A No-Fly zone has been instituted at Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company. More specifically, the staff has taken on a very daunting task- to dissuade a local robin from attacking its own reflection in the coffee shop's mirror. The robin showed up this morning to defend its nest or something and, if the pattern holds, it will start its aerial assault on the window soon. A sign labeled "no fly zone" will soon be hung up in order to prevent the robin from seeing its reflection.
Frankly, the whole thing is absurd. The robin attacks a pane of glass because it catches a fleeting glance of itself. And it attacks itself over and over again. I wonder if, at any point, the robin tires of smashing into an opponent it clearly won't defeat. I also wonder if the robin has wondered why its opponent always does the exact same thing it does. Stupid bird.
Oh wait. This is by far not just a bird-brained pattern. This is a human pattern as well. While you have likely never attacked a window (maybe you have), you have done something just as bad. Have you ever blamed your anger on someone else? Have you ever thought to yourself "My life would be so much better if (insert someone in your life) would change?" Have you ever actually believed the pundits who say it's all "their" fault? And if so... how does that work for you?
On my better ways, I join with Psalm 139:23 in saying "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." I acknowledge that my anxious thoughts, my anger, is my own. And since it is my own, I am the one who has the power to change it. Consider this monologue from the Academy Award-winning movie "Crash:"
"I am angry.
Yes! At them! Yes!
At them, the police,
at Rick, at Maria,
at the dry cleaners who destroyed
another blouse today,
at the gardener who keeps
overwatering the lawn.
I...
I just thought that...
Carol, I just thought that
I would wake up today
and I would feel better, you know?
But I was still mad.
And I realized...
I realized that it had nothing
to do with my car being stolen.
I wake up like this
every morning!
I am angry all the time,
and I don't know why..."
It is at this moment in the film when the character, Jean, realizes that the hatred in her heart has nothing to do with "them" and has everything to do with her. She has the power to change, and by the end of the film, takes steps toward reconciling with the housekeeper she treats horribly.
Yes, people do bad things and wrong us, and provoke our anger. And it's also true that I wonder if we are just attacking our own reflection in the window, all while thinking we are attacking "them." So I would like to issue a no-fly zone in my heart today. I would like to not be provoked to attack you because of my own baggage. After all, it's only going to hurt. Right, Mr. Robin?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
John 21:21-25 "Wrapping Things Up"
Peter is one of the most fully developed characters in the New Testament. His journey of growth and discovery is pretty well documented throughout the Gospels and into Acts. Even Paul, who offers us most of the New Testament text, doesn't have the journey that Peter does. And in this passage, we are given keen insight into where Peter has come and where Peter is going.
Jesus first asks Peter "Do you love me more than these?" Therein lies the strongest temptation to the disciples. They have always fought over who is the best, who is the fittest to lead, who loves Jesus most. If there is an opportunity to stand up for his faithfulness, now is the time.
But Peter has had a pretty big week. He recognizes the limits to his faithfulness, culminating in the denial of Jesus on Good Friday morning. He knows that his faith alone cannot carry him. So Peter's response is not "Of course I love you more than these," but "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." The competitive edge to be the "best" disciple is gone from Peter, replaced with a sense of humility that only comes from following Jesus Christ.
The second and third questions reinforce Peter's faith (although they are painful), giving Jesus the opportunity to encourage Peter.
And then comes the relapse- Peter questions the faith of another disciple, giving Jesus another opportunity to remind Peter that his job is to follow Jesus, not critique the followership of others.
This story here teaches me something about "getting there." Namely, I don't plan on "getting there" anytime soon. Also, I am already there. The journey of following Jesus isn't a move from darkness into light. Through the cross and resurrection, that's already happened. I am there. God's grace has a firm, unbreakable hold on me. I do not worry that God will reject me at the end of all things. The journey of following Jesus is about exploring this new land of the light and learning along the way. Yes, some of that lack of learning will have a significant impact on myself and others, and there is real impact for me to deal with along the way. That being said, there is also grace to sustain me as I clean up negative impact and try to learn forward into a new way of being, one that manifests Jesus, who did so much in this world that there aren't books enough to contain His works.
Jesus first asks Peter "Do you love me more than these?" Therein lies the strongest temptation to the disciples. They have always fought over who is the best, who is the fittest to lead, who loves Jesus most. If there is an opportunity to stand up for his faithfulness, now is the time.
But Peter has had a pretty big week. He recognizes the limits to his faithfulness, culminating in the denial of Jesus on Good Friday morning. He knows that his faith alone cannot carry him. So Peter's response is not "Of course I love you more than these," but "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." The competitive edge to be the "best" disciple is gone from Peter, replaced with a sense of humility that only comes from following Jesus Christ.
The second and third questions reinforce Peter's faith (although they are painful), giving Jesus the opportunity to encourage Peter.
And then comes the relapse- Peter questions the faith of another disciple, giving Jesus another opportunity to remind Peter that his job is to follow Jesus, not critique the followership of others.
This story here teaches me something about "getting there." Namely, I don't plan on "getting there" anytime soon. Also, I am already there. The journey of following Jesus isn't a move from darkness into light. Through the cross and resurrection, that's already happened. I am there. God's grace has a firm, unbreakable hold on me. I do not worry that God will reject me at the end of all things. The journey of following Jesus is about exploring this new land of the light and learning along the way. Yes, some of that lack of learning will have a significant impact on myself and others, and there is real impact for me to deal with along the way. That being said, there is also grace to sustain me as I clean up negative impact and try to learn forward into a new way of being, one that manifests Jesus, who did so much in this world that there aren't books enough to contain His works.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
John 21:1-14 "A Mighty Fine Fishing Trip"
Biblical scholars, pastors, authors and others have all scratched their heads over the significance of the 153 fish. You can click here for what some people think. Frankly, having been fishing before, it's pretty simple. If I caught 153 fish in one net, you would know that I caught 153 fish in one net. It's what fishermen do. Peter is, after all, a fisherman.
One thing that boggles my mind is how quickly Peter and the other disciple go back to their former lives. When Peter says "I am going out to fish," he isn't talking about a leisurely fishing trip. He's gone back and picked up the nets he left behind to follow Jesus. 153 fish won't feed the family, they'll sell at the market and feed the family. Even after meeting the resurrected Jesus, Peter's expectations for an earthly kingdom were so let down that seeing Jesus post-resurrection didn't motivate him back into followership.
It isn't until Jesus blows up Peter's expectations (again) by blessing his catch that Peter "snaps out of" his malaise and picks up his enthusiasm for Jesus once more. Enthusiasm, literally meaning "God is in it," is an important feature of following Jesus. Too often I fall for things that keep me less bored rather than be drawn to things I can be enthusiastic about.
And sometimes, out of the blue, God fills me with a great conversation or encourages me with a great moment of impact. And out of that moment, that movement of God, comes enthusiasm to press forward. And so on the days in which I feel tired, or feel like I don't have the motivation, I remember that it is God who provides those times. After all, isn't the resurrection one great object lesson that God provides?
One thing that boggles my mind is how quickly Peter and the other disciple go back to their former lives. When Peter says "I am going out to fish," he isn't talking about a leisurely fishing trip. He's gone back and picked up the nets he left behind to follow Jesus. 153 fish won't feed the family, they'll sell at the market and feed the family. Even after meeting the resurrected Jesus, Peter's expectations for an earthly kingdom were so let down that seeing Jesus post-resurrection didn't motivate him back into followership.
It isn't until Jesus blows up Peter's expectations (again) by blessing his catch that Peter "snaps out of" his malaise and picks up his enthusiasm for Jesus once more. Enthusiasm, literally meaning "God is in it," is an important feature of following Jesus. Too often I fall for things that keep me less bored rather than be drawn to things I can be enthusiastic about.
And sometimes, out of the blue, God fills me with a great conversation or encourages me with a great moment of impact. And out of that moment, that movement of God, comes enthusiasm to press forward. And so on the days in which I feel tired, or feel like I don't have the motivation, I remember that it is God who provides those times. After all, isn't the resurrection one great object lesson that God provides?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
John 20:19-30 "A Resurrection Mission"
In Luke, you have to wait until the sequel (Acts) to get the giving of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew and Mark, the giving of the Holy Spirit doesn't show up. But in John, the Holy Spirit is given in the midst of the resurrection appearances. The effect is the same- the giving of the Holy Spirit is in direct relationship to mission.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (vss 21-23).
The Holy Spirit is crucial to mission. The Holy Spirit bears the fruit that does God's transformational work in our world. The Spirit reminds us of Jesus Christ and of our union with Him. The Spirit sends us to places we don't normally go (just as the Spirit pushed Jesus into the wilderness). We couldn't be involved in God's mission without the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, mission would just be us trying to work a human agenda, fraught with power corruption and the other issues present when human agendas get to work.
The first work of the Spirit, however, is to draw us toward God. In the case of Thomas, the Spirit caused Thomas to commit treason. At the time of the writing of John, the Roman Emperor demanded a title that could be bestowed on no one else- "Lord and God." When Thomas shouted out that Jesus is indeed Lord and God, he was laying down a pattern that God's mission and God's Spirit would often push us outside the range of "acceptable" behavior. The Spirit leads us take a prophetic stance, revealing the purposes of God even against the purposes of the powerful. And by the Spirit, we can be okay with doing that.
What becomes more terrifying to me is not that God would want me to take that kind of stance, but that I won't ever seize the opportunity before me. Today my prayer is that the Spirit will move through my (sometimes) thick skull to see all the possibilities before me.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (vss 21-23).
The Holy Spirit is crucial to mission. The Holy Spirit bears the fruit that does God's transformational work in our world. The Spirit reminds us of Jesus Christ and of our union with Him. The Spirit sends us to places we don't normally go (just as the Spirit pushed Jesus into the wilderness). We couldn't be involved in God's mission without the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, mission would just be us trying to work a human agenda, fraught with power corruption and the other issues present when human agendas get to work.
The first work of the Spirit, however, is to draw us toward God. In the case of Thomas, the Spirit caused Thomas to commit treason. At the time of the writing of John, the Roman Emperor demanded a title that could be bestowed on no one else- "Lord and God." When Thomas shouted out that Jesus is indeed Lord and God, he was laying down a pattern that God's mission and God's Spirit would often push us outside the range of "acceptable" behavior. The Spirit leads us take a prophetic stance, revealing the purposes of God even against the purposes of the powerful. And by the Spirit, we can be okay with doing that.
What becomes more terrifying to me is not that God would want me to take that kind of stance, but that I won't ever seize the opportunity before me. Today my prayer is that the Spirit will move through my (sometimes) thick skull to see all the possibilities before me.
Monday, April 9, 2012
John 20:1-18 "New Management Now"
This world is under new management now.
On the day before Easter, the rabbis taught that women were not credible witnesses to an event. On Easter morning, Jesus speaks Mary into new life and commissions her to be the first evangelist, modeling for generations of men and women who boldly proclaim "I have seen the Lord!"
The world is under new management now.
On the day before Easter, anyone who hung on a tree was considered cursed. On Easter morning, the One who died on a tree was declared blessed by God and blessed the world.
The world is under new managment now.
On the day before Easter, death had struck a blow against God that seemed to halt God's salvation plan. On Easter morning, death's power vaporized like dew before a sunrise. Life was triumphant.
The world is under new management now. Praise the Lord.
On the day before Easter, the rabbis taught that women were not credible witnesses to an event. On Easter morning, Jesus speaks Mary into new life and commissions her to be the first evangelist, modeling for generations of men and women who boldly proclaim "I have seen the Lord!"
The world is under new management now.
On the day before Easter, anyone who hung on a tree was considered cursed. On Easter morning, the One who died on a tree was declared blessed by God and blessed the world.
The world is under new managment now.
On the day before Easter, death had struck a blow against God that seemed to halt God's salvation plan. On Easter morning, death's power vaporized like dew before a sunrise. Life was triumphant.
The world is under new management now. Praise the Lord.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Friday, April 6, 2012
John 19:1-30 "A Chief Priest's Lament"
What did I just say? "We have no king but Caesar?" How did we fall this far...? We have only one king, the LORD. It is the LORD who redeemed us, the LORD who gave us the Law, the Temple, the sacrifices. Why did I just say that I have no king but Caesar?
Oh yeah, God hasn't done much for me lately. Caesar has, but God hasn't. God's been letting us get beat up by every nation under the sky for the past five hundred years. First it was the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, their kin, and finally now the Romans. Where's the deliverance in all that? I thought the prophets said that we would be restored and wouldn't be oppressed. No wonder we don't read those books. Full of empty promises.
I'm tired of working to no end to people who don't care with a God who won't reward me. I'm tired of people like Pilate mocking me and reminding me over and over again that I have no real power in this world. All I can do is ask him for permission before doing anything. I'm just plain tired.
And this is it. I know the Pharisees talk about heaven and being rewarded for all this, but I don't buy it. I think I'm being played. So why keep offering sacrifices? Why keep burning incense and saying prayers?
Frankly, the money's pretty good. I can hang out in the best of houses and I don't have to beg on the street. And if God's ever going to do anything about this, it will look pretty good to say I took care of the Temple until it happened.
I wonder if God's ever going to do anything about our situation. I feel so lost. I just hope that if God ever does appear, I don't miss it. Either way, I better get to the crucifixion. We finally got rid of this Jesus guy, now life can get back to normal.
- Taken from the diary of a chief priest at the time of Jesus
May we all have eyes to see God in God's appearance.
Oh yeah, God hasn't done much for me lately. Caesar has, but God hasn't. God's been letting us get beat up by every nation under the sky for the past five hundred years. First it was the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, their kin, and finally now the Romans. Where's the deliverance in all that? I thought the prophets said that we would be restored and wouldn't be oppressed. No wonder we don't read those books. Full of empty promises.
I'm tired of working to no end to people who don't care with a God who won't reward me. I'm tired of people like Pilate mocking me and reminding me over and over again that I have no real power in this world. All I can do is ask him for permission before doing anything. I'm just plain tired.
And this is it. I know the Pharisees talk about heaven and being rewarded for all this, but I don't buy it. I think I'm being played. So why keep offering sacrifices? Why keep burning incense and saying prayers?
Frankly, the money's pretty good. I can hang out in the best of houses and I don't have to beg on the street. And if God's ever going to do anything about this, it will look pretty good to say I took care of the Temple until it happened.
I wonder if God's ever going to do anything about our situation. I feel so lost. I just hope that if God ever does appear, I don't miss it. Either way, I better get to the crucifixion. We finally got rid of this Jesus guy, now life can get back to normal.
- Taken from the diary of a chief priest at the time of Jesus
May we all have eyes to see God in God's appearance.
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