Sunday, February 28, 2010

Healing?


Healing?
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

At the end of this first full week of Lent, we return to the gospel text for this Sunday with Jesus making his way to Jerusalem and mourning over the unwillingness of that city to embrace him (Luke 13:31-35). Herod is out to kill him. He knows he is walking to his death. I would be discouraged, frustrated, stomping my way to that city of a hill. At the least I would be finding a way to protect myself along the way. Jesus, of course, will have none of that. In the face of such opposition, Jesus turns to embrace the people. He brings the presence of the kingdom through driving out demons and healing. In the face of enemies, Jesus brings the gospel. What a concept! To love your enemies. I have to admit that I appreciate the fact that for Jesus healing is an act of defiance. There is power in bringing the gospel and making the kingdom real among the people. During Lent, I hope I will learn to do the same. In the face of enemies and challenges, I will endeavor to stand strong, not hiding or retaliating, but bringing the gospel.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Follow the Pattern


Follow the Pattern
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

This Christmas my Mom made me a beautiful quilt. I don't know how she does it. It takes so much time to choose the fabric, cut out all the pieces, sew them back together, and then quilt the whole thing. All the while, she follows a pattern that tells her where all the pieces should go in order to pull together a coherent design.
The Philippians text for this week reminds us that we should take note of those who live according the pattern Paul gave them (Phil 3.17). Like Paul, we are to strive for maturity in our faith, to realize that we have not yet reached perfection, and to press on towards the goal.
We are to model ourselves after those who have gone before us, those who have sustained faith over the long haul and through the difficult times.
Where do you see the patterns of Christ in the world around you? What might God reveal to you of these patterns during this Lenten season?

Friday, February 26, 2010

Look Up to the Stars


Look Up to the Stars
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

So, the picture may be a bit of a stretch... but I'll try to make the connection. I've been thinking about the Old Testament text for the week, Genesis 15, since I first read it on Monday. God promises to make Abraham into a great nation, but Abraham wonders how this can happen since he has no children of his own. God tells him not to worry. Look up to the heavens. You'll have descendants like the stars in the sky. Honestly, Abraham makes me a bit angry in this passage. So he doesn't have children by blood. But there is adoption. There is a child with a servant. I realize it was a different time and place, but still. It is a painful reminder for those of us who can't or don't have children
While God's answer in this passage focuses on granting Abraham a son with his wife, Sarah, I am grateful that in Christ the answer moves far beyond that initial promise. In Christ, we are all children of Abraham and heirs to God's promises. Ironically, often our churches carry Abraham's same concern and focus. We think of family only as those who are related by blood or marriage. May we at Lent remember that we are all a part of the family of faith by adoption.

A House


A House
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

I can't believe I forgot to post last night. I took several pictures throughout the day. Knew what I was going to write about. But when I got home from teaching I simply forgot. I am so sorry. I have learned, however, that when I am in the middle of a discipline, the best thing to do when I have messed up is to just keep going. Don't dwell on the mistake. The point is to develop a habit. So, here is yesterday's post.

The Psalmist this week cries out, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." (Ps. 27.4). The temple is a place of beauty, safety, and justice. I have always loved this imagery and the idea of being a simple doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. To be honest, for me the image held the possibility of escape from the troubles and responsibilities of this world. Yesterday, however, I was led to reflect on the fact that we are now the houses of the Lord. Our bodies are God's temple and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. It is in our bodies that we are to find beauty (the image of God?), safety (a healthy self-image?), and justice (freedom in Christ?). For God has made a home there. Rather than fleeing ourselves, we are to embrace God's presence within us. The disciplines of Lent are not about escaping our bodies, but about freeing them from the unhealthy sinful practices that ensnare us body, mind, and soul, so that we can live into the full freedom that comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

(On a side note, many of my thoughts on this journey are coming from Jurgen Moltmann's The Spirit of Life, the text for the theology course I am currently teaching.)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Citizenship


Citizenship
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

In Philippians 3.19-20, Paul contrasts those whose minds are on earthly things with those whose citizenship is in heaven. It seems that Paul is telling us that as Christians we are to look up to heaven and away from this earth. We are to live in the spiritual realm rather than in the reality of this world. And yet vs. 21 promises not that we will be released from this world and these bodies, but that these bodies of ours will be transformed, made like God's glorious body. Citizenship in heaven is not an escape from this world, but rather a transforming of this world into God's likeness. Lent can be a time when we try to flee this world. We deny ourselves. We withdraw into a season of inward repentance and reflection. While these are important aspects of Lent. They are not meant to be an escape. Rather they are meant to free us so that we can live our heavenly citizenship in this world. We are to bring the kingdom into the here and now. How can we live more fully as citizens of heaven during this Lenten season?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Chickens


Chickens
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings!" Jesus' lament in Luke 13.34 resembles a mother crying out over her rebellious children. God as our mother reaching out in love and care, yet facing rejection and eventual death at the very hands of the one's she is gathering under her wings. The redemption offered to human beings by Christ is both the bearing of our sins and walking alongside us in our suffering. Though Christ seems to become more and more isolated on his journey to Jerusalem, in reality he is drawing ever closer to us. Solidarity with the suffering, but also a fierce clinging to the perpetrators. A willingness to remain in relationship and offer redemption to those who chose to turn their lives back towards God. A willingness to remain in relationship despite the depth of pain and sorrow it causes. Are we willing to do the same? To cling to those who hurt us in love? To return to those we have hurt and seek forgiveness? Not in weakness, but in a strength that holds on to our own integrity, in a truth that names the reality.

Monday, February 22, 2010

A Light in the Darkness


A Light in the Darkness
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

Standing in a dark room before a mirror, I aim the camera and shoot. Light flashes. For a moment the room is illuminated. You have no idea what will appear in the picture at the moment you take the shot. Yet the brief instance of life reveals a way forward.
The psalm for this week begins, "The Lord is might light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?" (Ps. 27.1) The Old Testament passage tells the story of Abraham. God has just made a mighty promise, yet Abraham is still in the dark. He cannot see a way forward. He cannot fathom how God might fulfill this promise. And so, in a vision, God goes before him as a burning pot and a flaming torch... a light in the darkness. Hope in the midst of despair.
At the beginning of Lent, we stand with Christ at the beginning of a dark journey. We know that redemption is at hand, but there seems to be no way forward. At least no way that avoids the deep darkness of the cross. There are flashes of light. Miraculous healings. Exorcisms. The Transfiguration. Moments when the light of heaven flashes into this world and points a way forward. There are promises of the past, such as the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham, which leave a lingering light which point the way.
As we begin Lent, however, we must allow ourselves to enter the darkness. Though we live in the light of the resurrection, we must let ourselves walk through the night of Christ's suffering.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Foundation Stones


Foundation Stones
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

Along the top of an old stone bridge crossing a stream down a winding road in Pennsylvania is a cornerstone carved with the names of important people who helped lay the foundation.
What if the owner of the bridge suddenly added new stones? Building on top of what already existed? How might we feel about these new stones? Would we consider them a part of the bridge?
Perhaps this is a bit of a stretch illustration wise, but I see a connection to today's text from Romans 10:12-13 where Paul reminds us that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. There will be no difference between Jews and Gentiles. The "same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on the Lord." Old and new will come together through faith in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul's words challenge us to broaden our understanding of who belongs to the body of Christ. It is not just those who are new and vibrant. It is not just those who follow the ancient traditions. Rather, all who believe in the Lord are saved. During the Lenten journey, we can become protective of our faith. We recognize the depth of the struggle. We recognize the overwhelming sacrifice. And yet Christ himself; Christ who faced persecution, rejection and death; Christ who had every right to close the gate behind him, to limit salvation to only the most faithful; Christ throws his arms wide open to offer salvation to all who call upon his name. And we must have the faith and courage to do the same.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Stumbling to Jerusalem


Foot Against the Stone
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

Psalm 91 promises that the angels will attend to those who trust in God. You "will not strike your foot against a stone." The Lord is our refuge. We can rest in the shadow of the almighty. For any of us who have suffered or come to harm, what do these promises mean?
Satan throws this verse in Jesus' face. "Jump off this mountain top. The angels will attend to you." Jesus does not deny God's promise, but refuses to test God. And continues to walk forward towards Jerusalem and the cross. A place where the angels seem utterly absent.
In Lent, we are not reminded of God's protection. Not in the traditional sense. Rather, we are reminded that God walks with us in our suffering. Jesus stumbles and falls on the way to the cross. And Lent calls us to stumble along with him. The Christian journey is not always easy. As we mature in our faith, our lives grow in direct contradiction to the sinful structures of this world. We, too, march towards Jerusalem.

Friday, February 19, 2010

God is Our Refuge


God is Our Refuge
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

It is only the third day of Lent and already I must decide what this discipline means to me. Up early, traveling across country. A day with friends. Up late, prepping for class next week. Does it matter if I stay faithful? Does it really matter if I post a picture each day? It seems in this journey of life there are various stages when we are most vulnerable to temptation. And the beginnings are often the most difficult. Jesus himself, when called to ministry, immediately is sent into the wilderness to face temptation. Satan doesn't tempt him with lies. He tempts him with the truth, the very words of Scripture. "Jump off this cliff. God promises to rescue you!" I could come up with a dozen scripture verses that would justify stopping these devotions right now, but I choose, at least this night, to go on. We are vulnerable whenever we begin a new discipline, because it has not yet become a habit. It has not become ingrained in our body and mind. It requires daily compulsion. A daily act of the will. And that is part of the purpose of Lent. To develop spiritual practices that will become ingrained in our being. To move our faith from our mind deep into
our heart, written there by the Spirit.

The picture above resembles a cross, but in reality it is the mast of a ship. Perhaps developing spiritual practices allows us to put down our oars and hoist a sail... a sail that allows the breath of the Holy Spirit to propel us effortless across the sea.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

First Fruits


First Fruits
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

My first fruits these days seem pretty meager. Paychecks are few and far between. I am exhausted running from one job to another. My spiritual life is struggling and my attitude is often pretty lousy. What does it mean to bring an offering to God not out of abundance, but out of lack? Will God accept what little I have?
The practice of giving our first fruits to God (Deut. 26:1-11) began when God brought Israel up out of the Egypt into the land flowing with milk and honey. But what happens when you are still in the wilderness? Grumbling along with all the others about having to eat manna for dinner again?
I think, in the midst of wilderness wanderings, perhaps we are still called to offer our first fruits, even if they are quite sparse. It is not that God needs what we have to offer, but that in giving we let go for a moment of our fear and need. For one second, we forget about ourselves and remember that we are not alone. God is with us.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Cleanse Me From My Sin


Cleanse Me From My Sin
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

Theme of dirty and clean pervades the scriptures this day and the Ash Wednesday celebrations. We wear ashes as a reminder of our own mortality and sinfulness. We cry out to be cleansed from our sin (Ps. 51). And we are reminded to wash our face when fasting so as not to parade our piety in front of others (Matt 6.16ff), reminding us that we are not as clean as we think!
Deep down, however, the texts remind us that we are created in the image of God. At our core, we are meant to be clean and free of dirt and sin. We are good. Our bodies are good. They don't need to be punished during Lent. They need to be cleansed. May we have the courage to present our bodies to be washed whiter than snow throughout this Lenten season.