Romans 2:25-3:18 (NRSV)

Friday in the Second Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if those who are uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart-- it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God. Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much, in every way. For in the first place the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written, "So that you may be justified in your words, and prevail in your judging." But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of God, what should we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not say (as some people slander us by saying that we say), "Let us do evil so that good may come"? Their condemnation is deserved! What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: "There is no one who is righteous, not even one; there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one." "Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of vipers is under their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

"Real Circumcision is a matter of the heart." The cutting or mutilation of one's body for ritualistic purposes has always befuddled me. Why would you hurt yourself to prove your relationship? Why would God require the removal of the male foreskin in order to prove that there is a bond? What purpose does it serve? This topic may generate more question than reflection today. But, that's ok.

If we listen to what Paul is saying, he is making the claim that it doesn't matter if you are circumcised if you are not going to keep up your end and honor the covenant. That those who keep the covenant and grow in love and relationship are circumcised by virtue of the relationship. I understand that the ancients needed to make an outward physical sign of their covenant, symbolic of the bond they experienced with God. A bond that affected their relationship with one another. 

Paul is further saying that our lack of faithfulness to our relationship with God doesn't diminish God's faithfulness in us. I don't know how many times I have heard folks claim that they've been too bad, that God doesn't want anything to do with them. False! God is faithful and desires a relationship, especially with those who have gone astray. God's favor and grace for creation never decreases. Once the bond is there, it NEVER goes away.

So, what is the call to action amid all this circumcision talk? I hear God calling us to keep the covenant and nurture the relationship. Leaning on the fact that it doesn't matter if we are male and have a foreskin or not. What matters is that our hearts are right with God. Do we trust God? In the season of Lent, it is the perfect time to evaluate ourselves and our relationships, see what we are doing that destroys and remove it... recognize what it is that brings us closer together and do it. How deep is our commitment?

Romans 2:12-24 (NRSV)

Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified. When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God and know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the law, and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob temples? You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

"The doers of the law will be justified." It seems to me that Paul is making a good case for walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Those who do, especially those who have not been taught, are what it's all about.

In Paul's letter to the church in Rome, he continues to exhort those who think that they are better than everyone else, just because they are Jewish. He goes on to explain the intent of the law rather than the letter of the law, much like Jesus did. Paul makes a case for those who are acting on the intent of the law and doing instinctively what the law requires without any prior knowledge or study of the law. He also admonishes those who know the law, and preach the law, and then do that which is against the law. Paul says that those folks should pay more attention to teaching themselves.

Today's call to action that I hear would be to walk the walk. If you know it's wrong, don't do it. If you know it's right, do it. If it will destroy your relationship (with God and others) don't do it. If you walk in love, then others will see that God is love. Yet, if you walk in hate and disdain, who are you showing others God to be?

Romans 1:28-2:11 (NRSV)

Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die-- yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them. Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, "We know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth." Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will repay according to each one's deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

Paul tells us, "in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself." If we are looking at others and judging them on some sort of moral code that we think we understand more than we are looking in the mirror and examining our own lives, we are damned. I truly feel that if we all pay attention to ourselves, if there is deceit or strife in another it will be worked out. We cannot help another see if we have a log in our own eye. (Matt 7:3)

I am struck by the laundry list of sins that Paul is listing - wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, gossip, slander, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. I am wondering what the Romans are really up to, and why Paul is pressing on them. It may be that he is admonishing them for their pagan ways, but it seems that in all of these instances, the offender is putting something (deceit, gossip, etc.) in the way of their relationship with others and God.

Anything that destroys our relationships is a sin and it needs to be taken out of our lives. However, you know best what is destroying your relationships with others. The saving grace is that God loves us through our shortcomings. God's patience and kindness lead us to repentance. God is the final judge and we will all be accountable, not that we let so and so do thus and such, but that we destroyed our relationship with God and others trying to be a judge of some pursuit of some puristic code.

The call I hear today is to be good to one another. Love one another. Help one another navigate the troubles of this life. Don't hurt each other. Strive for relationship and understanding. Struggle with the things that you don't understand. Help untie the knots in communication and help heal the hurting.

Romans 4:13-18 (NRSV)

Tuesday in the 2nd weeks of Lent - Reflections on the Letters during Lent

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")-- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."

"Promise" is what I hear when I read this passage from Paul's Letter to the Romans. To me, promise implies a commitment to action. You will or you will not do something that you told someone else. In bible-speak and theology, there is a lot of talk about covenant which I think is different from a promise. To me, a covenant is a more formal agreement or arrangement that is a relationship with obligations and mutual responsibilities. Where a promise is just an obligation (one-sided), the covenant is a formal, detailed arrangement (two-sided).

In this portion of his letter to the church in Rome, Paul is reminding the people of the original "promises" made to Abraham by God long before there was Torah (or law.). Paul explains that the promise pre-existed and is a promise based on faith in God and God's favor for us, not because of the law or those keeping the law. It seems that Paul is using this line of thinking to assert that Abraham's descendants who have kept the faith in God are the recipients of God's blessings, not those that merely "keep the law." This includes those children of Abraham who now have a new found faith in Jesus as the Christ.

The call to action for me would be to understand that rules are intended to shape and order society. Though mostly intended for good, sometimes rules or laws are not just and display the prejudices of those who make them. I understand that those who were "under the law" thought that they were doing what is righteous before God, but I also think that God is more worried about the relationship than anything else. It all began from a relationship with Abraham. God said, "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you." (Genesis 17:7)

Romans 1:1-15 (NRSV)

Monday of the Second Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God's will I may somehow, at last, succeed in coming to you. For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-- or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish -- hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Mutually encouraged is the phrase that catches my attention... Paul says, "that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Encouragement is what we all need from time to time. The offer of Paul to provide spiritual support to the church in Rome is true apostolic oversight and care for the people he loves.

Paul is called the "untimely apostle" because he had a later encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. He was not among the original 12 followers of Jesus. In his travels, he established church communities and his letters to those communities are some of the best records we have of early church history. In this reading of his introduction to the letter to the church in Rome, you can feel Paul's desire to be with them again, encouraging them in faith, offering them some spiritual support. However, because of other circumstances, he has been prevented from returning to Rome.

We all need encouragement. The call I hear today is to encourage each other. Hold one another in prayer. Support each other's endeavors. Make sacrifices for the success of others. You can really feel it if you are engaged in something that isn't supported. Like Paul, we should burn deep with the desire to be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

1 Corinthians 3:11-23 (NRSV)

The Second Sunday in Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-- all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" I wonder what kind of world this would be if everyone thought that, or even behaved like that. If we truly treated our neighbor and ourselves with the love and respect due to God (or at least tried to), then the world would be a better place, wouldn't it?

Paul is teaching the church in Corinth about building faith on the good foundation, Jesus Christ. A foundation that will survive. A foundation rooted in faith and trust that if anything happens, the foundation is still solid, ready for the rebuild. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the true temple is you and that God's Spirit dwells in you.

Corinth is a transient trade port city with many people from different areas of the Mediterranian engaging in commerce. The people would be exposed to many different religious influences and many different philosophies. All the riff-raff of the Mediterranian world came through Corinth at one time or another. Paul knew the audience he was writing to and he addresses those who think they are wise and those who follow human leaders that are not of Christ.

I think today's call comes from within the reading when Paul says, "do not deceive yourselves." How often do we think that we are better than someone else? Do they not carry the spirit of God? How often have we been deceived by false teachings that cause fear and division? Do we not know that we are God's temple? A place of sacrifice and thanksgiving, a place of connection and forgiveness? We wander around thinking that we are something other than that which belongs to God... than that which contains God...

Hebrews 5:1-10 (NRSV)

Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you" as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Appointed...  You are appointed! Selected to do something that you probably otherwise wouldn't do. You have been given a task to complete, a vocation, a duty that you cannot turn down. I have always liked the old Mission Impossible episodes: "Your mission Jim, should you choose to accept it, ... As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds." (I used to watch the series with my dad) Now, maybe you think my head is far off of this scripture but hang on, I'll get there. 

I love the Parker Palmer quote, "Vocation is something that you can't not do." I believe the talented educator used the double negative on purpose. He used it to show us that one cannot turn down a vocation (our true mission) as impossible as it seems. It's something within us that we must do. It is of a higher calling, a higher purpose... more than just a job, it is your reason for being in this world.

Now, that's a bit deep for some folks to go, but I believe that is what the writer to the Hebrews was trying to get across. The writer was trying to give the people a sense of their calling a purpose as believers in Jesus. He was trying to get them to understand their place in the world and the vocation that they have been given to do. They have a higher calling to connect people to God through their faith in Jesus. That's what some of them were appointed by God to do. 

The call to action that I hear today is, once you've discerned with prayer and struggle, "do what you have been appointed to do." Do it with urgency, sincerity, and faith. Do it, not to glorify yourself, but to bring glory to God in the restoration of the world. Do it, and God will make the mission possible.

Hebrews 4:11-16 (NRSV)

Friday in the First Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters in Lent

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Boldness... but not only boldness; "boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." This word "boldness" stands out like no other to me today. The willingness to take a risk in order to "approach the throne of grace." 

When I think of the context of this reading, I am drawn to the imagery that the writer uses, calling the word of God a two-edged sword, that pierces until it divides soul from spirit. To me, that is the conviction that the love of Jesus gives you. Jesus, God's true and loving Word" loves us so much that it cuts right through to who we are, deep down... down to the innermost depths of our soul. And then, Jesus in our vulnerable bareness, through our confession of self, when we have been stripped of the hardness of the world's outer shell, love us and forgives us. Jesus forgives us, recreates us, and takes us in, reconciling us to God our creator. 

How can Jesus do this? Jesus knows what it is to be human and deal with human life and hardship. We have Jesus who connects humanity to God. He does so in a way that has us lay aside the things that separate us from God, so we can boldly claim God's favor for us as we claim our place in the Kingdom. Are we willing to be that bold?

Hebrews 4:1-10 (NRSV)

Thursday in the First Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters During Lent

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "As in my anger I swore, 'They shall not enter my rest,'" though his works were finished at the foundation of the world. For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as follows, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works." And again in this place it says, "They shall not enter my rest." Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he sets a certain day-- "today"-- saying through David much later, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.

"Rest..." I get the image of lying fallow, sleeping, vegging out, doing absolutely nothing, all focused on restoration, rejuvenation, and gaining strength. 

Today, the writer to the Hebrews continues his diatribe toward those who his says, "shall not enter rest." I feel that he is talking about the folks who don't find comfort and restoration in the love of God in Jesus. But yet, those who have not hardened their hearts and are united by faith and listened to the good news find rest. I can't help but think about those folks who have decided to sever relationships based on disagreement over an issue. To leave and not wrestle with or try to understand makes me feel like the folks have hardened their hearts. These folks cannot find rest... In fact, they become restless as they continue to search for the "perfect community" which in itself is an oxymoron. I'm more of the understanding that the church is a hospital for sinners (of which we are all) than a country club for saints. 

We all need rest. I sense the reading today calling us to a holy rest. As God rested on the seventh day, we are called to seek restoration, and gain strength in order to continue the work God has given us to do. If we pay attention to the word of Jesus, also called the "comfortable words" in our liturgy, "come to me all who travail and are heavy laden and you will find rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Hebrews 3:12-19 (NRSV)

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent - Reflections on the Letters during Lent

"Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."

Partners & Confidence! I understand that partnerships are close relationships working together for a common goal. Having confidence in something means that you trust. It's something that you can rely on. Put these two together (especially in the same sentence) and you've got something... a trusted close relationship at work!

The writer continues the encouragement from yesterday's reflection, explaining that we take caution that we care for one another in a way that encourages faith and belief. There is a sense of urgency implied when the writer days TODAY! Not tomorrow, not the next day, don't wait, do it today. Why? Because we are partners that are entrusted with the message of Good News. So we should listen for God and act! We are reminded of the whining that the Hebrews did in the wilderness. We remember the stories of those who did not trust God and complained. I have always heard it said that it didn't take 40 years to get the Hebrews out of Egypt... it took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Hebrews! :) Until they trusted God, they were unable to enter the promised land.

The call to action for me today is to listen... and then with faith and confidence that my partner, Jesus, has my back, to act boldly on what I hear God calling me to do. Like so much of the Christian life, this isn't for me alone it is for me to invite all others into this faithful living so that they too will gain confidence and faith and learn to trust in God.

Hebrews 3:1-11 (NRSV)

Tuesday in the First Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters during Lent

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also "was faithful in all God's house." Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later. Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.' As in my anger I swore, 'They will not enter my rest.'"

"Builder of a house." As a former builder, hearing this phrase in scripture immediately got my attention. I have always liked being creative, and I felt an extreme sense of accomplishment after the completion of each project. When you are a craftsman, artist, or wood/metal worker, or machinist,  and you pour your whole self into what you are doing, there is a great sense of satisfaction. Ask anyone who has ever built anything, written anything, or created anything.

The writer to the Hebrews calls the recipients "holy partners" and "brothers and sisters." The writer goes on to point out that we should be confident that we are part of God's house in Christ Jesus. The letter also warns of hardening hearts as a response to hearing the voice of God and contrasts this to the Hebrew people who wondered in the wilderness for 40 years after they left Egypt.

We harden our hearts very much like a disobedient child does when they hear the voice a loving parent, knowing that what they have done (or not done) would disappoint the parent. We are fearful of the parent that may be angry and what corrective action the parent may take. If we are members of God's household, then we have responsibilities to the head of the house (God). It's not wrathful anger, but I see it more as loving anger and frustration.

We should remember that Jesus referred to the creator of the universe (creator of ALL things) as "Daddy." This was a loving term of endearment meant to invite us into the understanding that we should relate to God as more of a loving parent that loves us unconditionally. God desires a relationship with us and God wants us to have a relationship with each other. We are brothers and sisters with Christ, invited into the household of God, called into a relationship as God's children, so that we may know God a little closer.

Hebrews 2:11-18 (NRSV)

Monday in the First Week of Lent - Reflections on the Letters during Lent.

"The one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”And again, “I will put my trust in him.”And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."

"Share" - It sounds a bit like a word that one would learn on Sesame Street. You know, "if you are a real friend" you "share" with your neighbor. When growing up, sharing is one of the first things we learn how to do (or not). Sharing helps us learn many things including how to be with others in a way that brings us together. Sharing makes us vulnerable and open to our own shortcomings as well as the shortcomings of others. The way we deal with sharing (or don't) shows the world who we are.

I think the writer of the letter to the Hebrews is trying to explain our relatedness as believers by pointing out that Jesus "shared the same things" with us, therefore we have a share in him and a share with each other as Children of God. Jesus lived and died as "one of us." By sharing in our life, God has become the merciful connector that we have in Jesus, living with restraint and giving everything of himself for creation.

As Jesus shared with us, we are called to share with each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ... heirs of God's everlasting kingdom. What we share is life in Christ. How we share it is by coming together and celebrating Christ with us in the sacrament of his body and blood and then going out and loving one another as he loves us. So, as simple as "Sesame Street" as it sounds sharing is fundamental to who we are as children of God.

1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (NRSV)

First Sunday in Lent - Reflections on the Epistle Letters during Lent

"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

"We proclaim Christ crucified!" Jesus died, and through his death, we are the recipients of God's abundant favor. It is horrible to think that a man had to lose his life so that we might gain life, but if we think about it, that's how it works. I'm not going to go into a bunch of atonement theology in this short reflection, but rather delve into what it means for us to proclaim Christ crucified.

Wouldn't we much rather proclaim Christ risen? Wouldn't it be easier to explain the power of God through the risen Jesus? It probably would, but it wouldn't complete the story. The craziness of the cross makes resurrection that much more relevant. I think the fact is that we proclaim that Jesus endured pain and suffering in order to show the world what real sacrificial love looks like. That's the message. That's the wisdom. We need to remember that Jesus didn't do anything wrong and the powers and prejudices of this world tortured him and hung him on a Roman cross to die because they were afraid of him. Jesus challenged their authority and way of having a relationship with God and it freaked them out. So as foolish as it may be, we proclaim Christ crucified, and glory in the saving power of the cross.

I sense that the call to action from this scripture is to be bold in our proclamation. People that don't understand will scoff us, but that doesn't matter. We know different. We know of a God's love that stretched out arms on a cross to embrace the world. We know of a man named Jesus who died to show the world how to love completely.

Titus 3:1-15 (NRSV)

Saturday after Ash Wednesday - Reflections on the Epistle Letters during Lent

"Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned. When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing. And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you."

The first thing that jumps out at me is the phrase "have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions." I am distraught by those who want to break apart the body of Christ. I am heartbroken over folks who say, "I have no need of you because you... don't think like I do... or worship like I do... or read scripture like I do." Those that are causing divisions or schisms in the community over things that none of us understand. 

The letter of Paul to Titus seems like a lot of behavioral instructions, almost seeming to say, "make sure you walk the walk" not just "talk the talk." If we are worried about how we are walking the walk then the stupid controversies and quarrels about the law are no longer a reason for schism. If we are worried about devoting ourselves to good works (in response to the grace and salvation that we have received in Jesus through water and rebirth) then there is no time for condemning each other. We are in a relationship with each other because we occupying the same planet, so I'm not sure the phrase means literally have nothing to do with them, but rather do not let them affect your faith. 

In this passage, I feel that we are called to unity in Christ Jesus. To be the hands and feet of the body of Christ... I feel that we are called to the action of being ambassadors for Christ in the way we live our lives... the way that we walk the walk.

Titus 2:1-15 (NRSV)

Friday after Ash Wednesday - Reflections on the Letters during Lent

"But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us. Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you."

For me, just picking one word for today is difficult. So, if I have to choose, it would be "reprove!" Yes, reprove... according to Webster, "to correct or scold usually gently or with kind intent." I'm not sure why that word stuck out. It may have been how I read it, or it may have been the other twitchy feelings I got when I read the whole passage together.

I think that Paul is trying to teach Titus how to speak the truth in love, but he's using examples that are characteristic of time, place, and culture. For me, wives and slaves being "submissive" isn't an example that work's in our time and place. In fact, I think it was these passages in scripture that were used to justify slavery and against women's suffrage. Slavery was wrong! People are not property! Women are equal and they are not property either. I think, for the sake of compromise and maintaining good relationships, we must submit to one other at times, but this reading far from justifies people as property. It's sad that scripture was ever used that way.  

Now, some of Paul's examples work for us today: integrity, sound speech, fidelity, zealous for good deeds, sound in faith, in love and endurance, temperate... all good things to aspire to. Speaking the truth or reproving is something that none of us are very good with... we do not like to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for their behavior, for fear that it will cause a rift. That somehow, a gentle correction with kindly intent is going to ruin our relationship. The truth is hard to bare sometimes. We get upset when we are told the truth. It's definitely something everyone needs to work on. 

The call to action for me today can be found within the reading. We should live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly! Also, in with love and friendship, gently reprove one another - with the emphasis on gently. It's ok to hold each other accountable.

Titus 1:1-16 (NRSV)

Thursday after Ash Wednesday - Reflections on the Letters during Lent.

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began — in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour, To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it. There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said, ‘Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.’ That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work."

The first word that catches my attention is the word trust. I feel that the whole first portion of the letter is about trustworthiness and trust building. Paul is trying to tell Titus who he can trust, who is trustworthy and who might not be able to be trusted.

Trust, who you trust, lack of trust, and broken trust are big issues in our Churches and Christian communities. Trust built up over years can be lost in a matter of seconds, sometimes over a simple misunderstanding. When trust is broken, it can take years to rebuild. It almost seems to me that Paul knows this. It seems that Paul is urging Titus to take his time and select the correct leader that will guide and direct people to the truth. 

We are right to spend enough time in discernment about who the proper candidate to lead our churches should be. We may like the person, they may have the proper training and credentials, they have even displayed the right skill set. But the question sometimes is, "can we trust them?" The call to action for me to be is to make sure we select people that we can trust. I would hope and pray that we are able to select trustworthy leaders. 

Hebrews 12:1-14 (NRSV)

Hebrews 12:1-14 (NRSV) - Reflections on the Letters during Lent.
Ash Wednesday - March 6, 2019

"Therefore, 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, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children —“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.” Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

I've got to admit... The one thing that jumps out to me in the passage is "RUN." Not only run but run with perseverance the race that is set before us. It's like telling us to "power through" the chances and challenges of our life. There is only one issue. I don't like to run. I did run pretty regularly in one period in my life, but I don't enjoy it. I have many friends and colleagues that love to run. It's just never been one of my passions. That may be the issue, but I think it has bearing on the reflection and why "RUN" screamed in my head when I read the passage.

To me, this section of the letter to the Hebrews almost seems like a locker-room pep talk, either before a track meet or the big game. We are told to be disciplined and endure trials, to train for the ultimate test of our agility and strength. Train so that we may RUN with endurance and RUN with perseverance. I may not like to run, but I do know how to train. It seems that the writer of this letter wants us to train like we would for a long race. A long race that will take its toll on our weary spirits.

On this Ash Wednesday, this first day of lent, we get to settle into a 40 day training period. Training both for our physical and our spiritual health. Training to meet the obstacles in the life that laid before us. Training so that we can enjoy fully the rewards that are prepared for us.

Part of that training may be to go on a diet of sorts. We may abstain from things of this world that are frivolous or extravagant, to help us focus on those things of God that nurture our relationship with God and each other. Also, in training, we need to take on healthy behaviors. Maybe behaviors like prayer and study, helping in the soup kitchen or food bank, or maybe just checking in on someone who is confined. 

I appreciate the traditions of the Episcopal Church and the prayers of the Daily Office (Lauds, Matins, Vespers, and Compline) that have been preserved in our Book of Common Prayer for daily use. I have known folks to call the practice of a regimen of praying the daily office "calisthenics for Christians." The sort of training that helps shape our faith which in turn informs our belief and provides us with a strong faith to help us through the troubles of our life.

For me, running has always been difficult. However, I pray that I maintain the discipline needed in order to keep the faith in me strong and bubbling over.