Pastor Dan's Grace Notes: October 2007

Luke 6:17-31

It all seemed so easy
to love the Lord your God
with all your heart and soul and mind
and your neighbor as yourself
So easy
to say I will love
So easy
to chat with my neighbor
share a meal
get to know them
sort of
To care for them
sort of
To feel good about my life
sort of
and not see the ones at the far end
of the table
set for me
by the Lord my God whom I love
with all my heart, soul, mind
But through the help of your love
I see them now Lord
I see the children starving
The lonely ones
The ones excluded and insulted
The punch lines of my humor
I see them now
seated at the table you have set before me
strangers no more
but sisters and brothers
in the house of the Lord
forgive me

It is good

Sunday November 4th, Ephesians 1: 11 God always does what he plans, and that's why he appointed Christ to choose us. God created all of humanity, all the exists and pronounced it good. God’s intention is that all of humanity and all of creation is to live in harmony with God and with each other. We humans have yet to learn that lesson and after all of human history up to this point are busy trying to figure out who is the biggest “big deal.” We spend far more on war than we do on health care. I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if our largest export was something good rather than weapons?

Gift time for all

Monday November 5th, Ephesians 1: 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. The spirit is the gift of God within each one of us. It is the gift that allows us to know God. It is a gift given, not earned. It is a gift each one of us can tap into or ignore. It is a gift present in others. It is never under our control. Have you opened your gift today?

Chosen

Tuesday November 6th, Ephesians 1: 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God's people. Knowing that you have been chosen by God is an awesome feeling. It is to see yourself as part of a vast community of Christ, to hear the hum of the universe and know it is part of God’s creation called Good. When light floods your heart, you can see that God created spark within you, and within others. When the light floods our hearts we can hear the stories of others as the stories of God with them. It is my prayer that each of you would hear this prayer in your own lives and discover the glorious blessings that are yours together with all of God’s people.

More than survival

Wednesday November 7th, Luke 6:17-21 Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke: You're blessed when you've lost it all. God's kingdom is there for the finding. You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry. Then you're ready for the Messianic meal. Our lives become filled with many good things, too many good things. We can see this in others, but rarely in ourselves. In talking to those listening to him on the hillside by the sea of Galilee, Jesus touched the longing in their souls for something more than just day to day survival. The something more he gave them was the ability to see themselves for who they were, the children of God. They were no longer the down and out, the hungry and tired, the rich and the poor, they were the blessed. We too are called to live our lives knowing we are blessed, seeing ourselves as the children of God and hearing the message of God’s love for us in our hearts and minds always.

Counter-Cultural Grace

Thursday November 8th, Luke 6: 22-23 "Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don't like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this. The grace of Christ is counter-cultural. We are called to love our enemies and pray for them, forgive those who offend us, hurt when others are hurting and seek what is best for all, not just the self, or the self’s tribe. To be true to the message of God’s grace is to open one’s self to ridicule, to hear the names and see the looks of disdain. Christ felt the ultimate that disdain could bring, and cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them.” All too often today, it is the voices of religion that speak the loudest words of disdain, Father forgive them. All too often it is the religious fanatics that see the world through an our tribe vs. their tribe frame of mind, Father forgive them. All too often, religion is used as a cover for those who wish to grab wealth and power; Father, forgive them. All too often, it is the children of God who have learned to keep silent rather than bringing forth the message, Father, forgive them. If you are one of the silent ones, know you are forgiven, and called once again to speak the words of Christ, Father, forgive them.

Tribalism

Friday November 9th, Luke 6: 27-30 "To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift-wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. Two weeks ago I was at the Sea of Galilee at the spot that is purported to be where Jesus taught these words. Not far from there, on the south end of the Sea of Galilee where the Jordan flows out toward Palestinian territory and down to the Dead Sea, there is a damn. It controls the water so it does not flow into Palestinian territory. So much for love you enemies. Hatred blooms on both sides. When you read these words of Jesus, remember how easily humanity can slip into tribalism and hatred, even at the very heart of where Jesus said to love your enemy, no more tit-for-tat stuff. Pray for peace and justice that begins in your heart and unlike the Jordan River, flows freely to those with whom you differ.

Justice needed

Saturday November 10th, Luke 6: 31-34 "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. The Holocaust museum in Jerusalem is wonderfully put together and does a remarkable job of walking you through the rise of Nazism and how, step by step, human rights were denied, resources controlled, the Jewish people were segregated in to closed areas and on and on until the horrific murder of more than six million children of God. Not far from there is Bethlehem which is segregated with a 25 foot high cement wall topped with concertina wire (paid for by the US) and surrounded by armed guards. Olive orchards have been taken away, water is turned on for 2 hours a week, sometimes, laws in place to make it illegal for any Palestinian to dig a well, voting rights denied, 65% unemployment and people not allowed to pass to get to work on a regular basis, and hatred brewing. How do you want to be treated? Grab the initiative and go out and do it for others.