August 23 "Who do you say that I am?"

Dearest e-votees,

Featured in this morning's gospel text is Jesus asking the disciples "But who do you say that I am?"  There are all sorts of ideas being floated about who people think Jesus is.  But Jesus isn't focusing on what the crowd may think but rather what the disciples are thinking and saying.

It sets the stage for Peter's bold confession of Jesus as the Messiah.  How would you answer that question were Jesus to ask you directly:  "Who do you say that I am?"

Peace,

Karl

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Peter answers Jesus' question well but Jesus said that he didn't do that on his own but through God speaking through him.  It is hard for us to discern on our own who this Jesus really is--particularly since we are so far removed geographically, culturally and temporally from the portion of earth where Jesus lived, died and lived again; ministered and taught.  We certainly need God's help and inspiration in order to respond to Jesus' question well.  

Maybe it would serve well, as well, to consider the question:  "Who does God say that I am?"  If you had to offer a response to who God has made you to be, loved you to be, called you to be what might you say?

• God says I am loved.
• God says I am forgiven.
• God says I was created in God's image (imago dei).
• God says I have been set free and released.
• God says I have been called and equipped.
• God says I have a hand as part of the church in loosing things on earth.
• God says I have a hand as part of the church in binding things on earth.
• God says I am part of the community with the Trinity.

What else might you add to this list that God says about you?

As we live into these things we become more open and able to have God more fully revealed to us.  We grow into knowing that Jesus is Messiah.  We grow into building our lives more fully around him and finding our life through him.

God, show us who you are.  God, show us who we are in you and through you.  Help us engage others that they may know the promises made to them by God and what there identity is and can be.  Amen.

August 18 Many Members Called to Be One Body

Dearest e-votees,

We are in a world that seems intent on fostering divisions between one group, one coalition, one party, one faction and another.  The upcoming election, the rabid partisan politics and the conventions that are afoot highlight the ever-widening gaps that separate us from others fashioned in the image of God.  Overt and systemic racism highlight those broken places too.  Sexism and all manner of -phobias do too.  We are a fractured species.

This coming Sunday's appointed epistle lesson from Romans 12:1-8.  It speaks of us all being members together of the body of Christ.  We are all gifted differently but part of that same one body.  We are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought but regard ourselves with humility and sober judgment.  I would encourage you to give this brief reading your attention.  Sometimes the non-gospel readings fade into the background on Sunday worship services--much to our loss.

Peace,

Karl

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The beginning of this Sunday's text urges us not to be conformed to this world but rather to be transformed in the renewing of our minds towards God's purposes.  I would expect that "mind" is more than just cerebral in the Greek.  I think it safe to say that in all of our facets--mind, body, spirit and soul--we would do well to let God transform us rather than be conformed to the world.

We live in a world that exerts great pressures on us.  Stresses, the need to survive, the desire to thrive (at least in the ways the world defines thriving) and social pressures force us into forms that reflect our fallen world.  When push comes to shove we can be coerced into the likeness of the world around us.  Truth be told, often we don't even need the force.  We buy into the models of the world and gladly heed the siren calls from Madison Avenue to emulate and exceed the achievements of our neighbors.  We covet in thought, word and deed--by what we do and what we neglect to do--we wound ourselves and grieve God.

1 Corinthians 12 is all about being part of a body bigger than ourselves.  It reminds us to value the function and contributions of other parts of the body in addition to our own.  It calls us to not let ourselves be separated and ranked and disproportionately esteemed.  Christ is our head and all of us have a God-given place to serve in the body.   There is no room for arrogance and self-serving judgment.

If we could take in and live our Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 we would do well.  But it seems we always fall short.  So Paul follows up 1 Corinthians 12 with the chapter on love.  It is often taken on as a wedding text but it has so much more to say to us than to merely adorn a wedding bulletin or an embroidered pillow or wall hanging.  There is a most excellent way.  As our church letterhead says: Faith, hope, love… and the greatest of these is love - First Corinthians 13:13.  We are called to love--to love God, to love others as ourselves (which of course necessitates us having a healthy self-love as well).  As Burt Bacharach's song says so well:  What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  (If you haven't seen it or seen it enough you can see a virtual symphony singing this song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QagzdvzzHBQ).

Lord, we and all those in the world need love, sweet love.  Thank you for sending Jesus.  Help us to grow into loving you and loving neighbor as self.  Heal the divisions in our body of humanity.  Heal the divisions in the body of Christ.  Help us to seek humility and self-reflect with sober judgment all to your glory.  Amen.

August 11 Psalm 67 God's Expansive Blessings

Dearest e-votees,

Our appointed Psalm for this coming Sunday, the 11th Sunday after Pentecost, is Psalm 67.

I encourage you to give it a read before we continue on with this devotion.  If you don't have a Bible handy you can read it in a variety of translations at www.biblegateway.com. Go ahead, this e-vo will be here when you get back.

Peace,

Karl

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What struck you as you read that psalm?  One of the things that catches me is how closely the opening verse:  May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, (NRSV) aligns with the Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26):  The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine up you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (NRSV)   I have always loved speaking that blessing over the gathered saints at the end of a worship service.  They are the words that Aaron was instructed to speak over the Israelites.  These words carry gravitas and grace; benevolence and blessing.  

Psalm 67 makes the move to expand the Aaronic Blessing to stretch beyond the boundaries of the Israelite community to the ends of the world.  The move is from an egocentric blessing for just us to a blessing more akin to Tiny Tim's "God bless us everyone!"

At one time God's blessing and choosing seemed to be particularly for one people group.  Jesus even seems to speak to that end in this Sunday's appointed gospel lesson.  But the move has been that those who have been blessed are now sent and called to bring that blessing to bear on others.  How have you been blessed by God?  How might you be a bearer of that blessing to others that may happen your way or to whom God might send you?  

God of blessing and favor.  Thank you and send us.  And shape our hearts and minds to let others bear your blessings and favor to us as well.  God bless us everyone.  Amen.

August 6 "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Dearest e-votees,

What do you do with Jesus' question to Peter in the appointed gospel lesson for this Sunday "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"?  What tone do you imagine in Jesus' voice--compassion? anger? scolding? _________ (other)?  It is an interesting thought experiment as to what feelings and tones you would layer into Jesus' voice were you making a video of this scene.

Peace,

Karl

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Water was an ominous and primordial threat back in ancient times (maybe it still is based on the popularity of "Deadliest Catch", "Shark Week", "River Monsters", etc., etc.).  The waters were mysterious and treacherous and had who knows what lurking beneath the surface.  Peter as a fisherman would be well-acquainted with the dangers--both real and legendary--of the turbulent waters.

The sea of Galilee is known for strong squalls.  Relatively shallow waters and strong winds combine to make some life-threatening storms.  Matthew 8:23-27 gets at this primal fear.  The twelve disciples (four of home were professional fishing partners) are terrified that they are going to drown.  Meanwhile Jesus naps in the back of the boat.  Does he know something they(we) don't?

I have wandered around in cemeteries looking at the tombstones.  There are two that I have never forgotten.  One was a Scrabble board where the family has spelled out things like "brother", "loveab[]e" (love the use of a blank), "fiance", etc., etc.  (you can see it at https://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/scrabbletombstone.jpg).  The other was a picture of a pair of hands sticking up out of the water communicating how that one had lost their life.  Peter was thinking of one of those tombstones while out on the water that day and it wasn't the one with Scrabble tiles.

Peter doubted because he knew the dangers of the sea.  Peter doubted because his speak-first-think-later ways had put him in a hazardous spot (probably not for the first time).  Peter doubted because he probably still wasn't sure if this was Jesus as opposed to some sea creature or spirit taking the form of Jesus.  Peter doubted because he is human and wasn't ready to meet his maker yet (though in truth that is just what he was doing).

We learn to be fearful and to question and to look askance and to doubt in order to survive.  Hesitate too long in the face of danger and you just might find yourself in the belly of a beast or in the belly of the sea.  We have evolved to make snap judgments as a matter of survival.  Jesus surely knew this.  Was he really surprised that Peter was having second thoughts while toed-up to the brink of his mortality?

Even the "You of little faith..." is puzzling.  Jesus says that if you have faith the side of a mustard seed you can tell a mountain to uproot itself and fall into the sea.

I have to wonder if what Jesus said wasn't just for Peter but for those overhearing--the disciples.  And for those still overhearing (overreading?)--us disciples.

There are things that will scare us--awful things and awe-ful things.  And one of them just might be the end of us.  But we need not doubt.  God has us by the hand.  God knows us and loves us.  God has saved us and will save us.  May our faith grow and our doubts be overwhelmed by the love and grace of God.

Lord, it is us you.  Bid us to come to you.  Keep us secure.  Amen.

August 4 Musings on the Details of Matthew 14:22-33

Dearest e-votees,

This Sunday's text is the account of Jesus walking on water, Peter's engaging of Jesus on the waves and the calming of the storm.

Clearly this account is meant to show an aspect of Jesus' ability to control and overpower the chaotic forces of nature (waters were thought to be especially chaotic and hazardous).  It is part and parcel with Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8:23-27.

You can ponder that precise text alone and during the sermon this Sunday.  For today, however, I thought it might be interesting to imagine some of the details Matthew may have left on the editing room floor.

Peace,

Karl

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With a flick of the pen Matthew says that Jesus sent the disciples ahead while he stayed back to dismiss the crowds.  This is a massive crowd.  There were 5,000 men who were fed.  Adding in family members this number swells to the size of a large, modern day political rally.  Jesus could, I suppose, send the people away with a blessing for traveling mercies and a benediction.  If so, that would have been a quick matter.  I imagine, however, that Jesus would linger with people on the way out the door.  Imagine a super snack Sunday at Messiah supersized up to 20,000 people or so and Jesus engaging as many as he could before they leave--staggering to ponder.

It was already getting late in the day which is why the disciples approached Jesus suggesting he send the crowds on their way to find food.  After the meal it is later still.  After sending the massive throng away it is later still.  Jesus makes his way up the mountainside by himself as it grows even later.  Jesus is very alone in the wilderness.  He is exposed and alone late at night and engages God in prayer--more exposing and more solitude.  The contrast between the enormous crowd and the solitary Jesus engaged in prayer is stark and borderline cinematic.

After prayer Jesus decides to go a rejoin the disciples he sent out ahead of him in a boat.  There is a boat from the time of Jesus that can be seen to this day in the Holy Land.  It was exposed during some drought times as the water level dropped in a lakebed.  Those who found it preserved what had appeared, dug a bit deeper, preserved that level and continued until the whole boat was able to be transported.  It is now preserved and dubbed "The Jesus boat" (you can read about it if so inclined at https://www.seetheholyland.net/jesus-boat/).  After a while Jesus approaches the disciples as they struggle against the wind in something akin to the Jesus boat.  The disciples see Jesus approaching on the top of the water and presume hi is a ghost.

Peter says "Lord, if it is you, command me to come out to you on the water."  That, of course, implies Peter is thinking this very much might not be Jesus.  It is a bizarre request from Peter to an unknown entity on the water.  Jesus bids Peter to come and he does.  Is this a faithful Peter, a foolish Peter, an impulsive Peter or a(n) _________ Peter?  Just who is this calling to Jesus from the boat and what is he hoping for?

Once Jesus is back in the boat I wonder what Peter and the others are thinking.  Surely they have in their minds the words of Matthew 8:27:  "What sort of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?"  Maybe they're thinking I'm still not sure he isn't a ghost.  As can be seen one of the things that happens across the gospels is people offering food to see if someone is truly corporeal and/or back from the dead.  The presumption is that ghosts/spirits/specters don't eat food like we flesh and blood folk.  I wonder if some of the 12 basketfuls of loaves and fishes ended up in the boat.  I wonder if the disciples tried to encourage Jesus to eat some of the leftovers just to be sure he was who they thought he might be.

One of the beautiful parts of reading books is that the the important facts are conveyed clearly but the details, the colors, the sounds, the smells, etc., etc. are left for the readers' minds to fill in.  Sometimes the stories of scripture are less detailed than I would like--maybe you have that thought too.  I think the Holy Spirit in her wisdom gave us what we needed and beckons us and our theological curiosities to engage the story with our whole selves to backfill the details.

May you and your faithful and curious imagination enter into this Sunday's appointed gospel text and in the texts in the days ahead.

God, help us to dwell with you and the scriptures you have provided with all of the life-giving truths as well as the maddening and engaging ambiguities.  Help us grow more fully into relationship with this one who truly is the Son of God.