Tuesday, August 31, 2010

29 Aug - Pride

If someone were to ask us to compile a list of our favorite quotes from Scripture, I doubt that this week’s Gospel lesson (Luke 14:1,7-14) would make anyone’s list. It is an account of an occasion when Jesus really “zings” his listeners, as well as us, with a sharp criticism. The setting is a Sabbath meal at the home of a leader of the Pharisees. Jesus is an invited guest. When he arrives, he notices that guests choose places of honor at the table. He then tells a parable about a similar situation, advising his listeners that they should always choose one of the lowest places, rather than following their initial inclination to choose a higher place.

This parable gets to us because it targets our sense of pride, our desire to feel important. We live in a society that values “higher” positions, based on criteria such as social standing, wealth, power, physical beauty. Jesus, of course, turns all of that upside down. He says it succinctly: “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled.” Jesus teaches us, again and again, that we are valued as human beings, as children of God. The values of society that rank people by other standards should be ignored.

This teaching may not make our favorites list, but it should. It is an important one, one that we should always keep in mind. Every day.



Peace,

Deacon Sue

Monday, August 23, 2010

22 Aug - The Power of Touch

Touch is so important. It is one way we experience the love of God and the love of others. I’d like to share a portion of a poem by Geraldine W. Dellenback called “A Psalm of Joy” because it puts into words how I am feeling about God, love and touch:


O Lord God, how glorious is thy love in all the world!
The love that touches the hearts of all people,
The love that causes souls to blend in harmony,
The love that fills hearts to overflowing.

O Lord God, with my whole heart I thank thee!
For beauty and strength,
For warmth and tenderness,
For sincerity and humility,
But most of all for love and for those we love.

O Lord God, protect and guide these loved ones I pray!

Amen.


Peace,

The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC

Monday, August 16, 2010

16 Aug - Fierceness of Faith

In today’s Gospel lesson (Luke 12:49-56), we encounter a Jesus who is strong, emphatic, angry. His words are disturbing: “I come to bring fire to the earth. . . .Do you think that I come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” We are much more accustomed to a gentle, caring Jesus, who reaches out to the poor, the sick, the disenfranchised. Giving them a message of hope, of a better life.

What we see here is fierceness of faith. It is all too easy to forget that such fierceness is characteristic of Christian faith in many parts of the world. Each Sunday we pray for our companion diocese, the Diocese of Renk in the Sudan. The Sudan is an area where Christians suffer persecution for their faith and, yet, they hang on fiercely to the beliefs that are important to them. We witnessed fierceness of faith in accounts of the recent massacre of medical missionaries in Afghanistan. Fierceness of faith in the workers who were working to help the people in remote areas of the country. Fierceness of faith in the determination of the International Assistance Mission, the sponsoring organization, to continue their work.

Fierceness of faith. A quality to be admired. A quality to be celebrated. A quality to hope for in ourselves.

Peace,

Deacon Sue Nebel

Monday, August 9, 2010

What Sacrifices

Sacrifices – what kind of sacrifices are we supposed to make to God?

The Isaiah reading (Isaiah 1:1, 10-20) seems like a God is ranting. God tells the people that there is no meaning to the sacrifices of burnt offerings and incense. Instead, God calls the people to clean up and that the offerings God wants are more tangible, more personal. We are to cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Doing all that will take a lot of work and sacrifice.

Jesus’ message to the disciples is similar. He tells us not to be afraid, that what should concern us is the Kingdom of God; that the things of this earth are less important. Jesus tells us to sell your possessions, and give alms. These actions take trust on our part and ask us to sacrifice.

What sacrifices are we willing to make to live into the Kingdom of God?

Peace,

The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC

Monday, August 2, 2010

31 July - Rich Towards God

Jesus often uses parables to illustrate his teachings. We have one of those parables in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus begins by making clear to his listeners that he wants them to guard against greed in their lives. Then he tells a short parable about a man who harvests a large amount of crops, so large that he decides to build new barns to hold them all. Once he does that, he declares his delight in having so much. ‘All is well,’ he thinks. Not so. God calls the man a fool for what has done. For storing up possessions. For his sense of self-satisfaction.

Jesus concludes his teaching with the statement,” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Rich toward God. What an intriguing phrase! Most of the time, we think or say “rich in.” Food is rich in flavor. Music is rich in tone. A place may be rich in resources. When referring to people we may say that they are “rich in wisdom” or “rich in insight.” In all of those phrases we look inward, noting qualities that are possessed.

But Jesus is telling us that we should be “rich toward God.” We should not be directed inward, but outward—toward God. What does it mean to be rich toward God? A few possibilities come to mind: openness to God, service, prayer. I invite you to reflect on the question yourselves. How can you be rich toward God in your life?

Peace,

Deacon Sue