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Posts Tagged ‘hope’

Duh! You Believe at Last!

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , on August 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 16:31
You believe at last!” Jesus answered.

I couldn’t help but see Jesus rolling his eyes up when he said this. If “Duh!” would have been a cliche at the time, he would have used it.

But the disciples are not the only ones who don’t get it. Why else would we have other idioms that say the same thing as “duh!” (the new generation’s shortened version) like “If it was a snake it would have bit me” or “the elephant in the room.” These are ways we talk about the obvious that we just don’t see or don’t get.

There are a number of reasons for not getting it. Sometimes, it just doesn’t occur to us. Sometimes, it’s the mental model issue. Sometimes, we have our head in the sand and don’t want to believe it. But eventually, the fog clears and we do really see… or really hear.

The thing that surprised me today is that immediately after that moment… that “revelation of the obvious” we are faced with next level of “non-understanding.” I mean, we get it … and then it’s the next thing we don’t get.

So, here the disciples finally understand and believe… Jesus came from God… but in the next instant, they have to understand he’s leaving and they will scatter and betray him.

It’s no different with us. We must be willing to press on. We can’t be content with a single inspiration. We must be ready to wrestle with the next truth. That’s how we grow: one building block upon another. That’s the journey. That’s the joy.

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Coming from the Father

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 16:28
“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Apparently, this “coming from the Father” business is a big deal. Anything repeated in scripture is generally considered important, well, this one is “Pete and Repeat” and it must be critical!

As I thought about this, I considered what it means to be sent by someone in authority. If I was on a mission sent by the President let’s say, unless there was a lot of pomp and circumstance (and secret service), honestly, no one would believe me. What could I do to convince people? I could share my inside information… I could drop a lot of names of people I knew… I could carry an I.D. card (but even that would be suspect). Even my friends would have trouble with this one. Face it, people don’t tend to believe in the extraordinary unless it fits their own mental model. And I don’t fit the model for an “agent” from the President.

In the end, I would have to do the best I could to present myself as the “real thing.” I would have to stand fast and be consistent. I would have to “stick to my story.” And in the end, some would believe me and some would not. If the mission was critical, let’s say I had inside information that the area was going to blow up (sounds a little like the TV show “24”)… it would be really important for people to believe me. There would be urgency. And yet, some would believe and some would not.

We all know where I’m going with this metaphor. Those who believed me would escape unharmed. Those who did not believe, would face the challenges of surviving a cataclysmic event… or not.

It takes a leap of faith to believe. Something resonates within. There may not be enough data, not enough hard facts, not enough to know for sure, and yet, the heart responds. The soul quivers.

I confess, when I made my leap of faith some thirty years ago, it started out as a test. I was skeptical and unsure, but I thought I’d give this “follower of Jesus” bit a chance. Despite all of the challenges and disappointments since then, I have never turned back. The joys, the gifts, the blessings, the love, and the hope far outweigh the rest. And so, I’m still following the One who came from God, the Father and the Mother, the Great Spirit, the Holy Creator. Amen.

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Pruning or Cutting

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on August 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:2
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Do I know the difference? I’m not sure I do. Conceptually I understand. Pruning is supposed to be that little snip here and there, deadheading, and shaping, while cutting is chopping off a dead branch or even more drastic, the whole top of something and starting over. One action is a hopeful trim while the other is not so hopeful, more resignation I’d say. Oh sure, there are times that a major cutting happens and the plant regroups and sprouts all over again, but how often does that happen?

My husband and I have always wanted a willow tree, but we’re too cheap to just go out and buy one. So, he keeps coming up with these little willow tree sprigs and shoots to try and generate some roots from them… either in a jug a water or sticking them directly in the ground (according to “his” daddy, this is possible). Anyway, to make a long story short, none of these methods have worked to date. That is, until the last one. He stuck it in the ground (we have a very wet area of our yard) and no surprise, the little thing up and died. So we didn’t bother to prune it, we just cut it down. Guess what? That little guy interpreted that action completely differently. For that little willow, it was pruning, and up from nothing, came a healthy willow branch, ready to face the world. Go figure.

What’s the lesson here? Anything is possible. Pruning and cutting can look the same sometimes but it’s what the plant does with it that matters.

When an idea or a planned future is cut off from out lives, how are we interpreting it? I have assumed that broken dreams were God’s way of saying, “no, not that!” But really, it’s possible that it was just a re-direction. It was really a pruning… maybe it felt like cutting because I had carried the plan along too far without checking in. Who knows?

I know I’m in Christ. I’m in the plant… the vine. And if that’s the case, it’s all pruning, every change out of my control and in God’s control has tremendous potential. I think it’s time to really embrace the shifts and snips.

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How Many Rooster Crows?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on August 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 13:38b
“…I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Living in the city, I don’t really hear roosters crowing. And yet, I do resonant with the idea that each morning, roosters herald the dawn and a new day. But how many mornings have I betrayed the very God I love through inattention and disregard? How often have I “disowned” Him from fear?

There is a powerful skit I used to perform for small groups where Jesus would surprise me one morning when I was getting ready to go to work, but running late. I reasoned with Him, since we didn’t have time to sit down together, He could stick around, have a cup of coffee, and we would connect later that day. Instead, He offered to go with me to work. I thought that was inappropriate. I suggested He visit my next door neighbor now and then we could visit later. And so on the skit would go until I ended up getting really angry and “nailing” him to the wall so he would stop pestering me since I was so busy.

Or, perhaps the rooster crowed and caught me on a day after I disowned the Lord like Peter because I was afraid. The fears that cause my betrayals are not the same ones that Peter had. My life has never been threatened because of my faith. I am usually afraid of others and their opinion of me. Too often, I have chosen silence when it would be better to speak. I have looked the other way in the face of sin or need. I have indulged myself and my children and we have dipped our feet into the world while others suffer.

Slowly, I am changing. I am getting better about hearing the rooster crow as a call to prayer. I am seeing Jesus in the people I meet. I am waking up.

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Woe to the Rich — That’s Us

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 6:24
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort…”

I am so uncomfortable with this teaching of Jesus. Face it: I am rich and this is not good news.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I am really just like everyone else I know on the most part–middle class. But in comparison with the rest of the world, we’re rolling in dough. When I take the time to really absorb the truth of this phrase, I am ashamed and a tad worried.

When the economy “tanked,” my husband and I have been confronted with the outrageous cost of our lifestyle. We are, in U.S. terms, broke. We owe more on credit cards than we should. We spend more than we make. We indulge our wants and assume our needs will be met. We take a lot for granted.

We have passed along this “comfort” lifestyle to our children who continue to have expectations of what is normal: a packed refrigerator, vacations, name-brand clothes, and plenty of heat when it’s cold and air conditioning when it’s hot. They assume the “economy” problems are for all those other people.

Basically, we’ve been skipping over this scripture for years and that may prove to be a mistake sooner than later.

In the same way that the environment cannot be turned around on a dime, our own lifestyle will not change overnight either. We must make a conscious decision to change. We must do so in agreement. And if we don’t do this willingly and soon, we may have to do so in crisis.

Forgive us. Re-align our priorities before they are re-aligned for us. Give us courage to change the way we live. Let us not be like the “rich young ruler.” [Matthew 19:16-26]

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Starting a Fire

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on August 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 12:49
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!…”

It takes energy to start a fire. That is, unless you have another fire to pass along.

But if you’re starting from scratch: you have to have a few essentials like kindling or some other fire-friendly fuel, a spark (from expended energy), and oxygen to keep it going. Those who saw the movie, Castaway, will remember how important and difficult it was for the hero to start a fire. He knew the basics in how to do it, but implementing his knowledge was harder than he had imagined.

The easiest method, of course, is to have a small fire already going and you simply touch that fire to the new “environment” until it catches. Jesus tells us that He is this starter fire. We just need to prepare the kindling and provide the oxygen. Unfortunately, most of us want to control the flame. Burn here, Lord, but not there. And please, don’t burn up all my “stuff.” And, oh, please don’t let the fire hurt me. In fact, why don’t we just set aside a special area for your fire, Jesus? In that way, you can just burn and burn and it won’t hurt anything or anybody. It will be orderly and controlled. It will be on my terms.

One of my favorite worship songs is “Refiner’s Fire,” because I know the fire is essential to my faith and growth, like a forest that must occasionally experience a burn for new life to spring up. But I fear the fire at the same time. I fear that all my personal wants and desires being consumed by His Fire. I fear the loss of control. I fear that His refining fire will not leave all that is pure and holy and strong, but instead, only ashes will remain.

O Lord, have mercy on me. Forgive my fears. Start the real fire… not the fireplace version.

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Endless Future

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 1:48-49
[Mary said] “… for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.”

From now on… those are deep words for anyone who is trying to figure out today. From now on, I will look at the rest of my differently. From now on, I will invite tomorrow into my life. From now on, I will expect God, who is holy, to continue to do great things for me. From now on…

We cannot walk our own future. We can make plans and we can anticipate problems and we can lay a strong foundation, but in the end, the future is a God thing and anything can happen.

The greatest preparation we can make for the future is to accept what the future brings and “work it.” There is richness in the now if we accept it as a gift from our future.

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