcast, a woman who is pregnant outside of marriage can be an instrument of God’s revelation. A reversal even by today's standards. God works outside of our, outside of my boundaries. God often crosses over my self imposed way of thinking, my right and wrong to show me that I am not God. When I let God do God’s work and I do my work, things often work out better. God is strange, but thanks be to God for this strangeness.
But then again, God often turns everything we think as right upside down, and I praise God for this. In the gospel lesson for this week, Mary takes off by herself which was something unthinkable for women in that time and continues to be for some today. As I watch the news, women in some Middle Eastern countries cannot go anywhere without a male escort. In some cities right here in the U.S., a woman would be smart not to venture out alone due to the increased risk of attack. Even right here in North Dakota, an escapade in the cold without a companion might lead to death. Could God be telling us something in this? Could God be telling us that we are made to be in community? We need others around us to be safe. We need a companion on a tough journey to help us arrive at our destination. God is a community unto God’s self. If we claim to be followers of this God, then maybe we need a community around us more often than not. Curious?
But the strangeness of the gospel continues. We are included in the conversation between Elizabeth and Mary. Two pregnant women who speak of their soon to be born infants include us in their chat. I think of my wife as she carried our children. She worked at an office with other women. When I would enter into that sacred space during those times when the women were talking of child birth, it would get quiet. I often felt an intruder, but not today. Mary and Elizabeth include the entire cosmos in their dialogue. Everyone hears this discussion and are blessed by it. But this is not the arena for men, right? The XY chromosome should not be included in this chitchat. We have manly stuff to do. There are tires to change, sidewalks to be shoveled, and engines to repair, but maybe the men of the world are supposed to hear this.
Maybe God is trying to turn the world upside down with these women. Maybe God is trying to show those who carry the XY chromosome that the tried and true way of doing things doesn’t work. Maybe Mary and Elizabeth and their children are meant to change the entire cosmos. John will prepare the way for Jesus. John will show us that even religious people need baptism. This was a strange idea for the religious people of the day. They were the holy ones. They were the people who others came to for guidance. They were the righteous ones who would need no cleansing, but John shows another way. A way in the desert that is hard to hear. Everyone needs baptism because baptism brings relationship. Moreover, Jesus will show us that life comes out of death. Jesus shows in his life, death, and resurrection that things are often not the way they seem. God will turn the universe upside down in God with us, Jesus of Nazareth. Now that is the ultimate reversal. Maybe my way of doing things isn’t the best way and I might be wrong about life. Maybe life is not about accumulating wealth and having the most toys. Maybe life is about giving things up and dying to live. Maybe God is trying to show us that God’s way is not our way, and God’s way is better. Curious?
But there is even more. These women who are not supposed to be prophets are showing us that God can use everyone to do God’s work. Even a woman of the first century can be a vessel of God’s grace. Even an old woman who was thought to be barren can bring life into the world. Quite the reversal. Even an outcast, a woman who is pregnant outside of marriage can be an instrument of God’s revelation. A reversal even by today's standards. God works outside of our, outside of my boundaries. God often crosses over my self imposed way of thinking, my right and wrong to show me that I am not God. When I let God do God’s work and I do my work, things often work out better. God is strange, but thanks be to God for this strangeness.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Beginnings . . .
I begin this blog with high hopes. I long for places where one can come to discuss and speak one's mind without being assaulted by ideologues! These people force their ideas onto others without ever wondering if it is proper to do so. I just left a place with such people. I hope this blog will be a place for open discussion, for theological inquiry, and intellectual integrity. I will endeavor to post each week with my sermon preparation, my musings from pastoral ministry in a place of immense beauty and hardships, and my ideas as to what the church of the 21st century might need to be a place of peace, a place of hope, and a place of God's moving in the world. We begin fresh!
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