New Year

There are certain things that go with celebrating the New Year in Japan.  Sending cards to folks (we just had a delivery of cards from some of our Japanese friends), deep cleaning of the home, and specific decorations.  Last year we bought a small new year's "good luck" door decoration, and in typical foreigner fashion left it up too long.  Our neighbors politely told us in late February that it was okay to take it down.

The decorations represent longevity, prosperity and steadfastness, respectively. The fundamental function of the New Year ceremonies is to honor and receive the deity, who will then bring a bountiful harvest for farmers and bestow the ancestors' blessing on everyone."

I don't embrace all of the Japanese spirituality, but I like the idea of cleaning house and setting out items that tell the Deity you are ready to receive  blessing.  I can appreciate the idea that prosperity--in the Hebrew scriptures understanding of prosperity (shalom for the whole community)--is dependent upon our recognition of God's movement in our lives.

Today we have been cleaning the kitchen and baking cookies and cakes to take into the USO center on base to feed the unaccompanied folks who have no other place to go, and to give them something close to home-baked.  It's part of cleaning out the old to make room for the new (but the "old" isn't out dated food-stuffs) just a pattern of eating we--or maybe more accurately, I--want to move away from.

Cleaning house is a way of saying, I'm letting go of what has been in order to make room of what can be.  It's a very Lenten approach to the New Year and I like that.  I connect with the embodiment of spirituality and maybe if we made the celebration of the New Year more than just a list of things to check off, that our interest in change may become a commitment.

Living in Compassion

My wife and I were walking through a local park this afternoon to the shopping arcade and the local coffee shop.  We crossed paths with someone who had been involved in a bit of a scandal in our community; this person smiled and waved and we did the same, but I think all of us knew that we all knew the situation.

It was sad and beautiful all at the same time because this person is carrying the shame/guilt of being part of a scandal in a small community and, like so many other folks I know, their sense of identity is grounded in their brokenness.  So when they see others, all they see is a mirror of shame and guilt.

I said to my wife as we passed farther away, "I love being an agent of grace."  And I do.  As a Chaplain, I get to hear lots of stories of brokenness.  I hear so many things that I don't want to know or don't need to know, but I hear them.  And as I hear the stories of the folks in my community, I become more and more certain of this one thing: Everyone needs compassion because everyone is broken.

We all have stories and within those stories are some notorious episodes that have the potential to mark our spirits with guilt and shame.  I believe this to be a universal truth: we are all broken, and we all need compassion.

I hope that if I can leave the many faith communities I have served one thing it is this: the Church (capital C, universal Church) needs to embrace something that most recovery groups practice and that is acceptance of brokenness.  I would love to lead a worship gathering that begins with the words "Hi my name is Daniel and I am a sinner." To which everyone present would say, "Hi, Daniel," and nod knowingly because we hold this one thing to be true: We are all broken and we all need compassion, and in that we have common ground.


Paul writes to his protege Timothy, "This saying is reliable and deserves full acceptance: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'--and I'm the biggest sinner of all." (1 Timothy 1:15 CEB)

Yes, I can walk around my community and tell you stories about so many people.  But I don't because we all have stories and not every part of our story is something to be proud of.  I have stories, too; and a few of them are quite colorful (and some are pretty dark).  But I am not defined by my scandals; they make up who I am today, but they do not define me.  Compassion defines me...most of the time...hopefully...

It's about this time every year that I get a little homesick.  Maybe it's fitting that Advent (the season that leads up to the celebration of Christmas) stirs up some restlessness in me, but there's something about this season of the Church that tugs at my soul and draws me into liturgy.

Pretty much any other time of year I'm an electric bass wielding, hands in the air kind of guy.  I love loud, rockin' worship music.  When I'm synced with my drummer and the notes are flowing, there is space for God to reach me in the noise.

But there's something about Advent that draws me into stillness, and into quiet places of worship.  This is what I mean by saying I get a little homesick.

Growing up, my family moved around a lot.  I went to something like eight different schools in twelve years.  After high school I enlisted in the Navy and spent four years moving around a lot.  As a result, I can't stay anywhere for much longer than three or four years before I get the itch to move.  This is one of the good things about being an itinerant pastor and a military chaplain.  I get to move.  A lot.  So when I say that I get homesick, it's not for a place. I miss my family.  I miss them a lot.  But "home" is not a geographic location for me.  My heart does not pine for northwest Indiana or a specific house in that town.  

My heart pines for an experience of the Holy.  My heart pines for peace.  In the stillness and in the quiet places of Advent Liturgy, there is space for God to reach me in a way that noise and rockin' worship music cannot touch.

Which always leaves me with the dilemma of finding a middle road for the folks who still love it loud and my own needs.  I struggle with balance in this season because, like most pastors, I am so busy that if I do not stay plugged in, I run spiritually dry and am not of use to anyone.

So if you're reading this and you are not a pastor, or involved in worship leadership, please take care of those who are.  Know that we have needs that go beyond keeping others full, and to keep others full we need to stay spiritually connected ourselves.  And sometimes what we need and what others need are not the same thing.

O come, O come, Emmanuel.

Conversations

I love serving in a ministry setting where there is such a diverse group of religious backgrounds.

Had a conversation today with someone who was incredibly stuck on the logical notion of Christian faith.  I hear over and over again that in order to be a good Christian a person has to always have their mind on Christ.  "Love the Lord with all your mind, heart, soul and strength" was even tossed out there and I didn't realize until later that the passage actually says "heart, soul, mind and strength."  Maybe I'm picking at nits, maybe not.

All I really wanted to say to this particular person was "Let Jesus out of your mind and into your heart!"  Even if you want to put the mind in front of the list of things to "Love the Lord" with, remember that it says LOVE the Lord.

I'm not saying that our faith needs to be an unthinking, mushy "love, love, love all you need is love" way of living.  We need to be, ought to be, thinking people.  But I truly believe that a life of faith is more than just intellectual assent to a list of ideas and it is much more than just mind over body; because if we believe we are saved by grace through faith and then force changed habits with mental will-power then all we've made Jesus into is New Year's Day and our faith-produced behavior is nothing but a resolution that we keep or don't keep.  Jesus wants us to be more than resolution keepers.

I have been fasting during the working day for almost 40 days now.  The fast began as a way to seek discernment about the future my family and I are being called into.  About two days ago, the way ahead was made clear, I know the direction, but I haven't finished my dedicated 40 day journey.  I had thought about ending the fast and happily eating lunch again with my co-workers and family, but I decided to give the last 4 days to God simply for the glory--simply because of love.

I don't say this for a pat on the back, or to get a "way to go!"  I say this because it's a real way, in my own life, that I am continuing to do something unpleasant, something I don't particularly want to do, out of love.  It's more than will power, more than mind over body--because my mind is yelling at me to eat because the season of discernment has ended and my body wants food.  The motivating factor is love not dedication to a habit.

More reflections on conversations coming up...

Deliver Me from My Certainty

In the sixth chapter of John's gospel, the crowd said about Jesus, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we all know?"  The sparked my mind to think about the ways we box in Jesus; how we know what we know, and that's all we need to know.

I am blessed by something quite unique.  I preach in a multi-denominational, multi-ethnic worship gathering in an overseas military chapel.  Most of the people at this worship gathering would not see each other if we were not overseas, because we would all be worshiping in places where the folk look, talk, act and believe just like us.  

The biggest problem for the Church, especially in the West, is that we flock to places that revolve around doctrine rather than Jesus.  We look for places that--even if they speak of relationship over religion--still speak our preferred religious language.  Doctrine gives us the Jesus, whose mother and father we all know.

Maybe I'm guilty of mostly listening to people who speak my language, or my dialect, but I try to read authors who poke me out of theological box of comfort and say things like "following Jesus is more important that adhering to a specific set of doctrines."

This is a statement that I cannot attribute to any given author, but the theme certainly exists in many of the books I am currently reading.

I'll ask you, void, this question:  what do people want or need more: rule followers or Jesus followers?  And here's a follow-on question: which is more transformative: rule followers or Jesus followers?

I'm reading Len Sweet's book I Am a Follower, and in the first chapter he talks about this video that went viral a few years ago.  (The link is here: Sasquatch Dancer)  It shows this young man, who may or may not be in an altered state of reality, dancing in a hill all by himself at a music festival.  After a few minutes another person joins him and for brief moments they are in sync.  After a little bit, another person joins in, dancing in his own way, and not much after that it's a full on dance party. (The whole thing really makes me miss being at Grateful Dead shows, I must confess!)

If Jesus really is "The Lord of the Dance"--as the old hymn says--then he's the one who's playing the music, and he's waiting for us to get up and move to the melody.  The people around us are waiting, not for the choreography to be listed, nor for the rules for dancing to be explained; they are waiting for us to dance--they are waiting to see us move with love.

Throughout Scripture, God continually reminds people boundaries do not apply to the nature of God.  The best example is from Exodus where Moses is trying to get out of the task set before him.  He asks God, "What if I go to the Israelites and tell them 'The God of your ancestors sent me to you' and they ask for your name; what shall I tell them?"  To which God replies, "I am who I am. I will be who I will be." (Exodus 3:13-14)

God is bigger than any understanding we may have, no matter how big that understanding may be.  A name cannot define God; a concept cannot define God; a dogma cannot define God.  Jesus may be the clearest picture we have of God (and I believe He is) but even Jesus says there are things only God knows that he does not (Matthew 24:36).

What's my point?  The Church is more like the crowd in John 6 than we might like to imagine, and Jesus wants to free us from our certainty.

Randomness

I was sitting in the small chapel waiting to see if anyone was going to join me for worship on a rainy-remember-your-Baptism-July evening, listening to God, talking back to God, and listening some more.

I was looking around the room and reflecting on what is important to me as a fellow-prodigal pilgrim in the Way.  I see the Baptismal Font off to the left, sitting underneath the windows that are streaked with rain on one side and condensation on the other.  So fitting that so much water is visible around the font--were it sitting outside it would likely overflow with rain water.  Again, a fitting image.  I try not to think of how much I don't like the orange copper bowl and wooden stand--but then I remember it's not the style of font that matters, it's the grace we find there.

My eyes move to the table, covered with linen cloth.  I can smell the beeswax candles burning there.  I see the chalice and paten, prepared to offer the bread of heaven and wine of new life.  I forgot to stop at  the commissary to buy a loaf of bread, so there are wafers.  Yuck.  I am reminded of hearing a child talking to the priest I serve with about preparing for first communion.  The child said, "But, Father, the wafers taste...BAD!"  "But the love of Jesus is delicious," the priest responded.  Yes, even wafers and their poster board texture and paper like flavor can convey the delicious love of Christ.

The Book is sitting closed on the lectern, tabbed at the Hebrew Scripture Lesson and the Psalm.  I am struck this evening by the eulogy that David gives to Saul at the opening of 2 Samuel, the lesson I am teaching from this evening.  David weeps over the death of Saul; he tells his minstrels to teach this lamentation to the people.  David gives love to the man who hunted him, who tracked him down and persecuted him.  David sings in his honor and I pray that, someday, my heart will be like David's.

The things in this room: the water, the wafers, the wine, the Word--these things can open us to become like David, and even like David's greater Son.  These things are important to me.  I can sing the old hymn, the old camp meeting songs, the not so old praise choruses, and even the new contemporary music.   They all convey holy messages and bring our hearts into the presence of the Divine.  But these things--the water, the wafers, the wine, the Word--these bring the presence of the Divine into our hearts and that's what makes them so important.

An Invitation

I serve in a unique setting, as a United Methodist pastor.  My congregation has Baptists and Pentecostals and Lutherans and Methodists and Non-Denominatinal folks and seekers and skeptics aplenty--not to mention the ethnic diversity that exists in my congregation.  Serving this community is a blessing, truly it is--despite the challenges.

Today was Communion Sunday for my chapel family.  As I opened the table, calling to mind the interdenominational family that we are, and extending the invitation for anyone and everyone to hear Christ's welcome, I found myself remembering the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus.

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through town. A man there named Zacchaeus, a ruler among tax collectors, was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but, being a short man, he couldn't because of the crowd.  So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.  When Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said, 'Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay in your home today.'  So Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus. Everyone who saw this grumbled, saying, 'He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.'" (Luke 19:1-7 CEB)

Luke goes on to say that Zacchaeus sold half of his belongings to the poor and repaid four times what he had cheated people out of by virtue of his job.

Why tell this story before celebrating Communion?

Because Jesus saw someone who was curious and, regardless of his holiness (or lack thereof), broke bread in his house.  "I must stay in your home today."

No conditions.

No "when you get your jacked up life in order, I'll come visit you."

Just "I want to break bread in your home."

What a beautiful reminder of the invitation that Jesus extends to us as we gather at His table.  We don't need to be committed.  We don't need to be holy.  We don't need to be anything but open to his grace.

I love this guy!

5 May 2012 "Untitled"

So my Global Church has been meeting for the last two weeks in Tampa, Florida to discuss our rules, regulations and polity.  We do this every four years.  More often than not a few people leave with hurt feelings, but we also tend to leave the meeting with a sense of accomplishment.

I am not sure how many people are leaving Tampa with a sense of accomplishment this year, but I was not there as a delegate so it's hard to judge what has been done, changed, updated, etc via twitter feeds, FB updates, and watching the live feed when I have been able (which hasn't been very much, since I live 13 hours ahead of the time zone in which GC2012 took place.

Here is what I have noticed, though:

We as a church believe in grace.  That is to say, we believe that God loves us immensely even though we're not always lovely people.  And...that God has come to us in the person of Christ to rescue us from our unloveliness.  We didn't earn the rescue, it's a gift, this thing called grace.  If there isn't much we can agree on as a church, we can agree on grace.

Some of us believe that since it's grace and grace is a gift, and we are only rescued by virtue of said grace, not by our deeds (because that would make grace merit based and not a gift) then everyone (an all inclusive everyone) is welcome in the church.  We are all broken and grasping for this mystery of grace; we are all thirsty and desperate for the cool water in the arid desert of life; we are all hungry for the crumbs that have fallen from our Master's table.  Everyone needs it.  Everyone wants it.  Everyone is welcome to come and receive it.  Grace isn't just for the ones who "properly repent" and grace isn't for those who live flawless lives.  Grace is something that we all want and need and how dare we as a Church (any church in my humble opinion) say who is eligible to give, receive, witness to or share this grace.

I look at the life of Jesus and I see a boundary crosser; I see a wall crusher; I see a trouble maker who welcomed the most questionable scoundrels of his neighborhood into the Dream of God, courtesy of grace.  He was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton; he (and his students/followers) were consistently asked why he hung out with such wretched people; he read the thoughts/faces of others who judged him for his questionable associations and he told them to go learn what this means:

I desire mercy not sacrifice.

What I don't get is what is so hard about talking about his life and ministry and letting the chips fall where they will.

I don't get why we have to quantify the brokenness in the lives of others in comparison to our own.  Actually I do get it; it makes us feel more worthy, like the religious guy in temple who said, "Lord I'm glad for my tithes and my holiness and my prayer life and the righteousness I demonstrate.  And I'm SUPER GLAD that I'm not like that horrible sinner over there--the one on his face in front of you--who is so aware of his need for grace that he won't even look at you--yeah, him.  I'm glad I'm not like him."  The thing is, the dude on his face is the one Jesus says we need to be like.  Yeah.  Cool, huh?

Me personally, I want to be more and more like that dude on his face; I don't ever want to forget how much I need God's grace-filled gift.

And this is what I dream of for my Church.  That we just toss the crumbs of grace out for the hungry to fill themselves on.  Or that we be like the sower who went out and threw seeds everywhere, not just in the places he knew to be fertile soil.  He threw the seeds to the ones who were doubt-filled, and to the ones who were full of worry, and to the ones who have hard hearts...because the cool thing about soil is that the more stuff grows in it, the more receptive it is.

I dream that we'll just sow seed and throw grace to everyone and anyone.  That we would make ourselves available to people who want to show us the places where life hurts.  And that when we see those hurting places, we won't judge or condemn or stare in shock, but offer grace, offer love, offer healing and wholeness.

As for me...

Hey JC, JC...

I have always wanted to use this clip on Palm Sunday...but I've yet to find a community that would truly appreciate 1) my sense of humor or 2) the complete appropriateness of this clip on Palm Sunday.

I don't even know what I have to say about this except that I feel like so much of the church has grown into the Pharisees and Priests on the scaffolding, who are terrified of the rabble who celebrate the presence of Christ in their lives and have forgotten about the peace and joy that goes along with grace and forgiveness.

I wonder what would happen if Jesus rode into our places of worship today?  Would he be surrounded by the broken and the hurting?  Would he find them in our midst?  Or would he see people who have forgotten that being the Beloved is a gift that is given to all of us, something we haven't earned, has nothing to do with how well we walk the line?

Thinking Out Loud

Fair warning to anyone reading this one, there's no real plot on this one.  I am very much just thinking out loud.  If you don't mind riding the train of thought, read on.  If you need smooth flowing narrative prose, back away slowly and don't make eye contact...


I believe that the Church is a place for people to work out their junk. 


I believe that people should be able to walk into church and be as honest and vulnerable as a person at an AA meeting would be.  Think of it like this:  "Hi my name is Daniel and my life is an unmanageable mess.  So much so that I know I need help putting it back together."


And the beautiful thing would be that everyone there would say, "Hi Daniel!  Don't worry, our lives are unmanageable messes, too.  Let us walk with you as we learn to be Beloved together."


Bam, community is expressed from the get go.  The foundational belief is that we are broken, but we are loved.  And, we are not alone.  I meet a lot of people who really, truly think that they are the only messed up people in the world.  And I have met more than my fair share of people who really, truly believe that the Church is not a place to express brokenness, or vulnerability, or a desire to be loved.


But I believe that we are given the gift of community because we are all broken.  But we are all loved. 


Or, as I heard in a sermon from Mercy Street:


We believe that life is meant to be lived from two pockets. 


A short rabbinic saying claims that every human being lives out of two pockets. In one pocket there is a message that says, "You are dust and ashes." In the other pocket, the message says, "For you the universe was made." 



Yes, we are all broken.  But we are loved and have been given the opportunity to become more.  Because you don't make the universe for someone you don't love.


And you don't write on the hearts of people you make, "Loved you are" if that promise isn't meant for the heart it's written on.


I love Jeremiah 31:31-34 where it's said of God, "I will write the new covenant on their hearts, and from the least to the greatest, they shall all know me.  I will be their God, and they will be my people."  (Daniel's paraphrase, sorry if I offend.)


God is saying, "My promise to you is that I am yours and you are mine.  I wrote that once on tablets of stone, but it was too easy to think that the Promise was only for the Holy people.  The reason I'm writing it on your heart is because I want you to know that this promise is for you."


Yeah, I'd love to be in a community where we owned our two pockets.  That's my dream.

Some Thoughts for the 4th Sunday in Lent

A few weeks ago I began a Lenten series of messages dealing with covenants in the Bible. The community I lead began the series with a message on God's covenant with Noah (and all of creation) and the idea that our only part in this covenant is to have faith (trust) in God's steadfast love, and that the foundation of any covenantal relationship with God is faith/trust.

The second message dealt with God's covenant with Abraham and Sarah and how covenants give us a new identity and Divine purpose.

The third message was a look at God's covenant with Israel in the 10 Commandments. Covenantal expectations on how we order our lives with God and with each other.

Today was a look, again, at how integral faith is in terms of our covenantal relationships.

Numbers 21: 4-9:
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

To talk about faith in an abstract way is easy. To make faith an idea that we understand doesn't require much from us, not really. Faith = trust, Faith = belief. For example, I believe that when I leave my house in the morning I trust I will get to work safely; I believe I will get there with no issues of mechanical nature. (Driving in the country of Japan requires a bit more than faith in my car's mechanics or my ability sometimes, which takes faith and trust to a whole new level, but that's for another time...)

It is also easy to take faith in God for granted when life is good. I've not had anyone come into my office and say, "Daniel, I'm having a hard time believing in God. I mean, how can God exist when life is so FREAKING great? How can God be real when I have full cupboards, a great job, an ideal family"...yeah, I don't have those kinds of conversations with people very often.

It's when we are standing in the desert, looking at the forward direction, and all we see is sand, and heat waves rising from the sand...and when we look at where we have come from and all we see is dust from the group of people we're traveling with. When all we can see from blinding hot horizon to blinding hot horizon is sand, sand, and more sand, dotted with the occasional dust devil, those are moments when our faith turns a little Jello like. "Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle..."

This is where the people of Israel are as this passage from Numbers begins to unfold. They are a company of several thousand; they have been traveling through the wilderness for a long, long time.  they have been at the edge of the promised land, and yet they chose to walk away in fear.  So they travel in a world of hot, hot sand.  And we all know that in the mix of large groups there are folks who like to murmur and complain. There are folks who are like Hudson from Aliens, "That's it man, game over man, game over! What the f--k are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?" 

One pastor says that no matter where you are there is always a "Let's go back to Egypt committee."  It's staffed by people who weren't happy in Egypt, but they aren't happy where they are either; they would rather go back to the known evil than travel through an unknown in order to arrive at the blessing.

So as they murmur and complain, wondering how much worse it could be: snakes.  ("Why did it have to be snakes?")

And the snakes didn't just affect the "Let's go back to Egypt Committee."  They got after everyone, because murmurers and complainers aren't content with their own misery, they have to make life suck for everyone:

When I reported to San Diego in 1990, no one told me my ship was going to be at sea. No one told me what "Transient Personnel Units" were, or that I was supposed to go there. I was a freshly minted penny from training, looking for my ship--which wasn't there--and I got dropped into a "holding group" for people who getting out of the Navy, voluntarily and involuntarily. I was surrounded by murmurers and complainers, life sucked.  No matter what I thought or believed, the word I kept being exposed to said, "Life sucks."

I was bitten by the fiery serpents of my company's misery, just like the community that was happy with God's provision was impacted by the fiery serpents.

The community knows what to do, though; they have become adept at repentance--they are master artists when it comes to asking Moses to make things all better: "Pray to the Lord to make the serpents go away!"  And Moses, being a good shepherd for his people, goes before God and does his thing.  

And this is where it gets interesting.

God doesn't make the snakes go away.

Go ahead, scroll up and check it out.  Look it up in your own copy of the good book if you don't believe what I have up there.  You'll see it though.

God does not remove the snakes.

God makes the people choose.  Live in misery or look up and be saved.  "Whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live."

Trouble still exists; but so does hope.  This is why we have to circle the wagons every now and again and talk about this word faith.  Faith is easy when life is good.  Faith is necessary when life is hard.  

Lift up your face.  

Sidebar with the Church

“1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” (Psalm 63:1-3)

If you've ever watched the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, you've seen his sidebars with folks.  He calls them over to one side of his "news desk" and has a personal talk with them.  I'd like to have a sidebar with the Church for a second.  Thanks.

Why is it that we don’t really appreciate something until it is absent or in short supply? (Even if that “short supply” is simply a matter of perspective?) The psalmist in the 63rd psalm says, “My soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you…so I have looked upon you.”

I think we allow our spiritual lives to fall victim to the same “don’t eat when you’re not hungry” or “don’t eat when you’re bored” mentality that saves many of us from large bottoms and thick waists. But God calls us to have loosened lips and praising tongues and glorifying lives all the time, not just when we get threadbare and soul thirsty!

God invites, and God deserves, our Glorias on a regular basis. When was the last time you let loose with a Gloria from the core of your spirit? When was the last time you found your completeness in God and found yourself shouting, “Eureka! I found it!”

The Gloria is, for some of us, a regular part of worship. “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost! As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be; world without end! Amen! Amen!” My question for you, though, is this: when you lift up your Gloria, is the praise from your lips, or from your heart? Ponder this question today. May we not be a people of whom Jesus can say, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away.” (Matt 15:8 ref. Isaiah 29:13).

Fear and Trembling

“12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

Sometimes life just happens. Sometimes the bottom just falls out of our day, our week, our month and we’re left wondering what just happened. Sometimes we feel hung out to dry, on the wrong side of the road from hope, or caught in a rip tide. But a life of faith is a life that moves from the muck to the damp ground to the dry ground to the green grass--and not necessarily in that order! A life of faith knows, believes, trusts that God is at work even on the worst of days and takes a step forward in faith.

Paul says we should “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” This says to me that there will be days that our faith is tried, days when we doubt that what we’re doing is really worth it, days when we wonder where God is in the midst of the mess we see and feel.

If you’re in that place, trust that God is there with you. If you are familiar with the poem called “Footprints” you know that on the worst of days God is carrying us and that’s why there’s only one set of feet in the sand (as much as I like the “sand people ride single file to hide their numbers” image that’s going around right now) Sometimes we can’t see God because we’re being held very, very close. If you’re in that place of distress, take one step forward, one step closer to knowing. 

Every day I am reminded that each day is a mystery waiting to unfold.  We have our plans, both long term and short term, and rarely do the actual days we live go according to the plans we have made.  On days when I think I know what God wants from me, I am reminded that I am still seeking, still walking forward, still listening, still one step closer to knowing.  On days when I am prepared to embrace the mystery that is God, I am reminded of how vast that mystery can be and how much I have left to learn.  

Take this soul...

“10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

Return begins with knowing we will be accepted. David prays for a clean heart and a new, right, spirit in Psalm 51 because he *knows* that God will give it to him. The singer/speaker in the song “Yahweh” prays for change because (s)he is certain that God will help those changes happen. 

This is what amazes me more than anything else: before we're ready to return, God is waiting.  As Brennan Manning says in The Ragamuffin Gospel, the good news is that salvation precedes repentance.  Why repent if the promise of forgiveness is conditional.  Why offer our hearts, our voices, our souls, our lives...if we aren't sure God will receive them?  Fear of rejection is pretty high on the list of things we are afraid of, right?  We are hesitant to risk love if we aren't sure there will be a reciprocal feeling.  

I remember the night my wife said, "This will be so much easier if you just admit that you love me." (We were debating "ending" a seven year friendship for the sake of romance...we've been married for almost 14 years now.)  When she said that I knew that she loved me; I knew there would be no rejection.

If you want change in your inner being, ask God to begin making that change. But God won’t do it alone. You have to work for that change, too. God won’t put up road blocks to dead end streets, but God will whisper to you, “You don’t want to walk that road.” God will teach you how to use your hands for Kingdom work, but you have to make them available. God has shown us how to live a changed life, but we have to look at the example of Jesus, we have to open our ears to listen to the Word.

God will take our hearts, but only if we offer them.

To the One I Love

Two quotes from Martin Luther (1483-1546):

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.”

“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”

Let’s reflect upon those things that are truly important to us as individuals. (You need to think about this for yourself, I can’t list the things that are most important to you.) Where do the things that God calls important fit into your list of priorities? Is your love, your life, your livelihood being invested in things, or in places where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal—or are you investing your energy and passion into the Dream of God?  Scripture is full of invitations to dream God sized dreams, and says in more than one place that everyone (and, yes, that includes you) gets to see what God sees and dream what God dreams. 

Christ invites us to make our priority the will of God, the Kingdom (Kin-dom, as one dear friend of mine calls it) of God, a place where the streets have no name, a place where our love does not turn to rust.  As I journey through this season of Lent, I try to think of that one thing that holds me back from ultimate trust in God and then work at giving that obstacle away (“Tear down the wall that holds [me] inside.”). If you’re willing find someone to confide in if need be, find a holy friend who will help hold you accountable, but whatever it is that holds you back from fully trusting in God, give it away. Write it down and tear it up. Write it down and toss it into a fireplace if you have one, but give it away as an offering to the God and then rest in your movement toward freedom.

I remember when I saw the movie Rattle & Hum in the theater there was this shift from black and white to color as the song “Where the Streets Have No Name” began.  I got chills; when the guitar intro started up and the Edge was ringing the bells on his guitar, I think that was the moment that I truly fell in love with U2.  I remember with even greater clarity the moment I fell in love with God, so when I speak of tearing down walls it’s so that I can keep falling in love with the One who gave everything for me.

Angels

18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Let's be honest, a life in faith--life in general--isn’t all sunshine and daisies or strawberries and cream. “Some days are better than others,” as U2 sings in a different song.  We see so much that needs to change, so many situations that need God’s attention; both in our own lives and in the lives of others. 

We cry out “God why don’t you do something about (insert current dilemma here…Chile, Haiti, war, famine, poverty, illness, violence, injustice, etc.)?” Then we sit by and wait for the action to happen.  Or we draft up eloquent statements that declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that "THIS (whatever this is at the moment) is a bad thing and PEOPLE (whoever those people are, usually somebody other than us) really need to do something about it." (Douglas Adams refers to the "SEP Field"--Somebody Else's Problem.) 

The thing is, God has done something, is doing something, and it’s happening through us! We are the somebody, we are the "People" we're waiting for; we are God’s angels; we are God’s ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20).

I think I heard a sermon preached once that said if we want to see God fulfill the Promise we need to step out in faith. We cannot just sit and wait on God to do something, because God wants to work through us! Look at all the stories of faith we call our Scriptures…Noah, Abram, Moses, Esther, Mary, Paul..all these people stepped out in faith to see what God’s Promise looks like.

I am grateful for them.  They have impacted my life.  Some of the people we meet on the roads of life, are there to walk with us on as we journey through dry and desert places.  Some of the people we meet on the roads of life need us to lead them from the dry river bed to the well of Living water.  It's a blessing to be in both spots.  

Be thankful for angels.

We Get to Carry Each Other

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:9-18)

“One life with each other…we get to carry each other”…I like the way this song says we get to carry each other. Not we have to carry each other, or we’re supposed to carry each other…we GET to carry each other. It is a privilege to be in holy community with one another. It is a blessing to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice. It is a blessing to share more love than we have received. It’s fun to try to outdo loving each other—not because we should be in competition, but simply seeing how far love in community can go.

We all have busy lives, those of us who work, those of us who raise children, and those of us who are retired—the idea that retirement gives you more time than you had when you worked full time is a myth that needs to be dispelled, as does the notion that stay at home parents "don't work"—but, if we want to see healthy, vibrant, vital, holy community…we have to decide to start loving even if no one has demonstrated that love to us, even if we feel that we are too busy to stop and share love. Why? Because we GET to carry each other. You only get one life here on earth, why be unhappy? Why be too busy to share in the joy of others, or share the in grief of others? Love genuinely; love authentically, love deeply, love extravagantly…slow down, and love one another.

Grace

"Grace makes beauty out of ugly things."
31b Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:31-32) 

Grace challenges everything we know. Grace upsets the world’s notions of justice, equality, and retribution. Grace says tax collectors, thieves and prostitutes (and even their 21st century equivalents) are welcomed into the God’s Kingdom as much as we are. Grace says that men and women in prison, serving life sentences for heinous crimes, can be just as forgiven as we religious folk, or “normal sinners,” are. Grace is a scandal because it looks at ugliness and sees beauty, it looks at hurt and sees healing; grace looks at tit for tat, eye for eye and tooth for tooth as says, “No, forgive your enemies, love those who seek to do you harm.” 

Where does the scandal of grace fit into your spiritual journey? Do you hold grudges and carry baggage from hurt, pains, or crimes against you? Do you carry the weight of doubt when it comes to God’s acceptance of you, regardless of how “colorful” your past—or present—may be?

The “Law of Karma” says you get what you give. If you give good, you get good. If you give pain, or hurt or evil, that is what you get in return. Grace travels outside of Karma, and—Thank God!—we don’t get what we deserve. But we are challenged to give Grace as we have received it.  Maybe that's a message we need to listen to more than anything else.

If Grace walked up to you, would you be willing to listen the strings of her music as she says, “You are loved. You are forgiven. Take my hand and walk with me.” 

Fighting Identity Theft

16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

(Ephesians 3:16-19)

Identity theft is a tremendous fear for most of us. My wife left her purse at a restaurant one afternoon, and because her credit cards, debit cards, drivers’ license were all in there and out of her possession for a few hours she called our banks and had all those cards cancelled and reissued. 

When someone asks you to describe yourself—when you talk about your identity—who do you say that you are? Do you start with your family identities (I’m a father, a husband, a son, a brother…), your career (I’m a pastor), your hobbies (I’m a painter and an illustrator; I’m a fledgling runner and a not-so-great gardener…)? What’s the first thing that comes to mind when describing your identity? Where does “child of grace” or “child of God” or “Beloved” fit into your identity? Can you lift up as a prayer, “I was born a child of grace...All because of You, I am!”

It is incredibly easy to let our "child of grace" identity get stolen from us in the name of careers, or societal expectations, or haunting words from others. If you have ever seen the movie Precious, maybe you have an idea of what I mean by "haunting words."  In a scene between "Precious" and her teacher Ms Rain, Precious says, crying, "Nobody loves me!"  Ms. Rain tries to reassure her otherwise, "People do love you, Precious."  Precious says back, "Please don't lie to me, Ms. Rain! Love ain't done nothing for me... but beat me... rape me... call me an animal! Make me feel worthless! Make me sick!"  The movie is full of people trying to change the self-image of Precious, and people who are trying to prevent her transformation.

This is one of the reasons I love this passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “I pray…being rooted and grounded in love…you may…comprehend…what is the breadth and length and height and depth (of God’s love.)” Paul's prayer, my daily prayer for so many people I meet with and talk to, is that we all come to understand the breadth, depths and height of God's love for us.  I pray that we can all come to the knowledge that God's love goes beyond labels that we hang around our own necks, or that we hang around other's necks.  

I pray that during this season of reflection you may make the first thing in your heart, the first thing off your lips, “I am a child of grace” and that, with your whole being, you may come back with your whole heart to the One who has a love so deep, so wide, so high and that your life would become a mirror reflecting that love to those around you.

Joyful, Noisy Living

I can only provide a link to the song for today: Magnificent

12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

How do you think God sees you? Do you think that God look at you and sees a broken, tangled mess of humanity or does God look at you and see a beautiful, magnificent creation? The answer to that question is “yes,” but, God looks at us and sees our “child of God-ness” even as God sees our brokenness. God looks at us and sees “beloved” and calls us to live into that vision.

It isn’t enough to just know that God sees us as beloved or beautiful magnificent creations, we must accept that and live into it. The singer in the song says, “I was born to sing for you…I give you back my voice.” It is an understanding of the need to claim the way God sees us for ourselves, to believe and trust in God’s grace, and then live in joyful response to that grace.

If you wrestle with believing that you are God’s beloved, if you have difficulty accepting that God sees your child of God-ness before anything else then I invite you to say as a breath prayer these words offered by one of my favorite authors: “Abba, I belong to you.”

If you have accepted the grace-filled status of Beloved, if you are making it part of your day to day identity, then I challenge and encourage you to make your life a joyful response to that grace by reaching out I the name of the One who reached out to you.

Broken Hearts

34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me....Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:34-36, 40)

“Mother’s of the Disappeared” was originally release on U2’s The Joshua Tree album in 1987. U2’s song is about the Argentinean Mothers of the Disappeared—thousands of “disappeared” people of who opposed a 1976 coup d’état who were kidnapped and never seen again. Similar mothers exist in San Salvador and if you do deeper searches you can see that other countries in South America have “Mothers of the Disappeared,” too.

According to homelessyouthamongus.org, there are over 1 million homeless youth in America. How many “Mothers of the Disappeared” does that make in our own country? When we think of hungry children in developing countries, there are 25,000 children under the age of five who die each day from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.* Every day hunger creates 25,000 more “Mothers of the Disappeared.”

Some have said that the corruption that lead to the "Mothers of the Disappeared' in San Salvador should not be compared to deaths connected to hunger and hunger related diseases.  But if we have the ability to change a situation, and stand by without doing anything, it's a form of corruption.  And hunger, and the diseases related to hunger, can be prevented if we --as humans, as the Church--decided to do something about it.  For the Church, we are called (commanded, even) to not let this continue.  “Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me,” says Jesus. “Hear their heartbeat," says Bono.

My most common prayer is a request for God to break my heart for a people.  When our hearts are broken for people, for communities, we do something about it.  We work for change because we love them.  And when we do something out of love, we are committed in ways that know no bounds.

Let you heart be broken.  Hear the heartbeat of children around the world; hear the heartbeat of children in your own community who do not have enough, and then let love help you answer their prayers.  

*Statistic taken from 30hourfamine.org : “Hunger Fact Sheet”

Table Crumbs

25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:25-28)

It has been strange for me during the last two years because I have not been doing an event called the 30-Hour Famine.  For eight years I had been doing this event with youth groups of local churches I was serving.  The youth would  fast in solidarity with the hungry poor all around the world, seeking to raise awareness that most people in developing countries can feed entire families on one-dollar per day. One dollar—a value menu item at your local fast food restaurant, the cost of a song, many of them anyway, on iTunes—can feed an entire family in parts of Africa and South America.

One year our theme centered around this verse: "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18)  It was amazing watching the youth have this "Aha moment" about what it means to follow Jesus.

The beautiful thing about choosing to follow Jesus is coming to the knowledge that God invites us to be the answer to our prayers.  We get to be crumbs from the Master's Table.   We see "TV's hungry child, his belly swells" and we pray "God, why don't you do something about this?" and "God, why do you allow these things to happen?" As we pray for change to come to our world, as we pray for hunger to end, poverty to cease, God empowers us to make those changes happen, God says, "I have done something about it, I've put you there."

There are times when we become hyper-aware of suffering, last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in Haiti, the ongoing turbulence in East Africa.  Sometimes we get the opportunity to see how long term poverty can make bad situations into even more dire situations when disaster strikes. What we need to be continually aware of it that we have the power to change these situations before the tragedy happens—and for many of us, we can do it with “the crumbs from our tables."

Vertigo

5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him…12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. (John 13:5, 12-15)

“Your love is teaching me how to kneel” is how this song called Vertigo ends. After saying repeatedly “you give me something I can feel,” the song concludes by saying that Love teaches us to kneel.

When we talk about sharing God’s love with the world, are we talking about an abstract emotion (the romance of Valentine’s day)--a feeling--or are we talking about the sacrificial, vulnerable love of the servant who washes the dirt and dust of the journey off of others’ feet?

The longer I study, pray, and experience God’s love the more convinced I become that “God’s Love” is not an emotion meant to just coddle and comfort us; rather, God’s Love is a verb that transforms us from broken to whole, that leads us from lonely isolation to places of connection, that helps us move from the identification as worthless sinner to beloved child. God’s Love kneels before us, pours water into a basin, and washes the dirt of our life journey away and THEN says, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  We're told to do something with our love on behalf of those who need to know about this kind of love.

Go to the place called Vertigo. Walk with God to the mountain tops of life, but remember that we are never meant to stay on the mountains. Let God’s Spirit lift up your days and light up your nights, but don’t forget to let God’s love teach you how to kneel, too. 

Typhoons and the Drowning Man

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

I served in the Navy from 1989 - 1993.  The ship I was assigned to was cruising from South Korea to the Persian Gulf and encountered three typhoons off the coast of Taiwan. Living in the Far East, I now understand that typhoons in this area of the world are common, especially in the late summer and early fall.  The was made the decision to steam through in such a way that we rode the edges of all three storms, letting the "safe" edges of the storm front carry us through. I’ve never been through anything quite so rough while at sea. Most of our crew was bedridden with sea sickness and those of us who did not get sea sick worked extra watch shifts until we made it to the other side. There were moments when I wondered if we would make it to the other side.

Such is life from time to time.  We find the "safe" spots to push through the brunt of the storm, any yet...and yet...there are moments when we wonder--not when--but if we will make it to the other side.  In “Drowning Man” we are reassured that “the storms will pass” and “this love lasts forever.” The lyrics make a direct reference to Isaiah 40: “rise up with wings like eagles” and “run and not grow weary.” 

It is sometimes difficult to not grow weary when life is dumping buckets on us.  It is sometimes difficult to also rise up when the winds seem to be pushing us down--or that we're running into a strong gale wind.  It is difficult sometimes to not grow faint under the circumstances of life.  This is why we need community.

Maybe you have disengaged from community because someone let you down when you needed help the most.  I would encourage you to seek out community again so that you aren't carrying your burdens alone.

What is the source of your inner strength? What is it that helps you get through the rough moments of your day, week, month, or year? If you do not already do so, hold on to the love that last forever! Take the hand of the One who, when everything else is falling apart and failing, stands strong right beside you. 

I've head people say that life has meaning only if God is completely in control of everything.  And when I listen to them, I get this image of God as a puppet master who is manipulating every moment of life.  Or that God is one of the Fates who has written every detail of life into a book and we're just living out the script.  And when that understanding of God is challenged, life ceases to have any meaning at all.  Everything is chaos and faith is difficult to have.

I recently asked someone: "Is it more important to you for God to controlling every aspect of your life or that God be present with you, no matter what?"  It's important to consider that question.  Do you feel better knowing that "God's plan" was to plop you into three typhoons or that God is with you in the three typhoons.

I have come to understand that the great power of God is not in the manipulation of our day to day activities--I cannot believe that we are marionettes acting out a great script written for us that we have no control over.  The power of God is in being with us when we are happy and being with us when we grieve.  And not just being present with us, but rejoicing with us, and grieving with us.  Loving us through thick and thin and whispering encouragement to us all along the way.  God's power lies in love that holds us when we are weeping, like a parent holds a child.  God's power lies in loving us even when we're having a tantrum...yes, even when we're screaming at God we are loved. 

So, hold on.  Hold on tightly.  And if you are not tossed in a storm at the moment, offer hope to those who are.

Promises, Promises (Part 1)

I began a sermon series last week that's looking at covenants in the Bible.  I talk about covenants quite a bit in a variety of settings and usually I get a "lights on" kind of look from folks when I explain the difference between a contract and a covenant.  Contracts are rooted in convenience and return on investment; covenants are founded on relationships and trust.  And when the trust is broken in a covenant, we learn what grace and forgiveness are all about by making the choice to not walk away and to work it out.

The lessons in the lectionary this year are about covenant and we get to move from God's Covenant with Noah and all of creation, to God's Covenant offered to the world on Easter.

But maybe promises and vows are things that we struggle with, and maybe you cringed a bit when I mentioned choosing to not walk away but working it out, because we're accustomed to the "Promises, Promises" mentality.  In the 80s there was a song by Naked Eyes that went something like, "All of your promises you knew you'd never keep; promises, promises, why do I believe?"  We're pretty much ruined when it comes to promises and trust because we've all be hurt more than once, maybe even more than once by the same person.  And on the flip side of the coin, we're pretty aware of how many times we have broken promises ourselves.

And you know that rhyme from when we were kids, if someone doubted our truthfulness, we'd say, "Cross my heart and hope to die."  Maybe add "stick a needle in my eye" if we wanted to really assure the other person of our honesty and trust worthiness.

But the foundation of any covenant is trust.  Plain and simple.  Whether we are in covenant with other people, or in covenant with God, trust is the cornerstone.

But there's another important piece in God's covenants and that piece is a word called "Hesed."  Hesed is a Hebrew word that means steadfast love, unending mercy, never ending loyalty. The cornerstone of trust cannot be crafted without the vital ingredient of "Hesed."  And any covenant that is made by or with God requires knowing about this word.

In Genesis 9:8-17 God promises Noah and all of creation, "Never again."  And what's so interesting to me about this particular covenant is that there's only one party bound by it, and that party is God.  There's nothing for humanity to do, no role for us to play, no vows for us to fulfill.  The only thing we have to do in this covenant is trust--have faith that when God says, "Never again."  It's a "never" that is solid.

I know, there was Hurricane Katrina and there was the Tsunami in South East Asia and, about one year ago, the tsunami here in Japan--but the "never" in Genesis 9 isn't about natural disaster or about floods; the "never" is connected vindication and punishment.  One scholar says that in the Noaic Covenant God, "turns from vindication to forgiveness, patience and steadfast love for creation and for humanity, despite the knowledge that the human heart may (will?) never change."

God says, "regardless of the inconsistency of the human heart, my mind is set.  Never again.  And to remind me, I will hang my bow in the clouds."  We see the word bow and think of a rainbow because of all the pictures and movies and nursery paintings, but one pastor suggests that " as a celestial memory aid, God promises to set in the gathering clouds his war bow, unstrung and pointing away from earth."

Stop and let that picture settle into your mind and heart for just a second.  The war bow of wrath is no longer directed at us, even though our hearts are as constant as a tray of Jello Jigglers.  If one song writer wants to know "Or am I too far gone to get back home?" when asking the "stranger man" to save him, the bow in the clouds reminds us that God has given a resounding "No!" in answer to that question.  Am I too far gone, am I too broken to be fixed, have I changed my mind and my heart one time too many?

God's Hesed says, "No!"  Hesed--steadfast love, unending mercy, never ending loyalty.  Hesed says, "No, you're not too far gone."

When we're at the end of our ropes, when we're at the end of our hope...when we look out the window and all we can see are gray days that go on and on and on and on....Hesed says to us, "It can't rain all the time."

But, let's talk about rainbows...because rainbows are awesome, right?  When we see rainbows we run and grab people so we can share the rainbow with them; we take pictures and post them on the social networking site of choice for other people to see; we ask later in the day, "Did you see the rainbow?"  And there's this innocent joy that radiates from us as we talk about "the rainbow." (You're thinking about it aren't you?  Either that or you're thinking about Kermit the Frog playing his banjo and singing "Rainbow Connection")

The cool thing about rainbows is that they pop up everywhere.  Sunlight breaks through a sprinkler's mist at the just the right angle--BAM there's your rainbow.  Sunlight comes through our windows at just the right time of day, and the glass cuts the ray of light in just the right way--BAM there's your rainbow (again!)  Even on the cover of a Pink Floyd album...

And that's just how Hesed works, if we give ourselves the eyes to see, it's everywhere; and usually, we'll get a reminder right when we need it the most and we have hope to carry on.