Wednesday, February 23, 2022

“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:14, New Living Translation)

                Do I have a deal for you!

                Susan showed me an ad for a “Holy Water – Touchless Automatic Dispenser.” Apparently, in our hands-off, no-touch, social distancing world we need a way to get our holy water safely and conveniently. No fuss, no muss. “Simply place your fingertips under the dispenser and drops of Holy Water will be dispensed.”  Up to five droplets. All very sanitary and hygienic. It can be mounted on a wall; comes with 4 AA batteries and “lasts months”. By the way, “Holy water is not included.” C’mon people, there are some things you still a need good priest or bishop for. (But I am surprised that no one has thought of adding a coin slot for a little church fund-raising.)

                The custom of sprinkling Holy Water dates back, by some accounts, to the first century A.D. and the apostle Matthew and others point to an early 5^th century document, “Apostolic Constitutions”. But we also know that water has long had significance for purification and atonement rituals in Jewish and other faith traditions, even pre-Christianity. The use of Holy Water in some Christian traditions is a reminder of one’s baptism but can also be received as a blessing and, in some cases, as a sacrament for protection from evil. That’s a lot of pressure for a few drops of water.

                Now some may think that this is superstitious mumbo-jumbo. But I think that if someone finds comfort, assurance, peace, security or blessing in such a simple act, then who are we to quibble? Besides, we Baptists, need more than a few droplets of water to get the job done. We need a whole tank of water or a lake or a swimming pool and then a plunge into the waters, needing a full bath to get ourselves blessed enough. It’s a wonder we don’t throw in a good scrub brush and some lye soap.  Maybe Peter had a point, when after Jesus had begun to wash the disciples’ feet, first objecting, then when Jesus corrected him, he exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” (John 13:9, NLT)

                Jesus is not a Touchless Automatic Dispenser of Holy Water. He is hands on, always one to touch and hold, to hug and embrace and express his Lordship in tangible, physical ways. He did not stand away from lepers, tax-collectors, prostitutes and the like, but broke bread with them, healed many with his touch and thereby closed the distance between God and sinner.

                When the beleaguered Samaritan woman was astounded that Jesus, a Jewish male, was asking her for a drink of water, he said to her, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” (John 4:10) The love of Jesus washes over all in this story, even the most distant outlier, the lost and the forgotten, the unwashed of the world and the so-called unclean and the down and dirty. And oh, yes – you and me!

                There it is – true Holy Water for each and every one of us.

                He stoops to wash us clean with his grace, mercy, forgiveness, and the love of God flows through him and over us. “O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.”

                This is Holy Water at its best!

                “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22, NLT)

Dale

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

“Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.”  (1 John 2: 9 -11, The Message Bible)

                “Hate” is a four-letter word and has been banned from use.

                At least, in the Costa household where my five-year-old grandson, Spencer, resides. In fact, Spencer is the resident rule enforcer and promptly calls one out if the banned word is used. I happened to say, “I hate driving on the Highway 401.” Spencer nudges his mother and tells on me for using the word. I was reading him a story on the weekend and the word “hate” was used in a sentence. He stopped my reading and pointed out my egregious error. I asked what was I supposed to do as it was right there in the text, in black and white.  “Change it”, he said matter-of-factly.

                It has made me think just how effortlessly, casually and frequently we tend to use the word “hate” in many contexts. Katie and Gary, Spencer’s parents, place a very high value on inclusivity, non-judgmentalism and acceptance. Their ban on the word reflects how they see the word being used against others who are different and therefore hated through acts of prejudice, racism, sexism, etc.

                There are many activities we may say we hate: going to the dentist, shovelling snow, getting up in the morning, Brussel sprouts (which I actually like), getting a speeding ticket, having to wait in a line up, and many, many more. Mostly trivial, although irritating. We deal with  these things and they don’t really determine our lives’ well-being.

                But when hatred turns to feelings of constant detesting, deeply ingrained loathing, or continuous abhorring and focusing those hard feelings against others, hatred becomes an impediment to healthy living.

                Right now, hatred has never been more prevalent. We are deeply divided, intolerant, blinkered. We are quick to say we hate politicians, truckers, scientists, doctors, liberals, conservatives, LGTBQ, straights, pro-lifers, free choice-ers, etc. It is mismanaged and misguided hatred that leads to acting out this hatred in opposition to anything or everyone which doesn’t fit yours or my standards. If you and I disagree, will we end up hating each other? “It’s going to be brother killing brother, father killing child, children killing parents. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me.”  (Mark 13: 12 -13, The Message)

                I am not sure how Spencer would like me to handle the word “hate” when it appears in scriptures which it does frequently enough, so as to be noticed. Just check out the Psalms where it is regularly said that God hates evil and those who do evil. Some of the Psalms express a strong hatred for others who do the writers wrong, even wanting revenge or punishment. “Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.” (Psalm 68:1, New Living Translation)

                But we need to be very wise and cautious in our use of the word. Jesus seeks out better alternatives to hatred: “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6: 27, NLT) Paul includes hatred in a list of wrong-sided living: “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.” (Romans 1: 29, NLT) Although there is a somewhat ironical twist in the use of the word later in the epistle: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.” (Romans 12:9, NLT) It is OK to “love justice and hate evil.” (Hebrews 1:9, NLT)

                To follow Jesus, it is best to forego hatred, period. We should be seeking the good in others, not their worst characteristic’s and then hating them because they are different from us. Being different does not make someone evil or bad.  But hatred will always divide us, get in the way of reconciliation, confound peace, disrupt authentic communication, demolish relationships, and befoul the world in which we live.

                Spencer it right. Change the word. And we just might change the narrative, altogether.

 Dale

 Wednesday, February 9, 2022

So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” (Mark 7: 5 -8, New Living Translation)

                “Tradition is a wonderful guide but a terrible taskmaster.”

                I came across this adage a few days ago. It has stuck in my mind ever since. I was sure that some great teacher or philosopher or religious saint had said it or penned it. But my research found no exact rendition. The closest I came was W. Somerset Maugham’s “Tradition is a guide, not a jailor.”  Although I did also find some pithy sayings that allude to much the same thing. E.g. “Tradition is peer pressure from the dead.” A tad harsh, I think.

                Tradition is not necessarily or always a bad thing. As the first saying states, tradition can be a wonderful guide. It maintains and keeps the things that are worth treasuring. It shapes our current wisdom, customs, behaviours, thinking. “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” (G. Mahler) Tradition can be the tried and true. Traditions can keep chaos and disorder at bay. It tells the narrative of the past and how previous generations succeeded and prevailed. We need those stories to inspire us today.

                But when tradition becomes buried and mired in the past and becomes remote from relevance and usefulness, then it deserves criticism and reform. If tradition becomes rote or thoughtless practice, an excuse to ignore the world and its injustices around us, then tradition is of no heavenly value and no earthly good. When we forget the why behind what we are doing and simply engage in friendly routines, ruts and habits simply out of duty, convenience, or stubbornness, perhaps it has become time to re-evaluate our behaviour, practices and observations and stretch our imaginations a little.

                “The human soul can always use a new tradition. Sometimes we require them.” (Pat Conroy)

                I could not help but think of the encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees as I pondered about tradition being a wonderful guide but a terrible taskmaster.

We should remind ourselves that Jesus had affirmed the traditions of the scriptures: “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.”  (Matthew 5: 17 -28, The Message Bible)

                But this is not to say that Jesus was stuck in the old molds of faith. He brought a fresh interpretation, refreshed the relevance of these ancient words and brought new insights and had a lively engagement with the texts that brought the best out of the tradition.

                The Pharisees appear stuck in the rules and rigid interpretation of the rules. They judged, ostracized and condemned others if they did not follow these unyielding, traditional rules and rituals based on the rules (i.e. tradition), although, as Jesus points out, these traditions were mostly human-made and very little to do with God’s world of grace and mercy. Tradition had become a barrier to intimacy with God and his Kingdom.

                We may not think we are tradition-bound but I challenge us to reflect on how we judge others based on skin colour, sexuality, race, religion and see that old stereotypes still have a grip. Think about how automatically we jump to conclusions about situations and judge others based on our upbringing and cultural influences. Consider how comfortable we have become with the status quo rather than rethink our positions and assumptions. Have we become so rigid, so stuck, so unchangeable, so entrenched in the past that we fail to allow the Holy Spirit to knock us off our anchored moorings and point us in the direction of all that Jesus is and can be and wants us to be.

                “But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.” (Romans 7:6, NLT)

                Perhaps, it’s time to start a new tradition.

 

Dale

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23: 4 New King James Version)

                 Are you afraid of your own shadow?

                Shadows can be a foreboding experience. Even sinister or menacing. A shadow on an x-ray can cause fear and anxiety. A shadow in an alley way can seem threatening as to whom is lurking there. A shadow of a brewing storm as it blocks the sun is troublesome. Children see monsters in the shadows of a darkening room at bedtime. Many of us worry at shadows about the things we face and loom in the days ahead.

                The cynical writer of Ecclesiastes wonders: “In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?” (Ecclesiastes 6:12, New Living Translation)

                The last two years and more have been overshadowed by the Covid pandemic. It has affected everything we do or want to do. It has coloured our attitudes, masked our optimism, woven its shadows in every corner of our lives. For many, it has felt like the valley of the shadow of death.  We are exhausted from living with it, tired of hearing about it, and weary of fearing it. But its shadow is not easily being dispersed. “Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.” (Job 8:9, NLT)

                The good news is that we are not alone as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. A new meaning of shadow takes shape in the gloom and darkness. “How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36: 7, NLT)

                The comforting imagery of being under the protective aegis of our God scatters the shadows of threat and peril. “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.” (Psalm 57:1, NLT)

                Respite. Sanctuary. Haven. Peace. All are experienced when we find our security in God and his grace and love.

                Picture a mother bird protecting her fledglings in her nest. Against predators. Against storms. Against starvation. Putting herself at risk. “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (Psalm 91:4, NLT)

                Under the protective shadow of God’s Love we  then see the world in a different light, ironically. “And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.” (Matthew 4: 16, NLT) It has been said, “It is only through shadows that one comes to know the light.” (St. Catherine of Sienna) As we wait under God’s care, we are given the strength, courage, aptitude and spirit to face those threatening shadows because we know that God is with us. God has not forgotten us. God does not leave us in the dark. God does not throw us away into the darkness. God seeks to break through the shadows, “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”  (Luke 1:79, NLT)

                “There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.” (Isaiah 25: 7, NLT)

                Sounds good to me!          

Dale