What Stands the test of time?

I had the observation that there were things of antiquity that have stood the test of time, while other things have not done so well -- either by the forces of nature or the forces of humanity. On several occasions, wonderful examples of faith have stood for these centuries, while near by grander and more glorious structures have very little left.
From Ephesus here is an example. The probable humble tomb of St. Luke (probably the Apostle) stands while just two or three miles away, all that remains of the grand temple to the God Artemis (which was at least twice as large as the great Parthenon in Athens) is a single pillar upon which a stork has made a nest. And it is now in a swamp.

Of course, the Gospel of Jesus Christ carried by Paul and the Apostles did not have any stone monuments or temples. All it has was the living witness of disciples across the centuries. This Gospel is still full of power and witness.

Part of my reflections on this line of thinking has been related to thinking about the foundations of my faith and witness, and how the ripples of the discipleship of contemporary witnesses will stand the test of time.

Getting the Feet Moving

Order Your Steps
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Don't ask God to order your steps if you are not willing to move your feet.


I’m getting ready to move my feet.

Are you ready to move yours?

"Finding a new 'pump handle'"

Over 150 years ago 500 people died of cholera in just ten days in one London neighborhood. Dr. John Snow, who already had suggested that this epidemic disease was spread by contaminated water, studied these cases and was convinced that the sole source of the contaminated water was a particular pump near Broad and Cambridge streets. At a emotional public meeting it was suggested that the pump handle be removed so that no more water could be drawn from that location.

Indeed the handle was removed, cholera abated and significant projects were launched for cleaner water and safer sanitation systems. In addition, there were improvements in sanitation and purification systems resulting in improved human life, increased life spans and lower infant mortality rates. All because of a pump handle.

Once in a while it is time to renew our "pump handle" or to find the "right" "pump handle."

Starbucks did just that for three hours back in 2008. They shut down all 7,100 Starbucks in North America -- maybe you were were an unsuspecting customer caught in that unexpected "crisis" (if you needed coffee it was a crisis! -- to clean up their "pump handle", to rediscover their "first love." Howard Schultz, CEO said that Starbucks shut down to rediscover and rededicate the company to the "love, passion and commitment" of the coffee experience. They had lost their original "pump handle" and the one they were using needed to be replaced.

This unprecedented event in company history wasn't about "training" but to reconnect the company to its soul and the love and compassion and commitment that it needed to have for the customer.

How's your pump handle these days? Is it rusty and corroded from dis-use or no use? Is it ignored because of busyness? We sometimes feel good about busyness, but does our busyness and running overwhelm our true identity? Have we lost our passion for our mission, for Jesus and for the Gospel? Does our soul really have soul anymore? Do we have a clear picture of why we are here? What we are about? Who we are?

Starbucks closed down for a few hours to reconnect with the "soul of its past".

Every now and again we need to take some time to "close down" for a few hours or a few days to reconnect with our soul. We need to take some time occasionally to rediscover a few things like: who we are as God's children; who we are as forgiven sinners; who we are as disciples; what God is calling us to be as part of his body; how our faith journey brought us to where we are and what it might be telling us about where we are going; or a myriad of other things about our love, compassion and commitment to who we are and our purpose in God's kingdom.

These little breaks are great times to make sure that the source of our "living spiritual water" is as pure as it needs to be.

I know we will all be blessed as we seek the power and promise of our living God and as we take time to reconnect with our soul and renew our commitment to our faith.

Spring, Growth, New Life

Talking to a farmer the other day took me back in time. It took me back to my childhood on the farm.

You see, springtime on the farm was my favorite time of year. Turning the soil and releasing the earthy smells of spring, planting the seeds that would grow and mature into abundance for feeding the animals and people. The crisp warmth of the morning. The sun sparkling across the damp dew of the morning. Everything, it seemed, was full of fresh opportunity, new life, a new start growing out of winter's death and possibilities unimagined.

I guess it is no accident that Easter, our faith celebration of new and renewed life, comes in the spring. The themes of nature and faith coincide in that both promise new life, a new start growing out of death and full fresh opportunities.

But it is more. Every moment with God offers promise. The seed of a new idea has the potential to deepen our faith perspective or set us off in a new direction with a deeper sense of purpose. The growing faith nurtured by the spirit has the potential to reap a harvest of our own faithfulness, or of something sparked in another. An old habit can be "put to death" giving room for something new and life giving. Priorities can be adjusted to fit the new directions in our lives.

Lest we be deceived, opportunities like this aren't limited to spring. The possibilities for new life are there every day. As we open our day with a remembrance of our Baptism and God's gift of the Holy Spirit, every day become the gift of grace, fertile soil for new life, growth and faith full of the spirit of the living God.

Even in the city, images of the farm ring true, and become true.

Jesus' Prayer in John 17 -- A Question

The gospel I chose for April 24/25 was Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer" from John 17. One disciple who listened responded with the observation that "Today's reading in John seems to me uncharacteristically redundant (e.g., "those whom you gave me" is used at least 3 times) for Jesus whose prayers seem generally more concise."

I tend to agree. The "redundancy" of this passage makes it very difficult to read aloud -- there is the tendency to think one is repeating lines. The repetition of thoughts seems overbearing and heavy.

So, what is going on here? Was John weaving his own agenda into Jesus' words, if John even "heard" Jesus pray this prayer (there are several times in the Gospels where Jesus was "praying alone" and yet the supposed words of his prayer are recorded i.e. in the Garden of Gethsemane)? Is John just being John: wordy, theological and yet precise? Is something "lost in translation"? Would this make more sense if it were in a poetic format?

I suspect it is some of all of the above. The message that I get from John 17 is that there is a big need to understand a longing for unity, for "oneness" and for how later disciples are connected to early disciples who were to dwell in Jesus as God came to dwell in Jesus. There is no doubt in my faith that an early issue for the church, maybe about the time John was recording his Gospel (some decades after Jesus), was unity along with a proper understanding of God's work through Jesus and Jesus' work thorugh the disciples.

Reading this section of John through the eyes of first century Sunday School faith would led me to believe that John is doing some heavy duty theological instruction along with the story. In context, this is not so long before Jesus dies, so the message might be that I'm leaving you now, so I want you to have all of this stuff straight about God and Me. John would have seen it in the sense that Jesus has left us now and he would have wanted us to have had all of this stuff straight.

John is always a challenge to read. He always seems to be talking in abstractions. This section is no different. But perhaps we get the picture if we simply see in John the longing for the love of God in Jesus and the power of the spirit for the spreading of the good news to the ends of the earth.

May 2010 "Sketchings"

SETTING INTENTIONS FOR OUR ‘JOURNEY 2 RENEWAL’

Recently there have been more and more conversations regarding our intentions for our “Journey2Renewal”. More and more people are sensing the opportunity that these upcoming two months give us to be renewed, revived, transformed and deepened. Frankly, we’re on the right track in this regard.

From the beginning my intention has been pretty clear: “…to enhance and deepen my understanding and appreciation of the culture, territory and environment from which the Apostle Paul lived, preached and wrote.” My intention has been to be open to what God might reveal. My intention has been for these deeper understandings and appreciations to inform my faith and the preaching and teaching ministries for which I am responsible.

Now others are beginning to put their intentions into words. One person said something like, “I think these weeks, especially hearing new voices, give me an opportunity to listen more closely to what God might be saying.” Another has stated an intention of dusting off some old attitudes and to take some time to get to know the Apostle Paul again, in a new way. Still another has set some intentions about reading the Bible and Paul’s letters. Still another has chosen to set aside a feeling of intimidation when picking up the Bible and just read for what can be understood by reading – that is not having a feeling that she needs to “understand” it all. Still another is digging deeper from a more intellectual point of view. And others are pondering ways to enter into some group studies.

Each of these intentions is well and good –- not for the fact that they all support my intention for this time, but for the fact that people are setting out some desires for renewal. You see, when we set out and state our intentions and our desires for a particular activity or process, it opens the doors for God to work and it opens us to being fertile soil in which God can the renewal and transformation that God might want to work during our “Journey2Renewal.”

If you’re wondering how to make the most out of getting reacquainted with the Apostle Paul, let me make these suggestions:
1) Find the map in the back of your Bible depicting the four journeys of Paul. Then read the Book of Acts and trace Paul’s travels.
2) Read some of Paul’s Letters. Don’t start with Romans. While Romans is probably the most important book in the New Testament (Martin Luther thought so), it is also the hardest to follow and grasp. Start with maybe 1 and II Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Philemon, I and II Timothy, Titus, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, Ephesians and finally, Romans. Or you might want to read the letters more in the order in which they were written: I and II Thessalonians and I Corinthians during his second Mission Trip; Galatians, II Corinthians and Romans during his third mission trip, and then Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 Timothy, Titus, and II Timothy written from Rome, some while he was in prison, before his death. And when you read, don’t feel like you have to understand it all, or make sense of it all. Read for the spectrum of themes, ideas and feelings that Paul presents.
3) Read a book like “Paul: A Novel” by Walter Wangerin, Jr. or any other book on the Life of Paul. Or maybe you’d want to tackle a book like, “Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time” by Sarah Ruden. (This book tries to put Paul’s work into his social context for a better understanding of his worldview.)
4) Journal your thoughts and feelings, your questions and insights. We will likely have opportunities to share these later on.

Of course, you might choose many other intentions for this Renewal time. Nothing says that your intention has to focus on the Apostle Paul. To be sure, any thoughtful intention for renewal and transformation will lay a foundation for God to be able to work in your faith process during this time.

“Journey 2 Renewal: Eight weeks, two walks of faith renewal, half a world apart, reuniting as one strong church” frames the next two months of our lives together even as we are in different places.

I know God will be good. I know God will take care of us all. I know these days of renewal will be a deep blessing for each of us. And I’m looking forward to being the stronger community of faith we vision for the years to follow.

With my prayers for blessings and peace, joy and hope to us all!

T. O. M.

Honoring God's Wishes and Love

When I was handed the envelop, the individual, who I hadn't seen in quite some time, said, "This is just between you and me." Then rephrased the statement to "Actually, somehow this is just between you and God."
I didn't quite know what to make of it. I wasn't aware that anything particular had been going on between God and me, but apparently I hadn't looked deep enough.
Later, when I opened the envelope, there were two slips of paper. On one, a torn 3x5 card, was a hand written note that said, "When God tells us his desires it brings great joy to be apart (sic) of them. Love, God's servant." The other slip of paper contained expressions encouragement with the notation, "In honor of God's wishes and love."
Tears filled my eyes. I began to understand what might be up between God and me. The encouragement was timely and the words with the encouragement were even more timely. I felt like I was in one of those old aftershave commercials, "Thanks! I needed that." Because, you see, I did need, on a deeper unconscious level, these timely words and signs of God's grace.
I needed them because, you see, they are full of so much truth. When we are in line with God's desires -- in our home, in our workplace, in our family and in our church, community, nation and world -- it brings great joy to be a partner with God. It brings great joy to know that somehow we're on the right track. It honors God when we honor God's love in our midst.
But we don't always recognize when we are in line with God's desires. We get distracted by worldly values and priorities. We get discouraged by what we see on the surface. We are so caught up with the small things that we miss the bigger picture.
It is then that the messages of God come through the faith of others. Sometimes, God reaches out when we are unaware of a deep need to work some magic in our spirit, to calm a the longings of our spirit or to affirm our commitments and faith. And when that happens, indeed it is actually between us and God -- no matter who the human messenger might be.
Thanks to the one known simply as "God's servant."
Thanks to anyone who is "God's servants" in the lives of others.
And, thanks be to God for knowing and taking care of the stuff that is just between us and Him!