calling

Today’s Word: Exile

Steve · January 1, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Over the past week I’ve read and heard several times now the story in Matthew’s gospel about Joseph and Mary’s exile into Egypt following the birth of Jesus. This is not a story to which we usually pay much attention. It’s a post-Christmas, dark tale about threats of death and the murder of innocent children, and who wants to spend much time thinking about that?

But here’s what I’ve found. There’s a message of hope for us in this story, for we have all experienced exile at one time or another in our lives. Maybe you’re there right now. It could be an exile from God or maybe from a friend or family member. Maybe it’s an exile from yourself, a time of running away from what you think might hurt you. But whatever form it takes, exile can be a time of great spiritual growth if we leave ourselves open to hearing the voice of God in the wilderness. Joseph, a much under-appreciated character in the life of Jesus, is the hero of this story because he was willing to listen for and act upon the voice of God. “Take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, Joseph,” God says. And Joseph does. “Time to come back to Judea,” God says, and Joseph heads back to Israel. “On second thought,” God says, “better go to Galilee,” and Joseph settles his family in Nazareth. Listen. Obey. Act.

This is the call to a life of active contemplation, to a life of listening for the voice of God and actually expecting to hear something. Not a sound, perhaps, but nevertheless a knowing, a sense of God’s presence and direction. It is a life of staying the course and trusting the journey because something tells you it’s right. It’s a life of acting on the still small voice inside of us.

Ask yourself in silence: Am I trusting the journey I am on? Am I even aware of the journey?

Today’s Word: Vision

Steve · December 27, 2013 · 1 Comment

Walking path on Ellis Island (West Alton, Mo) on the Missouri River. SJG photo.

Memo to the Church: Beginning next Sunday, we will have a new vision statement: “Do justice, love goodness and walk humbly with your God.” Thanks to Micah and the mission and vision committee for putting in all the hard work and wordsmithing. I think this has a nice ring to it.

Here’s the only problem I see with adopting this motto: Far too many of you already think you’re doing these three things and, well, sorry but it just ain’t so. Let’s take a look at what we might look like as church if we really take these words to heart.

Do justice: We’ve got to start seeing the people around us and responding more fully to their needs. We’ve got to be more inviting and open to those who don’t look like us, live like us, sound like us or drive the same kinds of cars. We’ve got to look outside of our zip codes and tax brackets if we want to find the Christ that we sing about so joyously. (But thanks to the choir!)

Love goodness: To begin, we’ve got to be willing to redefine what we mean by goodness. It is not what we own, where we went to college (or high school…St. Louis joke), where we work or how much we earn. It is not even how nice we are to each other. It is what we ARE deep inside, at that place where God touches us and makes us come alive. If we were to see and appreciate that place in everyone, we would be surrounded by goodness.

Walk humbly with your God: To have true humility in this world is tough, for everything around us tends to reward our pride, accomplishments and self interest. To walk humbly means to give that up, to empty ourselves and throw ourselves into the lap of a waiting God like helpless children. Give it a shot.

Please pick up a copy of the new statement on your way out of church today and memorize it. There will be a test.

Peace,

Jesus

Ask yourself in silence: What do I need to change about myself in order to help change the church?

Today’s Word: Re-gifting

Steve · December 21, 2013 · Leave a Comment

‘Tis the season for re-gifting,
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
Tins of fruitcake are uplifting,
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
One more year to re-deliver,
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
Just remember last year’s giver!
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

I don’t know the etiquette of re-gifting, although I’m sure Miss Manners could teach me a thing or two. But it’s that time of year when, let’s admit it, we sometimes look around and see what we might have that we could offer to others. A gift card we never used, that duplicate toaster oven we never returned, the proverbial ugly Christmas sweater…

Or maybe we give from our own treasures: A book or painting we have that someone else has always admired, or perhaps a family keepsake that perhaps it’s time to pass on. Then again, maybe we can re-gift those most precious things of all, our time and talents. God, of course, is the giver of everything that is good and creative in our lives, even though we tend to call these things “mine.” MY gifts, MY time, MY talents. Carelessly and thoughtlessly, we can convince ourselves that we have earned these things when, in fact, they are pure gifts. No matter how hard we have worked to develop them, build them and use them, our contemplative selves will remind us — in our quiet moments of prayer and reflection — that everything is gift. Our response to the Giver, then, is twofold. The first response is gratitude. The second is re-gifting, passing on that time and talent to someone else in need of something we have. Here, like the family heirloom, we give from our abundance, from our treasure. And God smiles.

Ask yourself in silence: What treasures and talents can I re-gift this year?

Today’s Word: Yes

Steve · December 19, 2013 · 1 Comment

The Annunciation, by Henry Ossawa Tanner (Wiki Commons)

The Annunciation

(Found in Luke 1:26-39, the Annunciation is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus.)

The announcement, the call to her in the midst of sleep,
is the very beginning of the story,
the pinhole of opportunity,
the invitation to grace
the way opening to way.

It is God saying:
“Yes, this is what we will do. We will begin here,
with this one, this girl.
This poor girl from the middle of nowhere.
This will catch them off guard.
Through her we will look like the rest of them,
work and walk among them, be with them,
point them in our direction before they realize it.

This will be, for many, the path of greatest resistance,
not an easy and gentle way,
but a birth and rebirth offered for them,
a way marked by labor and blood,
things unknown to us,
yet necessary for the work we must do in them.
Yes, this is what we will do.
Yes.”

This offer of grace and salvation now extends to us,
The sons and daughters of creation,
and it asks for an answer.
It requires from us the same yes she gave,
Sitting on a rumpled bed
In the middle of the night,
Inviting in the light,
Saying yes.

Ask yourself in silence: To what have I said yes to God? To what have I said no?

Today’s Word: Present

Steve · October 27, 2013 · 2 Comments

abe — Bound in your sacrifice. SJG photo

I can still remember my early school days, sitting in straight, neat rows at Herzog Elementary in north St. Louis and learning to raise my hand and say, “present” when my name was called. I think this is how we begin to learn who we are in the presence of others. “I am here,” we say, “I can speak for myself.”

There are not many Bible stories more frightening and disconcerting than the story of Abraham and Isaac. To recap: God calls (what does that actually mean?) Abraham and asks him to take his only son off into the wilderness and there sacrifice him on an altar to show God how much he loves him. It’s an abhorrent idea to us, of course, that God would ask such a thing, and it’s all the more horrific as we read the story and see in our mind’s eye the journey. Isaac himself bears the wood for the fire, and we hold our collective breath as Abraham unsheathes his knife and prepares to kill his son. He pulls up short, we know, as God tells him to put his knife away, but what does this all mean? Whether this is a historic retelling of an actual event, a story about our obedience and faithfulness to God or a literary foretelling of the sacrifice and death of Jesus, there’s truth and spiritual guidance to be found within the well-known story, however disturbing.

I am struck by the near-silence of Abraham. He says very little and who can blame him, but what he does say is important. For three times within the story (Genesis 22:1-19) he replies with the same words:

“Here I am,” he says to God, just before God gives him the instructions for the sacrifice. “Here I am,” he says to Isaac, when his son calls out to him on the journey. “Here I am,” he says again to God, just as he raises his knife. “Here I am” can be dangerous words, for they imply our presence, our willingness to listen and respond. “Here I am” are words of prayer and obedience:

Here I am, waiting to respond to your call. Tell me where you want me to go.
Here I am, give me wisdom and courage to make the right choices and turns.
Here I am, take my life, my will, my liberty, my memory, my understanding.
Here I am, give me the opportunities, people and experiences you want me to have.
Here I am, show me what it is I need to sacrifice.
Here I am, keep me open to hearing your voice.
Here I am, but please don’t give me more than I can handle with your grace.
Here I am, I want to do your will.
Here I am, send me.

Ask yourself in silence: When am I willing to say, “Here I am,” and when am I more likely to sit on my hands and pretend I’m not present? When have I ever ignored the call of God?