Day 006: Courage

"And do not be afraid of intimidation when it comes upon you, nor of the attack of the ungodly when it comes at you; for the Lord will be over all your ways, and He will plant your feet firmly, that you may not be shaken."  Proverbs 3:28-29

With today being the celebration of the Epiphany, I can only think that this relates so strongly to the occasion of the magi coming to see Jesus.  They had to go their way through land at night, it seems. Now, I feel scared enough when I have to drive at night and only my headlights are guiding me.  I can't even imagine how terrifying it must have been for these people to be going at night with nothing more than a bright star among many other stars.  It was sheer faith that kept them going in order to bring their gifts to Jesus and then to return to their home land.

But where does this courage come from, for I don't feel it all the time.  Even in this section of Proverbs, the writer tells his reader to remember wisdom at all times.  The magi are considered to be wise men in some translations.  According to the Middle Liddell Ancient Greek Dictionary, magi in ancient times were priests or wise men from Persia who were experts at interpreting dreams.  So it seems that they had such great wisdom that they couldn't care less about intimidation.

Then again, I find myself thinking that there is a consolation, and that's taking the time to listen to God's voice.  God speaks to us constantly by different means, but we need to be receptive to it.  Think about how the radio works: there are many broadcasting towers releasing information in the form of sound all around us, but it is only when we use a device that is tuned to a certain frequency that we can hear what is going on.  With older radios, one has to adjust a dial carefully enough so as not to receive just feedback.

We should approach prayer and meditation and reading in this same way.  I don't know if the magi were Jews, but if they were, they were probably well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures enough to have such encouragement swirling around in their heads when they traveled.  They were, though, probably skilled enough to know when God was speaking to them in dreams, and they probably had the skills to be silent and listen to God.  So, I find that reading the Bible and listening to what God is trying to tell me through my reading is one way of making sure to have wisdom always in my heart.  If I can just tune myself into more and more spiritual frequencies, I'm certain I will be able to experience God in that many ways.

Day 005: Truth Abounds

"God by wisdom founded the earth and prepared the heavens with discernment. With perception the depths were broken up, and the clouds flowed with dew."               Proverbs 3:21-22

I adore reading the Scriptures that are usually bunched up and called "Wisdom Literature" because of the way they make me think.  I can't take anything just for its face value, but at the same time I can't forget the value of the words.

Of course, what comes to mind is the opening of John's Gospel, which states that the Word, or Reason (which is an older meaning of the word logos), was present in the very beginning.  And that then brings about the idea that Jesus has always been around.  Going even further, I can also say that this passage from Proverbs explains that Jesus is Wisdom, Discernment, and Perception.

A few years ago, when I was starting out in my creative writing program at the University of Houston, I learned some major guidelines for writing poetry.  The two that were always passed around were, "Avoid cliches", and, "Avoid abstractions."  Taking these two to mind would help any poet avoid writing a poem that belonged in a Hallmark card (two words that meant that one's writing was not worth reading).  Avoiding abstraction, though, meant to avoid words that encompassed the world in a concept, such as wisdom, discernment, or perception.  Does this sentence really mean anything: "The wisdom of discernment is the beginning of perception"?  I find that each word is just too broad.

However, the best poetry would be whenever we students could find a way to incorporate such great terms into concrete ideas so that we could understand them better.  By wisdom, God founded the earth.  God prepared the heavens with discernment.  With perception God broke up the depths.  In keeping with the words of Proverbs, I can see that the writer is trying to tell me something, that there is wisdom, discernment, and perception all around me.

After reading this, I understand that God has prepared a world for me that will teach me in so many different ways.  Just as nature inspired the Romantic poets and urban life the Beats, there are so many more aspects that can teach me and everyone.  The only thing left to do is to seek it out, to trust in God with all my heart and not exalt my own wisdom (Proverbs 3:5).

Day 004: Peace

"You heard me when I called, O God of my righteousness. You strengthened my heart when I was in distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

"I will both sleep and rest in peace, for you alone, O Lord, cause me to dwell in hope." Psalm 4:2, 9

This psalm made me think a lot about what God's peace is.  Of course, every Sunday we are reminded that this peace surpasses all understanding, but, at the same time, we can still take some time to contemplate it.

Today, at least in American culture, there doesn't seem to be much room for peace.  We are constantly on our way to somewhere, usually in pursuit of  money or in pursuit of a way to show off that money.  We're concerned about the latest health fad, despite what we may say about the pundits who preach them to begin with.  We need to satisfy all our wants.  We strive for more time to focus on our social media presence or our knowledge of current events, regardless of whether they are things reported by Al-Jazeera or TMZ.  This time that we strive for is something we are even willing to sacrifice our presence at church for, let alone our personal devotion to God.

Of course, another way of looking at this lack of space for peace in our lives is by our need to be correct.  We can no longer have civilized discussions.  We don't like to agree to disagree.  We love going to coffee shops with our friends to talk about how another circle of friends is messed up in its thinking.  We love to make fun of other cultures we don't understand.  We also love to get into arguments whenever people we hold dear (if even for just a minute) disagree with us.  We take out words that we'd never use, weapons we'd never have, or armies we'd prayed we never use in order to assert our opinions.

How can we involve peace into our lives?  I mean, if this psalmist can talk about how great it is to dwell in hope in a way that allows her/him to rest in peace, surely there's a way to it.

God's peace has many forms.  As I make my way through reading the Bhagavad Gita, I learn even more about what peace means.  Meditation comes in so many different ways, and even our greatest Judeo-Christian writers write poignantly about how important it is to meditate/pray.  I feel that peace can come to us in many ways that we can incite arguments - there are embers burning that we can decide to kindle.  No one way works for everyone.  For some, the opportunity for peace is the silence in between each petition during the Prayers of the People.  It's the chant against a drone of cantors standing before a triangular, wooden stand.  It's the invocation of an ancient syllable/prayer in the middle of one's room.  It's the sound of a guitar strumming in the darkness illuminated by votive candles arranged in an icon.  It's the reading of a psalm amidst an anthology of rage, anger, love, forgiveness, and everything else in between.

When we take a moment to expand on these opportunities for peace, we submit ourselves to peace, allowing it to come into us and to rule over us, manifesting itself in many different ways: in rest, in hope, in wisdom (Proverbs 2:10-11), and in salvation (John 15:4).

 

 

Day 003: Birthright

"And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." Matthew 3:9

When John speaks, he yells, and his teaching here is one of my all time favorite verses from the Bible.  His words are just as rough and unkempt as his own appearance, but they speak such a strong truth.
In the United States today, there are quite a few things that come from birthright, a few things that people who are born on American soil are entitled to: birth certificate, social security, citizenship the possibility of the presidency.  And this is something that many Americans like to show off.  Sure, it's great to be able to reap these benefits right from the cradle, but it's not something that everybody gets, or, in some instances (the reason I use the word entitlement), some people even deserve.  And if one of you readers think that this is getting gritty, let's take a look at this situation from the Gospel.

In the New Testament times, the Jews still maintained their view that only they who shared a common heritage back to Abraham were going to be saved.  They believed that they were entitled to the grace and mercy of God.  However, to further flaunt this point, they alienated themselves from the outsiders and, seemingly, preached that no matter what, they had Abraham as their ancestor.  I can even see how something like that can pan out today in different conflicts around the world.

And yet, when God sent God's Christ, God prepared all the people with a message of change, and, frankly, it was one that was uncomfortable to stomach: that the Messiah was sent to save all people. John, in the Gospel, tells everybody that, "Our family is growing, and the houses are being built, so get ready."  But who are building the houses?  Just before this verse, John preaches about living fruitfully.  Therefore, John demands for all of us who are in the family to start building the houses for the new members of the family.

So, when I look back at my nation, the United States, I constantly remind myself that it is such a blessing for me to have been born here, so that I may reap the birthright privileges.  But, I must also remember that my family before me fought so much just to get here, and that there are many people who are constantly fighting and struggling in the same way.  I hope and pray that I might be able to provide some sort of support for those who are struggling to become a part of this Great American Family, just as all of us are trying to become a part of the greater Kingdom of God.

Day 002: Communion

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."  Acts 2:1

"Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need."  Acts 2:44-45

The account of the early church shows a business model that was quite successful, with numbers growing in the hundreds and thousands in the first years.  To me, what seems to be at the heart of it all is the communion between one another, sharing the Holy Spirit with one another.

To start, the early Christians, burning with the Spirit, spoke in the different languages of many different cultures of the time, and there were people coming from all over, hearing their languages, feeling the hospitality that comes from a love for God.  In addition to that, as some scholars point out, they divided their possessions among each other out of necessity, since there were many who were coming to them from afar.
This is the embodiment of Jesus' command in John's Gospel, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37)

When I think about how the larger Church today works, I appreciate my own, the Episcopal Church, because of our communion table, which is open to all.  Just as Jesus commanded us to come to Him for fulfillment, we continue that invitation to this very day.  Unfortunately, though, the difference is that we extend this invitation reluctantly.  We only want a certain gender, a certain sexual orientation, a certain color, a certain race, a certain ethnicity, a certain culture, a certain language, a certain doctrine,  a certain credence.  We add terms and conditions to what Jesus explained simply and the apostles executed simply.

I am certain that each and every one of us has some need.  Some needs are material, and others are spiritual, but the important thing to remember is that we all have them and need to respect those of others.  How about making the church a place for those needs to be fulfilled?  How about coming together in the church with one accord?  How about bringing the Holy Spirit to our neighbors without that terms and conditions box?

 

Day 001: God's Transcendent Love

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."  Matthew 1:20-21

This new year, I really like the message that I get from the first chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, for it gives a long explanation for a central truth: that God's love is transcendent.  God's gift, our savior, Jesus, is something that transcends all of our boundaries:
that it is for us regardless of our pasts,
that it is something that might not even make sense for us,
that our social constructs may not permit us to have it,
that it is just weird.

The chapter begins with the ever famous genealogy, with all the "begats" that we just love to make fun of (who even uses that form anymore?).  However, the interesting thing about the list of names is that many of the names are of men and women who were sinners, and even the most despicable, at that!  Kings drove God's people away from God's ways, people who were deceptive.  But, from this complicated family tree came Jesus.
To make matters even thornier, Jesus was conceived before Joseph and Mary were married, which is a taboo even today.  But, God takes care of things.  Sometimes, we like to think that God is far away from us and that we are alone in all of our tests and troubles.  God sent an angel to calm Joseph down, and it worked.  Though things were getting out of hand, God reassured Joseph that things were supposed to go just that way.

And so, as we might like to think that all the torments of the past year are behind us, some that we hope never to have to revisit, we must remember that God has our lives under God's control.  God's love, which is perfect for each one of us, has no boundaries.  We can push it away as much as we want to, but God has an angel waiting to tell us to keep calm.

God Provides

"Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large."
Mark 16:1-4

"Ugh! There's no way I'm going to get through the entrance."
Imagine that: three women are ready to perform a funeral rite of purification, but there's a large stone in the way - three women who were probably told that they were weak; three women who had only one thing to do.
We live our lives every day, going through many different issues.  I'm pretty sure that everybody who reads this has some sort of issue s/he has to face every day.  And, yet, we all get through them.
There are things that are difficult for every other person.  Perhaps my going to the gym every weekday is something that another person would think of as being impossible.  On the other hand, though, I think that getting up at four in the morning to report to work is impossible for me to do.  Dealing with taxes of many clients is something else that I see as impossible for me to deal with, yet one of my best friends does that day in and day out with the greatest joy.
We all have our own issues, and that's the situation here.  A woman's job would have been to anoint a dead body.  A soldier's job would have been to roll the stone in front of the tomb and away from it.  Yet, I'm sure that a soldier would not have known how to deal with anointing a dead body, just as the women would not have known how to deal with the large stone.  Add in the stereotypes - that the men were muscular brutes, and women were delicate homemakers - and these extremes become impossible to overcome.
But, today's Gospel is very clear about what happens: the stone will be rolled away.  God provides us with ways to overcome all of our trials.  This is something we need to believe in all of our tasks.

The women could just as well have chatted in this manner after buying the spices, "I forgot there's a huge stone in the way...let's not go".  But, it is with their dedication to complete their task that they saw the glory of God before them: a miracle of God providing.  For God provides us a way, and sometimes that way is something that we won't perceive until we get to the supposed "impossible stone" of our tasks.