IT IS ALL ABOUT LOVE!

      In Jesus'day, the Pharisees and other religious scorekeepers kept an eye out for anyone who may be violating any one of the 613 commandments that made up the Law. The Law covered ways in which God should be worshiped, means in which the poor and vulnerable people of the land should be protected, foods that were forbidden, justice in the marketplace, and personal behaviors that were offensive to God. You can easily look these up and read them for yourself, but here is a sampling. 1) KNOW THERE IS A GOD because God's handiwork is easy to see; 2) LOVE GOD, where the word love has more to do with commitment and actions than it does with attraction and "funny feelings inside"; 3) EMULATE GOD'S WAYS. Study the Bible, listen to God's word, see what God is doing and inviting you to do. Discover God's ways and be like God; 4) CLING TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW GOD. Connect with a faith community, attend their events, make friends, and don't let go of them; 5) DON'T OPPRESS THE WEAK. There is no room in the kingdom for bullies; 6) If you are a man, don't wear women's clothing; 7) DON'T TATTOO YOUR SKIN; 8)DON'T WITHHOLD FOOD,CLOTHING, or SEX FROM YOUR WIFE; 9) RELEASE A MOTHER BIRD WHO HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM HER NEST; 10) LEAVE A CORNER OF YOUR FIELD UNCUT FOR THE POOR; 11) DON'T USE OR POSSESS INACCURATE WEIGHTS AND SCALES; 12) DON'T MURDER; 13) DON'T LEND WITH INTEREST.
     There are 600 other commandments, but you get the idea. Someone asked Jesus (Mark 12) to identify the most important of all the commandments. Which one is the greatest? Is it one of the commandments that deals with social justice? Or dietary matters? Or relationships? Or self-discipline? Which one is the greatest? And Jesus said,"Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One, and you shall love your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength." (Deut. 6) Love God with every fiber of your being and with everything you have! This is the first and the greatest commandment, and the second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt. 22:40) because it's all about love! You won't know God unless you love Him and you can't love God without loving your neighbors. It's all about love.
      If we love another, we will go out of our way to serve, understand, and be present to the one we love. If we love another, we will be faithful. We will try our best to make things better for those we love. We will work to ease their burdens and bring joy into their lives. And if our love is deep, we will give the one we love everything we have, including our lives, because that is what love demands. Love leads us to give generously and forgive easily, then to give some more and forgive again and again. It's all about love, and in John 13, Jesus added what He himself called a "new commandment." "As I have loved you,"he said,"so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples- if you love one another." Love one another deeply, honestly, sacrificially... and people will see that you belong to me.
     Love God. Love your neighbors, without regard to color, culture, point of view, or sexual preference. Love them every bit as much as you love yourself. Give them the same amount of slack you give yourself, consider their intentions to be as good as your own, believe that their stories and dreams are just as meaningful to them as yours are to you. Give them a helping hand when they're down and stand and applaud when they win the prize. And if we are part of the church, we must love one another in such a visible way that others will see Christ in your midst. Let our love for one another shine so brightly that others are attracted to the light!
      "Above all things have fervent love for one another."(1 Peter) "Owe nothing to no one, except love." (Rom. 13:8) "Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Cor. 16:14) O it's easy to see. Our journey with God and one another is all about love! Martin Luther once said that we should "love God and sin boldly," knowing that if we love God, we won't sin and certainly not boldly. Love God and sin boldly seldom pleases a Calvinistic crowd, but Luther was making the point that love is a much stronger source of faithfulness and commitment, of support and sacrifice... than all of the rules and monitors in the world! Let us go forth, then, as people who worship, serve, and live as if it is all about love. Amen.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

 He would be nearly 100 now, and I wish he was here so that I could say, "Happy Father's Day," or "I love you," or simply, "goodbye."
      He died suddenly, with a massive heart attack, on July 11, 1977, and I wasn't there.  My not being there was not surprising... because I was busy trying to make a name for myself (just as he had done). Besides, the unpredictability of either one of my parent's moods kept me on edge, and dad and I never talked much anyway. It never seemed as if we had much to talk about. He loved hunting, but I loved golf. He worked with steel, but I pushed a pencil. He was a combat veteran, and I had not served at all. He loved to make things work, whereas I loved to think about them. He was a Tea Party member before its time, and I was a child of the 60's.  I didn't know what to say to him and when we were growing up, he was seldom around the house anyway. He always seemed to be at "the plant," and when he did come home, he would often be very difficult to live with. When he entered the house, my brothers and I made ourselves scarce, and between his work schedule and his moods, I never felt entirely comfortable when I was around him. I often wished that I would've had a dad to play catch with, or one who would've listened to my worries and my dreams, but things just never turned out that way.
      Therefore, we didn't talk much, and as the years passed, and we went our separate ways after Sherry and I moved to Omaha. Yet, I wish we would have spent more time with him and the rest of my family. I wish that things could have been different because I loved my father dearly... and I admired him in many ways. Like many of his peers, he only had an 8th grade education... but he was very bright. He had a quick wit, a wonderful sense of humor (he absolutely loved Red Skelton), a legendary work ethic, and a well-earned reputation of being a man people could trust. He also had an immense amount of courage...and almost frightening perseverance. In short, he was a man's man. He filled a room... and the record shows that he accomplished a lot, rising to the rank of VP and Co-Owner in the field that he chose.
      He lived, it seems to me, in three worlds at the same time. At home, he seemed unhappy and at odds with my mother much of the time. At work, he was somebody important, who played a big role and cast a big shadow, and within himself, he carried the memories of the depression, the War, and any number of regrets, hopes, and wishes. Of course dad was somebody's child himself. He grew up in what seems to have been a stern and volatile household, and he was definitely affected by what he experienced in WWII (which he seldom mentioned at all.) He had seen too much death, experienced too much pain, and pushed himself to be more than he was able to handle at times. He played the cards that had been dealt to him with strength and courage, and he never complained about not being dealt the very best hand. This is the same thing I've tried to do in my life and in many ways, I am much like my dad... except that, when I hit bottom... I was blessed with a transforming grace... and he never had that experience. Grace. A second-chance. That's the only difference between us. Otherwise, I am pretty much a chip off the old block. Indeed, in many ways I wish I was even more like my dad. With a better hand and a moment of grace, dad could've done great things. There is not a doubt in my mind, but (like me) he needed an "unconditional hug." He needed to be known... and loved anyway.
      This man... who once put his fist through a picture window, wrapped his own arm with his shirt, and then drove himself to the doctor... who lost a co-pilot and many of his buddies in the war... who loved to fill his house with laughter and friends- who had lost siblings and parents- who loved to play with his grandchildren and grill food for the whole family- who prayed to God when he picked up enemy fire during the War- who gave us everything he had to give... was my father... and I love him. His body is now resting next to my mother's, in the Masonic section of Highland Memory Gardens, grace 4, lot 170... which is not far from either one of the plants he used to run. I won't get there in person this year, so I will say it now: "Hello, dad. I hope you are at peace. I know you did the best you could. Happy Father's Day."

Your son,

BIG, INCLUSIVE, PERMEABLE CIRCLES OF LOVE

Most of us like to hang out with people who are a lot like us. We know that differences exist in the world, but we're a tribal people. We're northsiders or southsiders, democrats or republicans, Cub fans or Cardinal fans. When we enter a room, we gravitate to people who look like they may be one of us. We watch TV programs, even networks, that affirm what we think because we feel "at home" with them. We attend churches where the people are likely to worship God like we do, and we make sure to sit on the "right" side of the stadium when we go to a watch a game.
 
The North going Zax and the South going Zax don't talk much because they don't think they have much in common. There's no doubt about that, but the circles we draw isolate us and make others... the targets of our fears. The circles we draw to keep others at bay... give us a distorted view of what's really going on, and they create unnecessary fears and prejudices. Thus, people who are different from us...become people who are dull-witted, mean-spirited,  even evil. And so it was between the Jews and the Samaritans in Jesus' time. They despised each other. The Jews considered Samaritans to be deplorable and they would go out of their way to avoid them. But the Bible says that Jesus and his disciples journeyed through Samaria one day, and that they stopped at the site of Jacob's well. According to John, while his disciples went into town to buy food, Jesus waited by the well... and a Samaritan woman came alone to draw water at noon. "Can I have a drink?" Jesus asked, and his question took the woman aback. "How can you, a Jewish man, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" she replied. It was a good question because Jesus had transgressed the social boundaries that were in place at the time. But the Jewish rabbi and an unnamed Samaritan woman talked on. They talked about religious differences and other things, but their dialogue ended with the woman saying, "I know that God's Messiah will make all things clear when he comes"...  and Jesus said, "Ego eimi, I am!" I am the Messiah, the One who can meet your needs... for water, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. It is to this woman that Jesus reached out and offered both grace and opportunity!

It was not uncommon for Jesus to cross boundaries that kept others from being all that they could be,
Jesus was a "boundary-breaker," and he calls us to consider the circles that we draw. In light of the run-away tribalism and the pervasive fears that seem to be consuming us, it is important to ask ourselves some important questions. We can shake our heads and our fists. We can roll our eyes and condemn others, or we can ask ourselves some important questions and become part of the healing. 1) Would we cross a road to give aid to a man who was not like us? 2) What people do we avoid? 3) What kinds of people are deplorable to us? 4) What sort of people do we walk out of our way... not to see? 5) Who are the Samaritans in your world? 6) Are there people who make us "anxious" simply because they are part of a group... that falls outside of our circle of love? 7) Do we have preconceived opinions about black people? Jewish people? Muslim people?Tattooed people? Loud people? Gay people? 

How wide is your circle of love? Christ lived in a world that was filled with boundaries. He knew that. He knew that he wasn't supposed to welcome children, let Mary sit with his disciples, eat with sinners, or converse with those who were leading unsavory lives. He knew all of these rules and ignored them... because love demanded it! His circle of love included everyone who was willing to be included. It still does! God's love is like that. It's inclusive and welcoming. Love demands that we reach out to others as children of God. Love demands that we ignore boundaries that divide us and walk with people of all sizes, ages, colors, and sexual orientations. So, let's draw circles that include people who root for the same teams as we do... and also those who don't. May our circles of grace be so large that they include anyone who wants to be in... even Samaritan women should we meet one at the well. Amen!

 

NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS

There are teddy bears… and high school rings… and old photographs that mamas bring.  There’s cigarettes and there’s cans of beer and notes that say “I miss you dear.” And children who don’t say anything at all/ There’s purple hearts  and packs of gum- fatherless daughters and fatherless sons… and there’s 50,000 names carved in the wall/ They come from all across this land… in pickups trucks and mini vans, searching for a boy from long ago. They scan the wall and find his name. The teardrops fall like pouring rain and silently they leave a gift and go/ There’s stars of David and rosary beads and crucifixion figurines and flowers of all colors… large and small.  There’s a Boy Scout badge and a merit pin- little American flags waving in the wind…. and there’s 50,000 names in the wall. Lyrics from a song by George Jones... to which I can only say "amen." Many of us have stood before them in awe…. because they stand for men and women who died for our freedom,  

including my dad's co-pilot and Margaret Shetenhelm's son, Robert- both of whom died in WW2.

Indeed, the graves of those who died for us fill cemeteries throughout our land. Their names are written in stone, but their sacrifice was much bigger than that because there is no greater love than this- to lay one’s life down for another person's freedom. This weekend, we are invited to remember. It is a time to let the voices of those who really did love freedom more than life... speak to us. From the first one who died in our War of Independence to the next young soldier who will die in a foreign land, we have been blessed to walk among seemingly ordinary people who have the stuff of heroes on the inside. They stared evil in the face. They carried the fight to those who would take our lives. They've taken the narrow road, knowing that life is not worth the living if people can't be free. They were Christians, Jews, Muslims, and nothing at all; but they all loved honor and freedom more than life ... and we are called to remember them this weekend!

But as Christians, we are also called to remember the One who laid down his life to save our souls! In a far away place, almost exactly 2000 years ago, a Jew hung on a Roman cross... and died to set us free from the bondage to self and sin. Despite the warnings that the prophets gave, we were never able to love God with all of our hearts or our neighbors as ourselves. So God's Son, considering divinity as something not worth clinging to, emptied himself of it, came down to earth, and lived among us. He taught about God's love, healed the sick, and challenged practices that were punitive and unjust. He was full of beauty and grace, but still, we didn't listen. So, he paid for our sins by his stripes. rose in victory over death, and appeared to Mary and the others, commissioning them to go and tell the "good news" to men and women in every nation. He told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would empower them and help them "remember" what he had said and done. He also instituted the Lord's Supper, saying, "This is my body; take, eat, in remembrance of me," and concerning the cup, "whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me."

Remembering is an empowering thing. It keeps us connected and aware of who and whose we are. Remembering is an important thing... but it is NOT as important as living AS IF we remember, which may be why Jesus said, "those who love me keep my word." Those who know me will follow me. Those who love me will keep my words. They will take the same path that I have taken, They will mourn for a broken world, forgive 70 x 7, feed those who need to be fed, make praying a way of life, and lay down their lives for me. When it comes to those whom we love and admire, remembering is more of an embrace than a passing thought and when it comes to the One whom we call Lord, remembering is not a thought at all. It is a way of life. Amen!

O LORD, I WANT TO BE AUTHENTIC

You don't have to know much Scripture to know that Jesus didn't have much tolerance toward hypocrites because they pretended to be something they were not. They were always acting, playing a role that was meant to deceive others and perhaps even themselves. In his day, actors wore masks. They would hold a mask in front of their faces and pretend to be a person they were not. They were called "hypocrites," and on stage, it was all good fun. Some of the actors were excellent pretenders, but off-stage, in a world that relies on trust and authenticity, pretending that you're something you're not... is not worthy of applause. Instead, it merits our condemnation, and that is exactly what Jesus did. He ate with sinners, but he condemned hypocrites. He forgave adulteresses, but he condemned hypocrites. He cried for those who had lost their way and he liberated those who were "demon-possessed," but he condemned hypocrites. There are too many verses condemning hypocrisy to mention in detail, but a couple of examples will be cited. In Matthew 23:27, we find these words: "Woe to you... you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of bones of the dead and everything unclean." Jesus also has harsh words in Matthew 7:5: "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Let's be frank: hypocrites annoyed Jesus... and they annoy everyone else. They annoy us because they're phony, and because they lay burdens on us... burdens that they, themselves, do not carry. Sadly, hypocrites also separate themselves from God's forgiving love because all meaningful relationships are based on integrity and trust.

My biggest problem then... is the plank in my own eye. You are not to blame, neither is the world, or my bad luck. In my quest to be understood, accepted. and even loved, the problem is me, my ego, my fear of being real, my hypocrisy! I learned the art of "acting" to get by, and now I find that it keeps me from the very thing I need most... which is to be known and loved anyway. I need to "get real," I confess it and offer this prayer: 

O God, help me live with integrity in everything I say and do. Let me be true to myself, and in that way... free, Give me the courage to practice what I preach. Give me the courage to be vulnerable and the grace to love those who are vulnerable. Teach me to be authentic, Lord, and use the experiences that you give me to shape me into something real.  Let me be what I profess to be, so that I might receive the acceptance I seek. If I preach about mercy, make me merciful, and let it be the same with forgiveness. If I boast about being in your hands, God, let me show that I believe it... by living boldly and daring to love the unlovable, and Lord... if I say that I love my neighbors, show me how to be a neighbor. Lord, let the face that I show others... be my face... so that, for better or worse, others will know the real me. My tears and laughter, Lord, let them be real. O God, let me experience the deep joy of knowing that Christ died for me- for the real me, I mean- just as I am.

"Being me" has never seemed quite enough somehow... but it was enough for Christ, who died for me and who beckons me to throw my masks away and die to him. Believing this... is real freedom... and besides, the masks that I carry have become too heavy to bear.  Amen.

YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE

Many years ago, I asked a candidate we were interviewing for the ministry  if he had ever seen the Holy Spirit at work in his church. It was meant to be a challenging question because we don’t give the work of the Holy Spirit much attention in the “mainline church.” But after giving the question a little thought, he said that people in his church seemed to enjoy one another’s company when they gathered at fellowship events. I call this the “reserved” version of the Holy Spirit and in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we see that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit do include… kindness, gentleness, joy, and love, among others. When the Holy Spirit is alive within a person and moving freely in a group, you will see God’s people at peace and in harmony, as they show His love to one another.

But in the second chapter of the book of Acts, we encounter the Holy Spirit as an agent of renewal, power, and energy. We’ll get to it in a couple of weeks, but it was moment when God’s people were energized and reborn as zealous witnesses to His ministry and resurrection. People who spoke in different languages could understand one another and there was a oneness of purpose that swept through their community. New people joined and old people embraced new possibilities. I am sure that God’s people were kind to one another. They may have also been patient, but they were neither bold nor helpful… until the Holy Spirit swept through them. In this view, the Holy Spirit is a transforming agent of change (which is hardly the church’s strong suit).

Holy Spirit, work within us so that we can love another and come to rest in a place of peace and abiding joy! Holy Spirit, get a hold of us. Wake us up and set is on fire with zeal and a iron-clad commitment to tell and show the entire world that Christ is risen! And then there is a third view of the Holy Spirit, as an unpredictable and wild part of the Holy Trinity. In many people’s eyes God is something like a stern Father who keep yelling at the neighborhood children to behave. Jesus is His loving and understanding Son, who understands that we’re doing the best that we can and who also sticks up for us when his Father gets angry. But they keep the Holy Spirit out of sight, for fear that he will get someone excited about their potential, or challenge them with the truth.

The Holy Spirit, it seems, is a Peacemaker, a radical change-agent, and an unpredictable truth-teller. But in our passage today, we meet the Holy Spirit as a Paraclete, which means someone who is “called to walk alongside.” In ancient times the term “paraclete” often had legal overtones, as in a lawyer who argues your case, but for some time now, it has meant something like, “comforter, advocate, encourager.” When Jesus came up beside Cleopas and his friend on the Road to Emmaus, he showed some of the ministry that the Holy Spirit would be doing after he ascended… when he listened to them, challenged them a bit, and explained Scripture to them… so that their hearts would be warned.

A joy-giver, change-agent, truth-teller, and paraclete- the Holy Spirit is all of these- but today, our attention is turned to our Paraclete. ¹⁵”If you love me,” Jesus said in the 14^th chapter of the gospel of John, “you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.¹⁷This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.¹⁸”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

If you love me you will love one another, Jesus noted, because love demands a response. If you love me, you will live out my words because they will burn in your hearts. As we have journeyed together, I have been your Advocate and I have showed those things that are dear to me- like mercy and justice- and now, I will give you the Spirit of Truth, who will keep my words and work alive in your hearts. He will continue showing you what you must do and reminding you that I am the Truth. There are some who won’t believe this because they are consumed with lies, but you will enjoy a deep and abiding relationship with this Advocate… and it will last forever. Oh friends, I will not leave you orphaned! No I won’t. I won’t abandon you and leave you frightened and vulnerable. I am giving you a Paraclete who will walk alongside you… when you’re dancing with joy and when your sobbing in the darkness. I will walk alongside when your running downhill as fast as you can and when your struggling to get to your feet. You and I will always be in relationship and you will draw strength, knowing that I am in the Father, that I am in you, and you are in me. You will never walk alone because the Comforter will always be at your side. This is the truth. Hold it tightly until we meet again. Amen.

FAITH AND COVID-19

    (Recently a good friend of mine asked me to write some encouraging words that she could share with a group of others. Well, Facebook is filled with inspiring thoughts and sayings, but rather than passing some of them along, I decided to write an honest reflection of my pain, worries, and source of hope at this moment. I am sharing these thoughts below).  

      Dear friend, it’s another day in quarantine and I shouldn’t complain because I have all sorts of time to do things that I love. I can spend time with Sherry and I can work on my family tree and my language studies as much as I like. I am free of interruptions and I can do what I do in a comfortable place. I have a cell phone, a laptop, a large screen TV, quite a bit of toilet paper, and Alexa. I have Facebook too and a new freezer downstairs.
      On Sunday, we were able to "meet" with our family on Zoom and that brought us a lot of joy. In many ways, it is a good life here in Morton and there isn't much to cry about... except for the others. I grieve for those who have died and for the many more who loved them. I'm tormented by the horrible way in which people seem to die from COVID-19 (which is alone and in great pain). My heart breaks for those who eke out a living serving others, knowing that now their diners and salons are closed. I am burdened with grief when I think about the trauma that is taking place in our Nursing Homes. Life wasn't all that good in these "homes" anyway, and now it looks like the staff and residents are just like "sitting ducks." There is so much fear and anguish out there and I haven't even mentioned the poor, who are at risk in many, many ways! 
      When I focus on myself, I'm fine. There's not much that will harm me today, but when I think of others, it's clear the see that there are storm clouds filling our sky. People are fearful. They are restless. They are disoriented and off-balance, and since we live in two distinctly different media worlds now, they see things entirely differently than their neighbors do. People miss the life patterns that they knew. They miss their morning gatherings at the diner; they miss their work places; they miss church events; and they miss their social hours. They miss all of this and more. I do too, but what I wish we had and pray for... is a sense of unity and common purpose. We are in this together and we don't want to miss the chance to get through this together... because we will get through it!
      I am convinced that God will see us through because getting people through tough times in one of God's special talents. I am sure that God will lead us out of the darkness because God is very good at leading people out of dark places. God will provide. (Period) But things will be better if we join in and do our part in community. With this in mind and realizing that I am a flawed and dinged vessel, I would like to suggest that we will feel better, and be of greater us, if we implement these steps:
1. If you are a person of faith, lean on it! Tap into it and trust God. Tap into every day if you need to;
2. Write a gratitude list every morning. An actual and specific list. It will improve your mood and attitude;
3) God talk is healing and empowering. So if you are a person of prayer, pray! Make a list and pray for the people and events on the list;
4) Make it a point to contact others, especially those who are isolated and vulnerable! Make a list of relatives. Get out a church directory. Write down names... and contact them.
5) Don't feel so all alone. Remember that we are all in this together. We all share the same goals. Everyone wants the dying to stop. Everyone wants to get back to work. Everyone wants to root for the Cubs. Everyone wants to be safe and have access to healthcare when they need it. Everyone wants their mom and dad, and other loved ones. to stay out of harm's way. Everyone hopes that there is someone who cares about them and their well-being. We are in this struggle together! 

      Trust in God. Talk to God. Turn to God for strength, perspective, and guidance. Let go of the enormity of this pandemic. It’s too big for  any of us. But we can- each and every one of us- sign up to minister for God. Pray, reach out, stay positive, and trust. Do these things and you will have greater peace until the skies clear up again.