Pastor's Post

The Widow's Last Lepta; a Reality Check

2009-11-06T21:42:00.001-05:00

What SHOULD it COST a congregation to conduct high quality worship every Sunday?
To put on good program? To enact mission that feeds the hungry, nurtures Christ’s disciples, and proclaims the Good News in word and in DEED?
And HOW should a church balance that cost without requiring a widow’s last lepta?

As we usually do, we look at the big picture of scripture, not just the few verses marked off for today. We began by reading of Jesus’ exchange with another scribe, one who was commended for his understanding. That scribe reminded us that everything starts with priorities, namely - by putting God first.

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord Our God is ONE and you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. AND You should love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12: 29-31)

LOVE GOD. LOVE NEIGHBOR Simple words, but it is not so simple to keep priorities straight in a world where church can be as corrupt as financial institutions. Where the people entrusted to protect your money are found to have squandered it. Where those designated to care for widows, take their last penny.

Surely Jesus would condemn any church that teaches the poor to contribute ‘all they have.’ Unless a church is about caring for the most vulnerable of society and offering nurture for their body and spirit, today’s temples will face destruction too. Does that make a stewardship message difficult? I don’t think so. Jesus loved the temple. He went there daily when he was in Jerusalem. It was a beautiful place of worship; a holy place for loving God with ritual sacrifice and prayer. He hated the corruption of the ancient priesthood when it became infatuated with perpetuating itself instead of WORSHIPing GOD and CARING for neighbors.

We must constantly evaluate our priorities as we do in each budget season. We compare what we do with our mission remembering, As St. Francis said, to “Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words”. We are entrusted with building up a community that lifts others up, that is why we are here. Our pledges and promises today are part of it. But they must not be ‘cost-less’ pledges. Unless our pledge cards include the promise of ALL we are, (heart, soul, mind and strength) we risk falling into the category of the scribes who were insincere and the rich who gave without any ‘cost.’

We need a regular reality check to keep our priorities straight. If we pledge our time, talent and treasure, (as we do today), to God’s Glory, Keeping our priority on Worship and Service, then regardless of the amount we give, small or large, God’s work will go forward. We can pray, like Jesus did, for God’s kingdom to come on earth, and trust that we – are – part – of - it, giving and receiving as we have need -- - Loving Our God and loving our neighbor.

All Saints Ahead

2009-10-27T12:45:00.003-04:00

All Saints Sunday is one I've been wanting to celebrate. It offers us a chance to remember in public even after the official or unofficial time for mourning is past. We can learn much from remembering since our fast-paced lives don't usually allow time for reflection.

This week I have more than enough time for reflection. Thanks to our dog, affectionately nick-named 'Devil Dog', I have cracked bones in my ankle and am in an air cast and on crutches. When I can put pressure on the foot without pain, the cast will allow me to walk on it. This is the good news. The bad news is it still hurts and is very tender to the touch so I hobble around getting up only when necessary.

I'm settled into the cuddler of the couch, which is the perfect place for a semi-invalid. There's pillows all around and plenty of room for my leg to be elevated. I have books on all sides and a power cord for times when the laptop needs charging. It gives me the illusion of independence when actually it takes only a simple pang of hunger to realize I am dependent on my family for food and drink.

Life is a similar illusion. We are "independent" souls, creating our way in the world, learning to fly on our own by getting jobs and homes and creating families. Our lives are wedded to the priorities of work and play. We "make our own way" and strive to "be all that we can be". We are "self-made people". We live a deception that we create for ourselves.

The reality is life is only a breath. We are as fragile as being knocked to the ground by my dog proves. We are a heartbeat away from death and delude ourselves into immortality by planning for the future. Recalling the Saints of the past reminds us that we too are mere mortals that depend on God for life. Not only that, we desperately need each other to live with any fullness and happiness for it is only in community that true joy is found. This is why our remembrances are important. They reunited us to a community that extends on both sides of death. The community of God's creation of all life and the promise of something beyond the last breath.

What will that 'more' be? We don't know for sure, only that the Christ promised it is found through him. Dan R. Dick (writing in Lectionary Homiletics volume XX, no.6) says,

". .of all the gifts e have been given by God, among the greatest is each other. Our relationships give meaning and purpose to our lives, filling our days with rich and rewarding experiences"

On Sunday we name the names from the past relationships that have given meaning to our lives then and now. We remember by looking back and we pull back the curtain of delusion by looking ahead, not fearing an end but trusting in a love that continues.

Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Stories, clouds, and witnesses

2009-10-22T10:22:00.003-04:00

I'm off lectionary due to the Organ Dedication Service this Sunday so it gives me a chance to reflect on all those who have been faithful to the church over time. I read Hebrews 11 and 12 and love the reminders of the stories of that cloud of witnesses. Our stories are so important to tell and retell. But we don't sit around the fire or bake over slow-cooking stone ovens. I'm more likely to put something on the stove and pop into the living room to watch forensic television. We don't have a convenient story-telling atmosphere in daily life but our stories are so important.

Sunday the story of the organ project will be told. It involves people who will be sitting in the pews and those who have moved on to the next life. Dreamers and visionaries worked with practical concerns. Roadblocks were there and the 'impossibility' of it all loomed large from time to time and yet a great deal of money was raised off-budget, a great deal of labor was volunteered, a great deal of talent went into the rebuild and we have an incredible instrument with which to praise God.

I like hearing the stories, some I've not heard before being the 'new kid on the block'. I understand the importance of telling them. Our church, like so many others, is in a transition time. The days of a full sanctuary are memories, not current reality. The dreams for the future may need to look different than the past. Stories remind us of the heritage that brought us to this place. Stories remind us of God's faithfulness that never ends. Stories inspire us to continue in faithful response to God, trusting that whatever new thing God births in the world will be good. Even when we can't see what it is, or recognize anything that looks like 'church' to us, we can trust that our God, who acted in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and so many others, CONTINUES, even now, to act in our lives - always steadfast, always faithful.

Weddings

2009-10-18T15:04:00.002-04:00

What a joy to see your daughter marry a wonderful young man. We are so happy to have him in the family. A great time was had by everyone following the loveliest service ever. Many thanks to the colleague who exceeded my very high expectations for the ceremony, and the many other 'moms' our daughter has who created, organized, directed, and labored endlessly to make it such a special day.

After some serious downtime today, I've got some preparation to do for a big church event next weekend. But now for some zzzs.

2009-10-09T16:34:00.003-04:00

Back in the days of outdoor ministry life, there was a 'Hiking Camp' destined for Old Rag Mountain. It was to be the high point of the week. The small group of junior high youth began each day with decisions on how best to prepare themselves for the day of the big hike.

They worked on hiking skills, traveling around the camp over rough trails. They worked on endurance by canoeing for long stretches. They swam and played and cooked meals together becoming a close and well-functioning group. They created worship times around the campfire and had quiet times alone in creation. They divided up tasks and truly lived in Christian community, just like all our brochures said they would.

I knew their parents would be pleased that they had become such a tight-knit group and I was sure their trip to Old Rag would be successful. This small group might be the best of the summer, achieving every goal and enjoying the highlight of the week; the view from Old Rag.

The day before the big hike, one boy sprained his ankle. He wasn't sent home, but it was serious enough that he would not be able to hike the strenuous trail of Old Rag. We made the best of it, telling him he could spend the day in the center of camp with the Health Hut attendants and visit the pool as often as he liked. He was even promised ice cream while his group was away on the hike. It was sad to think he wouldn't get to realize the goal of the week's camp.

The next morning I saw several members of the group pulling a ponycart (with their breakfast) and traveling across the field. I asked why the group hadn't left earlier for the drive to Old Rag. "They aren't going." I was told. I was shocked. All I could do was wonder what happened and try to think of what I would tell their parents. I was sure to field a few complaints that the kids didn't get their money's worth. I had to know more and asked what had happened.

The group met for their daily planning session and they decided that it would mean more to all of them to be together on the last day of camp than to hike Old Rag. They didn't want to leave their friend behind, even in order to accomplish the hike they had prepared for. They decided to do some more on-site hiking and all have ice cream together. There was extra swimming for everyone and much more time for friendships to deepen.

I was surprised, but I realized that they HAD accomplished the intended purpose of the camp. They were to learn to live in Christian community during the week and hiking Old Rag was part of it. It turned out they had something to teach me. Christian community meant they could easily 'give up' the accomplishment of hiking Old Rag because they had already received much more in the deep relationships that had formed among them. They didn't give up in order to get - their priorities had been transformed by Christian living.

In Mark 10:17-31 Jesus looks at the man intently and invites him to shed the baggage of wealth. He is invited to be less - that he might be whole. These kids showed me how that is done and they didn't miss what they gave up at all. The hike to Old Rag would have held them back from being all the group could be. Living in Christian community, that's treasure in heaven.

Communion for Children

2009-10-03T10:32:00.005-04:00

This week's sermon will mimic the high Christology of Hebrews and hopefully provide a similar round of inspiration as did the Hebrews Preacher. (Tom Long's designation) I doubt I shall be so eloquent but I shall try with visuals and words to 'lift up our eyes and hearts.' Meanwhile, there's a "Sharing With Young and Young At Heart" time to develop. And, it's World Communion Sunday.

Here's a story I think I'll tell, about communion in a different 'world'. We easily forget how Jesus used common elements to reinforce the idea that he is always with us. Our occasional ceremony may remove the significance of the everyday. I think coke, pretzels, grape juice and bread will be the visuals for tomorrow.

As for high Christology, I'm working on those words. . .
and if you are interested in the full sermon, it's here.

Effective Prayer

2009-09-26T08:55:00.003-04:00

It is a challenge to understand the Biblical command for the suffering to call for prayer and anointing with oil and not make it magical. Tomorrow we will talk about the difference and how no words or certain oil make the prayer effective. Effective comes with time spent with God. Not that we will always get 'our way' but that 'our way' gets aligned with God's way. Prayer makes us- the praying community - effective.

Anointing is a covenantal rite.[i] There has to be a partnership between us and God for true healing to take place. God always offers restoration.

We see it each time Jesus heals. He send the healed person back to community in some way, restoring both their health and their life as part of the larger body of God’s people.

When pastors and deacons come to pray, they represent the covenant community of Christ’s church. We participate in the covenant by turning to God in prayer. It is here that James’ words really help us. He not only tells us when to pray, he reminds us that the praying community engages in all these types of prayers, not just one type. And for James, who is concerned about what we say and the trouble the tongue can get a body into, these words on prayer are an example of the proper use of God’s gift of a voice.

Our prayers are of praise and thanksgiving,

Our prayers are of confession

Our prayers are for ourselves and

Our prayers are for each other.

What stronger way to bind a community together than to know each other so intimately that we are comfortable calling on friends to come, and then to pray together.

[i] Deacon Manual for Caring Ministries (Elgin, IL: ABC, 1998) p.192-210

Encouragement on this IDPP

2009-09-21T17:15:00.002-04:00

It is encouraging to see people travel to the church to take 1/2 hour segments in prayer today. Some are praying at home. At 8 p.m. we'll gather with candles around the Peace Pole to sing and pray. A good day.
Hopefully, I can embed this Youtube video with some good encouraging music.

Who did you say?

2009-09-12T11:52:00.002-04:00

Who do you say that I am? is a question preachers normally like to use for a sermon. I think it is a good challenge for us to reexamine the titles for Jesus that we use so casually.
Lord, Messiah, King, Savior
What do we mean by any of them?

It is important to know someone's identity and I think Jesus was assessing the disciples understanding in the passage from Mark 8. He had just been reminding them that they needn't be concerned about bread when they misinterpreted his statement to avoid the yeast of the pharisees. And Mark's rapid-paced narration will soon have Peter, James and John seeing the prophets on the mountain top with Jesus, as if to show that he isn't them but is ONE of them.

Putting things in historical context it appears that the early christian understanding of Jesus was greatly influenced by Qumran's expectations that a mashiah would be a future anointed leader and their expectation of multiple mashiahs of Aaron and of Israel became included in the concept of the Messiah. Of course Paul's early writings influenced all the later understandings too and so we get Mark's Peter saying, "You are the Messiah." (My words don't do justice to the scholarship out there. See the H.C. Bible Dictionary for a nice summary.)

Jesus kinda corrects Peter's assumption maybe because he knew Peter was using the title as lightly as we do, without really understanding what it means. Jesus instead speaks of the Son of Man as his title and predicts his own suffering in that role. Again, historic use of "Son of Man" in Daniel is for an end-time judgment by a heavenly figure. This description begins to fit with one who comes to suffer before returning from death and the eventual expectation that he will come again to judge humankind.

I like that all these descriptions challenge me to think about the names I use for Jesus. All the predictions of suffering are not to be taken lightly just because we are familiar with the story. Jesus tries to share his 'upside-down kingdom' (Kraybill) concept with the disciples by speaking about the cross before it became common to use the term by its association with Christianity. We need to hear that "any who want to be my followers need to deny themselves and be executed". Then we might ask ourselves what would it mean to be executed? Is it a literal statement or metaphorical?

This is the challenge for Christians and the challenge of this passage. How do we 'lose' our lives for Jesus' sake and for the sake of the good news? What in us needs to be denied?

Scolded - James 2

2009-09-05T16:47:00.000-04:00

This is a draft of tomorrow's sermon.

After reading the scripture in James, it is easy to feel scolded. In one way or another, we are convicted, knowing we DO judge people based on their outward presentation.

Perhaps it stems from the ancient need to size up a predator or a competitor for limited food sources. But in today’s world that lacks saber-toothed tigers, we can’t really justify our internal tendency to judge someone based on their clothes or color.

The book of James is our guide for this very human affliction and others because it is full of instructions to help us deal with the tendencies that are most detrimental to Christian communities.

For THIS 2009 community who seek to follow the Way of Jesus, it is helpful to understand what these 1^st century instructions meant to the people who first followed Jesus. James offers us a closer look at that early community than you might realize.

(A little investigative reporting gives us a fuller picture.)

First, we assume, with many scholars, that the book was written by James, the brother of Jesus. James led the early church in Jerusalem before he was killed for his faith. His martyrdom occurred prior to the great Jewish War of around 70CE when the Temple was destroyed. If he, or a close colleague wrote it, it is older than all the gospels by at least a decade, maybe more. It is comparable to a 60 year old person writing about their impressions from when they were 30. (This is pretty fresh as ancient writings go.)

We easily see that the book of James places high importance on Torah- JEWISH law. This resonates with James and Jesus’ upbringing as devout Jews. Jesus easily quoted Torah and observed all the festivals with travel to the Temple in Jerusalem. So we aren’t surprised to find an emphasis on the teachings of the Old Testament from his brother, raised in the same household.

As part of this emphasis on OT Scripture, we (might) remember that Jewish Law is practical and specific. Hospitality to strangers and love for one’s neighbor promote strong community. This was important to the early nomads that followed Moses and was important to the first Christians – who (remember) were Jews following a minority religion that faced persecution from both orthodox Jews and the majority of people who followed other religions.

A key to remember is the very important part of Torah – that of keeping Sabbath laws. We forget that Sabbath Laws included a

o Sabbatical from slavery

o Welcome for resident aliens

o A 7^th year sabbatical call JUBILEE where ancestral lands that had been mortgaged were returned to the original families.

(Try putting that into context in this day of 30 year mortgages and credit card debt that increases as you pay it off due to compounding and fees.)

IN God’s Law, the poor are incorporated into the Lord’s benefits as part of the entire community. The Law is FREEING and equalizing, not oppressive. It makes sense of the phrases in the Psalms that say, “I love your law, O Lord!” And it helps us understand James’ irritation if the RICH were being favored over the poor.

There is also a scholarly line that says the rich who entered the early Christian congregations may well have been Roman officials really their to spy on this illegal religion. There are layers upon layers of meaning in the words we heard today.

Our investigation of James relevancy to the first church and to ours is enlightening and helps us understand what they heard and what we hear today.

What I LIKE BEST about James is the Echoes of Jesus’ teachings. Some scholars believe the words and phrases in James may be closer to Jesus’ actual language than any other NT writing. After all, who better to recall the way Jesus’ spoke than his brother.

When I first heard that comparison, I began to read James with more reverence. And at times, that makes me feel all the more SCOLDED by its teachings. Yet we know Jesus’ teaching are meant to lift us up into greater alignment with God, not dress us down.

Last week we read, “Be doers of the word, not merely hearers.” And I can envision Jesus sitting and teaching with his disciples all around him using just those words to help them make their walk match their talk.

I read today’s

v. 5 “Has not God chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom promise to those who love him.”

IN that I hear the core of Jesus’ own theology wrapped deeply in his experience of walking from small town to small town and seeing the STRONG FAITH and RICH LIVES of those who had literally nothing but a single tunic and perhaps enough bread for one day. And yet, these people took him in and gave him what they had. Why was it so natural for them to offer hospitality?

Perhaps it was this experience that Jesus’ shared with his brother from which the words “faith and works” come. These are famous verses and have been batted back and forth like a volleyball in a match.

v. 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say your have faith but do not have works?

Martin Luther read those words and called the James The “Epistle of Straw” Because he read them as speaking against salvation by faith instead of hearing the integral relationship between the conviction of faith and the action of works.

Brethren do not put one over the other but believe firmly that one’s faith is made visible in the actions of our lives.

And it is our actions that are being “scolded” in James. The not-so-imaginary woman or man who walks into worship, dressed in fine Italian fashion, with the best hair style you’ve seen in a while and we (it could be any of us) escort them most graciously to a seat in the middle of the church, offering them a bulletin, a brochure, nametag and even a church mug – all the while answering the door with suspicion if the man who occasionally sleeps outside on our bench steps in. Which response is ours? Could we pass James test?

JAMES didn’t write the illustration about us but it does challenge us to examine our practices for we are self-preservationists of a sort. Maybe we CAN’T help first noticing their style, manners or even their smell.

How do we escape the customary human pattern of critiquing our neighbor instead of first loving them?

The answer lies in Jesus’ life and the story from Mark so excellently portrayed by our talented readers.

In this story, (maybe my favorite) we are shocked to see Jesus doing some judging. It appears that way, doesn’t it?

“Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

Excuse me, but didn’t Jesus just call her a dog? It is pretty hard to get around that.

Opinions vary greatly among scholars as to what was going on in this exchange. It is certainly NOT the kind of response we are used to when someone asks Jesus for help.

Some authors remind us of the inappropriateness of a woman approaching a man in those days without going thru another man. They say Jesus would have been startled and caught off-guard. Yet gender didn’t seem to bother Jesus elsewhere. And cultural conventions never seemed to stop him.

Others say Jesus response related to the imbalance between WEALTHY GENTILES (including this woman) in Tyre (Tire) and the poor Jewish peasants living in the region. In this case, Jesus’ inference is not to Gentiles not being worthy to be fed, but the wealthy. That certainly challenges our standard interpretation.

Gail O’Day takes a different path of understanding and says we must look at the bigger picture of the woman’s boldness and Jesus’ openness to change that mimics the story of the Israelites when they would petition God and eventually God would hear and answer their plea. Jesus apparent change of heart reminds us of God’s answering the Jew’s time after time.

Or perhaps this is a prime example of Jesus being BOTH FULLY HUMAN AND FULLY DIVINE, right down to his quite human response.

I find each interpretation fascinating and helpful and yet I find one important piece that is part of each interpretation.

HUMANS TOUCH EACH OTHER BY THEIR PRESENCE IN A WAY NO WORDS OR PREFERENCE CAN.

When we engage someone and allow them to enter our life with their presence and their concerns, their need and even their smell, we are touched by their humanity and it fosters change.

When someone enters our life with a petition for help or merely the request to sit in a pew nearby, they become our neighbor. And the GREAT LAW OF LIBERTY that turns the worlds demands up-side-down, becomes the catalyst of transformation.

The closeness of touch and communication, renews the human connection that is built into our genes. We are changed when another human looks us in the eye and asks for help. No matter what ‘natural’ response we have to overcome, we cannot remain the same when another person enters our life.

Whenever and however the challenge comes to us to live our faith in the action of our works, - there is only one response to someone who becomes ‘our neighbor.’

“Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”

If only this would publish with my reference notes intact.

References:

Charles Raynal, Feasting on the Word Bartlett and Brown, eds. (Louisville:WJK, 2009) p. 28

Haruko Nawata Ward Feasting on the Word Bartlett and Brown, eds. (Louisville:WJK, 2009) p. 38

Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm Feasting on the Word Bartlett and Brown, eds. (Louisville:WJK, 2009) p. 49

and www. workingpreacher.org

2009-09-03T13:08:00.001-04:00

After reading this article I think I should have invited President Obama to our "Education Dedication Service" at Arlington Church of the Brethren last night. We could have blessed his backpack too!

Thanks Be To God

2009-08-31T07:51:00.002-04:00

I am very grateful for an open congregation that welcomes new approaches and is willing to try new things, even when that means getting up out of one's pew to visit worship centers. Yesterday's worship was different and it appeared that the only people who didn't engage the centers (beyond the visual one) were the three folks over 90.

It was a lot of work and the sermon this week will feel easier I think. But first a service of dedication for educators and students on Wednesday. Bubble wrap being provided to dance away the apprehensions for the year ahead, and a "blessing of the backpack" to start us off right. (Or as someone said, to exorcise the demons from past years.)

It is nice that today feels so fresh outside. Now to live with driving the truck (standard transmission) and hope I'm after the worse of the traffic.

The end of summer

2009-08-29T20:37:00.004-04:00

I can't believe tomorrow is August 30! It has been a full summer with fun and challenges. Tomorrow's worship will introduce the emerging worship idea of engaging worship as a verb with centers. This is a good thing as much of today got consumed by emergencies of the appliance and vehicle type. Now if I can find a way to post my slides of James 1, I'll be able to move on to complete the details for tomorrow.

The Joy of Living

2009-08-23T15:30:00.002-04:00

A weekend home with the whole family is a delight to savor. Daughter's bridal shower yesterday was a chance to see many friends and work with some very mature young women who put together an awesome shower. The maid-of-honor is amazing.

Today I worshiped at the church I served as Minister of Congregational Life for almost 5 years. I previously met the current pastor who is there as interim while the colleague I pastored with is on sabbatical. So I cleared my attendance with him as its been less than a year since I left. (Dec.) We have much in common as he used to co-pastor the church I currently serve. It was good to see old friends and get perspective on the stages of life. Another friend was having her baby shower today, I saw a newborn that I'd only seen on Facebook. There was the opportunity to watch a young woman lead worship who I baptized a few years ago. She's completing a summer internship in ministry. Isn't it special to see how God works in people's lives?

Tomorrow I'm back to work and planning for a special Sunday on the 30th with worship centers instead of a sermon. I also travel to Elgin for a two-day retreat this week. Full days ahead and special treats along the way. The gifts of God are found in many places.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

2009-08-12T19:12:00.009-04:00

The Ephesians text was tempting to the worship team and my monthly worship advisor and so we are going to do a service of singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Well, we won't be singing psalms unfortunately, that would be a fun challenge for Brethren. And we won't actually be singing what you'd call "spirituals" altho we've looked at a few lately. (Not sure we can do them justice.) BUT, we will be raising a joyful noise.

I love the psalms and they are at their best when they remind us to join our voices in joyful praise. With two short meditations, I won't be 'taking the week off' as you might think. I actually want to toy with the idea that praise and singing changes our very nature. Off to visit some websites on endorphins and maybe spend some time at my blogger friend's site who does a wonderful job incorporating music with God's good news.

Other ideas for my meditations are welcome. The worship is laid out and the hymns chosen and all but one reader in place. Maybe there will be time tomorrow to sing a tune on the golf course. Ah, to praise God and swing my driver. How could I keep from singing?

And then there's the Beach Boys who can always hear music. (1969)

Loving Bread

2009-08-06T15:07:00.003-04:00

I haven't been preaching from John and so I welcome the opportunity to read the multitude of resources and develop the sermon for Sunday on John 6:35, 41-51. Yet what else can be said about bread?

I find it troubling that it used to be easy to give up bread for a diet but now I miss it terribly when I do. There's the multi-grain chewy delicious rolls from Wegmans that I've been lightly toasting lately. So filling and so delicious and if, Dean Ornish is correct, they are actually good for me.

Then there's Harris Teeter's whole wheat baguettes that are so nutty flavored and perfect to wipe up the last few drops of sauce. And bagels from Shoppers or Einsteins at Target's food center can't be beat with either 'lite butter' (actually omega 3 oil margarine) or with cream cheese.

And then there is Panera's, full of not-so-good-for-you breads and pastries. Salty breads and sweet baked delights all call to me at this stage of life in a voice I didn't hear when I was younger. Were the options less then or my needs different? How was it that I experience bread differently in this stage of life?

Jesus' as the "I am" of life, the "I am the bread of life" sounds to me like simple nutrition. Take in Jesus and you will be nourished. Eat your fill, its/he's good for you. Maybe at this point of life Jesus, like the bread I love to ingest, offers more than simple nutrition. Maybe I'm in need of a greater filling.

I love the smell of the bakeries in today's large stores and I love the chewy, nutty taste of the many multigrain breads. It's more than nutrition, its pure enjoyment of the taste. Is Jesus saying he offers more than what I need? Can I have something that is both good for me and delicious?

I think that concept will be worth exploring on Sunday because Jesus likes to surprise us with good things and eye-opening statements. Ingest me, he says and live forever. What's not to like?

Equipment or Equipping?

2009-08-01T10:50:00.003-04:00

I enjoyed working with David's difficult story last week but it feels good to come back to the NT and Ephesians 4, one of my favorite passages. I used it in my theory of Christian ed., about our responsibility for helping each other grow "into the One. ." But this week I was surprised to look deeper into the Greek (thanks to some exegetical writing by G. Porter Taylor in Feasting On The Word) and spent some time with the word καταρτισμον. Here's the definition I found that echoes Taylor's summary, "a process of adjustment that results in a complete preparedness". But that didn't go deep enough so I went to other sources including Zerwick and found the reference to setting a broken bone. So equipping is about alignment or even getting adjusted by the chiropractor. hmmm

Being in alignment with God is one of my favorite metaphors because I hate it when my car gets out of alignment and veers out of the lane. Perhaps because I am all too likely to be using only one hand. (They passed the law against texting while driving for me. I don't do it now.) Currently I think my car pulls a little to the left, which can take you into the stripes of the road, or the little raised reflectors. When I hear the thump, thump, thump of tire over reflector it's time to straighten up- and quickly.

Maybe that's what the author of Ephesians is doing, providing a bit of a 'thump, thump' warning for us and reminding us to 'straighten up'. Yet Taylor points out that its not us who do the aligning. God is the master mechanic, all we can do is make ourselves as pliable as possible. This concept challenges my theory of Christian education a bit. How do we loosen our tight grip on life and become more pliable so God can align us?

The rest of the letter may help by reminding us that we are in community and meant to live that way. "Walking the life"( περιπατησαι ) together and practicing the rituals of our faith. When we participate together, worship together, commune together we are bound to soften up and be better prepared for Divine alignment.

Now I'm imaging the bumper cars of communal life softening us up with lots of jerking around. I think that will be another post someday.

David and Bathsheba

2009-07-23T13:02:00.003-04:00

What should a preacher say about David's sordid story? What is there left to say after generations have dealt with it? Today I read a quote from Henri Nouwen about stories;

[A] story creates space. We can dwell in a story, walk around, find our own place. The story confronts but does not oppress; the story inspires but does not manipulate, the story invites us to an encounter, a dialog, a mutual sharing.

If so, is it enough to just tell the story well? How can I, as preacher, set up the "encounter" that we might share in it in a way that opens us to the change it invites? Nouwen also says,

"A story opens a door and offers us space in which to search and boundaries to help us find what we seek, but it does not tell us what to do or how to do it."

It takes careful "preaching" to not TELL or even set up a desired outcome, but to let each person's 'encounter' with the story take them to the place of finding what they seek. That is the challenge of this week. Entering into a familiar story, hearing something new, and mostly hearing something that speaks to our lives today.

It must be why we need preachers, right?

I return to Nouwen for final inspiration before I compose the words I will add to David's story.

As long as we can remind each other of the lives of men and women in whom the love of God becomes manifest, there is reason to move forward to a new land in which new stories are hidden.

Thank you Henri, for inspiration and for your story.

Phyllis TIckle

2009-07-16T10:55:00.003-04:00

I heard Phyllis Tickle speak at Annual Conference. (Walt always gets the best people for the Messenger Dinner.) Then discovered this video on a friend's blog. See if you can right click on it to watch it on You Tube or make it full screen. It is well worth the 3 minutes! Then we can converse about it.

Delightful Dance

2009-07-11T19:10:00.002-04:00

• HOW DOES IT FEEL TO RECEIVE SOMETHING UNEXPECTED? (they answer) What word would you use to describe how you feel?

• “Delightful?”
• We are used to seeing the plate passed and being expected to give.
David gave everyone ‘bread and a cake of raisins’ out of his joy. He made sure that everyone would share in God’s blessing. He extended the celebration into every home. It had to make him popular.
It reminded me of the promise of ‘a chicken in every pot’. I’m pretty sure David wasn’t the first politician to think of giving away something sweet (or at least promising to do so) in order to win the affection of his people, Or to offer them something from the blessing he received. I imagine both thoughts crossed his mind.

I may not be the first preacher to offer a cookie in order to have her sermon judged acceptable either. Hmmmm.

We understand David’s giving stemmed from the joy he felt that came from God’s presence with him - in its concrete, physical form of the Ark.
You remember; the Ark was a chest containing the Tablets of the Covenant between the LORD and Israel. The Ark served as a throne for the ‘LORD of Hosts’ On its cover were two Cherubim, probably creatures with
the body of a lion or bull,
the head of a human, and
the wings of an eagle. In the ancient Near East, such creatures used to flank royal thrones.
The Ark accompanied God’s people into the Holy Land and LATER was the holiest object in the 1st Temple when it was built. But the Ark has been separated from God’s people because the Philistines captured it in the great battle with Israel in the days of Eli. In fact, it was the news of this great battle; the loss of the Ark and the death of his sons that caused Eli to fall, break his neck and die. Being near the Ark – the seat of God’s power, can be dangerous.

As our story explains the Ark has been at the home of Abinadab for about 20 years, a lifetime for a young adult. And David decides to bring it to his new HQ, the NEW city of David, Jerusalem.

You may be wondering how the story of King David’s celebration and dance relate to our everyday lives. Let’s see if we can find some connections to this interesting story.

We have to realize that David is not a simple man. We need to leave behind our Sunday School images of David because he is a man of complex motives. You probably began to wonder about them as you heard his story explained.

HE has consolidated the Jewish people following battles and defections. (Samuel I & II have so many good stories with twists and turns like soap operas, they might be classified as ‘beach reading’.)

David has created a new capital city on the border of the 2 kingdoms; --- Israel (to the North) and Judah (South) -- which are BOTH now under his rule. AND he’s been busy building a new Royal Family.
“He added wives and concubines and fathered eleven more sons - the text of the previous chapter says in addition to the first 6 by 6 different wives (5:13-16). He is a busy man. A foreign king acknowledges him (5:11), and David once again defeats the Philistines, this time rather extensively (5:1-25). He has become "greater and greater."

David’s initial decision (v.1) to get the Ark and bring it to Jerusalem has religious AND political UNDERtones.
Religiously; the Ark of Presence which once guided God’s people, would be returned to a place of honor and eventually a temple would be built around it (by David’s son, Solomon.) A priestly celebration that includes sacrifices and gifts to the people is an appropriate way to bring the Ark of God’s presence into its new home.
Politically; This symbol of God’s power will shore up David’s own power and ‘bless’ the new vision of a monarchy united under David. The (former) kingship of Saul left much to be desired, and the transition to a new administration has involved fighting and now victory for David. He needs to solidify his base and bring the people of both kingdoms together. And he needs to connect his efforts to God’s wishes so he can keep the respect of his people. Gifts won’t hurt.

We can ask if David’s motives are pure but we can’t really know the answer. If we read enough about David and his life we will learn he’s a complicated man of multiple motives, very much like us.

How often do you hear religious pontificating and wonder if any of it is self-serving? How often do you view your own motivation and realize there is often more than one reason for doing something or for giving a gift?

Do you remember Billy Graham’s many visits with the presidents? A Time magazine writer, Diana Walker, speculated a bit about motives and the intertwining of religion and politics;

How far could a pastor go without becoming part of the political game? (She asks) Graham was the most famous preacher on earth. Simply by standing next to Presidents, he conferred a blessing both on them and on their policies. Every one of them was aware of this, in ways that Graham sometimes was not.
Was it crossing a line when he invited presidential candidates to his crusades or sent along suggestions for their speeches at National Prayer Breakfasts? What about when he lobbied lawmakers on behalf of a poverty bill or an arms deal, or consulted with candidates on their campaign ads or their running mates?
It was one thing to serve as Eisenhower's or Johnson's private pastor. But it was quite another to act as Nixon's political partner, carrying private messages to foreign heads of state, advising on campaign strategy and assembling evangelical leaders for private White House briefings.

There were times when Graham brought out the best in Nixon--and times as well when Nixon brought out the worst in Graham.

If there is a bottom line in such matters of people, politics and religion, its that humans are delightfully complicated beings.
We can learn from David’s experience and his fear following Uzzah’s death that God’s power is greater than human motive and will not be manipulated. We can also note from David’s story, from Billy Graham’s story and from that of any president’s - that the fallout from our decisions spills into other people’s lives. Taking personal responsibility for our actions doesn’t mean others won’t pay a price for our misdeeds.
Life and our relationship to our AWESOME God is also delightfully complicated. There is more to David’s story that can speak to us.

David’s 2nd attempt at moving the Ark after a 3 month break - is successful and includes his solitary dance that must have raised some eyebrows. He is risking a lot with his behavior and the story shows us two ways of looking at it.
1. David’s joy is so complete that he sheds - along with his clothes – the trappings of Kingship; all the elegant robes AND the refined dignity of a Ruler are left behind in order to ‘dance his joy’ before the LORD. He is offering himself and his actions as a sacrifice after the initial sacrifice of animals. It is a gift to God.
2. (but) Then there is Michal’s (sor MeeCHAL, Hebrew prounounciation) viewpoint. She is the daughter of the previous King and knows how a King should act. She is right in acknowledging the prohibition of exposure of the human body, at least certain parts of it. There are numerous stories in biblical history condemning for such exposure. She is upset at her husband behavior and believe his gift is self-serving.
Who is right? We don’t really know except to see that David’s dance wearing a priestly garment isn’t rejected by supernatural action.
They travel all of 6 paces to be sure before sacrificing and beginning the dance.
David’s exuberant offering to God of joyful dance seems to be accepted.
Whether his exposing himself was undignified and showing off to slave girls, or the expression of humility before God - we just don’t know. David also acts against Michal, never fathering a child with her which seals his dynasty and ends that of Saul’s, Michal’s father. Their will be NO joint heir. Does David have Dual motives? Quite possibly. David is both a religious being and a political one, AND he is blessed in many ways.

What we find from this story is that God can work with humans, real humans, like us- who have dual motives and layers of reasons for our actions. If only we are willing to risk involvement and give our true expression to God.

David’s dance of delight and joy are at the heart of the message for us today.

God’s presence demands celebration and so does the expectation of blessings to come. David’s reaction is not typical. The dance of delight is too much expression for most of us. We are more lightly to THINK exuberance but hold back our action. Perhaps we are more like timid teenagers at a dance. Try this picture on for size.

(by William McNamara)
“You are responsible for fifty teen-agers. [Rather young ones.] So you gather them together and put them in the fellowship hall and tell them to dance. Leaving someone in charge of the music, You go for a cup of coffee.
You return and witness this scene, four or five girls dancing in the middle of the room, and all the guys hugging the walls.”

Does that sound familiar? Perhaps its “pathetic” but is it an accurate image of Christ’s Church today?
At the heart there are a few live ones, participating, doing the Christ dance, re-enacting the mystery of faith, the birth-death-resurrection of the Everlasting man.

The rest of us are hugging the walls, cuddling up to the institution and the structure, smugly and securely “doing our thing” on the threshold of the Church; and from that safe distance we watch and discuss the appropriateness of the action at the center.

We seem a long way from King David and delightful dance, don’t we? We don’t risk, our giving or our involvement by giving ourselves. IF anything, we tend to stake our money on the safety at the edges instead of risking coming close to God’s presence and what God can do with our energy and passion.

Why are we more like the teens at the edge of the room? Are we afraid of –
- being embarrassed or of getting too involved?
- Or Are we afraid that God will expose us, and discover we often have dual motives? Pause
-
Can we accept God’s blessing and risk the places it(God) may take us? It might mean allowing ourselves to be open to the potential of being shockingly, utterly transformed by our boundless, amazing, wonderful ‘known-yet-unknown’ God.

We can learn much from King David. He lived a full and complex life. He is remembered for his greatness and yet the stories of his mistakes are repeated along with the glories of his successes. Still God blessed him and used him.

God can use us.

God accepts our offerings of passion and delight and uses us for good. God knows our motives and works with us and thru us to accomplish great things for all people. God can use everything and anything we give.
We are at the dance.
Some of us are timid and afraid of being exposed.
Some of our dance cards are too full to wait for the amazing partnership God has in mind.
Some of us are wondering if our passionate dancing will be accepted or judged.

What is keeping you at the edge of the room? What keeps you from sharing your gifts and dancing?

Question and Answer

2009-07-08T07:36:00.003-04:00

Sunday we had a wonderful experience in worship of hearing three members speak of their experience of questioning God. Their stories touched us and their pain resonated with our stories. We were still left with our questions, we were just touched by their faithful response.

Theodicy has been a central religious issue for- well ever. Read the Psalms and you 'hear' the cry of God's people again and again. I just read a good perspective on our struggles written by Keith Giles and posted at The Ooze. How can God allow. . .?

"For now we live in a fallen world. God is still in control, but more often than not God allows things to happen and He works through the wreckage.

We are co-workers with God in this effort. He allows us the honor of extending grace to the sinner, comfort to the afflicted, and hope to the hopeless.

In fact, Jesus so identifies with the poor, the broken, the imprisoned, and the outcast that he says "whatever you have done to one of the least of these you have done it to me."

So, the next time we are tempted to ask, "How can God allow...?" we have to realize that God is permissive, but He is not passive. He takes what is intended for evil and turns it to good. He is in the business of turning darkness into light, and He calls us to the same ministry of reconciliation.

Maybe, when it comes to suffering and injustice we should ask ourselves, "How can we allow..'"

I wanted to share it since it fit so well with our stories of strengthening faith along with questioning God. We have our work before us - always.

Keith Giles is a pastor who doesn't take a salary in a house church where 100% of the offering goes to help the poor in the community and within the Body. You can download his books for free over at his blog: http://www.KeithGiles.com.

Conversation Around The Table

2009-07-01T02:33:00.001-04:00

Annual Conference can be like a giant fellowship meal because it provides multiple occasions for sitting around tables (Brethren do like to eat) and conversing about the issue of the day. This year some difficult issues were (and remain) before us.

One was a specific query asking if the language of the Church of the Brethren 1983 Annual Conference paper on Human Sexuality would continue to guide us as it applies to same gender covenantal relationships. Another was a Standing Committee statement passed on from the 2008 conference called, “A Statement of Confession and Commitment”. Both papers were referred to a newly revised process for Dealing with Strongly Controversial Issues, which will allow us to listen to each other’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings on the topics. This means we are committing ourselves to a process where listening becomes as important as making a point.

As a denomination, a nation, and around most tables we are “not of one mind” on the issues surrounding human sexuality. Therefore, it is important for us to learn to listen to each other as we endeavor to be understood.

At the pre-conference Ministers’ Event, Celia Cook-Huffman made the following suggestions for exploring a difficult topic.

Use Effective Communication
Emotions come first, think of feelings as data, seek first to understand (rather than looking for agreement or problem solving), gather facts, check assumptions, everyone’s story counts, ask yourself if a facilitator or mediator would help?

Focus on the Positive
What is working in the relationship? What are the benefits? Where is there agreement? What are individual strengths of the people involved?

What is the Ideal?
What do you really want?

Key strategies such as Listening, Expressing Intentions, using statements to Reflect and Restate what the other person has said will help us hear each other more clearly. As the conversation continues we can Focus on new information (not repeating old tapes from our history) and remember to Focus on the problem. These mechanics will certainly help us. Most of all, Pray for your sisters and brothers and for yourself. God can use an open spirit in ways beyond our imagining to bring about shalom and justice in the world. Amen, may it be so.

only a little scripture

2009-06-24T22:45:00.003-04:00

Well, in San Diego for Conference and what a boring weather forecast. . . yeah, the most wonderful boring forecast I've ever scene. Thursday: High of 70, Friday, high of 70, and on it goes. No wonder people risk falling off into the sea every time the earth shakes out here. They are already close to heaven. Oh and incredible humus and falafel next door at the mall. Walking around the mall I felt like I was in an O.C. episode. Obviously I've been up too long. Time for bed. Too bad I can't just open the window, but I guess it's safer this way.

BTW "a little help from friends" is incredibly rewarding. We have hymnals for the Ministers' Pre-Conference event coming from Laverne and San Diego COBs with folks delivering them to us. How very wonderful it is when Brethren work together in unity. Ps. 133

stuck in the boat in a storm

2009-06-21T22:06:00.004-04:00

Well I missed the post this week, but I do have some sermon notes so I'll paste them in here.

“ok, admit it, you’ve been in the boat. . .we’ve all been in the boat at some point.
We were taking a normal trip across the lake, or across town.
It was a normal drive on a normal day.
Suddenly, the waves of crisis rise and threaten to swamp the boat.
Maybe it was a car that crashed into yours,
Or a call from your family with shocking news
Or a piece of mail that turned your life upside down.
It could’ve been the sudden end of a job or the death of a loved one.
Maybe it was a diagnosis for you or serious trouble for a family member.
Whatever happened it was overwhelming and potentially life changing.
Do you remember that day? Can you still see the giant waves and feel the water flooding the boat?
When it happens, we sound just like the disciples,
We cry out, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”

It is a natural human response to cry out to God, even if our prayer is only an “O God, help me!”
The disciples cry echoes those we hear in the Psalms, written generations ago.

“Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever! (v. 24 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?” Ps. 44:23-24

“Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!” Ps. 35:23

“Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!” Ps. 59:4b

When our boat is threatened and the waves look like something from the movie, A Perfect Storm, we call out to our Lord and our God.

Communication is always good, any counselor will tell you such. The same is true for communication with God. Calling on God in times of trouble is natural and proper. It is best when part of an on-going communication like daily prayer, but it is good at anytime to talk with God because God welcomes us and desires to be close to us.

Notice (in the story) that Jesus doesn’t wake up and chastise the disciples for rousing him nor for asking for help. He first rebukes the storm. He does so with the same words that he uses to exorcise demons. He commands demons to cease and be silent, and they do.
The Divine Power within Jesus is stronger than the evil, which was seen as the root cause of demons and their uncontrollable behavior. Jesus has power over chaos just as the Creator did in the beginning of the earth.
“the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God* swept over the face of the waters. Then God said,”
KJV says, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

We might look closer at this story. As short as it is, there are details that help us see Jesus and more importantly understand who he is.
• Jesus wants to go across the lake, which is predominantly Gentile territory. We know Jesus’ mission is primarily to Jews, but he is not excluding anyone and this trip foreshadows the later activity of the church. Jesus crosses lakes and crosses boundaries so he can minister to everyone. It was certainly important for Mark’s original readers to hear this message of inclusion when many of them were not Jews.
• Jesus is tired and goes to sleep which shows us his full humanity. We worship the risen and exalted Lord yet it is important for us to remember in his humanity for that was and is, God’s way of connecting with God’s children. Jesus needed to rest. And in his rest we see the trust at the core of his life.
• His sound sleep implies his trust in a watchful God AND it implies trust in his disciples. You don’t curl up and go to sleep in a boat if you don’t feel safe in the hands of those in charge of keeping it afloat.
• Jesus trusts in the skills and judgment of these men who are familiar with the sea. Certainly they have been in troubled waters before and got thru them.

Jesus trusts in God and trusts in his disciples. Which may make their lack of faith seem even greater until we look closer.
Did you notice that Jesus didn’t say, “there is nothing to be afraid of.” Jan Richardson of Painted Prayerbook.com says
“The disciples were right to feel afraid. Yet their perception of reality was defined solely by the storm and only increased their experience of being overwhelmed. The presence of the storm was not the whole truth of their situation.”

But they began to panic and when we panic, judgment becomes compromised. Our ability to act with decisiveness slips and we tend to become RE- active. When adrenaline flows, ‘Fight or flight’ is our response. When they REacted, IN FEAR and PANIC, the disciples lost the ability to use their experience in the situation.

Jesus calms both the waves and the disciples. THEN he turns and asks for the source of their fears.
He had faith in them, he has faith in God. Do they NOT YET have faith?
Implied in the way he asks (at least in the Greek) is his trust that they WILL come to faith, even if they are not quite there yet. “Have you still no faith?”

And what does faith look like when a crisis hits?
What did you do when your boat swamped?
What happened after the “O God, help me!”

“Living in denial is not the same as having faith. Whatever the sources of our anxiety, faith helps to provide the tools we need to maintain our vision and to see the truth within the waves that seek to command our whole attention. Says Jan Richardson, Faith asks what is defining our reality?”
Faith challenges us to cling to the One who has power over the chaos that is swirling around us. In fact, God’s power can even be found within it.
Perhaps it is hard for us to picture this scene in today’s world. We find it hard to believe -or at least understand- this story of miraculous calming.
• It is hard for us to get our heads around miracle stories. We may not typically be literal readers of the Bible, but we hear these stories in a way that categorizes them as something that happened in biblical times and couldn’t happen today.
o A God who has power over the natural world is ok in theory but how do we really account for times when God doesn’t stop the chaos or the hurricane and people die. In our “post-Enlightenment eyes, nature works by fixed laws and anything miraculous in the natural world is an infringement of these laws. God then becomes an occasional intruder into the world. We either “have faith” or we don’t
o Intruder status limits God to a part-time player in our lives who we call on when crisis hits, “God save us” when at other times God is irrelevant.
o In this worldview, is it no wonder that people today find God incredible or not worthy of faith.”

Yet what if we remember that God is not an “intruder” in our world, but we in God’s. At least that’s the closer to the truth we can’t comprehend. God is in nature itself and do we dare limit God to what we can accept and explain? Or do we prefer to say God is only what we CAN’T explain – at least now, in this century.

Yesterday, at the jr high conference, I showed clips from Al Gore’s movie an Inconvenient Truth and within it were pictures of the earth from space.
It is incredible to see the globe on which we live. And we think we understand it, now. – when truly we are still learning about the miracle of creation and the beginnings of the universe.

How can we comprehend the creation of a human or a gnat when a spacecraft travels far out into the galaxy and looks back at the speck, which is earth.
God is far greater than anything we can imagine.

That’s what the disciples discovered in the storm. When Jesus enters in, their eyes are opened to the presence of the Divine in their midst and they are filled with fear, the kinda scared, and VERY awed, reaction humans have when they are near the Holy.

When Jesus asks the disciples, “why they don’t yet have faith?” he knows they have a lifetime of learning ahead of them but the time is coming when they will have to act on what they DO know. So Jesus keeps teaching them and leading them and TRUSTING in them so they can learn to trust in him and the God from whom he comes.
We are no different than the disciples in the boat.
We’re still trying to understand the Divine Jesus.
We really want to have faith. – we know we need it.

Because we deal with storms all the time and When Jesus enters in, there’s hope for calmer days and clearer vision, even in situations that need a miracle.

A man or woman can find a way out of addiction.
A world on the brink of war, takes a step toward peace.
Or You find a way to live, in spite of the death of a spouse that devastated your life.
Leaders of countries who have no official relations, might find a way to speak.
A path that was not visible before, in the panic of the crisis, become clear.
Or maybe A few loaves of bread feed a multitude of people.

Are any of these things less than miraculous?

It is time for our vision to clear so we can walk in faith.
It is time for us to recognize the holy in our midst, not limit that Spirit to a 2,000 year old story.
It is time for us to claim the assurance that Jesus offers.

Do we YET have faith?

Inside-Out

2009-06-11T08:53:00.003-04:00

David is anointed King. Its a story for children with low self esteem, or perhaps for any of us who forget that although "mortals see the outward appearance, the LORD looks on the heart." (1 Sam.16:7) Do you ever wonder how David felt about all this? Perhaps it appeared an opportunity to get away from the smelly sheep. Maybe it was just a chance to join the rest of the world after being 'banished' to the fields with duties left to the youngest brother. As conflict begins to enter David's life, I wonder if he ever missed those quiet fields?

It is interesting that from the moment "The spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David" (1 Sam. 16:13) his life gets VERY complicated. Yes, he gets to be King eventually and that has its own complications, but along the way he is put into the service of the current king, Saul, he ends up in battle with a giant, he gets pursued and fears for his life thanks to the king's jealousy, paranoia, and "evil spirit". The story of David's friendship with Jonathan is lifted up and made part of children's curriculum. (Let's all turn against our parents in favor of our best friend. . .?) We often skip some of the most interesting parts of David's life.

David rose and fled that day from Saul; he went to King Achish of Gath. ¹¹The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” ¹²David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of King Achish of Gath. ¹³So he changed his behavior before them; he pretended to be mad when in their presence. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard. ¹⁴Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me? ¹⁵Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”1 Samuel 21:10-15

David received God's blessing and answered God's call and life was exceedingly difficult, "interesting" at least. How do we received God's call? Do we only expect the blessing part and forget about the difficulties? Are we 'up' for "interesting" or must our callings be sweetness and light?

God's call comes to all people, thankfully in less dramatic form than David's call. We are all challenged to respond in trust, humbled by the fact that we are the chosen of God and hopefully prepared for all the "interesting" adventures that are part of God's call.