God, in both the Old Testament and the New, is said to be a consuming fire.
So, we must get clear about what that means.
For many, it sounds like punishment; provokes fear. For many, it calls to mind wrath and judgment and has little to nothing to do with grace and mercy. And yet, the Biblical authors, theologians of many stripes, and, perhaps, Jesus himself would gently suggest that these notions are mistaken. Fire is not punishment; is not torture. Instead, it is purification [1].
Read MoreEverything about Jesus challenged the status quo. He invited women to learn from him, he invited poor people to join him, he called outcasts to eat with him. He recognized their dignity as children of God. He brought healing in so many ways. And he also spoke truth to power, which resulted in his death. God’s way is often in direct opposition to the way of the world.
When Jesus says that he has come to “set father against son” and “mother against daughter”, he is not advocating family discord. Jesus came to bring God’s peace and yet the rejection of that peace brings discord.
Read MoreI’d like to spend some time this morning considering the difference between belief and faith.
Belief.
And Faith.
Throughout Scripture, there is little if any difference between the two. Consider the Gospel of John, written so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Faith goes without mention because belief just about covers it.
And yet, common usage these days suggests that there is a difference between the words belief and faith.
Read MoreHere is a man on a planet all his own. Or so it seems. It is his land, this land of the rich man. And, he thinks to himself, what should I do? I will do this. I will pull down. I will store. I will say to MY soul.
He is singularly focused on himself. On seeking purpose and security through counting and claiming.
The Rich Fool from today’s Gospel and the Businessman are not too distant of cousins it would seem.
The Businessman believes he owns the stars. The Rich Man believes he owns the land, and all that comes from it. And even more troubling, and yet not that far removed, he believes he owns his soul.
Read MoreI take some solace in my shortcomings as a parent when I reflect on today’s Gospel. Jesus tells a story with God cast as the reluctant, sleepy one. A friend knocks on his friend’s door long after he has gone to bed. He asks for bread, not for himself, but in order to provide hospitality for someone who has shown up unexpectedly. And the man in bed really doesn’t want to get up, even though it is the right thing to do to respond to a friend in need. In biblical times, there was a social expectation and a religious requirement to offer hospitality, so this seems like a strange story for Jesus to tell. But the point, he explains, is not about the failure of the man in bed to respond on the first knock, but about the persistence of the friend trying to rouse him. Persistence.
Read MoreConsider the relationship between doing for and being with [1]. Both can look quite similar in outward appearance. Both can be facets of faithful service. Both can be rooted in good intentions.
But, at the end of the day, doing for another and being with another are fundamentally different in one key respect – where the focus lies.
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