tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55201188342046427222024-02-21T06:10:16.443-08:00Cape Cod Lutheran BlogCarl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-66341790048875659272018-12-06T06:25:00.003-08:002018-12-06T06:25:43.889-08:00The Path of Discipleship - A Never-Ending Path<br />
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This article marks a full-year that I have been writing on
the topic of the path of discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seems like a fitting time to move on to another project, not that 52
weeks tells the whole story of being a disciple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Volumes of book have been written on this
topic and many more volumes are to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is not because there are brand new ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often what strikes someone as new and
exciting is a variation on something that is ancient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the author of Ecclesiastes writes, “There
is nothing new under the sun.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My hope
in writing this series has been that you, as the reader, will take the next
step, trying these practices and seeking to grow in the virtues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is never moment where we can say, “Now,
I’ve got it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I understand.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Discipleship is a continuous path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the way that, as Christians, we deal
with what happens in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moreover,
our God chooses to be elusive, larger than we can comprehend and always a bit
out of reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we think we
understand the depths of who God is, it turns out that God is much deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martin Luther spoke of the masks of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we think we have identified who God
really is, it turns out to be only a mask, often of our own creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Saint Augustine wrote, “If you think you
understand it, it is not God you are talking about.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
idea brings me back to beginning, that virtue of awe and wonder at the nature
of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I write this, we are once
again approaching Christmas, that festival where we consider what it means to
have a God who became as one of us in Jesus, the mystery of the fully human and
fully divine one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Declaring Jesus to be
fully human and fully divine sounds definitive and yet, if this idea is taken
seriously, it will not take long to realize it makes no sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet this is who we proclaim Jesus to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is why Christmas matters; why Good Friday
matters; why Easter matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I can
give you no better advice than to sit with that mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might poke and pull at it like some
Gordian knot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might walk away from
it in frustration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would advise you to
treat the mystery like walking into a modern art piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know it means something but that
something eludes you, so you walk around it and take it in, appreciating the
pieces that you can understanding and wondering at the moments that you
can’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meditate on it and let it stir up
that feeling of awe and wonder that comes with encountering the holy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
let me close with a final note of good news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is all right that we do not understand everything about God and Jesus
because, from the midst of mystery, God has made us a promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are loved, not because we are great or
wise or perfectly good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are loved
because God is love itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cannot
be taken away and our lack of understanding, our failure to be perfect
disciples, or our periodic self-centeredness, cannot remove it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are loved because God is love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This reality sets you free to follow the path
of discipleship imperfectly but joyfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Keep walking, my friends.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-36561197223693392442018-11-29T07:49:00.002-08:002018-11-29T07:49:55.241-08:00The Path of Discipleship - On Reading the Bible<br />
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For many people, the Bible is a difficult book to
approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are afraid that they are
not up to task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, clergy, including
me, may make references to the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages or life in
ancient Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may suggest ideas
like you cannot really understand the Genesis creation text without knowledge
of the <u>Enuma Elish</u>, the Babylonian creation story; you cannot fully
understand Paul without some knowledge of Platonic thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People may well walk away with the sense that
this text will be too involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
great that there are some professional people here to study and explain the
text because I will never have the time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is
one of the dangers of critical study of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the effort to read the Bible in its
context in history, it becomes easy to forget that the scriptures are words of
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the effort to acknowledge the
very human part of authorship, it is easy to forget the divine inspiration
behind the words.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Here
are some thoughts on biblical reading and practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will
not understand everything, and that is okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t understand everything even with some Greek and Hebrew in my
pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not understanding is an
opportunity to learn, to deepen and to grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not understanding is an acknowledgement of the mystery in, with and
under the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You will not like everything you read, and that
is okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible provides multiple answers
to the questions we ask of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
relationship to our neighbor described in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is
quite different than Israel’s relationship to its neighbors in <u>Joshua</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our relationship to God can be one of love,
respect, fear, loyalty or passionate longing (take a look at <u>Song of Songs)</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith is a gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith is a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith is a task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve probably grown up in a tradition that
said only one of those is right, yet all can be found in the text.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Bible is boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book of <u>Exodus</u> starts out with the
exciting Sunday school stories of escaping Egypt and crossing the Red Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually it settles into God giving a long
description of how the holy tabernacle should be made and then a long description
of Israel making the tabernacle to God’s specifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of it is boring, but it can become
interesting to wonder why rambling genealogies were not edited out; why the
cattle counts of Numbers deserve to be holy scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of it is boring, but all of it is important.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Bible is not boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of it isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are going to find parts that are
exciting, enchanting, inspiring, challenging and troubling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pay attention to those reactions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can be a sign of God’s Word speaking
through the words.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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According to the <u>Confessions of St. Augustine</u>, the
ancient bishop was converted while sitting in a garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From a neighboring home he heard a child
chanting, “Take up and read,” over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He saw this as sign, found a volume of Paul’s
letters and was inspired by the text of the book of Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let me offer you the same admonition and
pray you also find inspiration in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Take up and read!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-63075666927408902292018-11-15T08:43:00.000-08:002018-11-15T08:43:04.179-08:00The Path of Discipleship - Taking the Bible Seriously but not Literally<br />
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The author William Faulkner once said, “Facts and truth
really don’t have much to do with each other.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His comment reminds us that, while our favorite stories might be based
on actual events, they are often manipulated in retrospect with moments added
or omitted to deepen the meaning or the moral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some stories of the Bible are like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Archeological evidence, things like pottery samples and settlement
studies, suggests that the great exodus from Egypt to the promised land of
Israel may have more of a trickle over years than a massive wave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there may have been historical kings
like David and Solomon, there is little evidence that they were as powerful as
the Bible suggests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the book of
Acts, with its stories of people falling dead at the feet of the disciples
feels exaggerated for effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet
there is a truth behind and within these stories, a reflection about hope for
who God is and how God has made us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of
the biggest barriers to faith I have encountered is the assumption that to be a
Christian one must take the Bible to be 100% historically accurate, despite
evidence to the contrary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A college professor
of mine who was not a big fan of religion spoke of the need for Christians to
“check their brains at the church door.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was frustrating because I grew up with a faith that welcomed
questions and encouraged exploration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later, in seminary, I was trained to seek the deeper truths behind the
text, no longer asking, “Did this happen?” but the more ancient question, “What
does this mean?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
Lutheran circles, especially more conservative Lutheran circles, this attitude
will be argued against by noting that Martin Luther was a literalist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this statement does not tell the whole
story of Luther’s relationship with the Bible, it is true that Luther treated
the text as historical fact, that the events happened as the Bible testifies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
there are two kinds of literalism, sometimes divided into cultural literalism
and intentional literalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cultural
literalism existed for the first sixteen centuries or so of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that time, although there might be a few who
raised questions, there was very little evidence in conflict with the biblical
world view. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The earth was flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun traveled across the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There could well have been a flood of water
that covered the entirety of the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Humanity may well have started with two people in a sacred garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also no concept of genetics; most
people assumed that everything needed for the next generations was found in the
male “seed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no concept of
geology; the possibility that the world might be millions of years old instead
of a few thousand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a small
sense of astronomy, but no one had ever seen the Earth from outer space or
flown through the sky where the curvature of the planet becomes clear.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
even as the Reformation was spreading across Europe, Nicholas Copernicus was
writing <u>On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres</u>, a book that would
challenge the earth-centered view of the universe, calling into question one of
the basic assumptions of the biblical creation stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within a few centuries, as the influence of
the scientific method increased, even more of the biblical world-view would come
under scrutiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leads to the other
kind of literalism, intentional literalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Literalism of this form is an acceptance of the biblical narrative and
world-view <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in spite of evidence to the
contrary</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At an extreme, this view has
created a small group of “Flat-Earthers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More commonly, it creates conflict around things like the age of the
earth, creation and evolution.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What is
at stake is something deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the
idea that if one part of the Bible is not accurate, then the whole book can be
called into question, most importantly including the stories of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the biblical stories of the creation and
the flood and the exodus are not factual, then what of the healings and walking
on water and resurrection?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
someone who is not a literalist, I do not have an easy answer other than going
back to the ancient question mentioned before, “What does this mean?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot prove that any of the Bible is
factual, but I would assert that the Bible is true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The texts have something to say to us today;
good news and challenges; promises and life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Bible does not ask us to prove that the creation or the exodus or
the resurrection happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, the
Bible challenges to live as though they happened, to live as though we had been
created by a loving God; to live as though we had been set free; to live as
though we had been raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this
lifetime, we can never prove that these stories are factual, but we can live
knowing that they are true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-42670780041488173312018-11-08T07:55:00.000-08:002018-11-08T07:55:03.790-08:00The Path of Discipleship - The Study of Life<br />
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Some of the themes of this article will echo what I wrote
near the beginning of this series, writing about the virtue of awe and
wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a holy practice to learn
about creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a coincidence
that historically, much science was done under the auspices of the Christian
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, Gregor Mendel, who
is sometimes credited as the founder of modern genetics was an Augustinian
friar experimenting with pea plants at his monastery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other priests and Christian leaders have been
naturalists, physicists and astronomers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is
not to deny the conflict that grew as the scientific world-view began to
question the assumptions of the biblical world-view; a conflict that was
expanded with Darwin in the 1800s and continues to this day; a conflict created
by the confusion of fact and truth (something I will write about next
week).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mendel’s science was “safe,” not
raising difficult questions of scriptural inerrancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of this conflict, it is important to
remember the history within Christianity of exploring and marveling at the
beauty of creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The theologian
Richard Rohr describes the natural creation as “our first Bible.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
current age of easy access to information should encourage this kind of
study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time I turn on my computer,
there is a picture of a new place on the startup screen, sometimes natural;
sometimes made by human hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each one
fills me with curiosity, wondering at how unique rock formations happen over
millions of years; wondering at how human beings came to reside in inhospitable
places; wondering at the vast differences in the artwork of different cultures,
often shaped by the vast differences among many landscapes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Echoing
my last entry, pursing such questions is holy work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learning about how we are different is often
also learning about how we are the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gaining more understanding of a different culture helps us grow in our
understanding of our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can also
remind us that we are strange and unique to someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The things we think are rude to discuss are
common topics in other places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way
we in the northeastern U.S. rush around celebrating the importance of
productivity is not the standard for the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can discover that there are other ways we can choose to be; that our
particular culture is not ordained by God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Studying
life and studying lives is an ancient practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the early church, there was a large emphasis on learning about the
various saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reformation movement
deemphasized the role of saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
longer were Protestant Christians supposed to pray to saints for
intercession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet Martin Luther
encouraged learning about the saints as lives to emulate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He cited the story of Saint Christopher,
bearing the weight of Christ while walking across a difficult river as a story
to teach us about Christian life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note,
he did not think this was a literal story, but more a teaching fable).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Lutherans did not venerate Mary,
Luther celebrated Mary, the mother of Jesus, as a model of obedience and
faithfulness to God’s call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we pay
attention to lives, old and new, we might be inspired to take our own walk of
faith more intentionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I will close this writing with a quote from one of my favorite saints, Therese of Lisieux: "Miss no sing opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love." (You can read more about Therese here: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_of_Lisieux">Therese of Lisieux - Wikipedia</a>) </span>The act of studying and learning, as with all acts of discipleship, is about finding small ways to turn to God in love. In studying creation, we deepen our love for the Creator. In learning about other people and cultures, we deepen our love for the neighbor. This is holy work!</div>
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<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-43005035609119220092018-11-01T08:15:00.002-07:002018-11-01T08:15:20.688-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Study as a Discipline<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I come from a family that loves to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My father was a professor of biology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother holds degrees in botany, library
science and accounting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Growing up, I
remember that both of my parents were always reading something and encouraged
my brother and me to do the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
world is fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are
fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The myriad of stories in
the world is fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So for me,
studying and learning is a joyful discipline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the greatest ways that we can honor God is to use the mental
faculties that we have been given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
a holy action to learn and grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
holy discipline to study, even when that study might lead to doubt or difficult
questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Often
when Christians talk about studying, they are drawn to Bible study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes sense that Christians would seek a
deeper relationship with scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, many Christians avoid such study thinking it to be too
difficult; leaving it for the professional scholars and linguists to boil the
text down into preaching nuggets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
a great irony that Luther’s work in making scripture accessible led to a
tradition of dusty, family Bibles sequestered on shelves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I am
going to write more about biblical studies in a couple of weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this article, I want to suggest a
Christian virtue of curiosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
past, study has been used as a means to create boundaries for the faithful,
learning traditions and proper theological understandings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to allow curiosity to expand our
understanding of God and faith, not ignoring or abandoning older teachings, but
viewing them in the light of new knowledge and new points of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a society where we might
frequently encounter people of different cultures and religions in ways that
our ancestors did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That reality need
not drive us to isolate ourselves in fear, but might draw us out in
curiosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a society that is
shaped by the work of scientists who have expanded our understanding of the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need not reject science in
order to cling to our holy stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
can read our stories in the light of science, allowing such knowledge to expand
our understanding and interpretation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Religion
that lacks curiosity turns into fundamentalism at its worst and foolishness at
its best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to maintain a literal view of scripture texts written centuries ago, one has to ignore or deny
centuries of human growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should not
be a surprise that someone writing 2000 years ago might have a more limited
understanding of the earth, the universe and the nature of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This does not remove the divine inspiration
that led to the writing of scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
simply acknowledges the human element of writing, that authors are always limited
by their time, place and life experiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is a
joy and challenge to explore and learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we encounter something new, a new idea or a new tradition, we are
changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We expand our range of
view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We challenge our own
assumptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is holy work!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We proclaim a God who is both eternal and
infinite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no limit to who God
is and likewise there is no limit to what we can learn about this universe that
God has made.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Study
and learn about the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Study and
learn this joyful theology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Study and
learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is holy work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-45299587407382449092018-10-25T08:28:00.003-07:002018-10-25T08:28:30.431-07:00The Path of Discipleship - When the Answer is "No"<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I know
a number of people who maintain some sort of prayer journal or prayer
list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time they meet someone who
expresses a concern or desire for prayer, they write it in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, I think this becomes their version
of fulfilling Paul’s exhortation to pray without ceasing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will go through the list, page after
page, in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know that if you
are in the book, prayers are being extended for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know when this person says, “I’ll be
praying for you,” that there is weight behind it, often keeping you in prayer
until you say “Stop.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have
mentioned other communities and people who measure the power of prayer by
numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They feel that if thousands of
people are praying for an outcome, then God <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">has</i>
to be affected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God cannot ignore the
sheer volume of many and frequent prayers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet for
all those who are dedicated to intercessory prayer in many forms, sometimes the
answer is “No.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, in spite of
our best wishes, thoughts and prayers, treatments don’t work, peace does not
abound and famine continues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In her
book on the history of the Christian prosperity movement, <u>Blessed</u>,
author and historian Kate Bowler points to how traditions steeped in the power
of positive thinking or “Name it and claim it” philosophies can struggle with
this reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tells the story of a
member of such a congregation who was diagnosed with brain cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially people lifted her up strongly in
prayer and supported her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, as
reports did not approve, her supporters in the congregation drifted away from
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her continued illness did not match
up with a theology that expected God’s blessings and health for the faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either she had done something to deserve this
illness or the bedrock idea of their faith was not secure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In some
ways the Bible gives the church a mixed message on the power of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the one hand, a number of the Psalms are
written from the perspective of someone who has “cried to Lord” and had a
positive outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James talks about the
power of the prayers of the faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
the other hand, when asked to provide instruction in prayer, Jesus offers the
Christian standard of the Lord’s Prayer which involves praying for basic needs
and that God’s will be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
prayer that reconciles us to God’s will in the world rather than inspiring us to
change or affect that will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray to
be part of God’s solution; God’s answer to cries for peace, healing and grief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I think
it is important that we lift up others in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This action is a starting point that shines a
divine light on our relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
such prayer, I am connected to the one I am concerned about through God’s
presence, the One who is the source of love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet years of watching people struggle through illness, illnesses that
are often the natural part of aging, inform me that not everyone I pray for
will get better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You cannot pray away
our mortality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years of listening to the
anger toward God expressed by people who feel like prayer has failed, who
cannot understand why their addicted child overdosed or why a random tragedy
took their loved one away, have challenged me to see that prayer is not an
if/then conditional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The belief that,
“If you pray hard enough, things will get better,” sets people up for
disappointment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I pray as
a means to remind myself and the person for whom I am praying of God’s loving
presence in all the moments of life, both joyful and tragic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same breath that I pray for the health
of a loved one, I also pray for their comfort in the midst of illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In prayers that question seemingly needless
tragedy, I also pray that God’s love might support those who are left in the
wake of such tragedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
the answer to prayer is, “No.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as
Christians we can take comfort and celebrate that ultimately God’s answer is,
“Yes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The No’s of life are
temporary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final Yes is forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-77252575563474373932018-10-18T08:13:00.002-07:002018-10-18T08:13:57.604-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Answers to Prayer<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As mentioned in previous articles, much of my personal focus
in prayer is about deepening my relationship with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish to cultivate an attitude of prayer
that sustains me throughout the day, whether I am preaching or doing chores or
sitting in an intentional time of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t spend as much time as I used to asking for God’s action or
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spend most of the time seeking
to sit in that loving presence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet
there are a number of different traditions around prayer that do involve
seeking answers to problems and concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People might think of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #010000; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches
finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. </span>”(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Matthew 7:7-8</i>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another example is Abraham arguing with God
about the demise of Sodom in Genesis 18.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Abraham questions God about the justice of destroying the good along
with the evil in wiping out the whole city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He gets God to agree to spare the city for the sake of fifty righteous
people and eventually talks God down to ten.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What,
then, should be our expectations of the power of prayer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here I think we enter the realm of the
anecdote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have heard stories of people
who have seen God’s intervention in response to their prayer or the prayers of
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have heard stories of people
who struggle when it seems that the answer to their prayer is, “No,” or “Not
yet.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There does not seem to be a
definite rule where the answer to prayer comes as the one praying expects.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prayer
should not be a matter of sending our wish list to God, assuming that we have
some sort of power over God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Jesus
does say, “Ask and it will be given to you,” he also seems to indicate in the
Lord’s Prayer that a deeper faith might limit the things that we are asking
for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Lord’s Prayer we don’t pray for
healing or better relationships or world peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We pray that God’s will be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We pray for bread for the day (to have enough, not more than
enough).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray for forgiveness and the
avoidance of temptation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
would suggest that the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ other teaching on prayer are
about challenging us to become God’s intervention in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray for world peace so that we might be
people who seek peace in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
pray for an end to hunger so that we might work God’s will and share so that
none would be hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray for
healing and reconciliation so that we might be a source of healing and
reconciliation for the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I do
not write this to take away anyone’s hope in the miraculous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it has been my experience that often
the miraculous involves the miracle of other people open to being part of God’s
miracle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we embrace our part in God’s
will and our role in God’s kingdom, miracles happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hungry are fed; the sick are healed; the
poor receive good news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
prayer God changes the world by changing who we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every encounter with the love of God has an
effect and we are not the same people as before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer helps us grow into our role as the
children of God; as saints of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prayer takes us into the depths of God’s love and sends us as God’s good
news for the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-56345943890509664832018-10-11T09:31:00.001-07:002018-10-11T09:31:52.538-07:00The Path of Discipleship - The Need to Pray<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There was time when I wondered about the need to
pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I thought about the nature of
God, prayer, as I understood it, seemed a superfluous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If God knows everything about me, then God
already knows my needs and concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
knows about the people I am praying for at a much deeper level than I ever
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not just trust God to handle
the world as God sees fit rather than bothering God with information that God
already knows.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some
will argue that it is a matter of obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We may not know why we pray but we certainly know that Jesus was an
example of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Matthew, he does
not teach the Lord’s Prayer with an “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if </i>you
pray” but “pray then this way…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
calls us to prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Psalms call us
to prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul calls us to “pray
without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prayer can be listed as one of those activities of discipleship that
Christians are just supposed to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some
might argue that it is a matter affecting the will of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my last article I talked about folks who
attach power to the number of people who are praying for God’s intervention or
the intensity of those prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
book of James, the author writes, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and
the Lord will raise them up…The prayer of the righteous is powerful and
effective.”(James<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5: 15, 17)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me personally, this can fall into
somewhat magical thinking, seeking God to change the laws of matter and
physics, almost treating God as a genie granting wishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, there is a long tradition
of valuing intercessory prayer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
my own understanding of prayer, I would say that we need to pray more than God
needs our prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One purpose of prayer
is to come into acceptance of the will of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that God’s kingdom/reign would come and
God’s will be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this most basic
form of prayer, we are not praying to change the will of God but to accept the
will of God and become part of that will, participating in God’s reign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In essence, we are praying that we might be
part of the answer to our own prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
Martin Luther wrote in the Small Catechism, “In fact, God’s good and gracious
will comes about without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may also
come about in and among us.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
second purpose for prayer is taking the time to encounter God’s presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the contemplative view, we are never far
from the love of God; God’s grace is constantly with us; peace is always near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet we go about our lives distracted, always
seeking that which we cannot quite find and thinking the next shiny object will
make us whole and satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer
provides us with an opportunity to realize that we are already whole and
complete in the love of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the
celebration of the way things already are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God already loves you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salvation
has already happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything
necessary has already been accomplished so that you can be acceptable to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the essence of the good news that is
the story of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
need to pray because we are distracted and because there are many conflicting
message in the world, voices that say we are not good enough or healthy enough
or smart enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In prayer we turn down
the volume of the voices around us, even the voice of our own self-doubt, and
listen for the constant whisper of a loving God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kind of prayer is God’s gift to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It asks for nothing but our attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminds us only of what we already
have:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s love, God’s promise and
God’s peace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
helpful way to carry out this kind of prayer is through the use of a version of
what is known as the Jesus Prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Commit to sitting still for five to ten minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sit comfortably away from any distractions like
televisions, computers or phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
time you breath in, say in your head, “Lord Jesus Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you breath out, say, “have mercy on
me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with any contemplative practice,
you will have thoughts roaming around your mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acknowledge them and then turn back toward
the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As being still becomes more comfortable, you
might try extending this time to twenty minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a beautiful way of prayer to begin or
end (or both) your day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-34847050136570087592018-10-04T08:34:00.003-07:002018-10-04T08:34:25.247-07:00The Path of Discipleship - The Attitude of Prayer<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was a child, I was taught that prayer equaled
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Specifically, I was taught official
words of prayer: the Lord’s prayer, prayers at bedtime, prayers at
mealtime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I grew older, I learned a
couple of psalms, especially Psalm 23 and 121.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These were psalms of comfort and assurance, words that were and still are
often helpful when other words fail.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
helpful as these collections of words can be, they can also be limiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When prayer is taught as verbiage, there can
be great discomfort in straying from the prescribed words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pity the council member who forgets that he
or she has devotions and now feels obligated to make up a prayer on the
spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will the words be right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they be holy and proper?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I worthy to do so without an advanced degree
or letter of ordination?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As a
student of prayer I have come to find that, first and foremost, prayer is an
attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often describe prayer as the
simple act of paying attention to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The anonymous author of <u>The Cloud of Unknowing</u> used the image of
prayer as an arrow seeking to pierce the mystery, if only briefly, that
separates God from the one who is praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Others have described prayer as gazing back lovingly at the loving gaze
of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer becomes much more
about focus and intent than finding proper words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Various
schools of prayer have encouraged as few words as possible, using a repeated
phrase as a means to focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author
of <u>The Cloud</u> suggested simply, “God” or “love,” ideally something with
one syllable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a long and
ancient tradition of focusing on the name of Jesus or, in the Eastern Church,
what has become known as the Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on
me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A longer version reads, “Lord
Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This line
of thinking also gets into some differing ideas about the purpose of
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some, prayer is primarily
about making things happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may hear
people talking about the number of people who are praying for something or the
intensity at which they are praying for something to stop or something to
happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this type of prayer, we are
often praying for things that haven’t happened yet but we wish could.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
more ancient tradition of prayer is about connecting to God as God already is,
accepting the world and our situation as it already is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t need to pray for God’s love to come
into our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we pay attention,
we will discover that it is already there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We don’t need to pray for God’s attention, but instead need to practice
turning our attention toward God who is always lovingly aware of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
understanding is not meant to discourage you from praying for other people or
being moved to prayer in reaction to tragedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Such intercessory prayer has a long tradition in the Christian
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I would encourage you to
consider how and why you are praying for other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are
you looking to make God change the world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are you looking to bring God’s love into a difficult situation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you looking to be empowered to be God’s
answer to your own prayer?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
this article I would ask, are the many words we pray allowing God to encounter
us in prayer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you pray, take the
time to focus on the God to whom you praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Offer God the space to speak to you so that you might listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow a sacred moment where you dwell in the
love of God that is already around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pray the prayers you learned as a child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pray a psalm or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pray for
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But always take time to be
still; always take time to listen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-67007019651651368502018-09-27T09:21:00.003-07:002018-09-27T09:21:47.417-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Worship Together and Worship Alone<br />
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Most of the time when we are talking about worship in the
church, we are talking about communal worship, especially the gathering on
Sunday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my Lutheran tradition
this gathering will be a service that includes scripture, song, preaching (or
some form of interpretation of the Word) and Holy Communion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a pattern of worship around which
people have gathered for centuries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are many other forms of communal worship, some more focused on preaching, some
more focused on silence, some more focused on prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever the format of group worship, there
is something different about worshiping in a group than worshiping alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is something important about gathering together
and turning as a body to pay attention to God, pray to God and praise God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the years, I have had many people tell
that they don’t need to go to church because they can worship God on their
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sometimes skeptical that this
individual worship life is actually happening, but more than that, I am sad
because they are missing the gift that is worship in community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As a
pastor, one of the greatest gifts I receive is the opportunity to serve
communion to the community; to place bread that is Jesus in outstretched hands;
to say to each person, “The body of Christ, given for you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get to bless each individual in that
gathering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a powerful moment of
individual connection that happens in the context of the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the background there is the motion of
people coming forward or going back to their seats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some sit in silent prayer as they wait to
come forward or reflect on what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some support the moment with song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then we stand together for the final words of blessing, “The body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
say that communal worship is different is not to say that individual worship is
wrong or unimportant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing
wrong with encountering God in nature and being moved to praise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next time you go to watch a sunset or
stargaze, take a copy of Psalm 19 and read it out loud, “The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the sky proclaims its maker’s handiwork.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try different physical positions of
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stand up and say the Lord’s
Prayer with your arms to the side and palms up in the ancient <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">orans </i>position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have a yoga mat (and some flexibility)
try praying in a kneeling position of supplication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have a favorite hymn, sing it as you
go for a walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply to walk and
observe all the little things that are happening around you is a brilliant form
of worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these practices can
help draw the worshiper closer to the presence of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both
communal worship and personal worship deepen your relationship with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any time that you allow yourself to be open
and honest before God; any time you are moved to praise in awe and wonder; any
time you pay attention to the story of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection,
you are at worship and you are participating in the depth that is God at
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such encounters should not be
relegated to single hour on Sunday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the same time, in a culture that celebrates individuality, we need
the gift of community, being together in worship, reminded that all are welcome
and all are equal in the eyes of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May all your worship strengthen your faith and deepen your life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-15743309341185420172018-09-20T10:42:00.004-07:002018-09-20T10:42:52.046-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Worship as a Centering Moment<br />
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Those who know me know that I have found great comfort
and depth in silent contemplation as a way of worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to daily times of meditation, I
also try to take part in meditation with a local Soto Zen Buddhist
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Zen practice, the focus is
about learning to be present right here and now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn to sit silently and observe what is
happening in our own minds without getting swept away, pulled down the current
of consciousness by an especially important or interesting or disturbing
thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead we watch the important
thought arise and subside, always followed by another thought and another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike what I understood about meditation
before practicing, Zen meditation is not the practice of clearing the mind, but
observing and recognizing that you are not your thoughts, that your thoughts
are one of many things that are arising in this present moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
understanding of Christian worship and theology has been affected by my
experience of contemplation and meditation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In contemplative Christianity, the point of prayer is to step outside of
day to day reality and recognize the abiding presence of God that is constant,
that supports and surrounds your day to day life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we wait in silence, we become aware that
the search for God need not take us far, for God is immediately with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The distractions of the day, the important
thoughts and tasks and errands, keep us from full awareness of that divine
presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more we spend time
intentionally slowing things down and paying attention, the easier it becomes
over time to rediscover and connect to our God who is always near.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Part
of Jesus’ ministry and his many calls to “Keep awake!” is pointing to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He points to lilies in the field and birds of
the air and says, “God is there.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
points to himself and says, “God is here.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He points to the cross and says, “God is here.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He point to the church, alive in the Holy
Spirit, and says, “God is there.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
worship is an opportunity to pay attention to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God doesn’t need our praise and will continue
to be great if another “Alleluia!” is never spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God doesn’t need our offerings, as God is
already infinite, already owning what we are offering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God doesn’t need our prayers, as God already
knows the depths of our hearts and minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We praise, we make offerings and we pray as ways to turn ourselves
toward God, to reconnect to God’s divine and loving presence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Worship
is a moment to center ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If life
is a stream flowing around us, sometimes raging around us, God is the solid
bottom of that stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is the place
where we can stand even when raging waters threaten to pull us away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship is a time to center ourselves on that
solid ground, to plant our feet, to put our weight over our heels and settle
into that solid ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
we will go out and the waters of life will continue to flow by, sometime babbling
sweetly; sometimes roaring dangerously; sometimes strong enough to knock us off
balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And again we can turn toward
God in prayer and turn toward God in worship and rediscover the solid place to
stand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we worship we can be
centered on God who gives us the stability and strength to continue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-40672758904565986472018-09-13T06:22:00.001-07:002018-09-13T06:22:24.752-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Worship as Protest<br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
1999, the Christian theologian and author, Marva Dawn published a book entitled
<u>A Royal Waste of Time</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
book that looked at emerging trends in worship as well as providing social
commentary on worship and the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her title came from a common critique of worship given by folks who are
not part of worshiping communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Worship is a waste of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Microsoft founder Bill Gates once said, <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is
not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dawn’s
response was not to argue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the rest
of the world, worship is a waste of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We gather together and accomplish nothing much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet by adding the adjective, “royal” she was
pointing out that worship is a different kind of losing time than watching
funny YouTube videos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From a Christian
perspective we are not losing time so much as offering it back to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has given us every second, every breath,
and we choose to gather together to offer some of those seconds and breaths
back to God in love, in hope and in celebration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Building
on ideas previously written about the nature of Sabbath practice, we do not
worship because it gets something done, but because, like God, it is good and
beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In worship, we intentionally
center ourselves in the divine, taking time to notice the One whose presence is
constant and whose love is eternal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
this way, worship becomes a form of protest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we go about our regular days, we receive messages that tell of our
inadequacies, that our bodies are too flabby, that our teeth are too yellow,
that our lives are not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear
messages of the need for productivity and making things happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear all sorts of messages that call us to
be acquisitive, being more by getting more:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>more stuff or more likes or more sex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In worship we turn away, if only for an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We say, “No” to productivity and waste time
in the love of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We say, “No” to
acquisition, and give of our resources and our time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most importantly, we say “No” to our imagined
inadequacies and celebrate a God who receives us and loves us as we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the Gospel of Mark, the idea of repentance is not so much about changing your
ways but changing how you look at the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good worship is an opportunity to see how things could be and, at the
end of things, will be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talk of the
Eucharist as “a foretaste of the feast to come.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are sampling eternity together, an
eternity shaped by compassion, abundance and kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
we turn around and go out the door back into the world that tries to shame us
as not good enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully we go out
a little stronger and a little more convinced that the eternity we have sampled
in worship is the real world, the real vision, the real place for hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully we go out a little more empowered
to share that vision of compassion and kindness, love and abundance, with the
world around us through our words and actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hopefully we go out a little more prepared to stand in loving protest of
messages of hate, division and greed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
we will stumble and forget the reality revealed in worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will rediscover those inadequacies and
pick them up (after all, we have carried them for such a long time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet there will be another Sunday; another
sample of eternity; another royal waste of time to lay such burdens down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will stand before God in praise and thanks
and adoration, and once again God will nourish us with teaching and peace and
nourishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God will send us once again
with renewed vision and good news to share.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-33666326942915666862018-09-06T08:12:00.003-07:002018-09-06T08:12:39.120-07:00The Path of Discipleship - On Worship<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You wake up on Sunday and you come to a community of
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it is a traditional church
building with a steeple on top designed for the specific purpose of worship and
ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it is a more modern
worship space with stage lights and projection screens; a storefront in the
city, just a large room with chairs and an overhead projector; a park or camp,
where the outdoor space becomes worship space; in someone’s living room, where
a small community gathers in simple worship.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
happens in worship?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many communities
you might be handed a bulletin that serves as an instruction manual for the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could point at the list of
events from prelude to postlude and say, “Here is what happens.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet I have been to communities where the
order is less formal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Songs are sung
until it feels right to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Preaching
is a shared action, a discussion with a smaller group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is also worship.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At a
basic level, communal worship is an intentional turning toward God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We carve out a time and place to be together
and agree to dedicate that time and place to the living God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note that at this base level, I am not
talking about praise or thanks because, while these are elements of most
worship services, they may not be elements of all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A funeral service for a child is a worship
service but one that might ask for songs of lament rather than songs of
praise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship in the context of
protest may call for songs and prayers of justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In many
and various ways and styles and moods, we are turned toward God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We listen to God speaking in scripture,
preaching and discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We speak to
God in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sing to God, often in
praise, thanks and adoration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stand
before the table and are fed, receiving Christ in bread and wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through these actions we are reminded of the
constant nature of God’s presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
reminded that although we may pick and choose the times when we pay attention
to God, God is constantly and lovingly aware of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is
the grace of worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may come to
worship with the attitude that we are doing this action to please God only to
discover that God is already pleased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
may come to worship wanting to show our love for Jesus only to encounter the overwhelming
love of Christ that is already present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We come to do something for God and we encounter what God is doing for
us, implanting us in the story of the good news.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship becomes an act of faithfulness, both a
sign of our faith in God, but a reminder of God’s faithfulness toward us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship is the opportunity to connect to this
reality before we go out into a world where God’s presence is not always clear
and God’s love in not always celebrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are surrounded by the love of God in worship, and we respond with
love, both in the act of worship itself and the acts of service that follow in
our daily lives, sharing love with the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
measurement of true, faithful and good worship is not a matter of style or the
feelings evoked as much as we like to talk about such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The measurement of faithful worship is how we
meet God once we have entered and what sort of people we are when we leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is fine if worship makes you feel happy or
feel good about yourself for having done it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is faithful if worship sends you to live and share the good news in
word and action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-3656121387859838922018-08-31T11:27:00.002-07:002018-08-31T11:27:47.142-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Sabbath Practices<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What is Sabbath?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Sabbath tradition connects people who observe it to God’s gift of rest, as
illustrated at the end of the seven-day creation cycle in Genesis 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also serves as a reminder of God’s
liberation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Israel had the opportunity
to rest because God had set them free from slavery in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rest because human beings need to
rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rest because it honors God who
created time and space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rest because
it is a gift to be able to rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How can I observe the
Sabbath?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Traditionally,
the Sabbath was a day set apart each week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For Israel, the Sabbath lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on
Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a day for worship,
study and rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emergencies should be
handled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Livestock should be fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one else should be made to work so you can
rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Christians transitioned to
worship on Sunday, the Sabbath day for most Christians became Sunday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you
have never observed a full-day Sabbath, recognize that it takes work and
preparation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Household chores that might
have been done over the course of a weekend are done on a single day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Work-related emails and texts should be
handled ahead of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These days, for a
real Sabbath, you probably need to turn off your phone and shutdown your
computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might also consider simply
taking a Sabbath from particular activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps you need to spend a day without screens, or a day without
commerce, or a day without chores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is not supposed to be the kind of fasting that some people do in Lent, giving
up something as a discipline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sabbath is
giving up work to create space for something else, something new; the God who
dwells in peace and silence.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
it has a different feel, you might explore the Sabbath idea by creating Sabbath
spaces in your day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you create a
hour of Sabbath, a time that might be marked by the lighting of a candle in
acknowledgement of the presence of God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A deliberate time of prayer and study or, if the body needs it, a simple
rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you get outside for a
10-minute Sabbath walk, just taking all creation in?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
favorite personal Sabbath practice is three, deep and prayerful breaths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes when too many ideas are flying
around or too many priorities are calling, it is helpful to stop where I am and
take three deep breaths to remind me that I am alive, that I am in God’s love,
that peace is already near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Remember
that Sabbath is a gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not
intended as a punishment but as a celebration of the God in whom we find peace,
rest and life itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-88691892952666685232018-08-23T12:30:00.002-07:002018-08-23T12:30:21.397-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Sabbath, Loyalty and Faithfulness<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the places where Jesus runs into conflict with the
religious experts of his time is the observance of the Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one thing, he heals on the Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was acceptable to heal someone on the Sabbath
if it would save a life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our day, it
would be acceptable to perform CPR on someone even though it is a great deal of
work, because the work is saving someone from death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus was healing people who were not at
death’s door, who suffered from chronic conditions that would still be there
the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also allowed his
disciples to gather grain on the Sabbath when they were hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Facing criticism over these actions he
declares himself “the Lord of the Sabbath” but also makes another important
declaration, “The Sabbath was made for humanity and not humanity for the
Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
thinking about Sabbath observance it is important to think about the origins of
the Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can look at the
beginning of Genesis, where a day of rest is built into the order of
creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And on the seventh day God
finished the work that God had done, and God rested on the seventh day from all
the work that God had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So God
blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the
work that God had done in creation.”(Genesis 2:2-3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can look at the 10 Commandments where the
third commandment on the Sabbath is given as a reminder of Israel’s life of
slavery in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone rests
(including animals, slaves, and foreigners) in honor of the freedom that God
had given Israel in the Passover story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And yet
a common theme in most religions is that a practice that is given as a gift is
turned into a law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, the
freedom which the Sabbath was supposed to celebrate was replaced with a sense
of obligation. The rest that the Sabbath
was supposed to offer was turned into duty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To be
fair, the Sabbath was a practice that was also a sign of Jewish loyalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not every culture in the ancient world took a
weekly day of rest, especially a day of rest for servants and slaves and a day
free from commercial activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
wealthy might rest but only because they had people below them to do the
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Israel, everything and everyone,
as much as possible, was supposed to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Doing so was a sign of loyalty toward God, honoring God’s work of
creation and salvation for Israel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
does not renounce the Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Observing
the Sabbath is still a sign of loyalty and devotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, Jesus reestablishes the Sabbath as a
gift, a practice that is not only faithful but is also wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human beings need to rest for health and
well-being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human beings need a pause
from all the noise and commotion of life, the buying and selling, the constant
call to do more and to obtain more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
the beginning, God proclaims the value of simply being, resting in divine love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For me,
the idea of Sabbath is a great comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It implies that beneath all the noise, the confusion and the stress of
life, there is peace and rest inherent in the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God offers it, free for the taking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus points to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="background: white; color: #010000; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Come to me, all
you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are invited to step
into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We honor God by stepping into
Sabbath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Importantly,
we show loyalty to God’s vision by stepping into Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turning toward the Sabbath means turning away
from other visions, visions that define our worth by productivity or
accumulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sabbath is the good
news that we do not have to do more, be more or get more to be loved by
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The peace of God is already here
and we are already worthy of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
my next article, I will suggest that how one observes the Sabbath can have a
measure of freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly the
tradition is a Sabbath day, but I believe that the way that Jesus frames the
Sabbath opens the possibility for other ways of observance: Sabbath hours and
Sabbath moments sprinkled throughout our days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In our modern context, we might consider taking a Sabbath from screens
(for the sake of our sanity) or a Sabbath from constant availability (for the
sake of our humility).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sabbath is
God’s gift to humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we use that
gift to honor and rest in the One who is peace itself.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-47585339731884491092018-08-02T11:40:00.002-07:002018-08-02T11:40:18.137-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Faithfulness and Loyalty<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the beginning of this series I described the path of
discipleship as one that seeks to develop a number of virtues and ideals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the past few weeks I have been writing
about compassion and the works of justice and mercy that flow from
compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week I want to start by
talking about the virtue of loyalty and faithfulness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Earlier
in this series, I wrote several posts about the virtue of love; how the love of
God, especially for Christians the love of God as seen in Jesus, can inspire
love within us, a love that extends from us back to God and to the world around
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The important realization is that
this love begins with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A common
image is the Christian life as akin to the moon, shining with a light that is
not of our origin, but a reflection of the love of God. “We love God because
God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
many decades we have used the language of love as the primary description of
our relationship with God and God’s relationship with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, for much of the Hebrew Scriptures,
the primary description of our relationship with God is not about love but
about loyalty and faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
is a phrase that is used several times in the Hebrew Scriptures as a formulaic
description of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, in my
congregation, during Lent, we prepare to hear the gospel text with a quotation
from the prophet Joel:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Return
to the Lord your God, for God is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gracious
and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love</i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Joel 2:13)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I
was in seminary I had a Hebrew professor who strongly disagreed with the
translation, “steadfast love.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told
us that the Hebrew word (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chesed</i>) is related
to loyalty and faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
translated it with the fancy phrase, “covenant fidelity”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chesed</i>
is more about the nature of God keeping God’s promises than it is the warm,
fuzzy feeling that sometimes gets associated with love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joel presents a God who will be faithful to
Israel, not because Israel is great or perfect or loving, but because God is a
God who makes and keeps promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
a significant idea because the covenants that God makes with Israel are often
one-sided and unconditional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God does
not say to Abram, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you are good</i>, I
will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God simply says, “I will make of you a great
nation.”(Genesis 12:2)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is and
remains loyal and faithful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In his
letter to the Galatians, Paul lists faithfulness as one of the fruits of the
spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is more than simply holding a
set of beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faithfulness is an
attitude of being invested in those beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is not an argument for blind faith, accepting things without
question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My understanding of
faithfulness is the ability to stand in faith despite questions and struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, the image of faithfulness is the
image of Jacob wrestling with the divine and refusing to let go. (Genesis
32:22-32)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Faithfulness
in practice is also well-described by many of the Christian mystics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 16<sup>th</sup> century Spanish nun, Teresa
of Avila speaks of periods of dryness in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the beginning of the new practice, the
disciple is thrilled and comforted by the action of contemplative prayer, but
one day she sits in prayer and discovers nothing: no feeling of warmth, no
sense of nearness to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faithfulness
is what continues the practice through such dry spells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For John of the Cross, a dear friend of
Teresa, faithfulness is what allows Christians to endure the “dark night of the
soul,” a period when all the trappings of faith lose their meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the virtue of faithfulness that turns
the dark night into a transition period to a deeper relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unfortunately,
the church moved from a message of faithfulness to a message of guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than saying that we take part in the
practices of discipleship out of a sense of loyalty to God, the church taught
that we observe these practices out of a sense of guilt or fear, avoiding an
angry God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways I think we
overcorrected when we then put all of our focus on love, often arriving at a
place of saying, “Take part or don’t; God loves you anyway.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I hope
that we can find a way to hold loyalty and love in balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Growing in loyalty and faithfulness can be a
powerful way to deepen our relationship, helping us grow in disciplines which
in turn help us spend more time paying attention to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that an emphasis on faithfulness
can also help create a realistic faith practice, one that does not assume that
we should always feel great or we should never have doubts or things will just
get better and better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faithfulness and
loyalty are what can carry us through the troubling times. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
love is also constantly present when we do slip up or slip away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s love is always there to sustain us,
comfort us and welcome us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like love,
our faithfulness is not our own, but a reflection of the faithfulness of God,
who stands waiting to receive us when we turn away and to welcome us when we
rediscover the beautiful relationship that is faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-74198837585630205332018-07-18T08:43:00.000-07:002018-07-18T08:43:03.972-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Justice and Freedom<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“…with liberty and justice for all.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So ends the Pledge of Allegiance to the
United States, a pledge I said every morning in elementary school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are looking to take a stance that
America is shaped by Judeo-Christian values, that could be a place to begin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freedom and justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, most often when people make
the claim of America as a Christian nation it is more about an appeal for
prayer in school or some form of biblical literalism to shape our discussions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Again
and again in the prophetic texts of the Bible, calls for religious purity are
overshadowed by calls to justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again
and again, Jesus chooses to set people free: free from hunger, free from
illness, free from religious restrictions, free from guilt, free from
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can argue that the narrative
line of scripture is all about being set free to set others free.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
seems our natural impulse is like that of Jesus’ story of the unforgiving slave
(Matthew 18:21-35).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the one who is
set free from an overwhelming debt to his master only to go out and find
another slave who owes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">him</i> something
and demands to be paid in full, even throwing the other person into
prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too often in our history, we
have celebrated freedom by looking for someone else to bind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In American history, we can look back to the
treatment of African slaves (and African-Americans after slavery), Native
American nations or even current discussions of immigration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too often we have used bad science, bad theology
and bad scholarship to treat different groups as less than human, and if less
than human, not equally deserving of freedom or justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The 19<sup>th</sup>
century poet Emma Lazarus, author of “The New Colossus,” the sonnet that
appears on the base of the Statue of Liberty once wrote, “Until we are all free,
we are none of us free.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time,
the United States was struggling with the implications of European immigration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This idea was rediscovered a little more than
half a century later by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “No one is
free until we are all free.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a
sentiment that applied to the quest for racial equality for which King is
remembered, but also applied to his stance against the Vietnam War and his work
to end poverty at the end of his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Freedom
without justice is imaginary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freedom
without equality is imaginary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freedom
without peace is imaginary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the
Church is meant to continue Christ’s vision of setting the world free, the
Church must be involved with justice, peace and equality in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are missing the point of the gospel if gospel
only leads us to is Sunday morning worship or a few devotional practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cross and resurrection are symbols of the
ultimate freedom, freedom from the fear of death itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been set free to set others free.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
does mean in our daily lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
few people who can spend all their time traveling from protest to protest or
who can wholly devote themselves to people in need in Mother Theresa
fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, seek to grow in
compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compassion is where the work
for justice begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier articles in
this series point to prayerful ways to develop this virtue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, pay attention to your local
situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is experiencing
poverty?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is left out of local
decisions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What services are available
and who is helping?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps there is
someplace where you can volunteer some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps there are needs that you can help supply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, pay attention to where and when
decisions are being made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a
power in writing letters, being present and asking questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally,
do all this in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is too easy to
let anger at a situation turn into enmity towards a person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All people are worthy of God’s love and our
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The call to justice demands that
we treat all people <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">as people</i>, even
the ones we are frustrated by, even the ones who disagree with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the inability to treat people as people
that leads to inequality and other forms of injustice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Christ we are called to share a different
way, one that embraces all people in love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-73241711915358576162018-07-12T06:25:00.004-07:002018-07-12T06:25:34.353-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Conservative, Liberal and Progressive Churches<br />
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Many books could be and have been
written about trends that shape the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I look at my own congregation, I see people who have been affected by
many of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this post, I am going
to talk about three major strains within the modern, American church: conservative, liberal and
progressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three see themselves as
faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three have strengths and
weaknesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three are represented in
the pews of our congregations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>The Conservative Church – The Power of Tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b>Unfortunately, much of the conservative movement has been co-opted by
conservative politics in recent years, giving political opinions an anchor
among ideas of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet the main
thrust of conservative religion is an appeal to tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Christians, it is the idea that the faith
which Jesus taught is a constant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
things he said to first-century Jews are just as relevant to twenty-first
century Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conservatives are
much more likely to embrace a literal interpretation of scripture, believing
that the text only makes sense if the whole book is true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this may put conservatives in conflict
with modern science, their faith is strengthened by having a sense of
concreteness through appealing to the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a
weakness of this movement is the inability to recognize that the way we think
is fundamentally different from first-century Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of the odd “flat-earth” movement,
there are few conservatives who think the sun goes around the earth or that the
earth is flat as is implied by scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are far fewer
shepherds and peasants in our midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conservatives often miss the fact that they are not the original
audience, and even their “traditional” understandings are shaped by 2000 years
of study, interpretation and progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another trend
in the conservative movement that is both a strength and weakness is the tendency to
focus on personal faith over outward action in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a strength because such Christians are much more willing to
examine their own lives and actions in light of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are more likely to be shaped by
traditional daily disciplines such as scripture-reading and prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, these traditions can be
less likely to be involved in the prophetic calls of scripture, those that push
the church toward engagement with people who are poor or those who are weakest in
society.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>The Liberal Church -Working for the Reign of God</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Liberalism is where
many mainline traditions can be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
liberal church tends to give greater weight to passages of scripture that
encourage an outward view, noting Christ’s care for the poor and the prophetic
call to care for the orphan, the widow and the stranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my own Lutheran tradition, which like many
churches has experienced decline for the past view decades, some have argued
that as our congregations begin to disappear, our tradition will continue in
the many social service organizations that those congregations started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Liberal mainline churches have been involved
with social justice work, hunger relief, and peace work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have started hospitals, orphanages, and
worked with refugee settlement efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
common weakness for these traditions is the failure to share why these actions
should be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one will argue that
feeding the hungry is a bad thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet
liberal Christians cannot always give a faith-centered reason as to why Christians
specifically should be doing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
part of a mainline tradition, I can say it sometimes feels like we are feeding
others while neglecting to feed ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Or as one my colleagues put it, we are serving ourselves to death. </span>No wonder the number of “dones” (folks who used to be part of a church but have walked away) is increasing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <b> </b></span><b>The
Progressive Church - The Reign of God Has Come Near.</b> The progressive movement is a newer movement within Christianity that seeks to be a middle way between liberal and conservative. Its critique of the mainline, liberal tradition is that they have made themselves largely irrelevant by forgetting the personal nature of faith, ignoring the call to personal commitment and devotion. Their critique of the conservative tradition is both its general ignoring of social justice issues and its inability to define itself apart from power (the religious right) and money (televangelists, multi-million-dollar buildings and the prosperity gospel). Author Roger Wolsey describes progressive Christianity as "Christianity for people who don't like Christianity."<br />
<br />
The progressive church emphasizes the radical nature of the gospel message both in terms of how it impacts one's personal life as well as society at large. Progressive Christians will take on environmental stewardship as a spiritual discipline. They may take on simplicity as a way of Christian living. They also seek to be intentionally inclusive, for instance, asserting that the radical nature of Christ's love and inclusion is more important than any texts that would exclude people in same-sex relationships or the LGBTQ community in general.<br />
<br />
This leads to some of the weaknesses of the progressive movement. While most progressive Christians agree on the spirit of the scriptures, there is not a united interpretation of what that means. Some progressives emphasize radical community, especially with the poor; others, radical inclusion; still others, radical environmental stewardship. There are several mini-progressive movements, each with something interesting to say, but not necessarily speaking with a united voice.<br />
<br />
Perhaps those unique voices can have impact on the liberal and conservative traditions. Perhaps progressive conservatives can challenge their church bodies to become more focused on the church's calling to care for those in need. Perhaps progressive liberals can encourage mainline churches to grow in personal acts of devotion.<br />
<br />
Where do you see yourself in the scheme of things and how is the Spirit calling you to grow?</div>
Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-66928557899854524962018-07-05T07:08:00.003-07:002018-07-05T07:08:30.323-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Working for Justice<br />
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Working for Justice<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And what does the Lord
require of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God? –
Micah 6:8<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
talking about discipleship, it is very easy to get caught up in the work of the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many traditional acts of discipleship are about a single person
establishing habits and practices: pray every day, meditate, say a grace at
meals, read scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even as this
series has sought to think of modern acts of discipleship, whether it is
stewardship of the body through diet and exercise or determining a faithful way
to deal with money, it is still often about the individual making decisions and
creating habits, habits which other people may rarely see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Compassion
begins at an individual level but expands outward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have suggested some practices for deepening
compassion, but compassion is about the individual getting over him or herself
and paying attention to other people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, seeking justice pulls Christians
from private observance to public witness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Certainly we can talk about praying for justice as Christian
communities, but the prophetic voices of scripture and history and the witness
of Jesus himself challenge us to get out of the building and into the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are a variety of ways to work for justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My experience has been that some assume that justice work only involves
placards, protests and demonstrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes this kind of action is important and necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There needs to be a physical presence that
both supports the one in need and visibly challenges the one in power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be completely honest, as a strong
introvert, these kinds of events are personally draining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not discounting their importance, just
saying that they are not my personal first impulse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, I have many extroverted
colleagues who are ready to assembly on the town green at a moment’s notice
(and provide the nudging that will drag me along).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
nonviolent protest or civil disobedience are not the only actions necessary to
work for justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the first
things that needs to happen is compassionate listening to the one who has been
harmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to confront racism,
you should probably be listening to people of marginalized races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to confront sexism, you should
probably be listening to women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
want to confront homophobia, you should be listening to people in the LGBTQ
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to confront
poverty, you should be listening to people who are affected by poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does this give you the opportunity
to hear the stories of how people have been affected by injustice, you may also
get a greater sense of where and how you might be called to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a middle-aged, straight, white guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would probably be inappropriate for me to
be the primary face of a group advocating racial equality but it would be appropriate
to help as I am asked and to stand as far in the background as necessary.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is
also appropriate to contact people in power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Letter-writing, phone calls and emails may feel like a minor gesture,
but they can bear a cumulative weight, challenging leaders to pay attention to
their constituents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My advice is always
to write in Christian love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compassion
begins with acknowledging that every person you interact with is a child of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The senator from the political
party from which you disagree is a child of God just as the person you are
advocating for is a child of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Communicate honestly, but not smugly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Acknowledge your anger or sadness, but not through personal attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Recently
there has been a discussion of the need for a return to civility in
speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of the discussion has been
heavy with irony as neither side has been particularly civil or kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that when incivility is matched
with incivility, both sides end up frustrated and angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Christians, we can choose to be kind in
the face of unkindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can choose to
be civil in the face of insult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can
choose to be loving in the face of hate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is
not meant to temper the call to advocate for justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather I am thinking about justice with the
voice of Paul in the background who wrote (quoting Proverbs 25) “’If your
enemies are hungry, feed them; it they are thirsty, give them something to
drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good. (Romans 12:20-21).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-34215960102260723512018-06-28T07:10:00.002-07:002018-06-28T07:10:24.544-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Compassion and Justice<br />
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Compassion is actively putting ourselves in another person’s
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is listening to personal
stories with full attention and awareness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is allowing ourselves to be touched by the emotions, the joy and
pain, of someone else, accompanying that person on his/her journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet
accompanying someone can mean walking into unknown and troubling spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is one thing to express compassion when
someone experiences a personal tragedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is another thing to live compassionately when that person is
suffering because of who she/he is and how society treats a person like
her/him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where compassion can
lead to advocacy and seeking justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
it is not enough to provide comfort and emotional care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we are called to expose and
confront the systems of society that cause suffering in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This idea is not always comfortable for
mainline Christians who want their experience of church to be happy and
nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why should Christians “cause
trouble” and protest?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why should
Christians march for equality, social justice or environmental causes?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First,
at least in my tradition, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we have
to acknowledge that we have benefited from white privilege.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of our congregations established in the
suburbs in the 1960s took advantage of white flight from the cities in that era,
unable to handle changing demographics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have become one of the least diverse religious bodies in the United
States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we may pass statements on
racial justice and celebrate diversity, the lived experience of much of the
church is very white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should lead
us to self-examination and self-reflection about our own failure to connect
more deeply with people who are not of the traditional German or Scandinavian
Lutheran heritage in a changing population.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As we
begin to examine the log in our own eye, we may begin to have a better
understanding about the forces that keep us separate and divide us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may begin to see that a cry of “Black Lives
Matter” is not a call for special treatment but a call for equal treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may begin to see that, while success in
life may be in part a product of good choices, systemic poverty limits the
choices of many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may begin to
see that paying women less for the same job is simply unfair, creating a
unofficial penalty for being female.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
may begin to see that expecting conformity from the rainbow of humanity that
makes up the United States is not only a burden, but is simply ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We may
begin to see that protest, advocacy and seeking justice can be acts of
discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writing letters and making
phone calls to work to change the system can be acts of discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some may read this and think it sounds like a
liberal pastor being liberal, but I hope that I am writing in the tradition of
Jesus who touched those whom society deemed unclean (Matthew 8:1-4), who
brought good news for and identified with the poor (Luke 4:16-21, Matthew<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>25:35-36), who welcomed those who were
different (Matthew 5:46-48), who treated women with respect in a society
treated them as less important (John 4:1-42).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
we may love that Jesus is our friend and our savior, we must not forget that
Jesus also provides a prophetic vision where “the last will be first and the
first will be last.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus doesn’t just
welcome us into the reign of God at some point in the future; he challenges us
to establish the reign of God where we are here and now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True compassion pushes the church toward
justice, freedom and equality for all people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-32727146227712004722018-06-21T08:06:00.004-07:002018-06-21T08:06:52.131-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Listening with Compassion<br />
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of my favorite book series is the <u>Hitchhiker’s Guide
to the Galaxy </u> by Douglas Adams. A character in the series, Ford Prefect, has
been living on Earth to write an article for the Hitchhiker’s Guide, an aid for
interplanetary travelers. He develops
some interesting ideas about humans along the way as you can read in the
following quote from the second book, <u>The Restaurant at the End of the
Universe</u>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 11.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">“<i>It is worth repeating at this point the theories that Ford had come up
with, on his first encounter with human beings, to account for their peculiar
habit of continually stating and restating the very, very obvious, as in
"It's a nice day," or "You're very tall," or "So this
is it, we're going to die."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
first theory was that if human beings didn't keep exercising their lips, their
mouths probably shriveled up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a
few months of observation he had come up with a second theory, which was
this--"If human beings don't keep exercising their lips, their brains
start working.”</i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The hardest part of listening with compassion is keeping
the ears open, the mind calm and the mouth closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often we quickly make a judgement about what
someone is saying while they are saying it and then begin to craft a
response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to be prepared with an
answer to avoid a gap in the conversation, an uncomfortable silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In so doing we have stepped away from
compassion for the other person, concerned about our own desire to be smart or
witty or engaging or to avoid discomfort.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes an answer is not required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes a friend will come to you simply
needing to talk, to share an experience, to let out a frustration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes all that a person needs is your
full, ears open, mouth shut, attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Respond when they ask or invite you to respond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Respond primarily to clarify and dig a little
deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compassion allows the other
person control over their time and their words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This kind of conversation may
seem painfully slow in our world of pundits and talking heads shouting each
other down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet where has that kind of
communication gotten us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We end up with
weary voices, angry and never quite feeling heard, more concerned about being
on the winning side than understanding the person in front of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compassionate listening is not about simply
sharing ideas, but sharing one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a mutual action where I share my full self in both speaking and
listening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not trying to judge if
my conversation partner is right or wrong, liberal or conservative, winner or
loser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am trying to encounter this
child of God in front of me in lovingkindness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This does not mean that I will
agree with everything my conversation partner says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may be troubled by his or her words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may be offended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some might counter that silence is implicit
approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet again, this way of
communicating is not about constant silence, but patience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If an idea offends me, can I get to the root
of it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it offensive and where
does that come from in me?<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The author of Proverbs wrote “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Even fools who keep silent are considered
wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent</i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compassionate listening involves the ability
to be silent, to treat words and ideas with value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the ability to respond to an idea or
word rather than reacting with an intellectual counterpunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In this age when world seems to
value people who go with their gut and speak without thinking, God provides a
different vision of communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
listen; we learn; we respond; all this in compassion and love.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-88140348150031930322018-06-14T14:19:00.002-07:002018-06-14T14:19:05.740-07:00The Path of Discipleship - The Gift of Compassion<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As with generosity, there are some people who are naturally
compassionate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a gift for
reading the emotional atmosphere of a person or situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Paul writes to the church in Corinth,
these are people for whom “if one member suffers, all suffer together with
it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(1 Corinthians 12:26).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These folks can be the heart and soul of a
community, pushing all of us to pay attention, to expand our vision to include
those who are on the periphery of our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet
just has generosity is a value that can be learned, so also can
compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most religious traditions
give high value to compassion, that ability to notice and accompany others,
that ability to pull your head from the sand of modern life and see what is
happening around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most religious
traditions also have techniques and advice in how to grow in compassion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
Christianity, much of the focus has been around service to those in need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lutheran tradition has a long history of
organizing to help people locally and around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check out the work of the Lutheran World
Hunger Appeal, Lutheran Disaster Relief or, in New England, Ascentria Care
Alliance (formerly Lutheran Social Services).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to mention the work
of local congregations in feeding, sheltering and advocating for people in need
around them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Such
service is the product of compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, sometimes we are tempted to skip the compassion and move
straight to the service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know the sorts
of thing that the church ought to be doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We develop a social outreach committee and turn it into a program of
doing good deeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there is a
marked difference between working out of a space of obligation or expectation,
doing things because we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> do
them, and working from a place of compassion, doing things because we can’t help
but do them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I would
argue that the church’s job is shifting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At one point in history, religious organizations were the primary means
of social services in many communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The church had the food bank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
church had an emergency fund.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today,
many of these functions are done more effectively by social service agencies
and organizations, some religious and some not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps the church’s job is not so much to provide these services but to
cultivate compassionate people who might be moved to aid and volunteer for such
agencies and organizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is our goal
to develop a Christ Lutheran Church food bank or is it to develop compassionate
people who will support and volunteer at our local service center, a group that
has already done the groundwork and organization to feed other people?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
tool for developing compassion is along the lines of the daily <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">examen </i>meditation in the tradition of
Saint Ignatius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the day
you take a few of minutes in stillness to replay the events of that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you go through them, consider those
moments that were opportunities for compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What happened?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did it
feel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you think the other person
was feeling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purpose of this
exercise is not to label these moments as good or bad, but to consider how they
were handled and how they might be handled differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hope is that through reflecting each day
through the eyes of compassion, we might prepare ourselves to be more
compassionate in days to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another
important means for growing in compassion that is common among many
contemplative Christians is meditation on the passion and the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our culture we often want to skip the pain
of the cross and embrace the joy of resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet there is great power in considering what
Jesus experienced as he suffered not only pain but also betrayal, abandonment
and mockery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the story, Jesus
offers himself as an icon for compassionate thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
importantly, through the story of Jesus, we are set free to be
compassionate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are set free to step
away from self-centeredness and into compassion for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also set free to be less than perfect,
knowing that through Christ’s compassion our incomplete compassion does not
disqualify us from the love of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Compassion is a gift that can change the world and a virtue in which
Christians are called to grow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-78645193744936596462018-06-07T07:27:00.002-07:002018-06-07T07:27:15.419-07:00The Path of Discipleship - The Meaning of Compassion<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This article begins a new section, reflecting on another <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>virtue of discipleship, compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are several ideas in the Bible that
might funnel into this virtue of compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Psalm 86, God is described as “gracious and full of compassion, slow
to anger, and full of kindness and truth.” Before the feeding of the multitudes
in Matthew, Jesus is described as having compassion for the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although he intended to withdraw to be alone for
a while, his compassion for the crowds that followed him into the wilderness
moved him to heal the people and feed them. (Matthew 14:13-21)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author of Ephesians instructs the church
saying, “<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Put
away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander,
together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”(Ephesians 4:31-32)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The church of Christ is supposed to be a
model of the compassion of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The word compassion comes from a Latin
word that means <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to suffer</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">experience with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>It means
allowing yourself to consider the feelings of someone else, to pay attention to
another person’s experience and embrace the feelings that experience might
invoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not feeling sorry for
someone, but feeling sorrow, joy, anger and excitement <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot know
exactly how someone feels, but I can imagine how I would feel if I were living
their story and in that way I am drawn to become part of the story with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Compassion is what moves people to
feed the hungry, because they can identify with hunger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know what it’s like to miss a meal and can
imagine how that might feel extended out over time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compassion is what moves people to respond to
natural disasters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rational part of
us might question those who build their homes in flood zones, yet the
compassionate part of us can imagine what it means to lose everything and watch
your home washed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True compassion
has few boundaries: no religion, no race and no official language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It draws us into shared human experience as
we allow ourselves to feel the joys and struggles of someone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In recent years for the church, a
large part of living compassionately has been listening to the stories of “other”
people, people outside our normal parameters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have listened to the stories from the LGBTQ community, stories that
the church dismissed (and in some cases, still dismisses) as a collection immoral
choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We heard stories of people who
grew up feeling different, who were rejected for being who they are, who were
excluded from family and faith community for being honest with themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And compassion for those stories has led the
church to question its past, to question its scriptural interpretations, to
challenge itself about the limits of acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some cases, compassion has led the church
to take a stand, risking division for the sake of compassionate justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the Evangelical Lutheran Church
of America, we have been struggling to hear the stories of racial minorities in
our church body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to a 2014
survey by the Pew Foundation, the ELCA is one of the least diverse religious
bodies in the United States (96% white).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because of this, we have been guilty of ignoring other voices, assuming
a church shaped by European culture should be the cultural norm for Lutheranism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A challenging reflection on this can be found
in the documentary, <u>Do Black Churches Matter to the ELCA</u> which you can
link to here: </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtD41cytL9Q">Do Black Churches Matter to
the ELCA</a></span><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Compassion starts with mindful listening,
paying attention to the neighbor, the stranger, the “other.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not a time to give advice (unless it
is asked for).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a time to think
of a clever response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a time
simply to listen and learn in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
may move us to prayerful action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may
move us to bold advocacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may move us
in directions that are not always comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Compassion moved Jesus to feed the crowds but also led him to his death
on the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Compassion is of the essence of who
God has revealed God’s self to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
the essence of the story of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
the gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells among us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May compassion become who we are, because
compassion is what we have been made to be by a compassionate God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-28624943260549179972018-05-31T08:35:00.001-07:002018-05-31T08:35:41.827-07:00The Path of Discipleship - Generosity and Joy<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It is more blessed to give than to receive</i>.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">– Acts 20:35 <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These words are often trotted out at Christmas
time in an effort to make the season less commercial, a message to children not
to make it all about the packages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It a
phrase found in the book of Acts, given by the Apostle Paul to the leaders of the
church in Ephesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul claims that they
are words that come from Jesus himself, though they are not found in any of the
four gospel texts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The word that is translated as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">blessed </i>can be translated in a number of
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sometimes associate blessing
with God’s favor, God’s response to our actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is part of the calculus the modern
prosperity preachers announce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
make the right choices, do the right actions and avoid the wrong, you will open
your life up to God’s blessings, especially material abundance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I prefer a simpler translation:
happy or joyful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not that our
actions stir God to action, but that the actions that Christ models for us lead
to happiness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The path of discipleship
is intrinsically joyful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t
earning extra points or extra blessings or approval through our actions, we are
accessing a joyfulness that is already present, already available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity points toward happiness and
joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity points toward the peace
that comes with contentment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can be
satisfied with what I have, so much so that I can give more away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
For many in our culture, this is
not obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My North American culture
celebrates having and holding on to more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I have mentioned in other articles, the Lutheran church in which I
have grown is shaped by a culture of equitable/socialized giving, figuring out
the least we all have to give to maintain the ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of giving more than your fair share,
giving toward things that are not necessary when its not a rainy day, can be a
bit foreign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The path of discipleship
leads to a different place, where we give because it is joyful, because our
generosity makes something beautiful, participating in God’s beauty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yet the desire to hold on to what
we have is a strong force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have
had parents or grandparents who lived through the Depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have experienced poverty or financial
insecurity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may be looking at
retirement, uncertain if you have enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You may currently be making hard decisions about what to spend; what
bills to pay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are very real fears
that require prayerful wisdom and consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, we need to be honest with
ourselves about what we have and what we can give away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
turns out that if we wait to be generous until we have enough, we will almost
never have enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Generosity is another place where
God gives us the opportunity to overcome fear with joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are afraid of running out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are afraid of being foolish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are afraid of having less, especially as
we compare ourselves to our neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God invites us to have more joy, more contentment and more peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God invites us to participate in the
abundance that is essential to who God is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God invites us to be generous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5520118834204642722.post-72126930946304043462018-05-24T05:37:00.002-07:002018-05-24T05:37:39.639-07:00The Path of Discipleship - On Becoming Generous<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Happy are those who
do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or
sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the </i><span class="sc"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; font-variant: small-caps; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lord</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,
and on his law they meditate day and night.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They are like trees
planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their
leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. – Psalm 1:1-3 (NRSV)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
common complaint I have heard over the years is that the church is only
interested in people’s money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
Lutherans this may be carry-over from families who immigrated from countries
with a state-church tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taxes
paid for the major expenses like building upkeep and salary, so there wasn’t as
much need to cover costs through weekly offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much personal giving could be directed toward
social ministry or mission work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
when those Lutherans started congregations in the United States, the model
changed from state-supporting to self-supporting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastors and councils had to appeal for basic
expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clergy depended on their
congregations to make a living, leading to strange, new tensions, the potential
power of the generous giver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot
offend this person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you make that
decision, I will withhold my offering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why is the church always asking for my money?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An
unfortunate consequence of this shift is that appeals to generosity always seem
to have a hidden agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be generous….so
that we can make our budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
generous…so we can fix the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
generous…so we can pay our pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
also feeds into a consumer-driven culture, where people are motivated by what
they might get if they are generous or what they might lose if they are
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be generous…so we can keep our
music program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be generous…so we can
have a children’s program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be generous…so
we can finally make the bathroom accessible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those who peddle the prosperity gospel have turned this into a divine <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">quid pro quo</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be generous…so that God will bless you with
more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What we
miss as the body of Christ is that generosity is meant to be as much a gift as
it may be a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity is
about freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity is about
joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity is about bearing fruit,
making something beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity
is fundamental to the nature of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
creation story; the Israel story; the Jesus story; the Pentecost story are all
stories about the generous nature of God; generous in creation; generous in
forgiveness; generous in love; generous in empowerment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The generosity of a community may well keep a
church building open, but that is a side effect of stepping into the stream of
God’s generosity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Generosity
is a joy, but it is also a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paul describes generosity as one of the spiritual gifts of the church in
the book of Romans:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We have gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to
faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="background: white; color: #777777; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></sup></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the
exhorter, in exhortation; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the giver, in
generosity;</b> the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Romans 12:6-8)</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></i></div>
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One implication of Paul’s understanding is that there will
be some people in any congregation who will naturally be generous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as there are people we meet and think
are natural leaders or natural teachers, there are also people who are natural
givers, who can share what they have without the qualms or concerns that affect
many; who don’t second guess their giving; who give because is feels good to
give.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For the
rest of us, generosity can be a learned skill and the primary way to learn a
skill is through practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best
musicians and best athletes you know are a combination of natural ability and
intentional practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generosity is not so
different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn by practicing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn generosity by intentionally giving
things (money, possessions, time, attention) away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Here
are some practices that you might try to grow more generous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be generous in attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When someone is talking to you, practice
paying full attention to what they are saying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Often we mull over our response as someone is talking, which means we
are only giving partial attention to the person talking to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try simply to listen until a natural pause
arrives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Be
generous in praise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here I don’t mean
being disingenuous or heaping empty compliments, but if someone does a good
job, tell them so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If someone shows you a
simple kindness, acknowledge it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Show
gratitude even when unnecessary; even if it just someone doing his or her job.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Be
generous with time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have met a number
of people who tightly plan their schedules for the sake of productivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the first out of the meeting, always
heading to the next event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No time to
talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No time to by fully invested in
any one thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suggest that we hold
onto time loosely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pad the schedule so you
can give yourself fully to whatever you are doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Give
more money than you have to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could go
into a whole spiel about why tipping is not the best practice and can be seen
as an unjust practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a society, I
think we would be better off paying people in service positions a living wage
rather than making every meal a performance review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, since tipping is a part of our culture,
it becomes an opportunity to practice generosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try giving more than you feel that you have
to just because you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also suggest
this in terms of church giving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my
congregation, as in many others, most people pledge a certain amount at the
beginning of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is your
practice, I urge you to meet the commitment, but I also challenge to throw
something on top of that pledge, not because you have to, but because you
can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Again,
these are suggestions and not rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try
and see what works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of other way
that you can share what you have and who you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that although generosity can be a
challenge it is also the gift of participating in the fundamental nature of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has been infinitely generous
with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May that stream of generosity
continue to the flood into the world through us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Carl Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629886233600255889noreply@blogger.com0