Saturday, November 30, 2013

Experiencing God - Reliance on God 113

"The Lord sent another message to Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God to give you a sign. ” Ahaz answered, “I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the Lord to the test.”To that Isaiah replied, "Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people - do you have to wear out God's patience too?   Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him "Immanuel." Isaiah

The other weekend, my wife and I visited Quebec city.  One of the interesting events we attended was a cinema production on the history of Quebec, with lots of light and sound effects.  What was unique about this production was that the projection screen was the face of some forty-five grain elevators across the River from the historic area of the city.  As I watched this show, I noted that many of the scenes and their continuity made little sense to me.  I was not familiar with much of the history of the Province of Quebec.  As a result, I had trouble putting the sequence of events in context. 
 
I believe this can happen as well when we read or listen to many of the readings from the Old Testament.  Sometimes as we listen to them, we can scratch our heads and wonder what they were all about.  Unless we know the history surrounding the events, or have some idea of the culture of the day and how the people thought, they can be very confusing.  Let me explain.

 To that Isaiah replied, "Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people - do you have to wear out God's patience too? Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him "Immanuel.'

We have all read or heard the above reading from the prophet Isaiah.  To understand this prophetic proclamation about the birth of Christ, we need to understand the events that surround it. 

Isaiah lived in the seven hundreds BC during the same period of time as Amos, Hosea, and Elijah, other Old Testament prophets.   One of the main differences with Isaiah, however, was that he was from Southern Israel called Judah, probably near the city of Jerusalem.  Isaiah and his disciples had a long period of ministry probably extending over a fifty years. 

Northern Israel and Syria have just formed a coalition to protect themselves against Assyria, a growing threat.  They want Judah, the Southern Kingdom, to join this coalition but Ahaz, the young king at the time, refuses to do so. 

As a result, Northern Israel and Syria attack Judah to force them into the coalition. 

This is when Isaiah steps in to tell Ahaz to stand firm.  By doing so, Judah would be able to withstand Northern Israel's attack.  But Ahaz does not listen.  Ahaz calls on Assyria to help them in their fight against Northern Israel.  Assyria then goes in and obliterates Northern Israel. 

Judah is now at the mercy of Assyria, and has to pay tribute to this more powerful force, including compromising many of its traditional values and laws.  When Judah discontinues paying this tribute, Assyria attacks Judah.

Isaiah predicted this would take place, and warned Ahaz that if he failed to listen to God, Judah would fall to Assyria, and many of their citizens would be deported.  This eventually took place.

So what do we have to learn from all this?

In human terms, Isaiah's advise to Ahaz did not appear to make sense to him.  Isaiah wanted Ahaz to "trust in the Lord", to stand firm and be calm.  But Ahaz did not have the faith to do so.  As a political strategy, Ahaz's appeal to Assyria seemed prudent, but it cost Judah its resources and freedom.  Ahaz may have been humanly prudent, but he was not wise in the ways of the Lord.  His lack of trust in God was not only reflected in his political decisions, but also in his decisions to compromise his own values and laws. 

To Isaiah, Ahaz and his counsellors were worshipping false Gods.  The subsequent defeat of Judah by Assyria was a consequence of this lack of faith and trust in divine providence. The prophetic sign given by Isaiah to Ahaz (which came about some seven hundred years later) went unheard.

In the Gospel of John, we read:  "If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples. You will learn the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:3 1-32).

Foundational to our faith and success is to place our trust and hope in Christ.  He asks us to make His word our home.  Often, it is our perceived cleverness, our human prudence, our need for efficiency, that gets in the way of the greater wisdom that comes from God through prayer, and through our gentle reliance on God's revelation to us as we take the time to explore what is best.   

Friday, November 29, 2013

God Experience - Vocational Call 112

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.  Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.  But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Then the Lord put out his hand, touching my mouth; and the Lord said to me, See, I have put my words in your mouth."
Jeremiah

I get a kick out of signs posted at some of local churches in our area.  There's one on Main Street which reads:  "God does not guarantee you a pleasant flight, only a safe landing."  Readings from scripture seem to confirm this particular expression, especially if we take the time to reflect on the life of the prophets of the Old Testament and what they had to endure.  The prophet Jeremiah is a fine illustration of this. 

There seemed to be a strange kind of love-hate relationship between the Israelite people and their prophets.  Many folk among the "chosen ones" would have been happy to see the prophets silenced as they saw them interfering with their comfortable lifestyle.  Other folk feared the prophets and would not harm them, but neither would they follow their advice for fear of reprisal.  But others heard the concerns that were expressed, and agreed with their message, although not publicly sharing it themselves.

Jeremiah ran into all of these types of people.  He had the most difficulty with those who opposed his message and just wanted him to go away. 

The book of Jeremiah is the longest in the Bible.  It was written during a time of radical change in Israel.  Jeremiah was first called to ministry around 627 BC, a time when Israel's enemy, Assyria, was declining in power, but a more powerful enemy was beginning to make its presence felt.  This was the Babylonians.  Jeremiah's message was not popular because it included the tearing up, the knocking down, the destroying of his country and the withdrawal of the people into foreign hands. 

Jeremiah's message was to interpret the purpose of these tragic events, and to show the meaning for what was to happen so that the people would not only survive but come out renewed and stronger than before.  Jeremiah would have seen these events as God's way of purifying a nation whose structures and institutions had fallen away from God's plan for them.

Jeremiah's calling is reminiscent of any person's calling.  It contained the expressions, experiences, and longings of any vocational call that we would experience today.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you".  Jeremiah experienced his life's vocation as one completely absorbed by God, not only during his lifetime, but even before he was born.  To be known by God is to be united to God in fulfilling His purpose.  To be known by God is to experience being loved, wanted, and called into a personal relationship with Him.  This forges the motivation to be faithful despite the opposition that may be encountered.

"Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth."  Common to any call is an admission of one's unworthiness, one's weakness, but an acknowledgement that the power of Grace is revealed through human weakness and not by human strength and power.  A reliance is placed on the strength that exists beyond "self".

"Do not say, 'I am too young."  Do not be afraid, I am with You."  Like all who are called, Jeremiah admits that he is not fit for the task, but received the reassuring words in his heart that he is not alone.  The willingness and courage to respond is based on a deeply centered relationship of love with the One that we know and trust, the one who will be with us to provide that safe landing.

"See, I have put my words in your mouth".  It's as if the wisdom that is revealed, the message to be conveyed comes from a source other than ourselves.  It is, on one hand, a source of great joy because it comes from an attitude of submission and surrender of the One who loves us abundantly, but it comes with some tribulation as it is a word that people may not always want to hear. 

Within every vocational call there is the element of risk, risk of failure, risk of rejection, risk of being wrong, risk of external loss, but something much stronger than the fear of risk, draws one on.

So these are the circumstances under which Jeremiah finds himself as he responds to his vocational call.  These are the circumstances that we all experience as we hear the Lord calling us.  There is no guarantee of a pleasant flight, only a safe landing.  

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Experiencing God - The Chosen of God 111

"Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  A Canaanite woman came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is ill.  Jesus answered her.  "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before Him.  "Lord help me."  Jesus responded, "Is it fair to take the children's bread and thrown it to the dogs?"  She answered, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.  Jesus answered: "Woman, great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire." And the daughter was healed."
Matthew 15

When I was very young, say ten or eleven, my perception of God was completely different than now.  At that time, I remember having a strong sense that if I did something wrong, then God would punish me in some way.  As well, if I did something good, God would reward me.  God was like the policeman in the sky who watched over and monitored all the activities going on below. 

As one grows up, our perception of God changes.  As you experience more of life and gain a greater understanding of yourself and others, as you enter and interact with people in personal relationships, our perceptions of God evolve.  Marriage and family are certainly major influences in our evolving understanding and perception of God.  Through marriage and family relationships, we grow to understand that someone very close to you will not always think the same way that you do, or do things the same way as yourself.  Often mistakes and hurts are caused on both sides of the relationship that need to be forgiven,  We learn that we often have to let go of certain things that are an impediment to the relationship. 

It is through these life experiences, particularly with close relationships, that we learn that our understanding and perceptions of God and others are never complete.  We are a people under construction.

In the book of Jeremiah, we discover God presented from a different perspective.  No longer do we see a judging God, a distant God, punishing the Israelite people for their disobedience.  We see a God who draws close to a suffering people, a God who wants to be involved directly in a relationship with those who Jeremiah calls "His chosen Ones". We see God filled with compassion and concern for a people who have lost their way, but a God who wants them to come back.   

This is the same God that Jesus presents to us when He says: "For you, my beloved, my body will be broken.  For you, my chosen ones, my blood will be poured out."

Who are these chosen ones?  Who are the beloved?  The Gospel story about the Canaanite woman, a foreigner, makes this quite clear.

The chosen ones, the beloved of God, are those who suffer in some way, who have unfulfilled needs that hold them back from living fully.  The chosen ones, the beloved of God, are the ones who admit their own failures, who acknowledge their own helplessness, and who reach out in love to the One Who is recognized as stronger and wiser than themselves.  The chosen ones, the beloved of God, are the ones who set their pride aside, who let go of their need for control, who recognize their need to repent and change, who begin to see God, not as the policeman in the sky, but as the One who is close, compassionate, forgiving, healing.

This is the God that the Canaanite woman found in Jesus.  And if we search our hearts, this is the God we can find there too.

Experiencing God - Dealing with "in between" times110

"Jesus took Peter, John, and James up a high mountain where he transfigured before them.  Jesus’ face shone like then sun, and his clothes became white as snow. Peter asked Jesus if he could build three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus himself. While he was still speaking a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Matthew 17:1-13

The snow storm on Friday night is a subtle reminder that winter in Nova Scotia is not yet over.  I woke up on Saturday morning to find a huge branch of one of my maple trees lying across the driveway broken off by the winds and freezing rain.  It reminded me that we are still in the month of March, a time when we begin to look for signs of spring, but not yet.  We yearn for longer days, new buds, green grass, and birds singing in the early morning.  But as usual, March continues to fool us into thinking that winter is over. 

March is an "in between" time, as is lent.  I think it is very appropriate that lent falls in March, because it too is an "in between" time.  What I mean by an "in between" time is that it is a time when we are looking for something better, but it is not quite ready to come.

In the book of Genesis, we read about Abraham's heart being stirred by some future promise of something better.  "Look towards heaven, Abraham, and count the stars if you can.  So shall be the number of your descendants".  We read that Abraham believed what the Lord promised him, but when on to ask: "Lord, how am I to know that I shall possess it?  Being told is often not enough.  We want to see some signs of it coming.  We often become impatient with "in between" times of having to wait.

In the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus telling His disciples that He will be handed over to the Jewish authorities where He will be tried and charged with a crime He did not commit, and die of crucifixion.  What are they to make of this?  Then they were also told that if they wanted to be disciples of His, they would have to take up their own cross and follow Him.  If they wanted to save their lives, then they would have to be willing to lose them. 

These statements must have been very confusing to them, and they were probably wondering whether this was not too much to ask, and what could possibly come from it anyway.  So they were caught in those "in between" times of hearing, but not understanding.  They could see Jesus' power and charisma, and wanted to be a part of what He was all about, but how was this be reconciled with what was being asked. 

That's why in "in between" times, times like March and Lent, it is the best time to slow down, and spend some time in quiet reflection and prayer.  Perhaps it is the best time for a retreat, to collect our thoughts, and create a space and time to sort through the confusion.

These "in between" events in the Gospel leads us into the  story about the Transfiguration, a story of a retreat.  Peter, James and John, with Jesus, journey up a mountain to a deserted place to be awakened to a deeper reality. During this retreat, Peter, James and John were to experience, in a very dynamic way, a new realization of who Jesus is.  This retreat was really a milestone, a turning point for them in understanding, not just in their heads, but in their hearts, as to what Jesus was all about. 

Most of us who have had this experience of a renewal of faith during a retreat know how liberating and re-vitalizing it can be.  Although we cannot cling to an experience, the memory of it becomes a source of reflection for all future times.  Peter recalled this time of the Transfiguration as a means to renew his own faith when he wrote:

"It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus.  We had seen his majesty for ourselves.  He was honoured and glorified by God, when the sublime glory itself spoke to Him and said:  This is my Son, the Beloved; He enjoys my favor.  We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven when we were with Him on the Holy Mountain."
2 Peter vs 16-18

Spring is coming.  We know this without question from the years of spring times we've experienced in the past.  And out faith tells us with certainty that it is just around the corner even though the visual signs are not yet present.

And to be sure, the transfigured Jesus, the God of our beliefs is also present with us today as much as He was with Peter, James, and John on that mountain some two thousand years ago.  Jesus makes His presence felt during our own retreat experiences.  We experience being set free, being bound with the other people of faith, as we share our common journey.  And it is our faith and hope in Him that sustains us through dark and confusing "in between" times. 

A retreat is very beneficial during "in between" times.  It doesn't have to be on the top of some high mountain or in some other exotic place.  Jesus resides within us.  It's just a matter of making ourselves available.        

Monday, November 25, 2013

Experiencing God - The Kingdom is at Hand 109

"Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb?  Yet, even if these forget, I will never forget you."
Isaiah

I believe it can be said that Jesus saw the Father as working in all the events of His life.  In all of His human experiences, whether it be a beautiful sunset over Lake Tiberius, sitting down for a meal with friends, receiving the touch of a loved one or rejection from those who did not understand Him, Jesus saw the smiling face of His loving Father. He abandoned His self-will, He abandoned Himself to that inside felt experience and presence of the Father's love.  It was from the intimacy of this exchange of love between Son and Father and Spirit that Jesus joyfully surrendered self-will to follow the will of the Father.  And it was from this surrender of self-will in response to the Father's love that Jesus saw eternal life.

During troubling times, Isaiah tried to bring the Israelite people to this understanding of God.  He speaks to them of the Father:   "Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb?  Yet, even if these forget, I will never forget you."

Jesus recognized this.  Jesus had a felt experience of the Father's love in every aspect of His life.  And it energized Him to imitate the Father in all things.  And from this, He was able to declare:  "Open your eyes; the Kingdom of God is at hand. 

We are a time/space people.  As a result, we often operate under the delusion that the promise of eternal life only has to do with some future event.  If we're good boys and girls, we will be rewarded and gain access to God's heavenly Kingdom after our physical deaths. 

Yet Jesus' promise of eternal life is not just a future event.  It is a "now" event.  It is "now" as we place out trust in His word, and we surrender our wills to the One who loves us more intimately than a mother's love for her new born child.

In the Gospels, Jesus often finds Himself in opposition with the synagogue authorities.  When He healed the crippled man by the pool in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, He was chastised by the Church authorities for breaking one of their rules.  In response to their condemnation, Jesus, whose will was surrendered to the Father, simply said: "I can do nothing by myself, but only what I see the Father doing, and whatever the Father does, I do also."  Jesus' relationship of intimacy with the Father is foreign to the Jewish authorities.  They only see Him as putting Himself on the same level as God, and therefore, they reject His claims. 

Jesus' response to their rejection is summed up in His words:  "I tell you most solemnly, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life; without being brought to judgement, he/she has passed from death to life."  

Do I see the Father working in all the events of my life?  Do I see Jesus working in my family relationships, in nature, in my interactions with others?  Do I experience God's intimate love for me, a love that surpasses any human love?  Does this love energize me to listen to the call of the Holy Spirit, to surrender my self-will so that I may respond to God's will in all of life's situations?  Do Jesus' words hold a special place in my heart and moves me towards the spaciousness and the boundlessness of God?

In the words of Isaiah:
At the favourable time I will answer you.
On the day of salvation, I will help you.
I have formed you and have appointed you as a covenant of the people.
I will restore your land
and assign you the estates that lie waste.
I will say to the prisoners, "Come Out".
And to those who are in darkness, "Show Yourselves".

God is not present in Heaven.  Heaven is where God is present!

Experiencing God - Becoming the New Christ 108

"Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms."
ACTS 3:1-5

I am always amazed at the change we see in Peter as we read about him in the events after Easter and Pentecost.  In the Acts of the Apostles, we see Peter healing the crippled man at the temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate.  Is this not the same Peter that denied Jesus three times after His arrest?  Is this the same Peter that warned Jesus that He must not submit to the elders, chief priests and scribes to undergo great suffering and be killed?  No, the Peter we read about in Acts appears like a whole new person.  He almost appears like a new Christ, or at least a person transformed by Christ.  What has happened to create this change?

Could it be that his eyes have finally been opened to what Jesus was trying to teach him during the preceding three years?  Could it be that he finally became aware, came to a new understanding of the Gospel message that Jesus was teaching?

In the Gospel story about the two disciples returning home to Emmaus after Jesus' death speaks about a similar transformation.  We must remember that these are two of Jesus' very own disciples.  They would have experienced many proofs of Jesus' wisdom and power during the previous three years of public life.  On many occasions, Jesus had tried to prepare them for the shock of His arrest, trial and execution.  He even told them about His resurrection.  Despite all this, these two disciples failed to understand the core of the message.  They failed to see Christ as He truly was during His time with them.  They were so shaken up by the events that unfolded, the dashing of their hopes and plans, that their eyes were closed and their understanding impeded from seeing and experiencing the risen Christ walking with them.  So again, with some patience and divine understanding, the message of salvation was again explained to them, and finally, during the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened to see the Lord.

Life can be very confusing for all of us at times.  We all have our own desires, opinions, expectations, fears, likes, dislikes; and often times these things make it difficult for us to see things clearly and make wise decisions.  Moreover, the attitudes, opinions, and emotional needs of ourselves and others can often affect us in ways which prohibit us from seeing clearly.  This is particularly true during our turbulent times of crisis in the church and religious life.  It seems that we cannot pick up the daily newspaper without adding to the confusion.  Yet, we can never forget that our true purpose is to bring Christ's light to the world, to open the minds and hearts of others.  The world needs to be transformed, like Peter and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  The eyes of the world need to be opened to the living presence of the Spirit among us. 

And of course, we cannot do that if our own vision is impaired by the confusion of our present day crisis and the publicity it attracts.

As it says in Hebrews:  "Christ (and His message) is the same yesterday, today, and in the future".  It's a message that brings liberty to the captives, a new hope and salvation to those whose awareness and vision has been touched by the Spirit of truth.  For those of us who have been awakened to Jesus' presence among us are truly blessed.  With this comes the desire and obligation to share our discovery with others.    

Experiencing God - Becoming Apostles of Christ 107

"And every one that has left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life."
Gospel of Matthew

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the whole group of believers in Christ were united heart and soul to the point that everything that they owned was shared in common.  This group of believers seem ready to risk everything to follow this new fervor of Spirit and inner enthusiasm for the Lord. 

When the apostles were arrested by the chief priests and those in authority, Peter's answer to them sums up the reason for their actions.  "We must obey God rather than any human authority.  We are witnesses to the things that we proclaim, and so it is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him." 

These believers were now living Jesus' earlier teachings found in Matthew Chapter 19. "And every one that has left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life."

It is through these readings and teachings that we begin to understand the links that exist between our prevailing attitudes and actions and Jesus' teaching about salvation.  It becomes a question of where our loyalties lie.  Are we focused on the world and what it has to offer - possessions, pleasure, praise, and fame - or are we willing to risk all that in order to be obedient to that deeper truth that lies in each of our hearts, that voice of the Holy Spirit that speaks often silently to each of us as we take the time to listen?

To risk all that is front of us, that can be seen, for that which cannot be seen, is faith.  Saint Paul proclaimed many times: "It is through faith in God, our faith in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit that binds us in a relationship of love with the One that gives true peace that we seek". 

As Jesus would explain to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, the world is not an evil place.  It is not something to be avoided at all costs.  So we have no obligation to sell off everything that we own and live a life of a hermit to prove our love for God.  This would be very impractical for any of us with families and a needs to support them.  It comes down to where our loyalties lie, and to what we are principally attached.  Is it to the world and all that it contains, or is it to our faith in God?  Our faith in Christ?

If we are attached only to the things of the world and what it has to offer, then we are in fact cutting ourselves off from the light of Christ.  We show we have preference, not to that which leads to hope and new life, to light, but to darkness.  But the person who lives by the truth of the Gospel, comes out of that darkness into the light where the life of the Spirit becomes the reality.

Jesus' Spirit makes us mature and generous in our spiritual outlook and daily conduct.  He teaches us to enjoy intelligently our earthly goods and the legitimate pleasures placed at our disposal.  On the other hand, let us never be so dependent on these earthy comforts so as to reject Christ's invitation to come closer to Him in order to be directed by His wisdom and strength.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Experiencing God - Expectant Faith 106

"And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.  Many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.  And there was great joy in that city."
Acts of the Apostles

I had a visit from the local Church minister the other day.  He lives in my neighborhood and I was helping him with some financial matters.  His name is Mark.  Mark was telling me about his son who is a wrestler, but because of some amazing things that have happened to him, he now wishes to move into ministry.   One of the things that Mark was telling me about his son is that he needed a fairly large sum of money to undertake the required education to become a minister, and so far this money has been mysteriously coming forth to pay for all his costs.  And it is quite a substantial amount.  Mark said that his son is moving with an expectant faith that the Lord will provide whatever is needed for him to pursue his call as a minister.  "If that is what the Lord wants for him, it will happen" he insists.  And that is exactly what is happening.

As I reflected on the stories in the Book of Acts, I am reminded of Mark's son because those who spread the good news in these stories always moved with an expectant faith.  They moved by a courage and a strength that is not entirely their own.  They moved by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We all know the story of Stephen, the first martyr, who proclaimed to those who were trying to squelch the spirit:  "You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears.  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit just as your ancestors used to do.  I can see heaven thrown open, and the Son of man, Jesus, standing at God's right hand."

Stephen could not hold back from proclaiming the truth of what he experienced from the Holy Spirit.  He lived and moved by an expectant faith, unafraid of the consequences of revealing the truth of what the Holy Spirit revealed to him. 

Following this, we read about the bitter persecution started against the early Christian community mainly under the leadership and direction of Saul, later to be named Paul.  But out of the confusion that resulted from this persecution, the Apostles of Christ stood out as the ones who firmly held to their faith.  Despite the opposition, they continued to preach the Good News.  They continued to move with an expectant faith. 

A particular mention is made of Phillip who went to a near by Samaritan town to proclaim Christ.  Many unexpected things happened as the Holy Spirit continued to work with those who placed their hope and trust in God.

All of this raises questions?  Am I living with an expectant faith?  Do I really believe that the Holy Spirit is present in my life, to bring to fulfillment that which God desires to be fulfilled?  Can I forget my own pre-conceived ideas and plans as to how I think things should go, and trust in God for whatever outcome that He wishes to accomplish through me.  Can I go back to an earlier time in my ministry, when perhaps I said to myself:  "Lord, I don't know what I am doing, and I don't know how this will turn out, but I trust in your presence and love to see me through, and your will be done".

Do we believe this enough that we can give up our self-preoccupations, our own ideas and plans for success, and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead us to places where we would not otherwise go?

Expectant faith.  Not an easy concept in a time when we want to exercise so much control, when we want to define the outcome.  But it was in expectant faith that the early Christian community was founded.

I pray for Mark's son.  I have a feeling he will become a good minister.  Let us pray for ourselves as well that we may live and move and have out being in an expectant faith. 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Experiencing God - Grafted to Christ 105

"As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me, with me in Him, bears fruit in plenty.  For cut off from me, you can do nothing."
Gospel of John

The other day when my wife and I visited a local building supply store, we noticed a very unusual thing.  They had their trees on sale, and we enjoy looking at all their new varieties.  One of them was an apple tree that could produce five different varieties of apples.  If you looked closely at the tree, you could see where different branches had been grafted carefully into the main apple tree trunk that held the roots.  And amazingly enough, each branch would produce its own variety of apple.  We noticed that for one branch, the graft did not take properly. Therefore this branch did not look very healthy.  In fact, it was probably dead.  It is obvious this this branch would never produce its designated variety of apple.  It really was unable to serve its intended purpose.

If we can look at this in relation to the Gospel of John, then it gives us an understanding of what Jesus means.

"As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me, with me in Him, bears fruit in plenty.  For cut off from me, you can do nothing".

So how can we get grafted into Christ?  What does He mean by this?  We know that the branch from the apple tree was grafted into the physical trunk.  But we cannot be grafted into the physical Jesus.  His physical form is not available to us, even it were possible.  So we are speaking of a spiritual reality.  We are speaking of being grafted to Jesus through his Spirit of love. 

This Spirit of love of which Jesus is the source begins with the Father's love for Jesus which moves to Jesus' love for His disciples, which is reciprocated in the disciples' loving obedience to Jesus that radiates outwards by their love for others.  When this connection is not there, the person is no disciple at all.  But when this Spirit of love does flow, it will be a source of transformation for all who experience it.  This Spirit of love with Jesus is transformative and limitless because it's a love that is unconditional. 

How can you tell when you are connected to this stream of love that comes from Christ?  It's the same as with the apple tree.  You can tell that the graft is good if the appropriate fruit is produced.  By their fruit you shall know them.

Often, we like to try to judge who belongs to this Spirit of love by looking at the rules they are following - are they  circumcised, do they belong to the right church or group, do they follow the right faith practice, etc. Well, I believe God may see things differently from those who insist on following self-made rules as a test of faith.   Rules are good in that they bring order in our lives. But if the Macintosh branch produces Macintosh apples, then I think it is fair to say that the branch is properly grafted to the tree. If our love produces the proper fruit, then I think it is fair to say that we are properly grafted to Christ.  Just as a healthy branch is nourished through the roots and trunk of a healthy tree, so too do we receive the vital nourishment for our spiritual lives if we are grafted to Christ.  The fruit that is produced by this grafting will be evident. 

Experiencing God - Conveyors of the Truth 104

"I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
Gospel of John

What would you give to know all truth?  Truth, however, is not something that we create, although I certainly believe that many try to create their own truth.  What Jesus is trying to convey to His disciples in the Gospel of John is that the real truth is a gift from God, and it is the role of the Spirit to reveal to us what it is.  It is what is called the gift of wisdom, not our own personal discovery based on our limited experiences or the knowledge we may attain through our own efforts.  It is a gift, and the hallmark of God's truth is that it sets us free.  It liberates us from doubts, illusions and fears.  And, of course, it is this wisdom, this truth, that motivates Paul, Silas and Barnabas in their mission that we read about in the Book of Acts.

Paul and Silas were stripped, flogged and thrown into prison for their preaching.  I think most of us would do anything to avoid that punishment and humiliation, but what do they do?  We read: "Late that night, Paul and Silas were praying and singing God's praises while the other prisoners listened.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose". 

Later in this letter, Paul and Silas escape from prison, and Paul is escorted to Athens where he again begins to proclaim there the truth about what has been revealed to him by the Spirit.  He does this in order to bring those present to an awareness of God's truth revealed to him through Christ. 

Those without faith would say that this man just does not learn his lesson.  People of faith would say that Paul has been liberated from any doubt, illusions or fear about proclaiming the truth revealed to Him by the Spirit.  Everything else falls to lessor importance - safety, security, family, personal pleasure, vacationing, popularity, etc.

I don't pretend to be as liberated as Saint Paul in respect to his freedom in conveying the truth, regardless of the cost, to all he meets. But I am challenged by his courage and giftedness to put Christ first, and then let all other things fall where they may.  This is the challenge put forth to each of us.

We are all God's children, as Paul would proclaim.  Since we are children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that God looks like gold, silver, stone or other objects that has been carved or designed by a person.  Our freedom will not be found in those areas of life, however, most of us, to some degree, pursue those things to a greater degree than pursuing the truth of the Spirit.  The truth of the Spirit will be revealed to us as we listen to that still quiet voice that speaks to us at the level of the heart.  Then we must follow in that truth.

This is the voice of the Spirit, God's gift to us, speaking to us.  Lord Jesus, fill us with your Spirit, and guide us in the way of your truth.  Free us from ignorance and deception caused by sinful pride, rebellion and selfishness so that we may love you with all our strength, mind and will, and seek to please you in all things.  Amen

Experiencing God - The Love that Unites Us 103

"May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." 
Paul's letter to the Ephesians

We have all had experiences of having to say goodbye to a loved one at a time when we both knew that we would never meet again.

I recall an incident like this in 1988 after my family learned that my mother had only a few months to live.  When we met with her at the hospital, she took the opportunity to express her love and to tell us how proud she was of us all.  It was a moment of great emotional sadness, but also a moment when the bonds of family unity and love among us was the strongest.  We've all at times experienced that mystical union that results when people and family know that they are there for each other, and that the bonds of unity cannot be broken, even by physical separation.

Is this because we all share a common world view, or a common way of thinking?  Certainly not.  This unity results from something much deeper.  We are family, and our differences, regardless of whatever they may be, could not break the mysterious bond that held us together as a family.

Our New Testament Scripture readings speak about the farewells similar to this, and they also speak about that bond of unity that existed among them created by that deep relationship of love.

Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, is saying good-bye to the people with whom he shared faith for several years.   Despite knowing that this separation would be permanent, it is obvious that his bond of unity and oneness with them would never be broken.

"For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward self."

In John's Gospel, Jesus offers a prayer to the Father for His disciples from whom He will soon be separated by death.  This prayer to the Father is an expression of the bond and unity that holds people of faith together despite physical separation.  It is this mysterious force that must be found in our Churches if we wish them to continue.

This prayer in the Gospel of John expresses this bond of unity in three dimensions: 
(1) Jesus' unity with the Father, a unity He invites us all to enter into.  Do you experience the Father's love for you; a love that says: "I'm proud of you", a love that causes us to reciprocate with our love?
(2) Jesus' love for His disciples, His love for us, binding us into a relationship of brotherhood with Him. 
(3) And springing from these two loves, we have our love for each other.  This love exists, not because we all have the same outlook, or share the same view.  It is deeper than that.  It is a love that unites us around a common faith in Christ.  And despite our exterior differences, we know we are here for each other, sharing a common journey that leads to shared life with Him.

Jesus' prayer to the Father conveys to us this love that leads to that deeper sense of unity with each other. This love nourishes and sustains us through difficult times, helps us to overcome our superficial differences, and moves us towards that common mission to which we are all called. 

"I am not praying only for these but for all those who will believe in me through their message, that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, live in me and I live in you, I am asking that they may live in us, that the world may believe that you did send me.  Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am; I want them to see that glory which you have made mine - for you loved me before the world began.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Experiencing God - Self-Too much the cost? 102

"Then James and John came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask. What do you want me to do for you? They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
Gospel of Mark
 
As you drive down the Cole Harbor Road in the city I live, there is a very revealing sign on display at the Regal Road Baptist Church.  It says: "Salvation is free, but the cost is great". 
 
When you take the time to reflect on this sign, the message can be interpreted in a couple of ways.  The first way can be found in Peter's first letter in the New Testament. 

"Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life handed down to you was not paid with silver or gold or in anything corruptible, but in the precious blood of the lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ." 

So the cost of our salvation is truly great.  God, through Christ, reveals that His love for us even surpasses that one thing we hold the most precious and cling to most desperately; life itself.
 
Most of us would be willing to sacrifice our precious things to save another, but to sacrifice our very life seems out of the question.   Yet, as we continue in the letter of Peter, this is exactly what we are asked to do.  Peter reminds us that all flesh is grass, and its glory like the wild flowers.  Our lives, like the grass withers, and like the flowers fail.  What we describe as "our life" is also corruptible, impermanent, and passing.  When we see "our life" as something permanent, we see as an illusion, because life as we know it will pass away for all of us.  We are asked to die to all things that are corruptible and passing so that we may gain that which is permanent, our "new life" with Christ.
 
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches us not to cling to this illusionary life because it has no permanence.  Relinquish self, die to self.  Place your trust and hope in that which is permanent; that is "New Life" with God.
 
From my own experience, we let go of the illusionary life reluctantly and slowly.  This is illustrated in our lives where we often cling desperately to those things that appear to make "self" real and concrete. 

Then James and John came to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask. “What do you want me to do for you?  They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and he other at your left in your glory.”
 
James and John attempt to find for "themselves" the most favorable positions in God's kingdom, the place at Jesus' left and right.  They are attempting to make their corruptible "selves" permanent.  Let's not be too hard on James and John.  They are still learning as we are ourselves.  Their concern for "self" again provides Jesus with His greatest teaching point on the cost of discipleship.  The teaching point is that selfishness or self-concern in all its various forms whether it be greed, self-seeking, power, etc. is a contradiction to God's plan for humanity.  To be first or the greatest is to serve the needs of all, as Jesus did.  That is to relinquish "self". 
 
The call of the Christian, that is to relinquish "self", is a radical one, and to many, a costly one.  We all refuse at times; but in order to discover the joy and liberty that comes through faith, we must relinquish all worldly ambition of every sort. 

I believe this is one of the greatest challenges in the Church today.  We seem to be losing our sense of the importance of a life in faith.  Our salvation and liberty is a free gift, it costs us nothing, but the process of relinquishing "self" often appears too much of a cost to sacrifice in order to attain it. 

Experiencing God - Fan into Flame 101

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Matthew
 
In the Gospel of Matthew, we see instances where Jesus is tested by the Jewish Authorities.  He is asked questions, obviously, with the intent of ensnaring Him.  In the above question as to whether a good Jewish citizen should pay taxes to the Roman emperor, Jesus shows that he has a cunning wisdom in dealing with such trickery.  "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 
 
With this answer, Jesus undermines the plan of the Pharisees to trick him into saying something that would get Him into trouble, either with the Jewish people or the Roman authorities.
 
Matthew's readers were amazed at Jesus' wisdom in dealing with these matters as we should be amazed ourselves.  But the Gospel writers want us to be more than amazed.  They want us as Christians to imitate Christ by being courageous apostles of the truth and life of the Gospel. 
 
How can we be courageous followers of truth and life of the Gospel?  How can we get beyond just being amazed about Jesus' astuteness in order to imitate Him as best we can in our own lives?
 
Some of the answers can be found in Paul's encouraging response to young Timothy, an early disciple of Paul.  Paul encourages Timothy to recognize the power of the gift that he possesses; that is his gift of faith as coming from God.  It is not something that he has acquired on his own or by his own efforts.  Timothy's faith is a gift.  And this gift must be kept alive in him.  "Fan into flame this gift that God has given you.  It is not given in a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 
 
This faith, as explained to Timothy, is something that is real, and despite the hardships that may result from living the truth of the Gospel, this inner reality of one's faith will overcome all exterior obstacles that may come his way.
 
Saint Paul himself became a living reality of this interior strength and power that comes from faith.  Despite incredible hardship, Paul never gave up on his call to proclaim Christ to the world.
 
We are also living in somewhat turbulent times when it come to faith and faith practice.  A lot of questions are being thrown at us, questions that may cause us confusion, cause us to doubt, and even cause us to wonder whether we are on the right tract.  There are many exterior turbulences going on in the world, in our church, which seem to discount the importance of faith and faith experience.  Are things really any different today that in Paul's time?  
 
Paul is prisoner of the Romans when he spoke to Timothy, but he continued to reassure him that this gift he has is not to be discounted.  "Fan it into flame."  Courageously face any obstacle, and teach by word and example that God will not be outdone in His goodness to us.   

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Experiencing God - Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving 100

“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.  When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,  so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Gospel of Matthew

We've all attended weddings where the bride and groom are asked to make their marriage vows to each other.  In the presence of family and friends, and in the presence of God, promises are made to be faithful to each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, in times of joy and sorrow.  The couple promise to live with each other, respect each other, cherish each other for as long as they both shall live.  These vows are an expression of unconditional love, and if you look at them closely, they contain the three ascetic actions of the religious life found in the Gospel of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Prayer implies many things three of which are: (1) a speaking too, (2) a listening too, and (3) a being with.  And perhaps the purest form of prayer is "being with". 

Fasting implies the giving up of what one may find personally pleasurable, for the sake of the other.  In unconditional love, we share both the joys and sorrows, we are faithful during good times and bad times.

Almsgiving involves the sharing from our abundance with the one or ones who we love or have less.  Unconditional love sees all as gift, and desires most of all to share that gift with another.

Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for His disciples?  It is because these were seen as the key signs of a faithful person, the three great pillars on which a relationship of unconditional love is built.  This is not only true in our Christian faith, but  applies to all the great religions of the world.

If one or both of the couples in a marriage did not enter the unconditional love relationship with the proper intention; if they were forced or pressured into the relationship, did it out of fear, or didn't have the capacity for meeting such promises; then the marriage could be declared null and void.  Jesus also warned his disciples that if we pray, fast or give alms; in other words perform the three great pillars on which an unconditional love relationship is expressed; without the proper intention, then it is not really not a valid expression of the intentions of which they represent .  These actions which are meant for us to discover the fullness of life, truth and beauty, love and joy, becomes only a charade leading to little or no fruit. 

So if we do these things for self-seeking purposes, in order to look good, or seek praise from others, then they serve little or no purpose.

What we seek in prayer, fasting and almsgiving is communion with God.  St. Augustine wrote: "When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete."

There's something deep within the heart of every person that desires to be united in unconditional love with the One who is beyond human comprehension.  We express that desire in our vows of unconditional love in a marriage.  We complete that desire through out acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving given with a pure intention of being part of God's unfolding mystery.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Experiencing God - Consolations and Desolations 99

"As the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear.  And our hope for you is confident since we know that sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations"
Corinthians
 
More than any other author, St. Ignatius in his spiritual exercises provides the best explanation of the interaction between consolations and suffering or desolations. 

St. Ignatius sees us all in need of holiness.  He says that when we are earnestly seeking to rise in the service of God, it is characteristic of God to provide a positive consolation by way courage, strength, tears, inspiration and peace.  So God encourages us by removing all obstacles so that we can move forward in faith. 

However, as you can imagine, St. Ignatius stresses that the evil one, during our movements towards greater goodness, wants to discourage us.  Therefore, we may often feel under attack by anxiety, sadness, fear, or other types of disturbances that are meant to throw us off course.  So the evil one, according to St. Ignatius, will work through desolations.  In the case of persons moving towards greater goodness, the desolations would be negative experiences, things that will disturb us from moving in a positive direction.  Such urgings as: "I don't feel well enough",  "I'm too old for this", or "I don't have time" are everyday examples of the excuses we can use to sabotage our growth to holiness.

St. Ignatius goes on to say that for anyone who is moving from good to worse, the very opposite is true.  The evil one proposes apparent pleasures, filling our imagination with sensual delights and gratifications.  These would be positive desolations, the purpose of which is to lead us into greater sinfulness.  Such urgings as: "Have another drink", or "Your Gambling win is coming" are examples of the enticements we may receive.

During those times when we are moving from good to worse, God will use the opposite method from that expressed above by giving us negative consolations.  If we are moving towards greater sinfulness, God guides us in making the use of good reason, to abandon the pleasurable way by stinging the conscious and filling us with remorse.   God wants to stop us from hurting ourselves and others to a further degree.

St. Ignatius then goes on to describe consolations as anything that brings us into greater relationship with God.  As mentioned above, these can be a positive experience if we are going from good to better, or a negative experience if we are going from good to worse.  God will work in whatever way he can to bring about our holiness.

This is why St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians makes the very confusing statements: 
"As the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear.
And our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations"
 
Consolations that bring about a greater relatedness with God can be both pleasurable or positive, or unpleasant or negative, depending on which way we are moving in our spiritual lives. 
 
Discernment of the movements of the Spirit within ourselves as to which direction we are going is the key to identifying consolations and desolations.    

Experiencing God - Workers in the Vineyard 98

"Jesus proceeded to tell a parable because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately.  A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed King."
Luke 19

I've always found this parable, referred to as the "parable of the talents", a complicated one.  There is just so much going on in the story.  The parable was told by Jesus because He saw that His disciples and followers had a heightened sense that the Messiah would soon appear and usher in God's Kingdom of love, peace and justice, and all would be well with the world. 

What is the danger in such thinking?  The danger is that we would all sit back and complacently wait for it to happen.  We would sit and wait for it to magically appear.  So Jesus tells the parable to break this illusion.  Through this parable, Jesus is trying to convey, in messianic terms, the coming of God's kingdom.  So the parable explains to us something of how God will work in His plan and His purpose in building the Kingdom.  And it is far from something that will magically happen. 

The parable speaks first of God's trust in us, his people and servants.  He trusts us with the talents and gifts to be used in building His Kingdom.  This is illustrated in the parable as entrusting us with a sum of money to be invested or used.  There are no strings attached to these gifts.  With each gift, God also gives sufficient grace and strength to use them wisely.  The whole question that arises in the parable is how do we use them? 

God honors those who use their talents for doing good.  Those who are faithful are entrusted with even more.  But the parable also shows that God abhors an attitude of indifference, an attitude that says: "its not worth trying". For those who neglect or squander what has been entrusted to them, they will lose even what they have.

For me, this is very similar to working through the problems we have in relationships.

Recently, we have had a lot of problems in our church for many reasons I will not go into here.  But it has led to a lot of hurt, frustration, confusion and division.  The question that I've had to ask myself, and I suspect many others have asked it as well is:  Is it all worth it?  It seems so simple to thrown up our hands and walk away from it; yet, is this what God wants us to do?  This parable to me indicates not. 

God's Kingdom will not magically appear.  It comes through the willingness, the desire, and the energy that we His people put into it, through the help of Grace, to make it happen. 

In fact, is this not the means by which we build our marriage and family relationships?  Once fear, mistrust, frustration, and ill-will become the dominate qualities, then even the little that we have will be lost.  But if we remain firm in our resolve to be the instruments of building God's Kingdom, then the time of darkness will pass, and we will once again enjoy the fruits of the Kingdom, which are synomomous to the fruits of the Spirit.