Wednesday, March 28, 2018

“But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…” (I Corinthians 1:23) 

It may sound strange but I think that  there is something fitting about Easter Sunday and April Fool’s Day falling on the same day, April 1.

I have never been a big fan of practical jokes. I think some of them can be downright mean, funny only to the perpetrator(s), and not to the victim, although the victim is supposed to be a good sport and laugh along with the rest of the bystanders, even if he or she has egg all over his or her face.

But in this case, the very ludicrous idea of a crucified Messiah being raised from the dead in Resurrection means that God gets the last and best laugh on the powers of evil, humankind’s sinfulness and self-sanctimony, and the powers that corrupt and destroy God’s Creation. Jesus was crucified as a criminal, mocked and scorned, nailed to a cross and everyone knows that “cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13). A dead Messiah doesn’t seem much use to anybody. What a funny idea!

Yet our faith asks us to believe that what God did through Jesus on that cross has accomplished a long-held promise that God would address the corruption of  humanity and his Creation through Jesus’ ignoble and humiliating death.

Now on top of all that, God does the impossible and incredible. He raised Jesus from the dead. Whether in the world back then or in our world today, that seems a lot to swallow.  What a funny idea!

Even some Christians struggle with the idea of a physical resurrection. It pushes the boundaries of one’s imagination and one’s knowledge and experience of reality too far. You can’t be serious! Only a fool would ever believe such nonsense. “Foolishness,” so goes the Proverb, “brings joy to those with no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path.” (Proverbs 15:21)

Even so, this sort of "foolishness" – Crucifixion and Resurrection – is God at his ironic and satirical best. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God,” (1 Corinthians 3: 19). In the Cross and the Resurrection God is upsetting the status quo, while the Evil One slips on a banana peel and gets a pie in the face. “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25, NLT)

“Instead,” Paul wrote, “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.” (1 Corinthians 1:27) Look at what God can do with an ugly, wooden cross and a cold, dark tomb. God turns evil tragedy into divine comedy.  God flips an horrendous ending into a new beginning. God turns the tables on the forces of evil who thought they had the last laugh when they crucified Jesus– they aren’t laughing now! The “joke” is on them. “It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NLT)

I place great trust and authority in this radical Story of Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection. If that makes me a fool, well so be it!   I will be in good company come Easter Sunday! 

Dale

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.” (Mark 10:13, NLT)

                Absolute bliss, as far as I am concerned, is holding your five-day old grandson while he sleeps away in your arms. Man, but that feels good!

                We drove to Kitchener to see Declan and his mom and dad on Monday. We picked up Susan’s mother and father on the way so they, too, could see and hold their newest great grandson. We had a marvelous afternoon passing the little tyke among us. He never seemed to mind or protest. We had supper together before we left.

                What joy, what a blessing. We are now four times blessed, in fact. Babies, especially, remind us  that the future can be bright, full of possibility and hope. Their love, joy, laughter, and trust can heal even the most weary and glum person, if given a decent chance.

                I remember, once, when Nicholas and Katie were very small, we went to visit my seriously ill father (heart failure) who was in an intensive care unit in a Kingston hospital. He was all tubed up and looked like hell and probably felt worse. We were all waiting in a waiting area before they were to allow us to go in and see him. One cranky nurse, in her best imitation of disciple-like fashion,  made it clear in no uncertain terms that the children wouldn’t be allowed or welcomed into their grandpa’s room and should be kept quiet. It complicated things but we thought we had no choice but to comply.

                Not long after, another nurse came along and saw us waiting. In fact, I think she may have come out on purpose to find us once she was told that we were there. She was warm and friendly. Then she told us that she had a couple of chores to do and wouldn’t be back into Dad’s room for a bit. What she didn’t know or see wouldn’t matter to her. We quickly scrambled and snuck the children in to see their grandpa. Even in his very sick condition he was thrilled to see the children.  We didn’t stay long, of course, but I don’t think it was a coincidence that Dad began to rally after that visit. He began to get better and eventually made it back home.

                Jesus seems to have an affinity and affection for children. Of course, in his times as it is, sad to say, in our own times, children were among the most vulnerable and powerless within their culture; susceptible to poverty, war, cruelty, abuse, violence, diseases and hard times.  Jesus, at least, seems to have been raised in a close, loving, healthy, welcoming family environment. We believe he had several younger brothers and sisters and so grew up having children around him.

                There is a Gospel story of Jesus inviting a child from the listening crowd to come forward.  Mark tells us that he put his arms around the child and said to the people, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.” (Mark 9: 37)

                 Our children are precious in God’s eyes and therefore we need to love, cherish, nurture, and be blessing to them just as they are a blessing to us.  They need to be encouraged, taught, mentored, comforted when they mess up, and led to know the differences between right and wrong.  I would add that they need to be introduced, at the very least, to Jesus and have an opportunity to decide whether or not to follow him.

                “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

                Hug your children, or your grand-children, or your nieces or your nephews. Love them.  

Dale

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 

“But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.” (Romans 8:25, New Living Bible)

                Dang, waiting is so hard. I am not very good at waiting.

                Right now, we are waiting for our fourth grandson to be born. He is a week overdue, not that he has a calendar to consult to keep him on schedule.  Between the Soble gene for stubbornness  and the Neal gene (from his grandmother’s side) for being late he will come when he is good and ready. But, thankfully, they have begun the process to speed things along. If he is anything like his father he will have forgotten something and need to go back for it!

                But waiting is not one of my strengths.  I am sure that Nate and especially Krista are even more eager for the little one to arrive.

                So sooner would be better than later! But that is up to #4 grandson.

                Waiting is a recurring Biblical theme. It seems to be a virtue among the faithful people of God.

                “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

Even so, it can feel sometimes that God takes his own sweet time about doing what he is going to do. Even the most faithful person can lose patience, show frustration, become anxious, lose hope, and worry about the future. “How long,” says the Psalmist, “will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?” (Psalm 13:1) “How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?” (Psalm 35:17) “O Lord, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever?” (Psalm 89:46) “How long must I wait?” (Psalm 119:  84)

Yoo-hoo, Lord, I am over here. Time’s a-ticking.  I’m still waiting…

I am sure that someone has said to you, anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.  Perhaps, this seems to arise from what Paul is saying in Romans.  My understanding is that Paul is referring specifically to waiting for Jesus to finish what he had started, and once and for all bring about a whole, new Creation from heaven to earth (the Kingdom of God project). Just about all his references to the need for waiting seem to have this in mind.

It is not, I believe, just a passive waiting though, not twiddling our thumbs, checking our watches, sitting idly by and waiting for God.

Jesus tells the story about the need for watchfulness, preparedness, readiness, and being good stewards of the time that is spent in waiting. We continue to be of service for the Master. “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.” (Luke 12:42 -43)

In other words, time is not to be wasted, even  under trying or challenging circumstances – when we are waiting for the future to unwind and take hold and we hope for the better and not the worse.  This is not only true on a sacred cosmic level but even in our own personal times of waiting, enduring, dealing with continuances and extensions of life’s circumstances.

Waiting can be a time for praying, for doing good works, for exercising one’s love and grace towards others, for receiving love and grace from others, for seeking counsel, for careful self-assessment and soul nurturing. Waiting can be even be life-changing as one discovers fresh, creative, imaginative, hidden capacities to stand tall, reach for new life, and find strength to keep it all together.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” (Psalm 62:5) 

Dale

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 

“…the measure you give will be the measure you get…” (Mark 4:24) 

                Well, Lord, here we are – half way through the Lenten season.

                I started out on Ash Wednesday with all sorts of good intentions – to be more intentional when it comes to my spiritual well-being; more honest about myself; more devoted to you; more conscious of my weaknesses and vulnerabilities; less materialistic, less selfish, less judgmental – you know all the stuff which I should and could be working on.

                But baseball spring training has started and you know how much I love baseball.

                We’re waiting on the news of the arrival of our new grandchild and you know how much I love my grandkids.

                I have started another 2000-piece jig saw and you know how much time that takes up.

                It’s another gloomy day and you know that I don’t do well on gloomy days.

                I’ve got some time before Good Friday and Easter. I’ll try to catch up on my Lenten disciplines. I didn’t really promise all that much anyway when I started. How hard could it be?

                Half way through Lent – half measures! If that!

                How easy it becomes to give half measures in the following of Jesus Christ. It is not something which comes naturally. I, like most, really don’t want to pick up my cross of faith and walk with him as far as Jerusalem. I think I’ll wait here and see how it goes.

                Imagine the consequences if Jesus had given up half way; if Jesus had had simply said that he had tried his minimum best and had made his point and it wasn’t his fault if the folk didn’t get his message or his ways. Packed up his sandals and hitched up his robe and went home. Dispersed his disciples back to their fishing nets and tax tables. Thanks boys; maybe next time.

                Half measures don’t cut it! Living up to the least that God expects of me doesn’t measure up.

                There is a Jesus’ story about two people who wanted to become new recruits to the Jesus’ Way. They were very eager at first, “I will follow you wherever you go.” (Luke 9:57) Jesus invited them to follow. But immediately they began to put other priorities first and set conditions and thereby added delays to their followership. Their reasons sound quite, well, reasonable. A funeral of a loved one to attend. Wanting to say good bye to his family and explain what he was doling. Jesus didn’t necessarily refuse them, but he did seize the moment to teach. "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." (Luke 9: 62 The Message)

                Half way through Lent and I am wondering how I am measuring up.

                “Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure; not in your anger, or you will bring me to nothing.” (Jeremiah 10:24)

                Now there is a sobering thought! 

Dale