Daily Devotional (Soul Food)

June 1, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb is writing about the Valley of Dried Bones in Ezekiel. Her meditation grew from her experience in a small group.

EZEKIEL 37:1-10

37 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. ³ He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ⁷ So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

MEDITATION
I was so excited when Murray chose the above passage as the Old Testament reading on Pentecost!  it has long been a favorite of mine. I have memories of many times in active ministry when I told the story complete with the spiritual “Dry Bones,” building skeletons with the children, and rattling sound effects.  Last week, following Pentecost, I used it as the base for a Lectio Divina group that I co-lead on Thursdays.

In the Lectio group, we talked about the dry bones of the past year; the separation, the lack of interaction in person, the drying up of worship traditions, the violence in our nation, sometimes stoked by frustration and alienation. We talked about putting flesh on those bones as we return to worship – what will change, and what will be the same.  (After all when flesh, sinew and muscle are stripped away, the new body will not look the same!)

I was impressed by the pastor’s recent column in the Eastwood Baptist newsletter.  He talked about how the Pandemic has changed him.  He used to dread talking on the phone, but since it was a viable way to reach out, he finds that he needs and wants to use this tool to reach his congregation.  He has done examination of Eastwood’s worship practices, and wonders what to keep, what to change and what to drop. (He’s even thinking of shorter sermons, or other ways to get the Word out!)

As we are once again in worship, thinking about small groups, and stretching to get “back to normal” in our personal and corporate lives, we might ask the same questions.  What is still viable?  What did we do in the past just because it was familiar, or part of our tradition?  Do those traditions still have relevance and meaning?  God always promises,  “Behold, I am doing a new thing!”  Are we open to “new things?”

At the end of our Lectio meeting, one member, who is an artist, felt moved to create a collage that depicted her feelings about the wind of the Spirit, the Breath of God, entering the dry bones.  I have included it here.

Where is the wind of the Spirit moving in your life? In the life of our congregation? Let’s respond to the Breath of God, and live!

PRAYER
Breathe on us, breath of God, fill us with life anew, as we may live as thou doest live and do what Thou doest do. Amen

May 31, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb writes about hospitality, an important Christian virtue.
Oh, and my daughter Caitlin had her baby early this morning. We welcome Willow Jullay Richmond Bedell into the world!

2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2
¹⁶From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
¹As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. ²For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!

MEDITATION

On this Memorial Day, when we honor those who have served our country through our Armed Forces, may we take seriously the fact that our God is a God of reconciliation, and would ask us to pave the way toward peace.  The Apostle Paul makes this priority clear in the above passage.  Like Paul, we did not know Jesus in the flesh, but only through his spiritual presence.  Like the dry bones passage which follows tomorrow, Paul reminds us that if we are in Christ, we are a new creation.  The old has passed away and everything is new.

Imagine hearing these words in their original setting! Paul’s audience his held captive by the Roman rule.  Roman citizens, such as Paul, have certain privileges that others do not have, and yet, even for them, there are strictures and limitations.  (It is ironic that if Paul had not used his citizenship card to have his case heard in Rome, he would likely have been released.)

Yet, despite the Roman  limitations, Paul calls us to see that in Christ, we are new people. In fact, everything has become new!  Jesus has breached the divide between God and humanity in his death and resurrection.  In so doing, he has reconciled God and humanity, and forgiven our sins.  However, that amazing gift does not come without a charge to us.  Because Jesus reconciled humanity and God, we are therefore called to become “ambassadors for Christ” and to enter into  a “ministry of reconciliation.”

At Veranda Park, we have a team of “ambassadors.”  It is our job to welcome new residents and help them adapt to life in a senior community.  We are “go-betweens” for both residents and staff.  When there are problems, we are tasked with going to the source and addressing the issues.  In the same way, Paul charges us with becoming “Ambassadors for Christ,” speaking the words of Jesus to those with whom we have influence.  God is using us as channels of God’s peace and God’s hope.  Such a calling is essential in these days of war abroad and violence at home.

In this time of great national division, we can bring words of healing.  We can de-escalate conflict.  Showing gratitude for God’s gifts to us, we can act as ambassadors, as reconcilers, to bring those in our sphere of influence.

On this day, when we honor heroes of war, may we turn our thoughts and actions into becoming instigators of peace!

PRAYER
O God, somehow, it seems easier to act aggressively than to extend the hand of friendship; to escalate our differences rather than to find areas of commonality.    Teach us, we pray, to be your ambassadors of friendship, love, and peace.  Amen.

May 19, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb shares with us the “apprenticeship” of the disciples–sent out by Jesus to spread the word of God’s love.

Luke 10:1-17

¹After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. ²He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. ⁴Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ ⁶And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹²I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

MEDITATION

This story is one of my favorites, but it always slightly takes my breath away.  Jesus was sending the disciples to places he had not yet been!  It reminds  me of how I felt as a child being sent out into the neighborhood to sell Girl Scout cookies.  One year I actually got sick, and my mom ended up with a freezer of cookies!  My job was far easier than that of the disciples; Jesus admitted that he was sending his friends into a potential pack of wolves.  They did not know what kind of reception they would receive.  (At least my neighbors knew about Girl Scout cookies – the disciples were being sent with a new message about a man they had  never seen!)

Another scary thing about this story is that Jesus, unlike Emergency Response Teams of today, sent his friends out with no provisions!  The instructions were:  no purse, no sandals, (hardest part for me!) and no stopping along the way.  They were to go from house to unknown house offering peace.  If they were welcomed, they could stay and enjoy the hospitality while they went about their mission of preaching, teaching and healing. They were not to move from house to house, but stay in one place, so that they could focus on the job that they were sent to do, rather than on their own well -being.

The takes-my-breath-away part is the power they were given!  If a town welcomed them, they were given the power to heal and teach and preach with effectiveness.  If they were not accepted, they were given permission to curse the town!  “More tolerable than for Sodom” is a powerful and frightening message!

It seems to me that our job is easier today, because, in America, at least, pretty much everyone  has heard about Christianity.  And, most of us, at least, are not called to go to unknown places.  We can work from the comfort of our homes, talking about our faith when the opportunity arises, but more importantly, living our faith in ways that make others curious.  “Why do you go out of your way to help people?”  “Why are you involved in feeding the hungry?”  Why do you volunteer in the community?” It helps to remember as well, I think, that healing is not always curing.  We can be healers when we comfort one in mourning; when we stand with someone who is having a rough time, when we mediate between people who are experiencing discord.

The point is that we are called by Jesus in the same way that the disciples were. The task is the same, but the conditions are different (and, I think, easier!)  As we return to worship this week, may the time together empower you and embolden you for the work of God during the times that we are apart.  As Jesus instructed the disciples, “peace be with you!”

PRAYER

Loving God, empower and embolden us, we pray, for the work that you have called us to do.  It is still true that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Strengthen us, we pray, for the work of harvesting the  hearts that you have gone before us to prepare.

Amen

May 18, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Sorry we missed yesterday. Barb got her devotion to me, but I didn’t get it to you/ But here it is! As you read it, think about what makes you joyful–not happy, but joyful.

John 17:6-19

⁶“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; ⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. ¹²While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁷Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

MEDITATION

Two things strike me about this passage.  The first is the close relationship between Jesus and God, and the second is how much Jesus loved his disciples.  In this prayer, he is near the end of his life.  It is as though he is summarizing his life’s work, evaluating it, and then asking God to protect his disciples as they carry the work beyond his life.

It is a prayer that could be for us, too.   Though we have not seen Jesus in the flesh, we have his word through the Bible.  The words given to Jesus have been given to us.  We, too, have believed and are endeavoring to follow Jesus.  It is touching that Jesus prays, not for the world, which has largely rejected him, but for those whom he has chosen to follow him.

His affirmation that we have been taught and believed suggests that we must “go and do likewise.”  I am glad to see that adult education has resumed at our church, and that a new schedule will make space for regular education on Sundays as we resume Sundays in person.  It is hard to know and have a personal relationship with Jesus if we don’t know and understand what he said!

Jesus then continues his prayer by praying for those he is leaving behind.  He knows that he will not be with them much longer.  He affirms that he has protected and guarded them, and now wishes (one of my favorite parts!) that his joy might be in them, and their joy be complete.  Jesus asks, not that they be removed from the world as he will be, but that God will protect them from the Force of Evil as they go about the work they he has assigned them.

Again, he could be praying for us!  As we approach Pentecost, return to the option of worshipping in person, celebrate the beginning of the Christian church, may we do so with the joy that Jesus imparted, the knowledge that God’s protection continues, just as Jesus asked, and the commitment to deepen our faith and share it.  See you in church!

PRAYER

Loving God, we give thanks for Jesus, who lived and worked among us, and who makes clear your abundant love for us.  It seems that the “evil one” among us is a dreaded disease that we have named COVID.  Help us to be prudent  and to protect one another as we come together to worship you together, and send us forth as you did the first disciples, to love and serve you in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

May 10, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb takes us back to the days of Moses and the Hebrews wandering in the desert. God took care of their needs just as God takes care of our needs today.

Deuteronomy 8:1-10
¹This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. ²Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. ³He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. ⁵Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you.

⁶Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. ⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, ⁸a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, ⁹a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. ¹⁰ You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

MEDITATION
Our granddaughter turned 18 yesterday!  There have been many family discussions in the days leading up to the transition about what will change when she becomes an adult.  There will be decisions that she will make and have to live with the consequences without help from her parents.  To make the point, her dad teased her that she will now have to pay rent!

Her “turning point” reminds me of the above passage from Deuteronomy.  The Israelites have completed their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness, and are now ready to enter the land promised them.  They are excited to give up their nomadic lifestyle and create a nation in the land that has been so long promised them.  There’s a “turning 18 speech” from God to prepare them.  They are to remember the God who has sustained them for a generation.  They knew hunger, and God fed them.  In the process, they learned that “things” are not the most important part of life.

Amazingly, their shoes and clothes did not wear out for the entire 40 years.  God provided for their needs while they were on the move, just as parents provide for the needs of their children under their roof, keeping them clothed and fed.  In return, the new settlers were to remember the commandments of God.  They have been prepared for a good life – a land with fertile soil, plenty of water, good food, and minerals to aid in their economy.  Their part now, is to remember the lessons of the wilderness!  They are to honor the God who has sustained them, use the good lessons to help them build a just and equitable society; to treat others as they have been treated.

In the same way, graduating seniors and others experiencing transition, would prosper by remembering the lessons of their formative years (assuming that they come from healthy families!)

The lesson for us in the church, it seems, is to model the behavior that God asks of the Israelites.  Remember the blessings of God in our own lives, celebrate the goodness and prosperity that has come to us from the hand of God, and, when we have the opportunity, nurture the young people who cross our paths. Our transitions are not as exciting as turning 18, but the lessons of God’s providence are still appropriate!

PRAYER

Loving God, help us to remember, we pray, that all good things come from you, including your “words to live by.”  Like the Israelites, we have been blessed with a “land of milk and honey”  Inspire us, we pray, to share out of our bounty, to both follow and teach your Word, so that all who see us will come to love you.  Amen.

May 5, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today I’m looking at Jesus calming the storms of our lives.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Luke 8:22-25
²²One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, ²³and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. ²⁴They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

Meditation

I was once on a fishing boat that put out while there was a hurricane brewing much further out in the Atlantic Ocean. We could hardly tell a hurricane was coming. The skies were blue, there was hardly any wind, and the captain was unconcerned.  There was one little hint of bad weather. The waters were roiling around us. I got out on the bowsprit (the very front corner of the boat—think Kate and Leo in Titanic), and at times the bow of the boat would dip below the waters. There were a lot of seasick people on the boat, and the fishing was terrible. I think of that day as I read today’s Gospel story. The disciples and Jesus are out on a boat, and a storm comes up on them. They do that in the Sea of Galilee. One minute the water can look calm as a mirror, the next a storm is threatening your life.

The disciples are scared, and Jesus is asleep. They wonder a) how he can sleep through this, and b) why isn’t he panicking like the rest of them. Jesus finally does wake, tells the storm to stop, and I assume goes back to sleep. Jesus calms the storm. He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and he also calms the storms of our lives. Sometimes the world rages around us (like last year!) Events swirl out of control, tempers get tempestuous, and the environment looks dark.

Sometimes the storms are personal. The storm takes place in the confines of our own souls. It could be a crisis of faith, or a relationship that is troubling. It could be one of the times when our inner demons get the best of us. And Jesus calms the storm.

Now the interesting thing about this story is that the disciples have to wake Jesus up. They have to verbalize their fears to him. They have to ask him to do something about the storm.

So it is with us. It’s not like Jesus is asleep on the job, but we have to turn to him. Jesus is not an invader, who enters our lives when he thinks he needs to be there. He comes by invitation. It does no good to shake your fists at heaven when we haven’t even asked Jesus to take over the situation—or worse yet, we don’t want to follow him through the storm.

But when we do—Jesus calms the storm.

Prayer
O Lord, the sea is so great, and it seems my boat is so little. Calm the storms, that I may arrive safely.

May 4, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb takes a page out of the Old Testament, and shows us how hope can spring from some of the strangest places!

Jeremiah 32:16-25

¹⁶After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: ¹⁷Ah Lord GOD! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. ¹⁸You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation, but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of hosts, ¹⁹great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings. ²⁰You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all humankind, and have made yourself a name that continues to this very day. ²¹You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror; ²²and you gave them this land, which you swore to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; ²³and they entered and took possession of it.

But they did not obey your voice or follow your law; of all you commanded them to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters come upon them. ²⁴See, the siege ramps have been cast up against the city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yourself can see. ²⁵Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses” — though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.

MEDITATION

Change the place names, and this passage could have been written last week!  It also seems to fit well with the current study of Revelation.  Jeremiah was known as the prophet of gloom and doom.  He went to extreme lengths to get people’s attention to warn them of coming disaster. (Example:  he went around town with a wooden yoke around his neck.  When it was cut from him, he replaced it with an iron one – warning the people that they would soon be under the yoke of the Babylonians.)

Finally, the king had enough of his dire messages, and threw him in jail.  While there, he received a message that a piece of land was available for sale.  He understood it to be a message from God that he should purchase the field, and have it properly registered in his name.  It was a symbol that, while Judah would fall into the hands of the Babylonians (indeed, the siege ramps were being erected as he wrote!) the people would return.  God is faithful!

Jeremiah’s testimony to the power and love of God is a statement that we need to hear today.  With the COVID pandemic continuing to impact our lives, it is sometimes difficult to remember the steadfast love and faithfulness of God.  Some people believe that God CAUSED the pandemic as punishment for OUR lack of faithfulness.  I don’t believe that God causes disasters, but that God USES them to teach us, to encourage us to change our path.  An example of such came to me this week from a discussion with our granddaughter.  She is a senior in high school, will turn 18 on Mother’s Day, and  is dating a delightful young man.  In a recent discussion, he told our granddaughter that the pandemic  has offered him a year of introspection; a time to think about who he is, who he would like to become, and how that reflection will influence his choice of friends, his determination of values, and consideration of where he wasn’t to go in the future. Not a bad gift from a year of “deprivation!”

While we hear about the 4 horses of the apocalypse in Revelation, and shudder at the ominous images that pervade the book, we would do well to take a page from Jeremiah, and no matter how grim things seem, symbolically “buy land”; go with confidence into the future, and trust the God of steadfast love who does amazing signs and wonders.

If we use the gifts of the past year to chart a new path, we are likely to be astounded by the amazing love, faithfulness and generosity of our God!

PRAYER
Loving God, we give thanks for your  Word, which speaks powerfully to us in these days.  Guide us, we pray, as we learn to trust you more fully and serve you more devotedly.  Amen.

May 3, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb talks to us about judgment, and how devastating it can be.

Luke 7:36-50

³⁶One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. ³⁷And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him — that she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” ⁴¹“A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” ⁴⁸Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

MEDITATION

How many ways do we judge others?  In these days when we are so aware of racial prejudice and injustice, we sometimes overlook the ways that we, unthinkingly, judge others – age, obesity, lifestyle, to name a few.  That’s one of the things that was happening in the above passage.  The Pharisee judged the woman by what he knew of her lifestyle, and Jesus, because he didn’t condemn it.  (The full-service judge!)  (In case you are wondering how she got there in the first place,  homes in Israel in the time of Jesus were open to the street.  Virtually anyone could  “drop in”  to share conversation, and perhaps, a meal.)

Jesus also judged.  He judged the Pharisee for failing to provide the usual and polite greeting to a guest.  He showed that someone respected in the community might fail in common (and expected) good manners.  At the same time, he showed that someone shunned in the community might show, not only good manners, but compassion and understanding.

One of the lessons for us, here, I think, is that sometimes we are thoughtless without realizing it, and that we judge without thinking.  Despite our age, we carry many messages from our childhood that have not been “updated” to match current circumstances.  My father, who was the paradigm of inclusivity and sensitivity in his prime, began to lose some of that edge as he aged.  He became very outspoken on the issue of obesity.  He embarrassed me more than once by saying things such as “Why does the doctor hire so many fat nurses?”  Or, “look how many fat people there are!”

As we age, our “Social filters” get thinner, and we sometimes say things that we would normally keep under wraps.  I  used to serve at the Christian Church Thursday night dinner.  One evening, the volunteer at the dessert table said to an overweight woman who came for dessert, “You really shouldn’t be eating dessert!”

While we are unlikely to be so blatant in our observations, it behooves us to “check in” with our behavior and our words from time to time, to be sure that we are being sensitive to the needs and circumstances of others.  To be sure, one of the issues that Jesus raised in this story was that those who err more need more forgiveness, yet small slights can cause deep hurt.

As we enter a new week, may we be sensitive to what we say and how we act, making a sincere effort to show kindness to everyone we meet regarding of circumstance.

PRAYER
Loving God, part of serving you is not only serving others but showing kindness and understanding to others.  Guide us we pray.  Strengthen  our “filters” so that we do not speak without thinking and unthinkingly confer hurt on others – also your children.
Amen.

April 27, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb is writing about the topsy-turvy ethics of Jesus. Specifically how Jesus values the poor, while warning the rich, but within the context of hope.

Gospel Reading Luke 6:12-26

¹²Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. ¹³And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: ¹⁴Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, ¹⁵and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.  ¹⁷He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. ²⁰Then he looked up at his disciples and said:     “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  ²¹  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.  “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ²²“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. ²³Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. ²⁴  “But woe to you who are rich,  for you have received your consolation. ²⁵  “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. ²⁶“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

MEDITATION

For me, a people pleaser with a large, barely concealed rescue streak, one of the most difficult things about being a Christian is the counter-culture nature of the faith.  Nowhere is it better summarized than in the sermon on the plain (in Luke). (In Matthew the sermon on the mount.)  The culture says, “blessed are the rich.,” but Jesus says that it is better to be poor.  The culture says, “ a sign of blessing is the lack of need to go hungry.”  Jesus speaks of hunger as we might speak of a vessel ready to be filled.  The culture weeps  with those who weep (on a good day, when we are feeling compassionate.)  Jesus says laughter follows in the morning.  The hardest part for me (perhaps because I have never gone hungry, or lacked for anything I need, or even want) is the thought of being hated or excluded because I am a Christian.  I am glad to share my faith, and am always willing to discuss it when the opportunity arises, and I am not troubled by opposing viewpoints, but I wince if someone shuts me out because they cannot agree with the way I believe.  (There’s the people pleaser popping out!)

I was struck at the Oscar presentations on Sunday evening by the huge shift in the topics of the movies presented, and  the wide gender, orientation and racial mix that were represented there.   Anthony Hopkins was a clear minority!  It seemed to me to be a foretaste of the Realm of God.  It made me aware that I need to continue my study of racism, to look for ways to be more inclusive, to do my part to create change and to lead others.  It made me realize that we, as a congregation, need to expand our ministry beyond our work with the unhoused, and seek ways to create the kind of diversity exemplified at the Oscars.  Being a Christian, especially being a Christian in a changing world, is challenging!  Yet, our God calls us forward, promising, “Behold, I am doing a new thing!”

PRAYER
Loving God, we are so comfortable with the way things have “always” been done.  Change is difficult for us, and the call of Jesus is challenging to us.  Walk with us, we pray, lead us into broader thinking and deeper faith that we might follow you with greater love and faithfulness.  Amen.

April 26, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb is writing about how Jesus would sometimes bend the rules, but always for a good cause. Also come really good words on the Sabbath!

Gospel Reading Luke 6:1-11

¹One sabbath while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. ²But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” ³Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?” ⁵Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

⁶On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. ⁷The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. ⁸Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. ⁹Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

MEDITATION

When I have read this story in the past, I have always assumed that the disciples plucked the grain because they were hungry.  However, a childhood memory makes me realize that hunger may not have been the sole reason for their little “harvest.”

When I was a child, my dad, a school social worker, was paid only 9 months per year, so he always had to find a summer job.  One year, he got a job at a grain elevator in southeastern Colorado, where my grandparents lived.  We spent the summer with them.  One day, my dad took me to the grain elevator.  A truck drove up to be weighed, and my dad scooped a few grains off the top of the load and invited me to eat them.  I still remember the delicious taste in my mouth!

The little taste that the disciples enjoyed was still considered “work” on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees, always looking for a way to find fault with Jesus, pounced.  Jesus was ready for them.  He both reminded them of a story from the hero David, but also renewed the law with the words, “the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”  I’m sure that the inference as Son of Man infuriated them, but they bided their time.

They did not have to wait long.  On another sabbath, Jesus was teaching in the local synagogue, and noticed a man with a withered hand.  The Pharisees watched to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.  (Another form of work!)  Jesus knew what they were thinking, but that did not stop him.  He posed a question:  Should one do good or harm on the Sabbath; save life or destroy it?  When no one answered him, he simply asked the man to hold out his hand, and immediately, he was healed.  The Pharisees, rather than rejoicing with the man, were filled with fury, and began to look for ways to destroy Jesus.

The issues make me think of our Sabbath observance. We have come a long way from the “Blue laws,” which restricted business on Sunday, and encouraged a time of worship and rest.  I have cousins who remember Sundays as a time of worship and education, followed by  a shared meal, and then the afternoon spent visiting the sick and shut-in.

Now I wonder, has Sunday become just another day?  With the ease of worship online, do we sometimes skip it or at least treat it more casually?  While strict adherence to former Sabbath laws no longer apply, can we still be serious about a contemporary observance?  Can we set aside the chores of the week, spend some time in both worship and  study or contemplation?  Amid the blur of weekly tasks and a myriad of zoom meetings, can we have one  computer free day   (except for tuning into worship, of course!) ?  Can we take a nap, renewing ourselves for the week to come?  Whatever activity we choose, the words of Jesus still apply:  Should one do good or harm on the Sabbath?  However we choose to observe this special day, may we do good!

PRAYER
God, you have told us in Jesus that the Sabbath was made for humanity.  Inspire us, we pray, to use this special time to worship and honor you, to do good and not evil, and to experience and appreciate a time of rest and renewal.  Amen.

April 22, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today we are going on a fishin’ trip with Jesus. Maybe we can learn to be effective fishers ourselves!

Luke 5:1-11

¹Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ²he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” ¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Meditation

Have you ever been working on something, and someone comes up and tells you that you are doing it wrong? I was on a bicycle trip on the Denali Highway, Which spans the Alaska Range, when my gears starting giving me problems. As I was working on it, two guys from Canada stopped and watched me. That was not a problem, but then they started giving me advice. I wanted to say, “This is my bike, and I know how it works!” But they were Canadian, and I didn’t want to be the Rude American, so I just bit my tongue and kept on working.
It turned their advice was right (which, to be honest, just made me a bit angrier at them!)

In today’s story Peter and the others have been fishing all night. When they got back, Jesus wanted to teach to the crowds, so in spite of their fatigue from working all night, they let him into one of their boats, giving him a platform for his lesson.

Then Jesus, I assume noticing their boats were bereft of fish, said, “Let’s do some fishing.” With a sigh, they set back out, although Peter did mention to Jesus about their fishless night. They put out their nets, and voila! They had fish. More fish than they knew what to do with.

Jesus said this was a little object lesson, and that soon they would be fishing for people. By extension, that is our task was well. But where do we put in our nets? How do we know where to make a great catch? The answer is we need to listen to Jesus on this one. He knows. We might have ideas about where to put in our nets, but we need to follow the lead of Jesus. We might feel like saying, “We have fished those waters dry,” or “We never catch fish there,” but Jesus knows.

As we look to growth in church, we will have to become fishers of people. Rarely do fish just jump into your boat (although that did happen to me once.) And we need to pay attention to Jesus as we our cast nets of love and grace.

Prayer

O Lord, we are fishers, but sometimes we don’t have the right nets. Or we don’t know where to cast them. Speak to us, Lord, that we might be mighty fishers for the Kingdom of God.
Amen.

April 21, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today we are looking at the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law. No mother-in-law jokes will be made! But the story does give us a template for how a church’s good deeds should progress.

Luke 4:38-44
³⁸After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. ³⁹Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

⁴⁰As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. ⁴¹Demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.

⁴²At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. ⁴³But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” ⁴⁴So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.

Meditation

“Charity begins at home,” so some say, but too often they leave unsaid the words, “And it should stay there.”

Today’s lesson shows us how Jesus sees the role of good works. First Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law. Simon, later on known as Peter, was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, and this healing hit close to home for him. Of course Jesus would want to do what he could for his closest followers. Of course Jesus would want to heal Peter’s mother-in-law.

But news of the miracle soon spreads and before they know, the house is surrounded by people who want and need healing. It was night, and it had been a long day, and surely Jesus had the right to at least ask them to come tomorrow. But he doesn’t. He heals all that came. As I was reading this the thought popped into my head, “I wonder how many people started following Jesus as a result their healing?”

The text is silent on that. I was thinking, “This is a great way for Jesus to expand his following. Heal them, then ask them to follow him!” We do not know if Jesus said anything to them. He healed them. He healed all of them, those who were just there for the healing along with those who were going to follow Jesus as a result of their healing. He healed all of them.

It is tempting to do good deeds hoping for a reward in return. “If we feed these people, they will start attending our church!” But if that is the major motive, the deed turns from being good to being bribery. “We’ll feed you if you will sit in our pews during worship.” When Jesus prepares to leave, he met resistance from the people. “Hey, we still have some sick people here! You can’t leave us now!” But Jesus is firmly insistent. “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.”

The gifts of God were never meant to stay in one place. The blessings of God are not bound by geography.

Before the Holy Spirit came upon the people at Pentecost, Jesus told his disciples they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Spirit started a home, but quickly spread to other places. That is how we found ourselves practicing a first century religion that originated in a backwater burg. The Gospel spread. To be precise, the disciples spread it.

How does the work of God get outside our walls? When the spirit comes, does it then go from First Presbyterian Medford, to the town of Medford, to Portland, and then to the ends of the earth?

Charity does begin at home. Then it must spread. Or it will die where it was born.

Prayer
May our work for you be free to go where it needs to go. May we do without expectations. May we love without borders.
Amen.

April 20, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb gives us her take on the 23rd Psalm and how it gives us a wonderful picture of our Gentle God.

Psalm 23:1-6

¹   The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
²        He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
³        he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴   Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.
⁵   You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.

MEDITATION
Perhaps because I am on the verge of saying “yes” once too often in my attempt to stay active, and to be useful, this familiar psalm resonates strongly with me at this time.   We hear so often of the vengeful God, the angry God, (and in the current study of Revelation, the God of the Apocalypse).  It is reassuring to hear of God as shepherd; the caring God, the nurturing God, who leads us, not into the fray, but beside still waters.  We find rest for our spirits to prepare us for the times of action. In the still restfulness, we need not frantically search for the right path, the right action.  instead, we are gently led there by the Shepherd who loves us more than life.

Such comfort does not protect us from the dark, difficult parts of life. Our faith is not an escape hatch from difficulty, illness and stress.  However, the promise is that, when we walk through those dark places we are not alone and we need not fear.  The Good Shepherd goes with us, providing the needed tools to cope with whatever challenge besets us. We can take comfort in the Everlasting Presence.

Even when we feel challenged by those who may wish ill for us, the Good Shepherd continues to pour abundant blessings upon us.  We can trust that God will never leave us, and the gentle presence will continue to accompany us, shelter us and abide with us.

Sometimes, when we encounter familiar Scripture, such as this passage, we are tempted to hurry past it – “been there, done that.”  However, in times of challenge and stress, it is just such passages that give us space to rest, to breathe, to re-tool for whatever challenges face us.  May you breathe deeply this day of the fragrance of our gentle God, trusting in God’s love and leaning on the staff of God’s strength.

PRAYER
Gentle, healing God, lead us this day into your green pastures of peace, hope and joy.  May we feel your presence strongly and walk in your path with courage and strength.
Amen.

April 19, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb brings us the story of Jesus’ first sermon. It did not go well.

Gospel Reading Luke 4:14-30

¹⁴Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. ¹⁶When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
¹⁹  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

²⁰And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  ²¹Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” ²³He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” ²⁴And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. ²⁵But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; ²⁶yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. ²⁷There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

MEDITATION

Immediately after Jesus experienced the temptations in the wilderness, he felt filled with the Holy Spirit, and ready to begin his ministry.  He returned to the area of Galilee and began to travel and preach and teach and heal.  Word about his ministry spread quickly.  He decided to return to his home town of Nazareth, where he was invited to read the Scriptures and speak to them.  At first, they were amazed by his teachings, and amazed that this young man, who had grown up in their midst could be so well spoken.

He was able to read their thoughts, however.   He knew that they would want him to perform healings as they heard he had done in Capernaum.  However, he said, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.  He quoted the works of the famous prophets Elijah and Elisha, and pointed out that during times of famine and the spread of leprosy, only a few were saved and healed by the prophets.  His words angered the crowd, and they sought to kill him, but he easily slipped through the crowds and went on his way.

The story evokes a memory in me.  When I finished seminary, I felt much as Jesus may have felt after his time of testing and discernment.  I was ready to go!  I was excited about beginning my new career as pastor.  My father asked the pastor of the church where I had grown up to allow me to preach one Sunday.  The pastor refused until my father, an active elder in the church, insisted. I got my day in the sun, but there was no real rejoicing by me, or, perhaps, by the parishioners.  Fortunately for me, there were greener pastures, and I was able to serve churches where I was appreciated.

When I read this story, what comes across is the grasping attitude of the people in Nazareth.  “Me first!” they might as well have shouted.  Do for us what you have done elsewhere!  Don’t remind us of the limitations imposed by former prophets, do what we ask!  They were so angry with him when he refused, (Knowing that he could not really fulfill their demands) they would rather kill him than accept his limits.

The story makes me ask, “when I/we pray, do we make demands on the Holy One, or do we offer our prayers at the feet of God and willingly accept the answer we are given? (Whether it is answer we want or not?)  Are we ever jealous because it seems that others’ prayers are filled more completely than our own?  It helps to remember, whether we like it or not, that God knows us better than we know ourselves.  Our prayers are answered in the ways that will serve our best interests, that will  help us grow, that will deepen our faith whether we see those benefits or not.

Not all of the stories of Jesus, nor the words he speaks, are words of comfort, but they are all words generated by God’s love for us.

PRAYER
Loving God, forgive us, we pray, when we come with demands instead of supplications; when we fail to see your love for us, and when we reject your invitations to grow closer to you.  We know you love us, and we want to serve you.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

April 13, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb is discussing a part of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden.

Gospel Reading John 17:12-19

¹²“While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. ¹⁴I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁷Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

MEDITATION
After a brief dip into the Old Testament, we are back to more familiar territory with comforting words from Jesus.  It’s as though we are eavesdroppers on a prayer from Jesus to his and our “Abba Father”.  He’s recounting his work on earth, and testifying that he both guarded and guided those who followed him most closely.  Only Judas was lost, and Jesus says that he was destined to be lost in order to fulfill Old Testament scripture.

He has told his disciples that he came that his joy might be in them, and their joy be made complete.  Now he tells his “Abba” that despite their joy in him, their life will be difficult because of what he taught them.  They have been set apart, as he was, and the world will not always appreciate the way they think and teach.  He asks God, not that they be taken from the world, but that they be protected and given the truth.  He knows their life will be difficult, because they will be ”swimming upstream”, going counter to the prevailing culture, just as he did.  Jesus asks that they be instilled with the truth, as he has sent them into the world without  his physical presence, and they will now need to be grounded in truth and protected from temptation to waver.

As we are still in the glow and celebration of Easter, we can imagine our place with the original disciples.   Like them, Jesus is no longer physically present, but his spirit is alive and well among us and within us.  His prayer might easily be our prayer; that we might be protected against untruth, led away from the temptations of the world, and be willingly go against the cultural current to proclaim and defend our faith.  It’s a tall order, but we dare say yes to the challenge, because we go forth with the peace, presence and power, not only of Jesus, but of our triune God.

PRAYER
Almighty God help us to take the words of Jesus to heart; to make his prayer our prayer, that we may truly serve you with joy!  Amen.

April 12, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today is the Daniel Diet edition! Barb takes us back to the Exile, when Jews had to live a strangers in a strange land.

Daniel 1:1-21

¹In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ²The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods.

³Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, ⁴young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. ⁵The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. ⁶Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. ⁷The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

⁸But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. ⁹Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master. ¹⁰The palace master said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king.” ¹¹Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe.” ¹⁴So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. ¹⁶So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. ¹⁷To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams.

¹⁸At the end of the time that the king had set for them to be brought in, the palace master brought them into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, ¹⁹and the king spoke with them. And among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were stationed in the king’s court. ²⁰In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. ²¹And Daniel continued there until the first year of King Cyrus.

MEDITATION

Here’s both a prelude to a more familiar story, and, perhaps, some dietary advice!  One of the most insidious things that the Babylonians did when they captured Israel was to take the leaders, the skilled craftsmen, the ”cream of the crop” out of Israel into Babylon.  That left Israel vulnerable and virtually helpless against the Babylonians, dependent on them for their very existence, and without the skills or equipment to rebel.  Meanwhile, in Babylon, those very leaders were incorporated into the lifestyle and culture of Babylon.  They were so fully integrated that when Cyrus of Persia defeated the Babylonians and freed the Israelites to return, many chose to remain in Babylon.

The young men in today’s story were the exception.  Not only did they maintain their familiar dietary laws, eschewing the rich foods of their captors, but they retained their Hebrew faith.  (Which came in very handy in a later story!)  Their captors did not make the connection between faith and diet, but they saw that their chosen diet made them hearty and healthy, and they were allowed to continue to  eat the foods of their choice.

The story has several layers which translate into our lives thousands of years later.
Maybe the “easiest” one is the dietary advice.  The diet of the Babylonian royals, in addition to large amounts of wine, undoubtedly was heavy in rich meats and fatty foods, with less emphasis on fruits and vegetables.  Today we are besieged with advice that is very similar to the diet that the Israelites chose.  If we follow it, we not only lose weight, but clear our arteries and help to prevent heart attacks and strokes.  We may even find that we have more energy!

At a deeper level, the Israelites were motivated for their dietary decisions by the dietary laws of their faith.  To eat as they had learned kept them in touch with the faith; and though it is not mentioned in this passage, I believe that it also kept them in a life of prayer, connected to the God of Israel.   While we Protestant Christians are not bound to a specific diet, it is important that we find tangible keys to keep us in the habit of prayer and meditation.  Maybe we will keep a journal, or use a daily devotional guide, or spend regular time in nature, or even tune into Soul Food on a daily basis!  Whatever spiritual discipline you choose, may it keep you grounded in faith, so that when you are tested, as our heroes in the above story later were, you may experience the inner strength to sustain and guide you!

PRAYER
Loving God, help us to trust you, to devote ourselves to you, and to be faithful to you, not only to be sustained in life’s trials, but to be guided in the daily events of our lives.
Amen.

April 8, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Jesus said that his disciples were not “of the world.” What does that mean, for them and for us?
It is not too late to sign up for the course on Revelation. We will be doing it by Zoom and in person.
Also we are making plans to open soon! But we need ushers. We cannot open until we have trained ushers. If you would like to help with this, please call the office (541-779-1711) and let us know!

John 15:18-27

¹⁸“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world — therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. ²¹But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³Whoever hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’”
²⁶“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Meditation

In Monty Python’s movie The Life of Brian, which takes place in the time of Jesus, a group of Jewish revolutionaries are meeting, and the asks, “What have the Romans ever done for us?”
One of his group says,
XERXES: The aqueduct?
REG: What?
XERXES: The aqueduct.
REG: Oh. Yeah, yeah. They did give us that. Uh, that’s true. Yeah.
COMMANDO #3: And the sanitation.
LORETTA: Oh, yeah, the sanitation, Reg. Remember what the city used to be like?
REG: Yeah. All right. I’ll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done.

The list goes on and on, until at the end the leader says,
All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

In fact the Romans did a lot for the people in the countries they conquered. But it all came at a cost. They demanded the souls of the people they ruled. Under the Romans the people were free to pursue their own religion, but only if they also worshiped the Roman gods, including the Emperor. If there was a question as to the loyalty of the people in a region, an altar would be placed in the town square and every citizen had to throw a pinch of incense on the altar and say, “Caesar is Lord.” Most people could do that, but for Christians and Jews it was impossible to remain faithful and give homage to the Emperor as a god. There was only one god and his name was not Caesar.

This is the context of Jesus’ saying, “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world — therefore the world hates you.”

In John’s first letter he says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
“The World” that Jesus and John talk about can mean many things. In their day it was easily identified with Rome. But “Rome” meant more than the people who ruled them. It was the culture of Rome as well. In the book of Revelation, St. John likens Rome to Babylon, the country that invaded Jerusalem and hauled her citizens into exile. For John, “Rome” meant everything that was opposed to the Kingdom of God.

Jon Sobrino says that we want to understand what the Kingdom of God means, we have to understand what it means to be an anti-Kingdom. What is it that opposes the Kingdom of God?
We don’t live in Rome. And the sad fact is, many Christians today would disagree heartily on what “The World” is for us today. For some, it is the liberal state run by Democrats. For others it is Corporate America. For others it is a country that allows for abortion, while others believe it is a country that implements laws that penalize the poor, and makes houselessness a criminal condition.

Who is right?

What does “The World” mean for you?

And how are you not “of” the World?

April 7, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today we are looking at a parable of a branch that wanted to be free. Jesus says if we abide him, we can bear much fruit, we can do wondrous things for the Kingdom of God. This is the story of a branch that decided not to abide.

Murray

John 15:1-11

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. ⁹As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

Meditation

There was once a branch that sat on a huge apple tree. Most of the branches on the tree were happy, but not this branch. As it sat on the tree, it thinking about his situation, he grew more and more discontent with his lot in life.

“If only I were not a part of this tree,” the branch thought, “I could be really something. I could be free. I could bear more apples than any branch in the history of apple trees. And the branches I could grow! I could be resplendent with branches!

“But no. Here I am stuck on this mediocre tree, and just when I am beginning to branch out nicely the apple farmer comes by and cuts off my beautiful branches. Those branches could be growing apples.”
The branch decided it would find a way to become free of the tree. It cut off the sap from the main tree (“I don’t any other sources of sap! I am fine on my own!”) Eventually the branch fell off the tree.
“I’m free!” the branch thought as I lay on the ground. “Finally I am free to be me!! No more farmer cutting off my branches! I can grow as many as I want! I will bear more apples than any branch of any apple tree ever!”

Ok, back to reality. Branches cannot decide to leave trees. But in today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sees us as branches that do have a choice. There are two key sentences here. First, where Jesus says, “Abide in me, and I in you.” Just as a branch needs to be a part of a tree to bear fruit, so we need to be a part of Jesus, or, as he says, we must abide in his love. How do we do that?

That is the second key sentence: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” And what was Jesus’ commandments? To love God and to love our neighbor. Do this, and you abide in God, and by abiding in God, you will bear much fruit.

Don’t be like the branch on the ground. Abide!

Prayer
Lord, may we abide in you, so that our joy may be complete. May we bear fruit for you and your kingdom.
Amen.

April 6, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb is writing about how God is our rock and our refuge.

PSALM 62

⁵ For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷ On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.

MEDITATION

As I finished Marilyn McEntyre’s book of Lenten meditations, a friend gave me another book of daily meditations to keep me in the habit of being still and listening for a few minutes each day.  Today’s message reminds us that, after all of the Alleluias of Easter, the way to really be In touch with God is in silence, in the “still, small voice.”

I believe that God yearns to be in touch with us, even as we seek the presence of God.  However, it is hard to hear the voice of God amidst the clatter and clamor of our daily activities.  To hear that voice, we need to set aside daily time just to be still.  When we can do that, difficult as it is, we do become aware of God as our rock, our fortress.  God is the source of our strength; the force that enables us to stand firm against wrongdoing, to speak out against injustice.

The psalmist continues that God is not only our fortress, but also our refuge.  How many times do the gospels report that Jesus “went away to rest and pray.”  He sought the refuge of the God whom he knew to be steadfast, even in the most trying of times. In our culture of “do it yourself” it is difficult to admit our weakness, our fear, our sense of inadequacy.   Yet, we dare to relinquish all of that to the God who is love; who comes not to judge, but to empower.

The final invitation from the psalmist is to trust.  We dare to “pour out our hearts before him,” because he loves us more than life.  It’s hard to imagine such love in the face of the fickle nature of humanity, and yet, we have only to turn the calendar pages back to Friday to be reminded that there are no limits to the God who loves us.

My invitation to you is to “try it, you’ll like it!”  Since many of us have already established a Lenten discipline, we might try continuing by setting some time in silence daily to be with God.  We might be surprised by the results!

PRAYER

Almighty God, we carry the joyful news of the resurrection with us,  and yet, we immediately rush into the events of the day, barely conscious of your presence.  Help us to slow our pace, we pray, and make time and space for your word to each of us.  Amen.

April 5, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today we start to look at the post-Easter affects of the Resurrection. Barb shows us how Peter was changed.

Acts 2:14, 22-24; 29-32

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.
²²“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know — ²³this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. ²⁴But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. ²⁹“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’  ³²This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”

MEDITATION

It didn’t take long for Peter to find his voice!  I think that the ‘beach barbeque breakfast” was transformative for him.  You remember that, after the resurrection, not knowing what else to do, Peter decided to go fishing.  Others joined him.  Jesus met them on the beach, shared their breakfast, and then invited Peter to take a walk with him.

Three times, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him.  Three times, Peter affirmed that he did, actually becoming a bit annoyed that Jesus had to repeat the question.  Some scholars assert that the question was asked three times to allow Peter to atone for the three times that he denied Jesus following his arrest.  Whether true or not, the incident gave Peter a second chance.  Having heard Peter’s confession of love and faith, Jesus gave him a job to do – feed my sheep!

Freed from guilt and given a specific task, Peter wasted no time!  Before he left Jerusalem after the resurrection he began to speak publicly.  He recounted the cruelty and injustice done to Jesus, but then went on to affirm that Jesus was alive!  “It was impossible for him to be held in the power of death.”

Relying on the fact that King David, long dead, was a still hero to the people, Peter called on his prophesy that when the Messiah came,  he would not die forever, but would be raised to live again.

The fact that death could not hold him is a reality in our lives as well.  It is what gives us hope.  It holds the possibility that we will somehow find ways to overcome the violence, hate and injustice of our time.  It gives us not only hope, but knowledge that we, too will be saved from the eternal clutches of death and will live again in the place that God has prepared for us.  Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

PRAYER
Amazing, loving God, what love you have shown us!  We give thanks for the raising of Jesus from the dead, and with it, the knowledge that we, too, will live forever in your presence.  Amen.

April 3, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food, Holy Saturday edition.

Today we are looking at Holy Saturday. The painter Jackson Pollock said, “There was a reviewer who wrote that my pictures didn’t have a beginning or an end. He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but it was. It was a fine compliment.” This is nothing to see in this painting. It does not mean anything. It just is.

Luke 23: 50-56, 24:1

⁵⁰ Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, ⁵¹ had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. ⁵⁴ It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. ¹ But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.

Meditation

Genesis tells us that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. How does God rest? What does that even mean? Today is Holy Saturday. It is the sixth day, and Jesus is in the tomb. Nothing happens today. The text jumps from Friday when they laid Jesus in the tomb, to Sunday, when the women discover the resurrection. Nothing happens in between. Between Friday evening, and Sunday morning, there is a pause in the action. What do you do when you aren’t doing anything? I saw a recent Facebook that said, “When I tell I am doing nothing today, that does not mean I am free. That means I am doing nothing.” I find many points of congruence between Buddhism and Christianity, and one is the idea of doing nothing. In many Zen traditions, meditating is the art of doing nothing. That goes against the grain. We are supposed to doing something—always.  There should be a purpose in all we do. Even when we rest, we should recharge our batteries. Doing nothing is a lost art.

I was talking with a pastor once about what we were reading. I mentioned I was reading a novel—Middlemarch I believe. “Why are you reading that?” he asked. “How is that helping your ministry?” “It’s not helping my ministry. I am reading it because I enjoy it.” “I never read anything just for enjoyment,” he said. “Everything I read has to help my ministry.” I felt like he was missing something very important. What was Jesus doing on Holy Saturday? Some traditions cannot leave him in the tomb. He is down in Hell, they say, preaching the Gospel to all the people who died before he was able to save them from their sins. Others just believe that Jesus rested on Holy Saturday. He did….nothing

Maybe it is too late for you to do nothing today, on Holy Saturday, but maybe, some time in the near future, you can set aside some time to do … nothing.

Prayer
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition they have a service on Friday evening, and one of the prayers of this service is:

Today Thou dost keep holy the seventh day,
Which Thou has blessed of old by resting from Thy works.
Thou bringest all things into being and Thou makest all things new,
Observing the Sabbath rest, my Saviour, and restoring strength.

April 2, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food, Good Friday edition

The cross of Jesus means many different things to different people. But in the end, it all comes down to one thing–God’s love for us.
Murray

The Crucifixion of Jesus

Luke 23:26-49

²⁶ As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. ²⁸ But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

³² Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³ When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus^[e] there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”]]^[f] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah^[g] of God, his chosen one!” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him,^[h] “This is the King of the Jews.”

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding^[i] him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah?^[j] Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into^[k] your kingdom.” ⁴³ He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land^[l] until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ while the sun’s light failed;^[m] and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. ⁴⁷ When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.”^[n] 48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Meditation

There are many theories on how the death of Jesus “saved” the human race. One says that we sinned, and God hates sin so much that our creator had to cosign us to eternal damnation for our sins. But instead of punishing us, God sent Jesus into the world, that he might suffer our penalty for us. In other words, Jesus suffered in our place.

Another theory was that on the Cross Jesus won a great victory over sin and the devil. In early depictions of the crucifixion Jesus has his arms spread wide as the victor over sin. The cross was not the ultimate punishment. It was the place of an ultimate victory.

Yet another theory says that by giving himself up to suffering, Jesus showed us God’s true love for humanity, and when we see that, we are drawn irresistibly to God.

In the early church when there were theological controversies, Bishops gathered for a council, where they would decide the issue. It was a council that gave us the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Trinity. It was a council that said that images could be a help to our faith. It was a council that decided definitively on the books of the Bible (although most people had agreed on which books and letters constituted Holy Scripture hundreds of years before that council).

No council was convened to arbitrate between the different theories of what the death of Jesus means for us. I guess they thought it was ok to the various theories out there, as long as people understood that somehow Jesus died for our sins.

Today is Good Friday, the day we commemorate the death of Jesus. Why is it called Good Friday? What is good about it? This is an older, somewhat outdates sense of the word “good.” In this sense “good” means “holy” in the same way people refer to the Bible as the Good Book. In Old English it is langa frigedæg, long Friday.

Whatever you call it, the meaning is the same. It is a day when we see God’s love for us in no uncertain terms. Jesus died that we might live for God.

April 1, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today we are looking at the trial of Jesus by the Sanhedrin and the Romans, how they accused him, and how he responded.

John 19:19-24, 33-40

¹⁹ Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” ²² When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” ²³ Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” ²⁴ Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
…
³³ Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷ Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Meditation

The trial of Jesus was nothing more than a kangaroo court. In fact, by the legal standards of the day, it was not a trial at all. It was at best a legal hearing, and at worst a lynching. Biblical scholar Raymond Brown goes through what a proper trial by either Roman or Jewish authorities should look like, and the hearing Jesus had before the Sanhedrin and before Pilate looked nothing like that.

There are two very curious aspects of the trial. First, Jesus does not defend himself. He is accused of various things, and he never speaks a word on his own behalf. The phrase, “like a lamb led to the slaughter” fits perfectly here. Jesus was the lamb, and the courts of Rome and Jerusalem were the butchers. The closest he comes to defending himself is when he tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

But the second curious thing about the trial is that when Jesus is accused of something, mainly of being an insurrectionary against the Jewish authorities and Rome, he simply says, “Those are you words.” Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king, and Jesus responds, “You say that I am a king.” When questioned by the Sanhedrin about his teaching, Jesus simply says, “Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.”

Jesus is allowing the injustice of the system to convict him. It is as if he wants all generations to see that the two greatest justice systems in the known world were aligned to perpetuate a great injustice—an injustice not just against Jesus, but against God.

This is really what the death of Jesus was all about. God sent Jesus in the world, to bring the message of love and grace and acceptance and joy and hope—in short, the message of the Kingdom of God—and the world killed him. The two greatest justices systems found him guilty, and then put him to death in the worst way possible—scourging and then crucifixion.

And the fact is, if he came today, the world would mostly likely do the same thing, all over again. Maybe we would not kill him, but we are call him hopelessly idealistic, and dismiss him to the margins—even to the margins of religious communities.

“Who’s that talking about how the evils of money?”

“Oh, that just Jesus. It’s kind of quaint, isn’t it?”

“Who is that hanging out with the unhoused mentally ill and drug addicts?”

“It’s just Jesus. He does that.”

“Who is that bringing all those unsavory people into our church? Who is that guy who always makes me uncomfortable? Who is that who says all those horrible things about our most popular preachers?”

“That’s Jesus. We need to put a stop to him.”

Prayer

Jesus, forgive us, for we know not what we do.

March 31, 2021 – Murray Richmond

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today we are looking at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Although he prayed that God would give him an out, we see his total dedication to doing God’s will.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane   Matthew 26:36-46

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” ⁴⁰ Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? ⁴¹ Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial;^[e] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

Meditation

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays three times, asking God to let him off the hook. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.”

As I was meditating on this passage, it suddenly struck me—Jesus had the ability to walk away. Every step he took toward the cross was a voluntary step. He was praying that God’s will could be changed, but no matter what, he was still willing to walk in the will of his heavenly Father. “Not what I want but what you want.”

In his book The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis imagines that even on the cross, Jesus could have said no to God. Satan tempts Jesus with a happy home life with a wife (Mary Magdalene) and their children. He shows Jesus how he could die late in life as a fat, happy carpenter. Of course, Jesus rejects that temptation.

Kazantzakis was writing a novel, but I really think that Jesus must have faced similar temptations in his life, especially as the day of his death approached.

Sometimes we forget the humanity of Jesus. Being God’s son, we think, must have made it easier for him in all aspects of his life. I think it made it harder. If he was truly human, he must have felt tremendously alone. No one could possibly know what it was like to be the son of God. No one could possibly know the things he wrestled with. No one could truly understand him. He was alone. How he must have wanted to just lead a normal life!

Looking at the disciples sleeping near him just intensified that alienation. While he poured his heart out to God, they snoozed, perhaps dreaming of the day when Jesus would overthrow the Romans and they would be his right-hand men.

Little did they know it would all come to end just a short time after Jesus’ prayer.

Prayer

Lord, we cannot know what it was like for you, but you know what it is like to be us. You have walked in our shoes. You know our joys and you know our suffering. As we go through this holy week, may we walk closer to you, and know what you gave so that we might have abundant life.

March 30, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb is dealing with a very difficult text–Jesus curses the fig tree. She asks some important questions around that.

MARK 11:12-19

¹² On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. ¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; ¹⁶ and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. ¹⁷ He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?   But you have made it a den of robbers.” ¹⁸ And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. ¹⁹ And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples^[a] went out of the city.

MEDITATION

The part of this passage about the cursing of the fig tree has been one of the most difficult for me in all of my years of Biblical study  I have rather recently learned that the fig tree and the temple are tied together, symbolically, by Jesus.  Scholars whom I trust suggest that the fig tree represents Israel.  God looked for good fruit from the nation of Israel, and found none.   Similarly, the fig tree bore no fruit.  Jesus then went on to the Temple, where he drove out the merchants and cried out that the temple was to be a house of prayer, but had been reduced to a den of robbers.  The withering of the fig tree was a symbol of the coming destruction of the temple.  Jesus’ outburst drew his own demise closer, as the religious leaders sought his destruction.

So – where are WE in this story?  Are we producing good fruit?  There is certainly no buying and selling in our church building.  Rather, we are consistently giving away lunches, socks, and other goods and services needed by those who are marginalized and unhoused in our community.  Are  we a  house of prayer for all people?  The pandemic has certainly curtailed our use of space within our walls, but we can pray anywhere!  As we prepare to open once again for corporate worship within the walls, we need to be sure that all ARE welcome; that we don’t allow first impressions and outward appearances to influence how we welcome others into our midst.

As we draw closer to the end of the Lenten season, perhaps we can assess where we are in our own prayer and devotional life.  Speaking personally, the good news is that I have  been more faithful about using daily devotions and spending more time in prayer.  The bad news is that I haven’t been as regular as I could have been, and I have some concern that without the daily guides (other than Soul Food) I will fall into old patterns and be more haphazard about my focused time with God. It is my prayer for us that we will bear good fruit, like a flourishing fig tree, based on a discipline of daily time with God.  Blessings to each of you as we walk through this week, anticipating the joy of the resurrection!

PRAYER

Loving God, it is hard to take this final walk with Jesus.  His pain becomes our pain.  His disappointment condemns us. We admit that there is a gap between the devotion that he seeks and the  commitment that we offer.  Hold us close, we pray, that as we prepare for the triumphant finale, we may be faithful in the painful steps to the cross.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

March 29, 2021 – Barb Haddon

Soul Food is back for Holy Week!

After a brief hiatus, Soul Food is back. Today Barb walks us through Palm Sunday.

PALM SUNDAY,  MARK 11:1-11
¹When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ²and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. ³If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, ⁵some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. ⁷Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. ⁸Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. ⁹Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” ¹¹Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

MEDITATION

As a child, I imagined the Palm Sunday parade as something akin to the Rose Parade without the floats.  I always thought that there were throngs of people, many palm branches, perhaps a few rams’ horns heralding Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem.

Modern scholarship, however, paints a different picture.  Only the gospel of John speaks of palm branches, and there were no palms near Jerusalem at that time. More likely, the “leafy branches” were grain cut from nearby fields.  Further, while we think of this event as a triumphal entry, Jesus was not expected.  No crowds came from the city to welcome and cheer him.  Those who shouted and waved branches were those who followed him, and who joined the procession as he entered the city.

There is symbolism around the event.  Rather than coming on a horse, an animal of war, Jesus arrives on a donkey; an animal of peace and a beast of burden.  Martin Luther suggests that Jesus indicates by this choice that he came not to frighten us or crush us, but to help us and to carry our burdens. Hosanna, the word most associated with Palm Sunday, means “Save now.”  Only Mark adds, “Blessed is the kingdom of our ancestor David.”  For Jesus, the entrance into the city symbolizes a journey from the periphery to the center.  He comes to mount a non-violent campaign against the Jewish ruling class.

Of course, the temple is the focal point.  It is an amazing structure, 900 X 1500 feet; the  front of the temple 150 feet tall and 150 feet wide, made of white stone, much of it covered in silver and gold. Imagine the awe of this ragtag bunch, many of whom had not ever been to the city.  The reflection of the sun was so bright that they were  forced to avert their eyes.  They must have been overwhelmed! Evening is approaching as Jesus enters the Temple and looks around.  This is an inspection visit to see for himself the conditions within the walls.  His  ultimate plan is to disrupt the operations there, but he will not condemn without evidence.

After a look, he withdraws to the safety and security of friends in Bethany. It has taken me years to distance myself from the childhood image of this event.  I rather like thinking of it as a truly triumphant parade; people both within and outside the city finally recognizing Jesus for who he is, and welcoming him.

Instead hearing “Hosanna!” on Sunday and “Crucify him!” on Friday, I wish that Palm Sunday could have been the recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, and that the needed changes in the leadership and the temple practices could have happened without violence.

Of course, that was not meant to be.  As always, violence begets violence, and people in power are loathe to relinquish it.  Though the event was nearly 2,000 years ago, it feels far too relevant, as mass shootings continue in our country, and racial prejudice abounds, and political division threatens our very stability.  The ancient shout “Hosanna” – save now –  should resound in our lives, not just on Palm Sunday, but every day, as we seek to follow, not a political warrior, but the Prince of Peace.

PRAYER

God whose love knows no bounds, bring our lives into sharper focus, we pray.  Let us not be the ones who praise today and condemn tomorrow.  Instead, may we hear your voice calling us to love one another as you have loved us. May we, like you, confront evil and work actively for change.  Bear us up, we pray, that we might be faithful and steadfast followers.  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

March 2, 2021 – Barb Haddon

It’s time for Soul Food!

Today Barb writes about the Good Samaritan and compassion.

LUKE 10:25-37

²⁵ Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷ He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
²⁹ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii,^[k] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

MEDITATION

I have always thought of the Parable of the Good Samaritan as a story about compassion.  It is that, but pastor and professor Roger Gench calls it a story about generosity.  I have never thought of the story in those terms, but it is true.

Think of the many things that the Samaritan did for the victim at the side of the road.  He not only took pity on  him, but he used his own resources to bandage and treat his wounds, put him on his own animal, walking himself.  Perhaps the action that we most often think of as generous is that he put the man up in a hotel and told the innkeeper to keep him as long as needed until he could travel safely, promising to pay whatever expenses were incurred.  His open-ended promise is generous indeed!

As with all of  Jesus’ parables, it comes back to love; loving God and loving others.    At
the root of  compassion, at the base of generosity, is love. Gench suggests that the question posed to Jesus perhaps should have been, “Who is NOT my neighbor?”  Jesus would have answered, “no one.”  For Jesus, says Gench, the point is, “How can I BE a neighbor?”

Of course, when we think of neighbors, it is automatic to think of Fred Rogers, and his counsel, when there is trouble, look for the helpers.  In his command to love God and one another, Jesus encompasses both compassion and generosity.  Jesus asks US to be the helpers!

In this Lenten period, when we seek deeper understanding of faith, and the effort to change behaviors, let’s look for ways to be good neighbors, remembering that, according to Jesus, there is no one who is not our neighbor!

PRAYER
God who is love, help us to see others with your eyes.  We are always willing to help our friends, our geographic neighbors, our families, but help us to remember that ALL people are your children, and so, our neighbors.
Amen.