As posted on Christ the King Wilbraham's website:
It’s been another amazing week of growing and learning at Christ the King! Worshiping, participating in adult forum, and talking with everyone over coffee hour this week helped me get to know many of you, I can’t wait to continue getting to know everyone better over the next couple months. While I learned a great deal about many of you individually, I also discovered some great things about CTK as a whole. First, whether its the bread at communion or the cookies at coffee hour, baking is definitely a gift that obviously apparent in your congregation! On a slightly more serious note however, I’ve continued to be amazingly impressed by quality worship experience at the Christ the King. Many folks tend to think of worship as more of a performance to watch, something to only passively take part in. At CTK at least, worship is much much more: it’s a genuine expression of Christian community, with everyone actively participating and contributing their own unique spiritual gifts to the fellowship.
Outside of my time at CTK, I’ve spent some time this week reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, which is an amazing portrayal of Christian community. There’s one quote in the book that particularly struck me:
The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to his word, so the beginning of love for our brothers and sisters is learning to listen to them.
One reason I think worship at Christ the King is so great is it's conversational in tone; everyone seems to be very in tune with each other's needs. When we listen to each other, we tend to support one another. As we continue to explore different varieties of stewardship during Lent, it'll be a great opportunity to mutually listen and support each other in discovering new ways to use our spiritual gifts in the wider community and beyond! God's peace.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Does Not Wisdom Call?
My first immersion experience reflection on Christ the King Wilbraham's website:
After only four days at Christ the King, the following passage from Proverbs strikes me as particularly relevant:
As I start my immersion experience at CTK, I’m at a crossroads in life: after two years out of school, I plan on attending seminary this fall and I’ll also return to work at Camp Calumet this summer. At this point I’m trying to discern what strengths I’ll bring to ministry and what areas need some work. Learning opportunities have constantly presented themselves over the past few days: I found the care taken in music & worship planning this past Sunday afternoon truly inspirational, and hearing how many of you have uniquely contributed to God’s work at CTK has been an amazing experience as well.
While I find great opportunity for my own learning at CTK, I’ve also seen great opportunity for your congregation. Working through the upcoming construction project will be a great time to be even more out connecting with the community for instance, and Lent is always an excellent opportunity for stewardship and spiritual growth. Many thanks for all of your warm welcomes this past Sunday, and I look forward to spending more time with you over the next couple months.
God’s peace,
Dustin
After only four days at Christ the King, the following passage from Proverbs strikes me as particularly relevant:
Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; besides the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: “To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it. Hear, for I will speak noble thing, and from my lips will come what is right…” (Prov. 8: 1-6)For much of my life, but particularly over this past year, I’ve been actively, and (I hope) prudently discerning my call to ordained ministry. While my discernment process has already helped to affirm my sense of call, I know there’s still so much learning to do! Much like the passage above illustrates, wisdom and opportunities to learn abound… and they’re certainly here at Christ the King.
As I start my immersion experience at CTK, I’m at a crossroads in life: after two years out of school, I plan on attending seminary this fall and I’ll also return to work at Camp Calumet this summer. At this point I’m trying to discern what strengths I’ll bring to ministry and what areas need some work. Learning opportunities have constantly presented themselves over the past few days: I found the care taken in music & worship planning this past Sunday afternoon truly inspirational, and hearing how many of you have uniquely contributed to God’s work at CTK has been an amazing experience as well.
While I find great opportunity for my own learning at CTK, I’ve also seen great opportunity for your congregation. Working through the upcoming construction project will be a great time to be even more out connecting with the community for instance, and Lent is always an excellent opportunity for stewardship and spiritual growth. Many thanks for all of your warm welcomes this past Sunday, and I look forward to spending more time with you over the next couple months.
God’s peace,
Dustin
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Welcome Back
It's been quite a while, but I'm back... I started this blog in August, had a couple of posts in September, and I've been pretty quiet since then... it's been a busy few months.
A couple months ago I decided to leave my finance job, leave New Hampshire, and move home to Manchester, CT. Now, at over two months into the whole ordeal, I can happily say that I definitely made the right decision. Living at home has been satisfying- it feels really good to be there for my dad and help out around the house with my mom gone. My path towards discerning my call to ministry seems to be going well too- we're getting the youth group restarted at my old home town church, I'll start a church immersion experience in February, and I've gotten going on my call process application as well.
The two toughest parts of the last couple months have been getting health insurance (more about that in future posts) and of course finding a job. The health insurance part has finally been resolved, and later today I'll be heading over for substitute teacher training. I'm leaving for Thanksgiving week in Colorado tomorrow, but when I get back, I'm hopeful that this season of transition in my life will be pretty much over.
Now for a bit more info about the blog: first, the layout is slightly redesigned. I added a "Books I'm Reading" and a "Blogs I'm Reading" section, so you can all know a little more about what's currently effecting my thought process. I'll soon add an "Album's I'm Listening To" section as well... ever since I watched Easy Rider with my dad last week, I've been on a huge 60's kick.
The focus of this blog will be shifting a bit too. As I begin to explore deeply the concept of the post-modern or "emerging" church movement, that will certainly be reflected here... take this interesting (although overly combative) video from Dan Kimball's Vintage Faith blog for instance:
Well that's about it for now. One thing that won't change however, is that I'll take it out with a righteous tune. Here ya go:
Welcome back folks,
Dustin
A couple months ago I decided to leave my finance job, leave New Hampshire, and move home to Manchester, CT. Now, at over two months into the whole ordeal, I can happily say that I definitely made the right decision. Living at home has been satisfying- it feels really good to be there for my dad and help out around the house with my mom gone. My path towards discerning my call to ministry seems to be going well too- we're getting the youth group restarted at my old home town church, I'll start a church immersion experience in February, and I've gotten going on my call process application as well.
The two toughest parts of the last couple months have been getting health insurance (more about that in future posts) and of course finding a job. The health insurance part has finally been resolved, and later today I'll be heading over for substitute teacher training. I'm leaving for Thanksgiving week in Colorado tomorrow, but when I get back, I'm hopeful that this season of transition in my life will be pretty much over.
Now for a bit more info about the blog: first, the layout is slightly redesigned. I added a "Books I'm Reading" and a "Blogs I'm Reading" section, so you can all know a little more about what's currently effecting my thought process. I'll soon add an "Album's I'm Listening To" section as well... ever since I watched Easy Rider with my dad last week, I've been on a huge 60's kick.
The focus of this blog will be shifting a bit too. As I begin to explore deeply the concept of the post-modern or "emerging" church movement, that will certainly be reflected here... take this interesting (although overly combative) video from Dan Kimball's Vintage Faith blog for instance:
Well that's about it for now. One thing that won't change however, is that I'll take it out with a righteous tune. Here ya go:
Welcome back folks,
Dustin
Friday, October 09, 2009
...with each gift that you share, you may heal and repair...
Life's been pretty crazy lately for me lately (as you'll read below), and thus I haven't been blogging that much. Look for some new original posts here soon, but until then what's follows is something I recently wrote for the by the way blog. Enjoy friends!
Wow, I've heard it said countless times throughout the by the way community, but I just have to say it here again: it's amazing how often our weekly Bible passage feels so pertinent to what's going on in our individual lives. When I offered to write this week's blogpost and lead Bread for Your Journey (as long as my car allows me to get there), I had no idea I was signing up to write about exactly what I've been feeling over the last few weeks. Maybe I'm just bending scripture too much to my own individual experience, but maybe not... you can be the judge :)
At any rate, we're picking up right where we left off last Thursday in chapter ten of the Gospel of Mark, this time in verses seventeen through thirty-one:
17As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19But to answer your question, you know the commandments: You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.”
20“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
21Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
26The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
27Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
28Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
29“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” (New Living Translation)
Jesus has a great way of turning the world upside down, and he definitely does just that in this passage. It's easy to think of those who are "the greatest" or "most successful" (whatever that means) in this world to be the most blessed by God... I'm sure it was easy for many in Jesus' day to think the same.
I personally made a decision two months ago to give up what was a fairly financially lucrative job (working 80 hours a week) to find another job that would allow me more time to pursue a couple voluntary ministry opportunities while also preparing to start seminary in a year or two. After seven surprise car breakdowns and a tough economy slowed my new job search to halt though, I'm still unemployed and now moving back home... For the first time in my life I think, I wouldn't be what most people would call a "success." I began almost thinking like Job or something, sort of angry at God for my situation, but only over the last couple of days have I really come to see that in many ways, I've never been so blessed.
When you have a lot of money, you also have many more options and it's a whole lot easier to entertain yourself (at least in a shallower sort of way). Also, when you have a lot of money, you can seemingly be completely independent... having financial means and independence certainly isn't bad thing in and of itself, but Jesus was right... it does make it a bit harder to find God. Having more free time lately has given me a lot more time to read, write, pray and contemplate my relationship with my Creator. Not being financially independent has done a couple of great things: 1) it's made my relationship with my father much closer, and 2) it's made me realize that even when I can become "independent" from my father again, I should never try to be independent from my Father (if you dig what I'm saying).
Not having much in the way of resources also really makes you think more about how you use those resources, which is the other thing I think Jesus was getting at in our passage this week. Due to my new-found lack of resources, stewardship, in every sense of the word, has really started to become a central tenet to my faith. As we'll talk about more this Thursday at Bread for Journey, as Christians we can't just concern ourselves with saving souls... we need to concern ourselves with being good stewards of God's creation here on Earth as well. Messages, a song by Xavier Rudd, one of my favorite singer/songwriters really touches on that fact:
LYRICS HERE
At first listen it seems like Xavier Rudd is just talking about being a good steward of the environment, but I think he's digging quite a bit deeper here too... we need to start seeing ourselves as part of God's creation again... a really important part of it. Taking care of our bodies, making the most of our time, and realizing that whatever resources we do come upon during that time (financial or otherwise) are just being borrowed from God, are essential aspects of stewardship as well. And finally, with the caveat in mind that we need some of our borrowed resources to take care of ourselves and our families, we should use whatever we can to help other folks, the environment, and the rest of God's beautiful creation. I look forward to talking more about all of this @ Bread for Your Journey this Thursday.
God's peace,
Dustin
Wow, I've heard it said countless times throughout the by the way community, but I just have to say it here again: it's amazing how often our weekly Bible passage feels so pertinent to what's going on in our individual lives. When I offered to write this week's blogpost and lead Bread for Your Journey (as long as my car allows me to get there), I had no idea I was signing up to write about exactly what I've been feeling over the last few weeks. Maybe I'm just bending scripture too much to my own individual experience, but maybe not... you can be the judge :)
At any rate, we're picking up right where we left off last Thursday in chapter ten of the Gospel of Mark, this time in verses seventeen through thirty-one:
17As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19But to answer your question, you know the commandments: You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.”
20“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
21Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
26The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
27Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
28Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
29“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” (New Living Translation)
Jesus has a great way of turning the world upside down, and he definitely does just that in this passage. It's easy to think of those who are "the greatest" or "most successful" (whatever that means) in this world to be the most blessed by God... I'm sure it was easy for many in Jesus' day to think the same.
I personally made a decision two months ago to give up what was a fairly financially lucrative job (working 80 hours a week) to find another job that would allow me more time to pursue a couple voluntary ministry opportunities while also preparing to start seminary in a year or two. After seven surprise car breakdowns and a tough economy slowed my new job search to halt though, I'm still unemployed and now moving back home... For the first time in my life I think, I wouldn't be what most people would call a "success." I began almost thinking like Job or something, sort of angry at God for my situation, but only over the last couple of days have I really come to see that in many ways, I've never been so blessed.
When you have a lot of money, you also have many more options and it's a whole lot easier to entertain yourself (at least in a shallower sort of way). Also, when you have a lot of money, you can seemingly be completely independent... having financial means and independence certainly isn't bad thing in and of itself, but Jesus was right... it does make it a bit harder to find God. Having more free time lately has given me a lot more time to read, write, pray and contemplate my relationship with my Creator. Not being financially independent has done a couple of great things: 1) it's made my relationship with my father much closer, and 2) it's made me realize that even when I can become "independent" from my father again, I should never try to be independent from my Father (if you dig what I'm saying).
Not having much in the way of resources also really makes you think more about how you use those resources, which is the other thing I think Jesus was getting at in our passage this week. Due to my new-found lack of resources, stewardship, in every sense of the word, has really started to become a central tenet to my faith. As we'll talk about more this Thursday at Bread for Journey, as Christians we can't just concern ourselves with saving souls... we need to concern ourselves with being good stewards of God's creation here on Earth as well. Messages, a song by Xavier Rudd, one of my favorite singer/songwriters really touches on that fact:
LYRICS HERE
At first listen it seems like Xavier Rudd is just talking about being a good steward of the environment, but I think he's digging quite a bit deeper here too... we need to start seeing ourselves as part of God's creation again... a really important part of it. Taking care of our bodies, making the most of our time, and realizing that whatever resources we do come upon during that time (financial or otherwise) are just being borrowed from God, are essential aspects of stewardship as well. And finally, with the caveat in mind that we need some of our borrowed resources to take care of ourselves and our families, we should use whatever we can to help other folks, the environment, and the rest of God's beautiful creation. I look forward to talking more about all of this @ Bread for Your Journey this Thursday.
God's peace,
Dustin
Friday, September 04, 2009
Would God Back Universal Healthcare?
I don't know, I can't know, but I think so...
I was never a big fan of mixing faith and politics (despite those topics being my two undergraduate majors). As I've started digging deeper into my faith since my mom's passing though, I've realized that my faith completely informs my sense of morality. I think one's morality is (or should be) at the center of one's political convictions. Thus, at least for me, it's impossible for my faith not to inform my politics.
We should never assume to know God's will. I've spent nearly all of my politically-conscious life under an administration that in my view completely did so, and it obviously didn't work out that great. That said, a central part of our struggle as people of faith is to try and discern what God's will might be. Coming from a Christian perspective, I don't think Jesus was a politician... he wouldn't vote Democrat or Republican. I certainly don't think Jesus was a policy wonk either... he wouldn't be for or against an American Plan, a single-payer plan, or a completely market driven plan. I do however see Jesus as an inspiring community organizer, and I think he would call strongly for universal health-care as a moral obligation:
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matt 25: 34 - 40, NIV)
God's call is for all of us to help the least of us... it's that simple. As people of faith, it's our moral obligation to help society figure out how to get there. I don't think we're called to support any particular side of the debate, but we are called to support the need for a respectful debate. Click here for a great post from Pastor John Hopkins on that point.
Oliver Thomas, in an editorial for USA Today, makes a much more eloquent argument for universal health-care than I can. Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association has some good thoughts on this as well:
As a Lutheran, I was really interested to learn that the ELCA way back in 2003 took a stance on the issue. They created a social statement called Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor. Finally, here's the best (as in most non-partisan) online petition I could find about the issue, which the ELCA is a signatory of: www.faithforhealth.org.
In the end, as our nation debates how to provide quality health-care for all, realize that most parties really are trying to do what's right. Get educated, stay respectful, contribute to the discussion, and encourage others to do the same... it's what we're called to do. Let's get this done.
As always, here's a little exit music for ya:
God's peace,
Dustin
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Faith to Question God
(as posted on by the way's blog)
by Dustin G. Wright, with a HUGE contribution by Crystal Mohrmann
The central passage of this week's upcoming Bread for Your Journey is Matthew 15: 21-28, the famous "Story of the Gentile Woman," who confront Jesus and questions his calling:
21Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
23But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
24Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
25But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”
26Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
27She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
28“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
Man, this passage is certainly a tough passage to preach on... there's so much go on here, and so much to question as humans. In my undergraduate Old Testament class, my professor said that this story (and it's counterpart of the Syrophoenician woman in the Gospel of Mark) was besides Jesus's death and resurrection, the most important part of the Bible. From a scholarly perspective, I'd tend to agree- it's the point where Christ saw his call to save as expanding from just the Jewish population to humanity as a whole. As most scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew was written for a primarily Jewish-Christian audience, it really serves to highlight Paul's later argument that Christ was for all of humanity.
From a more theological perspective, this story is really important as well.
In all of the gospels (at the least the ones included in the Bible), we get to see very little of the human side of Jesus growing into his ministry and strengthening his sense of purpose. Matthew 15: 21-28 definitely provides a glimpse into that process. The persistence of the Gentile/ Syrophoenician woman, someone who would have been historically looked down upon by most Jews, had a faith strong enough to question Jesus, and thus she changed the world forever. A second-class citizen, this strong woman encouraged Jesus to expand his ministry to all of humanity about 2000 years ago, and we're all saved by grace because of it.
Here's what Crystal wrote for this post:
The readings for this week’s bread for your journey are from Matthew, Chapter 15:21-28, and both discuss Jesus and his ability to heal.
Personally, I find this a particularly difficult scripture to reflect on because it is one among others that my family and I held on to when my mom was dying from cancer. I held on to hopes of Jesus healing my mom, thinking that if anyone was worthy of a miracle, it would be her. Unfortunately God had a different plan for her and one week from today, it will be five years since she passed away.
I share this personal connection to this scripture because I think it’s important to consider not just the many ways God answers our prayers through healing, but also the ways in which we are impacted when there is not healing and our prayers are not answered in the way we’d hoped they would be.
These people asked for healing for their loved ones and it was granted. But, I wonder what their reaction to Jesus would have been had there not been healing. Would they still say, “Everything he does is good!”? Or would they back away angry and feeling forsaken?
I've lost my own mom in the last year, and I've certainly had some of the same questions that Crystal has... both of our mom's were great people. It's easy to ask why good people die over people that we judge as not as good. There's two final points I have to make. First, this simply reflects that we're saved by grace and faith in God, not simply by our actions, no matter how great they may be. Second, and in some ways I think even more importantly, God welcomes us questioning Him, strengthening our faith and understanding.
I'll conclude with one of my favorite songs called "Blessed," by Simon and Garfunkel. Paul Simon's anguished questioning of God is really powerful here, and while some of the lyrics are challenging it really reflects on our Bible passage for the week... in the end, even the worst people can be saved through faith:
The last line is the only one I think Paul Simon got wrong... he wasn't 'tending his garden much to long' on his own... God was there with him, but he just might not have recognized it.
God's peace,
Dustin
by Dustin G. Wright, with a HUGE contribution by Crystal Mohrmann
The central passage of this week's upcoming Bread for Your Journey is Matthew 15: 21-28, the famous "Story of the Gentile Woman," who confront Jesus and questions his calling:
21Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
23But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
24Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
25But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”
26Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
27She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
28“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
Man, this passage is certainly a tough passage to preach on... there's so much go on here, and so much to question as humans. In my undergraduate Old Testament class, my professor said that this story (and it's counterpart of the Syrophoenician woman in the Gospel of Mark) was besides Jesus's death and resurrection, the most important part of the Bible. From a scholarly perspective, I'd tend to agree- it's the point where Christ saw his call to save as expanding from just the Jewish population to humanity as a whole. As most scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew was written for a primarily Jewish-Christian audience, it really serves to highlight Paul's later argument that Christ was for all of humanity.
From a more theological perspective, this story is really important as well.
In all of the gospels (at the least the ones included in the Bible), we get to see very little of the human side of Jesus growing into his ministry and strengthening his sense of purpose. Matthew 15: 21-28 definitely provides a glimpse into that process. The persistence of the Gentile/ Syrophoenician woman, someone who would have been historically looked down upon by most Jews, had a faith strong enough to question Jesus, and thus she changed the world forever. A second-class citizen, this strong woman encouraged Jesus to expand his ministry to all of humanity about 2000 years ago, and we're all saved by grace because of it.
Here's what Crystal wrote for this post:
The readings for this week’s bread for your journey are from Matthew, Chapter 15:21-28, and both discuss Jesus and his ability to heal.
Personally, I find this a particularly difficult scripture to reflect on because it is one among others that my family and I held on to when my mom was dying from cancer. I held on to hopes of Jesus healing my mom, thinking that if anyone was worthy of a miracle, it would be her. Unfortunately God had a different plan for her and one week from today, it will be five years since she passed away.
I share this personal connection to this scripture because I think it’s important to consider not just the many ways God answers our prayers through healing, but also the ways in which we are impacted when there is not healing and our prayers are not answered in the way we’d hoped they would be.
These people asked for healing for their loved ones and it was granted. But, I wonder what their reaction to Jesus would have been had there not been healing. Would they still say, “Everything he does is good!”? Or would they back away angry and feeling forsaken?
I've lost my own mom in the last year, and I've certainly had some of the same questions that Crystal has... both of our mom's were great people. It's easy to ask why good people die over people that we judge as not as good. There's two final points I have to make. First, this simply reflects that we're saved by grace and faith in God, not simply by our actions, no matter how great they may be. Second, and in some ways I think even more importantly, God welcomes us questioning Him, strengthening our faith and understanding.
I'll conclude with one of my favorite songs called "Blessed," by Simon and Garfunkel. Paul Simon's anguished questioning of God is really powerful here, and while some of the lyrics are challenging it really reflects on our Bible passage for the week... in the end, even the worst people can be saved through faith:
The last line is the only one I think Paul Simon got wrong... he wasn't 'tending his garden much to long' on his own... God was there with him, but he just might not have recognized it.
God's peace,
Dustin
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
God What Do You Say?
(as posted on by the way's blog)
When I started preparing for this Thursday's Bread for Your Journey, I really had no idea what I was going to talk about, as I found this week's Ephesians verse very hard to understand:
Ephesians 6: 10-20 (New Living Translation)
10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
In his interpretation, William Loader talks about how God calls us to a spiritual struggle, but one of peace rather than a violent one. Even more importantly, God calls us to an internal spiritual struggle, to put on the "belt of truth and body armor of God's righteousness" and fight those personal devils that we all have as human beings.
Amazingly, right after I read Pastor Loader's interpretation, a good friend of mine sent me a link to this quote:
"A Native American Elder once described his own inner struggles in
this manner: 'Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean
and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all
the time.' When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and
replied, 'The one I feed the most."
While this exact wording was published in Experiencing the Soul by Elliot Rosen & Ellen Burstyn, it's supposedly derived from an old Cherokee saying, and it really fleshes out what we all go through internally on a daily basis.
When thinking about the dual internal/ external implications of the Ephesians passage, it made me consider how the traditional, non-fundamentalist Muslim notion of jihad is really quite similar, especially concerning the "greater jihad," or internal struggle. This of course, is a really interesting correlation considering America's current worldly external struggles.
As an end to my long train of thought, one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs came to mind, called "Marker in the Sand:"
While I don't necessarily agree with all of Eddie Vedder's lyrics, the song really does touch on a key issue: when taking up God's call to the external spiritual struggle (whether as a Christian, a Muslim, or of any other faith) it's easy to "walk tightrope high over moral ground," and forget the internal struggle. Without that internal component, God's call to peacefully spread his Good News can easily become judgmental and violent. Well I hope that gives you all a lot to think about, and I can't wait to hear your opinions this Thursday at Bread for Your Journey.
God's peace,
Dustin
When I started preparing for this Thursday's Bread for Your Journey, I really had no idea what I was going to talk about, as I found this week's Ephesians verse very hard to understand:
Ephesians 6: 10-20 (New Living Translation)
10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
19And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Coming from a contemporary context, isn't it sort of difficult to rap your head around at first? I've always focused on the more practical aspects of Christianity in some ways, and very rarely have ever thought of a personified "Devil" or evil demons flying around, etc. I've also always seen Christianity as a religion of peace (even if it hasn't always acted that way), and thus I was surprised by much of the author's imagery. I started looking around the web for different interpretations of the passage, and this one by William Loader really made the passage clear: Ephesians 6:10-20.In his interpretation, William Loader talks about how God calls us to a spiritual struggle, but one of peace rather than a violent one. Even more importantly, God calls us to an internal spiritual struggle, to put on the "belt of truth and body armor of God's righteousness" and fight those personal devils that we all have as human beings.
Amazingly, right after I read Pastor Loader's interpretation, a good friend of mine sent me a link to this quote:
"A Native American Elder once described his own inner struggles in
this manner: 'Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean
and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all
the time.' When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and
replied, 'The one I feed the most."
While this exact wording was published in Experiencing the Soul by Elliot Rosen & Ellen Burstyn, it's supposedly derived from an old Cherokee saying, and it really fleshes out what we all go through internally on a daily basis.
When thinking about the dual internal/ external implications of the Ephesians passage, it made me consider how the traditional, non-fundamentalist Muslim notion of jihad is really quite similar, especially concerning the "greater jihad," or internal struggle. This of course, is a really interesting correlation considering America's current worldly external struggles.
As an end to my long train of thought, one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs came to mind, called "Marker in the Sand:"
While I don't necessarily agree with all of Eddie Vedder's lyrics, the song really does touch on a key issue: when taking up God's call to the external spiritual struggle (whether as a Christian, a Muslim, or of any other faith) it's easy to "walk tightrope high over moral ground," and forget the internal struggle. Without that internal component, God's call to peacefully spread his Good News can easily become judgmental and violent. Well I hope that gives you all a lot to think about, and I can't wait to hear your opinions this Thursday at Bread for Your Journey.
God's peace,
Dustin
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