Haiku for Epiphany 8

You are more valued
than grass or birds in the field
so fret not today.

YHWH

Finding Justice

To walk with God … we must do justice, out of merciful love (Timothy Keller).

Like many, I have been watching, with interest, events unfold in both the Middle East (and North Africa) and in the Mid-West. People are rising up and challenging the “powers that be” in matters affecting their very lives.

In the Middle East, it is tyrants and despots who are being challenged and shown the exit. The people are speaking; should the tyrants not listen?

In Wisconsin it is a democratically elected governor who’s charted a course of action many find oppressive and objectionable. The people are speaking; should the Governor not listen?

At issue in Wisconsin is the right of public employees to negotiate with the government through a process called “collective bargaining.” There are sufficient numbers of Pundits and Commentators at every level addressing the political issues involved, so I won’t waste ink or newsprint rehashing those arguments.

What I will do, however, is address a significant spiritual issue these protests raise: namely, the cause of justice.

Justice is a spiritual matter; Righteousness is a Gospel matter. The Bible talks more about Justice and Righteousness than any other subject, including salvation. I suspect that if I were a student of the other major world religions, including Islam and the religions of the Far East that I would find much in them regarding Fair and Right living.

For instance, the Prophet writes in the Quran: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealings and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is next to piety. Fear Allah, indeed Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (5:8)

In Buddhist writings we read: “There are five ways in which a master should minister to his servants and work people at the nadir (direction): by arranging their work according to their strength, by supplying them with food and wages, by looking after them when they are ill, by sharing special delicacies with them, and by letting them off work at the right time.” (The Sigalovada Suutra)

If people in power knew how to operate with fairness and equity, we wouldn’t need such words of wisdom; but as Lord Acton reminds us: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” (and as Donald Rumsfeld says in his book, “certainty with power is dangerous …”).

We cannot, of course, point our fingers at Governors, Dictators, Tyrants, and Unions and say, “There is the source of all our troubles.”

Injustice is at the heart of our own humanity. We are all tyrants after a fashion.

What ravenous child in a family of four growing (and equally hungry) siblings doesn’t eye the last drumstick on the platter at dinner and believe in his heart he needs (and deserves) it more than the others?

The courts are clogged with frivolous lawsuits, as people seek, not justice, but settlements that are more lucrative (and easier to attain) than the lottery.

Courts and Insurance companies alike are held hostage by tiny tyrants demanding their cut of the pie – profiting from their own lies and greedy scheming, the consequence of which is that true victims of injustice are often forced to whither in pain while awaiting their turn to be heard.

It is the rare person who can look in the mirror and not see a tyrant staring back; that’s the human condition.

Healthy spirituality requires us to recognize that, as messy as the world is, as unhealthy as the world is, as hazardous as the world is, it does not change unless and until we change first.

While people may gather at the State House in one place, or the Public Square in another, it is critical that we take time to meet God in our own house – for it is really His house that’s a mess, isn’t it?

It is time to acknowledge the pain we inflict on others, and the greed that blinds us to the plight of others; it is time to pull out the broom and dustpan and to put our own house in order; for if there is to be justice in the world – true justice – it must begin here at home in this, our valley.

God speaks; should we not listen?

The Prodigal Returns

I could not imagine ever being part of a church
of which I could not be an active part.
Why would anyone go to church
and leave it at that?
Boring!

Instead, I find that God has called us each
to take part as best we can,
to find our center,
to find His fire,
and light His world with love.
Glorious!

Hiatus

I will be away from my blog for an indefinite time.

Peace & Shalom, my friends.

Your Heart's Desire

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, (and) grant you your heart’s desire and prosper all your plans. Excerpted from Psalm 20

What is your heart’s desire? What are your plans? Are you expecting the Lord to answer you in the day of trouble?

I am not sure people know what their “heart’s desire” is. There is a lot of wishful thinking, of course. Most of us wish we would win the lottery. Some people wish it so much, in fact; they even go to the trouble of actually buying lottery tickets.

I, on the other hand, want to win the lottery, but refuse to buy lottery tickets as I consider that a form of voluntary taxation – and I don’t pay taxes the law doesn’t require me to pay. So I make my wishes known that I want to win the lottery, but I don’t hold my breath thinking it likely to happen in my lifetime.

While wishing can be kind of a fun exercise, and dreaming of what one would do with all that cash pouring down from heaven (or Sacramento) can have kind of an inebriating effect on the psyche, the fact remains that wishful thinking has no legs; has no muscle; and has no substance. It is a vapor that rises up like a fog, obscures your view for a bit, but then dissipates when things get warm.

While God created us with the capacity to dream and to wish, I believe it is God’s primary intention to know in what direction you have pointed your heart. When you draw up your last will and testament, for instance, you make as clear as possible how you want your estate distributed, and to whom. The courts see your desire, not as a vague wish, but as “direction”. The court’s job is to honor your intentions by interpreting your instructions as accurately as possible.

When we pray, we are invited to be clear, not in order to compel God to honor our requests (after all, God is God, and we are not), but rather so we can bring our hearts and minds into conformity with God’s will. The Lord’s prayer, as we pray it, is for God’s will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven. The assumption of the psalmist is that our heart’s desire and our plans would conform to the will of God for us and for our neighbor. To do that, we have to have some idea of what God is like, and of what God desires for us.

Jesus speaks to that in the Gospel of Mark where he says the kingdom of heaven is as if a person scatters seed and mysteriously it sprouts up and produces grain for the harvest (see Mark 4:26ff). The question I need to ask is this: what are you planting for God’s sake? What kind of seed are you scattering? After all, what you plant is what you get.

So many people reap strife in life because that is what they plant. They sow seeds of negativity and discord and wonder why they find themselves reaping disappointment and failure. That’s not to say that disappointments and failures don’t happen to good or pleasant people. Anyone who has been around the block a time or two knows that athletes can have heart attacks, non-smokers can get cancer, and hard workers can lose their jobs.

The point is not that bad things won’t happen to good people, nor is there a guarantee that bad people won’t prosper and enjoy the benefits of their dog-eat-dog lifestyle. We simply have to trust God that justice will out in the end, and know that all people will surely stand before their maker some day and give account for their stewardship. The Bible tells us: “God will not be mocked”.

But for us, we must hear the good news that what we plant, God will raise up. What have you planted? What are you planting? For that matter, what has God planted in you? After all, the kingdom of God is IN you (says Jesus in another place). God has planted goodness and wholeness and healthy seeds in you. With patience, we wait to see what will spring up from out of the earth, and from out of this, our valley.

What God sees is his heart’s desire; his children; and his kingdom. Amen.

Note: Photo Credit embedded in Photo Name

Born From Above

Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born from above, that one is unable to see the kingdom of God. – Jesus




Born Again; Born Afresh; Born from Above; each of these is a good way to read John 3:3. They aren’t exactly synonymous, but each helps us understand what Jesus is saying.

Most of us appreciate it when we get a fresh start – a “do-over.” You know what it’s like. You’re playing a game of checkers or chess, and you discover you just made a bone-headed move. If that wasn’t bad enough, you took your hands off of your piece so that it is now your opponent’s turn. With weepy eyes you turn to the other player and you plead your case: “I made a mistake. May I have a do-over?” The decision to let you make a different move lies with your adversary; it is completely out of your hands. All you can do is wait, and hope for permission.

When the do-over is granted, you feel a sense of great joy and relief, and you make a wiser move. It may only postpone your eventual defeat, and that’s OK; but if it leads to victory, it might seem hollow; after all, it was gained by a suspension of the rules, and not entirely by the cunning and skill with which you played the game. But that’s OK, too. It is the grace which is sweet, not the victory.

It is nice having the option of starting over, especially when things are bad. It is pleasant knowing that no matter how bleak yesterday may have been, at least this is a new day, and perhaps things will be different. With so many people out of work and pounding the pavement looking for jobs, it can be very discouraging to go out day after day high on hope, and to return home night after night with a sense of rejection-ad-nauseum.

Our sense of self-worth is so caught up in our ability to earn our way in life, that when things are bleak, and when we are down and out, we feel broken and sub-human. We feel worthless and hopeless, and we wonder if we will ever see the light of day again.

It is to the broken-hearted that Jesus is speaking when he refers to new birth or to being born from above; and we make a mistake if we think he is talking about something we must do in order to “make this happen.”

Unless your biology is different from mine in some truly significant manner, being born isn’t something for which we can claim any responsibility.

We were conceived and carried by others, and when the time was right, the waters broke and we were delivered into this world. We did not choose our parents; we did not choose our doctors or mid-wives; and we did not even choose to live. Living was in our DNA, and for that we can do no more or less than to give thanks to God.

Our value as human beings, for Jesus, lies not in our ability to do things, but lies in the source of our being. It is God who created us; it is God who redeems us; it is God who sustains us; and it is God who values us beyond compare. “Higher than the angels” is how God sees us, according to the psalmist. We are crowned with glory and honor.

This isn’t a picture of losers and low-lifes. This is a picture of God’s royal children – those to whom God has given birth. This is a very maternal image of God, by the way. Yes, God is our Father, our Abba, but God is also our Mother (Em, in Hebrew). Like Dorothy, we call for Aunty Em when we are in crisis, and it is God who answers and who ultimately brings us home.

So, if you want to see the kingdom of God, you need only look around you, for God is the source of all that exists. God sits “enthroned as King forever; The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace” (Psalm 29:10f). If times are tough, don’t worry; be happy (as the song says).

And those for whom times are good: take care of your brothers and sisters in this, our world. After all, this world’s not really ours; it is God’s. Our actions and our attitudes need to reflect the grace of a God who allows us do-overs so that we can make things right. That’s far sweeter than victory; that’s love. Peace.

Note: Photo Credit embedded in Photo Name

Whistling in the Light

O Lord … you send forth your Spirit, and all life is created; and so you renew the face of the earth … I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being. – Psalm 104:31, 34


I like to whistle as I work. Why? Because I enjoy work; I enjoy labor (as long as it’s not too intensive, laborious, or hot outside); and I enjoy being productive.

When one is happy, it is most natural to sing, whistle, or demonstrate the joy one is feeling through the outward manifestations of song and dance. Joy really isn’t joy until the body is involved. If you don’t believe me, just look at your dog’s tail when she’s about to get a treat, or when she hears the family car pull up into the driveway. Her joy is full and uncontainable, and her tail lets you know it.

My lips are my tail, so to speak. When I’m happy, I whistle. Whistling has the added benefit of letting people know I’m around, and let’s them know where they can find me. On more than one occasion my whistling has saved me from getting a door flung open into my oncoming face – and from inflicting grievous bodily harm on others while rounding a dark, blind corner.

I don’t think anyone else in the family whistles – or at least not that I’ve heard, but that’s OK. Not all are called to whistle. Some hum; others bop and nod to the beat of whatever is on their portable music player; and still others work quietly, letting the peace and tranquility of silence serve notice to the world of their joy and inner harmony. After all, when it comes to happiness, there are no rules – there’s “just right.”

I think God is a whistler. Astronomers and astrophysicists tells us that they can hear the music of the universe – the music of creation – through their huge radio telescopes, and even though I don’t understand the technology they use, I think I understand what they are saying. The music of the spheres bears witness to the glory of our Creator God.

I don’t think there is nearly enough whistling these days – real or figurative. It seems to me that many people take life far too seriously. It is almost as if there is a premium or a bounty paid to those who scowl, grouse, or moan. There must be; why else would we see so many grumps driving down the road?

On the other hand, I’m not sure that the problem is seriousness. Life is a serious business, and keeping a roof over one’s head and food on one’s table can certainly be challenging and trying. It’s nothing to be laughed at or scoffed at; but does it require folks to act so dour and sour all the time?

It seems the question isn’t one of seriousness, but of thankfulness or heart-felt gratitude – or the lack of appreciating what we do, indeed, have. I need to ask my more somber brothers and sisters: When faced with a challenge, would you rather find yourself in the company of those who wring their hands and fret, or with those who eagerly roll up their sleeves and dive into the fray with gusto?

Teddy Roosevelt was one of those people who loved to dive into a problem whole-heartedly. He was convinced it was far better to try mighty things and fail, than to try nothing and succeed. Life is a great and wonderful gift, given to us by God, and it would be a terrible waste of that good gift if we could not approach life with humility and grace, and tackle the challenges before us with a certain élan begotten by love, joy, peace, happiness, and thanksgiving.

If I have a choice – and I think we all do – I prefer to live life a happy fool and perhaps dare great things, rather than to live so carefully and soberly that the only evidence of my having passed this way would be a wan, gray trail of veritable slug slime.

I believe God whistled this, our valley into existence, and we do not honor God by slugging our way through life; rather, I believe we honor God best when we whistle, sing, and dance before him. You and I are His opus; how tweet it is!

From my lips to your ears, O Lord: Halleluia!

Note: Photo Credit embedded in Photo Name