The Cornerstone

Yesterday's Gospel Lesson (Matthew 21:33-46) could not have been a better fit for either the Feast of Saint Francis or the times we are experiencing now. It ends with Jesus speaking of himself as the cornerstone. I've been to the dedication of a government building, and watched as the cornerstone was laid with great ceremony on the foundation that gave the outline of the building that was to be. In historical usage that cornerstone was the point of reference for the construction that was to follow. The challenge is to make Jesus our cornerstone and build our lives with reference to him.

In a time in Italian history when the pursuit of wealth had created enormous disparity between the haves and the have-nots of society, Francis chose to make Jesus his cornerstone, and did so by rejecting not only wealth but possessions. He took for his bride "Lady Poverty" and founded a religious order of beggars--monks and nuns who trusted that God would provide for them. He became immensely popular, and soon was the head of a large following--with members taken not only from the poor, who found in his teachings the sanctification of their lives at the bottom of society, but also from the children of the very rich, who came to see that their lives at the top of society had been achieved at the expense of the poor.

For the past several years we have let the acquisition of wealth be the cornerstone of American society. Not surprisingly, the disparity between the have and the nave-nots in American have grown tremendously while our priorities have been askew. Now we are weathering the storm we have sown.

I am not saying that the only Christian response to our times is to reject possessions, but I do think that we need to build or lives taking our references from Jesus and not from greed. Our possessions are all gifts from God, to use in ways that serve God's purpose. Meeting our own needs is part of that purpose, but sharing with those in need is also a part. With Jesus as our cornerstone, we can learn to trust God will provide what we need, and face the uncertainties of the times with calm minds, peaceful hearts and open hands.

What do you think?

Mike+

An Invitation

Are you interested in an on line Sunday School for adults?

What I propose is using this blog site to host an on line conversation, using the comments section as a place to hear what others think about issues and ideas that might push the boundaries of our faith. For the past couple of months I've posted a weekly meditation about the readings for Sunday mornings, and asked for comments. Would you find this a helpful way to think about our tradition and the teachings of the church and hear what others think?

If so, drop in a comment or suggestion in the "comments" section and let me know.

Mike+

"If another member of the Church sins against you..."

The Gospel from yesterday (Matthew 18:15-20) begins with Jesus setting up a hypothetical but very realistic situation. In it we are offended by someone we should be able to trust--another member of the church. Jesus then lays out a course of actions that involve confrontation, one of the things we avoid the most, that are intended to lead to reconciliation. Only after exceptional efforts have been expended, and the nature and ownership of the offense have been agreed to by so large a body of people as "the church," can another be counted "as a Gentile and tax collector." This flys in the face of the way we normally act. If we are offended we either snap back in anger, or withdraw. After all, "Once burned, twice shy," goes the old adage. The Gospel message is quite clear, that writing another off because of one offense in not good enough. Our relationships are too important.

Jesus also gives a course of actions when it we who are the offenders. "Leave your offering at the altar," and go and make peace with the one whom we have offended.

At the heart of both of these instructions is, of course, the expectation of forgiveness. In the Lord's Prayer we ask that we be forgiven by God to the extent that we forgive others. When Jesus is asked how many times we are to forgive another, he goes to hyperbolic "seventy times seven." Living as a Christian is all about forgiving and being forgiven.

Relationship, forgiveness and reconciliation seem to be the keys.

With whom could loving confrontation bring peace to your life? From whom should you be seeking forgiveness? Who should you be actively seeking to forgive?

Mike+

Please Explain

In Matthew 13 and 14 we find a number of parables in which Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to everyday objects or situations. Routinely, his disciples didn't understand and asked him to explain. We read the explanations of these parables and have to wonder, "Was it Jesus or was it Matthew who interpreted these wide open parables in such specific and narrow ways?"

I just finished reading William Young's touching and faithful novel The Shack. In it God does a lot of explaining to a man who is bound up by grief, guilt, anger and fear. Most of the explanations are likely to be comforting to many because of their wide open and flowing theology. Others of the explanations are likely to be troubling to some because of their wide open and flowing lack of ecclesiology. Specifically, in The Shack, Jesus says with utter simplicity and clarity that he was never a Christian, and God says equally clearly that it was never about ritual.

Some Biblical scholars are doubtful that the explanations really came from Jesus's lips. They are more likely to be the interpretations of the parables by the Christian communities that built up in the first century after his resurrection. They were attempts by faithful Christians to find meaning in Jesus's words in the face of their current circumstances. The Shack, I think, falls into this very Christian tradition.

It would be nice to have explanations, don't you think? Or would it? To whom should we turn for them?

Mike+

Getting Out of the Boat

In yesterday's Gospel (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus went walking on the water. This is pretty amazing, but the point of the story is that Jesus is the Son of God (see verse 33). We should expect that Jesus should be able to do things that we cannot do, like heal the sick, raise the dead and walk on water. But in the story Peter asked Jesus to "command him" to come to him--and walk on the water also. Jesus did, and for a brief moment Peter participated in divine possibilities.

At the end of Matthew's Gospel Jesus gives the disciples the "Great Commission" that they should go all over the world, teaching others what he taught them, baptizing them, and thus spreading the kingdom of heaven. I think this is another command to "get out of the boat."

In today's world we Christians have a unique message. It goes like this, "God loves us all so much he sent his son to live and suffer and die as one of us, so that through Him we all can live in the kind of relationship with God and others that was intended for us in creation." In the teachings of the Son, we can see how God would have us live with each other; and in the actions of the Son, we see the love of God for all of us; and through faith in the Son we all can find our way back to God.

There are a number of fine world religions, and today we Episcopalians are much more respectful of them than previous generations of Christians--so much so that we leave the fulfilling of the Great Commission (inviting others to meet our Lord) to members of more radical expressions of Christianity. If we leave all Christian proselytizing to them, aren't we ensuring the slow demise of our own tradition? Don't we have a message of God's love that the world needs? I think we do.

Jesus called Peter out of the boat, and Peter did something he never would have believed was possible. Jesus calls us all out of the boat, and into even greater divine possibilities--maybe even spreading the kingdom in ways that are respectful of others.

What do you think?

Mike+

Five Loaves, Two Fish

In yesterday's Gospel(Matthew 14:13-21), the disciples suggested that Jesus send the large crowd away to buy themselves some food. Jesus replied, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."

The part of their reply that resounds to me is, "We have nothing..." In the face of such a large need, their few resources seemed so small that the disciples counted them as nothing. Their intent, which I think is clear from their suggestion to our Lord, was to send the folks away, then use what little they had to provide a meager meal for themselves. This is the attitude of scarcity. I remember a children's TV program from years ago, with dancing puppet figures singing, "Won't do a little 'cause you can't do a lot." Scarcity rules.

So the question comes out like this. "What is my tiny offering against the huge needs that surround me? I can hardly afford gas to get to work, and oil is going to be outrageous this winter, how can I help so many with so many needs when I have so little?"

Jesus's actions are taken from an attitude of abundance. He blesses the disciple's tiny offering and it is not only enough but more than enough--12 baskets full over the top! Abundance trumps scarcity.

A can of soup, a bag of rice, a tin of meat, some coffee or powdered milk or peanut butter--these things make tiny offerings aginst the hunger that surrounds us. A backpack, a pair of socks, or a wool stocking cap make a tiny offering against the needs for school supplies or clothing for winter that surround us. But when we all pitch in and let the Lord bless our little offerings, somehow they become enough.

I couldn't help but notice, that instead of getting by on a tiny meal, the disciples shared in an abundant feast. The tiny gifts they counted as nothing, but gave to the Lord anyway, blessed them also.

Abundance trumps scarcity. Five loaves and two fish are more than enough in God's hands.


Mike+

Waiting for the Bread to Rise

Yesterday's Gospel came from Matthew 13 again, and amongst a collection of parables was one comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to "yeast that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until it was all leavened."

For a while we lived in Corpus Christi, Texas. One day while tropical storm Doris was raging outside, I decided to try my hand at making bread. This was in the days before bread machines. We dissolved the yeast in warm water, added milk and sugar (as I recall), then kneaded it into the amount of flour Betty Crocker called for. Then we set the dough aside and waited for it to rise. After what seemed like forever, I kneaded the dough again, and set it aside for its second rise. Again we waited forever. Then I decided that it had "doubled in size," formed it into a loaf pan and baked it. The result was approximately the size and consistency of a brick.

I got all kinds of suggestions about what went wrong. Perhaps the yeast was no longer "active." Maybe the water had been too hot and had killed the yeast. "Never bake during a hurricane," I was told, "the atmospheric pressure is too low for bread to rise properly." (That doesn't even make sense to me.)

The next time I tried baking bread we followed Betty's instructions exactly the same way we had before. But this time I was less anxious and gave the yeast time to do its work. The dough did rise, gloriously, and the bread was actually edible.

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast.

In baptism we pray that God will fill an infant, child or adult with God's "Holy and life giving Spirit." Then we kneed the dough. Sunday school, confirmation classes, service projects, even mission trips, are just kneading. The real miracle is taking place unseen from us, and if we don't rush the baking, the results can be wonderful.

What do you think?

Mike+