Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour? [Followed by the Parable of the Good Samaritan] “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbour to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10: 30 – 36, New Living Translation)

                 Our three-year-old grandson, Declan, is the personification of neighbourliness. He thinks nothing about chatting up anyone and everyone whom he encounters. His parents are not far off so it is safe for him to do so.

                He is getting to know his neighbours around their new home. Recently, he decided that he needed to get know the folk across the street. So, he dragged his dad along with him and introduced himself to his neighbour.  He is like that wherever he goes - on walks, shopping, in parks and playgrounds - making friends out of strangers and reaching out to others. It’s not particularly a Soble thing to do as we Sobles tend to be shy introverts and like our privacy. It may come more from my mother’s side as my dad was warm and friendly to all. Perhaps his traits have found a  home in Declan, not to leave out his gregarious Great-grandma Barb and his other grandad, Ellis.

                We have lived in this house for 16 years. We wave at our neighbours but I only know one by name. In fact, I know their dogs' names better than I know their names.

                In a very similar story to Luke’s version in Mark’s Gospel, it is Jesus who cites the two greatest commandments, the second being of equal importance to loving God: love your neighbour as yourself. In Luke's story, the lawyer gets the words right but misses the meaning. The man has religion but not the works of love to go along with his creeds and dogma. He wanted to test Jesus, to see if Jesus was living up to the lawyer’s legal standards and social codes.

                Who is my neighbour? Ha! Got him!

                Everyone knows the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Two highly esteemed, religious elites go out of their way to ignore and pass by a man who has been mugged and lying at the side of the road. But a Samaritan - and let us nor forget Jews looked down on Samaritans and would not associate with them – goes out of his way, not to avoid the man, but to tend to his wounds, put him up in a hospice and pay for his stay. That, too, is the personification of true neighbourliness.

 I doubt that such an idea would even cross the lawyer’s mind. It’s none of my business. Don’t get involved. Let somebody else do it. It’s beneath me. I haven’t got the time. I’m too busy.

 The Epistle of James sums up this type of all-religion-no action sort. “Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”  (James 2:14, The Message Bible)

Love your neighbour as yourself. It means, on the one hand, to get rid of our prejudices, criticisms, judgments, assumptions and biases and, on the other hand, to be pro-active when we are needed and see that our neighbours, near or far, may need some help in some way. It is to be friendly at least, compassionate and caring at most.

It has been so easy to withdraw and seclude ourselves during this endless pandemic. But as life begins to open up, let us open up our neighbourliness to others. Stop. Look. Listen. Then find a way to reach out and become a neighbour to someone else.

“For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom.” (Galatians 5:14, The Message Bible)

And a little child shall lead us. Thanks Declan. Yes, now go and do the same!

Dale

 Wednesday, October 20, 2021

“Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Hebrews 12” 1 -2, The Message Bible)

 

                “Keep On Churnin’ Till the Butter Comes Up”

                That’s the delightful title of a Blues song. Somebody could compile a modern book of Proverbs by just using titles from Blues songs.

    “Keep on churnin' and don't go slow
    Keep on churnin' everybody knows
    You got to keep on churnin'
    Or it just don't mean a thing.”

                Let us reflect on the art or skill of good perseverance. It is the ability to keep on keeping on. It is the refusal to quit. It is the capacity to work through the challenges and problems one encounters. It is the resolve to finish what one has started. It is the desire to do one’s best and give it one’s all. Perseverance is  the determination to strive for the best possible results for the present and the future.

                For believers it is also placing one’s total trust in God. It is the constant and persistent faithfulness to follow Jesus. It is the continual practice of living by the principles and values of Love which include mercy, forgiveness, patience, and self-control. Christian perseverance is the ability to reach for the goal of the upward calling of Christ upon our lives and never, ever, giving up on that goal.

                Perseverance is different than endurance, although, sometimes, enduring is required to be perseverant. But endurance can be a grit-your-teeth survival mode of living. It can be a hunkering down till the storms are over. It can be hiding under the covers for safety. Endurance can be a passive, reluctant resignation. Yes, the one who endures to the end will be saved but I think this adage speaks more to perseverance than mere endurance.

                Christian perseverance  leads us to strive for the holiness that is ours in Christ, we who are called to be his saints. It is a tall order. It can be and usually is challenging and often difficult. If it was all easy it wouldn’t be called perseverance. We need to persevere with confidence and assurance that God is with us.  We need to persevere with hope and joy that God is on our side. We need to persevere using our spiritual gifts and natural talents to make each and every day a better than the last one.

                “But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.” (James 1:25, The Message Bible)

    "Fryin' pan's goin' crazy on the stove

    A blue sky's growin' hazy in the cold

    If I'd quit now it'd surely be a sin
    I got to keep on churnin' till the end begins.

    Keep on churnin' it ain't no lie
    Keep on churnin' till the day we die
    We got to keep on churnin'
    Or it just don't mean a thing."

Dale

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good…” (Luke 18:19, New Living Translation)

                 Lord Dale Rodney Soble – has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

                Don’t laugh; I have the certificate to prove it. I am officially a registered landowner of a plot of land in Scotland. It was a cool, unique birthday gift from Susan. It is a clever way for the Scots to raise money to preserve their conservation areas. I even have pictures of the site from an aerial view. My certificate confers on me all the rights and privileges of a “true” Scottish Lord.

                Mind you, the plot of land is about 5 feet by 5 feet. It isn’t quite big enough for my Scottish castle but I am not allowed to build on it anyway. Nevertheless, I am now Lord of the Manor, but I shall remain ever humble.   

                But it’s hard to be modest. Family legend is that we are descendants of King Alfred on my mother’s side. (In fact, Susan has traced possible genealogy back to Alfred’s mother-in-law.) On my father’s side we have stubborn Prussian pride.  Now I am a Scottish Lord. What more can I say? Why is our 14 year old dog, Charlie, rolling his eyes? I demand a little respect. “Little” is about as much as I will get from him - as long as I feed him.

                Jesus is exemplar in his humility and modesty. He could have grasped for power as the Christ, the Messiah. He could have demanded that people worship him as the new Jewish King. He could have insisted that people lavish their praise, their respect and their adulation over him. He could have commanded obedience and allegiance. But here in our text from Luke, he shies away from even the simple recognition of being “good”. If not Jesus; then who has been or ever will be good?

                Jesus defined leadership and for that matter, goodness, in radically different ways than we might.  “But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” (Matthew 19:30, NLT)

                When the rich young ruler came to Jesus for advice, he wasn’t prepared for the instructions which  Jesus gave him, thinking perhaps that he was rich and powerful and very religious, to boot. Instead, Jesus said to him: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21, NLT) In the parable of the man who proudly built bigger and better barns to store all his wealth, it was meaningless in the mortal end. “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:21, NLT)

                Jesus has taught us that there is no room for superiority for his followers, based on his own model of service and compassion. “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant…” (Matthew 20:26 NLT) So many of Jesus’ parables emphasize servanthood, not elitism, not superiority over others, not pride of position or possessions.

Real  leadership is the warm, moist towel wiping tired, dirty feet. It is not the arrogant voice of the pharisaic, religious know-it-all but it is expressed in the tender voices of those who serve Jesus in soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and the like. Goodness and leadership are not a contradiction of each other but complementary. “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning…” (Luke 12:35, NLT)

                All this makes my little plot of land In Scotland even smaller; puts my lordship into proper perspective. “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.”  (John 12:26, The Message Bible)

                But dang it – Lord Dale Rodney Soble has a nice ring to it! Sigh!

 Dale

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s.” (1 John 4: 16 -18, The Message Bible)

                 A Baptist colleague who writes a semi-regular column for the local weekly newspaper opined in his last week’s, post-election article that we need a God-centred governance. “A God-centred view of everything from economics, the environment and social needs of the day would result in radically different realities than the ones proposed by any of the major political parties.”

                It is a noble sentiment. I don’t disagree with it.

                But it begs the question in my mind whose God should be at the centre of our political systems?

                Never mind, for the moment, the atheists, agnostics and secularists who don’t want any god of any sorts anywhere near their institutions. I am asking whose God among all the types of believers, religions and faith groups  should be at the heart and soul of our governments?

                I am pretty sure the Taliban are imposing their version of a God-centred government. No thank you. That’s a god full of cruelty, violence, murder and hatred of one’s enemies.

                Even if we limit ourselves to some sort of Christian version, the question remains.  The very conservative, religious right wing of the church would welcome a God- centred government.  But this version of God seems very narrow-minded, judgmental, punitive and restrictive.  I do not feel very warmly towards such a god as they portray.

                Neither am I totally comfortable with the so-called progressive Christian version of God. This God sometimes comes across as too demure, too passive, too grandfatherly, too ethereal.

                My version?  You probably wouldn’t be happy with that God either. Jesus and I sit around and drink whisky and smoke cigars, chewing the fat and arguing theology and life.

                Scriptures, always the Christian’s sole/soul source for understanding the mind of God are not as helpful as we might think or hope. The God of the Bible is complex, multi-dimensional, multi-faceted, and frankly, sometimes, down-right moody.

                The common denominator in all these varied ideas of God is that they are very human-influenced. It has been said that humankind has created god in our own image and there is truth in that.

                But that doesn’t mean we give up on the question what it means to have a God-centred governance.

                God is love. This is a very poignant, specific, political statement.  Chapters 3  and 4 of the First Letter of John clearly and unambiguously outline the kind of society, culture and political policies of God’s Love which should  and needs to abide in our world. If we respect the truth that God is Love, then “love has run of the house”.

Decisions, policies, actions,  choices, behaviour become centred in the Love of God working in our lives and in our world. None of us would go wrong if we practiced the Love that Jesus Christ embodied.  It would re-define justice, poverty, business ethics, political morality, and confront evil and hatred and prejudice and the like with a clear alternative to all that is contrary and in opposition to that Love.

                But even that depth of Love depends on us, sons of Adam, daughters of Eve, who quickly ruined the Garden of Eden, to embody and articulate and live out that Love each and every day. God can’t do it for us; we must love as we are loved.

                “The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.” (1 John 4:21, The Message)

Dale      

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13: 11, New Living Translation)

             Anybody know what a ‘dotage’ is?

As I turn 70 years old on Friday, if I am entering my dotage (all cash gifts gratefully accepted), I don’t like the sounds of it according to dictionary definitions, I found phrases like “the period of life in which a person is old and weak,” “senile decay,” “decline of mental poise and alertness,” “mental infirmity,” “foolish infatuations.” Let’s just call it a “second childhood” and leave it at that.

Dotage comes from the old English word to dote. Now that word I like – to love dearly, be devoted to, idolize, treasure, lavish affection on, think highly of…   Take note, O children of mine!

Senile decay – sheesh!

Now, where was I going with this? Oh, yeah…

Maturity is very much a part of growing up and getting older. It should mean gaining wisdom from constant practice, knowledge from experience, understanding from gained insights. With maturity comes a deeper appreciation for life, a deeper spirit of patience and grace and a sense of humour about the vagaries of life. Maturity is to celebrate the things we can do and not be overwhelmed by the things we can’t do.

Maturity isn’t being stubborn about the past nor being nostalgic for some mythical “good old days”. It is not complaining about the world and its ways. It is not about shooing people off our lawns, symbolically speaking. Maturity is not some cranky, grumpy, irritable view of the present nor the future.

Maturity should show in our spiritual affairs and living. A Sunday School faith was a very good beginning when we were children but as maturing adults we should be growing up in our Biblical knowledge, finding new depths in our spiritual awareness and broadening our spiritual horizons. “Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.” (1 Corinthians 14: 20, NLT)

Paul’s hope is “that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NLT) We don’t stop growing, processing, maturing just because we hit some certain age. Living up to the standard of Christ is a life-long journey.

 Paul notes in Philippians “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3: 12 – 14, NLT)

So, as I turn 70, I will press on to continue to grow up, to mature, to increase in wisdom and good character, to discover God in all aspects of life and show Christ in all that I say or do. It is a lofty and sometimes hard goal.

“Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11, NLT)

Senile decay – sheesh!

 Dale

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

“Jesus said, ‘For a brief time still, the light is among you. Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn’t destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don’t know where you’re going. As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You’ll be children of light.’” (John 12: 35 36, The Message Bible)

                Welcome, autumn!

                Today is the first day of the autumn season. The Fall has generally been my favourite season of the year. Crisp, cooler air after a hot summer. The dazzling colours of autumn leaves. The tart crunch of a fresh-picked apple. Thanksgiving weekend. Even my birthday. What’s not to like?

                But as I get older, as much as I still greatly enjoy this time of year, there is one thing about the Fall that bothers me. The days get shorter; the nights get longer. We are losing daylight faster and sooner each and every day. Of course, there is not anything you or I can do about this natural progression but the reduction of light can make me anxious. Not to mention, of course, that it is all a precursor to winter. But it is the persistent loss of light that makes me a little sad and regretful.

                I can remember times when we were at a cottage in the summer. I would wake up in the middle of the night and it was pitch dark, no light, no sound. It was as dark with my eyes open as it was when they were shut. It actually triggered a little of my claustrophobia. Am I too old for a night light?

                The Psalms often express the worry and fear of  being in the dark. “When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted.” (Psalm 77:2, New Living Translation) Darkness can be filled with spiritual shadows, anxiety, pain, distress and more. The world might look more scary and life more treacherous in the dark. Threats seem larger. Problems seem more insurmountable. Difficulties seem unsolvable. “Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.” (Psalm 22: 2, NLT)

                But it also needs to be pointed that the Psalms express great hope and confidence when the darkness seems so strong. “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NLT) God has not abandoned us. “Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:17, NLT) We are never alone no matter how dark, bleak, gloomy or shadowy it may seem. Even Psalm  77 (quoted above) which starts out full of anxiety and loneliness in the night turns his voice to words of confidence and assurance, “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts.  I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?” (Psalm 77: 11 – 13, NLT)             

“Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.” (Psalm 91:5, NLT)

Jesus, who embodied Light, challenges us to walk in the Light, specifically his Light. The axiom that it is better to light a single candle than curse the darkness may not be in the Bible but it could be. And when that Light is the Love of Christ, the Mercy of his Forgiveness, the Compassion of his Comfort, the Hope of his Promises, the world is indeed a much brighter place. Moreover, we are no longer just stumbling about in the dark. We see where we are going. Best of all, we have a Companion to guide and lead us forward through the dark.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1: 5, NLT)

May you and I always shine because of his Light.

 

Dale

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

“Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.” (Matthew 5: 22, The Message Bible)

                 C’mon Jesus. You’re killing me here.

                How else am I to describe and deal with those folk who are protesting against masks and vaccines, especially outside hospitals, if I can’t use words like idiots, fools, jackasses, stupid, thoughtless, careless, selfish, etc.? You know that I don’t suffer fools gladly – these folk and their ignorance are driving me crazy.

                “The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.” (Proverbs 10:8, New Living Translation) Words to live by! “The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.” (Proverbs 10:21, NLT) Gotta love that book of Proverbs!

                Jesus, you called some of your opponents “snakes and vipers” so please cut me some slack if I call these bunch of dumb-dumbs for what they are: complete idiots.

                No, eh?

                Sticks and stones, I suppose.

                Jesus could be tough on some of his opponents but he also understood the power of thoughtless and careless words. The wrong sorts of words can become barriers instead of bridges. Hurtful words break down rather than build up. Mean-spirited words tear apart rather than mend. Cruel words leave scars rather than soothe.  I know this to be true even though I have always been too quick-tempered, sarcastic and impatient when dealing with those who resisted my leadership. Anger has always been just around the corner.

                Words are too often used in retaliation when they should be used in Love, Grace, Forgiveness and Compassion, some of the key traits of being a “fool for Christ.” Be gracious even if the face of opposition, name-calling, slander and the like. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Don’t become the persecutor!

                Jesus’ words are very clear. There is no ambiguity.

                Paul, of course echoes Jesus. “Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.” (Romans 14:13 – 14, The Message Bible)

                Our ill-conceived words can become a stumbling block, a toxic way to contaminate our relationships with family and friends or the Body of Crist, the church. Hold our tongues. You know the old saying, “Better to be thought a fool and then speak and remove all doubt.”

                “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’” (Romans 15: 2, The Message)

                Not “You fool!” but “How can I help?”

                I’ll do my best, Lord - give me strength.

 

Dale