Dear Family,
I sense most families, with siblings, have experienced the fighting of sisters and brothers. My brother used to entice me to do things that would hurt, and i just kept doing them. I think it is innate to pick on our siblings and make their lives difficult. But in the end, at least most of us, find ways to keep our family close, no matter what they do. This, for me, defines what a family truly is: someone who sticks with you no matter what the situation is.
But thats not what happened for Cain and Abel, is it? In what could have been the first Jerry Springer event in history turned violent. Cain's jealousy burned so hot, he lashed out and murdered his own brother. Family seemingly does the most damage to itself. Sure we can love like no other, but i sense we can also hurt each other to extents unimagined. Why is that? Why can we love our families without boundaries, but in the same breath, curse them, damn them, and destroy them, without batting an eye?
Perhaps even more revealing is Cain's response to God's question. "Am i my brother's keeper?" In essence, Cain suggests he doesnt have to look out for his brother, Abel is more than able to fend for himself, why do i need to worry about him? I find this to be the most disturbing reality of our lives today, because even when God makes it clear that we are to care for our sisters and brothers, often times, we answer, just like Cain, "Am i my brother or sister's keeper?"
The church, as far as i can tell, is responsible for those who are hurting. But more than that, we are to protect and shelter the vulnerable. We are to shield the forgotten. And yes, we are to be our sister and brother's keeper. This is a short blog, for good reason, i want to see how you respond to the text. It raises a lot of questions for me, with very little revelation. I hope you can help illumine what God gives you.
See you Sunday and may God's face shine upon you all...
amen.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Genesis 3
Family,
It is a sad day for us. I write this today, with a heavy, sad, deeply troubled heart. In seminary that try to prepare you for what the ministry might involve, but they can never prepare you for what is reality. As a minister, if you do your job right, i feel, you will get close to people, and unfortunately, at times you have to say goodbye. This morning, we all had to say goodbye to someone much too young and too vibrant. And yet, somehow we must go on, Suzanne would want nothing less.
But how? How do we come into the church, knowing that our family is missing? How do we gather around the table, knowing that we wont be seeing that beautiful face sitting across from us? And how do we work on vision and mission, when one of our most vibrant souls for mission wont be able to offer her input? How? I dont know a single answer exists to that question, but i do sense some possible answers.
One we must work together, unite, now more than ever, under the love of Christ. Suzanne wanted, more than anything, a united church. She wanted us to put our differences aside and join together to help people, serve people, and minister to people, knowing that God is in that process. And she did everything she could to guide us in that journey. She wanted one voice, working for God, knowing that then and only then would God be glorified. And she was/is right. I will carry that with me for the rest of my days.
SO. We go on, carrying Suzanne's memory and legacy with us, honoring it with each passing day. This is our challenge. This is our call.
But more than unifying, we have to find a way to ground our faith in God, completely. You see, sisters and brothers, i sense that is what Genesis 3, at its most base meaning, is really about. Faith. Faith that God will do all He promised to do. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree, whether it is literal or a metaphor, they really said that they dont trust God. They really said that they would do better by knowing more and trying to go their own way. How did that work out for them? How does it work out for us?
What happens when we try to take the place of God? Do we have amazing success? Or do we fall, like Adam and Eve, into our own mistakes and poor choices? When we take the place of God, which is what they did when they ate of the tree, we really say we don't need God. We are equal to God. And then God, as is often the case, gets pushed to the margins, replaced by lust, materialism, power, greed, ego, pride, etc.
And when we replace God, as i sense most western churches have, it becomes easier to dwell on the minor things, the petty differences, instead of doing the really hard work of trusting that God is good and will meet our every need. We often get trapped into the "what can we and cant we accomplish," instead of asking the most important questions, What does God call us to do? Where is God calling us to go? Where is God in this? And how will we glorify God through this?
One focuses on our own limited understanding/wisdom, which is nothing compared to the omnipotent/omniscient Creator, we call Father. The other, putting God first, allows us to listen to God, for God, and have faith that God will, just as He promised in the garden, before the fall, meet our every need. This faith, the faith that trusts God with everything, is the faith that Suzanne held onto, and it is the faith that will rescue us, today, in this hour of great need.
But we must be weary of eating of the false fruit of ego and self-preservation. The serpent may not be the crafty little beast that crawls the floor; the serpent might be anything and everything that invites us to take our eyes off of God and onto some passing apple that holds no real promise. It looks good, and may even taste good, but the repercussions of this "apple" are as deadly as the one Adam and Eve ate. We must keep our focus on God. Keep our eyes, ears, and heart open to what He calls us to do, and we must learn to trust in Him, solely. When we do, we will find ourselves deeply rooted in our own Garden of Eden, with fruit that not only tastes good, it is good, very good.
Amen.
It is a sad day for us. I write this today, with a heavy, sad, deeply troubled heart. In seminary that try to prepare you for what the ministry might involve, but they can never prepare you for what is reality. As a minister, if you do your job right, i feel, you will get close to people, and unfortunately, at times you have to say goodbye. This morning, we all had to say goodbye to someone much too young and too vibrant. And yet, somehow we must go on, Suzanne would want nothing less.
But how? How do we come into the church, knowing that our family is missing? How do we gather around the table, knowing that we wont be seeing that beautiful face sitting across from us? And how do we work on vision and mission, when one of our most vibrant souls for mission wont be able to offer her input? How? I dont know a single answer exists to that question, but i do sense some possible answers.
One we must work together, unite, now more than ever, under the love of Christ. Suzanne wanted, more than anything, a united church. She wanted us to put our differences aside and join together to help people, serve people, and minister to people, knowing that God is in that process. And she did everything she could to guide us in that journey. She wanted one voice, working for God, knowing that then and only then would God be glorified. And she was/is right. I will carry that with me for the rest of my days.
SO. We go on, carrying Suzanne's memory and legacy with us, honoring it with each passing day. This is our challenge. This is our call.
But more than unifying, we have to find a way to ground our faith in God, completely. You see, sisters and brothers, i sense that is what Genesis 3, at its most base meaning, is really about. Faith. Faith that God will do all He promised to do. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree, whether it is literal or a metaphor, they really said that they dont trust God. They really said that they would do better by knowing more and trying to go their own way. How did that work out for them? How does it work out for us?
What happens when we try to take the place of God? Do we have amazing success? Or do we fall, like Adam and Eve, into our own mistakes and poor choices? When we take the place of God, which is what they did when they ate of the tree, we really say we don't need God. We are equal to God. And then God, as is often the case, gets pushed to the margins, replaced by lust, materialism, power, greed, ego, pride, etc.
And when we replace God, as i sense most western churches have, it becomes easier to dwell on the minor things, the petty differences, instead of doing the really hard work of trusting that God is good and will meet our every need. We often get trapped into the "what can we and cant we accomplish," instead of asking the most important questions, What does God call us to do? Where is God calling us to go? Where is God in this? And how will we glorify God through this?
One focuses on our own limited understanding/wisdom, which is nothing compared to the omnipotent/omniscient Creator, we call Father. The other, putting God first, allows us to listen to God, for God, and have faith that God will, just as He promised in the garden, before the fall, meet our every need. This faith, the faith that trusts God with everything, is the faith that Suzanne held onto, and it is the faith that will rescue us, today, in this hour of great need.
But we must be weary of eating of the false fruit of ego and self-preservation. The serpent may not be the crafty little beast that crawls the floor; the serpent might be anything and everything that invites us to take our eyes off of God and onto some passing apple that holds no real promise. It looks good, and may even taste good, but the repercussions of this "apple" are as deadly as the one Adam and Eve ate. We must keep our focus on God. Keep our eyes, ears, and heart open to what He calls us to do, and we must learn to trust in Him, solely. When we do, we will find ourselves deeply rooted in our own Garden of Eden, with fruit that not only tastes good, it is good, very good.
Amen.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sunday's Message: Life is Good!
Hey folks,
I accidentally hit send without posting anything, so i had to return and edit what should have been the post. Our Scripture focus, for Sunday, is Genesis 2. I hope each and everyone of you have read this text and prepared to offer great insights for Sunday's message. I look forward to reading what ideas and revelations come to you all after reading this very familiar text.
After an initial reading, this past Sunday, i had some very interesting thoughts. As i read the text, rehearsing the story of Adam and Eve, i realized a few things that i hadn't thought about before. All of life, as most historians, archeologists, and scientists argue, began where the Garden of Eden is reported to have been where God planted it. I dont know when Genesis was written, but i do know that oral tradition was used to tell the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden, and that dates back centuries before the story was canonized. I guess what i am trying to say, is that according to oral and written tradition, where the Garden is said to be, according to Genesis, meshes with what history argues where humanity began. Coincidence?
And i thought this might be where the message began, but our small group gathering, Sunday night, illuminated something else that i glanced over. I had read this text, over and over, and it never struck me in the way the group revealed the text to me. Even though i had read the part about Adam wasn't meant to be alone, i quickly scanned it, to get onto the other stuff. But my sisters and brothers helped me see it, as it truly was meant to be. We were meant to live together.
Sure in the story, Adam and Eve were the only ones, initially, but i truly sense God meant for us to live together, as sisters and brothers. The Garden of Eden was an idyllic place where every need, every possible need, was met. Their food, right there, shared. Their need for companionship, right there. Their faith, developed in a daily walk, literally with God. And it was heaven on earth. I sense this is God's intention for us, to be communally linked and sharing what we have so all have enough, and when we do, trusting God for all, we experience heaven on earth.
But there is more. As my brother Dave illuminated, the Jewish tradition involved a man paying a dowry for his bride, so that he could show his need, desire to have her join him in marriage. But then he would return home, build an addition to his father's house, and when he was finished, he would go get his bride. If she was ready, she went with them, and they lived, happily ever after. IF, as the parable Jesus shared, she wasn't, well then divorce was a standard step. I dont rehearse this little tradition for any other reason, but to illustrate how I feel God intended for us to live: together. Side by side. Sharing jobs. Sharing resources. Living, in dependence of God, and co-existing as one Godly community. The new couple added their family, their livestock, their entire existence to the groom's father's land. And together, they became a mighty force of mutual preservation and growth. And this was heaven on earth.
It could be that way again, but we must get beyond our individualistic nature that permeates our culture. We cannot be "western" and live in community, together. In order to have it good, as it was in the garden, we must give up our need for selfish gain, and do what benefits the whole. This is where God becomes real and powerful to us, as a church. But it wont happen without each of us sacrificing a little, and in some cases a lot, so that the whole can be healthy and God ultimately glorified. These are just some thoughts from a rambling preacher. What do you have to offer? I look forward to being inspired by your wisdom, insight, and love. Amen.
I accidentally hit send without posting anything, so i had to return and edit what should have been the post. Our Scripture focus, for Sunday, is Genesis 2. I hope each and everyone of you have read this text and prepared to offer great insights for Sunday's message. I look forward to reading what ideas and revelations come to you all after reading this very familiar text.
After an initial reading, this past Sunday, i had some very interesting thoughts. As i read the text, rehearsing the story of Adam and Eve, i realized a few things that i hadn't thought about before. All of life, as most historians, archeologists, and scientists argue, began where the Garden of Eden is reported to have been where God planted it. I dont know when Genesis was written, but i do know that oral tradition was used to tell the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden, and that dates back centuries before the story was canonized. I guess what i am trying to say, is that according to oral and written tradition, where the Garden is said to be, according to Genesis, meshes with what history argues where humanity began. Coincidence?
And i thought this might be where the message began, but our small group gathering, Sunday night, illuminated something else that i glanced over. I had read this text, over and over, and it never struck me in the way the group revealed the text to me. Even though i had read the part about Adam wasn't meant to be alone, i quickly scanned it, to get onto the other stuff. But my sisters and brothers helped me see it, as it truly was meant to be. We were meant to live together.
Sure in the story, Adam and Eve were the only ones, initially, but i truly sense God meant for us to live together, as sisters and brothers. The Garden of Eden was an idyllic place where every need, every possible need, was met. Their food, right there, shared. Their need for companionship, right there. Their faith, developed in a daily walk, literally with God. And it was heaven on earth. I sense this is God's intention for us, to be communally linked and sharing what we have so all have enough, and when we do, trusting God for all, we experience heaven on earth.
But there is more. As my brother Dave illuminated, the Jewish tradition involved a man paying a dowry for his bride, so that he could show his need, desire to have her join him in marriage. But then he would return home, build an addition to his father's house, and when he was finished, he would go get his bride. If she was ready, she went with them, and they lived, happily ever after. IF, as the parable Jesus shared, she wasn't, well then divorce was a standard step. I dont rehearse this little tradition for any other reason, but to illustrate how I feel God intended for us to live: together. Side by side. Sharing jobs. Sharing resources. Living, in dependence of God, and co-existing as one Godly community. The new couple added their family, their livestock, their entire existence to the groom's father's land. And together, they became a mighty force of mutual preservation and growth. And this was heaven on earth.
It could be that way again, but we must get beyond our individualistic nature that permeates our culture. We cannot be "western" and live in community, together. In order to have it good, as it was in the garden, we must give up our need for selfish gain, and do what benefits the whole. This is where God becomes real and powerful to us, as a church. But it wont happen without each of us sacrificing a little, and in some cases a lot, so that the whole can be healthy and God ultimately glorified. These are just some thoughts from a rambling preacher. What do you have to offer? I look forward to being inspired by your wisdom, insight, and love. Amen.