Once again this Sunday’s gospel paints me a scenario about what being a disciple is all about that I can, in no way, relate to.

I have not been through insurrections or wars, famines or plagues, nor arrested and brought before kings and governors because of my faith. My parents and relatives have not betrayed me. I know no one, personally, who has been put to death.

The biggest danger I’ve faced was wearing my U-of-M t-shirt to the game only to find my seat was in the student section on the M-S-U side.

Sure, times have changed, but the call of Christ that asks us to do really difficult things, has not.

So one of my biggest challenges is not being attacked as much as it is being apathetic. Given the economic, vocational, and family constraints we all face, making time for God – and convincing myself that God’s mission is really important becomes difficult.

Plus, there’s an ever-present temptation not to believe in the first place. How do we make sense of our very cruel world - where a typhoon takes 10,000 lives at a swipe? Where a pimp gets paid extra to furnish a 12-year? And where a hospital emergency room fills up with the tiny victims of another school shooting?

In the walk of faith, endurance isn’t just putting up with interrogation room beatings, it’s about doing our best to believe when so much that surrounds us is trying to convince us that it doesn’t really matter.

So don’t go there. Keep the faith. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

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Reading

Unapologetic – Francis Spufford

Making Sense of the Cross – David Lose

Animate – Augsburg Fortress Publishing

Last year we took a family photograph in the backyard.

We all sat on a step leading up to the back door, outfitted in nice jackets and dresses, my wife and two kids. In the background you could see the rear of the house.

When we got the picture back from the photographer we asked our four year old what he thought. He immediately exclaimed, ‘ATV!’ We were puzzled. Then we looked closely at the photograph. And sure enough, in the background, in the rear of the house was a small living room window, and in that window, a small toy ATV. What would very likely go undetected by everyone who would ever see this photo was the first thing my son noticed. What was a family photo to the rest of the world was, to him, a prize image of one of his favorite toys.

It would be unfair to say that my son is not fully appreciating his family by his preoccupation with a toy car (he is only four), but it is fair to say that, like him, we can get so focused on small details that we miss the big picture. The consequences range from sad to tragic.

This Sunday we will hear Jesus talk with a group of religious people who were so obsessed with a detail of their religion that they did not see the big picture. Their fixation on the details kept them from realizing they were talking with God in the flesh. Their passion for the trivial kept them from being the best they could be individually and as a force for God in the world. This is the tragedy.

How are we obsessing over minutia – and how does it steer us off track? Does the 5 pounds we gained at a holiday bring a pall over the fact that we have a healthy, prosperous, and happy family?  Does the nick on our car paint overshadow the fact that we’re incredibly blessed because 93% of the world doesn’t even own a car?  Does our body’s inability to do what it once did, keep us from focusing on the incredible things we were able to do during the span of our lives?

The solution is to step back. Take a deep breath. Plan a quiet time. Realize that there is a big picture. And your part in it is insanely important.

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Reading

Unapologetic – Francis Spufford

The Distant Mirror – Barbara Tuchman

Party of One – Beth Knobbe

Here’s my take on the Beatitudes:

Blessed are you:

When you’re poor because you gave your money away.

When you’re hungry because you gave your sandwich away.

When you’re sad because you’re helping your depressed friend.

When you’re not part of the ‘cool crowd’ because following Jesus pretty much guarantees you won’t be a part of the cool crowd.

Unblessed are you:

When you’re living the high life really selfishly.

When you overate because you didn’t share.

When your life is primarily about entertaining yourself.

When you are king of the cool club because having other people like you is really what life is all about.

So the beatitudes aren’t like solving a sudoku– rather they’re pretty obvious statements about what it means to lead a Christian life – and pretty much a happy and fulfilling life in general.

I think we hear them on All Saints’ Day (we’re celebrating it Sunday) because the saints are the ones who’ve figured this out – and really want us to get this.

So read ‘em again and be blessed.

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Reading:

Unapologetic – Francis Spufford

The Distant Mirror – Barbara Tuchman

Free- Mark Scandrette

I remember driving through southern Utah years ago and seeing big warning signs about the scarcity of gas stations. There were 100 miles or more between service centers – so you better check your gas gauge and plan accordingly. Nothing ends your journey quicker than running out of gas: when you go on a trip you need to refuel – often.

The journey of faith is similar. You and I often run up against running out of gas.

We are tempted to ask if it all really matters. If there is any more to our Christian faith than the simple projection of evolving minds that are responding to primeval, meaning-making forces? Is our belief in God anything more than a sociologically formed conception that has far more to do with the zip code in which we were born than divine transcendence?

Sigh.

Running out of gas is running out of faith – faith that there is a God, there is meaning in the universe – that my life is precious, purposeful, and irreplaceable.

And nothing puts gas into our tanks better than prayer.

In prayer we acknowledge who we are, whose we are, how we’re here, and God’s eternal ok-ness with it all. Prayer is grounding ourselves in the divine love that rules the universe. Prayer builds faith.

Nothing ends a journey quicker than running out of prayer.

When’s your next fill-up?

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Reading

A Distant Mirror – Barbara Tuchman

Monster Loyalty – Jackie Huba

Jesus the Jewish Theologian – Brad H. Young

We all know that one of the best ways to get out of a funk is to take a moment (or longer) and simply give thanks for what we’ve got. How does this work?

As you probably know, I have a gratitude list I carry in my smart phone. I look at it regularly, especially when I’m tempted to get bummed about what I don’t have or who I am not. I always recommend this to people.

In Sunday’s Gospel we will hear about the 10 lepers whom Jesus healed, and the rather surprising notion that only one came back to say thanks. Sure it’s rather astonishing so few had the courtesy to do so, but also because the expression of gratitude is so good for us.

For what are we grateful today? Who do we need to thank right now? How might we go about doing so?

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Reading

A Distant Mirror – Barbara Tuchman

Unapologetic – Francis Spufford

Watch a World Vision commercial, pass a homeless guy at an exit ramp, or even go to church and you’re tempted to cower in guilt.

It’s a big question here in wealthy America where our technology has put us in touch with nearly every person on the planet, most of whom will never earn as much in their lifetimes as most of us make in a year. And so we see ‘those people’ and sense some sort of obligation: Does Jesus really want me to give away everything? Won’t that make me like ‘them?’ Or, even worse, if I don’t, am I destined for eternal torment as suggested in Sunday’s Bible readings? These are some of the hardest questions many Christians face.

This Sunday we will study the story of the Poor Man (Lazarus) and the Rich Man (Dives). We will hear how the wealthy, extravagant, hard-hearted Dives ignored the sick and starving Lazarus who lived at his gate.  As a result, Lazarus went to a place of pleasure, and Dives went to a place of pain.

One of the things we will consider is that the breadth of our obligation may be limited. God clearly does not want us to help every person on the planet (how would we do that?). Our ministries may be ruled by our immediate moral proximity. In other words, the person in need, at my gate, may present a greater weight of obligation than the person in the postcard from Madagascar (which is not to say that some are not called to Madagascar!).

What this means is that our responsibility, which is essentially another word for wealth, is best concentrated on those whom God has placed right in front of us. Dives did not go to hell because he forgot the widows in Latvia, but because he ignored the poor man at his gate. Dives did not go to hell because he was rich, but because he wasn’t listening.

So are we giving enough? That discernment may best be engaged by looking around us and listening to the voices of need – realizing that giving it all away is not the best long-term strategy. There are obvious limits to what we can and should give.  Thinking those through can bring us peace, and can help bring that peace to those who need it most.

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Reading

The Good of Affluence – John Schneider

Luke for Everyone – NT Wright

Free- Mark Scandrette

This summer the kids and I flew kites by the beach.

Notice the plural here.

Yep, more than one got away. Which didn’t really bother me. Dollar store kites.

When a kite is tethered to the string it stays up bold and blowing, catching the eyes of onlookers and making the kids laugh.  Even once the string breaks nothing happens initially - the kite continues to fly, and can even soar to new heights.

But inevitably, there’s a tailspin and somewhere there’s a crash.

That’s what happens to me when I let go of God.

At first it feels good to be untethered – to bask in the glory of freedom. But inevitably there’s a collapse.

So I know that my job is to hold onto God. And I do this in a lot of ways, but especially by going to church.

How about you?

How are you holding onto God today? How are you letting God hold you?

I know how easy it is to let go of God. I know the false allure of going off on my own. But I also know it’s best to stay connected. That’s why I love my church. They hold onto me.

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Reading

The Bible

Pursuing God’s Will Together – Ruth Haley Barton

Leaders Make the Future – Bob Johansen