Christmas Day 2016

“Anno Domini (AD): the Year of our Lord”

Isaiah 52:7-10

Hebrews 1:1-12

Mark 1:21-28

“Do not be afraid or discouraged … for the battle is not yours, but God's.”  2 Chronicles 20:15

Anno Domini (or AD) is a Latin phrase translated to mean, “The Year of the Lord”.  When I was a child, I guess I had been taught that BC meant “Before Christ” and AD meant “after Death”.  In some circles this is probably still what is believed; and for Christians, it is the constant reminder that human history was profoundly impacted by the Birth of Messiah.  For people of faith there is no “Before Common Era” (BCE) nor “Common Era” (CE) – for the Messiah of The Holy God is anything but “common”.

Yet because society has chosen the generic BCE and CE designations, the Church must be on constant guard against allowing “The Year of The Lord” to become generic, “common”, routine, mundane.  A pseudo-religious means of designating a point in history when Messiah came into the world must not be rendered meaningless by the neglect of the Church. 

If we as the Church are the Body of Christ In The World today (and indeed we are!), then every year must truly belong to Him not simply because of His birth and not because we say so - but because of the Honor and Glory expressed by the Whole Church because He is truly Lord and Head of the obedient Church.

Even what is “common” (or “unclean”) can come into the Church and often does so without challenge or accountability because we think we’re being non-judgmental in vainly trying to make peace by appeasing rather than confronting what is “common”.  Yet what is so striking about this portion of Mark’s Gospel is not that Jesus taught in a synagogue with extraordinary authority or even that He cast out an unclean spirit.  What is most eye-catching about this reading is the fact – even the idea!! – that an “unclean spirit” could even be in a place of worship, let alone function there! 

That Jesus is no ordinary Person or Teacher goes without saying among Christians.  When we think of worship of the One True God, we generally think of The Word being read and expounded upon; drawing as much meaning as possible so the Word can be better understood and received for all its sacred value.  This is how the Word becomes flesh in the Church! 

So while it may go without saying the Scriptures were surely being read in the synagogue, it had to be The Word Himself which provoked the unclean spirit.  Not the words on the scrolls – the Word in the Flesh, the Presence of something remarkable rather than ordinary; maybe sometimes even confounding, but never “common”.

This may disturb some of us on a fundamental level because of the value we place in the Written Word, and rightly so, yet we cannot pretend words on a page can possibly have the same effect as The Word in the Flesh – not only in Christ Himself but in the Church whose entire life and well-being depend on, and is defined by, the Word which became Flesh and is yet alive today only in the fruits of the Spirit in the flesh of the Church. 

So what was it that provoked this unclean spirit that it would have made itself known in the Presence of Jesus – especially if there was any suspicion Jesus had indeed “come to destroy” them?  4^th century Church Father St. Ambrose believed the unclean spirit could not help itself because it was “compelled and tormented” by the very Presence of the Word, but not the reading of “the words”. 

This, I think, is important for us in understanding the significant difference between “words” and “The Word”; the difference between common knowledge of written words – and faith in the Living Word.  It is the profound difference between a “common” world without Christmas and an extraordinary world because of the Birth of Messiah.  It also signifies the difference between those who will respond to the Word, whether happy or unsettling – and those who reject the accountability inherent to the Word.

St. James reminded his readers “even the demons believe … and tremble” (2:19).  This is to say, the demons have absolute knowledge of the reality of The Holy One.  Where you and I may have our moments of doubt when we are tested, these demons never experience moments like this.  They know.  They “believe” that knowledge as objective Truth, having direct experience with that Truth – not subjective truth as often experienced in human interpretation – especially when the Word is watered down in a vain effort to accommodate and appease as many as possible. 

St. Athanasius believed even this Truth, however, cannot come from an unclean mouth – hence Jesus’ command of silence even as the demon confessed Jesus as the Son of God.  It may not be so much that Jesus did not want to be so identified so early in His ministry, but that such an “unclean” mouth was unworthy of speaking the Truth.

Recall that St. Peter also made a similar confession (Matthew 16:16).  Essentially the same words were spoken, the same declaration made, but Jesus didn’t shut Peter down.  One would be blessed for this confession and the other cursed because the difference between them is that one was spoken from faith, the other from fear.  And not the kind of biblical fear we associate with intense respect, but the kind of fear we may experience when we are at risk of losing something and lack the power to prevent it from happening. 

It must also be said Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God comes not just with the kind of faith as revealed from Above, as Jesus spoke to Peter, but with a deep and abiding love – the absence of which renders faith void and reduces “belief” to nothing more than intellectual knowledge.  Without love, faith is theoretical and has no meaning beyond what one may expect to gain only for oneself – as when we wish to be saved or forgiven, but will not break a sweat to save or forgive another as the Word commands us to. 

What this interaction in Mark’s Gospel suggests for us may be as simple as saying the absence of genuine, abiding, sacrificial Love means the presence of something unclean, something common to the world but ultimately unrecognizable and, thus, unacceptable, in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Religion without faith; faith without deliberate and purposeful expressions of love.

We live in the “Common Era” only if The Living Word is not present in the Holy Church and in our lives as expressions of something wonderful, a sure Peace this world has proved itself incapable of producing – perhaps unwilling to produce in spite of the Word, both inside the Church and outside. 

Anno Domini, on the other hand, is the faithful Proclamation of the Church and the Profession of Her Faith that our Lord came not to condemn but to save; to build up the Church to witness to The Truth, to render aid to those in distress, to demand and provide justice and mercy even to those who seem less than deserving, and to lift up those who have fallen or have been pushed aside.  EVERY.  SINGLE. DAY. That makes up and fully occupies the entire Year of The Lord.

This is the Life we are called into, the Life we are set apart to live and to provide.  For it is that Life which gives and sustains Life even beyond the grave; the very Life offered to us all.  Always in the Year of our Lord.  Amen.

Christmas Eve 2016

“Sometimes The Lord has a Child’s face”

Matthew 1:18-25                                                                                                                                  John 1:1-18

Without overstating the obvious, the Holy God and Creator of all that is seen and unseen revealed Himself in as humble a place and in as innocent a way as we can imagine.  The only ones more humble than the Holy One in this Sacred Moment were those to whom the Message had been entrusted: the shepherds.  Because it may not be a matter of who is more worthy to receive the Message (the entire world had been judged worthy!) – but who is more likely and willing to share it … those who perhaps had nothing to lose or were unafraid to lose what little they may have had.

It is the kind of Message with the capacity not to simply change our way of thinking but to completely transform our whole being - not in a single event or a single profession of faith but in being constantly renewed not only in what we choose to believe but in how we choose to live according to those beliefs.  It is the difference in being an adult convinced there is nothing more to know or to see or to learn – and a child for whom every single day is a new adventure, a new friend, a new joy – the perpetual hope only a child can fully appreciate and express.  Jesus Himself said as much: “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3). 

It stands to reason, then, that the best and purest form of what we can offer to The Lord is not found in our religious practices or our prayers or our tithes, though these things are important as expressions of our gratitude, faith, joy, and hope.  The purest form is in our child-like willingness to trust in spite of risk, to share in spite of risk, to make new friends in spite of risk, to open the joy of our world and our lives and all we have to others in spite of risk.  Faith is not about believing only one thing and calling it “good”; faith is trusting and living in perpetual hope that one thing will always lead to so much more. 

This is the necessary excitement we too often lack as adults.

Think of it in the terms of a child.  We know children must be taught to share, but we also know a child who refuses to share will eventually be found alone.  No child wants to hang out with the kid who closes off his world if there is no hope of being invited to share in those good things and in that joy. 

It is only when the kid finally understands that selfishness and greed bring only loneliness that the child will begin to take a chance and open his world – and his joys - to others … not to give away but to fully share without reservation, to share his joy with others and begin to understand the sacred value of True Joy found only in fellowship and community.

This is why the news of the Birth of Christ could not be restricted to any single individual.  This remarkable News is not meant to be “personalized” or modified in any way to fit only our individual need – thus shutting others out.  Rather, it is in this astonishing Invitation from the Eternal Kingdom that “me” no longer exists but becomes all of Christ in all of us in the purest of forms – that of a Child. 

Renewing ourselves in the Birth of Messiah, breaking away from the mundane, and discovering yet again that necessary child-like faith is as being “born again” in the newness of Life, the purity of innocence, and the renewed hope that tomorrow can and will always be better than today.

We celebrate this Day as the Newness of Life offered to all without reservation and the renewed commitment it is meant to be – in the face of the Holy Child and in the child-like faith of our transformed lives. 

Merry Christmas tonight … and to all a better tomorrow!  Amen.

4th Sunday of Advent 2016 - "Silent no more"

Isaiah 7:10-16

Romans 1:1-7

Luke 1:26-38

“The Lord is our Father and loves us deeply, even when His silence is incomprehensible”.  Pope Benedict XVI

There is a lot of history, obviously, in the 400 years of silence between the recorded end of the First Testament period and the beginning of the New, a lot of history leading up to the Maccabean Revolt in the 2^nd century BC – and leading up to Messiah’s birth.  There is also theological speculation about the significance of this period of silence or whether there is meaning at all. 

I believe there must be deep meaning in the Silence which suggests there is no silence after all; there is only a lack of written material in the Bible. 

I mention the Maccabean Revolt because the books of the Apocrypha (extrabiblical books included in the so-called Catholic Bible) include the books of the Maccabees which tell of this significant period.  There is meaning for Christians because even as we think there was this period in which the Heavens were silent, it was actually a time when The Lord had the most to do.

In 168 BC (and a lot happened to lead to this point), the ruler of the Syrian kingdom (Antiochus Epiphanes IV) stepped up his campaign to wipe out Judaism (foretold by the prophet Daniel 400 years earlier) so that everyone in his empire — which included the Land of Israel — would share the same culture and worship the same gods.  So it was “game on” for the Israelites and the Maccabees who would stand strong to not only cleanse the Temple which had been profaned by unholy worship practices (including the slaughter of swine); they would also stand to protect Israel from this unholy encroachment.

Long story short, you are familiar with the menorah, the six-pronged candle holder described in Exodus 25:31-40 (modern day version has eight – for a reason).  The Temple had only enough oil to keep the candles burning for a single day, but the Presence of The Lord kept the Light burning for eight days, long enough to finish what the Maccabees had begun.  And so in 164 BC began the Jewish observance of Hanukkah which, incidentally, begins this year at sunset on December 24, a remembrance of Divine Light in one of Israel’s darkest periods.  (Though Hanukkah must not be confused with Christmas or be considered the “Jewish Christmas”, there are certain theological parallels regarding darkness and Divine light!)

There are other extrabiblical accounts, ancient books not considered canonical (authoritative) but still offer many stories by which it seems clear that through the supposed “Silent Period”, the world stage was being set for the Messianic Age.  Just as we must never think Jesus just “popped up” from nothing, neither did the Blessed Mother nor Joseph.  We have enough prophecy and history to know our God had not forgotten His people nor had He turned a blind eye or a deaf ear to His Created Order.  Quite the contrary, history and nature were continuing to unfold in what would come to be known as “The Greatest Story Ever Told”.

Silence can sometimes seem awkward in certain circumstances, but silence is also an underappreciated discipline and is even more so in our hyper-stimulated culture in which many of us – certainly our children - cannot seem to take more than a few steps away from cell phones or other electronic devices without going into convulsions.  We’ve lost our capacity for contemplation, our ability to think in silence while giving The Lord time and space in which to speak!  We’ve surrendered our ability to listen!

There have been (and still are) periods in religious history in which it was debated about any particular issue the Bible seems “silent” about – and whether that silence has meaning.  

For instance, many suggest Jesus never specifically condemned homosexuality.  Well, that observation is limited in its scope in looking only for specific words while overlooking all else.  Jesus Himself claimed to be “the Law and the prophets fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17) – meaning “Torah” (what we Christians typically refer to as “Law”) is still very much the Book of The Lord’s people.  It is alive and well … in Eternity.  This is consistent with the Gospel of John which describes Jesus as “The Word which became flesh” (John 1:14), that very same Eternal “Word which was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1). 

The point, of course, is not human sexuality – not even a little bit.  The point is to show how we try to rearrange The Divine Narrative by speaking in the silence instead of listening to the Spirit of the Word in that silence.  We often fail to realize these periods of silence may be among The Lord’s greatest gifts – and perhaps His most rigorous tests to determine whether we will “wait patiently” (Psalm 37:7).

Some scholars and theologians say that whatever is not expressly forbidden in Scripture (preceded by “Thou shalt not …”) is allowed; others say anything not specifically authorized is not permitted.  During the early Reformation period, Martin Luther (1483-1546) taught that “whatever is without the word of God is, by that very fact, against God”, usually citing biblical admonitions not to take away from or add to the Divine revelation of the Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; Joshua 1:7; Proverbs 4:27; Revelation 22:18).

Gradually, however, Luther and other reformers softened their stands, more often than not in an effort to accommodate the dominant culture much like the Church seems determined to do today, catering to the culture rather than ministering to the people who cannot comprehend the Silence just as the “Darkness could not comprehend (or overcome) the Light” (John 1:5). 

Yet few seemed mindful of the wisdom of the Scriptures in which it is written in the Proverbs, “There is a way that seems right, but it is the way of death” (16:25) – meaning “a way” which may fit our culture’s narrative or satisfy our own desires, but it may also stray from the Divine Narrative spoken in Eternity … and heard only in the Silence.  And is always consistent with the Written Word.

All this is to suggest this perceived silence is perhaps when The Lord speaks most clearly, but we cannot hear The Lord in the midst of the all the cultural noise nor in our mind’s demands to have our own way or to be constantly entertained or stimulated.  If the discipline of the Advent season teaches us anything, it is the discipline to “be still before The Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).

In the Catholic tradition there is much more to Mary than that she was only Joseph’s future bride.  According to ancient sources (Protevangelium), Mary had been given over to service in the Temple by her mother, St. Anne, just as the prophet Samuel had been given over to the Temple by his mother, Hannah, for her gratitude in being able to bear a child against the odds (1 Samuel 1:20-28).  Once Mary reached the age of female maturity, however, she could not stay in service in the Temple.  The priests, then, chose Joseph from among all eligible men to take her as his bride (there is yet another miracle attributed to the selection of Joseph, but I don’t want to digress).

The point being made is to suggest that as the stage was being set, Mary had been disciplined and prepared to “wait patiently”, having been in service to The Lord in the Temple for the first 12-14 years of her life.  And clearly she had been deemed worthy to bear this Most Remarkable Gift just as Joseph had been deemed worthy to care for and protect Mary and The Child. 

During this most intense period of silence before the record of the New Testament, The Lord was setting the stage for the redemption of Israel and the entire human race, and The Lord would need serious actors capable of and willing to not only hear Him but submit themselves entirely to His instruction which could only be fully revealed in the Silence.  Think of Joseph’s dreams.

The last of the New Testament is believed to have been written somewhere around 70AD-80AD.  What does this say to New Covenant people in 2016 and beyond?  That The Lord has stopped speaking to us?  That we are allowed to make up new stuff to fit our own chosen narrative?  That we cannot seem to function without explicit, printed instructions?

None of this can be true because the assurance we live with is Jesus’ assurance of Perpetual Presence made manifest at Pentecost when the Spirit would “remind us of all Jesus had taught” (John 14:26). 

The Lord’s people have not been abandoned nor forsaken, for the Spirit of The Lord is never silent.  And though “heaven and earth will pass away, [the Word of The Lord] shall never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). 

The Eternal Word of The Eternal God will endure long after the created order has faded away – but only in the stillness of our hearts and the silence of our minds will we be able to hear it.  “Be still, and know that I am The Lord!  I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”  Psalm 46:10-11

The Lord be with us now and forever.  Amen.

2nd Sunday of Advent 2016, “Imagine the Possibilities”

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 15:4-13

Luke 3:1-18

“The weapons of divine justice are blunted by the confession and sorrow of the offender.”  Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy II: Purgatory

The prophecy of Isaiah speaks of a ruler who will restore justice to Israel, perhaps to the entire world, and the passage is typical of the readings of the Advent season as we “prepare the way of The Lord” – not only to celebrate the Incarnation at Christmas when “the Word became flesh” but also to anticipate the coming of Messiah when life as we know it will be turned upside down.

It is a challenge and is often uncomfortable to look more closely at these passages which, in their New Testament context, seem to speak specifically of the birth of Jesus, especially when we get a vision of an ideal society which will come about when this King takes His rightful place. 

It is a sensitive subject for many because tradition has long held these prophecies to “prove” Jesus is the Messiah; so the idea that Isaiah may not be a direct and specific reference to Jesus challenges what we have traditionally been taught for so long.  It becomes uncomfortable for us when we are challenged to think outside the box we’ve contained ourselves in and look more closely at these passages and the full biblical context rather than to simply take for granted what we’ve long assumed.  Yet no matter how we choose to look at them, Jesus is still the long-awaited Messiah.

There is nothing to disprove Jesus as the Son of God, of course, for Jesus Himself says, “If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.  But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father” (John 10:37-38). 

It is not hard for us to see that this ideal, prophetic society simply does not exist – not here, not now, and not even during the time of Jesus.  So how do we approach such passages in a way that celebrates a Divine Promise come to fruition in the Incarnation - because it has! - and yet also gives us a Divine Vision of possibilities.  In other words, why must we wait for the literal return of Messiah to have a spirit of justice and peace in our society?  Why can we not have this now?

We can.  Of course it takes two to tango, as the saying goes.  As nice as we may try to be – and we must always try – others will not always cooperate.  Praying for our enemies becomes more and more difficult, and turning the other cheek is a near impossibility – not because we cannot but because we will not.  And we will not because “We are “mad as h*ll, and we’re not gonna take it anymore”!  We’re reached the limits of our patience, and we’ve run out of cheeks to turn. 

But “pride goes before destruction” as it is written (Proverbs 16:18); and when we are on our way down to our own destruction as we choose to live on the world’s terms, make our own judgments, and return evil for evil as we determine what is just, it is impossible to imagine Divine possibilities.  It is hard to imagine what we can actually do even when others will not cooperate.  Even within the ekklesia, the congregation, there is often this dominant attitude to “get mine while the gettin’ is good” – missing entirely the point of living well and faithfully - and ignoring altogether the possibility of a peaceful and just and merciful society right here and right now.

Though the prescribed Gospel reading for this 2^nd Sunday of Advent is Matthew’s account of John the Baptizer, I chose instead to read from Luke’s account because there is more detail in the conversation St. John had with those who heeded his call to repentance.  John didn’t just call them to stop doing unjust things; John called them to fully repent – to turn about and do exactly the opposite of what they had been doing.  Essentially he called them to stop taking and start giving – for this is the only way to begin to undo the damage which had been done.

Even then there will not always be cooperation.  Not everyone will go along, not everyone will help, and those who choose to exploit our earnest repentance will make the penitent life more challenging.  This is, however, the very point of the Church, the ekklesia, the congregation of the faithful who choose to live according to Divine Law – that is, the Law of the Eternal Kingdom! – and stop living according to a society that seems intent on its own destruction.  The people of the ekklesia, the Church, must find and make justice, peace, and mercy together.  Welcome those who seek after the same righteousness – and show the door to those who won’t.

The account of the ekklesia in the Acts of the Apostles shows us what a just society looks like, and also shows us what is entirely possible – even when others do not cooperate.  To these new believers who accepted the Word of The Lord and the teachings of the apostles with joy and gladness found themselves not just “personally saved” but called into the greater Body in which such things as justice, mercy, and fellowship are not only possible but very likely.

It will not always be easy.  In fact, living in such a way is the “narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13) through which we must enter into this new life of Divine Possibilities.  And let us not confuse refraining from evil acts with actually doing acts of mercy and justice because the difference is profound.  Simply doing nothing is still nothing.  We are not being moral and righteous people of the Covenant when we do nothing.  Rather it is the “fruit we bear worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8) that makes us whole and holy and righteous and just and merciful and hospitable and invitational. 

It is the Presence of the Holy Spirit and our desire to reflect our Lord in our life together that not only begins to undo the damage we’ve done by our actions and our neglect; it soon comes to be that we move beyond repairing and begin building upon goodness and mercy and justice, allowing the kind of community envisioned by so many of the prophets who have announced that this ideal society will exist one way or another, one day or another – with us or without us.

Above all, we must free ourselves from the shackles of a careless theology that insists Christians don’t have to do anything – for if Christians choose to do nothing but continue to live on the world’s terms and standards which shift from one generation to the next, then nothing will happen.  All will remain the same, and we will continue to settle for whatever we can gain from this world on this world’s terms.

So let this new life of Divine Possibility begin here today.  Let our prayers and our repentance be the beginning of something wonderful rather than merely the end of evil.  Let us stop worrying about what others may do or whether others will cooperate, and begin acting as though the entire Church is depending on us individually.  Because if we do this, it is the beginning.

Only then will we begin to see and feel a difference.  And we will be blessed beyond any standard of human measurement because we will have chosen to be the blessing.  And the Possibilities we have only up to this point tried to imagine through the prophets will soon be our reality in the Eternal Covenant.  This is the Promise and the Reality of the Body of Christ in the world today.  It is the very Life Jesus calls us into – today and forever.  Amen.

Near the End? Or at the Beginning?

1st Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 2:1-5

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44

"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which [one] must knock.  Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.  It is costly because it costs [our] life, and it is grace because it gives [us] the only true life.  It is costly because it condemns sin, and [it is] grace because it justifies the sinner.  Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God so much cannot be cheap for us.  Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon His own Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered Him up for us.  Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

This is “costly grace” as opposed to what Bonhoeffer termed “cheap grace” which, among other things, promises forgiveness without repentance.  That is, believing ourselves to be saved in our sins rather than freed from them.  And if we think about it in the light of the chaos our world and our nation face today, it makes no sense that salvation from all this can be found without a resolve on our part to fully repent, to willfully turn away from the path of death and into the glory of Life.  The ugliness, the hatefulness, the spitefulness, the vindictiveness, and the violence we are sunk into up to our necks?  No one in his or her right mind would care to be left in that swamp of self- and social destruction!  We should wish to be delivered from it!  That is, unless we are actively engaged in it and take some perverse pleasure from the destruction of others.

Yet there must be a reason for wishing to be delivered from this peculiar and not-so-subtle evil we face today.  Humanity is in an extreme mode of self-destruction.  Authority at all levels has been called into question so much so that some feel free to take shots at police officers whose sole purpose in our society is to keep the peace and enforce the laws.  The badge, which should serve to represent the community, has become little more than a target.

Violent protests can crop up at any time and at any place without warning to the point that we cannot plan a day trip without at least being mindful of the possibility of being caught in the cross fire.  Every little thing said – in politics and perhaps especially in the pulpits – can be easily twisted and manipulated to our “offense”because we have not only lost our ability to reason; we have surrendered our willingness to even listen except to hear only what we wish to hear.

We should be so lucky that The Lord would return today!  But we are also compelled to ask ourselves the very question Jesus posed when He taught about The Lord’s demand for justice and our need to pray constantly: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8).    

This is the question of Advent because what we must actually be preparing ourselves for goes far beyond the celebration of the birth of Messiah; we are awaiting the return of the Son of Man who will “judge the living and the dead” (Nicene Creed).  And as St. Paul sounded the alarm to his Roman audience; the time is “nearer to us now than when we became believers” (Romans 13:11b).  Nearer with each passing day.

In our world and especially in our churches, however, we face a much more sinister force than open violence.  We face the insidious deception by means of manipulation of the Bible and what is written for our instruction to build up the whole Body of Christ beyond each individual.  Maybe there were once noble intentions of telling people only what they wanted to hear initially so they would come to church and fill the pews (and maybe even the collection plates!); but as it is often said, the road to hell is paved with noble intentions.

So what to do?  The first Sunday of Advent is to celebrate Christ our Hope.  So what do we hope?   That when “two are in the field and one is taken”, we are not the one who is left?  Sure, but I think we will have to go a little deeper and look a little closer.  We will have to do better than this not only for the sake of our own souls but for the souls of our children, our grandchildren, our great-grands as well as those whom our Lord defines as our “neighbor” – those in distress, those whom the world has beaten to a bloody pulp and left for dead! 

We must also not get caught up in the doom-and-gloom mindset that we are only preparing for the End because this is not at all what Advent is about!  The very nature of repentance itself is not to prepare for the End; rather, it is the start of a whole new life, a whole new way of thinking and doing that not only prepares us for an unknown End to a world we once knew but a known and well-defined Beginning of a whole new life and a new world!  It is the Beginning of a sanctified Life, the Life which purposefully grows in more godly perfection with each passing day!  Not accidentally or incidentally, but purposefully.

Every day is a new Beginning when we enter into that day with a profound sense and spirit of Hope rather than of dread.  And if we are only trying to avoid hell for ourselves, every day is a day of dread and fear!  Yet we cannot overlook Jesus’ warning in Matthew’s Gospel.  We cannot pretend this is not written.  That Day, that “unexpected hour” (Matthew 24:44) will come with certainty, but note what precedes Jesus’ warning about those who will be left behind and how they will come to such a state of being unworthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

False messiahs with false messages of false hope.  Our willingness to believe anything which sounds good, requires nothing from us, and fits our own life’s narrative but is not measured against the weight of Holy Scriptures.  All “good news” with no warnings, no cautions.  Personal salvation with no concern for others.  A sense of forgiveness without having repented.  Baptism without church discipline.  Communion without confession.  Grace without discipleship.  Grace without the Cross.  Life without a sense of having died to oneself so we may live fully in and for Christ. 

This is Bonhoeffer’s take on Matthew 24 – and then some!  I dare to say Bonhoeffer’s message was directed to the Christians of the world – and perhaps especially to those of Germany during the Nazi era – who remained silent in their fear while “others” – those whom Jesus defined as our “neighbor” (Luke 10:25-37) - faced unspeakable evil.  A calling of conscience for those who claimed – and still claim – an affiliation and “personal relationship” with Messiah but with a blind eye and deaf ear to those who suffer, to those who struggle for justice and mercy.

And when Advent is just another “count-down to Christmas” without a closer look and profound resolve and when Christmas itself remains more about family, favored friends, Santa Claus, and gluttony than about The Lord (but we feel perfectly ok about this), we have lost our resolve for any sort of a “beginning” and have rejected the prophetic “Light of The Lord” as spoken of by Isaiah (2:5).  We have chosen instead the darkness of a godless culture; a culture which presumes “all is well” and that “no harm will come to us” (Jeremiah 23:17).

It does not have to be this way, though.  The point of Grace – the very merciful and forgiving nature of our God and Father – is that it is never too late to begin anew – this New Beginning which always involves “others” where once it never did.  It is never too late to repent – and no one of us is above a need to repent from something.  We are never too old or too set in our ways that we cannot embrace the “costly” nature of Divine Grace by which “God did not reckon His own Son too dear a price to pay for our life”.

There is a catch, though.  It is “costly” Grace because it requires our whole life (not just our “Sunday life”) and yet offers to us the fullness of a Life worth living in the here-and-now and worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven when the “Unexpected Hour” (Matthew 24:44) is upon us.  For in Christ Jesus, the Eternal Word, every day can be the very Beginning of something wonderful.  Let it begin here.  Let it begin now.  Amen.

At the Feeding Trough

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Colossians 1:9-18

John 1:1-18

“The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it.”  John 1:5

The first chapter of John’s Gospel is always fascinating for me because each time I read it, I get a broader perspective on the Person – and persona - of Jesus.  In John’s words, Jesus is the “Word which became flesh”; “the Word which was with God, and the Word that IS God” (not to be confused with a Man who became the Word).  This is the very Word which spoke and set into motion all of creation.  The natural order – and, subsequently, the Natural Law - was established in The Word spoken by The Eternal One.

Yet more than only the Eternal Word of the Eternal God, Jesus is also offered to John’s readers as “the Light which shines in the darkness”; the Light by which the Word is fully revealed.  As when the sun was set at the center of the universe and gave its warmth and life-giving light which established the First Day; so in Christ Jesus does the Word Made Flesh enlighten the heart and give light and warmth to the soul by the revelation of the Word which then became flesh and walked among us.

And yet … though “He was in the world and the world came into being through Him … [that same world] did not know Him” – not even “His own”.  This is the part which always gets me because although I have reasonable knowledge of The Written Word – that is, the words printed on the pages of the Bible – and reasonable knowledge of general doctrinal concepts, I wonder how familiar the Real and Genuine Word Which Became Flesh is to me; that Word which spoke the world into being at the Creation and then turned that very world upside down in the Incarnation.

As we prepare ourselves for the season of Advent which begins next Sunday (27 November) – and we must prepare - there is one compelling question we must ask ourselves to guard against Advent and Christmas being just another mark on another calendar year: as we quote a favorite verse from the Bible to serve a particular purpose, regardless of that purpose, do we really know and understand The Word as coming from the Mouth of God Himself?  Do we really understand what it means that “the Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it”?

Jesus as the Word of God in the flesh fulfills many roles and has many names, but I think maybe for the sake of getting the most out of understanding John’s “darkness”, let’s replace “darkness” with “hunger” for the time being, and “Light” with “Bread”.  Now we read, The Word became “Bread”, but the “hunger” did not comprehend it. 

We must learn to think more broadly beyond what is literally written – especially in replacing “darkness” with “hunger” – because of the times in which we live.  Darkness no longer has meaning because Sin is no longer something to be concealed.  With a good “selective reading” spin, a healthy dose of pop-culture, and a deep desire to fit in with the popular crowd, there is no longer any shame associated with sin.  John wrote, “This is the judgment; that the Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  For all who do evil hate the Light and do not come to the Light, so that their deeds may not be exposed” (John 3:19-20). 

Those days are long gone.  Because sin itself has become culturally relative and politically correct, “darkness” is no longer deemed necessary to conceal what once brought only shame but now seems to come with a lot of pride.  Sin has found legitimacy even within and among the ekklesia, the congregation!  Oh, we will quickly point out the sins of others if they are not part of our “group” or if we do not personally “like” them.  Those among the “in” group not only get a pass but also a pat on the back, sometimes even congratulated!  They are not challenged or held accountable for their destructive acts or their hateful words.  To the contrary, they are agreed with and encouraged!  The “darkness” no longer has meaning, and churches are closing by the dozens every year because of it. 

But they – and we - are still hungry!  And it is the Light of the Word which reveals our profound hunger.  The Lord’s condemnation of the “shepherds” (priests and prophets, Jeremiah 23:1-6, 11) runs very deep because of the false, comforting, and “happy” messages they convey: “They keep saying to those who despise the Word of The Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to all who stubbornly follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, ‘No calamity shall come upon you’ (Jeremiah 23:17)”.

It must be observed, however, that St. James offers a stern warning to those who would propose to be “teachers” and not just prophets and priests; “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). 

How are any of us removed from that challenge?  When Moses commanded everyone to know and be faithful to The Word, he was not speaking only to classroom teachers: “Keep these words I am commanding you today in your heart.  Recite them to your children when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).  In other words, BE the Word – all of it, and not just the cotton candy portions – because even the cotton candy portions have no spiritually nutritious value apart from the meat and potatoes.

Every baptized member of the Covenant has a teaching role – formal or not, as the “priesthood of believers”.  Parents, neighbors, and friends are commanded not only to know The Word; we are compelled to live The Word.

Baptism, confirmation, being justified or born again comes with a whole lot more than a formal setting or personal privilege – just as Advent and Christmas cannot be mere “days” on a calendar marked off as a check-list of things to be done.  These celebrated days are part of what can “feed” us throughout the calendar year.  These events mark a part of our being which can never be removed from us – but only if they become fully as much a part of our being as flesh and bone.

The world is enveloped in darkness still; but as the theory of evolution keeps trying to convince us, we have evolved to the point that we do not even know it is dark.  Yet even within that darkness, we can still know hunger which can never be satisfied with junk food.   And I must say there is an awful lot of junk food being offered in churches and by ministries all across this land.

What is much worse is the treatment of Jesus as not much more than a “candy bar” rather than the Full Meal He truly is; and we do this by our selective, “happy” quotes rather than by full contextual understanding.  The good stuff can have no meaning apart from the bad stuff.

There is no “buffet” offered in the Scriptures.  The Banquet of The Lord is a full meal, but it is a meal which is set before us.  We can still pick and selectively choose from what is already on the plate; but if we do not trust The Lord to set before us all we truly need, even the brussels sprouts, we will walk away from the Table hungry, less-than-satisfied, and a lot less nourished – and spiritually vulnerable to the “darkness”.

Our God, our Heavenly Father knows what His own children need for sustenance, but we must first be willing to take our seat at the Table and allow ourselves to be fed – because it isn’t your desire or my menu; it is always the Father’s Way – and that Way is Christ Himself in His fullness as The Word, the Light, and the Bread.  All we need … for here, for now, and forever.  Amen.

The Case for a Special Prosecutor

Is there a New Sheriff in Town?  Or are we looking at the same game but with different players?

Should the new president appoint a special prosecutor to look into the allegations still standing against Hillary Clinton, what happened in Benghazi, and the Clinton Foundation’s connections to the US State Department during Hillary’s tenure as Secretary of State? 

In a word, yes, but probably not for the reasons one might think.  Republicans have been after the Clintons since 1992 when Bill stepped onto the national stage to run for president.  Yet even with those allegations of financial impropriety in those days, the best indictment the special prosecutor could seem to scare up leading to an impeachment was President Clinton’s illicit affair with Monica Lewinsky.  Though that “charge” was true – as per then-President Clinton’s public admission – the Senate did not convict.  Strictly along party lines.

Special prosecutors are not so impressive after that debacle.  During the latest campaign, however, there were more serious allegations made against then-Secretary Clinton about “pay to play” in foreign governments giving millions to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for State Department favors in addition to Secretary Clinton using a private email server through which official and sensitive State Department information flowed.  The accusations back and forth and the proven unreliability of the news media seem to favor an independent review and investigation especially in light of the FBI director’s seeming bungling of the affair and his public announcements as the presidential campaign was winding down.

The counter-charge was these accusations against Secretary Clinton were baseless and little more than political efforts to derail her presidential campaign.  Fair enough.  We’ve seen plenty of this and more from so many politicians who end up best buddies with political favors coming from the winners.  The explanation is always, “That’s how the election process/game works”.  Well, none of it is a game to voters who try to discern a good choice but are forced to wade through the muck of a campaign to try and ascertain the truth – or what comes closest to resembling some measure of truth.

With that said, then, there are a couple of reasons why the new president must appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations against Mrs. Clinton.  Not least among the most important reasons, Secretary Clinton proclaimed her innocence.  Fine again.  If there is found to be no fire underneath all that smoke, then justice demands she and her family be finally and completely exonerated.  As with everyone else, she is entitled to justice; but also as with everyone else, her word alone is not good enough just as an accusation made is not good enough.

On the flip side, however, because there are too many doubts and too many conflicting accounts and because FBI Director Comey’s and US Attorney General Lynch’s credibility are all but shot in the eyes of the public, justice demands an independent review for this simple reason: if there can be proved any measure of impropriety or outright illegal or treasonous activity in all this mess, the nation deserves justice – not because we finally get to “bring down a Clinton” but because the nation has been shown time and again that there are political favors only to those who are moneyed and well connected.  There are good men who are doing time and/or have lost everything for much less than what Mrs. Clinton has been accused of.  These men deserve no less than the US government’s full attention to the allegations against the former Secretary of State.

Mrs. Clinton is not too popular or too rich or too moneyed or too connected or too sick to stand up to such scrutiny; and if she is, so much further does the credibility of this government sink even before the new president can take the oath of office.  It will also be affirmed to America that all these allegations against Mrs. Clinton were little more than political efforts only to derail her presidential campaign; just “politics as usual”, and not at all about justice or national security.  The Republicans are sitting on the edge of credibility.  If we discover they really were just “playing the game” by slandering an otherwise innocent person, they have nothing left to offer.

Ultimately, justice – for Mrs. Clinton and for the American voting public – demands our full attention.  Anything less, and this will always hang over the Clintons and their Foundation – and Americans will never trust their government again.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Isaiah 65:17-25

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Luke 21:5-19

“You will be hated by all because of My Name; but not a hair of your head will perish, for by your endurance you will gain your souls.”  Luke 21:17-19

If there was ever a time we need to see light at the end of the tunnel, it is now!  This campaign has done more to damage and betray the Christian witness than any other I can recall in my own lifetime, and it is apparently far from over!  The Electoral College has yet to officially cast its ballots, but I doubt things will settle even then.   But we have also discovered the world is still spinning on its axis.  Our nation is still sending her sons and daughters into battle zones, poverty continues to haunt our neighbors, complacency is still a problem in the Holy Church – and The Lord is still The Lord.

I don’t know what it will take for spiritual revival to awaken the Church, let alone the nation.  Frankly I’m not even sure it is possible at this point considering the continued rise of the “none’s” (those who have no religious affiliation) and the “spiritual but not religious” – both inside and outside the Church – all of these more individually attuned to “mine” rather than “ours”.  An author recently observed, quoting Isaiah 13, that this election was actually The Lord’s judgment on us.  The election itself – since he wrote his piece before the election!

He wrote, “I look at the headlines, our candidates, our political parties, our civic life [including church life], and mostly what occurs to me is that The Lord has given us over to ourselves in this election, and He lets us make fools of ourselves with it.  And not just this election.  All the signs of Divine Judgment of a nation, or a civilization, seem to be on us … Many civilizations have disgraced themselves with the murder of their enemies.  But my own [civilization] is one of few so debauched that we kill our own children and call it good.” – Michael Brendan Dougherty, “This election is God’s Judgment on us”, 7 November 2016

He sees all this and more from the context of Isaiah 13:9-11a: “The Day of The Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation, and to destroy its sinners from it.  For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.  I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.” 

Many of us have made flippant statements about The Lord’s wrath, but we usually mean His wrath toward “others”; more specifically, non-Christians.  We do not often consider Jesus’ declaration to His own followers: “To whom much has been given, more will be expected” (Luke 12:48). 

But we also must not dismiss what Jesus was teaching His followers in today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel: “You will be hated by all because of My Name”.  But I seriously doubt Jesus was referring to a militant Christian attitude by which “values” are forced upon others by government action rather than taught to them by faithful living and human engagement as the Great Commission requires of us; “Teach them to observe all I’ve commanded …”

The selective reading from Isaiah 65 requires an appropriate context before even the Good News can have any real meaning for us – especially because The Lord is revealing to His people the “light at the end of the tunnel”; more specifically, it is revealed to The Lord’s “servants”.  Actually, part of the problem of “selective” readings prescribed in the Revised Common Lectionary and many devotionals is the loss of context in selective reading. 

The burden falls on the preachers and priests AND readers to be honest with the text – rather that to quote selectively to create a preferred and somewhat false narrative - and fill in the blanks so congregations and we individually can get a full taste of what is really being expressed.  And none is more important than the full context of Isaiah’s 65^th chapter.  There is Divine anger and judgment expressed, but this must be considered as part of our own journey as we venture toward – and search diligently for – the “light at the end of the tunnel”.

Before the “fuzzy puppies and fragrant flowers” portion of Isaiah’s ‘happy’ discourse is The Lord’s indictment of His own Chosen People.  The “fuzzy puppies” portion is what is offered to those who remain after The Lord’s wrath has judged an entire nation and “sinners have been destroyed”.  The chapter begins with The Lord’s plea; “I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, [ready] to be found by those who did not seek Me.  I said, ‘Here I am, here I am’ to a nation that did not call on My Name” (Isaiah 65:1).

Continuing to accuse those who “who provoke Me to My Face continually” (vs 3), The Lord says, “I will repay into their laps their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together” (vs 6,7).  Then He says, “My servants (note it does not say, “My people”) shall eat, but you (who have provoked Me) shall be hungry” (vs 13). 

Then we move into the assurance of “new heavens and a new earth” (vs 17).  Those who survive, those who “endure [faithfully] to the end”, as Jesus teaches, will not even remember these “former things”; those who were truly “servants” of The Lord for whom these “former things” never had meaning – or if they once did, we saw the Light and turned away.  There seems no mercy for those with only a loose and ill-defined affiliation to The Lord – those who live on their “chosen” status in arrogance but do not live into the Covenant itself with mercy and justice toward both “neighbor” AND “stranger”.

These “former things” must be considered, also, as more than the Judgment itself.  The Faithful, those who truly “serve” The Lord, have endured – and will continue to endure - the persecutions and other hardships endured by the faithful, the temptations experienced and overcome, the ministries that sought to call the land to repentance in mercy and justice rather than by verbal demands or hollow spiritual threats, the faithful who stood firm when the cultural tide of “whatever feels good and seems right” threatened to overwhelm them, refusing to follow the practices of men and women – including oneself - and choosing to purposely follow Christ.

We must also be more aware that “persecution” must not be construed as not getting our way or getting our feelings hurt because folks disagree with us or mock us for our faith (or, more likely, our hypocrisy).  First we must determine whether we are being disagreeable in a less-than-holy, less-than-Christ-like manner.  Then the manner of our perceived persecution must be measured against those around the world who are literally being executed – or are suffering the unspeakable horror of watching their loved ones being executed - for being Christians, for being Christ-followers.

Isaiah portrays a harsh Judgment on the complacent who will bring judgment upon themselves by their own complacency and not by the acts of others - and Jesus portrays a less-than-appealing vision of what the faithful may be forced to endure.  Then St. Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, sharply distinguishes between those who earnestly “work” and those who expect all the goodness without putting in the work necessary to produce that goodness. 

They should go hungry as they most certainly will “be hungry” on The Day of The Lord (Isaiah 65).  I dare say the broader principle in Paul’s writing has little to do with temporal wages to be spent only on oneself for one’s own sustenance – because our Lord Himself says “I am the Bread of Life; those who come to Me will never hunger … [for] My flesh is real food and My blood real drink” (John 6:35, 55).

This is the sustenance we require to persevere through this dark tunnel of life; not just the Bread we celebrate at Holy Communion but also the Bread that is The Word Himself.  And we need each other, for that is the strength of the Holy Church sufficient to endure the Journey, to serve with one another as a “sanctuary” against the chaos of a world imploding in its violence and degradation, injustice and exploitation, the place to come and be fed – IF we are willing to take our places at the Table to gain strength for the Journey.

And if, during this Journey, our own light begins to flicker and our strength begins to fade – and it will! - we with the encouragement of our fellow disciples and sojourners will look up – and we will remember that the True Light had already pierced the darkness when Messiah was born.  It is that Light in which we will find our way Home.  Amen.

Why Fathers should take their families to church: the state of the world and our part in the mess

Looking at the aftermath of the election is more than a little disturbing.  Folks for whom the election did not go their way are protesting in the streets and threatening violence until they get their way, and those for whom the election results were satisfying are gloating.  For a long time, our society has been devolving into a mass of crying, screaming fit-throwers ill-equipped to deal with reality and offer even a small measure of respect to others.  Today we are reaping what has long been sown.

There is a lot of speculation about how this generation has become so entitled and so sensitive – sensitive only to their own demands, not for their “neighbors”.  One person suggested it began when pee-wee teams began giving “participation” trophies to every player.  Many have suggested that we fall all over ourselves to get our children the latest and greatest toys or electronics devices for Christmas, birthdays, or just because they want it.  It does not seem to matter whether we can afford it.  If someone else has the “latest and greatest”, we feel cheated and entitled.

I think maybe the problem goes even deeper.  We always say (and quote the Bible) that this nation needs God.  “Blessed is the nation whose God is The Lord”.  The problem is that too many of those who post this quote on social media are not engaged in the life of the Church.  The popular saying is, “We don’t need to go to church to worship God”. 

Fine.  It is true enough that many church-goers have no real idea why they’re there, and too many others go to church with their own demands and expectations.  It is equally true we Christians are among the world’s great hypocrites.  I freely admit it and own it.  I don’t settle for it; I strive to do better.  And I fail often.  Were it not for the Church, who will hold me accountable for my actions if I am my own “god”, pretending I am my own “church”?  According to biblical standards?  According to Jesus’ teachings?

Here’s the thing.  When we do not take our families to church and teach them why we are there and how to be an active part of it, we teach our children something else without even realizing it.  We are teaching our children that self-pleasure (“hedonism” is the word for it) is primary above all things.  We teach our children that they don’t have to do something they don’t want to do because this is what we do.  And if the parents do not feel like it, they teach their children that enjoying their life on their own terms is what “America” and/or “freedom” are all about, and that our “feelings” should always serve as our moral compass.  Being a “good person”, very subjectively defined, becomes the primary religion (the “New Age” religion by which one declares oneself one’s own god).

The abyss goes even deeper.  Taking our families to church without teaching our families about worship and the true life of the Church and what it means to serve The Lord and one another (remember the Great Commandment and the other great one that is like the first, according to Jesus?) makes “going to church” the end itself rather than a means to a much great End.

Church is not about “going to heaven”.  Life in the Church is bigger than even this because Eternity does not begin only when we are dead.  We are in the midst of eternity this very day, this very hour!  One day The Lord will return and judge us all, and church attendance is not strictly listed in the Scriptures as one of those things by which we will be judged.  Then again, our own subjective, cultural notion of being “a good person” is also not listed.  There is more, much more; and our children have already been missing out on the “more” of what life in the Church can offer because we have been teaching them the world is their oyster without realizing the oyster is dead.

We must do better, and it begins – yes, I’ll say it – with the father because our children – in fact, our entire society - are digressing despite all the “progress” we think we’ve made.  Our children do not know why the world does not revolve around them because life in the home does, in fact, revolve around them.

“I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek Me.  I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on My name.  I held out My hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices …”  Isaiah 65:1-2 NRSV

Maybe we are already facing the Judgment.  Maybe there is a reaping unfolding before our very eyes.  Yet The Lord was – and still is - calling out to His people that a New Day will soon be upon them, but only the faithful – those who “seek” and “ask” and “knock”, those who hungrily follow the Good Shepherd rather than expect Him to follow us – will survive what will soon be the “former things”.  Those who “look back” to a life selfishly sought after and coveted will be left to “their own devices”.

Fathers, take the lead in your homes.  Repent of the former life that has helped to spawn a godless generation.  Teach your children the more excellent way.  Learn about the more excellent way yourselves.  It will be hard to reorient yourselves and your children toward others, but that is exactly where the Church will find The Lord.  Only then will we find the Life we were called to in the first place.

A Thought

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of The Lord, and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know they do evil.  Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before The Lord.  For The Lord is in heaven, and you on earth.  Therefore let your words be few; for a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.”  Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 NKJV

One of the many things said to be destroying the Church from within is the consumerist mentality.  That is, we do not often attend worship for The Lord Himself.  Rather, we go – and have probably been so conditioned for a very long time – to get something from The Lord.  And if a particular church does not give us what we demand for ourselves, we slander the preacher and brand him/her a fool, and simply move to the next one … and the next one … and so on until we get what we demand.  Many leave churches claiming not to have been “fed”; but it must be observed that the “food” is being offered in abundance, but these consumers only want dessert.  So they refused to even sit at the table as the meal was offered.   

But what does the Teacher/Preacher (depending on the preferred translation) mean by walking “prudently” when entering the house of The Lord?  To be “prudent” is to be, among other things, “advisable”.  That is, we are encouraged to enter into the house of The Lord with a willingness to “be advised”.  What we get may not be at the top of our list of demands; but coming from The Lord through His Word, we can be sure it is what we need most desperately.  Faith, then, is a level of trust that what we need most is what we will get.  It may not fit our personally construed narrative, but we can be sure it is His narrative because this is exactly what we are being invited into: the New Covenant.

This is why “prudence” is of the utmost importance.  It is not unlike being hired for a job with a company.  That company has its policies, its requirements, and its expectations.  When we are hired, we are invited into an already-established narrative.  We should not expect that the company will suddenly change its long-standing practices to accommodate us only because we find ourselves unable to embrace the narrative as it stands.  Like the Covenant narrative, we are also free to walk away if we cannot – or will not – live into its terms.

Yet unlike the job which was very likely not so easy to get, the Covenant is an open invitation with no prerequisites!  There are indeed terms we must be willing to embrace and live into, but we need not worry about “impressing the Boss” because that Invitation was issued long ago with no requirements except an open willingness to be loved!  Yet if we already have our own terms set, our own demands listed, we cannot hear the invitation because we are too busy laying out our own desires.  We are not “advisable”.

To be perfectly honest, this is a very difficult kind of love to conceive of because we do not see much of it in our world, in our culture’s narrative – especially during election season!  Since we cannot see it and rarely experience it, it is hard to believe such a depth of love exists because we try to compare Divine Perfection with human imperfection.  Yet if we are willing to be “advisable” and fully open to such a possibility, The Lord assures us He will go to great lengths to make us aware and help us to experience this new life!  There is no action, there are no words on our part necessary to attain this Love because it is already given, and very freely so; but if we are too full of ourselves and our own demands, we cannot be “advised”.

“Be still and know I am The Lord”.  He beckons us in our humility and in our silence.  Do you get this??  “Be still” in the Scripture not only speaks of physical movement but also of speech.  “Be still”, our Lord says, “and just let Me love you”. 

The Lord is great, is He not?

Michael