Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Jacob Goes ‘Boxing After Dark’”




All this month we are looking at the dramas of the Old Testament. Stories filled with harrowing accounts and death-defying drama that was passed down from person to person long before HBO became a prized premium subscription network on our televisions.  The way we stand around now and talk about the latest episode of our favorite TV shows is likely the same in the enthusiasm for the drama that existed when these stories were told over and over again throughout the ages.  Stories of brother against brother and women of little means taking big risks to defy the king.... so much drama and so many life lessons along the way.  And in HBO's "Boxing After Dark," the subscription channel highlights not a fictional drama, but real-life boxing matches, often between less well-known fighters with something to prove.  A fight for recognition and prominence.

This week's HBO (Harrowing Biblical Occurrence) is the story of Jacob wrestling all night with the strange man.  Jacob goes boxing after dark.

Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me. So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 


What on earth is going on in this passage? What could be the strange man/angel/ghostly figure that Jacob wrestles with?  Is Jacob imagining this wrestling or is it actually happening?  What does it mean to wrestle with some unknown entity all night until daybreak? To the point of actually being hurt by the wrestling?

Jacob refuses to stop the wrestling, even after being hurt, until he receives a blessing from this 'man.'  He continues to struggle until the blessing occurs.  He chooses the fighting and chaos over the moment of crying 'uncle' in the midst of intense battle.  Why?  Why is the blessing (the recognition, the prominence??) so important to Jacob at this moment.

In this time of intense fighting in the Middle East, between Hamas and Israel's army ("Israel" is the name Jacob receives after this wrestling, because, as the fellow wrestler said, "you wrestle with God and man."), many theological conversations could be had about the continued wrestling, even to the point of injury, without giving in, until a blessing (peace treaty?) is reached. Those issues are very complex and difficult to tease out and much more intense than a mild comparison made by a lifelong Methodist, so I'll just leave that idea to sit there.  Wrestling to the point of injury so that a blessing can be received.

We read in the gospels that Jesus does his own boxing in the dark, so to speak, at the Garden of Gethsemane, doesn't he? He wrestles with this path he feels compelled to be on, even to the point of sweating actual blood droplets.  Jesus is not going to the cross without intense, blood-sweating, struggles in his soul about the choices (yes, choices) he is making.

What makes us wrestle within ourselves?  Why do you continue to go 'boxing after dark?' What struggles do we continue to take part in, even to the point of injury to ourselves? What makes us hang on to a struggle no matter what... what is 'the blessing' we are seeking from the struggle?  Email me or comment below.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

"Mustard Seed Magic"

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52



Ok, so the sermon title is a reading book from elementary school, for those who were in school in the 1970s. The sermon is not about learning  to read though.  I must admit, however, that the game of comparison begins in earnest from the very beginning of our educational lives.

It has been said that the real original sin is comparison.  Looking at what you don't have that someone else does and comparing your 'have not' with their 'have.' Which makes me wonder if perhaps the act of comparison itself is the root of all other sins. Whether we like it or not, perception plays a BIG role in how we see or don't see each other, how we love or don't love each other, and how we think we measure up or don't measure up to everyone else.  That is partly the context of all these parable messages we've looked at for the last few weeks... How we act as a good seed surrounded by bad soil. How we interact or not with weeds and those who consider us to be weeds... a million different perceptions, all accurate and all grossly inaccurate at the same time.

Life is full of perceptions.  A friend told me she went to see a baseball game the other night because a youth she knows asked her to come watch him play. She didn't know anything about his baseball playing and had no preconceived notions at all about what he might be doing... playing, sitting the bench, whatever. Turns out he was the pitcher. She said she was immediately impressed... I mean, he's the team leader after all.  His mom had a totally different perception because she was stressed that he was leading a losing effort.  My friend saw this young man as a rock star. Others there saw him as a struggling player.  Preconceived ideas.  Comparisons.  The world views change constantly.

So, we have, in this parable a mustard seed. An insignificant mustard seed. Small, so small... so very small that you almost can't see it.  I have a mustard seed necklace that I got as a kid and the seed is in a glass ball which kind of magnifies it so you can see it.  Anyway, in the parable, there is this mustard seed... and the story goes that it grows into the 'greatest of shrubs' and becomes a tree and the birds nest in its branches.  This tiny seed becomes a big tree.  There are other pieces to this scripture.. about a woman with yeast and flour and a man finding a pearl in a big field and buying the field.... the point is pretty obvious... you can have little things that make a big, big difference in your life.  Like a pebble in your shoe, as another kind of example.

So what do we make of this lesson? Of the mustard seed analogy? Do we need to grow into big trees that birds nest in?  And who perceives us as a big tree or not? Or is there some intrinsic value to just being a small seed?  Or a small tree? And what role does comparison (compari-'sin') play in our determining whether large or small is best and of more value?

What if my friend had gone to watch the game and her young friend playing ball had played two innings in right field and sat the bench the rest of the game?  Would she feel differently about him than she did after her surprise that he was the team leader, the pitcher? Is he a bigger tree because of his role, or is it perception and comparison that makes it so? And how or why is one greater than the other?

We have a choice of following our ego or thanksgiving. Following ego leads to comparison, guilt, separation from God, etc.  If we choose instead thanksgiving, we are, in a sense, tossing the ego away.  Beginning each moment with a thanksgiving to the Divine for all of it... the good and the bad and everything in between. Being truly thankful instead of being truly desperate and envious for something more.

So, then, the mustard seed need not struggle to see if it can grow into the 'greatest of bushes,' rather the mustard seed is thankful for the natural growth process of being a seed.  The choice not to try to control an outcome by comparison, but to let the outcome unfold on its own.

Maybe, then, the 'tree' that gets created from the mustard seed is not large to all who see it. For the birds who nest in it, though, it is a sanctuary.

How do perceptions, comparisons, etc. affect the way we respond as Christians?  How have these vices prevented us from being Christ in the world?  Email me or comment below.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Weeds and Seeds

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

In this parable, Jesus says that an enemy came in in the night and sowed weeds among the seeds. The servants ask if they should get rid of the weeds and the master suggests they grow together until the harvest, otherwise the good plants might be pulled up with the weeds.

It is an intriguing parable about what to expect on judgment day when, as Jesus explains, the weeds will be thrown into the fire and the righteous plants will shine like the sun.  And in some sense it is troubling because we get into the hellfire and damnation view of God's wrath in this parable.

Perhaps if we think about the decision of the master to let the weeds and seeds grow together, we might unearth some further meaning and help us to deepen our understanding of this parable.

The fear of the master is that the good plants will be pulled up together with the bad weeds if they are plucked too soon.  They should wait until harvest to be separated.  So, there must be some thought that at this stage it is OK for the weeds to be out there in and among the plants growing in good soil.

Is there some degree to which we are supposed to be mingling with weeds? And dare we ask if there some part of us that  fits the 'weeds' category? And is it bad to let both darkness and light mingle together in their journeys for a while, feeding off one another? It can really send your mind off in a lot of different directions. At what point does God think evil should be plucked away from good? When is that 'harvest' exactly? And what is the determination for what is a bad 'weed' and a good 'seed,' anyway?

And, while we're on the subject of weeds, we may as well go ahead and admit right up front that the word 'weed' itself has become synonymous with our great state of Colorado. Whether we like it or not, you say the word, 'weed' here and it no longer means a dandelion growing on your lawn. It means that shop in Boulder where you can buy an eighth an ounce.  And honestly, there could be a whole other sermon on whether 'weed' in and of itself is seen as good or evil and it is absolutely seen in both lights, and for valid reasons.

But that is a sermon for another day. This one is about the intermingling of the darkness and the light of our lives and how this apparently can be a part of the grand design of life. And it is about the way we grow and learn and don't grow and don't learn from both darkness and light. And why, in this parable, it seems important to the master to leave them growing side by side, at least for a time.

And it is about how a time will come when the weeds and good plants will be harvested and sent away one from the other. And the fire will consume the bad and the righteous will shine like the sun.

What is your experience with plucking weeds from the garden or just letting them grow alongside? Which makes the most sense to you?  What do you think Jesus is trying to teach us in this parable?

Email me or comment below.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

"Choosing The Soil"

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23




When you were a kid, did your parents mark your height with a pencil mark on a wall or on the door frame? Did you do that with your own kids, if you have them? Marking height and watching someone grow is a joy to anyone who is around kids as they are growing up.  We want to know height and weight as soon as they are born and then we want to keep up with those statistics far into their childhood.  I remember the pediatrician telling us that our son Jake  (who was about 2 years old at the time) would probably grow to be 6’ tall. I simply could not believe that. Of course, the doctor was correct, and he’s even a little taller than that. But it was hard to believe at one time.

In the next few weeks, we will be discussing the topic of “Growing Seasons.” What it literally means to tend, care, love, watch something grow, whether in your garden or a person in your life (yourself, even…).  We will explore growing through the lens of the parables Jesus shares on the seeds and soils found in the gospel of Matthew.

This week, the parable of the sower. OR sometimes it’s called the parable of the soils. Jesus tells us of the different kinds of soils a seed can land in. 
1) Seeds on a path that get eaten by the birds before they ever have a chance to grow. 
2) Seeds on the rocks that don’t have any depth of soil, and therefore no roots. 
3) Seeds among thorns that got choked out. 
4) And seeds on good soil that brought forth grain.

Jesus suggests to the disciples that this correlates with the hearing and understanding, or lack thereof, of the word. That those who hear and understand have fallen on good soil.

Do we have to depend on random placement as to whether we are seeds in good soil or seeds on another, less appealing, path?  Or do we have some level of choice, intention and responsibility of getting ourselves to the ‘soil’ we need?  It’s all a little unclear from what we have read and explained for us in Matthew, but there is the sense that paying attention to how you receive the word and how you let life’s interruptions and distractions affect your reception of the word are important tasks.

As it is with children growing up, we need to be sure we pay attention to what aids in growth for us as faithful disciples and what doesn’t. What is the ‘junk food’ of our lives that we need to replace with ‘balanced and nutritious’ living instead?  How do we mark our growth on the doorstop of our faith and what do we do when we encounter rocks and thorns?  Interesting stuff to ponder.

Questions? Email me or comment below.



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Confusion. Lack of understanding. Generational barriers. Community barriers. Class and status barriers. People not willing or able to cross a divide of understanding. The Jesus followers faced a wide array of confusing and difficult uphill battles.  They got tired and frustrated.  And in the midst of these trying times, Jesus speaks to them the words "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

True, we have used these words in all sorts of contexts away from the original context in which they were spoken, but they still hold so much meaning for us. They are words we like to 'fall into' when we get tired of 'the world' as we know it.

Jesus was unable to convince those who were well off and intelligent and at the top of their game to follow his path to God.  His message was instead embraced by fishermen, women, outcasts, etc. These were the people who made up his first entourage, the earliest disciples.  And their fatigue came from trying to fight the uphill battle of the secular and dehumanizing society around them.  And yet, "come to me" and "you will find rest for your souls" were the remedies Jesus offered them. Their escape path.

Paul Coelho, speaking with NPR journalist Krista Tippett, said "I come from an impoverished country. I see in the eyes of people something I seldom see in developed countries, joy of life."  This simple, yet profound, statement gets at the heart of today's scripture.  The people Jesus is referring to who realized the simplicity of falling into the Spirit, of letting the arms of the divine hold them, were not people with the distractions of wealth. They were people with nothing standing between them and God. Literally nothing. That's what Coelho is saying here, as well, about people with very little. Their lives may be hard. They may have to struggle to survive. But, somehow there is joy. Their joy is in the day to day reality of life worth living, rather than the race to the top or the desire to keep up with the Joneses. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 

Jesus was telling those who were weary of fighting the establishment to come to him and find rest.  He would have gladly told the 'establishment' that, too, but they mostly failed to listen.  He is encouraging them to find their rest and peace in him and in the community they are forming. Rest, peace, calm is found when you are present and available for one another.

The song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," which became a worldwide hit for the Hollies in 1969, is a great song about carrying one another's burdens. It also fits this passage of scripture really well because it suggests that one of the burdens we bear is that everyone cannot feel love for one another.

Part of the song goes like this:
If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another
It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy he's my brother

The song is telling us that with all the other burdens we have facing us in life, we shouldn't let a lack of love and cooperation create more burdens.  Jesus suggests that, too, in Matthew 11. If we are tired of the burdens, then release them to Jesus and to the community of faithful. Carry the load for one another. Don't let the 'chaos of insanity' that the world can become related to politics, business, media garbage, etc., be your only reality.  Know that there is a higher calling for you as a disciple of Christ.

On a weekend when we share our nation's independence, it is important to remember those higher callings of peace, justice, liberty, love of neighbor, and common welfare.  We say we value freedom. Part of being free means being there for one another. "Come to me and I will give you rest." "He ain't heavy, he's my brother."  Happy Fourth, everyone. See you Sunday.

Questions? Comments? Email me or comment below.