Christmas 2

Isaiah 61:10-62:3     Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7     John 1:1-18     (Psalm 147)


Christmas is the feast of the incarnation. It is not necessary to speculate on the accuracy of his birth date, rather we are invited to ponder the deepest meaning of the event. Theosis--humans being united to God--is the result of incarnation--God becoming human.

Today our readings are full of images which provide insight into the mystery of theosis. These metaphors allow us to think in human terms about a divine process beyond our understanding.
Isaiah 61 celebrates God's intimate love for His people. Israel is "clothed in salvation" and "robed with righteousness"--dressed like a bride. In marriage, the man and woman become one flesh. However, getting married takes but a moment, being married requires constant renewal each day. In the same way, we are also in the process of becoming what baptism already made us---one with God.

God says: "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness shines out like the dawn and her salvation like a burning torch." The Lord is passionate and restless, He longs for all to be right. He wants His people to be healed and prosper. Notice salvation is manifest in light and fire. We must pray constantly for the healing light and fire of love to fill us.

In Galatians, we read that Jesus is sent forth so that we can be adopted as children of God. This is another metaphor of union. In the Roman world adults adopted adults to provide them with status and an inheritance. Jesus is the only Son of God, but by the power of the Holy Spirit we share in His status. Like the Hebrew slaves, so we leave slavery to sin and death behind. We are adopted, and our inheritance is resurrection life in Jesus.

In the Gospel, Jesus is the Light. He gives life. All who welcome Jesus in loyal trust receive His authorization to be called children of God. Jesus in us makes us God's children.

In marriage the two become one flesh, in the incarnation God the Word becomes flesh. Two--God and Man--become one. The Greek word, to dwell among, literally means to live in a tent or tabernacle, and is taken from the book of Exodus. YHWH's glory was present among His people in a tabernacle, now, the human flesh of Jesus holds the glory of God among us. Jesus is the tabernacle of God's glorious presence.

The infinite Father comes to His creation in Word and Spirit. He comes to enlighten our darkened minds and wounded hearts--and fill them with His own life and presence. Theosis is the marriage of God and humanity. Theosis is to be adopted as children of God and share in the sonship of Jesus. theosis is the burning flame of God igniting our minds and hearts, His holy light penetrating us and setting all things right until we enjoy the abundance of salvation healing. theosis is loyalty to the one we trust, loving fidelity to Him in response to His faithful love.

The word becomes flesh today in you and I. The Word dwells in us. The Holy Spirit will accomplish what we cannot do. Take heart Christian pilgrim--the life of God is already at work in you making you one with Him. Take heart and refocus your energies to cooperate with the energies of God. Take heart, for you are a glorious tent filled with the presence of the All Holy One---the One who calls you spouse and child. The One whom you will live in forever.




* this includes some of the Hebrew with translations..... "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent [chashah - silent, still, quiet, at rest] Jerusalem's sake I will not rest [shaqat- quiet, still, at rest, at peace, inactive], until her vindication [tsedeq - righteousness, justice, rightness] shines out [yatsa- goes forth, exits, comes forth, escape; used of Exodus] like the dawn, and her salvation [yeshuah- salvation, deliverance, aid, health, prosperity] like a burning torch."

Salvation is God's victory and Israel's abundant health and wellbeing

Christmas

"Do not be afraid--I have good news. Today is born a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord. "Do not fear, trust." (Luke 2)

Fear is a huge barrier to the Kingdom work of God.
Fear focuses on problems; trust looks to solutions. 
Fear erects barricades of self-protection; trust opens hearts to salvation.
Far focuses on what can go wrong; trust produces hope and joy.
Fear feeds the darkness of disease and sin; trust opens us to the light of healing and forgiveness.
Fear kills; trust leads to eternal life.

The angel's message can never be understood by those who fear. Fear dismisses the Christmas story as a fairy tale. Faith, on the other hand, has ears to hear the good news of great joy. We are those who gather in faith. We, who believe in the Savior, cherish this story and, like Mary, we want to ponder its meaning.

I believe that the incarnation was always part of the divine plan. The Father had to enter time and space to interact with us. The incarnation is the means by which God relates to us. Obviously, with the Fall of Adam and Eve, the incarnation of Jesus also had to deal with sin and death; so the birth of Jesus is now shrouded by the cross. However, let us be clear, God has come among us and become one of us so that we can be united with Him. This is the reason for creation; the gift of divine love which unifies us to the Father. I think that Jesus, was always supposed to be Messiah and Lord, but it is our sin which  required that He also be a Savior. Even so, the deepest meaning of salvation is always union with God.

Luke tells us several times that Mary "pondered" the events she experienced. Pondering is a spiritual disciplines which requires time and patience. I assume Mary never stopped pondering her Son. She pondered His ministry, she pondered at the foot of His cross and she pondered His glory on Easter day. You and I must ponder the revelation of God on our own journey to union with Him. We must ponder God's word in prayerful wonder.

Jesus lived a full human life because God fully embraces our human existence Salvation is also a life long process. There is no single moment when it is completed here on earth. Unfortunately, we, too, are affected by sin. Suffering and death impact us as well. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we battle the against the Evil One and the deadly passions. It happens here, in this world.

Christmas shows that God thinks His material creation is important. Incarnation means that the matter matters, stuff is redeemable, and there is more to human life than being spiritual. The birth of Jesus should not be reduced to mere sentimentality, but the mystery of incarnation should produce a warm feeling in our hearts, and perhaps even a tear or two. 

Ponder it: human existence is sacred. Ponder it: God embraces your humanity. Ponder the wonder of existence and let it transform you. Embrace your body and soul--the same way God does--and receive  union with Jesus. Be His holy presence in the world.

Children's Service Christmas

reflection on the Gospel of Luke at our 4:00 children's service

The angel said, "Stop being afraid. I have Good News of great joy for everyone! Today the Savior was born, the Messiah Lord."

In the first two chapters of Luke, Zechariah (and his neighbors), Mary and now the Shepherds are all afraid. The angel tells each of them, "do not fear." Fear is the opposite of faith; it makes people sick in body and soul. The angel says "fear not," which really means "trust." Like any parent, our Heavenly Father tell us, "Don't be afraid, trust me. I am here to save you."

Like angels, children can generate a lot of fear. We are afraid they will get sick or hurt. We are afraid  they will do something wrong. We are afraid because we love them so much. We are afraid because we cannot control everything and protect them. Children remind us that we are not in control. We must entrust them (and ourselves) to God. The angel tells each of us, tonight, "Do not fear. A Savior has been born. Jesus the Messiah Lord, you and your children are in His hands. His love is big enough to save them and us. So trust Him, and fear not. 

The birth of the Messiah is God's declaration that "fear is useless..." The Creator has entered creation. Jesus is one of us. We will never be alone. It is interesting to note that in Luke 12:32, a grown up Jesus will declare, "fear not little flock for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Shepherds and sheep are told to believe the Good News.

So, let us trust more and fear less. Let us repeat to all we meet the angel's message: "Fear not. A Savior has been born, Jesus who is the Messiah and Lord." It would be good to raise our children in love and trust. It would be good for us to live in love and trust. It is possible if we believe that the Savior is born, the Messiah and Lord. 

Pre-Christmas Meditation

God made a creation and gave it substantial being. This means that the world really exists. God enters that world by limiting Himself to time and space. These are things upon which we must constantly ponder and reflect. The Eternal fitting into finitude is a mystery. It is the reason why unbelievers can scoff. It is why they can point to science as an "explanation of everything" (which of course requires a blind eye to much that we experience). God is present 'in and through' the world. He communicates to us in human language, human feelings and human experiences. As such, any experience of God has a human element. In the end, philosophically speaking, all experiences of God are mediated experiences and the human meets infinite God in finitude.

The created world is in process. Things take time. Humans, like all living creatures, grow and develop. Our relationship with the Timeless God (mysteriously) is an encounter in time and space. Spirit encounters matter. It is all too much to fathom. As I have said before, God takes humanity and His creation much more seriously than most Christians. The Lord does not disdain His creation as so many of us do.

God's purpose, as expressed in limited human language, was to make us to love and be loved, to know and be known. He made us for laughter and joy, for trust and kindness, for myriad wonderful things. Probably, He created us to grow and develop and from the beginning that was part of the plan. We were born incomplete, just as Adam had needs, so do we. Hence, the unitive process---becoming one with God--was probably always a process. He speaks to us (Word) and breaths His life into us (Spirit). This "unveiling" (revelation) of Himself is part of the process of giving Himself to us and bringing Himself into Him. This unity is called theosis, a Greek term translated as "divinization" in the West. "God became us in Jesus, so that in Jesus we can become God." The great theologians have taught this for ages. It is the mystery of the human soul and spirit that we contain the divine, it is the mystery of the divine that the Eternal, Holy and Perfect God can empty Himself and squeeze Himself into time and place with all its limitations.

Union is God's first desire. The Christian must keep that in mind. Jesus did not come simply to save us from our sins. Truly He does forgive and save us, but that is secondary. First He comes to take us to Himself. Sin and death (which we received through no fault of our own from our ancestors, but which we embrace and increase--through our own fault--and pass on to others) were not the original state of things. Jesus comes to make us one, but now that unity entails an additional step. Now, God must deal not only with our humanity, but also with our fallen humanity. The divine-human gap (Eternal Perfection and Limited Matter) has always been a real gap. God has always had to bridge it by Word/Son and Holy Spirit/Breath. Now as the bridge is built, the world in which Word and Spirit are at work is darkened and wounded, touched by evil and subject to corruption and decay. The growth process has been thwarted and even the best of us wanders astray. We hurt and suffer and die. We also hurt, damage and kill others. It is not always intentional, it is sometimes what we do not want. We hurt even those whom we love, sometimes hurting them the most. Our homes are often a battle ground of constant conflict. The person whom we should feel most safe with is often the one inflicting the most damage. Things are broken, sick and not as they were intended to be. So the incarnation, God's way of incorporating us into Himself, now does double duty, as the Messiah must deal with sin and death. Forgiveness, reconciliation, healing are now added to Messiah's work of unification (and the Spirit's work of sanctification).

The Word Incarnate plunged into this real world. He was born and grew up, He was threatened and chased out of His own place. He was rejected and abused by the ones He created and loved. In Him the suffering of us all was embraced. In Him, the forgiveness for which we hunger was manifest. In this season of waiting, we look to the day a new born baby will be declared Savior, Messiah and King. A few months hence, in April, that same Savior Messiah King will be tortured and then hung upon a cross. Before He will die, He says "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." He meets us first in our sin and evil and forgives is. Forgiveness, not simply to remove sin, but to provide us hope to empower repentance and conversion. Forgiveness which makes it safe to say "I am sorry." It is also the power within us to forgive others. In facing my own brokenness, I can discern the same in others, with compassion and kindness.

So I am sorry for all I have done and I ask others to release me from the debt and burden. As the Lord has forgiven me, I forgive others. I remember that Jesus said often, that we must forgive others so that in forgiving the power of abundant mercy can be at work in us all.

But sin is not the main thing. It is not the sole purpose of Incarnation. Life is. Love life, indwelling of the Word and Spirit life. Divinized human life. God made us for unity. Focus on becoming one with God. Or, better, focusing on letting God make you one with Him.

It is why you are here. It is your intended destiny. 

Advent 3

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11       1 Thessalonians 5:16-24     John 1:6-8, 19-28

When Jesus read Isaiah 61* He said that the words were filled up (fulfilled) in Him. He applied the text to Himself declaring that "the spirit of the Lord YHWH has anointed" Him:
1. to bring good news to the poor/afflicted;
2. to wrap up/heal the hearts which are wrecked/broken in pieces;
3. to proclaim freedom/release to those imprisoned/in bondage;
4. to proclaim the year of favor, comfort and provision to those who mourn...

Biblical salvation is a large concept, and it includes forgiveness, rescue, reconciliation, redemption, healing, transformation, victory, and abundance. It impacts our body and soul, our relationships and communities. Poverty, brokenness, imprisonment and sadness are at odds with God's kingdom. They are the ruins of creation.  However, like the Jews we must rebuild, raise up and repair the world. Redemption is God's gift, but it includes our faithful work as well. 

The Spirit in Jesus is in us! We are being saved by the Spirit, but we are also being consecrated and sent in Jesus' name to bring the same Good News to others. Unlike John the Baptist, we cannot simply declare, "I am not the Messiah," because we are the Messiah's body here and now. He lives in us. Like Jesus, we are to make these words of Isaiah a reality for others. We are the Lord's instruments of justice, fairness and peace. In His Kingdom, politics is holy because it is a self emptying focus on the need of others.

1Thessalonians 4:3, 5 says "the will of God is your sanctification...not in the forbidden passions." Once more we are reminded to do battle with the passions as we pursue relationship with God. The Holy Spirit unites us with Jesus (Theosis) producing personal holiness and selfless service I us corporately and individually. In Thessalonians 5 Paul exhorts the church to be a community--in peace, encouragement and goodness. "Rejoice always, praying without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances." Do you want to be holy? Do you seek gratitude and joy? What will be your constant prayer?

Isaiah also declares, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall rejoice in my God." Mary says, "My heart magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." 

You are anointed by the Holy Spirit. You have been sent to proclaim hope, to free people, to heal their broken hearts and tell them God is gracious. This Holy Spirit makes you holy, here and now, so rejoice and be thankful. This is the true meaning of Christmas--God becoming human in each of us (theosis).


*Luke 4:21

Advent 2 Isaiah 40

Isaiah 40:1-11    2 Peter 3:8-15   Mark 1:1-8

ADVENT 2

Isaiah 40, a message to Israel in the Babylonian exile, is a call to return home. The Temple and holy city lay in ruins, they must be rebuilt. The people had lived in a hostile land and suffered greatly.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." Note the possessive pronouns: your/me. Covenant relationship is at the heart of God's dealings with His people. It is an intimate divine-human bond. Israel had pushed God away to pursue her sins, so she lost her Defender in a hostile world. Babylon invade, lay waste the nation and drove her into exile. Now God sends messengers with His compassionate word: the Lord will return with His people to Judah. His holy presence will return.

The biblical language is not literal. Hills and valleys did not actually flatten for the travelers—it is apocalyptic poetry declaring the power of God’s salvation. Salvation is in real life, real time. It is a process and a journey. The human enemy, however, is vanquished, as Lord declares "all people are grass." However, new oppressors will rise, first Greek, then Roman. Last week Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Today Isaiah says, "The word of our God will stand forever." Human empires are temporary, but God’s word is eternal. God's word is a message of joy: Israel is like a flock of sheep and God is a shepherd who loves. In every age, God cares for His covenant people. This remains true forever.

Babylon was a real place, but later Christians use it as a code word for Rome. Babylon is a symbol of any unjust human kingdoms which oppose God. Many "Babylons" have come and gone and certainly new ones exist today. A hostile world and the demonic powers are real foes. But Babylon is also personal. It is our own darkened nous (mind/soul) which leads us astray. Our wounded heart is the destroyed Temple, ruined by the passions and sinful desires; we are all, in some respects, in exile from God's Presence. The Jews will return to the Promised Land to rebuild the Temple. God is the source of this, but human beings will lay and cement each brick (read Ezra and Nehemiah). It is a long arduous process. Salvation is an organic process as well.

If we would receive the gift of union with our God, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We must repent, that is, return from exile and leave Babylon. We rebuild the Temple of our heart through the spiritual disciplines. God expects our labor. The question is, do we have the courage to look within and confront our own personal Babylon? What constrains the Holy Spirit in my life? What diminishes my faith, hope, love, joy, and peace?

Let's review some of the deadly passions, or sinful desires.

Are you angry, afraid, doubtful or sad? that's exile... Are you jealous, envious or greedy? Do you drink to excess, spend too much, or have other out of control behavior? Those are Babylon.... Are you immobilized by laziness or distracted by worries? Is your life filled with conflict? These separate from God.... Each of these is a personal exile from His Kingdom. Abba Father wants to rescue us. Do you want to be healed? First step is to recognize you need saving. Admit you are broken and wounded. Cry out for help--human and divine--for the Lord stands ready to deliver. Talk to your spouse, your parent, a friend or family member. Tell them you need help. It is good for the soul. 

Mark connects John the Baptist to the Isaiah verse because Jesus fulfills the prophet’s words. Jesus is the Presence of God. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Father’s gift of healing deliverance out of exile. Jesus, frequently in and through human agents, is reaching to you right now.

Advent is the journey out of the exile in Babylon. It is a time to take stock of our thoughts, feelings and desires. We are all broken. No one’s heart is totally free. We all have darkness within us. We need to be saved and healed. We need to be sanctified and strengthened. Jesus wants to do it, but we must cooperate. It is not going to be all done in the snap of a finger, it will take time, and you must cooperate.

Advent is the journey of faith back home. It is the joyful discipline walking through the desert to the Promised Land. It is the hope-filled discipline of becoming what He made us: His holy, beloved people!

Advent 1

Isaiah 64:1-9   Psalm 80:1-7,16-18   1 Corinthians 1:3-9   Mark 13:24-37

In Isaiah 63:16-19, the prophet extols God's mercy: "Surely You are our Father...You Lord are our Father; from of old your name is Our Redeemer". Yet, he then seems to say God shares in the blame for Israel's sin and the destruction of the temple.* The juxtaposition of trust and the need for deliverance introduce what we read today: if only You would tear open the heavens and come down...if only You would make Your Name known...if only You would save us with the signs and wonders our ancestors experienced. IF ONLY....

Isaiah 64 is both a declaration of God's amazing acts of salvation in the past--"no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has ever seen" and a complaint about Israel's current misery. God is angry and the people sin. He has hidden His face and they have turned away. They feel unclean, unacceptable, dead and taken away by sin.

What was true of Israel then, is true for Judah in Jesus' day. Mark 13, written in apocalyptic images, is Jesus' prophetic word to Jerusalem. 'Not one stone will be left on another', Jesus warns that the amazing Temple is soon to be leveled.  Jesus, however, indicates that He will be vindicated, He is "the Son of Man coming with the clouds," a reference to His resurrection and Ascension. His word will prevail while that generation will witness God's judgement as the Roman army destroys all they hold dear. What is true in Isaiah's day, what is true in Jesus' day, is true in our own day.

Our nation, our church, and each of us lives in the twin realities of God's saving Fatherhood and the awful results of our sin and infidelity. The passions, those sinful desires which ruin men and ruin communities, are always at odds with God's instruction (torah) and opposed to His saving love. We follow these passions at our own peril. Obedience to God conforms us to His will, it makes the Image of God within us shine more brightly and we take on, more and more, His likeness. To be the image and likeness of God is to be one with Jesus, it is to have His Holy Spirit at work within us. It is theosis. But God grants freedom to His people, and we make our choices based on the darkened nous/mind/soul with which we operate. We too often choose sin, individually and corporately so God "delivers us into the hand of our iniquity."

Yet even in the pain of our lives, we hear the message of hope uttered by Isaiah (and Jesus). "Lord, You are our (abba) Father." He reminds us we are creatures--the image of the potter and clay (see also Isaiah 29:6 and 45:9) are an image of creation.** It is the Creator-Father, the Redeemer-Savior Who feels so absent and far away from us.

Isaiah prays for mercy. He asks God to forget our sin and look down on Your people. The city is laid waste, the Temple burned to the ground, their lives in ruin. "Will you stand by and do nothing while we suffer?" he asks. The Temple is also an image of our human hearts. Will YHWH rule there? Or do we hand the key to our heart to false gods and the demonic?

Isaiah 65 is God's answer. He has reached out to His people even as they rejected Him. It is Judgment Day. Those who turn away will perish, those who turn back will be saved. Repentance from sin is conversion; theosis union with God comes from watching our mind, heart and soul and rooting out all that takes us from God. It is the life of prayer and Scripture, and loving service to our brothers and sisters. It is to choose life and reject death. Perhaps, like Isaiah, we blame God for failing to keep us from sin. Yet, how can we look into the eyes of Jesus and demand Abba Father do more to save us?

Advent is a time of active waiting, and it entails our commitment to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. It is the holy waiting of repentance and spiritual transformation. It is the time to rebuild the ruins within our hearts and souls. Just as the ancient Jews, led by the Spirit, returned from Exile to rebuild the Temple--they were the hands on construction crew, even as God worked in and through them--so must we also do the hard work of heart and soul repair. It is a time of grace and beauty. As we wait for the incarnation, the bond of human and divine--the source of hope in theosis--we wait by praying, studying and serving the Lord. God became one of us so we could become one with Him. This is purpose of life.




*Isaiah 63:17-19 "Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways, and turn our hearts away from revering You? Relent for the sake of Your servants, the tribes that are Your very own! Our foes have trampled Your sanctuary, which Your holy people possessed but a little while. We have become as a people You never ruled, to which Your name was never attached" The Jewish Study Bible, p 910

**see Job 10:9 (also 33:6) "Remember you made me of clay (chomer), will you turn me to dust (aphar) again?" Then, Genesis 2:7 "God formed the man (adam) from the dust (aphar) of the ground (adamah)" ties it together..

Thanksgiving 2017

"Thank You, Lord" may be the most beautiful prayer we can utter.

I think one effect of the Original Sin is our sense of entitlement.
We think we deserve better, which drains our souls of gratitude.
Isn't the sin against the Holy Spirit, at its root, a refusal to recognize God's saving mercy and love are at work? The resentment that we feel when someone else gets undeserved blessing, because we secretly feel we are being deprived?

Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings, we all know it, but perhaps we need to really do it? How many times each day do you say the words, "Abba, Father, thank you, I love you."

God has revealed to me the importance of purification of our nous mind/soul. We have darkness at work within us. It is why we are so unhappy and unhealthy. What if we were able to see, understand, feel, and know how blessed we are? Genuine, heartfelt gratitude, increases our love for our Lord and bonds us together with Him (theosis union). 

Fifty years ago I was at my Aunt Mary's house and my mom sent me across the street to the corner store to get something. When I returned a few minutes later, she was crying uncontrollably. "What happened?" I asked.

What had happened was an apocalypse, an unveiling. A car had squeeled its tires taking off from the stop sign. My mom, fearing the worst, thought I had been hit by a car. The thought of losing me was apparently a horror to her, but I assure you a few minutes prior to that she was not experiencing an intense gratitude for my existence. She took it for granted, because it is what we humans do. 

Thanksgiving is apocalyptic--an unveiling that reminds that we can be aware of God's gifts and be thankful for them, all the time. Until the Holy Spirit purifies our minds and hearts, Thanksgiving is the spiritual discipline of pulling back the veil which darkens our nous. It is the holy work of seeing that we are richly blessed. We exist. We are redeemed and being healed. We are in an amazing relationship with the Triune God and one another. So many blessings each day, with the Hope that better days are coming.

Every day, a hundred times a day say: "Thank you Abba. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit. Thank you, my friends, my family. Thank you."

What if God loves us enough to expect a return?

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18        Psalm 90:1-12        1 Thessalonians 5:1-11        Matthew 25:14-30

What if salvation really is about theosis—union with God in a relationship of love? What if salvation is an organic process with love at its core?

I had one of those middle of the night wake ups Thursday so I decided to read Zephaniah. As I reflected on the prophets, it is clear that these are people who have experienced purification of their "nous" (minds) and are in a substantial union with God—theosis. Hence, they speak "the Word of the Lord." Prophetic words are frequently speak harsh words of judgment.  Prophets seem especially focused on attacking the idea of “blessed assurance.” (or at least a twisted understanding of it)

Taking God for granted is a deadly sin. Israel is condemned for assuming that salvation was a guaranteed status, that being the people of God, which was a gift, is a status which one retains regardless of what one does.. The prophetic books contain a message from God that faithfulness is the required response to grace.

Jesus’ story of the buried money is a judgment parable. The Master graciously gives each of the three men a large sum of money. It is the Master’s wealth—an undeserved gift—which He distributes based on each man’s skill set. The day of reckoning comes and the first two men are commended for investing the monies, but the parable focuses on the third man. He says he played it safe out of fear. However, the Master’s assessment is he is evil, lazy and useless.

This is not a parable about working your way into heaven. It is a parable about discipleship. There is a difference. It is a warning about acedia, one of the eight deadly sin identified by the early church father John Cassian*. The word “acedia” has been translated as sloth/laziness, but is best understood as anxiety and weariness of heart. It is disinterest in conversion. It shares similarities to depression and is best expressed as “what’s the point?” In the parable the man says he is afraid, symbolizing the anxiety and weariness of heart based on a bad theology—the belief that God is an unfair tyrant. Convinced that there was no hope to please God, the man simply buried everything and went about his life. “What’s the point of trying?” It is noteworthy that many Christians say the same thing about grace. "We are saved by faith (understood non-biblically) so what we do does not matter," they say, "Jesus did it all for you on the cross." Please note this ignores Jesus' own teaching on the cross, namely "pick yours up and follow me." 

Theosis, is the unitive process of repentance and conversion. It is organic. Theosis is the full fruit of divine-human love. The fire of the Holy Spirit burns false theology out of our minds and burns the lazy indifference out of our hearts. Our natural desires draw us from God. Our passions entangle us in satan’s lies producing doubt, fear, anger, and acedia. “What’s the point?” we mutter, digging away to bury the treasure.

What is the treasure? In ancient language, wealth and life are synonymous. To share one’s wealth is to share one’s life. To bury God’s gift because of acedia/laziness is to reject the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the treasure and holy lives as disciples and apostles is the "investment" of the large sums He entrusts to us. 

What if salvation really is theosis? What if union with God is the real point of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection? What if the popular concept of “going to heaven” is a perversion of something much more holy, precious and personal? What if heaven is coming to us already through our relationship with Jesus? Here and now?

What if we are choosing to be the third guy—what if we are burying the gifts of the Holy Spirit given through salvation because we are afraid, or worse, immobilized by the vice of indifference and despair? What if the Abba Father is waiting for us, right now, to trust Him, dig up the gift and get on with life as His beloved? What if Zephaniah was sent to us today to warn us that we are arrogant fools who are blowing it--not warning us about hell when we die, but warning us about the living hell in this world which sinful nations and sinful peoples reap? What if Jesus wants to shine His light and life in and through you to save the world? What if there is life BEFORE death and Jesus wants us to be alive now!

 *http://www.pigizois.net/agglika/on_the_eight_deadly_sins.htm

Too Late?

Homily Nov 11-12   “Too Late”

Amos 5:18-24, Wisdom 6:17-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

The Bible is clear that God's judgment actually has two dimensions. The friends of God cry out for His judgment in the form of deliverance. They cry out, "Save us, Lord, judge the earth!" However, in the process of saving His friends, He destroys His enemies. The enemy may be a foreign nation, or perhaps it is a raging disease. There are many enemies, and the last two, sin and death, will be the last to be destroyed. We can trust the Father's promise to heal and save. Those who live with such confidence experience a sense of peace because they know that no matter the circumstances, all will be well. To be reliant on God's hand to deliver is to be "saved by faith." This is true for Israel, as it is for the New Israel, the church. Salvation (yeshuah: healing, help,  victory, deliverance, abundance) is an expression of God's grace, His faithful mercy-love (Hebrew hesed) for His people. The Scriptures call this mutual relationship a covenant. Like all ancient covenants there are promises and commitments--faith includes faithfulness, the bond of loyal love. The Torah provides an in depth explanation of the covenant. God spells out the blessings for His friends, but there is also another promise--the promise of punishment for the unfaithful. God declares curses upon those who break covenant. Remember, the relationship is an unmerited grace, but it is possible to break covenant and become as an enemy of God. The unmerited grace can be nullified. The prophets' vocation is to remind Israel of the revelation of God in the Torah. Amos does that in today's reading. Israel is condemned for treating the poor unjustly, so God says, "Do not look forward to the Day of the Lord because you are not a friend of God." Yes, we can trust in our Lord's mercy, but their confident assurance had become arrogant presumption. God saves His friends, but His friends love and obey Him, they take care of the poor and needy. Israel had walked away from friendship. So, too, can we....

Over seven centuries after Amos, Jesus proclaims a similar prophetic message.  In chapters 23-25, Matthew bundles together Jesus' apocalyptic warnings and parables to Jerusalem about the coming judgment. Originally, the parable of the women was a simple warning to faithfulness. Quoting from the prophets (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:31; Hosea), Jesus compares God to a groom. Jesus had told Israel (Matthew 5) that she is "the Light of the world." Israel is the young women who are to be light bearers upon His arrival. Some, however, have squandered this opportunity--they have no oil--so they are on the outside looking in when the Kingdom comes. It is too late, the door is closed. Jesus is telling His hearers that they must repent now. Time is too short to delay.

Writing his Gospel a short time after the judgment (Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD), Matthew confronts his contemporary Christian readers with the challenge to be alert until the Lord returns. The elements of the story will be re-envisioned allegorically by the early church. Olive oil which fuels the lamps is also used in the healing ministry (Mk 6:13; Lk 10:34; James 5:14). Healing is salvation for the sick, salvation is the divine healing of the whole person--body, soul and spirit. Those who have been healed by Jesus are called to follow Him and be the church. The church is the bearer of healing light (salvation) until the Bridegroom Christ appears. Light bearers without a functioning lamp, however, serve no purpose. A lamp without oil is a friend of the darkness. If we fail to serve in the wedding party, then the wedding party should go on without us. The door should be closed to us. We are called by grace into friendship, but our response decides our fate.

So "wake up"! The Greek word "gregorio," literally means to stay awake, but implies being alert and watchful. Watching was a byword of the early church as it explained the organic process of salvation. Salvation is living union with God. This union--theosis--requires our attentiveness. Our mind (nous) is darkened and needs His light. We are too often unaware of how our thinking and perceiving, our feeling and deciding, lead us into sin and away from friendship with God. The oil of self awareness and discipline, however, feed His light. Our hearts are wounded, He brings healing light, but the oil of our faithfulness is the fuel.

"Blessed are the pure in heart." Purity of heart is God's gift through the working of the flame of the Holy Spirit, but our conversion disciplines are the oil. To seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness we embrace a life of faith through the spirituality of repentance: constant prayer, study of Scripture, self denial and apostolic ministry. We are sent by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom by teaching, healing, exorcising, and reconciling. Those who obediently live in such a way are never "too late." This is the life of faith in response to His grace which has abundant oil for the flame of salvation light to burn brightly forever. 

Imperfect Servants in Ministry

Today's Homily on these readings.
Micah 3:5-12      Psalm 43        1 Thessalonians 2:9-13           Matthew 23:1-12

Micah the prophet preached both judgement doom and salvation hope. Focusing on the powerful---he contends God holds them responsibly for the coming destruction of Israel and the suffering poor. In Micah 3 he declares that false prophets shape their message for money. They are like researchers who lie about product safety saying, “Peace, all is well" when it isn’t. Truth is relentless--- Samaria will fall; misled Israel will be exiled, disappearing into the mists of time forever.

Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Rome—in every age a different empire serves as the rod of God’s wrath. In our own age we will face another. Our church perverts her prophetic role as she embraces the culture at the loss of Gospel truth. We, too, fall to the temptation of seeking other gods than the Lord. Hearing Jesus judge hypocritical leaders, "don't do what they do," is worrisome. He still says, "but listen to their teaching." Their words are still true even if they are not true to their words.

Unfortunately, there will always be a gap between the truth we proclaim and the life we live; we must teach God’s truth even if we struggle to conform our lives to that Truth. Jesus makes clear, only God is truly Father and Teacher; yet, we have been commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God as we teach, heal, exorcise and reconcile in His name… While it is terrifying to consider the high standard God has for us, we cannot refuse to proclaim the truth because we are afraid. We are also answerable for what we have left undone. Becoming holy--the work of theosis-- takes a life time. Take heart, teaching others actually helps us to learn. Speaking the words can change our own hearts. Jesus mercy is still to be trusted.

So, once more we are confronted: Will we commit to Jesus? Will we open to the Holy Spirit? Will we become a holy light shining for the world?

If our progress is slow, it is still progress! Fear not, Jesus has saved you, but if you are saved you are also sent—to do work in His name. The Holy Spirit has sanctified us, but we must also embrace the discipline of holiness each day. Remember we are all materially rich and spiritually powerful by the world’s standards. We have the Kingdom of God within us. We are personally connected to the Holy Three God.

The prophets shout: "Woe to the one who hoards his treasure and ignores the needy. Woe to the one who seeks her own salvation while others are lost in the wilderness. Blessed is the one who feeds hungry bellies and fills hungry souls. Blessed is the one who worships the Father and brings Jesus light those in the dark. Blessed are you who love and serve the Lord. Each of you. Blessed are you."

Of Good and Bad Seed

Matthew 13:24ff is a brief and simple parable. It says that the Kingdom of God (i.e. the way that God is ruling) is like someone sowing seed in his field. While they slept at night the enemy snuck in and sowed bad seed. The servants are dismayed and surprised, "You sowed good seed so how did this happen?" they ask him. "The Enemy's hand is at work," he replies, but when they offer to pull up the bad he says they should wait for the Harvest Day because some good might be pulled up with it. The parable can be read as a straightforward allegory (13:39 includes just such an interpretation), however, the artistry of parables is that they reveal core truths and various interpretations can be generated by looking from different angles (e.g. the field is our soul, our community, the world. Seeds are people, seeds are teaching, seeds are 'holy or evil spirits').

The core revelation is that the Master (God) made a good creation. The surprising outcome (our mixed-bag of good and evil world) is not His doing or intent. Pause..... Reflect.....
Think of what Jesus did not say. He did not say "The Master sowed good and bad seed for his own purpose." Jesus did not say, "The Master sowed good seed, but as He was in control of everything, He allowed bad seed to be sown." Jesus did not say anything which implies that the mixed bag outcome was intended by God.

This is important because it underlies several vital theological insights.
1. God is the author of good and His intent for us is abundant life. If bad things happen (aside from punishment/wrath) it is likely that the Enemy (Sin, Death, the World, the Devil, the Flesh) has a hand in it. Life is more like a war (between God/good and the Enemy/evil) than it is a well ordered unfolding of the Divine Plan.
2. The ongoing evil in the world is "allowed" because the harvest time is not yet. Premature intervention could cause other problems (good taken with bad). God gave up His control for a higher purpose (freedom for creatures to embrace or reject His offer of Himself).

God does not send bad into our lives to make us strong or to get our attention. God blesses those who love Him. However, the world contains evil so bad things happen. When we stray, the wrath of God (probably best understood as the evil which befalls us when we leave the umbrella of His protection and/or He withdraws His nearness due to sin) is manifest. The prophets associate wrath with famine, drought, plagues and conquering armies; almost always natural events. However, God also punishes the conquering armies for "overdoing it" so clearly He intervenes without absolute control.

The purpose of Divine "punishment" is to call us back. Repentance and renewed relationship with the Abba Father is always the goal. Not to inflict pain, but to increase the joy of love together, not to inflict pain, but to sanctify us and make us holy... Pain, however, is redeemed by God. Pain might be used by God, but God does not torture and kill us to make us strong. When Jesus confronted sickness and suffering He healed. When He confronted sin He invited repentance and forgave those who came to Him. When He confronted the demonic He sent it away. He calms storms but never creates one. Notice a trend?

Genesis creation accounts echo in the parable. YHWH creates 'adam and eve (the Man and Mother) and hands the garden over to them. There are instructions, duties, limits and warnings. The serpent, a wise/wily creature, plants a seed of doubt. First Eve, then Adam, take the forbidden fruit because it looks good. God returns, He has been off somewhere, and cries out for the couple, who are hiding. "What have you done?" He asks.

Whose hand was at work in the Garden? The serpent, for sure, then Eve, and finally Adam, but it is not clear in the narrative what motivates ruining the whole thing for the sake of one piece of fruit. Later, Christian authors identify the snake with satan---the spiritual power behind the scene--which leads to the creation of the story of Lucifer's rebellion in heaven. However, Eve was open to some extent, because she fell pretty quick. What hand was already at work within her? Adam offers no resistance, so what about within him? The "surprised" YHWH of the story is hardly portrayed as the Divine Puppet Master guiding everyone to this predestined outcome. So things in the narrative as it is written seem a bit out of His control, perhaps even lots out of His control. He is involved though and responds to what has transpired.

What about the fact that God knows everything???
Setting aside that in the story He doesn't (He asks questions after all), let us consider, yet again, who the Biblical God is. He is the "incarnate" God (Jesus), the God who enters creation on its own terms. When He displays His amazing presence, it is thunder, lightening, fire and earthquake--all of them earthly, worldly phenomenon. When He meets people (in a garden--Adam and Eve, near a tent--Abraham, in a bush or mountain--Moses; in Jesus) it is in a here and now. Eternal God who is timeless and everywhere can now be located on a map and calendar. We can say, "Remember the time God was here and did this or said that?" When God enters time and space, He is squeezed into finitude--and the cross reminds us that such squeezing is self sacrificial love."

Creation is out of control, but He intervenes from time to time to save (help, heal and make holy). He interacts with us, more often with those who desire Him, and He finds a way to accomplish His goals in spite or our resistance. But be clear, such interventions are not final nor are they complete. The good and bad seed, after all, are left to grow together until the Harvest Day. Some day His Kingdom will come, but in the meantime there is a whole lot taking place which He did not want and does not like. That is why the final harvest is a judgment. He tosses out the ones who messed up His work. Hardly a book in the Bible doesn't have that as a major theme.

When bad things happen, repent if you have drifted from God. If that's not the cause, take solace in offering it to His love and care, but do not embrace the evil. Embrace the redeeming love. Call out for healing. Body, soul, spirit---it all needs healing and that is what salvation really is, healing, God's victory and rescue. Don't let the church people mislead you that God is the cause. He is dealing with the same messed up world you are. He wants to make you whole and holy. He wants to make you well. Believe it and trust Him. Get your mind emptied of teaching which implies God is someone whom you would not leave alone with your kids. Listen to Jesus, hear what He says.

All this evil seed, it is the hand of the enemy.
the enemy of God.
our enemy, too.

Love God

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18     Psalm 1     I Thessalonians 2:1-8      Matthew 22:34-46

I think it fair to say that Christianity really does not know what to do with the Jewish Law. We are not "under the Law," yet we reject lawlessness. Even grace-centered Evangelicals use Leviticus 18:22 in debates on same sex marriage. If Progressives disdain this use of law, they still trumpet the social justice text in 19:9-10 as Gospel truth. Yes some Bible laws seem silly to us, yet many touch the core of our humanity. Even Paul says that saving faith in Jesus cannot co-exist with idol worship.

In the introduction of the Jewish Study Bible to Leviticus, we hear that "the study of the laws of Leviticus stood at the center rabbinic learning....It was customary for small children to begin their study of the Bible with Leviticus...[because] 'the pure' (i.e., children) should be engaged in the study of purity...Leviticus remains at the foundation of Jewish life." (p205, Baruch J. Schwartz) However, it is what follows that most resonates with my Christian soul, "Leviticus teaches that the ritual commandments and the ethical or social ones (between humans and God and between humans and humans) are equally important and equally valid....the love of one's neighbor is a divine commandment and every offense against one's fellow human being desecrates the name of God....
[this] is the reason for the Jewish people's existence. God has entered into a relationship with the Israelites so that they might perpetually sanctify His name. Their role in the world, and in history, is to attest to His existence, to publicize His oneness, and to advertise His greatness.... When they fail to do so, His name is profaned, that is, His name is diminished and His reputation tarnished; when they live up to this charge and duty, He and His name are sanctified." (206)

It would take me years to ponder this remarkable book. While often painfully repetitive in detail, it deals with a primary religious question, "How do sinners become holy?"

Our corporate and individual sins diminish the presence of God in the world. Jesus says that Jews (and be extension us) are the light of the world. Like the Jews, our reason for existence is also to glorify God's name. We have no Temple sacrifices, we have Jesus, but Leviticus' instructions help us to understand Jesus more deeply. It also reminds us that human behavior matters to God. Behaviors matter because it is at bottom about a relationship. Law, however it is described, still functions and love is at the heart of the law. 

Jesus' answer to the question, "Which law is the greatest?" reminds us that God's instruction and commands are not random or arbitrary. Jesus does not reject the question as redundant, nor does He say, "Forget the Torah, just believe." Human sin is a breeding ground for Evil and Darkness. Our mind, heart and soul are diseased and sick, in need of healing.  Decay in the human soul begets societal decay. The Gnostic reduction of salvation to "an escape to heaven when I die" is a rejection of the Biblical God Who has intervened to redeem creation. God loves His creation. Creation groans for the coming salvation. Today one gunman can wound and kill hundreds of people. One match can destroy thousands of acres. One false prophet can peddle his lies to millions. All of this harms creation and brings shame on God's name. This is anathema to those who love God.

Sin and death are the direct fruit of humanity's failure to love God. Jesus tells us to love God with all our mind, heart and soul.* This is total love--not a feeling, but loyalty to His Cause. It is a pledge of all I am and all I have. In other words, it is way more than we give. Do we love God totally? No. Do we love others? No. Honestly, lots of times I do not even like myself.... Take heart, each week the liturgy includes the confession, "we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves." Apparently, they already knew we wouldn't!  Perhaps, some day, we will. The first step is to say, authentically "We are truly sorry and humbly repent." (Confession is from the Book of Common Prayer, p360) And never, ever forget, the Lord does love you totally, and that is our hope. 

If we repent and begin to change our lives; that is all God needs.
So ask for Holy Spirt fire of love to burn in you.
Trust Jesus as Lord and be open.
Tell the Heavenly Father, "I love you, help me love you more"
It will begin to happen, here and now. 

* in Mark 12:28-34 there are four: heart, soul, mind and strength. The source text, Deuteronomy 6:5 says "heart, soul and strength." However the word in Hebrew me'od is usually translated as an adverb meaning 'very' or 'exceedingly' and implies strength, but could also be translated as 'wealth' or 'property.' The discussion of the "inner person"--raises the question, what exactly are the mind, heat, soul, spirit? The overlapping definitions and different opinions confuse as often as they clarify. Also, unlike Matthew, in Mark the interaction is more positive. The Scribe (not a lawyer as in Matthew and Luke) commends Jesus for His answer and Jesus tells him that he is "not far from the Kingdom of Heaven." In Luke 10:25-28 the engagement has shifted from a hostile test to an inquiry, "what shall I do to attain eternal life?" Most Christian do not know that Jesus responds by turning the question back on the lawyer, "what do you think?" When the lawyer answers love God and neighbor Jesus tells him that he is right so "do this and live." This leads Jesus to explain who is the neighbor with the famous parable of the "Good Samaritan." I was shocked to find this morning that very reading was assigned in the Gospel of Luke for morning prayer.

Thessalonians Three Threes of Salvation Living

Isaiah 45:1-7      Psalm 96:1-9(10-13)      I Thessalonians 1:1-10      Matthew 22:15-22

Our Abba Father has a plan to save His out of control creation. Through His Incarnate Word and Holy Spirit, the Father leaves eternity and intervenes within the limits of time and space. He is finding a way to accomplish His purposes, sometimes  through human actors. In Isaiah, today, God declares that Cyrus, the Persian ruler is His Messiah. This is an amazing claim. A pagan king called Messiah? Revelation: Our Father is the God of unbelievers and He can use them as tools of salvation. Perhaps this is why Jesus is not worried about giving Caesar his due? Jesus trusts His Father. The Kingdom of God is bigger than human politics. God's Kingdom encompasses all the earth, even as it penetrates our minds and hearts. The human and demonic powers at odds with God are already defeated. We can live in shalom peace trusting our loving Father.

The early church was small and weak, yet trusted in the power of God. The power of the Roman Empire seemed unassailable, yet Jesus followers in Thessalonica received the Gospel even as they suffered persecution. Rome's pagan culture seemed to be eternal. Yet today there are over two billion Christians while Rome's pagan temples lie in ruins. Jesus is worshipped as Lord while Caesar is only a salad.  

1st Thessalonians, the earliest New Testament letter, says that the church is in God. The two word greeting says it all: grace (that which provides joy, pleasure or delight; kindness bestowed) and peace (security, tranquility, quietness, rest, translates Hebrew shalom- completeness, contentment, prosperity, friendly relationship with God and others) are the gifts of God to His church. Hear this gospel message in your own heart.

Paul's gratitude challenges us to constantly thank God all day. 

Paul commends their faith, hope and love.  He calls it the work of faith and the labor of love.  Sometimes it is (Greek ergos)  labor/work to trust God and be faithful. It is a (Greek kopos) "difficult struggle" to truly love God and others. The daily journey of faith and love requires steadfastness. The Greek hypomenos can also be translated as patience or endurance. People of hope are patient during theosis/divinization--as we grow in faith and love we enter deeper union with God. Becoming holy takes a lifetime and more, yet the moment we turn back to God (repentance) it is already begun. The church is in God, after all.

A second set of three describes their response to the gospel. "He has chosen you" Paul says to them and to us. The word ekloge literally means "called out/from."  How awesome, God calls you out from the broken world into relationship. The message has POWER--the empowerment of being beloved and chosen. The message is Holy Spirit filled--God Himself is the gift. The message evokes pleroporia--full conviction, absolute assurance--that it is true. When we turn from fear and doubt and embrace God's Promise amazing things happen.

Faith, then and now, opens us to transformation. We are made into imitators (mimetes - mimic or follow; a mime) of the Lord. Even persecutions can not diminish the real joy. Is there joy in being called? Yes, and we must affirm that joy regularly. We must say I am called, I am beloved and my Father wants me to be with Him forever. It is okay to have joy in your heart, especially if it is the joy from a love relationship with our Lord.

A life of  real faith becomes its own witness. The third set of three illustrates for us. We turn FROM false gods, idols of our own making, the futile search for salvation and life in the temporal circumstances of a dying world. We turn TO serve a living and true God. The Christian life is the best of lives, and it is time for us all to experience more deeply. And we WAIT. Jesus taught frequently of the need to watch and wait. Hope gives us patience until all things are made new. This is the in between time: Christ has come, Christ will come again. In the meantime, chosen by God, we are to do the work of trusting and the labor of loving. In the meantime, we serve our God as we await Jesus return. In the meantime, together, as the church in God, we live in joy as the chosen people whose way of life is a witness to all those around us!
Amen, so be it.

Praying into Union

Praying into Union

The word “salvation” (yasha; yeshuah=Jesus) first appears in Genesis 49:18 “For your salvation I wait.” The Hebrew (yeshuah=Jesus) word can be translated “salvation, deliverance, welfare, prosperity, victory, help, health and saving health.” It is the feminine passive participle of yasha (literally--to be open, wide, free, opulent; by extension save, savior, deliver, preserve, rescue, (give) victory, defend). These words have both a mundane, temporal application and a spiritual, theological application. A large number of usages were in the context of military deliverance.

Salvation is God's work of love and mercy. Our response, repentance, is the work or returning to God. The Greek word, metanoia, is a compound of "meta" and "nous" and means a change of mind, a mind from above. Repentance is a "nous" centered phenomenon. The central focus of Christians has two elements: God's grace/mercy entering covenant with us and our response repentance/fidelity/love/trust.

Ultimately, “salvation” includes victory over sin and death, freedom from the world, flesh and devil and healing of our brokenness in body, soul and spirit. It is also reconciliation of humanity with God in perfect unity. Salvation is a process. I believe that there are similarities in how the physical, emotional, mental, relational and spiritual dimensions work. So physical exercise can be a model for understanding spiritual exercises; healthy body and healthy soul.

The least helpful way to understand salvation is “going to heaven.” “Going to heaven” is impersonal, it focuses on a reward earned or a gift given to people who get access to enter the “greatest amusement park ever.” Many people imagine a family reunion, however, it is often devoid of any sense of worship. God's role is reduced to “providing the fun”… The theological debates, in light of this, question of the admission process: good works or grace? The modern salvation debates have centered on law court justice. God is envisioned as The Judge. Theologians ponder the decree of guilty or innocent and shift the focus from relationship with God to exoneration. The relational model is organic. By definition it cannot ignore God. The theosis model is about transformative union, it is, therefore, about the existential and ontological state of a person, not their legal status.

However, if Heaven is actually a circumlocution for God, then relationship with God is actually the content of Heaven. Relational models do a better job of grasping that reality then a Law Court explanation. Based on Incarnation theology—God became one of us so we could become one with Him—it is helpful to have a developmental approach as well.

If our goal is to repent and turn back to God; then prayer should be part of that return. Prayer is opening the mind and heart to the triune God. Prayer is an experience of the Kingdom of God now. However, it is a long, slow and imperfect experience of the Holy Three God. The communion of prayer is impacted by the divisive power of Sin. We constantly turn from God  and prayer is the eternal return to God. It is more important that we connect with the Holy Three God  than it is provide a "to do list"... 

“Mind/Soul” [Greek nous] is the seat of perceiving—both intuition and sensing; feeling; thinking—to include knowing, reasoning and understanding; judging and choosing. The ‘mind’ is darkened by sin which means we are often misled. We are in broken communion with God. The Divine Light does not fill our “nous” which wounds us to our core (heart). We cannot "see" rightly so we cannot choose rightly. We need saving: forgiveness, healing and renewal. 

The ongoing problem of “bad thoughts” and the resultant “sinful desires” (called ‘passions’ because they cause pain) is the sin which divides us further from God, each other and ourselves. Sin is both an outward act and an inward disposition (hence Jesus in Matthew 5 “You have heard it said “do not…” but I say to you…).

The purification of the “nous” has two dimensions. The human dimension is our responsibility. It is the so-called “spiritual disciplines” including prayer, study, ascetical practices and love. The purpose of the church is to support this healing process ("soul healing" or from the Greek words; psycho-therapy). All of our efforts open the mind and heart to receive God’s gracious activities. Remember, God saves us, we just cooperate. However, He does not save us against our will. For example, if God reveals Himself to us in the Scripture, then if we prayerfully read (or hears) the Scripture we encounter God. If we turn away..... It is the work of the Holy Spirit but we cooperate (synergism= work with) and this is because free will is required for a genuine relationship. Love cannot be bought, coerced or programed, it must be freely given. 

Simple, relational prayer is the best: 

1.    Focus on the reality of God. Spend time in awareness.

2.   Focus on opening to God and request the Lord's help in this. It is about unity and relationship, not getting stuff.

3.   Jesus’ name—we pray in and through Messiah--is central. The word Yeshuah has a depth of meaning revealing His identity. Pray with gratitude and trust His Promise. Mt 7:7-11 “Ask... Seek… Knock…” you will “receive… find… it opens...” 

4.   Trust God is responding. Confidently acknowledge it in faith even if you do not see/feel it. Focus on what is taking place. Work on receptivity. Thanksgiving prayer, over and over, is the proper response.

5.   Spend significant amounts of time in prayer each day. Repetitive prayer with a focus on being present to God, opening to God’s purifying, healing and unifying Spirit and with the desire to give ourselves to the Father (rather than cajole Him into granting some wish list) should become one of your daily occupations.    

6.   In addition, Listen. Read the Bible. Repeat verses or phrase prayerfully. Psalms is a rich source, by the way. It may take decades for our ‘nous/mind’ to be purified by His Holy Fire and Light. We are on a long journey into the heart of God, but paradoxically from the first step we are already in, but always we have farther to go. Prayer is a key component of successfully reaching that destination.  

Salvation as destruction: a cowboy movie perspective

Isaiah 25:1-9 Ps 23 Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14

I read once that the appeal of cowboy movies was that they have the veiled Gospel. Gospel means the Good News of salvation. Helpless townsfolk need a hero, we need someone to face down the bad guys and rescue us. There are variations, of course, but in the end, usually after a violent encounter, the bad guys are defeated. And in the best of them, the hero suffers for his faithfulness...

Israel's stories of God are ancient templates for the Cowboy movies. The People of God need saving and YHWH, the Father God, hears their cries. Salvation, however, also leaves carnage. The bad guys do not experience salvation as a joyful thing. And sometimes the bad guys are the People of God. Jesus' parable is very much influenced by the prophetic books of Israel. The message of Judges, Samuel and Kings is two fold. "I will save my people and destroy her enemies," says the Lord, "but if you act like them I will destroy you too." This message fuels the works of Isaiah, Jeremiah and all the rest. This message is at the heart of Jesus' parable--a thinly veiled summary of Israel's history.

The King is graciously honoring citizens with an invitation to the wedding feast of his son! They dishonor the King,then abuse and kill his servants. In retribution their city is burned to the ground and leveled. The reference, perhaps lost on us, was quite apparent to Matthew's original audience. It was Jerusalem, the city of God destroyed by the Roman army in their lifetime. Jesus invited them to His Feast, but as they had rejected and killed the prophets so now they rejected and killed Him. In Matthew, the sinners and outcasts, even the late arriving Gentiles, were gathering around Jesus for the feast. However, Matthew would not have us misunderstand the nature of grace. It is a free offer but it requires an appropriate response. The wedding garment, I think, is a symbol of love, repentant faith and loyal discipleship. Good guys wear white robes in the Bible after all...

Isaiah 24-27, a collection of prophecies with an apocalyptic flavor, reveals the same story of salvation. John uses some of the language and imagery in His Revelation. No surprise then, that Isaiah's song praising God's salvation, begins with an announcement that the enemy's city is laid waste: a heap, a ruin, a rubble... The adjectives to describe the people and their city mean strong, fierce, greedy and terrifying. Their oppression is compared to the relentless summer sun or the destructive winter storm. The people seek refuge in God. Refuge for the poor and needy. Refuge in the safety of His love and protection. And what do you call people who are in a refuge? Refugees. It is easy to forget in our middle class comfort and splendor, that we are all spiritual refugees, brothers and sisters of all the marginal and outcasts.

In contrast to this, Isaiah lays out the wonderful feast awaiting all those who climb the mountain of the Lord. For people who never have enough to eat, such a feast was an unimaginable blessing. Food and drink in abundance is less amazing to us, we have too much, but the Lord makes an announcement which even our affluence cannot buy. "I will destroy death." The most beautiful verse to me, one which John uses in the Apocalypse as well, "My Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces..."

In the end, death is the ultimate enemy. It separates us from all we love, from all we hold dear. The Gospel message is death is on a short leash. The one thing missing from the cowboy movies is resurrection. Resurrection, however, is not missing from the Gospel. You and I, we have an invitation to a party. The greatest party ever. And it is a party where eternal life is the main course. Life. Abundant life. Glorious life. Already His strong hand overthrows the enemies who would oppress His people, already His gentle hand wipes away the tears. Come let us sing to the Lord and rejoice in God our savior.

Connections: Chronicles and Matthew

Although I have read straight through the Bible through many times, I never caught this connection between 2 Chronicles and Matthew. In preparing to preach, however, my ears were attuned to pick it up this morning. In Matthew 22, the Sunday Gospel in two weeks, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who sends out his messengers to announce the Feast is ready. The invited guests make light of the invitation and went about their lives. However, that story takes an uglier turn as they proceed then to abuse and kill the messengers. It was the mocking, though, which I heard echoed.

In 2 Chronicles 29-30 we read of the emergence the new king, Hezekiah. Hezekiah pleases God because he is a good king like David. His first order of business is to purify the Temple and its priests, after years of syncretism (mixing the true faith with other elements) and outright paganism (worship of other gods). Scholars discern a priestly authorship behind the Chronicles (Ezra and Nehemiah also). Concern with ritual purity, Temple worship and priesthood are, therefore, not unexpected. Hezekiah wants to celebrate the Passover, though surprisingly at an irregular time, a month late. The connection, however, which caught my eye had to do with the invitation. Hezekiah's message (30:6) "Return to the Lord" (repent). Repentance will lead to blessing, he declares, they will be delivered from their captors, this is also called redemption. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Return to be saved by the grace of God is also the central message of Jesus. Indeed, the response to Jesus, alluded to in the parable, was generally negative, "they were laughed at and mocked."

Did Jesus have this story in mind as He told His parable? Would His listeners see connections between the Passover celebration in Chronicles and the wedding feast? Was laughter and derision, which sealed the fate of the exiles, not going to have the same impact on Jesus' audience (the Second Temple to be leveled, the city destroyed)? If so, then the vicarious slaughter of lambs (30:17) by Levites on behalf of those who were not clean may be hinting at Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who is slaughtered on behalf of unclean humanity. As regards the sinful masses, the king (a type of the Messiah Jesus), declares that (30:18-19) "The good Lord will provide atonement for everyone who set his mind on worshipping God, the Lord God of the fathers, even if he is not purified for the sanctuary." This seems consistent with the Gospel this past Sunday (Matthew 21:31) where Jesus said that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom Heaven. Jesus, we will hear at the Passover celebration in Matthew 26 will identify the bread and wine of the meal as His Body and Blood. He is the new Passover meal and He is the sacrifice for atonement.

The connection of scripture, many different books yet one Grand Story, is behind the idea that Jesus fills-up (fulfillment) Scripture. I suggest you read both and find your own connections. I hope this brief illustration is on value in your own prayer and in a deeper understanding of the Gospel in two weeks.

On Synergism and Theosis: God's Salvation for All and Each One

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32   Psalm 25:1-8   Philippians 2:1-13   Matthew 21:23-32

The Jewish Bible was composed over a time period stretching some one thousand years. The different time periods and settings generate the sort of  pendulum effects we have always seen in human history. Within the Bible there is even theological development, and today is an example. The prophet Ezekiel's word rejects the longstanding way Israel understood sin and guilt. The twenty missing verse explain it in detail, but basically sin/guilt/punishment was considered a corporate/family issue. Families shared in the blame. This is a communal understanding of human existence which was the norm in ancient culture (and eastern culture). However, now God declares that each nephesh//living soul will be held accountable for his/her own personal life. This is a radical shift toward the individual, and our cultural norms are shaped by it. However, we must not miss the central point: relationship with YHWH Lord is always in present tense. What you did, good or bad, is not determinative, what is the relationship right now, that is what is determinative. Repent, come back, return to ME He says over and over. God shares His heart, "I don't want people to perish, I want them to live." He repeats, "I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies...Repent, then, and live."

Whatever else God can do or could do, what He has done is make creation where there is free will. Freedom is a requirement for relationship and love. This is the meaning of the Cross--God made people who can reject Him. Our choices can thwart God's will that "all live." Life requires "a new heart and a new Spirit." The Hebrew here is enlightening. The verb 'asah (to do, to make, to labor, to fashion) occurs numerous times in the creation account to describe God's creative work. Now it is applied to the work of the human agent in making a new heart. Many prefer to think that salvation is a "God only" affair. There are isolated verses which seem to say this, but that is not the message of the entire Scripture. Both the teaching of the New Testament (synergo=synergy/with+work; see 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 6:1 and Mark 16:20) and Ancient Church* recognize that human labor--the cooperation/synergism--are the journey of life. The goal is a new heart (leb-heart, mind, center, inner person, character) and a new spirit (ruah-wind, breath, spirit, mind). The process begins by literally to "casting off sin" (repentance and conversion) while you transform from within. Spirituality is a moving from (sin/death) and a moving toward (God/life). Although human effort is not sufficient, the Scripture cannot be broken--God's revelation is that you must do the hard work needed to have a new heart and spirit.

This may be why St. Paul says: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

In isolation such a message may discourage us. It can be misunderstood to imply that salvation is a human centered process (the Pelagian heresy). In reality, we learn that our efforts to create a new heart and spirit produce so little. We take a few steps forward, only to slip backward. Progress is measured in inches, and so we give up by being preoccupied with the distractions of passing things. Who wants fear and trembling about salvation when daily worries consume us? Fortunately, it is not our work alone. Paul continues, "for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and work for His good pleasure." The Ancient Father's understood synergism holistically: God saves us in and through our own conversion work. God is the source of this He supports the process which turns us from Sin and Death toward union with the Holy Three God.

Jesus is central to this. The incarnation is the instrument of this. Paul, as we have seen recently, often speaks of the mind and our way of perceiving, thinking, feeling, judging... Paul says we must think alike, we must have the mind of Jesus Christ. How much time do you focus on this task? Do you understand the world you live in? Do you understand how many of  the values and beliefs which shape you are not of God? Your mind, heart, and is a battlefield---but we do not battle alone. God is with us in Jesus.

The Eternal Son, emptied Himself of "God-ness." (kenosis-make empty)
No mystery is more mysterious. How can God become human?
No mystery is more unfathomable. How can the Eternal become finite and limited?
No mystery is more beautiful. Jesus emptied Himself to make us full.
This is love! This is redemption and salvation. This is also our purpose and goal in life.
God became human so that humans can become God. Theosis-divinizaton!
Perfect union in love.

So receive His mind. Read the Sacred Scriptures and pray, engage in acts of love and resist the thoughts and desires of the fallen mind (nous) and heart
It is the most important thing you will ever do.
Understand that it will be terribly difficult but trust that He will accomplish all that you labor to achieve.


(*In the Eastern Orthodox and non-Augustinian West synergism is embraced; see  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synergism_(theology)

New mind in Christ

Jonah 3:10-4:11   Psalm 145:1-8   Philippians 1:21-30   Matthew 20:1-16

I remember the first time I put on glasses. After months and months of squinting, I walked down Maple Avenue able to see leaves in the trees. I did not know I couldn't see clearly, until I could. I think the same is true of our souls.

Paul uses the word nous 21x (Luke 1x, Revelation2x). It is from the root of gnisko which means to know, understand, perceive, feel and is a Jewish euphemism (used by Mary) for sexual intercourse. It implies an experiential, deep way of seeing and knowing. Unfortunately, since the  Fall our mind--the nous--is darkened, and our heart is damaged and wounded. We struggle to perceive reality because our feelings are in chaos and we don't understand, we misjudge and make poor decisions. These bad choices are sins, which increase the inner darkness! Paul also uses another term, psyche, today. It is often translated as "soul" or "life," but it also has the same meaning as nous. Our mind is the door to our heart and Paul makes clear, we must all be of one mind, united in Jesus Christ. The one Mind means His mind. This union is both the path to salvation and a fruit of redemption. When our Mind and Heart are one in Jesus, then Jesus, who is one with the Father, sends the Holy Spirit to heal and purify our mind and heart and we are made one with God.

Paul also challenges us to "live our life in a manner worthy of Christ." This is one of three similar exhortations by Paul [The other two are Ephesians 4:1 "live a life worthy of the calling you have received" and Colossians 1:10 "live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."] The Greek word literally means to act in accordance with citizenship. Paul tells the Christians (citizens of God's Kingdom) that their corporate (and by extension individual) behavior should be in accord with the covenant each citizen makes with his/her community. Faith is a way of life. In this instance, Paul illustrates the worthy life as "standing firm." Paul likes this expression, using it on five different occasions. This expression first appears in Exodus 14:13; when the Hebrew slaves, terrified of the approaching chariots of Pharaohs lose faith and lose heart, but God says "fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of God," Daniel 11:32 (in an apocalyptic exhortation to those facing persecution and martyrdom, warning that those who break covenant will be seduced by the evil one) "...but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action." To stand firm is to have faith. To stand firm is to be faithful. To stand firm requires all our strength and courage. To stand firm depends on God's hand to uphold us.

The parable story of Jonah illustrates the fallen mind. Jonah is the most unfaithful prophet in the Bible, he resists God's call and flees, he reluctantly preaches God's message because he is forced to but then he throws a tantrum when he becomes the most successful prophet ever and the pagans repent. Jonah says that he 'knows' that God is slow to anger and rich in mercy, but his knowledge is superficial. He does not understand God's mercy, nor does he feel the mercy or choose to embrace it. Rather, for reasons not stated, but assumed, he pines for death in response to God's gift of life. Jonah is the icon of us all--our darkened minds and hearts unable to embrace the extent of God's saving love. The book of Jonah is designed to confronts us with a hard question.

For the Jew, "do the pagan matter to God?"
For the Christian, "do non-Christians matter to God?"
For all of us, "does God love people so different from us?
The answer in the Book of Jonah is, "yes, He does."

But there is a caveat, the missing piece left out of the false-gospels of inclusion. Nineveh repents. All of them, even the animals. Sackcloth and ashes repentance. Yes, God desires that all persons be saved. God has forgiven everyone of everything, but His forgiveness can only be received through repentance. It is His gift of Himself, but until we return to Him we can not be with Him."

Jesus' parable illustrates this tenacious, generous God. Now, I have found that many of you do not like this parable, because it seems unfair. Perhaps we see ourselves as hard at is all day? Jesus' original audience included righteous Jews, some who felt that same anger. They were mad that Jesus welcomed sinners to repent. They were even madder that Jesus included Gentiles. It is the Gentile who came at the last hour, long after the Jewish people had begun their labor. Does it make you mad that you, a late arriving Gentile get treated mercifully?

Also, remember that in the Jewish Bible the vineyard is a symbol of the Kingdom of God. Work in the vineyard is the work of becoming holy and righteous--it is the work of repentance, faith, love and community. If you labored long and hard in the heat of the day, then you love God, totally, and you  love your neighbor as one like yourself--and you are happy to see the Heavenly Father's joy at each new, later arrival. And you understand, they have just begun the long hard process of purifying mind and heart, and however late they start, they won't get away with anything!

Let us pray
Father God. Yeshuah! save and heal us. Purify our mind with holy fire and fill our hearts with Your light. Grant us the mind of Jesus. Grant us the Holy Spirit. Set us free and unite us to Yourself!