You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
The story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Martha and Mary is often interpreted as contrasting the contemplative and active dimensions of spiritual life. And whenever I’ve asked people to whom they relate most strongly in this story, most answer Martha. This is not surprising in a culture which lives by to-do lists, in which productivity and accomplishment are the highest criteria for success. We might all agree that a healthy soul-life is balanced – our connection to God cultivated in prayer needs to be expressed outwardly in action, and our actions need to be grounded in our connection to God in prayer if we want them to bear fruit.
Jesus, however, does not value these equally: But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
The better part, not just as good. Jesus says “No, Martha. Mary does not have to get up and help you in the kitchen. She is putting her relationship with me above everything else, and no one can take that away from her.”
Don’t most of us have at least one person in our lives whom we would drop everything to spend time with? For Christ-followers, at least one of those people should be Jesus. The first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is choosing to put him first, before the other loves and priorities which claim us. What he thinks is important becomes of utmost importance to us – trusting in God, offering the power of healing, sharing resources with those who have less. If he says time with him (which is what prayer and worship are…) is the highest priority, let’s make it ours.
Before we agree to do something, or launch an initiative of our own creation, let’s plan for how we will integrate that project into our lives of prayer and worship, first making sure we’ve set aside time for those. And when someone in the church who excels at prayer and intercession really doesn’t want to be on a committee, entrust them with your prayer list and leave them to do what they do best. There will be plenty of people who like the active ministries.
The real challenge is how to get us “active” types to sit down and spend more time at Jesus’ feet. One reason we keep going the way we do is to avoid dealing with feelings that come up when we’re quiet. Many of us also deal with the very real condition of stress addiction, whereby our brains become wired to feel calmer when we’re busy and more anxious when we’re still. Maybe we just have to be more active about becoming contemplative. Martin Luther is quoted as having said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
Who knows how efficiently Mary might have worked in that kitchen after receiving the gifts of Jesus’ teaching, had Martha been willing to trust. And who knows how peaceful Martha might have felt had she joined Mary in her choice. Dinner can wait; Jesus is now. Join him, and dinner will happen.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
10-10-24 - No Easy Way In
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Very little shocks us these days. Sex, violence, prejudice, outrageous discourse are all commonplace. But talk about money and how wealth is distributed? The temperature rises quickly.
It wasn’t so different in Jesus’ day. When Jesus told a man who came to him seeking spiritual advice that he should sell everything he owned, give the proceeds to the poor, and then become his disciple, he went away shocked. So were Jesus’ followers who watched this encounter unfold: Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Were they shocked that he let such a promising recruit get away? Or that he would say such a thing about the wealthy? In that culture (as in ours…) prosperity was seen as a sign of God’s blessing and favor. How could it impede full participation in the life of God?
This gives us pause as well. Have we examined the ways in which our wealth and worldly security stand in the way of our putting all our trust in Christ’s grace and love (which Episcopalians promise to do in our baptismal vows…)? Often we respond to the discomfort we feel encountering these words of Jesus by trying to “give” our way to feeling okay. "Yeah, but, look at how much I give away..." That ain’t a bad thing… but it’s not what Jesus is talking about. I suspect his concern is what the accumulation does for and to us.
Thankfully, this greatly challenging passage ends with a reminder of grace: They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
For God all things are possible. We experience that as we let go and trust God and the power of the Spirit working in, around and through us. Let’s start there, and see how Love might loosen our grip on our wealth.
© Kate Heichler, 2024. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Very little shocks us these days. Sex, violence, prejudice, outrageous discourse are all commonplace. But talk about money and how wealth is distributed? The temperature rises quickly.
It wasn’t so different in Jesus’ day. When Jesus told a man who came to him seeking spiritual advice that he should sell everything he owned, give the proceeds to the poor, and then become his disciple, he went away shocked. So were Jesus’ followers who watched this encounter unfold: Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Were they shocked that he let such a promising recruit get away? Or that he would say such a thing about the wealthy? In that culture (as in ours…) prosperity was seen as a sign of God’s blessing and favor. How could it impede full participation in the life of God?
This gives us pause as well. Have we examined the ways in which our wealth and worldly security stand in the way of our putting all our trust in Christ’s grace and love (which Episcopalians promise to do in our baptismal vows…)? Often we respond to the discomfort we feel encountering these words of Jesus by trying to “give” our way to feeling okay. "Yeah, but, look at how much I give away..." That ain’t a bad thing… but it’s not what Jesus is talking about. I suspect his concern is what the accumulation does for and to us.
Thankfully, this greatly challenging passage ends with a reminder of grace: They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
For God all things are possible. We experience that as we let go and trust God and the power of the Spirit working in, around and through us. Let’s start there, and see how Love might loosen our grip on our wealth.
© Kate Heichler, 2024. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
6-30-23 - A Guide To Summertime Spirituality
You can listen to this reflection here.
No Bible today - I’m going seasonal. Coming into a summer holiday weekend is a good time to consider how the gifts of summertime can help us refresh our connection to God.
The long days and warm weather which most Water Daily readers are enjoying, based on our location, offer occasions for spiritual connection, on our own and in groups. I don’t know about you, but my spirit is fed and expanded by being outdoors, feeling a breeze, watching the sunlight play on leaves, admiring the strength and beauty of trees and flowers, observing the antics of animals large and small. The form of praise called exaltation rises in me more readily, and gratitude becomes a more dominant theme in my prayer.
Summer offers more time for spiritual activities as well. Whether we sit outside or enjoy a long walk after dinner (or before breakfast…), we can enter into conversation with God because we’re not rushing as much. Long dinners with friends allow time and space for the conversation to get spiritual as well. May I commend a few spiritual practices to try on during this season?
Mindfulness walks – take a walk in the woods or in a meadow or by a river or anywhere that you find beautiful. Pause before you start, to breathe deeply and to attend to each of your senses, ending with the eyes. What do you hear? What do you feel on your skin? What do you smell and even taste? Finally, what do you see? Take your time to tune each of these senses, and as you walk, try to notice and appreciate without engaging your thoughts – when you find your mind is busy, come back to the now by noticing with your senses again. If walking is not easy for you, you can do this sitting still outside in a favorite place.
Gratitude journal – if this is not already your practice, try it for a season. Choose a time each day to sit, preferably outside, and note what you are thankful for. Write it down if you can. Does anything you write prompt you to want to go deeper in prayer? Sometimes noting what we’re grateful for reveals to us a deep yearning – talk to God about that.
Feasting – I love summer eating, with all the fresh, local vegetables and fruits. Making food and eating it, alone or with others, is a delightful adventure. Food makes real the incomprehensible abundance and variety of God’s creation, and variety and abundance are particularly vivid in the summer.
Make a spiritual activity of planning a menu, acquiring the ingredients (especially if it can involve a garden or farmer’s market), grilling if you like that. I love to sauté on my grill’s extra burner, even chopping the vegetables outside; my yard becomes a kitchen and dining room all in one. Praise the Creator with each phase of preparation; invite Jesus to join you as you eat – he was no stranger to dinner tables or kitchens, or picnics. Savor the richness of fine food with good friends – and know that God is in the middle of it all.
There are many more spiritual practices that are particularly wonderful to embrace during the summer, but those three are enough for today. As we move into the vacation season, I pray you will have many opportunities to draw near to God and experience the presence of the Spirit this summer.
No Bible today - I’m going seasonal. Coming into a summer holiday weekend is a good time to consider how the gifts of summertime can help us refresh our connection to God.
The long days and warm weather which most Water Daily readers are enjoying, based on our location, offer occasions for spiritual connection, on our own and in groups. I don’t know about you, but my spirit is fed and expanded by being outdoors, feeling a breeze, watching the sunlight play on leaves, admiring the strength and beauty of trees and flowers, observing the antics of animals large and small. The form of praise called exaltation rises in me more readily, and gratitude becomes a more dominant theme in my prayer.
Summer offers more time for spiritual activities as well. Whether we sit outside or enjoy a long walk after dinner (or before breakfast…), we can enter into conversation with God because we’re not rushing as much. Long dinners with friends allow time and space for the conversation to get spiritual as well. May I commend a few spiritual practices to try on during this season?
Mindfulness walks – take a walk in the woods or in a meadow or by a river or anywhere that you find beautiful. Pause before you start, to breathe deeply and to attend to each of your senses, ending with the eyes. What do you hear? What do you feel on your skin? What do you smell and even taste? Finally, what do you see? Take your time to tune each of these senses, and as you walk, try to notice and appreciate without engaging your thoughts – when you find your mind is busy, come back to the now by noticing with your senses again. If walking is not easy for you, you can do this sitting still outside in a favorite place.
Gratitude journal – if this is not already your practice, try it for a season. Choose a time each day to sit, preferably outside, and note what you are thankful for. Write it down if you can. Does anything you write prompt you to want to go deeper in prayer? Sometimes noting what we’re grateful for reveals to us a deep yearning – talk to God about that.
Feasting – I love summer eating, with all the fresh, local vegetables and fruits. Making food and eating it, alone or with others, is a delightful adventure. Food makes real the incomprehensible abundance and variety of God’s creation, and variety and abundance are particularly vivid in the summer.
Make a spiritual activity of planning a menu, acquiring the ingredients (especially if it can involve a garden or farmer’s market), grilling if you like that. I love to sauté on my grill’s extra burner, even chopping the vegetables outside; my yard becomes a kitchen and dining room all in one. Praise the Creator with each phase of preparation; invite Jesus to join you as you eat – he was no stranger to dinner tables or kitchens, or picnics. Savor the richness of fine food with good friends – and know that God is in the middle of it all.
There are many more spiritual practices that are particularly wonderful to embrace during the summer, but those three are enough for today. As we move into the vacation season, I pray you will have many opportunities to draw near to God and experience the presence of the Spirit this summer.
9-11-20 - The Way of Love In Challenging Times
You can listen to this reflection here. My congregations will be delving into the Way of Love this fall. Most weeks the gospel readings will differ from the Common Lectionary. So on Fridays this season, Water Daily will focus on the Way of Love topic for the week – today that is adopting a spiritual rule of life.
The Way of Love is an approach to intentional Christian living conceived by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Michael Curry. Anyone who has ever heard him speak knows how joyfully he expresses the love at the heart of our Good News. He developed this set of “spiritual practices for a Jesus-focused life” in response to a growing sense that many Episcopalians had yet to experience God’s love for themselves; as he has said, “You can’t give away what you don’t have.”
The Way of Love – seven spiritual practices, each honed to one word – is what monastics call a rule of life, a plan for how one will focus and grow spiritually. A rule of life, which can be corporate (as in the Rule of St. Benedict) or individual, allows us to be intentional about our spiritual lives, rather than drifting. Just as we benefit more from exercise that is planned, so that in a given week our whole bodies get a workout; just as we eat more healthfully when we plan our meals; just as we work more productively when we set goals and plan tasks – so it is with the life of the spirit. We grow more loving as we cultivate habits of the heart that open us to the love and power of God.
We need to know, to receive, and to channel that power and love more than ever. With our nation and world – even creation itself – in crisis; with so much that was familiar now turned topsy turvy; with so many people in extreme need, we need a lively faith, a robust faith, an increased capacity to love. I’m calling this series “The Way of Love In Challenging Times.” It is for times such as these that we tune our spiritual muscles.
Some of the practices contained in the Way of Love– Turn, Learn, Pray, Bless - can be embraced daily. Some, like Worship and Rest, may become part of a Christian’s weekly rhythm. The remaining one, Go, might be lived daily or weekly, or involve travel or major life changes. Together, they help us maintain a balance between interior spirituality and external mission, and focus us on following Jesus.
Jesus has not stopped leading us. Jesus has not stopped loving us. No matter how hard things get, we are invited to rest on that great promise which St. Paul articulated: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).
I hope you will take on the Way of Lovethis season; sharpen a practice you’ve already developed, maybe try on a new one. God has much healing work to do through us, and God needs us rested and ready, rooted in love, grounded in peace, powered by the Spirit, poised for action.
The Way of Love is an approach to intentional Christian living conceived by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Michael Curry. Anyone who has ever heard him speak knows how joyfully he expresses the love at the heart of our Good News. He developed this set of “spiritual practices for a Jesus-focused life” in response to a growing sense that many Episcopalians had yet to experience God’s love for themselves; as he has said, “You can’t give away what you don’t have.”
The Way of Love – seven spiritual practices, each honed to one word – is what monastics call a rule of life, a plan for how one will focus and grow spiritually. A rule of life, which can be corporate (as in the Rule of St. Benedict) or individual, allows us to be intentional about our spiritual lives, rather than drifting. Just as we benefit more from exercise that is planned, so that in a given week our whole bodies get a workout; just as we eat more healthfully when we plan our meals; just as we work more productively when we set goals and plan tasks – so it is with the life of the spirit. We grow more loving as we cultivate habits of the heart that open us to the love and power of God.
We need to know, to receive, and to channel that power and love more than ever. With our nation and world – even creation itself – in crisis; with so much that was familiar now turned topsy turvy; with so many people in extreme need, we need a lively faith, a robust faith, an increased capacity to love. I’m calling this series “The Way of Love In Challenging Times.” It is for times such as these that we tune our spiritual muscles.
Some of the practices contained in the Way of Love– Turn, Learn, Pray, Bless - can be embraced daily. Some, like Worship and Rest, may become part of a Christian’s weekly rhythm. The remaining one, Go, might be lived daily or weekly, or involve travel or major life changes. Together, they help us maintain a balance between interior spirituality and external mission, and focus us on following Jesus.
Jesus has not stopped leading us. Jesus has not stopped loving us. No matter how hard things get, we are invited to rest on that great promise which St. Paul articulated: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).
I hope you will take on the Way of Lovethis season; sharpen a practice you’ve already developed, maybe try on a new one. God has much healing work to do through us, and God needs us rested and ready, rooted in love, grounded in peace, powered by the Spirit, poised for action.
8-12-20 - Mean Jesus?
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
A read-through of the Gospels makes it plain that Jesus held the full range of human emotions; he was not above sorrow or sarcasm, anguish or anger. In the event we explore this week, though, he appears rude, even mean. His dismissive response to this woman and her plea is unlike any other recorded encounter. Where usually he went out of his way to connect with the needy, lepers, blind people, tax collectors and prostitutes, here he seems to push someone away.
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Is this Jesus “staying on mission,” as we might say nowadays, wary of getting off schedule again? Was he having a mood swing? Why would he define his boundaries so narrowly here, when he engaged with and offered healing to Gentiles elsewhere? When the woman presses the issue, he gets even more tactless:
A read-through of the Gospels makes it plain that Jesus held the full range of human emotions; he was not above sorrow or sarcasm, anguish or anger. In the event we explore this week, though, he appears rude, even mean. His dismissive response to this woman and her plea is unlike any other recorded encounter. Where usually he went out of his way to connect with the needy, lepers, blind people, tax collectors and prostitutes, here he seems to push someone away.
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Is this Jesus “staying on mission,” as we might say nowadays, wary of getting off schedule again? Was he having a mood swing? Why would he define his boundaries so narrowly here, when he engaged with and offered healing to Gentiles elsewhere? When the woman presses the issue, he gets even more tactless:
But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’’
Whoa. This goes beyond, “I’m tired, I’m busy, leave me alone.” Is Jesus saying that this women and her demon-enslaved daughter are unworthy of his Father’s love, power, healing? That promise written into our Baptismal Covenant in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer– “Will you respect the dignity of every human being?” - is not explicitly biblical, but it is consonant with the overall arc of God’s redemptive action, declaring the likes of you and me, the poor, unclean, and lame, leaders as well as the dregs of society worthy of extravagant, sacrificial love. Why not this poor mother, so desperate and full of faith?
Is Jesus frustrated at the lack of response to his ministry among so many of his own people? Is giving these gifts outside his community a reminder that they are not more fully received by his own? Whatever his motivation, the resulting words and attitude seem to clash with the Jesus we see at work elsewhere.
The way Mark tells the story, Jesus’ reply is a little more nuanced: “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Feeding the “children” first at least allows for getting around to the “dogs.” Matthew’s version makes it a matter of fairness, not sequence. Whatever else it offers, this troubling vignette draws a more fully rounded, layered and shaded, flesh and blood picture of Jesus. It is oddly comforting to know that Jesus shared our humanity so fully that he too could be stressed and snappish. (Yet, without sin!)
Today we might sit quietly in prayer for a time, reflecting on the last time we said or did something inconsiderate or unkind, found ourselves acting out of a bad mood instead of our best self. Might we call that moment up in our mind, and rather than beating ourselves up for it, invite Jesus to sit with us in it? Might we draw near to him in that moment and so make space for him to draw near to us?
The rest of the story makes it clear that the seeming put-down was not the last word, that the fullness of Jesus included an ability to let another person in and adjust his settings according to new input. And at every moment, God loved him – as it is for us. As we accept that love, we’ll find our “snappish” moments become fewer and our moments of regarding the Other with love increase.
Whoa. This goes beyond, “I’m tired, I’m busy, leave me alone.” Is Jesus saying that this women and her demon-enslaved daughter are unworthy of his Father’s love, power, healing? That promise written into our Baptismal Covenant in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer– “Will you respect the dignity of every human being?” - is not explicitly biblical, but it is consonant with the overall arc of God’s redemptive action, declaring the likes of you and me, the poor, unclean, and lame, leaders as well as the dregs of society worthy of extravagant, sacrificial love. Why not this poor mother, so desperate and full of faith?
Is Jesus frustrated at the lack of response to his ministry among so many of his own people? Is giving these gifts outside his community a reminder that they are not more fully received by his own? Whatever his motivation, the resulting words and attitude seem to clash with the Jesus we see at work elsewhere.
The way Mark tells the story, Jesus’ reply is a little more nuanced: “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Feeding the “children” first at least allows for getting around to the “dogs.” Matthew’s version makes it a matter of fairness, not sequence. Whatever else it offers, this troubling vignette draws a more fully rounded, layered and shaded, flesh and blood picture of Jesus. It is oddly comforting to know that Jesus shared our humanity so fully that he too could be stressed and snappish. (Yet, without sin!)
Today we might sit quietly in prayer for a time, reflecting on the last time we said or did something inconsiderate or unkind, found ourselves acting out of a bad mood instead of our best self. Might we call that moment up in our mind, and rather than beating ourselves up for it, invite Jesus to sit with us in it? Might we draw near to him in that moment and so make space for him to draw near to us?
The rest of the story makes it clear that the seeming put-down was not the last word, that the fullness of Jesus included an ability to let another person in and adjust his settings according to new input. And at every moment, God loved him – as it is for us. As we accept that love, we’ll find our “snappish” moments become fewer and our moments of regarding the Other with love increase.
10-15-13 - Widow or Judge?
Interpreting parables can be similar to interpreting dreams – on some level, we can find ourselves in all the characters, and meaning shifts according to who we identify with most. So, in this parable, are you the widow, or the judge?
When we feel we’re on the wrong side of justice, powerless, unheard, unhelped, victims of a system we can’t control – we identify with this widow. It’s hard to get more powerless than widows in Jesus’ day – they were at the mercy of relatives or charity. This is still true in much of the world, including in some tribal African cultures – it has magnified the trauma of the AIDS pandemic in many families.
What situations in your life make you feel unheeded, powerless? (Government shut-down, anybody?) We all have some area in which we don’t get what we want or feel we need, and we get tired of asking. It’s okay to feel a righteous anger over injustice – and it’s okay to be angry at God.
Or do you identify with this judge, as unsavory a character as he may be? Are you tired of people haranguing you to fix everything? Maybe you think this widow ought to take more responsibility for her life. Maybe (the story doesn’t tell us…) the opponent has a good case, and ruling in favor of the widow is not the most just thing, but she’s worn you out.
In many situations in life we are sitting in the power seat, denying other people resources or justice or simply a hearing. When we hoard resources or exert socio-economic privilege, we’re like that judge. When we fail to honor the humanity in another person, no matter how annoying or destructive we may find them, we’re sitting on that bench.
There are a lot of “yucky” feelings associated with both of these characters. Sometimes we have to move through the yuck to let it go. Those feelings are part of us, and the more we’re able to bring them into the light, the better we can be free of them. And freedom is our goal in the spiritual life.
So… let’s get out the notebook. Name some things you feel helpless about, angry at, sick of. Tell God how you feel. God doesn’t want us to be polite – God wants us to be real. If these are things you often pray about, examine that. Is there another angle from which to look at them? Action you could take? Anyone else who might join you in that prayer?
Then let's switch places and assume the judgment seat. Who’s asking you for justice or mercy – or your time? Who don’t you want to be bothered with? What resources and power do you have that you might exercise on someone else's behalf? If you feel forgiveness is needed, ask for that. Even more, ask God to show you God’s solutions for those people so you can join God in helping them.
This is hard work, to look at ourselves clearly. But the light we shine into our shadows is the love of God in Christ, a fierce love that makes us truer than we knew we could be.
When we feel we’re on the wrong side of justice, powerless, unheard, unhelped, victims of a system we can’t control – we identify with this widow. It’s hard to get more powerless than widows in Jesus’ day – they were at the mercy of relatives or charity. This is still true in much of the world, including in some tribal African cultures – it has magnified the trauma of the AIDS pandemic in many families.
What situations in your life make you feel unheeded, powerless? (Government shut-down, anybody?) We all have some area in which we don’t get what we want or feel we need, and we get tired of asking. It’s okay to feel a righteous anger over injustice – and it’s okay to be angry at God.
Or do you identify with this judge, as unsavory a character as he may be? Are you tired of people haranguing you to fix everything? Maybe you think this widow ought to take more responsibility for her life. Maybe (the story doesn’t tell us…) the opponent has a good case, and ruling in favor of the widow is not the most just thing, but she’s worn you out.
In many situations in life we are sitting in the power seat, denying other people resources or justice or simply a hearing. When we hoard resources or exert socio-economic privilege, we’re like that judge. When we fail to honor the humanity in another person, no matter how annoying or destructive we may find them, we’re sitting on that bench.
There are a lot of “yucky” feelings associated with both of these characters. Sometimes we have to move through the yuck to let it go. Those feelings are part of us, and the more we’re able to bring them into the light, the better we can be free of them. And freedom is our goal in the spiritual life.
So… let’s get out the notebook. Name some things you feel helpless about, angry at, sick of. Tell God how you feel. God doesn’t want us to be polite – God wants us to be real. If these are things you often pray about, examine that. Is there another angle from which to look at them? Action you could take? Anyone else who might join you in that prayer?
Then let's switch places and assume the judgment seat. Who’s asking you for justice or mercy – or your time? Who don’t you want to be bothered with? What resources and power do you have that you might exercise on someone else's behalf? If you feel forgiveness is needed, ask for that. Even more, ask God to show you God’s solutions for those people so you can join God in helping them.
This is hard work, to look at ourselves clearly. But the light we shine into our shadows is the love of God in Christ, a fierce love that makes us truer than we knew we could be.
9-16-13 - Jesus the Accountant
Jesus didn’t name his parables – he just told them. Later, people who put bibles together added headings and titles – which often obscure as much as they highlight. Why name the story about the man and his two sons “The Prodigal Son,” and not, “The Merciful Father” or “The Resentful Brother?” Any of those names limit our view of the parable.
Parables are multi-faceted – you look at one head on, it appears to say one thing; you turn it just slightly, or look from the perspective of another character and, “Whoa, I never noticed that before…” And then there are some that, no matter how many ways you turn, it’s hard to grasp just what Jesus was saying.
Long intro to an odd reading. I was tempted to retrieve another of my “Top Ten Bible Passages” this week – but that would be wimping out. If we spend some time on this one, it will reveal more of itself.
This parable is sometimes called “The Shrewd Manager,” and sometimes “The Dishonest Steward.” Both? Yeah. So let’s forget titles and look at the story: A rich man finds out his caretaker is squandering his estate. He calls him in, tells him he’s onto him, and demands an accounting. The manager realizes he’s about to be fired. He doesn’t want to do manual work or beg – so he cooks up a scheme. He calls in the man’s debtors and lowers each one’s bill if he’ll pay up. Now he has some income to show the boss; the debtors get a deal; and the manager buys himself some friends. Oh – and, Jesus says, the boss commends him for his savvy. What??? And why is Jesus telling a story of ledgers and balances and profit & loss statements? Isn’t accounting a little out of his wheelhouse as a rabbi?
By some measures, Jesus talked about finance and how we use and get used by our money more than any other subject. Way more than he spoke about sexuality or peace or justice. Because he knew that our relationship with money speaks volumes about our level of faith and trust and openness to the grace of God. And because money and managers are great metaphors for understanding our relationship to the gifts God gives us to enjoy and nurture and invest.
How would you describe your relationship with money?
(easy / trusting / anxious / clinging / generous / organized / playful / indifferent / attached / ? )
Are there areas in your life in which you don’t feel you are a good steward of God’s gifts to you?
(time / relationships / vocation / health / place / nature / education / ? )
How about some areas where you use the gifts wisely and well?
Today, in prayer, invite Jesus into all those parts of your life. If your relationship with money is not as easy as you’d like, pray about that. Tell God your anxieties. We’re called to be un-anxious – and sometimes we have to name our worries so we can let go of them.
Do you fear judgment about your use or misuse of any gifts in your life? This is a good day to name those fears, and repent for anything in particular that weighs you down. God wants us to be real and to trust in God’s loving grace.
Jesus told his followers they were no longer servants but friends. We can afford to look at our records as stewards without fear of being “fired” – and in the security of an awesome, eternal retirement plan.
Parables are multi-faceted – you look at one head on, it appears to say one thing; you turn it just slightly, or look from the perspective of another character and, “Whoa, I never noticed that before…” And then there are some that, no matter how many ways you turn, it’s hard to grasp just what Jesus was saying.
Long intro to an odd reading. I was tempted to retrieve another of my “Top Ten Bible Passages” this week – but that would be wimping out. If we spend some time on this one, it will reveal more of itself.
This parable is sometimes called “The Shrewd Manager,” and sometimes “The Dishonest Steward.” Both? Yeah. So let’s forget titles and look at the story: A rich man finds out his caretaker is squandering his estate. He calls him in, tells him he’s onto him, and demands an accounting. The manager realizes he’s about to be fired. He doesn’t want to do manual work or beg – so he cooks up a scheme. He calls in the man’s debtors and lowers each one’s bill if he’ll pay up. Now he has some income to show the boss; the debtors get a deal; and the manager buys himself some friends. Oh – and, Jesus says, the boss commends him for his savvy. What??? And why is Jesus telling a story of ledgers and balances and profit & loss statements? Isn’t accounting a little out of his wheelhouse as a rabbi?
By some measures, Jesus talked about finance and how we use and get used by our money more than any other subject. Way more than he spoke about sexuality or peace or justice. Because he knew that our relationship with money speaks volumes about our level of faith and trust and openness to the grace of God. And because money and managers are great metaphors for understanding our relationship to the gifts God gives us to enjoy and nurture and invest.
How would you describe your relationship with money?
(easy / trusting / anxious / clinging / generous / organized / playful / indifferent / attached / ? )
Are there areas in your life in which you don’t feel you are a good steward of God’s gifts to you?
(time / relationships / vocation / health / place / nature / education / ? )
How about some areas where you use the gifts wisely and well?
Today, in prayer, invite Jesus into all those parts of your life. If your relationship with money is not as easy as you’d like, pray about that. Tell God your anxieties. We’re called to be un-anxious – and sometimes we have to name our worries so we can let go of them.
Do you fear judgment about your use or misuse of any gifts in your life? This is a good day to name those fears, and repent for anything in particular that weighs you down. God wants us to be real and to trust in God’s loving grace.
Jesus told his followers they were no longer servants but friends. We can afford to look at our records as stewards without fear of being “fired” – and in the security of an awesome, eternal retirement plan.
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