God Loves You; But It's Not About You!

 Easter IV 2024 (April 14)

Good Shepherd Sunday

The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd powerfully communicates the fundamental truth  “God loves you.”  When push comes to shove, this is the fundamental truth we live by and we want to pass on to the next generation of faith.

However, there is another vital truth – even embedded in Psalm 23 – that we want to pass along too:  It is not about you!  Our lives have an importance to God for the sake of our neighbor and God’s purposes in this world.

A reflection on Baptism, Psalm 23 and how God teaches us these two truths again and again in our lives.

The Glory of the Heavens and the Muddiness of Earth

Easter III (April 14, 2023)

This past week our nation was fascinated and delighted by the eclipse.  It was a reminder of the glory of the heavens, the place where the beauty and complexity of the creation bears witness to the creator.

This past week our nation was heartbroken and afraid of violence and further escalation around the world, particularly in the Middle East.  It was a reminder of the muddiness of life of earth, the place where the tragedy and complexity of human interactions bears witness to the power of sin.

Given this tension, it is easy to see why many develop a theology in which Jesus comes to lead an escape mission, to get us out of earth.  But as the story of the risen Jesus shows (Luke 24:36-48), Jesus isn’t interested in giving up on earth; he offers his disciples no packing list for their trip to heaven.  Jesus is not intending to an escape mission, but a reclamation one, as he wins back earth for God’s purposes.  For you see, the fundamental constant of the universe isn’t the speed of light or the gravitation constant, but the faithfulness of God’s love.

This is true in our lives: God is faithful not just to creation, but to you as well. Therefore, we are to expect to see repentance and forgiveness into our lives.  And…therefore…our job then is to share — much like we shared photos of the pictures of the eclipse — the stories of God’s faithfulness in our lives and in this world.

For more photos of the eclipse from space, you can check out NASA’s website.

An Alternative to Cynicism

 

Easter Sunday 2024 (March 31)

We live in an age of pessimism, in which it is easy to be cynical about present and gloomy about the future.

The women who go to the tomb of Jesus had every reason to be pessimistic, cynical and gloomy (Mark 16).  Yet they do not succumb to this attitude, but choose instead to do an act of love, courage and hope.

From where does their home come from?  Where does our hope come from?  What can move us to act in love, courage and hope in an age of cynicism?

Pastor Rob offers that the antidote to fatalism and cynicism is the forgiveness of sins and resurrection of Jesus.  For God's forgiveness means that the story goes on -- that Jesus, not our sins, is the author of our salvation.  In that hope, we can keep doing the loving, courageous and hopeful thing.   We do this, not confident that it will all turn out as we want, but trusting that Christ's death and resurrection means God will keep the story going, arcing it toward life, thanksgiving and love.

The artwork is from the Catechesis Presentation of an Episcopalian church.

The Ordinary Becomes the Extraordinary

 Palm Sunday 2024 (March 24)

Throughout his ministry, Jesus transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary:  donkeys, jugs of water and scraps of food.  Again and again, through faith, the ordinary becomes an extraordinary vessel of God’s love.

He further sends out his disciples to unbind things, animals and people so that which is unbound, the ordinary, can fulfill its extraordinary purpose, to become a vessel of God’s love.

Sometimes this unbinding is easy and straight-forward, like untying a donkey.  Other times the unbinding is more complex and requires undoing lies that we’ve internalized.

A reflection on the work of Jesus, in his ministry, in our lives and on the cross, to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

These ordinary Legos were transformed for an extraordinary purpose by Deep Water Baptist church in a YouTube video.

The tragic Superpower of Empathy

 Lent 5 (March 17, 2024)

Jesus was the most empathetic human who has ever lived.

But for Jesus, like for all humans, empathy exposes him to the pain and suffering of others.  In the cross, this empathy is taken to another level, a wholly divine level, whereby Jesus fully empathizes and fully takes on our suffering, shame and sin.  This brings him to cry out “My God, My God, Why Have you Forsaken Me!”  (Mark 15:34)

The good news of the Empty Tomb is that one day, we will get to proclaim to our sin, suffering and shame: “It — namely you — are finished.”   But for seasons of our lives, we live bearing a cross that prevents us from such confident and joyful proclamation.  In those days, we know that Jesus prays with us, even our deepest laments…slowly tilling the soil in our suffering to raise up a harvest of empathy in our own hearts, enabling us to carry the cross for another.

The art of Simon carrying Jesus cross comes from a Roman Catholic devotional website.

Letting Go and Letting God: Into your hands I commend my Spirit

 Lent 4 (March 10, 2024)

“Into your hands, I commend my Spirit”, Jesus from the cross, praying Psalm 31:5

In life, we will hear the phrase “Let go and Let God!”  What does this look like?  Jesus here seems to be embodying this letting Go and letting God, resigning himself, surrendering control and putting his life in God’s hands.  This certainly is Letting Go and Letting God.

But does it always look like this?  A deeper dive in Luke 23 suggests that Letting Go and Letting God – Commending ourselves – also means letting go of our things (generosity ) and letting go of our fears (courage).

This is quite a summons then.  What empowers this?  The answer lies in the second half of the Psalm: “For you have redeemed me, O faithful God!”

The Congregation of the Cross: Woman, behold your son; Behold your mother

 

Lent 3 (March 3, 2023)

“Woman, behold your son; behold your mother.”

Jesus today creates a new family – an authentic community out of people who have experienced trauma and heartache. 

As we go through life, we often encounter the need for new relationships and for authentic community.  Today’s reflection is about how we often look for it in various places…but finding it remains allusive.

The authentic community, the community we seek:  One in which the other is a gift to us and we are free to be ourselves, this is the congregation of the cross.  This is the community that Jesus inaugurates with these words and the community into which we are invited.

This beautiful woodcut is found on an online slide show but if you know the piece of art, let us know!