Category: Meditations

Meditation 271

Luke 24: 36b-48

This story of the resurrection of Jesus happens in Jerusalem. Earlier in chapter 24 of Luke Jesus had appeared to two followers of Jesus as they were walking on the road to Emmaus. When these two realized that they had seen Jesus they returned to Jerusalem where they found “the eleven and their companions” (Luke 24: 33), which is to say the remaining eleven of the chosen disciples and other followers of Jesus. These people in Jerusalem were talking about how Jesus had appeared to Simon, and now the two from the Emmaus Road were saying that they too had seen Jesus, and while they were talking, Jesus appeared among them.

I think that it is significant that Jesus appears to the people who love him in the midst of their lives. There is no drama and disturbance in nature to announce his presence, he does not appear at the temple or even at one of the synagogues. He appears to two on the Emmaus Road as they are walking and talking to one another, and he appears to others in Jerusalem right where they are gathered. And so it is for us, Jesus is in he midst of our living. We do set time apart for God in our lives when we attend public worship, and when we go to a quiet place to pray, but these are not he only places that Jesus is with us. Jesus is our friend who is with us day by day, and the most genuine way we share Jesus with others is by being their friend.

An American pastor Brian McLaren has this to say about friendship “Christian mission begins with friendship—not utilitarian friendship, the religious version of network marketing—but genuine friendship, friendship that translates love for neighbors in general into knowing, appreciating, liking, and enjoying this or that neighbor in particular. . . .” Brian goes on to tell how he became friends with a local Imam. It was just after Sept 11, 2001. There was a message given to his heart while praying, he says “I felt a voice speaking, as it were, in my chest: Your Muslim neighbors are in danger of reprisals. You must try to protect them”. He wrote letters of friendship to leave at the three mosques in his neighbourhood. At the first two there was no one present, so he simply left the letter he had written, and went on to the next. At the third mosque the imam was there, and Brian in a somewhat self conscious way handed the letter to the imam. “I then handed him my letter, which he opened and read as I stood there awkwardly. I remember the imam, a man short in stature, slowly looking down at the letter in the bright September sun, then up into my face, then down, then up, and each time he looked up, his eyes were more moist. Suddenly, he threw his arms around me—a perfect stranger. . . . I still remember the feeling of his head pressed against my chest, squeezing me as if I were his long-lost brother. . . .” (All quotes from Richard Rohr Daily Meditation. April 15, 2021. Center for Action and Contemplation)

Jesus comes to us in the midst of our lives as our holy friend. He loves us and cares about our day to day living, and Jesus invites us to share the grace he gives us with those we meet. The act of friendship is a good way to start.

Meditation 270

Luke 24: 36b-48

The moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Rev Amanda Currie, wrote an Easter letter to bring both challenge and comfort to believers. She reflected on the experience of the women who found Jesus’ tomb empty as the story is told in Mark’s gospel. Quoting D. Cameron Murchison, she writes “that dealing with death is complex. While grief is in the forefront, “other, less mentionable feelings swirl through the experience as well—relief, to name one. For the things that lead to death frequently place heavy burdens on those who only stand and wait… As deeply as grief may go, certain gains accompany the loss that death brings. Though we are generally disinclined to publicize it, we are often relieved as well as grieved when death comes.” *

Those early followers of Jesus who were expecting to perform one last act of love and friendship as they anointed his dead body may also have been thinking that now that Jesus was no longer with them that the danger would dissipate. They may have been thinking that now the expectations that Jesus had that they feed the hungry, give to the poor, allow the last to be first, and take up their crosses, might be lifted. Murchison writes that perhaps, “They had approached the tomb with a reverent grief, masking a deep relief that they were no longer burdened with the challenge of costly discipleship. They had begun to see the gain in the loss, only to be upended by the announcement: ‘He is not here…he is going ahead of you to Galilee.’” *

The women are to learn that not only is Jesus alive, but so are the expectations of being a disciple of Jesus. The followers of Jesus would have opportunities to meet the risen Jesus after Easter morning, as he appeared to them and gave messages of peace and of being sent to do his work.

As Ted Dodd wrote

“Christ who said, ‘Peace be with you.’

Grant us stillness of spirit.

Jesus who said, ‘As I was sent, so send I you.’

Send us out in compassion, courage and justice making.

Holy One who said, ‘Do not doubt but believe.’

May we be your hands and feet in this weary world. (DIAKONIA monthly prayer, April 2021)

 

Like the women who were at Jesus’ tomb on the first Easer morning, we may be hoping for a reprieve. We may be a bit thankful for events and meetings that have been cancelled as we handle the challenge and grief of pandemic living. Into all of this the resurrected Jesus comes to us and clothes us with power from on high. We may be the hands and feet of Jesus in our weary world, and there are times that Jesus will send others to be his hands and feet to us.

*Quotations are from “Easter Message from the Moderator” written by Rev. Amanda Curry in which she quotes avid L. Barrett and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds., Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Volume 2, (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), pages 252 and 254.

 

Meditation 269

1 John 3: 1-7

This passage opens with comforting words, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God.” What better thing is there than to be a child of God? To be sure that God’s everlasting arms are holding you, to be confident that God will lead you each day. This promise has been in place for those who are loved by God for all time, including our time.

1 John was written to a community of faith that had been torn apart by false teaching. It may have been that those who left the community of faith had suggested that those who remained were not true believers, that somehow they were not protected by God’s love. It would be heart breaking enough to have a rent in the fabric of the church community, and then to have one’s faith questioned would be a further heart break. Into this sadness the writer of 1 John lovingly reminds the people that they are called children of God. The world, those outside the faith community, will not recognize children of God as such, because they cannot. Those who do not know God are not able to recognize the characteristics of the children of God.

This passage goes on to say that when God is revealed that we will be like God and that no one who abides in God sins. There is a transformation of the one who trusts in God. God’s love makes us into more than we are able to be on our own. The reality of life shows us that while we may always count on God’s love for us and God’s presence in our lives, we are not able to perfectly live that out. In spite of that we are able to show God’s righteousness when we do good things. When we are in the midst of human need we are enabled by God to do good things.

One way of thinking of how God’s love transforms us is to think of God as our friend, as Dana L. Robert reminds us in her book, Faithful Friendships: Embracing Diversity in Christian Community. She tells of how friendship with God is shown in both our personal lives and our lives in community. A stirring example she gives of one whose friendship with Jesus was displayed was the Reverend Dr. Margaret Moshoeshoe Montjane was an Anglican chaplain at the huge Baragwanath Hospital in the South African township of Soweto. Margaret was at the hospital when Chris Hani, leader of the South African Communist Party was assassinated in 1993. Riots sprung up throughout South Africa, and Nelson Mandela was barely able to keep a lid on the country. Angry young men surged into the Baragwanath Hospital with their wounded friends. “Margaret used all her authority to avert rioting in the hospital, ordering the rioters to sit down and treat the hospital with respect. When [she was asked how she was coping] She answered, “Without Jesus, I couldn’t get through the day.”. . . [Her friendship with Jesus helped her support the community through crisis.]” (Richard Rohr Meditation: A Friendship With Jesus. Center for Action and Contemplation)

Meditation 268

Acts 3; 12-19

The book of Acts is an invitation to trust that Jesus is the one who fulfils God’s promises to save and redeem people, that Jesus is the promised Messiah and that the resurrection of Jesus is the ground for our hope. Acts invites us to live this hopeful life, but it does not explain why or how any of these things came to be.  “Acts offers no fancy atonement theories or trite spiritual laws that will satisfy people who prefer a theology that explains.” (Matt Skinner. Working Preacher) When people stand up in Acts to give a talk, they are in essence inviting the hearer to the journey similar to that of the earliest Christ followers, they are extending an invitation to embrace Jesus, follow his movement, tell others, pay attention to what happens next, consult scriptures in order to keep God’s promises close to you, be open to the Spirit and trust God to enlarge your understanding of the alternative society that God is creating. And at all times always remember that this is all founded on Jesus.

This address of Peter’s in Acts 3, is given at the temple after a disabled beggar had been healed by God. The crowd was quick to praise Peter and John for this miracle, and Peter immediately stands up and gives the praise to God for the healing that has happened, and for the way that this man who had been lame from birth is not able to walk and leap and praise God. This unnamed man who had been unable to support himself, who suffered the indignity of begging, was now completely resorted in body and spirit. As he leapt and praised God, Peter ensured that those who had witnessed the miracle knew that it was the work of God not the work of the God followers.

As Peter goes on in his talk, he reminds the people of Jerusalem that they had been the ones responsible for the death of Jesus, but Peter says “you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.  In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.  Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.” Peter is living out what Jesus had taught, that it is always a time to repent. Repentance is practised in our personal lives, and also in our societal lives, as we trust in God to help us live like those who have been made in God’s image. Repentance is much easier to say than it is to live, and so we need God’s help and strength to live our repentance, and we need much prayer.

This week I received a prayer that both recognizes the hope of the resurrection and prays for us to be able to live as repentant people and societies. The prayer came in an email from DIAKONIA, which is a world-wide organization of those who are called to ministries of service, or diaconal ministries. The email I received included a prayer for the times in which we live. Ted Dodd, a Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada, wrote a prayer with an introduction in which he said

“Easter this year falls on April 4, for those of us who use the Gregorian calendar. After more than a year of pandemic, teamed with the sorrows and suffering of racism, on-going gender based violence, persistent environmental apathy and a myriad of other ills and injuries, we are ready for resurrection. May the Easter appearance stories offer us hope.                                                                                            You, Resurrection God, roll away the stones of injustice and inequality.                                                      You, Risen Christ, empty tombs of grief and loss.                                                                                              You, Lord of the Dance, want us to be your Easter people.                                                                             May we recognize your renewing presence in our work, our lives, and our loves.

Meditation 267

Psalm 4

In this psalm the psalmist seems to be having an internal conversation in which he is pouring out his distress to God, giving snappy retorts to those who harass him, and reminding himself of the goodness of God. It seems that he has been tormented for following the one true God and that he is pouring out his distress to God. At the same time he is also venting against those people who do not believe that the God of the covenant is superior to the gods of the land where the psalmist is living. In the day this psalm was written there were fertility gods of the land that had been worshiped for generations.  They were to be appeased by offering sacrifices, if the gods were happy there would be a good harvest, if the gods were vexed then there could be famine and drought. The psalmist knows that God is not fickle in this way.

As the psalmist begins his questioning he knows that God has given him room. (verse1) “The Psalmist is acknowledging the Lord’s willingness not to micromanage, to give him room to question, to let him work out the insecurities surrounding his belief.” (Shaunna Hannon. Working Preacher) Out of the depths of worry and confusion the psalmist is confident that he can talk to God, that God who is faithful will hear his prayer, that God is truthful and that God will put gladness in his heart. The psalmist is confident that he may bring his questions to God, he is also confident that when other people disrespect him for following God, that he will have a good answer to all of their doubts and taunts.

The psalmist begins by saying that he is in distress. We have all known what that is like, whether our distress if from grief, from disappointment or from the way others can frustrate us. We have been where the psalmist is at the beginning of Psalm 4. As the Psalmist voices his distress, he remembers by the time he gets to verse 3 that “the Lord has set apart he faithful” and “the Lord hears when I call.” By the time we get to verse 7 the psalmist knows that the Lord will put more gladness in his heart than when the grain and wine abound. The psalmist lived in an agricultural society and an abundant harvest would be a time of great rejoicing. Even the great rejoicing of an abundant harvest pales beside the light of the Lord’s face.

It seems that the psalmist is being pushed to give an account of why he believes in God, why he worships God rather than gods and when he is pushed for an answer it is the character of God and God’s past actions that give the psalmist content for an answer. There are times the psalmist is full of questions, but when he lies down and calls to mind all that God had done, he is able to sleep in peace. We can take the psalmist as an example. Our questions and frustrations can be brought to God who will give us room to pace and question and rant if needed. If there are those who question our faith stance, what will the answers be that we give? I know of some women in congregations where I have served who have been the ones in their family who have been faithful in worshiping God. Their siblings upon reaching adulthood left this part of their lives behind, and would suggest that the faithful one would think of herself as better than they. Such comments can be hurtful taunts. Usually the answer is a gentle statement of what she finds in worship rather than giving as good as have been given. Knowing God well allowed these women to give an answer to those who were disrespectful. When the light of the Lord’s face shines on us, we are able to reflect that light.

Meditation 266

John 20: 19-31

On the day that Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked house, he was appearing to those who were likely in the depths of despair. These disciples had put their trust in Jesus, they had experienced hope because of him, and now it seemed that Jesus was gone, and all they had were the memories of the things he had said and done, and then, Jesus came and stood among them. Jesus’s first words were “Peace be with you’ and after that he gave them proof of who he was by showing his hands and his side. When the disciples knew that Jesus was there in the house with them, they rejoiced. Jesus again said “Peace be with you”, he then gave them both a gift and a commission. Jesus said ‘as the Father has sent me, so I send you’, he gave the gift of the Holy Spirit and he told the disciples that they had the ability to forgive sins. Jesus, the chosen one, the one who brought the disciples and others gospel truth, was alive and the disciples rejoiced.

When the disciples were focused on their own worry and their inability to make reality better, they were afraid and gathered behind a locked door. When the risen Jesus appeared to them, they rejoiced. This is a huge shift in point of view. They were probably so overcome with grief at the death of Jesus that they were not able to do anything. They were locked away and grieving together. Imagine how you feel at your saddest, that is how the disciples felt, but after the recognized the risen Jesus, they rejoiced. In less time than it takes to say, the disciples went from the depths of despair to the heights of joy. Jesus now stood among them and said words of peace and of commissioning and he gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. This was probably the most amazing day of their lives. They probably felt remade.

The disciples who had seen Jesus on this occasion were now to go and share the gospel as Jesus had. At first thought we may think that this meant that the disciples were to heal the sick, to preach to the outcast and to stand up for truth to the powers that be, and they did. One of the first ways they showed the love of Jesus was to Thomas who had not been with them when Jesus appeared. Thomas was as devastated as the other disciples but he did not see Jesus as his colleagues had. Thomas told the others that he needed proof to believe what they were telling him. The disciples seem to make a place for Thomas and his questions in the group. It seems that Thomas was with the group when they told him of the appearance of Jesus, and then there was another time (a week later) when Thomas was with the group, and Jesus appeared again. There was a place for Thomas and his questions with those who were confident of the resurrection.

There are many questions that are before the people of God today. We have questions about theology and practice of faith. We have questions about how to care for the earth, how to use language to make people feel included, how to be welcoming of those of all races, how to include those of the LGTBQ community in congregations, and how to continue to be relevant in a rapidly changing world. One lesson we can take from those early disciples is to nurture those with questions, to keep them in the community until they, like Thomas, have their experience of seeing the risen Jesus.

Meditation 265

John 20: 19-31

“We pray for those locked in by hurt, and loneliness and grief.

We pray for those locked in by addiction, and hunger, and poverty.

We pray that we, inspired by Your Good News this Easter Day,

may bring our practical care and help to those who call out,

and to those who are silent,

and in our lived-out faith and love, show no partiality

as we bring what hope we can to those in need.”

(Part of the Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession. Sunday April 4^th. Church of Scotland)

This passage in John 20: 19-31 begins by telling us that “the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear” The disciples were confined as much because of their fear as they were behind a door. This experience of feeling locked in is one that most people feel at one time or another. As the prayer above intimates, we can be confined by our feelings, by an addiction or hardship and insufficiency. An emotional restriction is as real as a physical one.

On the first day of the week, after the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were locked away because they were afraid to go out into a community where Jesus had been crucified. They were overlooking people like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They were forgetting that Jesus had promised “that the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do” (John 14:12). The followers of Jesus who were gathered in that locked house, were more focused on their fear than anything else. We are told the disciples were gathered together. Were these disciples the original twelve minus Thomas and Judas, or did this group include other disciples whose names we may not know? There were probably others who were disciples of Jesus who were not locked in that house, but for the sake of the story we are looking at these ones who were controlled by fear.

The experience of being locked down is one that is familiar to us as we cope with pandemic conditions. There are those who are staying home because they are afraid to go out. The strength of COVID 19 is a threat to wellbeing, and we can feel at a loss. This does not have to be our entire reality any more than fear had to be the entire reality for the disciples. In the case of the disciples Jesus came to be among them and interacted with them. Jesus reached to the disciples and overcame their fear. What about us with our fears and limitations in the twenty-first century?

The prayer that I quoted in the beginning of this meditation was offered and can continue to be offered in confidence that God hears prayers and that God cares to meet us in prayer. We believe that we meet God in prayer, and so we reach out to God using words, or trusting the Spirit to bring our longings to forward, or both. We trust that in prayer we are encountering God who has the same message for us as Jesus had for the disciples “Peace be with you.”

 

 

Meditation 264

1 John 1:1-2:2

The letter we call 1 John was written to a group of Christians to keep them from being led a stray by false teaching. From the themes that are covered in this letter is seems that the community that is being addressed is familiar with the gospel of John. In the prologue of 1 John, which is 1 John 1:1-4, we read of the Word that was with God from the beginning. This word was revealed to the writer(s) of 1 John, and so this truth is being shared, so that the hearers of the letter might have fellowship with the author.

At first reading it could seem that this is an easy calling to faith, we are being invited to fellowship. This is a word that conjures up social gatherings where we usually enjoy food, and always enjoy one another’s company. Fellowship may seem be the easiest of the spiritual disciplines to follow. Unlike prayer it does not require that we set time aside from the usual round of activities, it is not a denial of desire like fasting is, it is not as confusing as the reading of scripture can be, fellowship is not hard to practise. This would be true if fellowship was simply the gathering of like minded people. Fellowship in reality “is a call to embody the love of God made known in Jesus Christ.” (Elizabeth Johnson. Working Preacher)

One of the themes that comes up in 1 John 1:2 is eternal life (cf John 3). The writer of 1 John is declaring what has been made known concerning eternal life so that fellowship is made possible with the congregation of people being addressed. This fellowship is first with God, and them with other believers (1 John 1:3) the word translated fellowship is koinonia, which is a transliteration of a Greek word. Koinonia is joint participation in an event or experience, a holy, covenantal fellowship. Fellowship is much more than simply a gathering of like minded people, it is  a call to embody the love of God, which has been made known in Jesus and by which we are forgiven.

Fellowship is more than a warm cozy feeling. Fellowship is what motivates congregations of Jesus’ followers to have compassion on those who are repeatedly tactless, it is what helps us to live up to what we said we would do, it is what enables us to love one another as Jesus loves us.  Fellowship is, as much as it is possible, being the face of Jesus to another. Fellowship is the embodiment of the love of God made known in Jesus Christ.

Meditation 263

Acts 4: 32-35

“What does the resurrection of Jesus make possible?” is a question that preachers are invited to bring forward for consideration. This passage in Acts has a concrete description of how the resurrection of Jesus impacted the lives of the early believers in Jerusalem.

The first thing that grabs my attention in this story is the sharing of possessions. We may wonder how it would be if, in our congregation where we worship and fellowship, all things were held in common. We can get caught up in the logistics of such a lifestyle. We can point out that we support a system of government that does provide for people, and then move on the argument that believers should not rely on secular agencies to do God’s work, to which someone will reply that all of the world is God’s and people operate within God’s plan…… I am confident that this story was not shared to give believers another point of debate, but to encourage us to live like those who know the power of the resurrection of Jesus.

One thing I learned this week is that the community described in Acts 4 is the ideal to which Greek philosophy and politics was pointing. In the Christian community in Jerusalem there was a lived out spirit of co-operation and interdependent identity. The ancient Greeks had hoped that one day such a community would be created by their mighty emperors and wise philosophers. To this hope in human planning the writer of Acts says, “Look at the believers.” In the Christian community in Jerusalem, we see a just and caring society made possible by the Spirit, which has given life to people in the name of Jesus. A group of people, which includes both the mighty and the weak, has turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).  In the early church described in Acts the whole group were of one heart and soul. It would seem that all of the believers were united by the Spirt poured out upon them, so that they could share in the ministry of giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Each contributed as he or she was able, and each one was a part of the whole group.

There are stories shared, some from real experience and some written as we would like them to be, in which a person who shares the love of Jesus is able to help another make a significant change. A hopeless person has hope, a cynic becomes an optimist, a street person learns to budget, and so on. My experience has been that being part of a group that is “of one heart and soul” means that some both in the group, and outside of it, will always need to be encouraged. Being of one heart and soul is an ongoing process. Those of us who know the life changing presence of the Spirit know that there are always ways to share that presence, and that we are the means whereby God touches others. Unlike the Greek philosophers and rulers described above; we do not take credit for a community which is “of one heart and soul” but we may be part of the way that God brings such a thing about. This is part of what the resurrection of Jesus makes possible.

Meditation 262

Psalm 133

Psalm 133 is one of the psalms of ascents that would be sung as the people of God made their way to the temple. It is believed that these songs were sung as the faithful made their way to Jerusalem to celebrate a number of annual religious festivals including including Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

As the people processed to the temple they sang of the goodness of God, which had been known to the earth since the time of creation. The people singing Psalm 133 say that it is good and pleasant when kindred live in unity. This word “good” (tob) is the same word that God used in the process of creation when God saw that the things of creation were good. Harmony between people is as good as God’s work of creation. God was pleased with creation, but one thing was not right. God saw that it was not good (lo’ tob) for the human to be alone. God determined to make for the man a helper as his partner. It was part of God’s plan that people live in community and harmony.

There are two metaphors that are used in Psalm 133 to describe how pleasant and how good harmony between people is. The first is the oil that is used in anointing. Olive oil was an important commodity in the ancient near east. The olive oil was mixed with spices and used for skin care and hair care. It was poured on the head and flowed down abundantly. The use of oil was part of the act of hospitality when greeting guests, their feet were washed with water and on their heads was poured oil to refresh. Oil was also used as a sing of consecration in holy ceremonies. The psalm specifically mentions the anointing of Aaron, Moses’ brother. Aaron was chosen by God to be High Priest and Moses anointed him in the presence of the people as a sign of God’s choosing. The oil was used extravagantly and poured down Aaron’s head running into his beard. When God gives good things, they are given in abundance.

Another symbol of refreshing life was water. In Palestine there was little rainfall between April and October, so the dew that fell each night was treasured. I can remember the dew on the grass in the mornings when I would go outside in the early miring when I was a child. It was often heavy enough to get my sneakers wet. I didn’t think of dew as essential; it was just a part of the way things were. Had I lived in a place where deep wells were not easily found, I would have been taught how to collect that dew, to give abundance to living. The psalmist knew that dew was a treasured gift from God, a blessing that was lived out when people dwell in unity.

Today is the first day after Easter. We have just celebrated the resurrection of Christ and his triumph over sin and death. We are Easter people, and as such we are invited to live lives of hope and joy in the strength of Christ who invites us to live in unity. Christ invites us to live in a way that is seen as good in God’s eyes. How can you live in harmony today? In what ways can you share the abundance from God that can be understood as oil pouring down unto Aaron’s beard, or as the refreshing dew in the Near East?