Sabbath scofflaws

Why do we need Sabbath?  In my first sermon on Sabbath (Feb 21) I mentioned 5 of the Transforming Center's 15 signs of a tired soul: irritability,  feeling pressured for time, emotional numbness, shortchanging important relationships, and isolation.  If we have these signs, then we probably have tired souls.  

Now let me turn that around.  Instead of asking why we need Sabbath, let me ask: Why do we have tired souls?  The answer: Because we don't keep Sabbath.

A lot of us have been "9 commandment Christians" for a long time.  Jesus said to the Pharisees that "the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath".  The Pharisees needed the second part of Jesus’ rebuke because they were making Sabbath-keeping burdensome for people who really wanted to follow God’s laws.  We evangelicals need the first part of Jesus’ rebuke, "The Sabbath was made for man”: Sabbath was given for our flourishing.  Really.  Yet this is the one commandment out of ten that we are most likely to disregard.  It's no wonder that there are so many worn-out, irritable, emotionally numb, isolated evangelicals.  We are constantly violating the Sabbath.  

Evangelicals tend to be workaholics.  We justify our existence through work and if we don’t feel a sense of worth, we work more and harder.  Another way of saying this is that we believe we are saved by work.  In a recent book, "The Radical Pursuit of Rest", John Koessler starts by breaking the connection between rest and work: we shouldn’t rest so that we can work, or work so that we can reward ourselves with rest.  His radical (but biblical) idea is that rest is an end in itself.  We are designed to enter into rest (Heb 4:3).

Jesus tells us that if we are truly resting our work will be easy: “my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.  For people who are addicted to work and exhaustion as a way of finding worth, that makes no sense.  "Work is supposed to make me tired!  It’s not work if it doesn’t make me tired."  Jesus doesn’t say that he will get rid of work.  Work is a gift from God, given before the Fall.  The Message puts it this way: “Walk with me and work with me...you’ll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matt 11:28-30).  

Jesus calls me not to work so that I will flourish, but to rest so that I will flourish.  How will I respond?

Is Jesus a tollbooth?

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

 Most people today (including evangelical Christians) would interpret this verse as saying that Jesus is the gateway to God.  It's as if Jesus is sitting in some sort of tollbooth that everyone must get past in order to get into "heaven".  

But Jesus is saying that he is much more than that and that the destination is much more than some place we might call "heaven".  The destination is a Person, the Father.  So Jesus is describing a relationship.  The "way" has something to do with how we should act, our lifestyle or ethical standards.  But we do these things because it's how we get to know our Father.  In a relationship, we try to do things that put us in a better position to know the other person, like re-arranging our calendar to spend time together.  The behaviors themselves have importance only as a way to get to know the other.

The "truth" means that Jesus knows us inside and out.  It also has to do with Jesus' reliability, that he is "true".  And it has to do with our being completely transparent with Jesus, just as he is with us.  In a relationship, being open and honest is the way to deepening the relationship.  We don't want to just know facts about the other person, we want to know her/him intimately.  

The "life" means that knowing Jesus motivates me, he moves me.  He is such a good and beautiful person that I will do whatever it takes to know him more because it is such an enriching and enjoyable experience.  When I engage in a favorite hobby, I become more intense, more energized.  When I talk about that thing I become more animated.  How much more so when I am with a person that I love or when I am talking about someone I find to be good and beautiful.  And having a relationship with Jesus and thus with the Father is even more so because he already loves me more than I could imagine (Rom 5:8).

I John 2:12-14 offers us 3 stages of spiritual maturity.  Children are concerned with what they "ought to do".  Young adults are cognitively developed enough to be able to understand truth.  Elders are those who know God deeply and have a depth of life that is beyond simply being moral or knowledgeable.  The physical powers of an elder may be waning but if s/he has connected with the source of all life, s/he will have a sparkle in their eyes and a zest for life that will find its fullest expression when they are living unfettered in the age to come, the Kingdom of God that will someday break through and transform this currently corrupted world. 

God and your calendar

Is God in your calendar?

Think back on a typical day: when did you set aside time for God?  Does he show up if you were to search your calendar?  Of course, we don’t normally enter daily routine items, like waking up, brushing our teeth, etc.  But until our time with God becomes as routine as brushing our teeth, maybe we do need to enter it so that our computer or smartphone or smartwatch can remind us to spend time with him.  

Many Christian groups through the years have ordered their day with times of prayer.  Matins or Lauds is the prayer time that starts the day.  Vespers closes the day.  These are some of the divine “offices”, which comes from the Latin word opus or “work”.  These times of prayer would help people to take time in their day to pay attention to God.  They are just as important as the work of farming or engineering because they help us see the meaning of what we are doing.  They help us become aware of how we fit into God’s purposes in the world. 

These times of prayer aren't supposed to be a spiritual checklist of tasks to be accomplished to get on God’s good side: “Morning prayer, check.  Evening prayer, check."  We are saved by grace, “not by works so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9).  But they help us to grow as children of God, first by reminding us that we are God’s children, and then by creating space for us to be with our Father.  They help us live into the truth of our relationship with God.

So this coming year, put God in your calendar.  Believe me, he won't stand you up.

Love all

Before Thanksgiving a group of department stores ran an ad saying that, "the four-letter word that defines the season is L-O-V-E and not S-A-L-E".  They slipped in a message that they have everyday low prices, but I appreciate the fact that they purposely closed their stores on Thanksgiving Day instead of following the recent trend to start "Black Friday" sales on Thursday.

The Advent Conspiracy theme for the final Sunday of Advent is "love all".  Of course we love our families.  But instead of buying expensive gifts to prove our love, we are being challenged to show our love to those who are in need throughout the world.  I may not consider myself to be wealthy, but being a part of the middle class in the US means I have much more in material possessions than I need.  According to the Wall Street Journal online (Oct 13, 2015), one of the fastest growing industries in the US is self-storage: Americans have too much stuff.  I may think of myself as one of “the 99 percent” but If I have 2 cars, I am part of the "1 percent" relative to the rest of the world (93 percent of the world doesn’t own a car).

So it makes sense for Christians in the US to help alleviate poverty.  Richard Stearns (the president of World Vision) points out that the total income of American churchgoers is $5.2 trillion.  Imagine what a tithe of that income could do!  In fact, just a little over 1 percent of that could alleviate extreme poverty worldwide.  The problem is that most American Christians don’t consider extreme poverty in the rest of the world to be our problem.  Giving by the American Church is down to about 2 percent, down from 3.3 percent in 1933… the height of the Great Depression.  And most of that giving is spent on ourselves.  Only 2 percent of the 2 percent is spent on the rest of the world.  Giving in general and giving to global efforts especially is counter-cultural.  The Advent Conspiracy is calling us to be counter-cultural.

But going counter-cultural has a cost.  The stores probably lost some money.  And I will have to invest some time to find some good organizations for my giving.  Some family members may be miffed that they didn’t get the expensive trinket they had put on their Christmas list. But let Santa worry about Christmas lists.  God’s call to the Church is to “love all”: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Good news

This Sunday is the "joy" Sunday of Advent.  The angels told the shepherds that they had "good news of great joy".  Good is relative.  Do we think the angels’ news was good?  And joy is relative, too.  How much joy we experience depends on how good we think the news is.  

In Rom 10:15 says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news."  But what is good news?  A messenger's feet aren't generally thought of as beautiful, so their beauty really depends on how good we think the news is.  

What makes something good news to you?  Which of these links would you click to find out more: "Delicious holiday recipes", "Stay fit into your 70s", "Best bargains for your house", "Guaranteed career satisfaction."  How about "Tips on how to pray” or “Getting closer to God”?

In Rom 10 Paul also quotes Isaiah’s complaint, "Who has believed our message?" (Isaiah 53:1)  By the time Isaiah wrote this he was pretty frustrated.  He had answered God's call in Isaiah 6, but no one wanted to listen.  (God warned him about this in Isaiah 6:9-10.)  Apparently, the good news wasn't so good to the people that most needed to hear it.

Paul tells us the good news in Rom 10:13, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  But that's not good news to those who don't think they need to be saved.  There are a lot of other things that we turn to for security, for belonging, for a sense of worth: money, possessions, abilities, knowledge, appearances, whatever.  When we feel stressed or worried it’s not our tendency to “call on the name of the Lord”.  And so true joy is in short supply these days.

"Who has believed our message?”  Good question.

Peace on earth

How do you change a society's consciousness about race?  That was the topic of conversation around our dinner table last night.

My kids offered various methods for changing the dominant social perception of young black men like Laquan MacDonald, who was shot 16 times in the back as he walked away from Chicago police officers.  The police officer who shot him said that he feared for his life.  Why is a young black man perceived as a threat?  To put the question a different way, why aren't all young white men who look like Dylan Roof suspected of being mass murderers capable of killing nine people at a prayer meeting?

I don't have any easy solutions to this problem and no one that I know is offering one.  But it's obvious that American society needs to put in whatever effort is needed to work on the problem.  I commend my fellow Covenant pastors, including Michelle Dodson, Shaun Robinson and Phil Jackson, who addressed over 200 people this past Monday on a rainy night in Chicago to call for justice and understanding.  (You can read about the prayer rally here).

Advent is about social justice.  Virtually all of the prophecies regarding the Messiah look forward to a just society where wrongs are righted.  Mary's song, the Magnificat that we said together this past Sunday, says that God "lifts up the humble" and "fills the hungry with good things."  Jesus declared to a packed synagogue that his mission was "to proclaim good news to the poor... to proclaim freedom for the prisoners... to set the oppressed free" (Luke 4:18).

Advent candles and calendars are appropriate for this season, but can draw too much attention to themselves rather than helping us to glimpse the greater glory of the Kingdom of God that Jesus brings.  He is the Prince of Peace, not merely for me as an individual, but for this world.  "Shalom" means that all relationships are made right again, including between leaders and the governed.  Let's declare ever more boldly and insistently, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace."

look

Jeremiah 6:16a tells us,
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.

What does it mean to look at something?

To look at any thing,
If you would know that thing,
You must look at it long:
To look at this green and say,
“I have seen spring in these
Woods,” will not do – you must
Be the thing you see:
You must be the dark snakes of
Stems and ferny plumes of leaves,
You must enter in
To the small silences between
The leaves,
You must take your time
And touch the very peace
They issue from.
http://armedwithvisions.com/2011/11/30/john-moffitt-to-look-at-anything/

When we take the time to truly look, then we will likely be startled or awestruck. Why? Because then we will be able to see what God is doing. God is always active (John 5:17 “My Father is always at his work”), he is always going about the work of redemption, of re-creating the world. This is the dimension beyond the world that we live in, the dimension that we can see if, for a few moments, we can quit being preoccupied with our own busy-ness and notice God’s activity.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:19)

fan v nerd v hipster

I recently came across a definition of the difference between a nerd and a hipster that goes something like this: a nerd is someone who loves something and wants everyone else to love it (whether or not the other person has shown any interest in it whatsoever) while a hipster is someone who loves something and then decides that only s/he and a few good friends are allowed to like it and resents everyone else who says they like it.

A few years ago the book "Not a fan" came out. I don't exactly remember the definition of a fan from that book, but I suppose I could contrast fan to nerd to hipster. And then I could apply all of this to being a Christ follower. And so the question is: am I a fan of Jesus, or a nerd for Jesus, or a hipster for Jesus?

The negative vibe of "Not a fan" automatically excludes "fan of Jesus" as a viable response for anyone who says that they take being a Christian seriously. But there are problems with both being a nerd or a hipster for Jesus. Hipster is obviously a cooler reference. But it's exclusionary. And Jesus was not exclusionary. He went out of his way to seek out the marginalized and to challenge those who thought they were already "in" with God and others, people of both religious and social status. There's a big contrast between the depiction of heaven in popular culture and the word picture John draws in Rev 21. There's not just one pearly gate that's closed only to those who can get by St. Peter. As the hymn "For all the saints" says, "Through gates of pearl stream in the countless host." And there are 12 gates that are wide open to the countless hosts. As Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit.

And that's the problem with being a nerd. A nerd is someone who is socially awkward and unaccepted. The term brings back lots of forgettable memories of high school caste struggles. Nerd is the opposite of cool. Nerds are poor in spirit, people of low self-esteem. They are meek by definition. But Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth and that the Kingdom of God belongs to the poor in spirit. And the fact that nerds love one thing so much reminds me of what Jesus said about the pure in heart. Kierkegaard wrote a book called “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” Nerds can see God.

Nerds love something enough to want others to love it too. Do I love Jesus and his kingdom enough to tell others the gospel, that the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the good news? Am I willing to spread that good news even if it means that others think I'm not cool? Nerds become immersed in a different world and then want others to join them, including the fans and the hipsters. Because God loves fans and hipsters, too.

between

The seasons of the Christian year follow the life of Christ. So it's easy to focus on the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. These are certainly highlights, but they lose their power if I fail to observe the daily journey of seasons of preparation such as Advent and Lent and Holy Week or the seasons of Easter or following Pentecost when there is daily living in the truths of the living presence of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. Christmas and Easter are the tip of the iceberg of Christian experience and fullness of life. Some Christians look down on those who only go to worship on Christmas and Easter. But Do I fully understand how my Christian life, i.e., the life of Christ within me, can't be fully formed unless I seek out the riches of life between the highlights? If I'm truthful with myself, I realize that the glare of those celebrations often keeps me from seeing the necessity of what's in between them.

The daily journey is given shape by the highlights, but one is not more important than the other. There are those who look down on celebration as being too extravagant. I suppose they are like the older brother who refuses to join the party the father is giving. But that's not me. I readily admit that celebrations are important. In God's presence is fullness of joy. On the other hand, living only for the big celebrations can cause me to overlook the daily mysteries God has for me. I'm reminded of Annie Dillard's description of the amazing depths that she found in small wonders during her time as a "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek". These are the graces that normally feed me and from which most of my growth is intended to come. I'll grow fat and unhealthy if I eat only banquet food.

The highlight events themselves become more deeply meaningful through my experience of the daily journey. I can better understand what it means for Jesus to be God Incarnate if I more fully experience my own incarnation, the intertwining of my body and spirit. My own suffering and triumphs help me realize how much more Jesus took on himself and how much greater his victory was on Easter. If I don't see Christmas and Good Friday and Easter through the lens of my daily journey, they become facades, a spiritual Disneyland of contrived worship experiences that cynics could easily dismiss and which well-meaning Christians may come to find empty after the decorations are put away.

Or putting away the decorations can be a way to continue my dialog with God. What is God saying to me through this activity? And then, what is God saying to me in the daily journey lived outside the glare of celebration? And eventually I come again to asking, what is God saying to me through the activity of preparation for celebration? God doesn't speak only in times of celebration. He is speaking all the time in his still, small voice, and his transforming power is at work in the daily journey, perhaps especially then. Today is Holy Saturday. It's a day between. But it's not a day without grace if I will take the effort to attend to God's work on this day, too.

praying for people

Someone disappointed me. I got sad, then angry, then frustrated. I rolled my eyes. I thought about what I wanted to say to that person.

Then God showed me how to pray for that person. He showed me that my feelings and thoughts were pinpointing areas of need in that person's life and character. Where did those needs come from? What kind of healing was needed? I started to pray that God would bless that person with the traits that were lacking, not because changing that person was my responsibility, but because it was part of God's purposes for that person. God loves that person, and his will for them is that they become "conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom 8:29). My feelings and thoughts were revealing what God is already doing in their life. And I can participate in it by praying for them. It's not that I shouldn't talk to them. But God was telling me that I shouldn't talk to that person about their shortcomings and/or needs until I had talked to God about that person first.

Talking to God about people this way helps me to love them. I'm changed from seeing them as people who hurt me, to people who need God's transforming power in their lives. Just like I do.

a prayer

What voices are telling me what I “ought” or “should” be?
Is it God or someone else?
I ask for the grace to trust
that God knows me best
and to pursue the opportunities he is presenting to me.

an invitation

Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” Luke 15:31-32

At the end of this familiar parable the father of the two sons extends an invitation to his older son to "celebrate and rejoice".

A lot of us who have been in the Church a long time are like the older son. We forget that God has "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing" (Eph 1:3), i.e., that God has already told us, "All that is mine is yours." So we work hard out in the fields, trying to earn "even a goat". And we resent it when other people celebrate and rejoice, feasting on the fatted calf. "What did they do to deserve to be so happy? Why aren't they more like me, hard-working, stressed-out, miserable?"

Meanwhile, God is at work in our world. People are being saved. The angels are rejoicing. There are random acts of kindness, beautiful sunsets, joyful laughter, warm hugs and puppies. (Am I getting too precious? I should have stopped at laughter. But it's all true, really.) There's a party going on. If we would open our spiritual eyes we would see that there's so much to celebrate.

Not that there isn't work to do. But are we doing the right work? We are slaves to our calendars, constantly checking our email and texts to make sure we haven't missed something we were supposed to do. But who is determining what we are "supposed" to do?

And God doesn't call us to do all the work. He calls us alongside to work with him. He is the master, we are privileged to be his apprentices. Even Jesus said that he could only work where he saw his father already at work (John 5:19). Jesus' words remind me of a young son looking for his father, finding him in the workshop, and then being guided by the father to learn how to skillfully use a hammer or chisel or compound miter saw to make something beautiful and useful.

But we insist on doing it all ourselves, bitterly proud of our efforts, stubbornly staying out in the field, wondering why we aren't getting more rewards from God. The reward God really wants to give us is himself. (The rest is already ours.) He wants us to join him in the party, to celebrate the wonderful things he is doing. Will I accept the invitation?

good gifts

"If you being evil know how to good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him." Matthew 7:11

Jesus seems to be capitalizing on people's assumption that they know how to parent. No one will say that they are a bad parent, or if they admit it they will point to some perfectly reasonable explanation, meaning that they really do know how to parent but that there is some other conflicting compulsion.

But do I really know how to give good gifts to my children? First, regarding what is good: too often what I give to my children is far from good. My kids get my leftover time and affection after I've lavished my attentions on my favorite hobby or TV show. They get my worst self, tired and cranky after rough day at the office. Of course, these are the worst-case scenarios that all good parents try to avoid. We don't want our kids complaining about these things to their therapists later in life.

So I make a sincere effort to give them good things. But am I giving a gift... or a loan? A gift has no strings attached. A loan expects some form of repayment. I give my kids my time, helping them with their homework. I expect good grades in return. I try to get them involved in sports. I expect them to become well-rounded. I give them a nice house, a comfortable life. I expect them to be grateful. It's not that kids shouldn't learn to work hard and attain new skills or find things to enjoy and be grateful for. But these are lessons that are learned, not automatic repayment for my efforts. And they aren't always learned easily. The lessons usually require repetition. How do I know if I'm expecting a repayment? Just measure my resentment. The more resentful I am, the less joy I'm finding in repeating life lessons, the higher my expectations of repayment.

God doesn't expect anything in return. He hopes, but he doesn't demand. He is the father of the younger son in Luke 15 who releases a third of the family wealth and then waits by the road each day, longing for the son's return. When the son returns, the father doesn't scold or get angry. He rejoices. This is truly unconditional love, amazing grace.

posture

Mary sat at Jesus' feet.

First, this was a posture of listening. It was the posture of a disciple at the feet of the teacher. It's hard to talk from this position. The person in the chair is the one who can talk easily. If the person on the floor tries to speak, s/he will end up talking into the other person's leg. The mouth isn't in a good position to be active, but the ears are just below the teacher's mouth, well positioned to receive. Sitting at the feet of another is a posture of humble receptivity.

Second, it is impossible to hurry from this position. You can't do anything. It is a pretty nonproductive position. Martha was busy. She was being productive. Jesus told her that Mary had chosen what was better. Having been raised in a society that determines my worth by my productivity, everything in me protests. How could Mary have possibly chosen what was better? But Jesus wasn't saying that non-productivity was better than productivity. He was saying that being with him was better than being productive.

He who is in a hurry delays the work of God. St. Vincent de Paul
Cease striving and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

prayer retreat

We had a prayer retreat on Saturday. Winnie asked me who would be there. I told her God would. Then she said good-bye, have a good retreat. And I told her I've never had a bad prayer retreat.

I guess that's the difference between our usual notions of a retreat and a prayer retreat. In my church experience a "retreat" always meant a group gathering that required a lot of preparation and organization. There were a lot of moving parts, so there was a real concern about making sure all the parts worked together. And that invited comparison and critique. Some retreats were "better" than others.

But a prayer retreat is about me meeting with God in the company of others. God always shows up, probably because I'm going with the expectation of meeting him there, and he always gets there first. At other retreats the details can keep me from knowing why I'm there in the first place. I go hoping that the speaker will be powerful, the worship will be engaging, etc. If it all works together, then I may notice what God is saying to me. If any of those parts aren't working well, then I'm often disappointed, mostly because I'm distracted. God is actually there, I just wasn't able to pay attention.

"Conference junkies" are people who specialize in critiquing large group meetings. It's their spiritual gift. If they disapprove of something, it could ruin their whole weekend or week, whether or not God was there. Actually he was, they just missed it. He may even have been trying to speak to them through the botched detail that so consumed them.

"Be still and know that I am God."

October 31

Today is… the feast of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez.

Alphonsus was married at 26, but his wife died when he was 31. All 3 of his children also died within a few years and so at the age of 40 he became a Jesuit. His health was poor, so he was assigned to be the porter of the new Jesuit college at Majorca. For 46 years he answered the door, greeted visitors, delivered messages, ran errands and distributed alms to beggars at the door. What set him apart was that he said he imagined that whoever was on the other side of the door was Jesus. He became such a godly person that he developed a counseling ministry to students and citizens who would come to the door to talk with him. Eventually he was invited to preach in the college dining room. No one would leave, even if he spoke overlong, because the students were so drawn to his godly perspective and advice.

Tonight it's Halloween and kids are knocking on my door. Actually they're ringing the doorbell. But tonight is unusual. Most people don't knock on a door. They call my phone or send me an email or text me. Do I imagine that they are Jesus?

What affects my imagination? Am I inclined to be suspicious of people because that's how my parents taught me to interact with the world? Or am I cautious because I've been hurt by too many people? Do I groan inwardly when I see an email or voicemail from a particular person?

And what do I aspire to be? Even at this later stage in my life, I imagine myself doing big things, supposedly for God. But if I'm honest, I want to do these things for my own selfish reasons. I'm humbled by Alphonsus Rodriguez. He accepted his role as a porter and used the simple opportunity for greeting people at the door to spread the love of Jesus.

Ube caritas, Deus ibi est. Live in love, God will live in you.

walking on water

In Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus walks on water and stills a storm. We tend to focus on Jesus' spectacular feats and Peter's lack of faith. But God called my attention to a couple of other things today.

Jesus spent the night in prayer, listening to his Father. He walked on the water at the direction of his Father. And there were many other times when Jesus prayed and didn't walk on water. My friend Russ Ikeda says that the Christian journey is more about training than trying. Instead of trying to walk on water, I need to be learning to listen to my Father through a daily practice of prayer.

Jesus' words to the disciples in the boat show us that he was aware of their fear and that he spoke first to their fear before calming the storm. Listening to his Father cultivated compassion in Jesus. The miracle was in response to the disciples' fear. Am I becoming more compassionate toward those around me? What is more important to me, compassion or performance?

independence?

We just celebrated Independence Day. I saw an editorial cartoon that made fun of Americans' desire for independence while they were still dependent on the electric power grid for their televisions and other electronic gadgets. What is independence and why is it so valued in American society?

The Declaration of Independence is about independence from Great Britain, not personal independence. In fact, the founding fathers felt that the best citizens for their new country would be people who lived their lives in dependence on God and in interdependence with each other. Such people would have a strong moral compass and sense of civic duty.

So what's the place of personal independence? Does God want us to learn independence from him? Yes and no. The Psalmist speaks of becoming "like a weaned child" in Psalm 131:

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.

We find contentment with God when we are able to understand that he isn't there to satisfy our every whim and demand but that he still has our best interests, our growth and flourishing, at heart. And when we have this sort of relationship with God, we can relate in true interdependence with each other, living into the sort of community (oikos) that best expresses the redemptive purposes that he has for this world that he loves and for which he gave his Son.

weapons

Paul tells us in 2 Cor 10 that the weapons God's work are not of this world. As part of the armor of God, Paul mentions prayer 4 times in just three verses in Eph 6:18-20. How can prayer be a spiritual weapon? And what other weapons do we have?

When we think of weapons we tend to think of destruction and violence in the name of righteousness. Some call this a belief in "redemptive violence". But taking down spiritual strongholds (2 Cor 10:4) cannot be done with violence. In fact, Paul is contrasting the ways of God with the ways of the world in both 2 Cor 10 and in Eph 6. In Eph 4 Paul tells us to get rid of anger and take on kindness and forgiveness. This is how we are to pray for people, no matter how corrupted the image of God in them has become.

It's hard to shake our belief in violence as a tool of redemption. We want to be on the winning side, and we assume that means that someone has to lose, that someone has to be subjugated. This is the message the world repeats to us through every medium possible, especially movies.

"The Lord of the Rings" has been described as the story of an anti-quest. Instead of fighting to acquire something the heroes are struggling to get rid of something. The counter-cultural nature of this story comes through in Tolkien's contrasting of Boromir and his father Denethor's belief in redemptive violence with the younger brother Faramir's belief in grace as the superior weapon of spiritual warfare. This comes through more clearly in the book than the movie.

(Denethor) "Ever your desire is to appear lordly and generous as a king of old, gracious, gentle. That may well befit one of a high race, if he sits in power and peace. But in desperate hours gentleness may be repaid with death."
"So be it," said Faramir.

The more desperate the situation, the more looming the defeat, the more tempted we are to turn to violence. Jesus showed us that death may be the ultimate weapon rather than the ultimate defeat. Sacrifice and service and prayer are the "weapons" of love, weapons that can bring down the strongholds that imprison the people that God loves and for which he sent his Son to die.

reading

I was supposed to be working on a sermon. I picked up a book that I hadn't read for a while because I was thinking there might be something useful in it for my sermon. And then I just sat there reading. And then it was dinner time.

Why do I read? You could say that I enjoy the world of ideas. Or that I find it important to view the world from different angles. Or that I'm trying to get in touch with reality from the perspective of people who are a lot smarter than I am. These are all true to some extent.

But the book I was reading that day was Anne Lamott's "Plan B: further thoughts on faith." And the reason that I let myself get immersed in her writing that day was that I found her thoughts on faith comforting. Sometimes I read smart people because they are able to put the world together much better than I can, and that's comforting. Sometimes I read people who are amazing wordsmiths and it's comforting to know that someone out there can do amazing things like that.

And sometimes I read because the world seems really messed up and someone like Anne Lamott understands how messed up the world is and also finds humor in it, and she also finds God in it. She doesn't find God by unlocking the arcane complexities of the universe, utilizing several PhDs and a brilliant mind. She just notices that God is there and points him out to me. Sometimes her sense of God doesn't make a lot of theological sense. But God is real to her and walks with her wherever she is. God shows her what he is doing and also show her things to do. That kind of real-life God is the God that I want to know. The fact that she can tell me about that kind of God is comforting.