Meditation on This Sunday's Gospel

True confession time:  last week I was a Gospel ahead, even though I had the dates correct.  So if you feel you've seen this before, you may be correct.

The readings for Sunday, August 4, 2013:


First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

First Reading (Semi-cont.): Hosea 11:1-11

Psalm: Psalm 49:1-11 (Psalm 49:1-12 NRSV)

Psalm (Semi-cont.): Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

Here is another Gospel where Jesus tells us how to live, and he does it both directly ("Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions") and through the use of a parable.

In this parable we meet a common figure in Jesus' parables, the person saving up treasures on earth. Recognize yourself? We've moved away, many of us, from needing larger barns, although I've met more than one person who moved to a bigger house, just to have room to put all their stuff. In fact, the average square footage of new construction grows increasingly large, while the US family grows smaller. Barn, silo, house--it's all the same to Jesus. And it all goes back to the human need for security. We store up treasures because we're so afraid of the future.

It will be interesting to see how the recent economic downturn and the housing implosion might change us. Will our houses grow increasingly large when fewer people can afford to buy a house? Will we trust more in God, since we've seen how much we can trust in our economic institutions? Or will the events of the Great Recession (or the Great Depression II, depending on your perspective) make us that much more graspy and scared to share?

Jesus comes to preach the radical Gospel of sharing. One aspect of his good news is that we have a Creator who will provide for us. That news is supposed to free us up to give away what we have. Not just our surplus, but all of it.

Most of us don't even do a good job of giving away part of what we have. We're not good at sharing. We're good at hoarding, although if you look at the US savings rate, you might argue we're not even good at that. Most of us fill our longing for security by buying more and more and more--and wondering why we feel so empty.

Usually, as we get more money, we want more money. We turn our attention to building our wealth and securing our wealth--and it takes a lot of time and attention. That process takes time and attention away from what matters: our relationship with God and our care for God's Kingdom.

Those of us who are younger know that we can't rely on the government to take care of us in our old age; we wonder if the Social Security system will exist at all when we retire. Many people have decided that if they can't rely on the government, they'll rely on themselves. But again and again, Jesus calls us to turn away from that kind of thinking.

Does that mean we shouldn't save our money? More and more, I've come to think that if we save more than we give to charity, we're on shaky spiritual ground.

Let me be the first to admit. I DO save more than I give to the poor. I'm working towards getting to the point where I give equal amounts to the poor and to my savings account. But I truly think that I'd be better off if I gave MORE to the poor and less to my savings. I agree with Archbishop Desmond Tutu who said that the unequal distribution of wealth across the globe is the greatest moral crisis of our time. I'd like to be a one-woman redistributor of wealth. But I'm not there yet.

Again and again, Jesus calls us to recalibrate our values. Again and again, Jesus reminds us to turn to God. Even if we're not ready to embrace the vision that Christ has for us, even if we're not ready for full throttle Kingdom living, we can move that way. We can boost our charitable contributions. We can leave bigger tips. We can give change to panhandlers. We can invite the lonely over for a meal. We can speak up in support of the poor (advocate for affordable housing? tell our senators and representatives to fund the food stamp program? there are so many possibilities). If we're not ready to let go of our assets, we could think about how our investments could be used to support our values. Instead of giving each other stuff for every holiday, we could think about what it is we really want: maybe we want charitable contributions, or maybe we want to agree to go on a spiritual retreat or a pilgrimage, or maybe we want a prayer partner.

As with all movement, it's amazing how a small change in direction changes our trajectory over the course of a lifetime. At the very least, we can meditate on passages like these, and pray for the strength and courage to trust God and not our money.

More on the Feast Day of Saint Martha

My blog post on the feast day of Saint Martha is up at the Living Lutheran site.  Go here to read it.

Here are some quotes to whet your appetite:

"Some scholars see the Mary and Martha story as examples of how to live the Christian life and the difficulty of navigating the two ends of the spectrum of possibilities.  Do we engage in service or do we adopt a more contemplative stance?"

"Some years, I see the Mary and Martha story as one that tells me to forgo the earthly chores to focus on God.  All of our busyness takes our focus away from God. God will not appear with white gloves to assess our spiritual progress by way of household upkeep. The assessment of our spiritual progress will focus on much more serious issues than those."

"I love that Martha has a sharp tongue, and Jesus doesn’t cast her away.  I love that we can come to Jesus with our sorrows and our irritations, and Jesus will still stay at the table to eat with us.  I love that Martha tries to make Jesus behave in the way that she thinks he should.  He refuses, but he doesn’t reject her for her attempts.  He understands her all-too-human response to him, and he continues to try to shape her to be the better human that he knows she can be."

While you're there at the Living Lutheran site, you should also check out Anita Tebben Nuetzman's post--more good stuff on Mary and Martha!

The Feast Day of Saint Martha

Today is the feast day of Saint Martha.  You may remember her from the story in Luke, where she hustles and bustles with household chores and grows ever more exasperated with her sister Mary, who isn't helping. 

It's good to remember what Jesus says to her, when she demands that he make Mary help.  Christ says, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.^* Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10: 41-42).

I hear those words anew this morning.  I, like Martha, am worried and distracted by many things.

We also see Martha in the Gospel of John, when her brother Lazarus has died.  You can tell she's seething with anger that Jesus didn't get there in time to save her brother from dying.  She doesn't hold back.

Jesus proceeds with the miracle anyway, even as Martha worries about the smell of her dead brother.

Again, I see so much of my attitude in Martha.  I want to micromanage the miracles.  I want to direct the Divine, not be open to new directions.

Tomorrow, I'll have a longer posting on Saint Martha over at the Living Lutheran site.  For today, let us think about the ways that our chores interfere with the time we have to spend with Jesus.  For today, let us try to cultivate hearts that will be open to Jesus.

Church as Telecom Company

I've had several experiences this week that have made me think about customer service, particularly when it pertains to the church.

Those of you who read my blogs know that I'm in the process of moving.  It's a process that has become much more complicated since the last time I moved.  Once, I called the various utilities to let them know, got to the new place, and everything was ready.  This time, I had to pay a deposit at the water department, even though I've been a customer since 1998.  And then, there's the phone and Internet.

I don't want to dwell too much on my unpleasant experiences with AT&T.  I've spent hours on the phone trying to get the move set up, and then, when things went astray, I've spent hours on the phone trying to straighten everything out.  I talked to customer rep after customer rep who couldn't find me in the system.

I finally broke down.  I said, "Really?  I've been your customer since 1987, and you can't find me in your system?"

I thought of all the people who tell us we've been transformed into a service economy.  I am here to tell you that we have work to do.

I kept thinking about church, and the ways that our churches offer customer service--and yes, I realize that it's a mistake in many ways to think in terms of customer service when we think about church.  More on that in a few paragraphs.

I thought about this behemoth of a phone company who still doesn't know who I am.  I think about my current church, who does know who I am.  I think about some of the women in my church who have told me I should call them when I am consumed by worry.  I am still so happy that they made that suggestion.

I think of a church I visited which gave me a visitor name tag, yet not a soul talked to me.  I had a visitor's name tag!  It couldn't have been more clear that I was new.  I stood there, waiting for someone to talk to me, to invite me to the coffee hour, to ask me if I had moved to town or was just on vacation.

Not one soul talked to me.  I felt so lonely and awkward.  I thought back to adolescence.  Do I never get to graduate from high school?

I left that church and never went back.  And I've been so conscious of being welcoming that I sometimes make mistakes in the other direction.  I remember an Easter Sunday breakfast when I sat at a table that had a man eating by himself.  I made conversation and asked if he was new.

He rared back in disbelief and told me he had been going to this church for decades.  I wanted to say, "Well, I've never seen you here before, and I'm here every Sunday."

Luckily, another church member came to my rescue with memories of that man at that church during his childhood.

Obviously, a church is not a telecom company, but I do wonder how often we behave in the way that those big companies behave.

I'm not the first person to observe that most of us want to be known.  We don't want to be a customer lost in the computer.  We don't want to be a visitor whom no one welcomes.

Those of us who have been going to our churches for a long time may have lost sight about how it feels to be the new kid.  I've been a new kid more times than I like to think about, so I'm always looking for the people at the margins, people waiting to be invited to share coffee and then later, to share concerns and worries.

It's what we're called to do.

Meditation on This Sunday's Gospel

The readings for Sunday, July 28, 2013:


First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

First Reading (Semi-cont.): Hosea 11:1-11

Psalm: Psalm 49:1-11 (Psalm 49:1-12 NRSV)

Psalm (Semi-cont.): Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

Here is another Gospel where Jesus tells us how to live, and he does it both directly ("Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions") and through the use of a parable.

In this parable we meet a common figure in Jesus' parables, the person saving up treasures on earth. Recognize yourself? We've moved away, many of us, from needing larger barns, although I've met more than one person who moved to a bigger house, just to have room to put all their stuff. In fact, the average square footage of new construction grows increasingly large, while the US family grows smaller. Barn, silo, house--it's all the same to Jesus. And it all goes back to the human need for security. We store up treasures because we're so afraid of the future.

It will be interesting to see how the recent economic downturn and the housing implosion might change us. Will our houses grow increasingly large when fewer people can afford to buy a house? Will we trust more in God, since we've seen how much we can trust in our economic institutions? Or will the events of the Great Recession (or the Great Depression II, depending on your perspective) make us that much more graspy and scared to share?

Jesus comes to preach the radical Gospel of sharing. One aspect of his good news is that we have a Creator who will provide for us. That news is supposed to free us up to give away what we have. Not just our surplus, but all of it.

Most of us don't even do a good job of giving away part of what we have. We're not good at sharing. We're good at hoarding, although if you look at the US savings rate, you might argue we're not even good at that. Most of us fill our longing for security by buying more and more and more--and wondering why we feel so empty.

Usually, as we get more money, we want more money. We turn our attention to building our wealth and securing our wealth--and it takes a lot of time and attention. That process takes time and attention away from what matters: our relationship with God and our care for God's Kingdom.

Those of us who are younger know that we can't rely on the government to take care of us in our old age; we wonder if the Social Security system will exist at all when we retire. Many people have decided that if they can't rely on the government, they'll rely on themselves. But again and again, Jesus calls us to turn away from that kind of thinking.

Does that mean we shouldn't save our money? More and more, I've come to think that if we save more than we give to charity, we're on shaky spiritual ground.

Let me be the first to admit. I DO save more than I give to the poor. I'm working towards getting to the point where I give equal amounts to the poor and to my savings account. But I truly think that I'd be better off if I gave MORE to the poor and less to my savings. I agree with Archbishop Desmond Tutu who said that the unequal distribution of wealth across the globe is the greatest moral crisis of our time. I'd like to be a one-woman redistributor of wealth. But I'm not there yet.

Again and again, Jesus calls us to recalibrate our values. Again and again, Jesus reminds us to turn to God. Even if we're not ready to embrace the vision that Christ has for us, even if we're not ready for full throttle Kingdom living, we can move that way. We can boost our charitable contributions. We can leave bigger tips. We can give change to panhandlers. We can invite the lonely over for a meal. We can speak up in support of the poor (advocate for affordable housing? tell our senators and representatives to fund the food stamp program? there are so many possibilities). If we're not ready to let go of our assets, we could think about how our investments could be used to support our values. Instead of giving each other stuff for every holiday, we could think about what it is we really want: maybe we want charitable contributions, or maybe we want to agree to go on a spiritual retreat or a pilgrimage, or maybe we want a prayer partner.

As with all movement, it's amazing how a small change in direction changes our trajectory over the course of a lifetime. At the very least, we can meditate on passages like these, and pray for the strength and courage to trust God and not our money.

Free Will, Faith, and the House Buying Process

On my creativity blog today, I wrote this:

"We were so very lucky on moving day. But I've been saying that during every step of our house buying adventure. For example, I just stumbled across the listing for the house on Zillow, even though the owner was no longer thinking of the house as being for sale. With each step of the way, it's felt like it was meant to be.

I know, I know: I'm a rational person. I know there could be 20 houses out there that would inspire similar feelings. Actually, I know that I'm supposed to think that. With this house and the last one, we looked at so many houses, but only one jumped out at me."

It's my creativity blog, so although I sometimes meander into the realms of the spiritual, I try to keep them separate.  Even as I was writing those lines, I was thinking about the ideas in this post that I wrote on this blog about 6 weeks ago:

"--As we've moved through this process, I've felt protected and guided at every level. You might say it's because I've been praying more. You might say it's because I'm delusional.


--It's important to remember that throughout my life, I have often felt most protected and guided as I've taken risks and taken leaps toward the life I really want to be living. I believe in a God of abundance. These times of risk taking and being open to possibilities can test that belief. I don't want to live in a fear-based economy. I want to live in faith, not in fear and doubt."

I put it another way to people who won't get offended or upset at this idea:  I have felt held by caring hands in this process.  Put another way, I have felt held by God's caring hands the whole way.

I know the next question:  where is free will in all of this?  I have several answers.

--I asked for help and guidance.  I try to remember to do that on a regular basis, but during the house buying process, it was much easier to remember.

--I believe that if we ask for help and guidance, then God doesn't violate the rules of a free will universe.  I have asked, after all.  God can respond.

--And even with God's response, I still have free will in my actions. I don't have to accept help and guidance.

And now it is on to the next step of this process.  It is time to sell the old house.

Yes, we've done this process in the reverse way that most people do it.  Again, luck or guidance?  In any event, I'm grateful.

And I'm open and willing to help and guidance when it comes to selling the old house.

The Feast Day of Mary Magdalene

By now, I've written about Mary Magdalene several times.  My latest thoughts are in this blog post over at Living Lutheran.  I decided to be brave and write about demon possession, even though I'm generally dismissive of the very concept of demon possession in most of my writing. 

I'm going to take the liberty of reprinting here the post I wrote for Living Lutheran last year:

Mary Magdalene’s Lessons for Modern Christians


On July 22, we celebrate the life of Mary Magdalene. Take a minute with the reading for her feast day: John 20:1-2, 11-18. How interesting to have the Easter story out of sequence, here in the middle of summer, and not at its usual time at the end of Holy Week and Lent. Do we notice different nuances?

Actually, the verses that are left out hold an important key. After Mary Magdalene tells the male disciples about the empty tomb, several of them race towards the tomb. They look, they assess, and then they go home. It is only Mary who stays behind to weep.

This week has been more hectic than usual at work, which leads me to reflect on what Mary has to teach us about pace and rushing and hurry, hurry, hurry. It's Mary who stays behind to grieve, while the male disciples are running off to do whatever it is they feel compelled to do. It's because she stays behind to rest and to grieve that she gets to be the first to see the risen Lord.

Busyness is the drug that many of us in this modern age use to dull our senses. But in our busyness, we forget what's really important. We forget to focus on Christ. We forget to model our lives on Christ’s.

Paradoxically, the story of Mary Magdalene reminds us not only to rest, but to stay alert.

If we're too busy, we might miss Christ altogether. If we're not careful, we'll assume that we're not needed and go back to our houses. But if we’re too swamped in grief and despair, we might miss Jesus too. If we're not careful, we won't notice that the gardener is really Jesus.

It's good to be reminded of the resurrection story in the middle of July. Now the year is over half way done. We don't have the magic of spring to renew our spirits. We may be feeling scorched by the weather and grieved by our dashed hopes for the year. It's good to remember that we're promised grace and salvation. The promise remains, even if we don’t always recognize Christ beside us.

You might be saying, “Mary Magdalene? Wasn’t she possessed by demons? Wasn’t she a prostitute? Why would Christ appear to her anyway? Why does she get a feast day?”

There have been many moves throughout church history to strip Mary Magdalene of her importance. Many church teachings portray her as a prostitute, as mentally ill, or both. But I don't usually trust the ancient writers when it comes to their descriptions of emotional or sexual states, especially not when it comes to females. I can see that the ancient church had a vested interest in diminishing Mary Magdalene of her story and her power.

The comfort of the Gospel is that Jesus included all the dispossessed in his ministry. Jesus spent a lot of time with women, and if you read the Gospel closely, you'll notice key women followers often seemed to understand the nature of Christ's work much more quickly than the key males did. Scholars of the early Church tell us that the money supplied by women often kept missions going.

One of the lessons offered in Mary Magdalene’s story might have to do with reputation and how the world might slander us for our faithfulness. But we really can't worry about that. The world will slander us for all sorts of reasons. The story of Mary Magdalene reminds us that there are greater rewards than respect and a good reputation, a reminder that’s still true today in our modern times.