11-12-20 - The Joy of God

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.

Some see God as a “watchmaker” – a creator who made the world and set it in motion, and sits back watching it tick, for good and ill. This would not be a deity who intervenes in the affairs of her creation; this God privileges free will to the max.

At first glance, the “master” in the parable of the talents could bolster such a view of God. He heads off on a journey, leaving resources and instructions – but not too specific – with his employees. And, like the long-delayed bridegroom in last week’s parable, he stays gone awhile, so long that perhaps his employees think he’s gone for good, that they run the business now. But no: “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.”

The way he goes about the accounting suggests an ongoing relationship, not diminished by his absence. To each of the two servants who doubled their money he says, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Inviting others into his “joy” does not sound like an aloof watchmaker boss.

Why, I wonder, did Jesus tell of two servants who had differing amounts to invest? Saying it twice to make the point? Maybe. And maybe he wants to be sure we get the message that it’s not the amount that matters, it’s the act of investing, of taking risks, of seeking to grow what we’ve been given. Investing our gifts is not only for the wealthy or the multiply blessed – it’s for all followers of the Way of Jesus. The master's praising each of these servants the same way, regardless of how much they earned, suggests that God is more interested in our engagement than our results. No matter the total, if we invest we are invited into God's joy.

Joy is a state of being that incorporates contentment, trust, serenity, happiness, but is deeper and more encompassing than any one of these. We can experience joy in the midst of pain and loss. Joy is one of God’s greatest gifts to us.

Have you experienced the joy of God during or after some ministry you’ve been engaged in? It might not have looked like “ministry.” It might have been when you followed an impulse to help someone or some time of praise. We get a certain kind of kick when we allow the Holy Spirit to move through us.

If you can recall a time when you’ve felt “the joy of the master,” consider it. What were you doing? How did you feel you were working with God when you were involved with that? How did you feel later? Can that happen again?

If joy has not been much part of your experience of church, God, Christianity – there’s something to ponder too. What’s in the way – something in the institution, something in you, or both? If we're aware of the barriers we can pray them down.

Jesus told his followers on the night before he was arrested and killed, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”(John 15:11) Even then, knowing what was before him, he spoke of his joy and wanting them to have it. He’s already given it to us. We need to keep unwrapping that gift.

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11-11-20 - Choose It Or Lose It

You can listen to this reflection here.

Some years ago I attended a seminar on personal finance and learned something that should have been obvious: if you do not choose to invest your money, you are in effect choosing to lose your money, as it gradually loses value with the rate of inflation. Not choosing means losing.

A biblical exemplar of “not choosing” is the third servant in Jesus’ story of the talents (or 'coins'): “The one who had received the five coins went off at once and traded with them, and made five more coins. In the same way, the one who had the two coins made two more coins. But the one who had received the one coin went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

Why would he think it wise to hide the money? He was afraid of losing it; this seemed a risk-free strategy. Turns out he was also afraid of his master, telling him upon his return: “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.”

This servant thinks little of his master’s integrity – he as good as calls him harsh, dishonest, a thief "appropriating" what is not his. He does not appreciate the trust placed in him; in fact, he can’t wait to be rid of the burden: “Here you have what is yours.”

Who does Jesus intend this servant to represent, I wonder? Another way of getting at that question is to ask what it means to invest our "talents" in the spiritual life. To me, investment means full-on engagement in the life of faith – orienting our lives to moving in the mission of God, praying with bold expectation, taking risks in ministry, risking some disorder, disappointment, disdain. It is radical trust in the Spirit of God to lead and guide us. It is saying and praying, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

By contrast, burying our “talent” is playing it safe, laying low. Instead of radical trust, we exhibit radical mistrust in the power and promises of God. We pay way more attention to the unanswered prayers and things that didn’t work than to our victories in God. We allow ourselves to become bench-warmers (or pew-warmers…), disabled and sidelined. The master in Jesus’ story has no patience with this:

“But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the coin from him, and give it to the one with the ten coins.”

Which servant do you feel most like today? The big risk-taker investing all five of her coins, the moderate one with the two – or the one who plays it so safe he accomplishes less than nothing?

If you’re in the latter category, faith-wise – what’s holding you back? Do you mistrust God because of some pain that you feel God allowed, did not prevent? Prayers you did not see answered in the way you needed to? Do you see God as a harsh judge, or as loving father? You can afford to be honest with God. Allow the Spirit to pour some healing balm into those wounds, and think about trusting again.

The great thing about being a servant and not a master is that we don’t have to worry about results. We just have to follow orders and give it our all, and let God worry about the outcome. The very act of stepping out in faith, Jesus suggests, allows God to work through us – and the yield is abundant.

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11-10-20 - Double Your Money

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.

I wish I knew the investment strategy operating in Jesus’ story: “The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents.”

I’m not sure what a “talent” is worth, but I know that doubling your money is always a good deal. If my math is correct, each of these servants got a 100% rate of return. I don’t know how sophisticated Jesus’ math was (hey, if he could conquer death he could handle calculus, right?), but I read into that percentage a symbol of wholeness. (And do the number crazy want to do anything with tomorrow’s date...11-11-2020?)

This parable is not about finance but faithfulness. When we invest faithfully the gifts and assets God has given us, we realize wholeness. And if we say that the mission of God is to restore all of creation to wholeness, we get a big clue about how we as followers of Christ are to go about participating in God’s mission. One message of this parable is: Our acts of faith will yield fruit, 100% worth. Our holding back in fear? Nothing.

We should expect big yields! We’ve grown so timid, so many of us nth-generation Christ-followers. For too long we have dwelt in the land of diminishing returns, our attendance and budgets and staffs shrinking, our giving tepid, our children fleeing what we know as “Church,” our neighbors disinterested in joining us. So we adjust our expectations downward – and maybe we hold back on our investment of faith and energy too. And all the while it may just be that God is leading us to do church in a new way. Certainly this season of pandemic is inviting us to break out of some moldy old molds.

This parable invites us to look up and remember who called us to these tired buildings in the first place. The Lord of Heaven and Earth says, “Join me – I am making all things new! I give you all these riches, freely, your inheritance. Now plow it back into our Family Business. Let’s see what 100% growth looks like.” And you know, when we expect 100%, we’re more apt to realize it.

In what places in your life do you believe you reap a mighty return on investment of your time and energy? What feels fruitful? Why do you suppose that part works?

Where do you feel you get nothing back, or see diminishing returns? Might you ask Jesus to show you a new way to invest in that area? Maybe we need some new methods.

100% growth starts with our hearts and our faith and our actions, as we open ourselves to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit. We can’t do it without God, and it seems God won’t do it without us.

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11-9-20 - Investment

You can listen to this reflection here.

Jesus was a versatile communicator, ably connecting with multiple audiences. To teach about the realm of God, he told stories of sheep, vineyards, bread-baking and house-cleaning, seeds, crime victims, rebellious sons, foolish bridesmaids. This week we explore a parable set in the world of finance, a story of investment, stewardship, trust and mistrust. Like last week’s, this parable illuminates Jesus’ warning: “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” – of the final judgment, that is.

To give his followers a clue as to what it means to live “awake,” he tells a story about three servants to whom a man entrusted his wealth: “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

A simple enough story on the surface; if you read to the end (spoiler alert!), you know that the two who invested their funds were rewarded, while the one who protected his master’s investment was roundly condemned. We'll focus on those another day. For now let’s consider how the language of investment can draw us into the Life of God.

"Investment" is a word I like to throw around as I invite people to make pledges of financial giving on which our churches base their 2021 budgets. We are not seeking "support." We are inviting investment in what God is up to at Christ Church. Investment is active, participatory – when we invest in something, we look for returns, maybe even work to improve the returns.

The life of faith might be seen as an exercise in wealth management. Our God, who made it all and owns it all has invested tremendous wealth in us. God has given us life, gifts, relationships, work, ministries, joy, love – you name it – not to keep and hoard but to tend and nurture for growth. God wants to see great returns on the investments God makes with us – our children growing healthy and independent, our marriages becoming more than the sum of two partners, our work lives fruitful in ways that expand possibilities for others, us all working for peace and equity.

All of this “good fruit,” to use Jesus’ phrase, rests on our returning the trust God has invested in us by our investing in one another, in this world, and in the mission of God to reclaim, restore and renew all things to wholeness in Christ.

What are some assets you feel you have been given?  

Make a comprehensive list – and don’t forget to include the intangibles, spiritual and emotional and relational gifts, along with the quantifiable ones.
In what ways have you invested these assets so they grow? 

Are you clinging to any, afraid to risk losing them?
This is good prayer fodder. Chat with God about your answers to these questions, asking for some “stock tips,” places God particularly wants you to invest yourself.

Jesus invites us to step out in faith, investing our energy and resources, not sure of the return. The faithfulness God seeks is in the act of investing, not in the dividends.

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11-6-20 - Dancing With Fire

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.

“Don’t play with fire,” is an instruction we receive early in life from parents, camp counselors, Smoky the Bear. Fire, so cozy and warm in a fireplace, so romantic and spiritual on the ends of candles, can be so destructive if uncontained.

In our faith lives, however, we are invited not only to play, but to dance with fire, the fire of God. Perhaps I’m overly taken with this notion that the bridesmaids in Jesus’ story needed their lamps to dance in procession through the streets, escorting the bridegroom to his waiting bride and wedding banquet. I love the image of these lights weaving through darkened streets, building up anticipation of the joyful union to come. It’s a beautiful metaphor for how we can live out our mission as Christ followers bearing his light into the world.

Do you wake up every morning and think, “I am a bearer of light?” I don’t, though given our times, I intend to start. The shortening days in the northern hemisphere can be a good reminder. And if we commit ourselves to being light-bearers, we’ll need to maintain our oil reservoirs.

In the early church, oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Some early baptismal rites relied heavily on oil for anointing as a sign of the imparting of the Spirit. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds them that they were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” as a pledge of their spiritual inheritance, already available to them in Christ. We received the same sign, the same pledge, at our baptisms.

It is the Holy Spirit who inspires us to ministries, large and small, often quite specifically through suggestions or signs. It is the Spirit who equips us with the gifts we need for what we feel called to do. It is the Spirit who empowers us, working through us to do so much more than we can ask or imagine, to quote Paul again. It is the Spirit who brings peace, and Christ's presence.

How do we keep our reservoirs filed with the Spirit? Pray. The prayer, “Holy Spirit, fill me…” is one God answers. We often need to pray to be refilled, for we are leaky vessels. But the prayer itself reminds us that if we would accomplish any light-bearing that makes a difference to the people walking in darkness, it will be by the Spirit’s power in us, not ours alone. We can’t lose with the prayer to be filled with the Spirit.

Have you noticed some dark streets or darkened hearts that need some light? Do you feel you have some to share, or is your flame a bit dim? As the songgoes, "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning." (A more rocking bluesy version from the Tedeschi-Trucks Band here.) We’ve learned this week about keeping our lamps trimmed through spiritual practices that open us to God’s abundant life. Add to those a regular prayer of, “Holy Spirit, fill me,” and we are ready when the cry comes to greet the Bridegroom.

The world needs not only the light we bring. It also needs our joy. So we are invited to dance with our lights. Remember, the bridesmaids needed those lamps to dance the Bridegroom to his wedding feast and beloved bride. The bride is the church – a community of individuals in varying stages of coming to know Christ. Each time we dance Christ through the dark to a person waiting to receive him, we draw nearer to him ourselves. Why play with fire if you can dance with it? That is our sacred duty, our inheritance, and our glorious future.

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11-5-20 - The Bouncer

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.

I like happy endings. Yet I recognize that what is a happy ending for one is often not for another. Victory in a game, or a war, or – oh yeah, an election – means defeat for someone else. Not all happy endings have a sad flipside, but many do. So I’m not crazy about the way Jesus’ story of the bridesmaids ends. When the foolish bridesmaids discover their lamps are going out due to insufficient oil, they ask the ones who thought to bring extra to share some, and are told:

“No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.”

I see a crowd outside a popular nightspot, with the bouncer letting in the “cool ones” and keeping out those who are not on the list, not connected. But these bridesmaids thought they were connected. “Check it again,” they cry, “I’m sure we’re on there. We’re bridesmaids! We just had to run and get ourselves some more oil.” But the answer is cold as ice: “I do not know you.”

Is this how Jesus will respond to us if we’re late or unprepared? His “punchline” to the story is: “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Is there no room for complacency? No missing the boat? And what about those who never knew about the club in the first place?

This teaching comes up at the end of a few parables, and seems to counter to the message of acceptance and grace Jesus so often extended to people. Jesus often appeared most harsh with those who should know better – the religious leaders and his own disciples. These bridesmaids represent people who’ve already made a commitment to the realm of God, and there’s no excuse for them not being ready to fulfill their mission. Is there?

How do you feel as a disciple of Jesus Christ – prepared? Equipped? Your lamp lit and oil reservoir full? If not, what do you feel you are lacking? Might you come into conversation with Jesus about that today? Ask him where the resources are, and as you wait for response, think about your circumstances and the people around you. What else do you need, and who else do you need to more fully engage in God’s mission of reclaiming, restoring, renewing?

If you feel the foolish bridesmaids got a raw deal, and fear you’d be in the same boat, that is definitely something to talk over with Jesus in prayer. Relationships need honest communication.

At the end of The Story, I hope and pray that door stays open to all who come, at whatever hour, as another of Jesus’ stories teaches us. In the meantime, we are invited to trust in God’s mercy and live into the responsibility which Jesus has entrusted to us – always ready to carry the light.

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11-4-20 - Oil Shortage

You can listen to this reflection here.

Jesus’ parables often seem upside down to us. In this one we see half the bridesmaids rewarded for hoarding, and others facing irreparable consequences for what seems like the minor offense of insufficient preparation. Hmmm. The nap they all took while waiting for the bridegroom to show up does not seem to have been an issue, and each had taken care of preparing her own lamp. The problem was that half of them had not thought ahead.

“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’”

Perhaps the lamps had been lit earlier, when they thought the bridegroom would come any minute. Perhaps they’d been burning while they napped. Whatever the reason, the five foolish bridesmaids had not foreseen the need for extra oil. They’d brought just enough, which turned out to be not enough at all. The wise (the “fuelish?”) were not inclined to help them out.

Wait a minute – isn’t Jesus for sharing? Loving your neighbor as yourself? Doing unto others? What’s up with the selfish bridesmaids, and why does he deem them “wise?” Well, let’s think about it. Sharing the extra oil they’d brought would have ensured that no one would have enough, and all the lamps would go out, and the bridegroom would arrive to darkness. No dancing, no procession, no light. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to find his bride. This is like the airplane instructions to put on your own oxygen mask before helping children and other passengers.

If Jesus’ story is a metaphor about God’s Bridegroom coming into the hearts of humankind to draw us into union with God, then the absence of light is a grave problem. The wise bridesmaids have an eye on the big picture, the over-all mission. The kind of disciples God needs, Jesus suggests, are those who are conscious, aware, prepared, and focused enough on shining God's light in this world to not allow distractions to pull them off-mission.

In this day we know a thing or two about distraction – media, data, noise, busyness. I know many people who let their workload dictate their priorities (too often I’m one of them…). And on this Day After Election Day, we may be beset by anxiety and outrage - from others, if not from within. Few things more effectively distract us from the love of God than fear.

It is not selfish to take time to be quiet with God, to foster your relationship with Christ. When we’re in love, we don’t question the amount of time we spend with our beloved. Jesus, Y'shua invites us into a relationship of love in which he becomes our first priority. If what we’re promised is true, he is our one eternal relationship – getting to know him and letting him get close to us is the greatest gift we can give to the people in our lives, no matter their short-term needs.

When we are refreshed, we are much more effective as representatives of God in the world. We are more finely tuned to discern need around us and the movement of the Spirit in us. We are quicker to recognize our own faults and invite Jesus to set us free. We become wedding attendants who can dance Jesus into the hearts of those who might be ready to fall in love with him. He’ll do the rest.

Today we begin a new 40-day cycle of prayer, for the healing of our nation. Click here if you'd like to sign up to receive each day's prayer, or if you want to jump off the list.

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