trees

The Moravian Daily Text New Testament reading assigned for today is Matthew 27. It is the distressing account of Judas' suicide. As Lent is long into the season now we might find this a dark time. We dwell on our sinfulness, the desperate condition of a fallen world and all of its brokenness and perhaps we lose heart. Judas made a heartbreaking decision. He chose the wrong tree. There was forgiveness ready for him at the tree on which his Saviour was crucified and yet he chose to hang on the tree of his own guilt and condemnation. Either tree would do.

On which tree do I hang my failures, my sins, my desperation? Am I still visiting trees to hang what has already been judged, condemned and sentenced on the tree upon which my Saviour died and I with Him? "When I survey the wondrous cross."

"do you believe this?"

Lazarus' tomb in Bethany

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

So Jesus asked Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died. They answered yes, but their eyes probably  betrayed a distressed question like "what good is that now?" As our Lenten meditation this day let's allow Jesus to ask us the same question "Do you believe this?" But let's do the hard work ourselves of asking and answering the question "what good is that now?" Because it is really good now! As Lent has brought us to sadness and hopelessness, so it leads us to the cross and empty grave where Jesus declares "I am the resurrection and the life!" That changes everything - now and forever. Does it?

waiting

The two Christian seasons of Advent and Lent are marked by a sense of waiting. And today as we look out upon a grey, rainy day, in which the water is running and pooling and maybe washing away the last of this long winter's snow we are waiting for summer! We are longing for warmth. And in Lent we are waiting for Easter. We are longing for life. But waiting is good for us. "We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield." (Psalm 33.20) In 2014 we don't wait well. We are going too fast, we feel that it's urgent, we can't put it off (whatever it is.) But when we simply can't move our circumstances any faster, when we are stuck, when we are helpless and finally succumb to the waiting, there can come a strange and holy quiet. This is a better thing than reluctant resignation, although that may have to be the starting point. It is an opportunity to reflect, to be grateful, to describe the hope of our waiting to our soul. And to rest there.

works of charity

Peter Brueghel, the Younger (1564-1638), Works of Charity.

Lent reminds us of our frailty. Lent reminds us of one anothers' frailty. And we join together in our weakness to hope together towards the strong Kingdom of God in which our frailty is but a distant memory. I love the idea of C.S. Lewis of the heaviness of our future existence. We will be vividly strong and present to one another. But for now we need to bear one another up and supply whatever strength we possess to one another. Acts of charity are characteristic of Lent. Notice one another. Care for one another. Practice random acts of kindness towards one another that we may celebrate the Kingdom's heaviness in advance. What might I do? For whom might I care? Who is in my circumstances, frail? Ideas?

Mahima

Lent is the calendar season during which we look for the arrival of God's future in our present. It is the time of longing for His Kingdom to come. In our world there are "thin places," places where heaven touches earth and the Kingdom arrives in splendour. Among these are the Mahima After Care homes in Kolkata, India. Smita Singh leads  a  powerful ministry there to the rescued human trafficked young women from the brothels of that teeming city. Restoring these beautiful children psychologically, spiritually, physically and socially along with assisting them in seeking justice against their perpetrators Smita dramatically answers the question that we as a church seek to persist in: "What would it look like if God's future arrived in these girls' present?" She can simply say "like this!" Smita will once again visit us at Southside this coming Sunday to bring us news of her girls and her co-workers. 

song for Lent

He has formed me from the dust and to dust I shall return… but then! Does anyone remember the 2nd Chapter of Acts? Paste this address into your browser above and enjoy!

http://grooveshark.com/#!/search/song?q=2nd+Chapter+of+Acts+He+Has+Formed+Me

trust

Well, twice in the wilderness journeys of Israel the company arrived at a place called Rephidim. It was then nicknamed Massah and Meribah (quarrelling and testing.) Why? This was a desert sort of piece of geography and the Israelites complained against both Moses and God, saying they would rather have died in Egypt than here in the desert. Almost 40 years later they circle back to the same place to have the same experience! Psalm 95 is an interpretation of these events where we hear God saying that the Israelites tested Him even though they had seen what He had done for them. And so He declared that they would never enter the Promised Land. Seems severe, doesn't it? I was wondering why this was God's reaction to them. Then in a conversation with some friends when one said that the fundamental human problem is that we don't trust God a light went on in my head and heart and I think I got it! This is why God was angry with them. They had seen His power and provision and they still did not trust Him. I have to ask myself if I truly and consistently trust Him -in every area, with every aspect of my life. And I have to know that this really, really matters to my Christian formation. Has God ever been other than good as far as my life is concerned? And so am I trusting him implicitly? The image I have is that we are little children holding on to God hand in hand knowing that  can trust Him completely! He has always been, will always be trustworthy and He expects us to know this and act on it.  

water from a rock

In Exodus 17 and Numbers 20 we have two accounts of water drawn from a rock. Both are miraculous, and both reflect God's care for His people in their need. But after the fact there was a sort of closed door meeting with the players. Apparently Moses was furious. Apparently God was furious. Why? Both were furious with the people. Both understood that the people were taxing their patience and were doubters in their faith even in the face of recent miraculous intervention. But it also turned out that God was angry with Moses and forbade entry to the promised land because Moses and Aaron didn't treat Him as holy in the second occasion of striking the rock. Does God still feel that way towards His people and His leaders? Yikes! Let's talk tomorrow at Southside..

seeing with my heart

More from The Little Prince. What am I seeing today with my heart rather than with my eye? What am I trying to see with my eye that I ought rather to see with my heart? What is the difference? Who am I looking at with my eye whom I should rather look at with my heart? Riddles that childlike living might solve in a moment!

The Little Prince

In his wonderful classic The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exubery grown ups are spoken of rather disparagingly. The narrator early in the story describes pictures he has drawn - number one and number two. They are of a boa constrictor which has swallowed an elephant. But the appearance of the first is like that of a hat. When the six year old asks grown ups if they find the picture scary they ask "what's scary about a hat?" So he must draw the second picture depicting the actual elephant inside the snake. His conclusion? "Grown ups never understand anything on their own, and it's a nuisance for children to have to keep explaining things over and over again."

Jesus lauds the wisdom and comprehension of children. In this Lent season a good practice might well be to try to see the world through the eyes of a child. To be returned to simplicity, to wonder, to belief, to acceptance. Once again we will have to slow our days down to a child's pace! Take time to plod, to stop, to retrace your steps, to look. And al the better if you can spend time with a real child to teach your real inner child the simple complexities of life.

self portrait

This piece of art (Giovanni Boccaccio: 1313-1375) is interestingly entitled Marcia painting her self-portrait. 
The season of Lent is a good time to examine ourselves as we experience the tensions of being human, being mortal, but awaiting the effect of the resurrection of Easter to make us beings in-dwelt by eternity. In this in-between we must humbly reckon with what we are in order that we might hope to become what we will be. We must look honestly at ourselves to long all the more for what we shall be and to invite the "shall be" into the present. So the idea of this painting is fascinating to me. What would my self-portrait look like? How would I depict myself? Sometime ago I came across the idea of the FAE, the fundamental attribution error. This the propensity to excuse in myself what I condemn in others. Someone trips on the sidewalk and I consider them clumsy, I trip on the sidewalk and I mutter about the poor workmanship of those who built it with such unevenness that would cause a trip hazard! Or morally I excuse as understandable, as just a little slip up, that which I judge in others to be a pretty major moral failure. My Lenten self portrait should be accurate. So for some that means challenging the FAE. For some it means looking with new eyes at the "shall be" that is wondrously forming in light of Easter For some it means seeing the beauty and value of the one who is depicted but hadn't yet been admired and now notices behind her shoulder a Father who calls her beautiful.

St. Patrick

In preparation for the most important saints' day of the year - here again is the Lorica (otherwise known as the breastplate) of St. Patrick. Seriously - pray it daily through the weekend and during St. Patrick's Day!

Lorica of Saint Patrick (ca. 377)

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,

Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,

Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,

Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In service of archangels,

In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In the prayers of patriarchs,

In preachings of the apostles,

In faiths of confessors,

In innocence of virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look before me,

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me,

God’s hosts to save me

From snares of the devil,

From temptations of vices,

From every one who desires me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,

Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through a confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation

Creation Groans

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but we also ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, even the redemption of the body. (Romans 8.22-23)

What a poignant term this is "groans." This personification of creation is such a lovely image of the camaraderie of the wait. Our fourth little grandchild was born on Sunday and while our daughter was in labour with her husband by her side and AnnaBeth with them in that holy place of a new person, a new image bearer entering the world; with the wonder of texting our whole family was weighing in with "it will be over soon" messages. And it was! The pain and groaning gave way to joyful weeping and gratitude.

Today we will travel alongside people who are groaning. We will walk through the groaning forest together. We will hear the aching groans of the trees and the earth beneath us. And as Lent walkers let's notice and encourage one another that "it will be over soon." Over now because of the present Kingdom. Over later because of the coming Kingdom. Over, because of Easter.

brooding

As we allow the Spirit of God to "brood" over our lives in the solemnity of Lent; as He shows us our frailty and excess; as He burns away the dross and cuts away the decay of our lives we find that He then begins His best work. The Creation account of Genesis 1 portrays a unformed or preformed mass of material and the Spirit hovering above ready to call into order that which was not. Then we have the wondrous drama of the emerging of all that is. And we hear that God saw that it was "good." So as we eagerly watch for signs of Spring may we also watch for signs of the Spirit in our lives. Let's look for the fresh new leaves which are the evidence that Lent has worked in us and for us as preparation for the Holy Spirit. As we slowly walk around in our skin let's stop to notice where that growth is occurring and water it with the Word of God while we commune with the Spirit of God asking the good questions "what is God saying to me here?" and "what am I doing about it?"

40

Why 40 days for Lent? 40 is a familiar number in the Scriptures. Moses was up on the mountain with no food or drink for 40 days and nights; the flood was of 40 days duration; the children of Israel were 40 years in the wilderness; Jesus' fast was 40 days and 40 nights. It seems to be a sacred span of time. A generation of human life in the Scriptures seems to be 40 years. Perhaps that is the meaning. Lent does indeed remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return and so the human life is a brief stay. How shall we seize the opportunity of this season to alert one another of the importance of using this brief sojourn to prepare for that which is across the Jordan, so to speak? What about some intentional conversations about mortality? How might we initiate some coffee shop sorts of dialogues along the lines of "have you given something up for Lent?"   

wilderness

The Temptation in the Wilderness
Briton Riviere (1840-1920)

The Hebrews writer reflects on Jesus' humanity: "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2.17-18)

Yesterday at Southside we reflected on our humanness as fallen beings and our vulnerability to the areas of temptation first identified in the Garden of Eden and the mysterious "tree." Eve saw that the tree was "good for food"; that it was a "delight to the eyes"; and that the tree was "desirable to make one wise." The same three attractions -lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life are describe by the apostle John (1 John 2.16.) Richard Foster may have been the first to use the common language of "sex, money and power." Jesus resisted Satan in the wilderness in these three arenas. He was tested as to the appetite of the flesh, as to the possessions of the world and as to the raw power of mastering the whole world. This is the high priest who comes to our aid when we have the onslaught of temptation. In which area am I most at risk? In this Lent season how do I call on the aid of the One who was tested every way that I am, yet "without sin"?  

forbidden fruit

So what exactly happened in the Garden of Eden story of our fall from favour? In short we became, as my mother often said, "too big for our boots." We were created to live in fellowship with God, to know Him, to love Him, and to do His good pleasure. But there was a test. There was a tree. There was fruit. "Eat from any tree.. except.." Eve reportedly saw that the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes and desirable to make one wise, so she took some fruit and ate and  shared it with Adam. Later the Scriptures sum up our mortal sinfulness as succumbing to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life (a theology of what Eve saw.) As we travel this Lenten journey perhaps we need to assess which of the three is our current vulnerability. Are we tempted by sensual pleasure; by the advertising world's latest 'make us happy' product; by pride in the power and prestige that could be ours to put our name in the annals of historical accomplishment? The Lenten correction for these is the set of traditional disciplines of the church: chastity, poverty and obedience. Or a modern version of these: purity, accountability and simplicity.

the Good Samaritan

Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)

The Good Samaritan

In the parable of the Good Samaritan two aspects of our fallen human condition appear, the propensity to do evil and the frailty of the human body. Having been robbed and beaten the traveller lies bloodied by the side of the path. Ironically it is not the religious fellow travellers who give him assistance but one with whom he might normally have no "dealings" - a Samaritan.

During Lent as we explore "our dust to dust" sojourns it would be important for us to work against these two aspects by setting a guard on our inclinations to sin, especially against one another; and to lend aid to those we pass by who have been robbed and beaten on life's journey. This will necessitate a certain slowing of pace and vigilance of attentiveness to those whose wounds may only be visible to the unhurried fellow traveller.

worms

"And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risen, for now is Christ risen from the dead -the first fruits of them that sleep." This is the bold passage from Handel's Messiah that celebrates the assertion "I know that my Redeemer liveth!" The worms part is a rather

loose translation of the Hebrew in Job 19.26 where "worms" are not in the original but supplied in the oldest English texts. The verse, however, is a frank acknowledgement of the mortality of human flesh. Some Christians are concerned over the practice of cremation (I am not) but whether by the corruption of the body in the ground (worms or not!) or the consumption of the body by fire this body will be reduced "ashes to ashes and dust to dust" BUT with the "sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead." How many times I have recited these words at a grave, and how much present and powerful hope they bring. Our future is a physical, fleshly, material existence as proven by the physical resurrection of Christ. So Lent brings us to the grave, but only for a while.

human being being human

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

human being being human

Our Lenten teaching series is entitled "human being being human" as we centre our thoughts this season on the nature of human existence, living in the physical bodies which we understand are from dust and will return to dust. What is the nature of human life in these vessels of clay and how do we relate our day to day material lives with the spiritual realities of God and the future transformation of these bodies?

Ash Wednesday. "You are dust and to dust you shall return" was the declaration the first Adam heard after the great Fall. On Ash Wednesday we begin the journey of Lent, a season of humility and repentance. We remember indeed that we are dust and acknowledge that to dust we are bound to return. We meditate on the meanness of dust, its lowliness and lack of beauty. And know that we are such. The practice of marking the forehead with ashes, smudged in the form of a cross, begun in the seventh century, in the Catholic, Anglican and many other Protestant churches reminds us of our mortality, making the hope of Easter and resurrection all the more critical. In earlier days the imposition of ashes was part of an ecclesiastical penitential ritual for people who had been expelled from the church for serious sin -whereby they could make a public sign of their repentance. They then undertook acts of penance throughout Lent and were formally restored to the church community at Easter.

What will be your path through Lent? A sober remembering that we are mortal? A grieving period concerning the weakness of "human flesh"? A season of repentance over sinful ways? A season of penance? A season of simplicity and reformed spiritual disciplines? Let's walk and talk together on this Coracle Journey.