That's the way I feel this morning. Socked in...the nose and sinuses clogged with a nasty cold. It's hard to breathe...to get enough oxygen to keep the system running. The result is a tired, cranky, thick-headed, slow-brained guy staring at a computer screen. Not a pretty sight!
But it did make me wonder if there's an analogy here. My head is so full of guck that I can't get the oxygen I need to keep my body running right. Sometimes, we get so distracted by all the temptations of the world...so full of the guck around us...that it's hard for us to get the Good News we need to keep our souls running right.
Thanks be to God: there is a fix for this...something (or rather someone) who can make us whole and give us our breath back. That one is Jesus, whose love for us couldn't be stopped even by a cross, and whose resurrection points the way towards our own life with God. And the best part is that you don't have to go to Rite-Aid to pick him up. He's already present with you...ready to hear your prayers and guide your heart back towards wholeness and real health.
Why stay dense when you don't need to?
24 September 2007
17 September 2007
I believe...
There's a T-shirt I've seen that says: "Everyone believes in something." Then in smaller print below: "I believe I'll have another cookie." Good for a chuckle...but loaded with truth.
Take, for instance, the first line. Although I doubt the writer had Fr. Martin in mind, it's vintage Luther...reminding us that everyone believes in some thing or some one. Everyone has a god or gods...that force, concept or reality in which they trust. Even atheists have gods. (If you trust yourself above all else, then you are your own god...as disturbing as that might be!) So the T-shirt speaks the truth: everyone believes in something.
The second sentence also has something interesting to teach, i.e. that belief is always connected to action. To believe something implies more than just intellectual assent. To believe something requires that we act accordingly...that our lives reflect in some measure the grounding principals that we claim.
That's where things get sticky for a lot of Christian "believers." Our words may be right, but our actions often tell a different tale. The priorities reflected in our daily choices don't always match our stated intentions. Folks who are not Christian notice these things, and quite rightfully point out the hypocrisy of our lives.
It's an old, old problem, of course...goes all the way back to a man, a woman, a serpent and an apple. Ever since that fateful day in Paradise, we've been trying to reconcile belief in God with what we'd like to do on our own. Some days we shine. Most days we fail. At best, our performance is uneven. And if that were the end of the story, we'd surely be in sorry shape. There are few options for us when our cookies (or our false gods) crumble. Take your pick: denial or despair.
Christians profess, however, that there is some one beyond us...one who has made the decision to forgive and redeem us...one who remains faithful as our God even when we're off chasing our own tails. That one is Christ Jesus whose death put an end to our shame and whose resurrection opens a new life of opportunity. We don't need to live as though there were no God or, worse yet, as though we were gods. We are set free to believe and live with Christ as God, with mercy as motivation, and with hope as our way forward.
A bit of T-shrit wisdom: Everyone believes in something. I believe I'll give today another chance under the lordship of Christ. And when I do, how will my choices, my priorities, my values be different?
Take, for instance, the first line. Although I doubt the writer had Fr. Martin in mind, it's vintage Luther...reminding us that everyone believes in some thing or some one. Everyone has a god or gods...that force, concept or reality in which they trust. Even atheists have gods. (If you trust yourself above all else, then you are your own god...as disturbing as that might be!) So the T-shirt speaks the truth: everyone believes in something.
The second sentence also has something interesting to teach, i.e. that belief is always connected to action. To believe something implies more than just intellectual assent. To believe something requires that we act accordingly...that our lives reflect in some measure the grounding principals that we claim.
That's where things get sticky for a lot of Christian "believers." Our words may be right, but our actions often tell a different tale. The priorities reflected in our daily choices don't always match our stated intentions. Folks who are not Christian notice these things, and quite rightfully point out the hypocrisy of our lives.
It's an old, old problem, of course...goes all the way back to a man, a woman, a serpent and an apple. Ever since that fateful day in Paradise, we've been trying to reconcile belief in God with what we'd like to do on our own. Some days we shine. Most days we fail. At best, our performance is uneven. And if that were the end of the story, we'd surely be in sorry shape. There are few options for us when our cookies (or our false gods) crumble. Take your pick: denial or despair.
Christians profess, however, that there is some one beyond us...one who has made the decision to forgive and redeem us...one who remains faithful as our God even when we're off chasing our own tails. That one is Christ Jesus whose death put an end to our shame and whose resurrection opens a new life of opportunity. We don't need to live as though there were no God or, worse yet, as though we were gods. We are set free to believe and live with Christ as God, with mercy as motivation, and with hope as our way forward.
A bit of T-shrit wisdom: Everyone believes in something. I believe I'll give today another chance under the lordship of Christ. And when I do, how will my choices, my priorities, my values be different?
05 September 2007
Back Again...
Well...the suitcase is unpacked. Shirts and shoes, books and files are once again in their respective places. But the mental, emotional, theological and spiritual unpacking after sabbatical is still very much underway. I'm back...but still not exactly sure what that will mean for ministry here at Grace. I suppose that together, as pastor and parish, we'll continue that unpacking process for some time to come.
In the meantime: it is good to be home. I've missed the people here. I've missed the sense of place here. I've missed the privilege of sharing the word and the meal around a familiar table. Sunday is coming...and I can't wait.
See you then.
In the meantime: it is good to be home. I've missed the people here. I've missed the sense of place here. I've missed the privilege of sharing the word and the meal around a familiar table. Sunday is coming...and I can't wait.
See you then.
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