Sunday, June 16, 2013

"Who is this Jesus?"

Today's Gospel reading in the Common Lectionary is from Luke 7:36-8:3. The finest insight I've ever read or heard about this text was written by Kayla McClurg, who writes for Inward/Outward, a project of The Church of the Savior in Washington, DC.  I share it here because it's a message about Jesus Christ I think everyone needs to hear, whether Christian or not. The italics are mine.

To Love Well


For Sunday, June 16, 2013 – Luke 7:36-8:3

Immediate compassionate response trumps premeditated politeness. The host was thoughtful, no doubt, well-meaning and polite, curious about Jesus, but from a bit of a distance. The ‘sinning city woman’ knew nothing of distance. She was all-out passion. If the host was a small breeze, she was a blast of wind, a tangle of tears and kisses and hair. Intimate. You might say, inappropriate.

The host saw the unfolding action as opportunity to judge; Jesus simply received. Self-love deep enough, secure enough, makes other-love possible. The host had not enough inner resources for such loving attention as this. The dried up heart confuses rules and regulations for real caring, judgment for love. Even the ultimate words of love–”you are forgiven”–are misconstrued. “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” the guests ask among themselves. Why would they not ask, “Who is this, who loves so fully?”

To love well is not to follow a set of rules for loving well. To love well is to follow the tug of a thread that draws us toward this one who loves. The thread takes us where he is, this one who captures our heart. The woman bringing all she had did not premeditate how she could make a scene and disrupt Simon’s dinner party. She herself surely did not yet know how disruptive real love can be. She simply followed the thread.
Love beckoned. What could she do but respond?

Season and Scripture: 


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Quotations I Like



"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore – on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild,’ and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.” Dorothy Sayers


“Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is triumphant. It is radiant. It takes no time, but it occupies all our time. And it makes our life programs new and overcoming. We need not get frantic. He [Christ] is at the Helm. And when our little day is done we lie down quietly in peace, for all is well.” Thomas Kelly


Friday, February 1, 2013

Incredible Christians



I've been teaching a Wednesday night Bible study on 2 Corinthians at my church, Vestavia Hills Baptist. In Chapter 6, verses 8-10, Paul lists a wonderful series of contrasts that describe his ministry:

We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

In studying those particular verses, I found the following excerpt from A. W. Tozer, in his book That Incredible Christian (Wheaton: Tyndale, 1978, p. 11):

A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for one whom he has never seen; talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see; expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another; empties himself in order to be full; admits he is wrong so he can be declared right; goes down in order to get up; is strongest when he is weakest; richest when he is poorest; and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live; forsakes in order to have; gives away so he can keep; sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passes knowledge. The man who has met God is not looking for anything; he has found it. He is not searching for light, for upon him the light has already shined. His certainty may seem bigoted, but his assurance is that of one who knows by experience. His religion is not hearsay. He is not a copy, not a facsimile. He is an original from the hand of the Holy Spirit.

I consider that paragraph some profound words to ponder.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Introversion/Extroversion

I just recently finished reading Susan Cain's book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking. Have any of my readers read it? Based on my experience as an introvert, I would say her findings are valid. I was blessed to have parents who didn't push me to be anyone other than who I was, so my love affair with books and reading was never a problem. I was also fortunate to be able to make friends easily, and since I only needed one or two at a time, I didn't feel marginalized by my peer group. I will say, however, that my peer group was always relatively small. I also think when I was growing up the "extrovert ideal" hadn't come to full power in our culture. My heart goes out to introverted children in today's world.
This book is worth reading for both introverts and extroverts as Cain not only affirms the value and power of introverts, but she gives wise counsel on how the two groups can relate effectively with each other, whether in school, the workplace, or in the family. Parents, especially I think, should read this book to understand your children's temperaments and how they interact with your own. You will also be able to help your child relate better in their school and social groups as well as learn to accept and value their own temperament and respect the opposite one. I'd also say it's a must-read for engaged or married couples who want to understand better the person they love and with whom they hope to live happily ever after.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Epiphany Sunday


The Hidden God Revealed

magi bassano
Adoration of the Magi, Bassano
Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior. (Isa. 45:15)
No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (John 1:18)

* * *
I love the posture and the expression on the face of the kneeling wise man in Jacopo Bassano’s painting, “The Three Magi” (c. 1562) above. His look of utter incredulity as he leans in to get a closer look at the baby Jesus in his Mother’s arms captures the essence of Epiphany. The God who hides himself has made himself known, but in such a strange way! How can it possibly be?
Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

(Christina Rosetti, “In the Bleak Midwinter”)
****************

I borrowed this post from The Internet Monk web site. Totally on the mark for Epiphany Sunday. In the calendar of the Christian year, Epiphany celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. On this day Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi to the Baby Jesus, traditionally associated with Jesus' manifestation to the Gentiles. Epiphany = revelation. 

Saturday, January 5, 2013

New Year's Resolutions


I've already expressed my thoughts about making New Year's Resolutions, but I found some good advice from Jayne Davis, so I'm sharing it for the general good benefit of those who do make them. Actually, it's good advice for life, so I hope you will find it useful.
Do’s & Don’ts for Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions
DON’T create a new legal system for yourself.  While all habits require discipline, checking off the new box on your ‘To Do’ list is not your main goal.
DO keep an eye on the big picture.  Spiritual Practices - Prayer, Reading the Bible, Journaling – are important aspects of the Christian life but they are not ends in themselves; they are means to drawing closer to God, to relying on God, to hearing God. 
DON’T measure the wrong things.  It doesn’t matter how many matches you’ve lit if your goal is to start a campfire.
DO pay attention to becoming more Christlike.  What spiritual practice will help the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in your life?  Or help you to love God and others more?  Or control your tongue?
DON’T try to mimic someone’s else’s spiritual habits.  We can learn a lot from others, but we are all different people with different personalities and lifestyles.  Just because someone whose spiritual walk you admire prays daily at 4am for two hours doesn’t mean that is what you need to do.
DO ask God what he wants.  Where is God at work in your life?  Where is your life a mess?  Chances are, that’s where God wants to meet you (and where you least want to be met).  “Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.”
DON’T unload the whole truck.  You are not a contestant on Paul’s Extreme Spiritual Makeover.  This is a lifelong journey. 
DO be specific about taking one step.  (Remember S.M.A.R.T. goals?)  Trust me, you can take another step later this year.  God is not picky about the January 1 date.  It is better to actually build one small transforming habit than to have a long list of great ideas that never happen.
DON’T go it alone.  If this were easy, you wouldn’t be having this same conversation with yourself about resolutions that you had last year.
DO find a prayer/accountability partner.  We all need a Barnabas, an encourager; someone with whom we can be honest and who will challenge us to persevere.  We also need to be that person for someone else.
In the end, this is not about you.  This is about offering your life as a living sacrifice to God.
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:  Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering.”  Romans 12:1 (The Message)
Created by Jayne Davis minister of spiritual formation at First Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Daily Wisdom from an Anonymous Author

On This Day

Mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share a treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed.

Keep a promise. Find the time. Put aside a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Avoid envy. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate, be kind, be gentle. Laugh a little more.

Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still again. Speak it still once again.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

More Blessings of 2012

A blessing of a completely different nature was the marriage of Michaela Bundon and Jason Odom. They are dear friends and former students. They are gentle souls and faithful Christians whose lives inspire me and bring me joy. Their wedding ceremony was a profoundly worshipful service of praise and thanksgiving to the God whom they love and serve, and who brought them together. I look forward to seeing how God will continue to use them in his service as the years go by.
Two financial blessings came my way in 2012: the sale of my rental house and the re-finance of my present home. In both cases, God was clearly at work through people I didn't know or knew only through email contact.
I made some new friends last year for whom I am immensely grateful. One in particular, Brian Wood, shared with me from his garden, as well as from his life. My gifts to him were prayers and friendly counsel. I am always blessed by friends who ask me to pray for them. To me, it offers to share in the aspects of their lives that matter most to them.
2012 also brought opportunities to deepen existing friendships. Some of the greatest riches of my life are my friendships and I treasure them all. Some friends are struggling with physical limitations brought on by illness or injury. I have rejoiced with them in every victory and suffered with them through every setback. Some friends have experienced the transition of loved ones from this life to heavenly life, and I have mourned with them. Other friends have received great blessings of their own. My friend, Noel Forlini, got to teach a summer Hebrew course at Beeson Divinity School, and is now teaching a couple of courses at Judson College in Marion, AL, while studying for her Ph.D. comprehensive exams. Her schedule is full, but what wonderful opportunities for her to develop her teaching skills and to be able to stay in Alabama vs. enduring another year of exile in New Jersey. :-)
There are many, many more blessings to recount, and I will add them to this list as time goes by. For now, these are sufficient for a New Year's Day reflection.

Blessings

One of the things I always try to do at the beginning of a new year is to look back over the previous year with an eye toward the blessings that stand out as markers on my life's journey. I am aware that every day is loaded with blessings, many of which I am likely blind to, but some blessings come with such power and impact they become etched into memory for all time.
One of the greatest blessings of 2012 for me was re-connection with Nancy Norton. Nancy and her husband, John, served as missionaries to Japan for thirty years, or more, but just about a year ago, while they were still in Japan, Nancy was diagnosed with cancer (uterine, I think). As a continuation of her witness to the Japanese people, she remained in Japan to receive treatment. However, after surgery and a few months of chemotherapy, the cancer was not responding to treatment. Nancy and John left Japan and returned to Birmingham where Nancy began treatment at UAB. She fought a valiant fight to conquer the cancer, but ultimately, it won the battle for her physical life, but of course, she lives on in heaven because she knew Jesus as her personal Savior and Lord.
Throughout the year Nancy (and sometimes John, or one of her sons) posted updates on her Caring Bridge site. Her faith and testimony during this time came through eloquently in her posts. She was a beautiful human being, outwardly and inwardly. I met Nancy in 1992 when she was a student in my Biblical Greek class, and we became friends. While we didn't correspond regularly, our mutual affection was a constant, and my life was deeply touched by her journey through this last year of her life. Only those who love deeply can suffer deeply, and I have suffered in my heart and spirit as Nancy struggled, but I wouldn't take anything for the joy of having known her and been blessed by her life. I did honor her final request that those who loved her would "sing her to heaven", and I find peace in knowing that she is with the Lord she loved and served so faithfully. Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord: And let light perpetual shine upon her.