Imitate Me, a Reflection on Philippians 3:7-4:1

Paul contrasts the way things are now with the way they could be. He preaches against self-asorbed, short-term thinking and acting.

Imitate me.
Some people don't.
They don't turn out well. They think about what they want right now--not about the consequences.

We are looking forward to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Imitate me, he says. Paul teaches by doing. Whether we realize it or not, so do we. Paul was conscious of the impact his choices in life had on those around him. Well, we should be too. Lent gives us a good opportunity to think about where we center our concerns--whether it could be said about us that our god is our belly, whether our minds are set on earthly things, and so on.

And, could we imitate Paul in that love he had for the community (4:1)?

Hear Me, Teach Me, and Protect Me, a Reflection on Psalm 27:7-14

The tone of the psalm has changed from praise to lament:

Hear when I cry and answer me.
Do not hide from me. Don't turn me away.
Do not give me up to my adversaries.

And, as in most laments, assurances and expectations of protection are included:

You have been my help.
You will me up when others have abandoned me.
I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord.

In addition to protection, the psalm is a prayer for instruction:

Teach me your way, O Lord.

I notice that the request to be taught is in the same verse as the request to be led on a level path because of enemies. Is the phrase, level path, metaphorical? John H. Hayes in Preaching through the Christian Year C says the phrase may mean that the psalmist just wants his life to be more predictable, but that he may be asking for his life to conform more closely to the Lord's wishes.
Hayes also points out something that I should have been able to pick up on my own--a willingness to be led indicates a willingness to walk.

The psalm concludes with the injuction, "Man up."

(I'm trying to figure out an equally-snappy, less sexist way to put it.)

Covenant, a Reflection on Genesis 15:7-12, 17-18

We have heard the promises, but we are living with the realities. Sometimes, we doubt. Sometimes, we despair. During Lent, we are looking toward Easter, but we are living during Lent.

Abraham had heard promises, had responded to them, but Abraham had doubt. In his doubt, the Lord came to him in a vision and spoke to him, renewing the promise of a son.

Abraham was able to believe God's words.

The Lord continued to speak to Abraham. First, the Lord reminded him of promises already made. Abraham responded by once again expressing doubt, "How am I to know that you are going to provide what you have promised me?"

The answer seems strange to us moderns. God told him to get some animals, cut them in two, lay the parts on the ground, then walk the path between the two halves. No matter how literally we may interpret the scriptures, we probably won't do that today. Yet, the memory of this ritual can have meaning for us.

Not abiding by a covenant does split the parties.

After the sun went down, a flaming torch still provided light. In that light, the Lord renewed the covenant with Abraham.

Trusting God, a Reflection on Psalm 27:1-6

The psalmist speaks words of confidence: The Lord is my light and my salvation. I will be confident. Light to show me the way to go. The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Stronghold, protection while I am on that way.

But, think about why the psalmist is making these assertions. They aren't empty assurances. Rather, they are tied to specific fears; for example, "When evildoers assail me" or "Though an army encamp against me."

The psalmist is not trying to get us to believe that being a faithful follower of God means that we will never see trouble, never suffer from illness, never be besieged by enemies. No, what the psalmist says is that during these times of travail, the Lord was a comforter and rescuer.

In response to the actions that the Lord has taken, the psalmist expresses the wish to continue to be near the Lord by visiting the temple--to live there, to be able to see the Lord there, and there to be protected.

John H. Hayes in Preaching through the Christian Year C explains the images in verse 5. Being hidden in his shelter is a reference to the booths lived in at the festival of tabernacles. The booth and the tent both evoke images of sanctuary. Being set on a high rock evokes the image of celebration after a victory.

To summarize: At times of great distress when I needed the Lord, the Lord was with me. I remember this, and I am telling you about it. I will continue to need the Lord.

When in doubt, he says so, a reflection on Genesis 15:1-6

The passage begins, "After these things..." I looked back to see what these things had been. They include the rescue by Abraham (He's still called Abram at this point) of his nephew Lot who had been captured by an army in their sack of Sodom. The kings in the area, including Melchizedek who was also a priest, had blessed Abraham in recognition of his defeat of their shared enemies. The king of Sodom had tried to reward Abraham but he refused taking anything that would make him seem a beneficiary of those powers (14).

Abraham is there because the Lord had told him to move to this place (12:1-3). When they had arrived in Canaan, the Lord had informed Abraham that although the land currently belonged to the Canaanites, in the future it would belong to Abraham's descendants (12:4-7). Before there were any descendants, though, Abraham allowed his wife, Sarah (whose name has not yet been changed from Sarai), to be taken into the Pharaoh's harem. The Lord intervened, and Abraham got his wife back (12:10-20).

But still no children by Sarah.

In a vision, the word of the Lord came to Abraham. First, the Lord reassures Abraham then tells him he will be rewarded very well. Protection right now and, later, rewards to come.

Abraham does not respond immediately with awe and gratitude. Rather, he reminds the Lord that the previous promise of descendants had not even begun to be fulfilled.

Can Abraham believe the shield part if he doesn't believe the rest of the promise? Remember, he has moved his family a large distance because he had believed what the Lord had told him.

When Abraham doubts, he expresses those doubts openly and directly.

The word of the Lord comes to Abraham. "Look at the sky and count the stars. There are too many to count. That's how many descendants you are going to have."

We are told that Abraham believed the Lord.

Side points: The commentary to verse 6 in the New Interpreter's Study Bible points out that the word translated as "believe" also means "trust" and that the New Testament authors interpreted this verse in contrasting ways:

The apostle Paul, in his explanation of God's inclusion of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God, later interpreted this verse to mean that faith apart from the works of the Law, is the ultimate basis for salvation. By contrast, the Letter of James interprets this verse to mean that works must accompany faith.

Out from under, a Reflection on Luke 13:33-35

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem," Jesus laments. "How often have I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you wouldn't let me."

Jesus wanted to protect them, and they chose not to let him. They didn't need him. They could take care of themselves.

Certainly we can recognize that impulse.

Looking toward Jerusalem

Part of my Lenten practices this year is once again reading the poems in Kneeling in Jerusalem by Ann Weems. Here's an excerpt from "Looking toward Jerusalem":

The journey to Bethlehem
was much more to my liking.
....

I want to linger here in Bethlehem
in joy and celebration,
knowing once I set my feet
toward Jerusalem,
the Child will grow,
and I will be asked to follow.

....

It's hard to get away
this time of year;
I don't know how I'll manage.
It's not just the time. . .
the conversation along the way
turns from Birth to Death.
I'm not sure I can stand
the stress and pain;
I have enough of those already.
Besides, I've found the lighting
on the road to Jerusalem
is very poor.
This time around, there is no Star. . .

Fair Warning, a Reflection on Luke 13:31-32

Jesus is continuing his journey to Jerusalem. On the way, some Pharisees warn him that Herod wants to kill him. That's the same Herod that when confronted by John the Baptist had him beheaded.

The Pharisees warn him. We are accustomed to thinking of them as enemies of Jesus. Fred Craddock in Preaching through the Christian Year C points out that in Luke's gospel, offers a more favorable description of this group than do the other gospels; e.g., may are open to Jesus (7:36; 11:37; 14:1) even though they do disagree with his interpretation of the law. Another example is the Pharisee, Gamaliel, and Paul, of course (see Acts 4:34; 23:6).

Jesus hears their warning, but stresses to them that despite certain dangers, his work must be done.

Sufficient Salvation, a Reflection on Romans 10:8b-13

"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart," Paul is echoing Moses' words in Deuteronomy 30:11-14. God's word is not far off, difficult to attain; rather, it is near us and accessible to us. After all, God first reached out to us. Our reaching is a response to God's generosity.

We may not be able to see the physical Jesus in the same way that his contemporaries do, but we do know him. Christ is present with us; salvation is here for us.

And, there's enough salvation to go around.

Paul was asserting that Christians did not have to be Jews in order to know the Lord.. "The same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him."

Assurance of God's Shelter, a Reflection on Psalm 91:1-2,9-16

Luke quotes the devil tempting Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple by quoting Psalm 91:11, "for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you, ...."

Then the lectionary chooses this same psalm this week as a response to the reading from Deuteronomy. What are we supposed to do with this juxtaposition? Are we to read this psalm solely as an assurance of God's protection, or, should we read it light of its being used by the tempter?

I am troubled by verses 9 through 13 because I have seen good people suffer, have evil befall them, dash their feet against a stone (actual as well as metaphorically.) So what do I do with these assurances?

I'm not going to join Job's friends in as assertion that anybody who suffers must have done or thought something to deserve the pain. That is, reading verse 14, the promise that God makes, "I will deliver those who love me, protect those who know me," should not be read to mean that "Those who aren't delivered and protected deserve not to be."

Yet, I can pray quite honestly the opening verses. I do experience God as a refuge and a fortress. I do trust God.

Here's my compromise (I don't like that word, but I can't come up with the term that better expresses my thoughts): Verse 15 is an assertion that I can agree with. I can depend on God to be present with me whenever I am in trouble. That presence is in itself rescue--I am not suffering alone, and I am not suffering without possibility of salvation.