Saturday, June 30, 2012

Psalm One: Meditate


Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship
Sabbath, June 30, 2012

Lolo Jones is training for the Olympics this summer. Her events are the 60- and 100-meter hurdles. She dreams of running a perfect race. In pursuit of that goal she is making use of highly sophisticated technology—monitors on her body, super high speed video.

What the technology told her was that her left side was not quite as strong as her right side. So she and her trainers worked specifically to strengthen that side of her body.

They discovered that sometimes she landed with her center of mass slightly behind her lead foot, which would cause the loss of the tiniest fraction of a second.

The unaided eye could not have detected these things. Even ordinary video could have have picked it up. But using high tech monitors on her body and super high speed video, Ms. Jones was able to identify the problems and begin modifying her performance. (See Wired Magazine, July, 2012, pp. 114-122.)

One key to excellence in athletics is training. Practice, practice, practice. A second key is coaching, smart guidance. If you are going to perform at the highest possible level, you'll need input from outside yourself. You can't watch yourself run or dive or swim.

The same holds true in spiritual life. If we are interested in spiritual excellence, we will seek input from a wise coach.

Note these words from Psalm 1. (From the KJV just because I memorized it ages ago and like the way it sounds.)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The person who stays away from the influence of the ungodly and gives attention to the law of God will be like a fruitful tree.

A couple of years ago, Karin gave me a fig tree. It survived the first winter, but the next season produced only two or three years. So sometime in the middle of the summer, Karin put a lot of fertilizer on it. Within weeks it was starting to bud out new figs. I was astonished. I don't that I've ever seen such dramatic almost immediate response to fertilizer.

So now, we try to fertilize early in the spring and throughout the early part of the season. It's one of the rules for producing figs at our house.

How do we fertilize our lives so we produce fruit? What can we do to cultivate spiritual life, to enhance the quality of our relationships with God and other people? What can we do to build a better world?

According to these first verses of the first Psalm one key to enjoying a blessed life is to be picky about what holds our attention.

Do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly,
Do not stand in the way of sinners,
Don't sit in the seat of the scornful.

That's King James language. Here's the same list from a modern translation (The New Living Translation.)

Do not follow the advice of the wicked
Do not stand around with sinners.
Don't join in with mockers.

That's the negative statement. Here's the corresponding positive statement:

Take delight in the law of the LORD;
Meditate in his law day and night.

If you want a blessed life, a fruitful life, an optimal life . . . Take delight in the law of the Lord. Meditate in his law day and night. How do you do that? What does this look like?

The phrase, “the law of God,” refers to the entire body of instruction God has given through the prophets, poets, and priests in the Bible. This includes the Ten Commandments, and the Two Commandments, of course, and much more.

For us “the Bible” is roughly equivalent to what the Psalmist meant in his day.

David urges us to “Take delight in the law of the Lord. Meditate in his law day and night.” This is one of the keys to receiving coaching from God.

A while back I was doing one of my favorite things: I was visiting with a couple of young ministers. They are smart people, devoted to God and the church. They are scholars. I love talking big ideas with them. At our last visit, near the end of our time together, I asked them, “What have you guys done this week to cultivate your lives as saints? You are obviously cultivating your minds. That's good. What are you doing to cultivate your souls? “

There was a long silence. Then a bit of confused conversation. It's not a common topic in our conversation. Most of us have opinions on all sorts of issues—issues in the church, in theology, politics, health care, environmental practice, investment strategy. We are ready for debates.

Psalm One calls us to something different. “Take delight in the law of the Lord. Meditate in his law. “

“Taking delight,” and “meditating” is not the same thing as studying. Study cultivates the mind. It is important. Meditation cultivates the soul (or heart or character). When we meditate on God's law, when we delight ourselves in God's words, God's sweetness permeates our being. We enjoy God and are transformed in the process.

A couple of interesting conversations from campmeeting last week.

The first conversation: A friend of mine talked about the challenges of continuing to give care to a profoundly needy person. He's been at it for a decade. It taxes him to his limit and sometimes beyond. I am continually astonished at his generosity, his faithfulness, his heroic service. The other thing he almost always talks about when we are together is his quiet times out in the woods and mountains. He gets out into the beauty and quietness and meditates and finds refreshment for his soul. Meditation does not make his life easy. It does make his continued service possible.

The second conversation: A self-important Adventist bureaucrat told me about a new battle in Adventist prophecy-preaching circles. The “scholars” are fighting over the identity of the king of the north and the king of the south in Daniel 11. The bureaucrat cheerfully talked about his work to advance the “correct view.” In talking with this man, I heard a lot about study. I heard nothing about meditation.

Study may make us smarter regarding things that don't matter. Meditation makes us sweeter. And that does matter.

Study of obscure prophecies may enable us to articulate sophisticated-sounding speculations about the future. (This is not too far removed from fantasy.) Meditation will enable us to act wisely and effectively here in the real world, right now.

Psalm One urges us: Delight yourself in God's law. Meditate on it day and night.

Meditation allows the sweetness of God to permeate our minds and hearts. The world needs more people who are filled with the sweetness of God. Meditation allows God's wisdom to shape us. The world needs people who act out the wisdom of God.

Spiritual practices shape our souls. We come to church and sing songs over and over. With time these songs become deeply rooted in our minds. They sing themselves to us spontaneously for no apparent reason. This past week, snatches of three different songs kept running through my mind.

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord, have mercy on me.

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah all my sins are washed away.

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

The songs are confident, bright, full of grace and hope. And when they were running through my mind, my thoughts are confident, bright, full of grace and hope.

For most of us listening to sermons for is a spiritual practice. The preacher is not giving us new information. He or she is helping us immerse ourselves in truth we already know. When we listen to sermons we are soaking in ordinary, common truth.

(Is it really new information that we are supposed to tell the truth, be kind and forgiving, keep the Sabbath and not kill? When I preach that God is love, is that new information? No. Rather we come to church for the purpose of basking in the old truths. We come to celebrate, to affirm, to savor the law of God, the instruction God has given through the Bible.)

Attending church is a vital spiritual practice. Psalm One urges us to build on it, to go farther. Delight yourself in God's law, meditate on God's law daily—all the time, in fact.

In actual practice people have found it very helpful to devote some time daily to savoring God's good words. Every morning before you head off to work, or every evening before you go off to sleep or every noon before you eat lunch—devote some regular time to contemplating God's law.

If you are like the church bureaucrat I mentioned earlier and you find prophecy interesting, be careful. Studying prophecy is not the same as meditating on God's law. Prophecy in Christian circles is usually focused on figuring out who the bad guy is. So whether you think the bad guy symbolized in a particular passage is the Pope or Muslims or the Russians or Chinese or communists or President Obama or Candidate Romney or Lutherans or the Illumenati—spiritually it's all the same. You will come away from your study congratulating yourself that you are not the bad guy and perhaps poisoned by renewed hatred for the people you think are identified as opposing God.

Make sure you balance your study of prophecy with ample, languorous meditation on the law of God—the law perfectly epitomized in the single affirmation—God loves—and the twin commands—Love God and love your neighbor.

There are many ways to “do” meditation. Here is one approach: Take a short passage of Scripture, for instance, Matthew 7:11. “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Read it, then use your imagination to amplify it, to roll it around in your mind.

If you had a million dollars what gift would you give your children? If your kid or grand kid needed something, what would you be willing to go without so they could have what they needed? How many nights did you forgo sleep to be presence with your sick child? How many nights would you be willing to be miserably awake if your kid needed you to?

Your own regard for your children is a window into God's regard for you. God is at least as nice, as generous, as forgiving, as merciful toward you as you could imagine being toward your children.

If you—plain, ordinary, unremarkable you—would be willing to lavish education, medicine, discipline, hours helping with homework, trips to Disneyland, or the hassle of dealing with a puppy . . . if you would be willing to this and more for your children, how much more will your Father in heaven do for you.

Spend time imaging what you would do for your children, then turn it around and imagine it as God's generosity toward you.

Then, after spending some time imagining this as God's affection toward you, bring to mind others in your life—family, friends, neighbors, co-workers. Not the whole world, but specific people that come to your mind as you are doing this practice of meditation. Imagine God's affection toward these others. Request that God show them his affection, give them the capacity to understand the richness of heaven's love. Ask God to demonstrate his love in their lives by providing for them concrete tangible blessings.

Once you have learned to pray this way for people you naturally love, then try it for the people you naturally loathe. Pray for politicians. Not for all of them generically, but for the ones you most despise. This will move you away from the company of the mockers.


A serious threat to the health of our nation right now is the way Christians are ignoring the counsel of Psalm One when we step into the political realm. We are nice at church. We are generous to our neighbors, then, when we step in the realm of politics we succumb to the temptation to join in with mockers and repeat their words via email and facebook. The most astonishing example of this was a ninety-year old elder who forwarded to his large email list a picture of a nude woman. The reason he forwarded it was because supposedly it was a picture of President Obama's mother, and the good elder was so eager to mock the president he couldn't help himself. So instead of hitting delete when he received it, he hit forward.

We all know—or should know—the Bible's stern condemnation of gossip. But somehow when it comes to politics we freely pass on every rumor, every juicy bit of slander, no matter how unrelated to actual policy. God expects better of us.

Psalm One warns against standing with sinners or hanging out with mockers.

Let me be very explicit: This passage warns against Rush Limbaugh. He is a superb mocker. His personal life is a case study in venal wickedness. He has a foul mouth. We may love it when he skewers politicians we disagree with, but that love rises from an unhealthy place in our souls. God calls us to higher, nobler forms of political discourse.

Blessed is the person who does NOT walk in the counsel of the ungodly or join in with mockers. I pick on Limbaugh because he is the most famous. There are plenty of other people on both sides of the political divide that are skillful at mockery. They are not our models. The Bible warns us away from them and their methods.

Let's circulate ideas about legislation we would like to see passed. Let's argue about the optimal way to structure government so that it protects without stifling, so that it brings us together as a genuine community without hindering private initiative and individual freedom. There is plenty of room for vigorous debate over optimal forms of government. There is no room for mockery, no place for character assassination. Obviously, we can't control the world's delight in mucking around. We can choose a better way for ourselves.

Let's delight ourselves in the law of God—that is the principles of life outlined in the Bible. This begins with refusing to join in with mockers and sinners as they heap scorn and abuse on everyone who disagrees with them.

Now let me turn from politics to something every trickier: home.

Parents, never mock your children. Do not mock them for being slow or stupid or noisy or careless or thoughtless or rebellious. Never, ever mock your children. There are times, of course, when you must correct them. You may need to pronounce stern words of condemnation on particular behaviors: “That is not right!” “That is unacceptable!” But never mock your children. And hopefully they will absorb the culture of respect you establish and refrain from mocking you when they are changing your diapers or answering for the hundredth time the same question you've been asking all day.

When we delight in and meditate on God's law we will be like fertilized fig trees, like well-coached Olympic athletes. Or in the words of Psalm One, we will be like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in season and whose leaves never wither. Whatever we do will prosper.

On the other hand, if we keep company with the ungodly, Psalm One predicts we will be like chaff—dry bits of grass—blown away by the wind.

God is watching the Psalmist declares. So the wicked will lose out in the judgment. And the righteous will enjoy the eternal favor of God. They will be and are already blessed.

Statement from Adventist prelates regarding women's ordination.


This is a copy of a statement released June 29, 2012, by a group of men at the General Conference. I have pasted it unchanged from the original (including the misspelling in the title!). I think it speaks for itself about the culture of current leadership in the church. I'll post today's sermon in a few minutes.


AN APPEAL FOR UNITY
IN REPSECT TO MINISTERIAL ORDINATION PRACTICES


Since the beginning of 2012 several union conferences1 have recorded actions expressing support for, or commitment to, the ministerial ordination of women. The world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church is currently engaged in a study of the theology of ordination and its implications. This study is scheduled for completion by the 2014 Annual Council of the General Conference Executive Committee. At that time the Executive Committee will determine the report which will be given to the 2015 General Conference Session along with whether or not any new recommendation should be considered by delegates to the Session.

In the light of this current study and the actions of several unions, General Conference officers2, including presidents of the 13 world divisions, have unanimously communicated an appeal for unity in respect to ministerial ordination practices. The appeal calls: 1) for unity in respecting a global church action (i.e. the 1990 and 1995 General Conference Session decisions on ministerial ordination); 2) for each union executive committee to carefully review the far-reaching effects of pursuing a course of action that is contrary to the decisions of the General Conference in session; and 3) for each union to participate in the current study about the theology of ordination and its implication.


  1. Respecting a global decision of the Church

The world-wide Church recognizes the General Conference in Session as the highest ecclesiastical authority for Seventh-day Adventists. The 19903 and 19954 General Conference Session decisions with respect to granting ministerial ordination to women represent the current voice of the Church in this matter. The actions of certain unions indicate their desire to establish an alternative source of authority for a matter that already carries the authority of the world Church.

As currently understood in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, ordination to the gospel ministry is ordination to serve the global Church. No provision exists for a geographically localized ministerial ordination.5 Consequently the decision to change or modify ordination practices is a global one and necessitates a decision from the world body.

For any union to introduce a different ministerial ordination practice is seen, by the rest of the Church, as readiness to set aside a world Church decision and proceed in another direction. Such actions, taken at the very time when the world Church is engaged in a study and discussion of the matter, pre-empt the process and any decision that might come from it. This creates widespread confusion, misunderstanding as well as erosion of trust and also nurtures doubt about these unions acting in good faith as members of the world-wide family.

Some who would encourage unions to proceed with ministerial ordination for women draw attention to selected statements from a General Conference Executive Committee document.6 As used by these individuals, the statements would indicate that a union has final authority in matters relating to ministerial ordination. The intent of the document from which such statements have been taken is to emphasize the interconnectedness of Seventh-day Adventist denominational structure. The authority and responsibility entrusted to any entity of the Church is exercised within the context of beliefs, values, and policies of the entire Church. Being a part of the global Seventh-day Adventist Church obliges every organization to think and act for the good of the whole and to shun a spirit of autonomy and self-determination.


  1. The effects of unilaterally pursuing a different course of action

The significance of any union proceeding in a manner contrary to a global Church decision is not limited to the specific action involved (ministerial ordination in the present instance); it touches the very heart of how this Church functions as a global family. The essence of unity in Seventh-day Adventist organizational functioning is the mutual commitment of all organizations to collective decision-making in matters affecting the whole family—and the acceptance of those decisions as the authority of the Church. The action of any union in pursuing a different course of action represents a rejection of this key value in denominational life. Unless this value (i.e. collective decision-making and the acceptance of those decisions as the authority of the Church) is maintained, all other values that contribute to unity are seriously weakened.

For one entity to express its reasoned dissent with a global decision of the Church might appear to some as a legitimate course of action. However, the implications of acting contrary to a world Church decision are not limited to the one entity. Any organization contemplating a course of action contrary to a global Church decision must ask itself, “Is this the pattern of participation in Church life that we wish to establish and recommend for other entities to follow?” “How will we deal with the situation if an organization in our territory should decide to discontinue its participation in one or more matters under which it disagrees with the larger family of organizations?” Mutually agreed upon policies benefit the entire Church and keep it from fragmenting into independent, locally-driven units. They are the reflection of the Spirit-directed will of the body and allow each entity to look beyond itself for the good of the whole body of Christ.


  1. Participation in the current study of ordination and its implications

General Conference officers welcome and invite unions to participate in the global study of ordination. This study will be the most widespread and thorough study the Church has undertaken on this topic. Earlier studies have been conducted by commissions. This is the first time that a study of ministerial ordination engages the whole Church through the 13 divisions.

Biblical Research Committees in all divisions have been asked to conduct a study on the theology of ordination and its implications. In addition, during 2012, the General Conference Administrative Committee will appoint a Theology of Ordination Study Committee, with representation from all divisions, to oversee and facilitate the global discussion process and to prepare reports for presentation to the General Conference Executive Committee. The Annual Council 2014 will determine what action, if any, should be recommended to the 2015 General Conference Session. Careful thought is being given to ensure that the study and education process is conducted with fairness and thoroughness in respect to examining the theology of ordination and its practical implications.

All unions are welcome to submit their conviction as part of the global dialog on this question. Their voices, along with others, in this matter need to be heard. Now is the time for unions to share their position on ministerial ordination, and the rationale behind it. Doing so will ensure that various perspectives will be clearly understood by the world Church.

The appeal sent by the General Conference officers to certain unions also reflects this Church leadership group’s message to other unions that may be considering similar steps with respect to ministerial ordination practices. The communication concludes: “We have shared with you our deep concerns about the course of action you have chosen. We realize that sharply differing convictions with respect to ministerial ordination for women exist in our global family. We also realize that the passage of time without finding satisfaction for the tensions on this question can give rise to frustration and the erosion of confidence that a timely and mutually satisfactory resolution can be found.”

We therefore earnestly appeal to you:

1. That your union continues to operate in harmony with the global decisions and global decision-making processes of the Church.
2. That until such time as the Church decides otherwise, your union refrains from taking any action to implement ministerial ordination practices that are contrary to the 1990 and 1995 General Conference Session actions.
3. That the union membership be informed concerning the implications for the entire Church in the event that one entity, for whatever reason, chooses a course of action in deliberate opposition to a decision of the whole Church.
4. That the union actively participates in the global discussion about the Church’s understanding and practice of ordination. The contributions of a union in this discussion can be forwarded to the Theology of Ordination Study Committee through the respective Ordination Study Committee set up by each division.

Thank you for your willingness to receive and reflect on these things. We join you in diligently and prayerfully seeking to know the will, the blessing and the guidance of God in this and all other matters affecting our life together as a Church and our collective endeavor to advance His kingdom.”

30—


1 At December 31, 2010 the Seventh-day Adventist Church had 60 unions with conference status and 59 unions with mission status

2 The group of 40 officers involved include officers from the Presidential, Secretariat and Treasury offices of the General Conference plus the presidents of divisions who, in additional to being presidents of their divisions are vice-presidents of the General Conference.

3 The 1990 General Conference Session approved that women should be given wide participation in all church activities, including soul winning and pastoral duties, but that “in view of the possible risk of disunity, dissension, and diversion from the mission of the Church” the Session also approved the Annual Council recommendation that ordination of women to the gospel ministry not be authorized.

4 The 1995 General Conference Session action denied the request of the North American Division that the Session adopt provisions on ordination as outlined below: "The General Conference vests in each division the right to authorize the ordination of individuals within its territory in harmony with established policies. In addition, where circumstances do not render it inadvisable, a division may authorize the ordination of qualified individuals without regard to gender. In divisions where the division executive committee takes specific actions approving the ordination of women to the gospel ministry, women may be ordained to serve in those divisions."

5 Information that a number of women serve as ordained ministers in China has been cited as justification, for unions elsewhere to proceed in a similar manner. It has been alleged that the Northern Asia-Pacific Division recognizes these ordinations and has therefore established a precedent for granting ministerial ordination to women. However, these ordinations were not authorized or conducted according to the policies of the Church. Nor are these ordinations approved or recognized/endorsed by the Northern Asia-Pacific Division. The Seventh-day Adventist Church does not have an officially organized structure in China that is comparable to other areas of the world. Government regulations do not permit outside involvement in church affairs within China. The practice, in China, of ministerial ordination for women is acknowledged as a reality that has arisen in China and is beyond the influence of the world-wide structure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

6 “The General Conference and Its Divisions”, General Conference Executive Committee, April 2012

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Prodigal Son Forty Years Later: A Parable


(This is not a sermon. It is a manifesto. It is addressed to those in the church whose fascination with lost sheep has blinded them to the value of the 99.)
You probably know the story of the Prodigal Son.
The son of a generous and good father, he tired of life on the family farm, asked for his inheritance in cash, took the money and went to a far country. There he blew his entire wad on wine, women and song. Destitute and desperate, he finally crawled back home planning to beg his father for employment as a servant. To his astonishment, his father reinstates him as a full-fledged member of the family and celebrates his return with a lavish party. The older brother, the responsible one, is disgusted by his father's spineless embrace of the wastrel and stays away from the party. The father goes looking for the older son, and tells him, “Son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!”
But perhaps you have not heard what happened next.
The father was unsuccessful in persuading his older son, Nicodemus, to come to the party, but gradually over the months Nick softened. He saw the pleasure his dad took in having his younger son around. Nick continued farming. The younger son, Saul, spent a lot of time hanging out with Dad in the big house. The estate prospered.
Both sons married and had kids. Dad couldn't be happier. He liked his new daughters. He adored his grandkids. Life was good.
A couple of years after his return, the younger son, Saul, came to his dad with an idea. “Dad, I keep thinking about my old friends up in Damascus, wishing I could do something to help them. Your astonishing forgiveness and graciousness transformed my life. I'm sure that if my old friends could experience your love the way I did, it would transform their lives. I'd like to invite a couple of my old friends to come and spend some time here on the farm.”
Dad thought it was a great idea. Saul managed to track down a couple of his old buddies. They came to the farm. They were charmed and eventually transformed by the Father. Then others came. And they, too, found new life on the farm. Saul and his wife lived in the Big House. Saul was the host, the talker, the public face of the estate. He entertained the guests, heard their stories of degradation and addiction and crime and recounted his own miserable history. He led the celebrations of rescue and dramatic transformation.
Meanwhile, Nicodemus managed the farm. When cows were calving, he was the one out in the pasture at three in the morning pulling a half-born, stuck calf. He saw to the construction and maintenance of the ditches and supervised the flow of irrigation water so fields and orchards had just the right amount moisture at precisely the right times for maximum production. He taught Saul's kids horticulture and the business skills needed for successful farming. He egged on the young people's curiosity and experimentation. He supported them when they wanted to try new crops and new livestock lines. Eventually he was even teaching the kids of people Saul brought to the farm.
Dad had died. The grandkids were growing up and getting married. Many of this third generation loved life on the estate and wanted to stay, but over time they felt increasingly out of place. They had no stories about their binge-drinking days or the merchants they had ambushed or the children they had fathered and abandoned. Saul and his friends in the big house regarded the routines of planting, irrigating, harvesting, pasture rotation, breeding management, and research as distractions from the real purpose in life—persuading losers to come to the farm.
Finally, after another kid and his wife and kids left, Nicodemus sat down with Saul to talk about the future of the farm. Nicodemus waxed eloquent in his description of the intelligence and goodness of the kids who had grown up on the farm. He talked about how important it was to provide meaningful opportunity for them to use their gifts in finding ever new and more effective methodologies. If they were encouraged, these young people would develop new varieties of apples, olives and wheat. They would breed sheep with richer fleece and higher lambing success rates. The farm would be different and better because of the experience, smarts, and drive of these third generation farmers. The social environment they were creating was transforming the region. But if the kids were going to stay, they would have to have a place at the table in the Big House. They were not going to be content to work for Saul as mere drones in his factory farm. They were not going to continue to allow themselves to be milked for their productivity while their life experience and minds were ignored or mocked.
Saul would have none of it. His life had been transformed by his father's gracious welcome. The point of the farm was to be a place of welcome—especially for people who were losers, lost, broken, addicted. He was living in the Big House because his work was closer to the intention of their father. He was not about to allow a bunch of mere farmers, people who were preoccupied with family life, business and agricultural research and production to shape the public face of the estate. His father had clearly shown his will when he welcomed Saul back home.
Nicodemus protested, “I'm talking your own kids, Saul, your sons. Don't you care about them? They're smart. They're good. They're conscientious. They're thinking about leaving because there's no place here for them except in the barn or the field. They know they are welcome only as long as they keep their mouths shut. They can't do that forever. Dad welcomed you back. He made room for you. Are you not willing to extend Dad's grace to your own children? And to mine?”


Saturday, June 9, 2012

Holes in Fences


Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship
June 9, 2012
Text: Luke 10:25-37


I read a great little story in last Sunday's paper:

Dan and Elizabeth moved into a downtown neighborhood. One of the first things they did was to build a fence. They needed it to keep their two small daughters safe. One of their neighbors kept a pit bull chained to a tree. Dan and Elizabeth had visions of their girls getting within reach of that dog. And besides, they knew the proverb, Good fences make good neighbors. So they built a solid wood fence.

Then the neighbors with the pit bull moved away. And a young widow and her infant daughter moved in. The three girls became best friends. All day long the girls were running in and out of the front doors of their houses and back and forth on the sidewalk. Dan and Elizabeth began discussing the unthinkable: what about cutting a hole in their beautiful fence so their daughters could run next door without going out on the sidewalk.

Then a car went out of control on their block and crashed in a driveway narrowly missing a neighbor kid. That was it. Dan cut an 18 by 48 hole in their beautiful fence. He hadn't even picked up his tools before the girls were running back and forth through the magic hole.

A few months later, the neighbor who lived behind them, a semi-retired photographer named Katy, built a wooden platform in her magnolia tree and a ladder to reach it. Within days Dan and Elizabeth's girls discovered it. For several weeks they climbed the fence to go play in Katy's tree house. Then one day when they climbed the ladder they found Ivy and Rosie at the treehouse. Ivy and Rosie were sisters who lived two houses down from Katy.

The girls found out that years earlier, Katy had cut holes in the fences between her and two other neighbors. She had done it because she took care of the neighbor's gardens.

One evening Katy was up in the treehouse with some kids when Dan went out to light his barbecue. She called down to him. “Hey neighbor. What would you think about cutting a hole in our fence? Dan went and got his sawzall and complied.

Now there are five gardens connected by holes through fences. Seven kids are spread across those five yards. A whole magic universe has been created by cutting holes in fences.

                                           Taken from the June 3, 2012, Parade Magazine. p. 14.


We build fences for good reasons: to protect our children and our neighbors, to define our space, our property. Then we discover the best fences have holes in them.

When we moved into our present house I was surprised to find gates in all the fences. Of course, there was a gate facing the road. But surrounding our place was property belonging to three different neighbors. And each neighbor's fence had a gate into our place. Two of the gates were large gates—large enough to drive a tractor through or a herd of cows.

Those gates were signs of a different kind of life, a shared life. They were powerful symbols that we lived not just in a house, but in a neighborhood. Recently we had to replace the fence on one side of our property. I worked with our neighbor in the construction of the fence. We added two more gates. One for horses back near the arena, one nearer the house to make it easy to walk back and forth between the kitchens.

The best fences have holes in them.

We need the fences at our place. All of have animals. The fences are important for keeping the animals where they belong and keeping them out of where they don't belong. But we like our gates, the holes in our fences that make it easy to walk back and forth, easy to carry pies through and gifts of produce in the summer. Easy to check on people who are sick. Easy to care for one another animals when someone is on vacation. We like our fences because there are gates—i.e. holes—in them.

Making holes in fences is a helpful picture of the ministry of Jesus. He lived in a society that had sturdy fences, imposing walls. The religious conservatives put a lot of energy into preserving those walls. They worked tirelessly to make the walls higher, more imposing, more impermeable. Jesus came along and poked holes in the fences.


The most important wall in Jesus' day was the wall between Jew and non-Jew. Between God's people and other people, between the special people and regular people.

Multiple stories make this point: The stories of the centurion in Matthew 9 and the mother in Matthew 15 show Jesus cutting holes in the wall between Jew and non-Jew. The stories of the mothers and children in Matthew 19 show Jesus carving a hole in another wall—this one the wall between important people—men--and regular people—women and children.

Perhaps the most dramatic demonstration of Jesus' drive to punch holes in thick, high walls is in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. (I'm quoting from the New Living Translation.)

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?"
The man answered, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!"
The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied with a story:

"A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
"By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
"Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.'

"Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked.
The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."
Luke 10:25-37 (NLT)


The expert, the theologian asked an empty question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? It was an empty question for him. He was not actually looking for guidance or help. He was looking to start a debate. He knew the answer. He wanted to see what Jesus will come up with. It was a question that had been kicked around for centuries in theological circles, so no matter what Jesus said, there would be room to say, “Yes, but what about . . .?”

Jesus refused to debate. Instead, he asked the expert for his answer to the question. Then Jesus agreed with him.

It was embarrassing for the expert. He thought he was setting up a conversation that would show off his learning or his debating skills. At least he hoped it would provoke an interesting debate. Instead, Jesus tricks him into giving a right answer, then in front of the entire crowd, says, “I agree. You're right. So just do it already.”

The expert, desperate for something controversial—and thus interesting—follows up: “But just who is my neighbor?” He was still not looking for guidance or help. He was just playing with words.

So, again, Jesus refuses to take the debate. The expert was desperately eager to debate, to split hairs. He was sure that this time he had asked a question that would lead to “On the one hand . . . but on the other hand . . .” Surely now he would be able to demonstrate his sophistication, his erudition.

Jesus refuses to play. Instead Jesus gives the man guidance for his life. Jesus offers wisdom that would heal the world.

“Consider a story,” Jesus said. And he tells the story of the Good Samaritan. And in the process punches holes in some well-established walls.

The first wall is between people with good luck and people with bad luck. An acquaintance who was an Adventist pastor, got crossways with his congregation. The conference was already struggling with finances. So he was fired. He's a creative, hard-working guy. He never dreamed something like this could happen to him. He writes about what happened next. People who had been his friends for years suddenly shied away. It was like he had leprosy. And repeatedly the feedback he got was that he was now “one of them.” He was one of those parasites, those lazy people who didn't work. Never mind the fact that he was desperately searching everywhere for a job.

People who were still employed figured the only way you could become unemployed was by being irresponsible, lazy, or stupid.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the first couple of people who pass by—the priest and temple worker—thank God that they are not like that poor loser lying there unconscious beside the road. He is a loser. They are winners. He must have done something to draw the attention of the thieves. Maybe he was counting his money as he walked along. Maybe he was wearing expensive clothes. Maybe he was walking slowly and appeared to be an easy target. He must have done something wrong, otherwise he wouldn't be in the situation he was in.

The first wall Jesus punched through was the imaginary wall separating lucky people from the rest of humanity. Jesus made it clear that we all live in the same world. We are neighbors. The misfortune of one is the misfortune of all.

The second wall, of course, was the wall between Jews and non-Jews.

The Jews were God's people. Everyone else . . . well, they were everyone else.

We Americans think the same way. Recently there was a big debate in the media about “American exceptionalism.” We are special. We are the best, the most moral, the most generous. We are the best.

We figure we are entitled to all the blessings that are ours by virtue of where we were born. Other people are entitled to all the misery that is theirs because of where they were born.

Jesus flatly contradicted that.

Mexicans are not less deserving of justice and safety than are people born on this side of the border. Canadians and Swedes, Somalis and Lebanese—these people are every bit as deserving of God's favor and of health, freedom, justice and respect as Americans.

American Christians and American Muslims both deserve the protection of law and the blessings of opportunity. Straight people and gay people, old people and young people, brown people and white people—Jesus story about the Good Samaritan calls us to serve and show compassion freely and indiscriminately across all these boundaries.

Let me push harder: Republicans and Democrats or (to say it better) independents who lean left or right, tend to build thick high walls around their opinions and political identities. Which ever side we are on, we tend to demonize the other side.

Democrats are trying to bankrupt the nation and make it communist. Republicans are trying to destroy our sense of community and reduce us to a Darwinian capitalism. We need to cut holes in the walls between the opposing political camps. People on both sides want a happy, healthy, wealthy nation. They are doing their best to imagine policies that will make the nation better. So we owe each other respectful listening and respectful talking. We need to crawl through some holes in the walls we have built and visit one another. At least, if we are disciples of Jesus, this is our duty.


One last wall that I think needs some holes: The walls of family history and our social circles.

Maybe no one in your family ever went to college. And you might be tempted to think that you belong in a world where good wages are 15 or 20 dollars an hour. That's an okay world to live in. But if God has given you the aptitude for more challenging and more financially rewarding work, then go for it. Pursue the education and training you need to live the dream that God has put in your head.

Maybe its normal in your family for people to wreck their lives with alcohol and drugs. Jesus has knocked a hole in that wall. You can live better.

Maybe in your family men and women fought like cats and dogs, hit each other and screamed at each other. There are other options. Jesus wants you to look through the wall of your family history and see the better world.

Maybe all your friends are joining gangs or getting tattoos over most of their bodies or binge drinking on the weekends or hopping from sack to sack, never connecting deeply at the level of heart and soul and mind.

There is a better way. And it is possible for you to crawl through the wall into that better world. You belong in the better world. It's your world.

The expert wanted a discussion, a debate. He was interested in words, in ideas. Jesus was interested in action. The lawyer already knew, deep down what he was supposed to do: Love God and love his neighbor. He had been using his theology as a way of fuzzing the obligation, allowing him wiggle to avoid loving the people who were inconvenient or unattractive. He used his theology to wall himself in and to wall other people out.

Jesus did not destroy the wall of Jewish identity. He did cut holes in it. His dream is that the children of all the different families in the neighborhood of the world would venture through the holes in the holes, would learn to live generously and compassionately together.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Gauche, Bent, Beloved


Preliminary manuscript
Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship
Sabbath, June 2, 2012
Texts: Luke 13:10-17, John 12:1-8



One Sabbath, when Jesus was at church, he noticed a woman bent over double. She had been this way for 18 years. It broke Jesus' heart. He hurt with the pain of her twisted back.

Jesus called her over. She hobbled over to him. “Woman,” he said. “You are made well.” Then he touched her and instantly she was healed. She straightened up. Whole. Erect. Beautiful.”

She made a lot of noise praising God.

The leader of synagogue also made some noise. It was not happy noise. He grumped. He fumed. He said, loudly, to the audience, “It's Sabbath, folks. There are six days for doing work. If you want to get healed come on some day other than Sabbath. What do you think this is? A hospital?”

Jesus was not about to let it go.

“You hypocrite!” he said. “You untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water, don't you? And you think nothing of it because, your tradition (rightly) teaches that even animals have standing as living being on Sabbath. The Sabbath commandment explicitly expresses regard for animals. So, you'll give routine, ordinary care to the children of cows and donkeys, but you would forbid healing for this dear woman, a daughter of Abraham????? You miserable hypocrite! This woman, this daughter of Abraham has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn't it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?"

The synagogue leader was speechless. It was true. Jewish tradition did recognize the moral standing of animals. Even cows and donkeys had a claim on “humane” care on the Sabbath. And certainly a woman—even though the ruler would have regarded her as lower than a man—would have a higher claim than a cow.

We laugh at the Pharisees because of their preoccupation with rules and regulations. But we laugh at them only because we aren't committed to the exact same rules and regulations. But we are just as vigorous in defending the rules and regulations that matter to us.

Some Americans think the children of illegal immigrants should not be allowed to go to public schools. Why? Because they hate kids? No. Because they are concerned to preserve the integrity of national borders and the rule of law. But note, this is a clear case where the well-being of living, breathing human beings collides with legal niceties.

Jesus repeatedly demonstrated his highest commitment was to human well-being. If people were hungry, he fed them. If they were possessed by demons, he rescued them. If they were sick he healed them. If they were blind, he gave them sight. Jesus' number one priority was making people whole.

Should not this daughter of Abraham be loosed? The answer is always yes.

A second story.

Jesus was at a feast hosted by his friend Lazarus and catered by Lazarus' sister Martha. During the dinner, Lazarus and Martha's sister Mary slipped in and, while everyone was eating, began kissing Jesus' feet. She had with her a container of world-class perfume. It was so valuable, it cost a year's wages, so what . . . $30,000 to $40,000?

Her behavior, kissing Jesus' feet in public was scandalous enough. Pouring thousands of dollars worth of perfume on Jesus' feet was truly over the top.

Jesus was an extraordinary person. He evoked unusual behavior in people. Once people ripped open a roof to get their friend into the presence of Jesus. Once, that we know of, when he was preaching on the beach the crowds pressed in him so intensely they were going to shove him out into the lake. He ended up preaching from a boat.

So here was this woman, in a society that separated men and women far more strictly than we do, kissing Jesus feet and pouring thousands of dollars worth of perfume over them.

One of Jesus' disciples, Judas, the guy who served as treasurer, began muttering: What a waste! She should have given the perfume to Jesus in an intact container, then we could have sold it and used the money to make a real difference in people's lives. Think of all the poor people we could have helped with this money.

(John, who tells us this story, reports that Judas was not really interested in the poor. He was interested in the disciples' bank account which he managed . . . and which he helped himself to on occasion.)

Jesus did not let it go.

“Judas.” Jesus stared at his disciple. When he had Judas full attention, Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She did this to prepare me for burial.” The implication was that any expense was justified. In that culture, it was customary to spend lavishly on burials. It was the way you showed respect. Even Judas would not have dared to question this expense out loud, if he had recognized it as a part of a burial.

Different versions of this story are told in each of the four gospels. In the different accounts Jesus says different things.

In Matthew and Mark, Jesus says, “Why are you criticizing this woman for doing such a good thing for me. (The word “good” can also be translated, “beautiful.” -- She has done a beautiful thing. ) You'll have the poor with you always. And you can always do them good. (That will be something beautiful you can do. But this is her beautiful thing. So, leave her alone.) You will not always have me with you. What she has done is so sweet, so good, that everywhere the gospel is preached this story will be told in her honor.”


Judas was critical. Jesus was affirming.

Jesus is our model. He calls us to join him in doing everything in our power to protect and defend the vulnerable. He calls us to renounce criticism as a way of life.

The synagogue leader and Judas both had positions of prominence. They thought their status made their critical judgment especially important. But they were wrong. Their status imposed on them a greater obligation to affirm, to encourage, to ease the troubles of others.

How do we apply this in real life—in our real life?

Let go of criticism as a way of life. Do not allow yourself to regularly, habitually criticize your kids, your spouse, your parents, your co-workers, your boss, your employees. There are times when you need to say something negative. Sometimes you have to speak up. Just as Jesus did in these two situations. He pushed back against the synagogue ruler and against Judas. But he did that only to create space and safety for vulnerable people who were being squeezed by those with higher status.

One step further, for some people, the hardest step of all: let go of criticism of yourself. If you find yourself constantly scolding yourself, constantly condemning yourself, replace your natural self-talk with the words of Jesus: Should not this daughter of Abraham be set free? Leave her alone. She has done a good work for me.

Jesus' response to brokenness was not condemnation but compassion. So, when you see in your own life evidence that you are broken, instead of condemning yourself or scolding yourself, react with compassion. Jesus sees your mess ups, then looks beyond them to a good future. He calls you to do the same.

Karin and I recently visited an old friend. One thing stood out to me over the course of our conversation: She was constantly telling stories of human failure. Friends, relatives, clergy, church members, employers—they all provided examples of human failure, imperfection. Near the end of our conversation, our friend said, “I've come to see that my relationship with God is characterized by fear. I'm afraid God is going to condemn me.”

I thought, no wonder. As we develop our expertise in noticing human failure, we can't help noticing our own failures. From there it is a very small step to assuming God is a specialist in human failure also—a specialist in our failures. And we assume he frowns every time he notices any element in our existence that is less than ideal. He frowns and he will punish.

This poisons our own life and diminishes our capacity to pour grace into the lives of others.

Jesus calls us higher.

Jesus says about us: Ought not this daughter, this son of Abraham be set free? Today. Now. No matter whether it's in the program or not.

Jesus says about our best efforts—even if others are critical—she/he has done what they could. It was a beautiful thing. Leave them alone.

Jesus is touched by our brokenness. He is pleased with our efforts. Take heart.