Category Archives: Church

There are always more to help…

19 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Theology

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There will always be someone else who needs help.  We have the potential to spend all day trying to fix others, to solve problems, to deal with emergencies, etc.

And in the process, you won’t be any further along than when you started.  You’ll often be more tired, but feel good about your deeds.

The challenge is this – do we do the short-term fix or do we work with people for long-term change?  Short term feels good.  It requires minimal investment of time and energy.  It requires minimal investment of relationship too.  We can throw money at the “problem” and move on.  But has a person’s life really changed?  Have they been transformed?

Churches receive many requests for “help.”  Some are legitimate and other request are a bit more questionable.  Often requests are in emergency stages – only a day or two away from drastic action being taken.  Things like eviction.  Which always raises questions in my mind – why did this person wait until the last-minute?  What caused them to wait until the situation was desperate?

One of the things I look for is the attitude of a person.  I’m not talking about whether they treat others with respect or show gratitude – those are good things though.  I’m talking about how a person seeks out help.  Does the person really want help, or do they just want the pressure of the situation to be reduced?  The difference is in who is in charge.  If a person really wants help, they are open to seeing that their way is not working.  They are open to change and adaptation in order to improve their situation.

Others just want relief from the situation.  They want you to respond on their terms, on their time frame, with what they want, when they want it, with limited questions.  These folks are interested in improving their lives, just getting rid of the situation.  There is no desire for relationship or community.  There is no openness to change or learning.

The question becomes, do we have an obligation to only provide relief?  Or to just focus on help?  If someone is seeking out resources from a church or anyone else for that matter, are they admitting that their way isn’t working?  Some are not willing to acknowledge this.  Is it tough love to withhold relief from someone who has no desire to change?  Is it cruel to withhold relief to someone who repeatedly finds themself in emergencies?

Awhile back, we had an individual who called the church seeking relief.  They had a couple of days to come up with $500 for back rent or else they would be evicted.  It became an emergency for them.  But there is a difference between urgency and important and who’s problem it is.  We found out from the land lord that this person has been at their location for 44 months and had been late 17 times – That’s almost 40% of the time this person resided at this location.  Providing relief in this instance would do very little to help this person – at least in a meaningful and lasting way.  The person wasn’t interested in building a relationship or being a part of a community – only seeking out resources to provide relief from the pressure of the emergency.

So, do churches have an obligation to provide relief always?  Or is there a different way?  I think there is a different way.  I think we need to ask a few questions.  We need to ask if a person really wants help, or if they only want relief.  And each church needs to decide – are they interested in working with people provide relief, or do they feel called to more and to something deeper.  Help is longer term.  It involves a commitment from the person and from the church.  It involves an intertwining of lives.  It involves getting to know people’s stories and finding the value they bring. It’s about community.  But this is costly and often frustrating.  It’s much cheaper and easier to throw money at a problem – relief.

Having said this, relief has its role – there’s no denying it.  But the church also has an opportunity and a calling to be more than just a relief agency.  We are called to showcase how encounters with Jesus change lives.  We are called to build community and relationships.  We are called for the long-term, not the easy fix.  We are called to respond with grace and mercy and forgiveness and show repentance.  To live the Gospel.

 

Sports: the new religion?

18 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Family, Health

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Actually, sports have been around for a long time.  There are many elements of sports that are similar to religion.  In some sense, I guess there are some who could claim that a sporting event is a religious experience.

There are people who make pilgrimages to their favorite teams home stadium.  There’s something about gathering a large group of people together – most cheering for the same team.  In many respects, sports can be a positive thing to bring people together.

The same is true for kids sports too.  This isn’t a post bashing sports.  Two of our kids participate in youth sports and I coach on of their teams. Kids learn some valuable lessons that can only found in sports – teamwork, loyalty, hard work, sportsmanship, how to win, how to lose, how to improve.

But there’s also a negative side too – when sports takes the primary position in life.  I see this with families who become absent from church because of sports tournaments, games, and practices during different seasons.  Again, my point here isn’t to sit around and whine about this, but rather just to point it out.

Jesus doesn’t offer scholarships.  And lately, some coaches seem to have more pull than pastors.

The reality is that if churches are going to attract young families, then we need to rethink the relationship they have with church.  We need to rethink time, what worship might look like, how to engage youth and more.

Having said this, I’m also not a big fan of completely changing everything to accommodate everyone else’s schedule.  If something is important, then people will rearrange their schedule and provide the resources necessary to support it.  This is true for religion as well as sports.

The point is that there is an opportunity for church with these families.  The opportunities might not look like more activities – they already have a jam-packed schedule.  Instead, maybe there is an opportunity to do something else – tap into what people are already doing.  An example of this might be dinner church.  Everyone has to eat – why not do a dinner church with a team before a practice, or after practice.  Maybe work with a team on offering a special blessing for the team.  There are opportunities.  We just need to open our minds to the possibilities.

 

Jesus doesn’t know what he’s talking about

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society, Theology

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Last week, which seems like a lifetime ago, the US responded with a missile attack on Syria for the controlling regime’s apparent chemical weapons strike on their own people.

This is not an easy topic.  Like most international geopolitical situations, there isn’t a nice easy black and white answer to an extremely difficult and complex situations that have been going on longer than anyone can remember.

Allegedly the regime in charge of Syria used chemical weapons against their own people.  The American president stated that a line had been crossed and would be responding with or without the support of the international community.  And he followed through on that.

It’s easy to get caught up in the arguments that exist regarding this.  Unfortunately, our nation is so polarized with blinders on our eyes that people who support the president were willing to support anything he said or did while those who oppose him would oppose anything he did.  I imagine that had he not done a missile strike then his supporters would have supported that and those opposed would offered their reasons for why they opposed the inaction.  It’s not the actions that people are upset about anymore – but rather who makes them.

Which gets me to Jesus.  And why I titled this post the way I did.

When the culture is polarized as it is, then certain things happen.  We shift how we make decisions.  We shift our center point – the foundation of our lives to things that aren’t God.

For Christians, this means that there is a shift from Jesus.  Jesus preached “Blessed are the peacemakers,” (Matthew 5:9) in the section of the Sermon on the Mount called the Beatitudes.  But is that what we really believe?  Is this what we practice – regardless of who is calling the shots?

In the arguments around the chemical attack and missile strike response, I haven’t heard people argue from a standpoint of following their faith – just political talking points.  The military action was short and quick.  And the responses were just as quick and destructive – showing our shallow allegiances.

Jesus’ preaching in the Sermon on the Mount is uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Read Matthew 5-7 for yourself if you haven’t done so lately.  You come away pretty clear where Jesus stands.  Yet, for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus, we have to ask this question – was Jesus full of it?  Do we really believe the person we claim to follow?  Or do we make excuses because Jesus wouldn’t understand the context?

Do we claim the label of Christ-follower, but really believe that Jesus doesn’t know what he’s talking about?

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10) are as especially large challenge to our way of life and thinking here in the US.  We are a nation that values being the strongest, the biggest, the most fierce, the most independent, the most special, the victors, etc.  Yet, Jesus doesn’t say blessed are the strongest.  He doesn’t say blessed is the one with the best military.  He doesn’t say blessed are those who pick themselves up by their bootstraps.  He speaks of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, and the peacemakers, among other attributes.

Did Jesus really know what he was talking about?  Or are these sayings just a nice set of sentiments that we can put off to the side when life gets complicated and uncomfortable?  Do we take Jesus seriously?  Or is Jesus just full of it?

Responding to attacks

11 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Theology

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How do you deal with someone who is hellbent on attacking you?  We’re not looking at every possible attack here – not the physical or verbal or emotional attacks.  I’m talking about people who are hellbent on attacking you in discussions and arguments.  The type of people who believe they and their positions are always right.  They think they have a direct line to God and that everything they say and claim as true is true.

There’s a particular website and several contributors to that website that have made it their goal to destroy the ELCA – the denomination of which I and the church I serve are a part of.  I am not naming it specifically here because I’m not interested in giving the site any added attention.  They are really good at pulling things out of context, quoting extreme examples and focusing on making differences in theology into matters of eternal salvation.  The folks who contribute to that website believe they are the defenders of “The Truth” and it is their job to save people from heretical teaching that the ELCA supposedly is offering.

There are many problems with this.  I’m only covering this briefly because it is not the main point of this post.

First, the contributors of that website spend no time at all, on the website, building up the Body of Christ.  Their entire focus is on tearing down fellow Christians in the name of “truth.”

Second, anyone who disagrees with them, and they would claim the clear teaching of Scripture, is hell bound.  Contributors to that website support the notion of a seven-day creation and argue that anyone who doesn’t accept the biblical version of creation as the truth is rejecting the authority of the bible, therefore they are heretical.  So much for being respectful and having disagreements without condemning people to hell – especially on matters that are not essential to the faith.  Whether you agree with a seven-day creation narrative or not doesn’t determine your eternal salvation.

Third, the contributors to this website have made their version of truth and interpretation of Scripture and truth into an idol to be worshiped without question or expression of doubt.

Fourth, the contributors have mixed up their roles – believing it is their job to save people.  Only Jesus offers salvation – no human can save anyone else.  Our job is clearly stated by Jesus.  Just two examples – Matthew 25:35 – “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”  Also Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”

I don’t recall Jesus ever commanding his followers to go around and destroy the Body of Christ, fight with fellow Christians, and condemn people who disagreed with you.  Of course Christian history is full of just this type of behavior.  It’s part of what has caused war, violence, and death.

Enough about that though.  How does one respond to attacks made by such people?  You have a choice. You can respond in kind – attacking the attacks with your own attacks.  You can get yourself dirty and muddy with anger, hatred, fear, and being right.  You can lower yourself to the same level as those that attack.  Believe me, it would feel good to impose karma on these folks.

But the problem with that is that as Christians we don’t believe in karma.  We believe in grace.  Grace is receiving something that you don’t deserve.  Grace is not getting what you deserve.  If we truly believe that God’s grace is life changing, then we are called to respond to attacks on us with grace – not to just be beaten up, but rather to overcome hatred with love.  It’s not easy at all.  Often it sucks.  It feels so much better to call names, to belittle, to verbally attack.

If God’s grace is truly life changing, then we have an obligation to share that with others, especially those that attack us.

And secondly, Jesus gave instructions to the 72 when he sent them out – (Mark 6:11) “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”  I think the same is true for individuals or groups of people who are not open to conversation, dialogue, and being respectful.  In other words, it isn’t worth your time and it diminishes your character and distracts from the message of God’s love to engage with those who reject and attack the Good News that we are called to proclaim.  There was a saying in sales that I learned long ago that I think applies – “Some will, some won’t, so what, who’s next?”

In Luke’s (10:10-12) version, Jesus gives the following instructions: “But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’  I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.”  The middle part of that quote is most important.  “Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.”  How can the kingdom of God come near if we respond to attacks with anger, fear, and our own attacks?

What do you do when someone attacks you in this case – proclaim the Good News, offer grace, treat people with love (as difficult as that is to do), and wipe your feet from them and be done with them – they are in God’s hands.  Move away from them and don’t engage in any conversation with them – it isn’t worth the frustration, anger, and emotional roller coaster.  You’d just be wasting your energy anyway.  You are better off investing your energy in proclaiming the Good News to people who are open to listening and having an actual conversation – people who are interested in building a relationship.  A Greek word here might help – Koinonia.  It means fellowship, community, partnership.  These are the people we are called to spend time with – not people who act like brick walls that are going to fall on you and crush you.

As Mark Twain once said – “Never argue with an idiot.  They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” I think Jesus would have liked this statement.  Better to wipe the dust from your keyboard from these type of people and move on with life.  I guarantee that you have better things to do with your life than argue or fight with people who don’t have your best interest at heart.  Thankfully God loves even these people, because it can be really difficult for the rest of us to love them.  And sometimes it is best to remember that the best way to love some people is to not interact with them at all.

Church and Politics

10 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Politics

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I had a wonderful conversation yesterday about church and politics.  It was wonderful because it wasn’t a typical discussion about church and politics.  It wasn’t a discussion about politics in terms of partisanship.  Rather it was a discussion about how politics and church are similar.

I contend that religion and politics are very similar.  Both attempt to communicate a compelling vision of an alternate future – a hopeful and hope filled future.  Politics does this in a secular sense.  Religion does this from a spiritual basis, or better stated, from the sense of shalom or wholeness.

Of course there are differences too, but I can’t help but see the commonality of these two things.  Actually, let me clarify.  The core foundations of these two things are similar and related.  There are principles that politics uses that also relate to church as well.  The differences come out in the specifics.  But these aren’t minor differences either.  In church, money is raised in order to be used to expand the kingdom of God, to declare Good News, to serve those less fortunate, to make disciples.  In politics, money is raised in order to secure or obtain a position of power and influence and expand the base of support to keep someone in power or to gain a seat of power.  That’s an oversimplification of course, but I don’t think it is far off.

I have been exploring the link between church/religion and politics for many years now.  Actually it’s the link between church and campaign politics.  I look forward to seeing where this goes in the future.  I also welcome your thoughts on the matter.  Do you see a link between these two things?  How so?  How not?  Do you have experience working in these two areas?  If so, how have you seen the two interrelated?

Church is like a Hostel

06 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Theology, Travel

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I’ve mentioned previously that I am part of a group of pastors who gather each week to learn and practice discipleship.  We gather into what is called a “huddle.”  It’s been a great experience.  Yesterday was no different.  During our time together, the one who has been leading us talked about the church being like a youth hostel.  A hostel is a simple place where travelers can stop for a time on their journeys.

Often church is much like a hostel rather than a mighty fortress, even though most would prefer it to be that fortress – where people come in and never leave.  A hostel has people come for a time and then leave – being sent out to plant more seeds for the kingdom where God calls them.  That can be true for people who are a part of the congregation for a time, for pastors, for others who have interactions with the church, and more.

Two days ago, our church was a hostel.  A family stopped by seeking a place to stay for the evening.  It was windy and cold – too cold to sleep in their van.  They were from Maine and had traveled to West Virginia for work.  The short version is that the work didn’t pan out for them, so they left.  They loaded up all of their belongings into their van and started to head back to Maine.  Carlisle happened to be a stopping point for one night on their journey back “home.”  They got off the expressway and we were the first church they came across.

I spoke with them, got their names, heard their story, and helped them find a location for their family for the night.  During the course of our time together, I heard the great faith that God had given them.  I could feel it and see it in their mannerisms and expressions.  I sensed the blessing in them in their gratitude.  Who was helping who here?  I felt just as blessed by their expression of faith, as they were in receiving a small amount of help for the night.  It felt as though I were in a re-enactment of Joseph, Mary, and child in their journey from Bethlehem to Egypt.  I can only imagine the encounters that the holy family had with those they came across in their journey – if only for a night.

Church is like a hostel in many ways.  Sometimes we encounter people for many years – we walk with them in their journey of faith from birth until death.  And other times we come across people for a short period of time, saying goodbye before we are ready for them to go.  Either way, none of us are permanently here.  At some point, it will be time for us to go – either through travel or job, or by sickness, age, and even death.

The beauty of a hostel is that everyone recognizes they are on a journey and they stay temporarily.  They look forward to the relationships they develop, and for what they will see and experience during their stay in a location.  Yes, church is like a hostel – a holy hostel.

Good Friday

30 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Church, Theology

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Good Friday is an interesting day.  It’s a day that is uncomfortable.  We celebrate the death of someone and call it good.  To someone outside of the church, this day has to make very little sense.

But to those of us in the church, this is the day that leads to Easter and the resurrection.

We have to experience the death of Jesus before we can appreciate the resurrection.  Often Christians want to skip from Palm Sunday right to Easter – from triumphant entry to resurrection.  But that misses a major part of the story – the part that makes resurrection so much more rich.  The part where we see that Jesus really is willing to go to hell on our behalf and on behalf of all creation.  The part where Jesus goes to the crap and comes back.

We don’t like it because we don’t like to dwell in the negative and bad parts of life.  We don’t like to talk about suffering or death.  Yet, at some point in our lives, we’ll all experience some kind of suffering and we will experience death.  And Jesus will be right there with us.  Through it all.  We will not be alone.  Suffering and death will not have the final say.  The resurrection awaits.  Resurrection of our bodies and our lives – both after the suffering and after death itself.

 

We would crucify Jesus again

29 Thursday Mar 2018

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If Jesus came back and walked among us in 21st century America, would we crucify him again?  I think the answer is yes, without hesitation.  And it wouldn’t take three years of ministry to get to that point.  I think it would sound similar to the Gospel of Mark.

When you read the Gospel of Mark from chapter 1, verse 1 all the way through chapter 16, you have this sense of urgency.  You don’t get the feel that Jesus did ministry for three years.  It feels as though Jesus is doing ministry for just a couple of weeks before going to Jerusalem.

In Chapter 8, halfway through, Jesus predicts his own death.  In chapter 9, he is transfigured.  In chapters 9 and 10 there are fights about who is greater among his followers and he predicts his death again.  And it is chapter 11 when Jesus enters Jerusalem.  But it’s not like the other gospels.  It’s a mockery of triumph.  Jesus doesn’t enter in on a trusted war horse after battle with his bloody sword, but rather on a colt that has never been ridden.  People are there waving palms yelling save us!  But they are thinking – save us from Rome!  And then he goes to the temple, but doesn’t do the normal sacrifice that a conquering general would do – he does some sightseeing and leaves.  It’s all very anti-climatic.  You can often count of Jesus doing the exact opposite of what is expected.

And that’s why I think we would crucify him again.

I can hear the crowds gathered at his “trial.”  The witnesses, especially those that claim to be his followers, would be offering testimony of how Jesus isn’t living up to expectations and doesn’t fit into the culture.  The cries of Jesus being unpatriotic or unloyal to the established norms of society or either one of our political establishments would be loud.

Jesus would be asked which side of the political landscape he owes his allegiance and loyalty to.  And he would be silent.  The outcry would be great.  People would be repeating Pilate’s question to Jesus – “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” (Mark 15:4).

Jesus, are you a Democrat or Republican?  Jesus, why aren’t you wrapping your message in the flag?  Jesus, why aren’t you worshiping the Constitution?  Jesus, why are you not protecting yourself with the second amendment?  Jesus, why aren’t you more vocal in support of the troops?  Do you not think that America is blessed by God?  Jesus, why aren’t you more like us?

Jesus, is your ideology left or right oriented?  Jesus, why aren’t you more vocal in support of unrestricted abortion and the freedom to do what we want, when we want with our bodies?  Jesus, why aren’t you fighting the tax cuts?  Jesus, why aren’t you proclaiming the necessity of larger government?  Jesus, why aren’t you lobbying for more government regulations?  Jesus, why aren’t you more like us?

I envision Jesus’ “triumphant” entrance into Washington, DC would be similar to the Gospel of Mark’s account of Jesus entry into Jerusalem.  People would try to claim Jesus for their own agenda.  They would misunderstand who he is and what he was about.  We already do this.  The problem is we can’t claim Jesus – he claims us.  But that’s awfully uncomfortable and inconvenient.  We prefer to have a Jesus, a savior, that doesn’t demand we change our lives, our beliefs, our actions, our loyalties.  We prefer a Jesus, a savior, that looks like us, thinks like us, supports the same policies and politics as us, and has the same allegiances and loyalties as us.  We want to claim Jesus for us.

Once in the city, he would make his way to our modern-day temple – the capitol building.  It takes the center stage and is the center of all of life in the city.  The business of politics consumes our attention.  The high priests of politics tell us what we can say and do and how to offer sacrifice and who our enemies are.

Once he enters this modern-day temple, he would look around and decide it was late, and leave, unimpressed.  He would show that our ways are flawed.  He would show that what we fight about is flawed and broken – often a distraction.  He would show that our loyalties are misplaced.  He would do all of this without saying a single word.

And when people realized that Jesus wasn’t going to play by their rules, that he wasn’t going to advance a broken system that flops between left and right, they would rise up in anger.  They would do this because they couldn’t claim Jesus any longer.  And so, he’d have to be removed.  He would make life too uncomfortable. We can’t have a savior who makes us question our priorities and beliefs.  We can’t have a messiah who calls on us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow him.  But no worries, we have plenty of other “messiahs” to take his place. They have their own slogans.  They are the hope and change we believe in.  They are the ones who are going to make America great again.  We elect a messiah-like figure every four years.  One that we can shape and mold as we see fit.  One that can be a perfect scapegoat for all our failings when things don’t go our way.

Jesus would probably be found with outcasts – proclaiming Good News to them.  He would be in the streets with the homeless, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, and the poor.  He’d be in the hospitals accompanying people in sickness and on their journey towards death.  He’d be visiting prisoners on death roll and maybe even telling some of them that today they would be with him in paradise.  That’s probably where they would find him when they came to put him on trial.

Would we crucify Jesus again?  Have we really changed in 2000 years?

This is why Jesus came. To bring Good News.  To comfort the afflicted.  To afflict the comfortable.  This is why he contended with Death and Sin.  To conquer them and to begin the unfolding of God’s reign.  It’s a slow unfolding for us in time – or so it seems.  Death and Sin continue to wail.  But their time is coming to an end.

As we approach the passion of Jesus – his suffering, death, burial, and ultimate resurrection – let us remember that Jesus didn’t just come for a sinful and broken people some 2000 years ago.  It wasn’t just the crowd 2000 years ago that screamed a vengeful, angry scream of “Crucify Him!!! Crucify Him!!!”  It wasn’t just Pilate who attempted to wash his hands of the blood of Jesus.  It wasn’t just the soldiers who hammered nails into Jesus wrists and feet.  It wasn’t just the criminals who were crucified with him that mocked him.  It wasn’t just the people who observed and the leading authorities that openly mocked him.

They are us.  It is us who are standing in the crowd yelling “Crucify Him!” with our anger and fear.  It is us who are attempting to wash our hands of his blood.  It is us who put the nails into Jesus.  It is us who mock him.  It is us who want to manipulate and craft Jesus into our own image.  We are no better.

Get ready to be uncomfortable and inconvenienced.  Jesus has a tendency to do that when he claims us.  But it is only in experiencing the death of something that we truly appreciate and understand what resurrection is all about.  Jesus didn’t answer the criticism and accusations because it would have been a waste of time.  Instead, he was focused on something far more important.  Something that still impacts us today.

What was Jesus doing on Wednesday?

28 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Church, Theology

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We hear about the triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in each of the Gospels.  There are variations on the story.

We hear about Jesus going into the Temple on Monday and flipping tables and driving out the animals and raising holy hell.

Tuesday and Wednesday are quiet days.

So what was Jesus doing during those two days before the Last Supper and then his death on a cross?

Was he huddled away in prayer? Did he just wander around?  Was he spending time with people who were closest to him – giving his last goodbyes?  Did he just hang around the house he was staying in?

What does a person do before they know they are going to die?  That’s a different way of asking the same question.  Except this question feels very different from the other questions.  We’re forced to deal with the reality of death in our midst when we ask the question this way.

What would you do with your last few days before you knew you were going to die?

A day with God

26 Monday Mar 2018

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Today I am taking time to spend with God.  As a pastor, this is vital to my spiritual health.  As a human being, it’s just as important.  It’s no different from breathing the air – without oxygen, the body dies.  Without the breath of life, the spirit dies.

I’m not sure what to expect, to be honest.  My plan is simple – to take the dog as my companion, and to walk along the Appalachian Trail for a few hours, stop for a break and something to eat, and then head back a few hours.  I imagine that there will be stops along the way – time to take notice of what is around me.  Time to see or hear nature.  Time for the dog to stop and sniff all sorts of wonderful things.  Time to stop and reflect and listen to what God is whispering into my heart.

I am not going with an expectation to hear some kind of miraculous epiphany.  That doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.  I just don’t have that many questions right now.  I’m just experiencing life as I go.

I scheduled this day away with God on the Monday of Holy Week.  It’s a bit crazy – there is much to be done before all the worship services coming up later this week.  But in another way, this time away makes a ton of sense – it’s an opportunity to start the week on the right foot.  It’s an opportunity to start in silence.

Monday of Holy Week is traditionally seen as the day Jesus re-entered Jerusalem without any fanfare (according to the Gospel of Mark).  We went to the temple and did the unexpected – he flipped tables and drove out the animals and upset the status quo.  On his way back into Jerusalem, he curses a fig tree.

I don’t plan on cursing any trees.  Nor am I going to be flipping tables.  I’m just going on a walk, and taking in the story of Jesus’ final week before crucifixion.  And I’m keeping my eyes open for where God shows up on the journey.  It’ll be God, me, and the dog.  And a whole lot of nature.  Nature has beauty, and it has natural cycles of seasons and life.  Nature has organisms eating one another, and others assisting others.  Nature has sound, and it has silence, if it is far enough away from human touch.

Today is a day away with God and dog.  Tomorrow I am back to Holy Week.