I grew up making Christingles at school and at church, and I have continued that tradition ever since. Despite perhaps being the only Christingle in Arizona, the light shines just as brightly, and its meaning remains just the same
May we, like Küng be purposely bold in our thinking and faith and brave on our pilgrimage of life.
A good sermon should have a good beginning and a good ending, and they should be as close together as possible.
‘Common-sense’ evokes images of down to earth, reasonable and practical people, but what of the unreasonable, impractical people, the ones accused of lacking common sense but who find uncommon yet transformative ways of doing things?
This past week I read about an international research project conducted by Science Magazine. Hundreds of “lost” wallets containing large and small amounts of money were placed in locations around the world where they could easily be found, with the aim of the experiment being to see what would happen next. Would one nation be more honest than another? Would a particular age demographic be more honest than another? Would anybody turn in any of the wallets at all? Well the results have been surprising to read. Fascinatingly, the study revealed that the more money there was contained in a lost wallet- the more likely it was to be handed in to the fictitious owner, whose contact details were also left inside. For those of you wondering, Switzerland had the highest overall wallet return rates. China had the lowest, and the U.S. ranked around the middle of the 40 countries, at 21st place.
The project reminded me of those various parables that Jesus told about things being lost. Jesus’ teaching using allegorical stories is recorded in all four gospel texts, including stories about lost sheep, lost coins and lost children, with his intent and focus being to help us to understand the joy of God in the lost being found, and the rejoicing in heaven over those who find true fulfillment and joy in their lives by living fully into a relationship of faith and love with God.
According to the Science Magazine study, and contrary to what many might suppose, it would appear that civic honesty is still alive and well. It’s easy to be despondent about a perceived decline in what one might refer to as neighborliness and honesty, but the research certainly suggests that, when it comes to our society, all is not lost. And as we read in Jesus’ parables about the enduring and boundless love of God, it becomes clear that neither are we. May all who walk the pilgrimage of faith, and who search for meaning and purpose find voice for our hearts desire in the words of Martin Luther King’s favorite hymn; “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand. I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m alone. Through the storm, through the night lead me on to the light, take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.” May all those who feel lost find a home amidst God’s love.
Much-loved poet, Mary Oliver, died recently at her home in Florida at the age of 83. She lived for many years in Provincetown, Mass., with the love of her life, the photographer Molly Malone Cook. Oliver got a lot of her ideas for poems during long walks — a habit she developed as a kid growing up in rural Ohio. She wrote about one such walk in her poem “The Summer Day”:
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
A friend of Oliver’s described her as “a visionary poet, and she’s also the quintessential tough old broad who finds traces of awe in, for example, scooping out the shining wet pink bladder of a codfish, or getting down on all fours with her dog out in the woods and, for an hour or so … see[ing] the world from the level of the grasses.” What I particularly appreciate about Mary Oliver is that she knew the rewards of paying attention. As Jesus encouraged, she seriously considered the lilies of the field how they grow. Her essay called “Staying Alive,” is about escaping from her difficult childhood into nature and literature. Her work speaks directly to us as human beings in lines such as: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” In her poem, When Death Comes, she beautifully says, “When it’s over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement.” Writer Ruth Franklin says her work is infused with a deep spirituality. “The way she writes these poems that feel like prayers, she channels the voice of somebody who it seems might possibly have access to God. I think her work does give a sense of someone who is in tune with the deepest mysteries of the universe.” As we move into the dog days of summer, I look forward to reading more of Mary Oliver. What will you be reading?
In our Easter celebrations, we find the truth of that victory in ourselves and the world around us, which sets an undying flame of faith within our hearts. May that flame burn brightly today and always. Alleluia.
One of the scriptures that is read in the beginning of Lent is about the temptation of Jesus by the devil for forty days in the wilderness. He was tempted with hunger, with power, and the need to prove who he was. Whether or not you believe this actually happened or whether you believe in a hoof and horns Satan or “Tempter” as he is also known, we cannot deny that temptation is very real in our experience of being human. Lent invites us to pay particular attention to our lives and seek self-knowledge. It is in understanding and acknowledging our limitations, our weaknesses, and the urges that have defeated us in the past, that we are better prepared to battle temptations. How do we react when we are struggling with injured pride, a wounded ego, fear of not being appreciated, or anger at being ignored?
One step we can take is to recognize when we are most vulnerable. The mental health and recovery-oriented fields use the acronym HALT which stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. When you ask yourself, “Am I hungry, angry, lonely, or tired right now?” it makes you stop and think about how you feel before you react to a situation. Each one of these four physical or emotional conditions, if not taken care of, leaves an individual vulnerable for relapse. Relapse for an alcoholic or addict means resumption of using alcohol or drugs to manage the discomfort, but even those of us not suffering from chemical dependency have our own forms of relapse (excessive gambling, eating, shopping, TV watching — to name just a few). Relapse may also show up as falling back into old beliefs about ourselves that result in feelings such as shame or guilt.
There is no getting away from sometimes feeling hungry, angry, lonely or tired so the more self- aware we are the better. Hunger, of course, describes the most obvious physical condition of lack of food but hunger can also point toward emotional needs: hunger for attention, for comfort, for understanding, or for companionship. Just as food takes care of our physical hunger, the solution to emotional hunger is community. Anger is a little more complex to understand. The way we express anger often takes destructive forms. We either turn anger against ourselves or against others. Anger can range from criticizing and belittling to name-calling and physical violence. Anger can also be like a repeated tape loop; in that case it’s called resentment. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous suggests that a person with resentment towards another pray for the other, that is, imagine all the good in life that we would like to have for ourselves to be bestowed upon the other person. You don’t have to call it prayer; choose a word that works for you.
Next in the HALT acronym is Lonely, which can be a frequent companion for some. It is similar to Hunger in that the solution is the same, namely community. The last of the HALT acronym conditions is Tired. We all have a tendency to ignore tiredness at times. Many of us do not get enough sleep and being tired, overloaded or overwhelmed can affect our well-being. HALT, is a practical tool for everyday living. Thanks to the people in Alcoholics Anonymous, where this acronym initially emerged, for using their experience to benefit us all.
Have you noticed how many more people seem to be drinking from reusable water bottles? This is a great step forward in reducing our plastic waste, and in moving us away from being a ‘throwaway society’, although there is clearly much more yet to be accomplished as we seek to become better stewards of God’s creation. To use another example, did you know that according to Eco Age, (an organization which helps companies to focus on sustainable production methods) in the West, new clothes are worn on average for just 5 weeks before being thrown away?! That is the scary truth of the ‘fast fashion’ world in which we live…. read full article here https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gME
There’s a story about the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci. During the time when he was working on his famous painting “The Last Supper,” he became angry with an acquaintance of his. The two men had words and parted from each other on very bad terms. Leonardo returned to the church on whose wall he was painting the fresco. It was no use. Leonardo could paint nothing he was happy with. He had reached the point in the project where he was doing the face of Jesus. Time and again he tried to render a likeness of the Lord, but he was unable to do so. Finally the great artist realized that he had work to do, but it was not in the church he had been commissioned to decorate. Leonardo put down his brushes and sought out the man who had been the subject of his wrath. He asked the man’s forgiveness. The man accepted his apology and offered an apology of his own. It was only then that Leonardo was able to return to the church and finish painting the face of Jesus.
St. Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus because he knew that the church was engaged in quarreling that threatened to tear them apart. He counseled them: “No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.” Sometimes we feel we should never be angry, we should repress our true feelings. However, when we do that, our anger continues to simmer within us and ultimately festers or blows up and can be terribly destructive. Avoidance of conflict makes room for the devil. Anger is a natural part of our emotional makeup as humans.
Think back on your own life and reflect on what role anger has played in your relationships—was it healthy anger or destructive? Are you a spewer or a stewer? Anger itself is not a sin. Sometimes we are called to be angry. The world would have lost much without the blazing anger of William Wilberforce against the slave trade. If Martin Luther King had not been angry at racism, the civil rights movement would not have flourished. If Gandhi had not been angry at oppression, India’s independence might not have happened. Anger, channeled in a positive way, can be a catalyst for change. The famous writer Dr. Samuel Johnson was once asked to temper the harshness and anger in a book he was about to publish. His answer to that request was that “he would not cut off his claws, nor make his tiger a cat, to please anybody.” There is a place for the tiger in life; and when the tiger becomes a tabby cat, something is lost. How many relationships have been forever destroyed because some small issue was left to fester, grow, and divide the best of friends? Resolution of differences may take a long time but Paul is telling us to put aside our anger quickly. If we have been in the wrong, pray to God to give us the grace to go and admit that it was so; and even if we have been right, pray to God to give us the graciousness which will enable us to take the first step to put matters right.
As human beings we love to keep score. The first question you want to know when you turn on a game already in progress is, “What’s the score?!” The first important scorekeepers in our lives are our parents. As we grow up, we are eager to learn how to win their attention, their smiles, their approval. Teachers may be next as they keep score with report cards. Coaches teach us to keep score and, later on, it’s our bosses, co workers, or neighbors. Our educational system is based on test scores, GPAs, AP, ACT and SAT scores. An online magazine recently posted a list of the 50 most beautiful women in the world ranked from 1 to 50. Honestly, I thought that #50 was just as beautiful as #1 but I wonder if the one at the bottom of the list was upset? Unfortunately, our inner sense of worth and well-being is often tied to the scores that we get.
One of the ways we tend to keep score is by comparisons. My father used to say, “Comparisons are odious” when any of his girls would play the game of comparisons. Psychologists say people engage in three types of comparing. They compare their situation to those who are better off—upward comparison. They compare themselves to those at the same level—lateral comparison. And they compare themselves to those who are worse off—downward comparison. Each type carries dangers: the first incites envy, the second competition, and the third arrogance. If we define our own value and the value of others in terms of the world scoring system we probably will always be unhappy.
How does God keep score? Thankfully, God doesn’t keep score. Every morning as the sun rises we have a brand new day to live and to love. Fresh start. God works with totally different rules and has a different way of accounting. There’s a passage of scripture where Paul says: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” Jesus wasn’t somebody who spent his life trying to climb up a ladder even though he was “at the top of the organizational chart of the universe.” Jesus looked like a failure in the world scoring system. He wasn’t a success by the standards of efficiency, good management, or outward success and his life ended in what seemed to be a colossal failure. However, the cross shows us a different way of measuring success, a way that overturns our desire to keep score. Love keeps no record of wrongs. True happiness starts when there is no need for score keeping anymore.*
While he was in prison, St. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus because they were quarreling with one another. They were allowing their lives to be ruled by anger. Here’s what he said:
Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Sometimes we feel we should never be angry, we should repress our true feelings. However, when we do that, our anger continues to simmer within us and ultimately festers or blows up and can be destructive. Avoidance of conflict makes room for the devil. Anger is a natural part of our emotional makeup as humans. The scriptures record God becoming angry 375 times in the Old Testament and we know that Jesus got angry as well. He was angry when the scribes and Pharisees were watching to see if He would heal the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath day (Mark 3:5). He was terribly and majestically angry when he made a whip and drove the moneychangers out of the temple. (John 2:13-17).
Paul gives specific and practical guidelines for dealing with anger. He says, “Be angry!” emphasizing that anger itself is not a sin. Then Paul adds do not let the sun go down on your anger. Plutarch tells us that the disciples of the philosopher Pythagoras, had a rule of their society, that if during the day, anger had made them speak insultingly to each other, before the sun set they shook hands and kissed each other, and were reconciled. Sometimes we are called to be angry. The world would have lost much without the blazing anger of William Wilberforce against the slave trade, and of Anthony Ashley Cooper, later named Lord known as the Great Reformer for his work to end the horrible conditions in which men, women and children worked in the 19th century. If Martin Luther King had not been angry at racism, the civil rights movement might not have flourished. If Gandhi had not been angry at oppression, India’s independence might not have happened. Anger, channeled in a positive way, can be a catalyst for change. The famous writer Dr. Samuel Johnson was once asked to temper the harshness and anger in a book he was about to publish. His answer to that request was that “he would not cut off his claws, nor make his tiger a cat, to please anybody.” There is a place for the tiger in life; and when the tiger becomes a tabby cat, something is lost.
Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? It’s a question Jesus would ask even though they didn’t have them in that day. How many say thermometer? Thermostat? How many say what the heck am I talking about? A thermometer reflects its environment; it shows what the temperature is – if it’s hot outside, it says it’s hot; if it’s cold, it says it’s cold. A thermometer is in a constant state of fluctuation. It can be “up” and “down” within hours. It is a reactionary instrument. It is informational, relaying valuable news to the reader, but lacking the ability to change that news. It exerts no influence on what’s around it – rather it is influenced by it. It doesn’t take much to be a thermometer—all you have to do is be agreeable. All you have to do is to go along with what everyone else wants. All you have to do is think of your own comfort and ease. When others around you are joking – all you need to do is to be quiet, to not make waves – you may even join with them in a gentle put down. How many times are we caught up in thermometer life? God did not intend us to be mere thermometers. Paul said, “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” He knew how easy it is to just reflect the world around us, allow our lives to be influenced by life’s temperature around us. A Peanuts cartoon shows Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown. She says, “Guess what, Chuck. The first day of school and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.” He says, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?” She says, “You’re my friend, aren’t you Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me.” Peppermint Patty has a thing or two to learn about personal responsibility but she has a point. We do have an influence, for good or bad, on our friends, on our family, on those around us.
There is value in gauging and knowing what the temperature is around you; what people are thinking and saying. It can be helpful to know the current conditions that influence our society. But we are not just in the news reporting business. We can make news and create history. We can be thermostats, take initiative in changing what is wrong in the world. A thermostat has power, it sets the temperature, it changes things. Someone who lives a thermostat life is an influencer. It is well connected and cannot function alone. It has a power source to activate it and sends electronic messages to a furnace that supplies enough heat to raise the temperature in the room. The thermostat is set to a determined temperature regardless of room environment. It is in partnership with a furnace that can cause real change. We can be influencers or we can simply speak of how bad things are. We can lament the state of things and do nothing or we can become a catalyst for real and lasting change. Are you a thermostat or a thermometer?
In the ancient Roman world, when a man had been found guilty and was condemned to die, the centurion assigned four soldiers to carry out the execution. One of the benefits for the soldiers who were appointed to such a task was that they were given the clothes of the victim once he had been crucified.
The Jews normally wore five articles of clothing: sandals, a belt, a head covering, an undergarment, and an outer robe. Because there were four soldiers and five articles of clothing when our Lord was crucified, each soldier chose one article, leaving a final article to be divided: Jesus’ undergarment. The undergarment was woven in one piece, which meant that it was of some value, but not if it were torn into four pieces and evenly divided among the execution squad. Therefore, lots were cast to see who would get it. As John 19:23-23 says, “The garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. [Let’s not tear it, they said to one another. Let’s decide by lot who will get it.]”
In the early church, Origen taught that the seamless garment was a reference to the wholeness of Christ’s teaching. Cyprian thought it symbolized the unity of the church. Cyril believed it explained the virgin birth. In more recent times it has been understood as pointing to Christ’s perfect righteousness. While Christians can agree on the wholeness of Christ’s teaching, the unity of the church, the virgin birth, and Christ’s perfect righteousness, nevertheless, I believe John is teaching us something else in his gospel account. John wants to show how the prophecies of God were coming true and that scripture was being fulfilled in Jesus. John 19:23-24 quotes directly from Psalm 22:18: “This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, [They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.]”
John wants us to understand that all scripture is pointing to Jesus Christ. The Bible is much more than just a record of true historical events – it’s about salvation! It’s announcing to the hurting world that victory was accomplished for us at Calvary, for salvation is found in none other than the one who hung on that cross and whose victory over death we celebrate at Easter!
