It can be an eye-opening experience to see our financial position from a global perspective. On this website you can enter your annual income and see where you stand.
I am in the top 2.88% richest people in the world!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Loving Enemies
The earliest gospel we have, according to most scholars, is the gospel of Mark, written probably in the mid to late 60’s. However, many of the stories about Jesus and the teachings of Jesus were probably written down very early, and were circulated through oral traditions. Paul’s letters to the various early churches around the Roman Empire were written before the gospels, and in several places in his letters we see him quoting teachings of Jesus that line up with what we find in the gospels that were written later. (This kind of thing helps confirm the historical truthfulness of what is found in the gospels.)
One of the most prominent examples is where Paul picks up on the revolutionary wisdom of Jesus concerning how we respond to those who desire to harm us in Romans 12:14-21:
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ 20 No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
“Bless those who persecute you” and “do not repay evil for evil” is, of course, very similar to what we see in Matthew 5:38-48.
“Heap burning coals on their heads” is an interesting phrase, isn’t it? This is a quote from Proverbs 25:22, which was alluding to an ancient Egyptian ritual of reconciliation, whereby the offending party would carry a tray of hot coals above their head a sign of repentance. Treating enemies with love is unexpected, and because it is so unexpected, it creates space where deep repetance and change can happen.
1 Peter 2:
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. 22 ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ 23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
As I noted yesterday, I find it very interesting that both of these passages involving admonitions to love our enemies also include trusting in God’s justice. An essential part of loving enemies means foregoing personal vengeance, and trusting that God will judge justly.
At first, it might seem contradictory to trust and hope that someone will receive God's just judgment and desire that this person receive God's grace and forgiveness. However, the latter actually requires the former, because to be forgiven is not to have your sin dismissed or tolerated. To be forgiven means that God condemns our sin, but refuses to condemn us. This is how forgiveness works not just between God and humans, but also between humans. Judgment of sin is an integral part of forgiveness. To forgive someone is to let them know that while you condemn what they did, you will not condemn them anymore.
The purpose of God's "judgment day" is to "bring home" to us the consequences of our wrong actions and destructive ways of being. But judgment isn't the last word. Divine judgment is intended to bring people to repentance so that we may realize our need for grace and humbly embrace what God freely offers us. There is no contradiction, then, between trusting in God's just judgment, and desiring God's forgiving love for our enemies. It is difficult, but not contradictory.
One of the most prominent examples is where Paul picks up on the revolutionary wisdom of Jesus concerning how we respond to those who desire to harm us in Romans 12:14-21:
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ 20 No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
“Bless those who persecute you” and “do not repay evil for evil” is, of course, very similar to what we see in Matthew 5:38-48.
“Heap burning coals on their heads” is an interesting phrase, isn’t it? This is a quote from Proverbs 25:22, which was alluding to an ancient Egyptian ritual of reconciliation, whereby the offending party would carry a tray of hot coals above their head a sign of repentance. Treating enemies with love is unexpected, and because it is so unexpected, it creates space where deep repetance and change can happen.
1 Peter 2:
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. 22 ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ 23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
As I noted yesterday, I find it very interesting that both of these passages involving admonitions to love our enemies also include trusting in God’s justice. An essential part of loving enemies means foregoing personal vengeance, and trusting that God will judge justly.
At first, it might seem contradictory to trust and hope that someone will receive God's just judgment and desire that this person receive God's grace and forgiveness. However, the latter actually requires the former, because to be forgiven is not to have your sin dismissed or tolerated. To be forgiven means that God condemns our sin, but refuses to condemn us. This is how forgiveness works not just between God and humans, but also between humans. Judgment of sin is an integral part of forgiveness. To forgive someone is to let them know that while you condemn what they did, you will not condemn them anymore.
The purpose of God's "judgment day" is to "bring home" to us the consequences of our wrong actions and destructive ways of being. But judgment isn't the last word. Divine judgment is intended to bring people to repentance so that we may realize our need for grace and humbly embrace what God freely offers us. There is no contradiction, then, between trusting in God's just judgment, and desiring God's forgiving love for our enemies. It is difficult, but not contradictory.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Animals and Angels, Lust and Love, Grace and Truth: Resources
This past Sunday we explored Jesus' teaching on sexual desire in Matthew 5:27-32. Here are some more resources that I have found helpful:
"XXX Church" is an internet-based ministry for those struggling with internet pornography. You can download free software from their website that monitors all your internet activity and sends any suspicious results to the email address of your accountability partner.
Adam Hamilton, pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, recently preached a good sermon on lust in a sermon series on "The Seven Deadly Sins."
John Ortberg, pastor and author, preached a sermon recently on this text called "The Look."
Methodist theologian Howard Snyder has a nice short article on the difference between appreciating beauty and lusting, called "Love, Lust, Covetousness, and Appreciation"
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Taking Off Anger
Ephesians 4: 31Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 32and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Col 3: 8But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive* language from your mouth.
James 1:19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
The Greek word behind the English phrases “put away” and “get rid of” is “apotithēmi.” This is a military term used to describe a soldier who takes off his nonessential equipment when he gets ready to do battle. Paul and other New Testament authors often compare the Christian life to that of a soldier. Our battle is not against other people though, but against the powers of evil that indwell others and ourselves (see Ephesians 6:10-17). An essential part of “fighting the good fight” is taking off the stuff that drags us down and holds us back, key among these being contemptuous anger. Taking off this kind of anger isn’t easy, nor is it a one-time deal. But the struggle to strip off anger is infinitely better than getting comfortable in those clothes.
Col 3: 8But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive* language from your mouth.
James 1:19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
The Greek word behind the English phrases “put away” and “get rid of” is “apotithēmi.” This is a military term used to describe a soldier who takes off his nonessential equipment when he gets ready to do battle. Paul and other New Testament authors often compare the Christian life to that of a soldier. Our battle is not against other people though, but against the powers of evil that indwell others and ourselves (see Ephesians 6:10-17). An essential part of “fighting the good fight” is taking off the stuff that drags us down and holds us back, key among these being contemptuous anger. Taking off this kind of anger isn’t easy, nor is it a one-time deal. But the struggle to strip off anger is infinitely better than getting comfortable in those clothes.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Amateur Preachers
Yesterday was our 5th Sunday service, where (theoretically) we do more singing than usual. My plan for yesterday was to preach half as long as I usually do, and I ended up preaching longer than normal. Oh well. The thing is, I really love preaching. I am an amateur preacher, in that I absolutely love what I feel called to do. (BTW, the word "amateur" originally meant someone who did something for the love of it, "amore" being the Latin word for love.)
In the movie "Chariots of Fire," the main character is an Olympic runner who at one point says "when I run I feel God's pleasure." Although it doesn't always work out this way, sometimes when I preach, I feel God's pleasure, and it is a wonderful feeling. What do you do that enables you to feel a pleasure like no other?
Speaking of preaching for a long time out of passion for what you are talking about, in last night's Bible study we looked at a hilarious story about Paul in Acts 20:
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Even after inadvertently killing someone with his long-winded preaching, Paul proceeds to miraculously raise him from the dead, go have supper, and then teach for several more hours! Now that is an amateur preacher.
By the way, the name "Eutychus" is a Greek word that means "lucky." Go figure.
Another by the way: the illustration of this scene above is from a pretty hilarious project that somebody spent alot of time on, illustrating scenes from the Bible with legos and sometimes embellishing the stories a tad. It can be found at: http://www.thebricktestament.com/
In the movie "Chariots of Fire," the main character is an Olympic runner who at one point says "when I run I feel God's pleasure." Although it doesn't always work out this way, sometimes when I preach, I feel God's pleasure, and it is a wonderful feeling. What do you do that enables you to feel a pleasure like no other?
Speaking of preaching for a long time out of passion for what you are talking about, in last night's Bible study we looked at a hilarious story about Paul in Acts 20:
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Even after inadvertently killing someone with his long-winded preaching, Paul proceeds to miraculously raise him from the dead, go have supper, and then teach for several more hours! Now that is an amateur preacher.
By the way, the name "Eutychus" is a Greek word that means "lucky." Go figure.
Another by the way: the illustration of this scene above is from a pretty hilarious project that somebody spent alot of time on, illustrating scenes from the Bible with legos and sometimes embellishing the stories a tad. It can be found at: http://www.thebricktestament.com/
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A Week with the Spirit: Scripture Readings and Prayers
I have written and put together the following study and prayer guide for the week following Pentecost. Here is how I would like to invite you to do this:
Set aside 10 minutes each day this week to reflect and pray through the Scriptural passage. You will not "find" the time to do this. You can, however, make the time probably very easily.
Set aside 10 minutes each day this week to reflect and pray through the Scriptural passage. You will not "find" the time to do this. You can, however, make the time probably very easily.
Begin by just sitting still and quiet for 2-3 minutes, with your eyes closed, and your hands placed on your lap, palms facing up. Become aware of your breathing. Remember that in the ancient languages (Hebrew and Greek) in which the Bible was written, the word for "breath" and the word for "Spirit" are the same. As you breathe in, know that God is giving his Spirit to you. As you breathe out, let that be a way of letting go and offering yourself to God.
You will be tempted to skip this step and go straight to reading the Bible, or perhaps even to just go straight to reading what I wrote about the passage. I encourage you to resist this temptation and take the time to intentionally open yourself to the Spirit.
Then ask for God to speak to you in some way through the passage for the day. You might find it helpful to read the short commentary I have offered, but if you sense the Spirit wanting to speak something else to you, then please, go with the Spirit.
After reading and reflecting on the passage, I encourage you to spend a couple of minutes in prayer regarding how the Scripture has spoken to you. You might find it helpful to let the prayers I have offered be a guide for you.
Monday: The Spirit and Comfort
John 14:15-21. The Greek word that John uses here to describe the Holy Spirit is paracletos, usually translated as either “advocate” or “comforter.” The word literally means “one who walks alongside.” Think about that. Jesus promises us that God will walk alongside us, and will never leave us alone. Do you really believe that? If you were to let that truth sink in, how would that change the way you think, feel, and act? Perhaps to let this sink in more you should find a way to remind yourself of this- maybe writing it on a note to put on your mirror or something like that.
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment,
and light rises up for the godly:
Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties;
the grace to ask what you would have us to do,
that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices,
and that in your light we may see light,
and in your straight path may not stumble;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer)
Tuesday: The Spirit and Conviction
John 16:7-11. God’s Spirit is like a good friend to us, walking alongside us, offering us the encouragement we need, yet also, in love, willing to speak difficult truth to us about ways of living that are ultimately harmful for us and throw us out of tune with the music that God wants us to dance to. Not all feelings of guilt are from God. This should be carefully noted. Sometimes we feel guilty over things that we really had no control over, or we experience a kind of unhealthy guilt that paralyzes us. Spirit-inspired guilt moves us to repent, to acknowledge the wrong we did or thought, turn away from it, and then move on and walk in the freedom and fullness of God’s forgiving love. 1 John 3:20 tells us that “when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts.” When your ongoing feelings of guilt don’t line up with what God says is true about you, namely, that you are forgiven, then you need to tell your feelings that they can’t drive the bus anymore!
Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(United Methodist Book of Worship)
Wednesday: The Spirit and Creation
Psalm 104 and Romans 8:18-25. God’s Spirit fills the entire universe, giving life and breath to all that lives. It is hard to find the language to talk about the way in which God’s Spirit is active in the world, but I think we can think of God’s Spirit as an invisible, animating energy that pervades all things and fills all things. God’s Spirit not only sustains all of creation, but currently groans under the weight of decay and destruction in the world, and inspires God’s people to work with God in making this creation more like the good and beautiful place God intends for it to be. Caring for the “environment” isn’t a mere political agenda. It flows from reverence towards God’s handiwork.
Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth,
you made us fellow workers in your creation:
Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature,
that no one may suffer from our abuse of them,
and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer)
Thursday: The Spirit and Church
Ephesians 4:1-6. One of the best preachers and Christian authors alive today, in my opinion, is a guy named John Ortberg. Here is some wisdom from him about this passage: “Make every effort. Yours is the initiative. Do it now. Pay any price. Spare no pains. You are to do this… Don’t you dare let things damage it. But we do. We gossip. We allow unresolved conflict to go on. What doctrine or gift have we not trampled on to allow it to sever the Body of Christ: Mode of baptism? Doctrine of the end times? Appropriate clothing for a pastor? Inclusion of women in ministry? The proper translation of the Bible? The role of the Holy Spirit? The acceptable style of preaching? The type of music we should listen to? I’m trying to think of one doctrine that has not been allowed to split churches and denominations.”
Working for the unity of the Spirit doesn’t mean that we gloss over conflict and issues that need to be discussed and dealt with openly. It means that we don’t go out of our way to stir up strife and tension where there doesn’t need to be any, and we patiently work through what needs to be worked through in honest and healthy ways. Count how many times Paul uses the word “one” in this passage. What does that say about how important “oneness” is? Are you working for that in the way you talk to others and (especially) about others? Is unity in the Spirit your highest priority?
O God, the Giver of life, we pray for the Church throughout the world.
Sanctify its life, renew its worship, empower its witness, restore its unity.
Remove from your people all pride
and every prejudice that dulls their will for unity.
Strengthen the work of all those who strive to seek
that common obedience that will bind us together.
Heal the divisions which separate your children from one another,
that they may keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Amen.
(United Methodist Book of Worship)
Friday: The Spirit and Commissioning
Acts 1:8. God does not give us the gift of the Spirit just for our own personal benefit. It is, of course, to our personal benefit to live in harmony with the Spirit’s guidance in our lives, yet God gives us the Holy Spirit so that we will be Jesus’ witnesses to others. Through our acts of caring and concern, listening and encouraging, blessing and giving, we are charged or commissioned with the privilege and responsibility of showing other people what the God revealed in Jesus is like.
Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ behind us,
Christ in us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ on our right, Christ on our left,
Christ where we lie, Christ where we sit, Christ where we arise,
Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of us,
Christ in every eye that sees us,
Christ in every ear that hears us.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Christ,
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
(United Methodist Book of Worship)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Pentecost Sunday
Next Sunday is Pentecost, the annual Christian celebration of the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to all believers that occurred 50 days after the death of Jesus, and unleashed a force for goodness in the world like the world had never seen.
Fire is one of the images used to depict the power and presence of the Spirit, so the liturgical color for this Sunday is red, and I am encouraging everyone to wear read as part of the celebration. Also, you might consider reading and prayerfully reflecting on the following passages in preparation: Acts 2:1-16; Ephesians 5:18; Luke 11:1-12
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