Yesterday was "pack up Christmas" day at our house. This is always an upsetting time for me. i always hate to see our Christmas "stuff" put away, & i'm always down during the time when that is taking place. i know that this is a bigger job for my wife than it is for me, and i understand why she is always ready to get everything put away after Christmas and to return the house to its normal state. i prayed that i would be there to help her without the appearance of the grumpiness that i usually feel on the annual workday after Christmas. i was largely successful in being an extra pair of helping hands and doing my share of the work without complaining. i can't say that i enjoyed it, but when i collapsed in the early evening, and my wife got her second wind and kept going, i have to say that i felt joy in seeing that she was relishing the fact that the end of the work was in sight. i also had to acknowledge that the work was more pleasant for me that it has ever been before.
This morning as i prayed and meditated i tried to look at my reactions objectively. i realized that my tiredness was as much an emotional weariness as a physical one. Seeing the end of the Christmas celebration, while at the same time being there for my wife, had left me totally worn out mentally and physically, and that's OK. My prayer is that i can carry the spirit of Christmas forward into the new year and that i can remember that even though decorations have come down in our home, the liturgical season is not yet over. i can have the joy that Christmas brings all year long, because Christmas is the celebration of the gift of Jesus to us
i felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety this morning, though. i have taken on a new responsibility at church, i have agreed to fill in for a friend in his church for a couple of Sundays in January so he can have some much needed time away, i have a performance this month with our local community chorus & symphony to which i am obligated, and we have friends that are wanting us to come spend a few days with them. This morning, all of this seemed to be weighing down on me. i know that God is there to help me, and if i just let go, everything will fall into place. i am praying that i will be able to open my heart to God's leading and quit thinking that it is the all-imporant me that must take care of all these responsibilities.
In my mind, i know that part of the anxiety is tied into the un-decorating of our house, and i know, too, that through these seemingly overwhelming responsibilities and obligations God is leading me to learn that God gives us a perfect day each day. It is my wanting to control the day that causes the problem. Today, i'm asking God to help me let go of that desire for control and acknowledge the perfection that my need to control sees as imperfection.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
To Become a Servant
This morning i read about the earliest followers of Jesus. As i quickly looked at some of the writings that are available on the internet, i saw that many of these were intent on promoting the various writers' points-of-view concerning the differences between orthodox Christianity as is was codified in the centuries following the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman world and the "genuine" Christianity that was practiced by the earliest followers of Jesus. Only a few seemed to be presenting objective evidence of the little that we now know of the earliest Christian practices and thinking.
As i read, and later as i prayer and meditated, it seemed that God was leading me to focus on the teachings of Jesus as we know them from the record in the gospels. There seems to be so much emphasis in our thinking as Christians on the death of Jesus as a necessary atonement for sin that the teachings of Jesus about how we are to live our lives is pushed to the background. i am not arguing for or against a doctrine of atonement or any other theological concept. Instead, i believe that i am being led to think about the practical considerations of living as a follower of Jesus.
We Christians have become so focused on our narrow doctrinal debates and our emphasis on sin and redemption that we may be forgetting the essential element of our faith: that we are followers of Jesus, a teacher who taught that these religious arguments obscure the true meaning of religion. The message of love and service is for me the central teaching of Jesus, and my focus must be on how to live out that teaching in my own life without worry about saving my own soul through adherence to a set of prescribed theological tenets. To save my life is to lose it in love for and service to others.
As i read, and later as i prayer and meditated, it seemed that God was leading me to focus on the teachings of Jesus as we know them from the record in the gospels. There seems to be so much emphasis in our thinking as Christians on the death of Jesus as a necessary atonement for sin that the teachings of Jesus about how we are to live our lives is pushed to the background. i am not arguing for or against a doctrine of atonement or any other theological concept. Instead, i believe that i am being led to think about the practical considerations of living as a follower of Jesus.
We Christians have become so focused on our narrow doctrinal debates and our emphasis on sin and redemption that we may be forgetting the essential element of our faith: that we are followers of Jesus, a teacher who taught that these religious arguments obscure the true meaning of religion. The message of love and service is for me the central teaching of Jesus, and my focus must be on how to live out that teaching in my own life without worry about saving my own soul through adherence to a set of prescribed theological tenets. To save my life is to lose it in love for and service to others.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Jesus, the Buddha, and Perfection
This morning in preparation for my time of prayer & meditation, i looked at some similarities between the lives and teachings of Jesus and the Buddha. i am a child of western culture, and yet the teachings of Buddhism are very comforting to me, reinforcing my Christian beliefs. Since i began to explore Buddhist thought, i have become more devoted to the teachings of Jesus & more accepting of myself and the world around me. Each day it seems that God is leading me to a deeper understanding of truth and preparing my heart for continuing change.
One of my favorite blogs is zen habits. This morning there was a new post which referred back to the top zen habits posts of the past year. One of my daily practices will be to read one of those "top twenty" each day until i have read all of them. Today's reading was "you're already perfect." i'll have to re-read it several times and think about what Leo Babauta, the blog author, is saying. My immediate reaction was that this post ties into my abandonment of the struggle to be better, my turning that struggle into acceptance that God is active in transforming my life from one of constant striving for self-improvement and anxiety about the future into one of acceptance that each day is perfect as God gives it to us, that we are here to serve rather than to acquire both our own perfection and things that we hope will make our lives better.
There are so many blog authors who are speaking to me, and i believe God has placed their writings in my path to lead me to the truth that God has for me. My prayer for myself and for you is that we can all open our hearts to the truth that is ours if we allow God to do the work of leading us to it.
One of my favorite blogs is zen habits. This morning there was a new post which referred back to the top zen habits posts of the past year. One of my daily practices will be to read one of those "top twenty" each day until i have read all of them. Today's reading was "you're already perfect." i'll have to re-read it several times and think about what Leo Babauta, the blog author, is saying. My immediate reaction was that this post ties into my abandonment of the struggle to be better, my turning that struggle into acceptance that God is active in transforming my life from one of constant striving for self-improvement and anxiety about the future into one of acceptance that each day is perfect as God gives it to us, that we are here to serve rather than to acquire both our own perfection and things that we hope will make our lives better.
There are so many blog authors who are speaking to me, and i believe God has placed their writings in my path to lead me to the truth that God has for me. My prayer for myself and for you is that we can all open our hearts to the truth that is ours if we allow God to do the work of leading us to it.
Monday, December 27, 2010
i Was Glad When They Said . . .
Every Lord's Day, i wake up excited about the opportunity of worship. Yesterday was no different. Though i longed to stay home with my family who were here for Christmas, i longed to be with my larger family at church. After all, i only have the chance to worship with them once a week for an hour or so, and i had the remainder of the day to spend with my immediate family. i wished that all my family had come to worship with me, but they didn't choose to do so, and i accept their choice of doing what they needed to do, just as they accepted my choice of needing to be in worship.
As i sat in church, some insights came to me. Our minister was preaching on the New Testament reading of the day: the account of the murder of the Holy Innocents at the hands of Herod the Great, as recorded in Matthew's gospel. As she preached, i was struck by the conflict between Matthew's account of the events following the birth of Jesus and Luke's account. It occurred to me that those who read the Bible, interpreting every word literally miss much of the point. One doesn't read the fable of the hare and the tortoise to learn factual truths about hares and tortoises, and one shouldn't read the Bible as if it were a history book. The Bible is about a much larger truth: it is the epic account of the Creator's relationship with the Created. As we read the stories of the Bible, we should ask God to reveal to us the truth that is intended, not for literal accounts of historical facts. We must not become worshipers of the Bible, but must instead be worshipers of the God whose story of eternally seeking to restore us to companionship with the One who created us is recorded in the Bible. We must read the Bible with our hearts open to the truth.
Next, i thought about leaving my family at home and the anxiety i felt in doing that. i remembered Jesus as he visited with Mary and Martha after the death of Lazarus. One sister was busy doing the chores that had to be done for her guests, while another sat with Jesus, rejoicing in his presence. i had chosen "the better part" by spending time rejoicing with others who were present in worship. The other members of my family had made a different choice. Both were the right choices according to our needs. i didn't need to feel guilty about leaving them to be in worship for a brief time, nor did they need to feel guilty about staying home to take care of necessary tasks there and to enjoy their time together. i offered a prayer of thanks for the removal of any sense of guilt about leaving my family to be a part of worship and for the removal of any sense of moral superiority i had felt for choosing to participate in corporate worship while the rest of my family stayed home. We had chosen what we needed, and God was blessing both choices.
One more insight was revealed this morning as i prayed. One member of our family had to arrive later than the rest, and we didn't know when he might arrive. My wife & i had planned our traditional Christmas meal for everyone to enjoy, and all day i was anxious because i didn't know when we would be able to serve the meal. i always cook our Christmas dinner, and i wanted it to be perfect. Yet, i couldn't plan for when to have it ready because i couldn't know when everyone would be present. As it turned out, i went ahead and completed the meal preparations so that our meal would be ready about 5:00 PM. At 4:50, our long-awaited guest arrived, just in time for us to sit down together. The meal was as perfect as a meal can be. By allowing myself to become anxious, i missed the peace of Christmas that i could have enjoyed all day. God had given me a long day of quiet before the family festivities, and i had chosen to make it a day filled with frustration and tension. The lesson for me to learn is that i need to trust God to give me a perfect day every day, to realize that everything is as it should be, and thank God for whatever comes.
May your day be the perfect one that God provides for you.
As i sat in church, some insights came to me. Our minister was preaching on the New Testament reading of the day: the account of the murder of the Holy Innocents at the hands of Herod the Great, as recorded in Matthew's gospel. As she preached, i was struck by the conflict between Matthew's account of the events following the birth of Jesus and Luke's account. It occurred to me that those who read the Bible, interpreting every word literally miss much of the point. One doesn't read the fable of the hare and the tortoise to learn factual truths about hares and tortoises, and one shouldn't read the Bible as if it were a history book. The Bible is about a much larger truth: it is the epic account of the Creator's relationship with the Created. As we read the stories of the Bible, we should ask God to reveal to us the truth that is intended, not for literal accounts of historical facts. We must not become worshipers of the Bible, but must instead be worshipers of the God whose story of eternally seeking to restore us to companionship with the One who created us is recorded in the Bible. We must read the Bible with our hearts open to the truth.
Next, i thought about leaving my family at home and the anxiety i felt in doing that. i remembered Jesus as he visited with Mary and Martha after the death of Lazarus. One sister was busy doing the chores that had to be done for her guests, while another sat with Jesus, rejoicing in his presence. i had chosen "the better part" by spending time rejoicing with others who were present in worship. The other members of my family had made a different choice. Both were the right choices according to our needs. i didn't need to feel guilty about leaving them to be in worship for a brief time, nor did they need to feel guilty about staying home to take care of necessary tasks there and to enjoy their time together. i offered a prayer of thanks for the removal of any sense of guilt about leaving my family to be a part of worship and for the removal of any sense of moral superiority i had felt for choosing to participate in corporate worship while the rest of my family stayed home. We had chosen what we needed, and God was blessing both choices.
One more insight was revealed this morning as i prayed. One member of our family had to arrive later than the rest, and we didn't know when he might arrive. My wife & i had planned our traditional Christmas meal for everyone to enjoy, and all day i was anxious because i didn't know when we would be able to serve the meal. i always cook our Christmas dinner, and i wanted it to be perfect. Yet, i couldn't plan for when to have it ready because i couldn't know when everyone would be present. As it turned out, i went ahead and completed the meal preparations so that our meal would be ready about 5:00 PM. At 4:50, our long-awaited guest arrived, just in time for us to sit down together. The meal was as perfect as a meal can be. By allowing myself to become anxious, i missed the peace of Christmas that i could have enjoyed all day. God had given me a long day of quiet before the family festivities, and i had chosen to make it a day filled with frustration and tension. The lesson for me to learn is that i need to trust God to give me a perfect day every day, to realize that everything is as it should be, and thank God for whatever comes.
May your day be the perfect one that God provides for you.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Guide and Shepherd
A couple of years ago our family traveled to a city in Europe to spend our Thanksgiving holiday. It happened that a former student of mine was studying there at the time. We planned to worship on Sunday in a church there on the first Sunday in Advent, the Sunday following Thanksgiving that year. On our first full day there, i wanted to find the church, and i was walking with my family through the streets near the church, trying to read the map i had with me. i'm usually a good map reader and have a good sense of direction, but i simply could not find my way through the twisted streets of this ancient city. i was becoming increasingly frustrated, when i looked up to see my former student standing in front of our family group, smiling at us. i was overjoyed to see him and, after we greeted each other, i told him of my difficulty in finding my way. He said that we were almost where we wanted to be and guided us to the church, where he often worshipped. He was so familiar with the church that he was able to give us a detailed history of the church as he led us through it, pointing out the wonderful artwork and alerting us to many features of the church that we would have missed had we found it on our own. After our visit to the church, he led us to a wonderful restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and learned that the restaurant itself was filled with amazing history, having been there for over two hundred years.
As i thought of Jesus as our guide this morning, the day after Christmas, i as reminded of the great joy i felt when my student appeared as if out of nowhere at just the time i needed a guide. Suddenly my anxiety disappeared. i knew that i could rely on my student and friend to lead us where we wanted to go, that the pressure of finding our way was taken away from me and replaced by reliance on someone who knew the way, having already traveled that way many times before. In just the same way, i know that i can rely on Jesus to be my guide. i have only to look up from the study of my own map and turn the anxiety and worry of finding my way over to him, confident in the knowledge that he will guide me to the place of peace and service that i seek.
This morning, i thought of Jesus as a shepherd, too. As i reflected on Jesus-as-shepherd, two images popped into my mind. First, came the familiar images of Psalm 23, of the shepherd who leads us to a pleasant place, who protects us from danger, who provides for our needs and blesses us forever. Next, i remembered Jesus' story of the lost sheep and was reminded of the phrase from Isaiah: "All we like sheep have gone astray." Like a shepherd, God seeks us as we wander lost in a wilderness of our own making. Once God has found us, then we can rely on God and the teachings of Jesus to be our guide, but it is God that does the seeking and finding. Think of how David was called from his duties as a shepherd while still a boy to be anointed by Samuel to be the future king of Israel. It was not David who sought such a future, it was God who sent Samuel to seek out David. It was God who called David, rather than David saying, "God be my guide so that I can become someone great."
God seeks us and, if we don't run from God, God rescues us. God provides a guide for us, if we lift our heads from poring over the map we have devised for our lives, the map that has led us into the wilderness that separates us from God. i pray that this day i will allow God to guide me, giving me the peace that comes from following God rather than stumbling along on my own.
As i thought of Jesus as our guide this morning, the day after Christmas, i as reminded of the great joy i felt when my student appeared as if out of nowhere at just the time i needed a guide. Suddenly my anxiety disappeared. i knew that i could rely on my student and friend to lead us where we wanted to go, that the pressure of finding our way was taken away from me and replaced by reliance on someone who knew the way, having already traveled that way many times before. In just the same way, i know that i can rely on Jesus to be my guide. i have only to look up from the study of my own map and turn the anxiety and worry of finding my way over to him, confident in the knowledge that he will guide me to the place of peace and service that i seek.
This morning, i thought of Jesus as a shepherd, too. As i reflected on Jesus-as-shepherd, two images popped into my mind. First, came the familiar images of Psalm 23, of the shepherd who leads us to a pleasant place, who protects us from danger, who provides for our needs and blesses us forever. Next, i remembered Jesus' story of the lost sheep and was reminded of the phrase from Isaiah: "All we like sheep have gone astray." Like a shepherd, God seeks us as we wander lost in a wilderness of our own making. Once God has found us, then we can rely on God and the teachings of Jesus to be our guide, but it is God that does the seeking and finding. Think of how David was called from his duties as a shepherd while still a boy to be anointed by Samuel to be the future king of Israel. It was not David who sought such a future, it was God who sent Samuel to seek out David. It was God who called David, rather than David saying, "God be my guide so that I can become someone great."
God seeks us and, if we don't run from God, God rescues us. God provides a guide for us, if we lift our heads from poring over the map we have devised for our lives, the map that has led us into the wilderness that separates us from God. i pray that this day i will allow God to guide me, giving me the peace that comes from following God rather than stumbling along on my own.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Hope, Joy, Peace, Love
Last night we left all our Christmas lights on when we went to bed to symbolize the coming of light into the world in the little child whose birth we celebrate this day. This child is the embodiment of the four words that are the title of this post. As i sat in the silence this morning, with the lights of the Christmas tree twinkling, i thought of the immensity of God, of this great mind that created all that was and is and will come to be, and i wondered how could such a mind so large as to be incomprehensible be concerned for one insignificant person like me. i can't comprehend it, but i can comprehend the love i feel for this little child in the manger and the love that child teaches us. Here is the embodiment of the love of God in terms i /we can understand. i am not concerned this morning about the mystery of incarnation, about questions of theology; i am only concerned with hope, joy, peace, and (especially) love.
i made a conscious decision to quit using the capital "I" in referring to the first person singular in my devotional writing to symbolize my own quest to make the love that flows from God through the teachings of Jesus the center of my life, to acknowledge that there is one great "I am" that is the cause of all things and that this person who "i am" has no greater calling than to become a reflection of a love that is so powerful that all things flow from it.
The rule of God is just that: hope, joy, peace, love. We are subjects of God's rule and our greatest service is to allow God who is around us in everything and in us to become the ruler of our hearts. My prayer for each person is that you will be filled with the magic and mystery of Christmas and that all of us will carry that magic and mystery with us through all the days of our lives.
i made a conscious decision to quit using the capital "I" in referring to the first person singular in my devotional writing to symbolize my own quest to make the love that flows from God through the teachings of Jesus the center of my life, to acknowledge that there is one great "I am" that is the cause of all things and that this person who "i am" has no greater calling than to become a reflection of a love that is so powerful that all things flow from it.
The rule of God is just that: hope, joy, peace, love. We are subjects of God's rule and our greatest service is to allow God who is around us in everything and in us to become the ruler of our hearts. My prayer for each person is that you will be filled with the magic and mystery of Christmas and that all of us will carry that magic and mystery with us through all the days of our lives.
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Savior Who Is Christ the Lord
My last Advent study was that of Jesus as "savior." As I read various views of this name for Jesus, two points-of-view were evident. One was that of Jesus as "my" savior, while the other was that of Jesus as "the" savior. For many Christians, Jesus is the only savior, the only way of approaching God, the Savior, with a capital "S." For those who hold this view, persons who don't share their view are not Christians; for them, Christianity is the only true religion, and Jesus must be worshiped as God incarnate, the savior who redeems the world from sin by his sacrificial death, and this path of reconciliation to God is the only true faith.
I cannot subscribe to this belief. I only know what I experience in my heart. I know that Jesus is my savior, who guides me along the path of service to God by serving others. For me, Jesus is the savior of the world because his teachings of love for God and our neighbors lead us to a profound change in our hearts, replacing the selfish egocentricity of our lives with a love-centered existence that views all others as children of God deserving of our love, compassion, and service. Jesus saves us by setting an example of unconditional love that accepts people as they are, not demanding that they must change in order to be worthy of love.
If we follow the teachings of Jesus, if we accept his pattern for our lives, he saves us from an empty existence that values things more than people. Can we live this life of love without accepting Jesus as "savior?" Each human heart must make that decision, and as I observe many loving people and read about the unselfish service that many non-Christians practice in the world, I cannot condemn these who are living lives that are consistent with Jesus' teachings, even though they may not call themselves Christians. If that makes me a "pluralist," and for some a non-Christian, so be it. I can only follow the path along which I believe God is leading me.
I cannot subscribe to this belief. I only know what I experience in my heart. I know that Jesus is my savior, who guides me along the path of service to God by serving others. For me, Jesus is the savior of the world because his teachings of love for God and our neighbors lead us to a profound change in our hearts, replacing the selfish egocentricity of our lives with a love-centered existence that views all others as children of God deserving of our love, compassion, and service. Jesus saves us by setting an example of unconditional love that accepts people as they are, not demanding that they must change in order to be worthy of love.
If we follow the teachings of Jesus, if we accept his pattern for our lives, he saves us from an empty existence that values things more than people. Can we live this life of love without accepting Jesus as "savior?" Each human heart must make that decision, and as I observe many loving people and read about the unselfish service that many non-Christians practice in the world, I cannot condemn these who are living lives that are consistent with Jesus' teachings, even though they may not call themselves Christians. If that makes me a "pluralist," and for some a non-Christian, so be it. I can only follow the path along which I believe God is leading me.
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