An Attempt at a Hymn/Prayer: Give us eyes to see the Holy

 

When I ended my review of "Hunting Magic Eels" I wondered aloud if there might be a way to square Luther's explanation of the Lord's Prayer with Beck's insights about perception. Here is a first try, a hymn/prayer.

Hymn: Give us eyes to see the Holy

 

Refrain:

Amazing God, give us eyes to see the Holy.

Fill us with your awe; teach us to trust.

Keep us steadfast and

Let us perceive your providence.

 

1.

Marked by your name,

Holy God, may we encounter

Your strangeness in scripture;

May our disciple life, lead to awe.

 

2.

Teach us, Lord God,

To trust you,

That we might notice

When you reign!

 

3.

Thwart, O God,

All powers and principalities

That hijack our very selves;

Keep us steadfast in your will.

 

4.

Father, give us thankful eyes

To see your providence,

That it is good and very good.

In the Triune name. Amen.

Praying for the Innocent in Palestine and Israel

Pray for the Little Ones

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the innocent children of Bethlehem by order of King Herod. Receive into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims. By your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Innocents, where we remember those slaughtered by Herod (Mat. 2:13-18). I shared the above prayer on multiple social media platforms, and folk really responded to it, most probably seeing it as a commentary on what’s going on in Gaza; one person explicitly mentioned the 9,000 children killed there.

              Now, for a blog where at one time I commented on everything, quite frenetically, my saying nothing about 10/7 and the invasion of Gaza might seem strange. Well, in the tradition of my wife, the Quaker tradition, there is a question you ask, “Are you improving the silence?” Or to put it another way, would my hot take on the Middle East simply contribute to the noise? I thought so, so I took time to listen; I noticed the people I most trust regarding Israel and Palestine were silent or lamenting.

              The Sunday after 10/7 I did say a few pastoral words to my congregation, essentially, I’ve met Israelis and Palestinians who have worked together every day for decades, middle aged men engaging in commerce, sometimes across or through fences. Folk living their day to day the best they can, do not want war, do not want each other dead or wounded. War and violence rarely cause the powerful and the ideologically driven to be defeated. Those who will be hurt and will die, will be the little ones. We ought to pray for the little ones.

 

Reasons for Silence

              Since then, I’ve been silent, because it seems like any words of support get warped here on American soil. Compassion toward those murdered and mutilated and raped on 10/7 is transformed into support for Islamophobia; horror at bombs and disease and starvation decimating the Palestinians in Gaza bolsters Antisemitism.

              For that matter, it seems like we can’t even settle on what terms mean. I’ve seen people use “From the River to the Sea” as a way to talk about Gaza and the West Bank becoming an independent country cradling the equally independent country of Israel, and others who use it to call for killing every Jew in the Middle East. Likewise, I’ve heard people saying they are “Zionists” and mean that they advocate for depopulating every country from Kuwait to Egypt, in order to ensure that God will bless America, because God blesses those who bless Israel. I also know people who call themselves Zionists because they believe Israel has a right to exist within the framework of the 1947 UN partition plan.

People are choosing sides like it’s a baseball game, or a twitter poll. We’re picking a slogan and inserting whatever meaning we want into it. We’re excusing the excesses of our own side, because at least they are on our side. We are polarizing and radicalizing in the process, and I don’t want to participate in that!

 

Who Benefits

              It is worth asking, who benefits from the misery and death of so many?

Hamas, surely, that’s why they provoked Israel, knowing Israel’s response to Hezbollah’s similar provocation years back. Recently, more Arab countries have begun to make peace with Israel while sidestepping the Palestinian question. Hamas’ action stopped that process in its tracks. Peace in the Middle East can only go through Palestine.

Netanyahu, a politician uniquely despised by his own people. His policies toward the Palestinians tended to delegitimize Palestinian Statehood by weakening moderates and strengthening militants; the same militants who eventually attacked the country he was supposed to be protecting. He caused a revolt in his own military when he undermined Israel's court system. He might well go to prison once he is out of power… so keeping the conflict going as long as possible, is in his best interest. His government currently has the legitimacy of a national unity coalition in the face of an external threat, once the threat ends, so does his rule.

Russia, the attack happened on Putin’s birthday, and some say that was not a coincidence. 10/7 diverted US and EU attention, munitions, and funding from Ukraine. Russia can pretend to be a disinterested and responsible third party in negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Russia, not America, is lauded as the force of stability in the Middle East and the wider world.

Iran has declared that 10/7 was retaliation against America for killing their chief spy a few years back. The war in Gaza helps their ally, Russia. It undermines the alliance against them being formed between Israel and the Arab world. Additionally, it has given Iran reason and opportunity to attack US service people, in an effort to gain power in Iraq and set up a sympathetic regime.

 

Israel’s 9/11

              I’ve thought some about Biden’s warning to Netanyahu that responding to 10/7 like we did on 9/11 would be a mistake. The American people called for things to be smashed to undo the smashing of our precious city, death for death and eye for an eye. Then we occupied Afghanistan for 20 years and Iraq for 12. As I alluded to above, we still have troops in Iraq who Iran is taking pot-shots at.

We could have tackled Al Qaeda as a police action, but we did not. As with many things in global governance, I don’t know enough to second guess that choice, but I do often wonder how different my generation’s formative years would have been if we’d tried to restrain and redeem the evil of 9/11, instead of trying to destroy it.

Does Israel want to still be fighting in Gaza in 2043? Do they want to occupy Lebanon until 2035? Could those who killed, maimed, and raped Israeli citizens be brought to justice by non-military means?

              The other wrinkle in all this is there are hostages out there. A few of them have been accidentally killed by the Israeli army already. Bombs don’t seem to be getting them home; the brief ceasefire did bring some people back. And it be clear, the prisoner exchange did further legitimize Hamas in the eyes of some, so I’m not saying there aren’t consequences to such an action.

 

Ceasefire

              It seems like war only hurts the least of these. This war is propping up Hamas and Netanyahu, strengthening the hand of bad state actors, and spreading global chaos. War won’t get the hostages back. War encourages radicalization, polarization, and more war. War saps the creativity of people of goodwill.

              For all those reasons, it seems like the best bad option is a ceasefire in Gaza.

I hope saying all this has not created more noise and nothingness, and I surely don’t know enough about the Israeli Palestinian conflict to say as much as I have, but my conscious told me that I had to say something. I pray for the little ones who are bearing the brunt of this conflict, pray that the Spirit might spark a creative way out of this destruction, and that we might know war no more.

An Introduction to Praying Through Minister’s Prayer Book

Preparing the Book:

Minister’s Prayer Book recently came out. Once you receive it I recommend you get two book marks, one to keep track of where you are at in the Prayers and Readings for the Church Year section, and another to keep your place in the Order of Prayer for the Days of the Week section. Additionally, it might be worth dog-earing page 151, which begins the Prayers of Preparation for Ministry and each of the daily anthology sections, found on pages 199, 233, 261, 291, 313, 351, and 369.

Praying:

            The Prayer Book recommends the following:
“Morning: Invitation to prayer, morning prayer, psalm, lesson from the lectionary, meditation and free prayer, prayer for the week, benediction.

Noon: Invitation to prayer, hymn for the week, text for the week, lesson on the ministry, prayer, benediction.

Evening: Invitation to prayer, confession, psalm, lesson from the lectionary, reading from the anthology, evening commendation, intercessions, evening prayer, benediction.” (xv)

            I pray a modified version:
Morning: invitation to prayer, morning prayer, lesson from the lectionary, prayer for the week, brief passage for meditation, free prayer, benediction.

Noon: invitation to prayer, profession of faith, lesson on the ministry, noon prayer, benediction.

Evening: invite, confession, lesson from the lectionary, reading from the anthology, intercessions, evening prayer, commendation, benediction.

            This way to pray flows more closely to the ordering of the book. For example, praying the prayer for the week after the lesson from the lectionary saves you the distraction of flipping back and forth from the Church year and Order section. Similarly the reordering of prayer in the evening follows the order the prayers are found in the book. Additionally, adding the profession of faith to noon prayers and eliminating the psalm reflects the content in the prayer book.

            On the other hand, the reordering of my daily practice may wrinkle Luther’s meditation, tentatio, oratio  way to pray. I’m still thinking and praying through that question.

Happy praying!

They are Home: The Commander in Chief must not act like this!

            Donald Trump’s latest tweet, telling four congresswomen of color to go home, just hit me so hard. I’m in tears… and I’m a white guy, I can only imagine how this feels to folk who have regularly been told, “go back to where you came from.” 

            I am struck that the Commander in Chief would speak like this, that the president would say such a thing about members of congress. 

            For whatever reason, his actions take me back to my childhood as a NATO brat. We occasionally had drills about getting nuked or overran by the Communists. We were told to find our parents, or failing that, to find adults we trusted. The two adults I decided on were Dr. Omar and Rob. 

            The Commander in Chief of the United States Military was not only attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Ilhan Omar—he is also saying Rob and Dr. Omar aren’t really Americans. They would die for this country! For that matter, “The Squad”represents and serves nearly three million Americans… that’s 5 of my home state of Wyoming… that’s a lot of Americans!

            What kind of President uses his bully pulpit as a bullhorn for the worst impulses of our country? What kind of President injects that kind of hate into our nation’s veins? What kind of President holds millions of citizens in such low disregard, and states it publically?

            What kind of Commander in Chief insults 40%of the troops he commands?

A prayer for “The Squad”:

            Lord God, our President’s words are endangering the lives of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, please shield them and protect them, please keep them safe. Do not let them be demonized, do not let them be used to scare people, and do not let the evil done to them have its intended effect. 

            Instead Lord, take “The Squad” and use them to do good for this nation and prosper all who live herein. Strengthen them daily for their vocation as Congresswomen. 

            Dear Lord, be kind to them. In Jesus name. Amen.

A prayer for everyone who has been told to “Go Home”:

            There is no rest, until we rest in you, and yet… and yet Lord, this nation can be a place to be and be safe for a time. Lord, it is not so. Millions of your children are insulted, denigrated, hated. Please heal the wounds inflicted upon them. Please make it so such hatred may never again be used against them.

            Also, please turn the hearts of those who have attacked them, turn them from their sin that they might be transformed. 

            Make of our imperfect nation a home. In Jesus name. Amen.

A Review of "The Gospel of John: Church and Culture in Conflict"

The Gospel of John: Church and Culture in Conflict by Gregg Knepp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Five Big Stars!!!
Disclaimer—I served under Pastor Gregg as a Vicar at St. John’s Pimlico, so I’m biased.
I can’t say enough good things about Pastor Gregg’s book “The Gospel of John: Church and Culture in Conflict”.
This book reads the Gospel of John in light of Pastor Gregg’s experiences as, essentially, a Lutheran Human Shield in El Salvador, his time serving at St. John’s in NW Baltimore, and his experience as a parent of both biological and adopted kids. This book will give you an “in” into the head and heart of a very faithful Pastor.
I first read it devotionally, it reminded me of why I got into this business in the first place, the nuances of faith lived in the world as it is, it both convicted me and convinced me to be a better Pastor of the congregation I serve.
I am now using it as the main resource for a bible study on the Gospel of John. It is really helpful. I’ve been looking at scripture with this same crew of people every Thursday for 6 years, and Pastor Gregg’s book has brought us to a much deeper place of discussion than we’ve ever been at!
So, if you are clergy in need of a rerooting of your ministry, buy this book. If you are leading a Bible Study or book club, or want to, buy this book. For that matter, if you’re a skeptic or burnt out on church and church folk—this book is the real deal, not going to say it’ll convert you, but it’ll remind you why Christianity and Christian ain’t all bad, in fact at our best we’re pretty damn good!


View all my reviews

Sermon: Loving neighbor is a how question, not a who question

Loving neighbor is a how question, not a who question

         Three years ago, the last time the parable of the “Good” Samaritan came up, was the week of the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

         And I remember how quickly people picked the kid to pieces.

They blamed him for his death because he’d smoked marijuana, he’d been tardy, and he’d scratched WTF into a door at school. Who he was shaped whether he was worthy for life or death!

         And that reminds me of what they’ve been saying about the shooting in Dallas.

“Why did it happen there?” they ask.

It was the model of best practices in policing.

It shouldn’t have happened there, after all before the shooting the police and the protestors were mingling, snapping selfies with one another like teenagers in love.

         Who they were as a police department should have protected them against injury and death. Their character and their person, who they were, should have shielded them from the sniper.

        

         Then there is the case of Alton Sterling, killed in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile killed outside Minneapolis. People are saying strange things like:

“It’s a shame Philando died, but so what about Alton.”

Philando Castile was the beloved cafeteria guy,

Alton couldn’t keep a regular job and instead sold CD’s in the open air, he’d been to jail and had to hustle to make ends meet.

         Imagine that,

do any of you have relatives or friends that work odd jobs?

or have seen the inside of a cell? Imagine if society decided that meant it was okay to kill them! Who they are allows for execution.

         Likewise, both the Black Lives Matter folk, and the police, are similarly feeling targeted for who they are.

         With all that weighing on our shoulders and our speech, we come up against Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor.

In the face of today’s readings and our current reality, I would suggest we must ask how questions, not who questions. When confronted with this command to love our neighbor, we must ask how questions,

not who questions.
Let us pray:

         Today, Jesus is asked the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
         Jesus, responds with his own question, “What does it say in scripture? How do you read our tradition?”

         The Lawyer’s response is not unusual, he thinks back to the second verse of the Jewish morning and evening prayer known as the Shema:

         “Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord, is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
         To which he adds from Leviticus, of all places, “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
         And that could have ended the discussion right there. Jesus answers, “Yup. So go on and love God with your whole self and love your neighbor as yourself.”

         But, the Lawyer insists upon asking the who question.
“Who,” he asks, “is my neighbor?”
“Who,” he asks, “must I love as myself?”
“Who,” he asks, “must I love to gain eternal life?”
         But Jesus takes this question about eternal life

—this who question

—and takes it out of the abstract

—he solidifies,

“love your neighbor as yourself,” in story.
After all, “Once upon a time,” is a more effective instructor than, “thou shalt not,” or even, “thou shalt.”
         He takes this lofty concept and lowers it onto a road

—the Road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
         This road winds and twists, gets narrow, and is an easy place from which to ambush someone.
         This road, was a dangerous road and a deadly place to ponder earning eternal life.

         For that matter, Jesus answers the “who question” very clearly and very concretely.
         -Who? The bloody carcass of a man mangled on a dangerous road—he is your neighbor.
         -Who? A man stripped naked, so you can’t tell if he’s your kin or not—he is your neighbor.
         -Who? A man without any means to repay you—he is your neighbor.

         Confronted with the ways in which our country devalues the lives of black men:

         -Who? Alton Sterling, the father of five selling CD’s, surprised and shot.

         -Who? Philando Castile, the man pulled over for a torn tail light, caught in his car and confessing to the cop that he had a concealed carry permit and a gun, before he was killed in front of his girlfriend and her 4 year old daughter.

--They are your neighbor.

         Confronted, as well, by the ambush in Dallas:

         -Who? The 5 officers slain there in the street and all the injured that night.—They are your neighbor.

         In the face of these tragedies…

         -Who? The families of all the fallen.—They are your neighbor.

         Acting merciful in the midst of death and danger—that’s how Jesus answers the eternal life question and the who question.

         When you can’t even tell who it is you’re helping and you help them anyway

—that’s when you know you’re loving your neighbor.

         But he doesn’t stop there.
He then turns to those who ask the who question,
and shows how the who question leaves men stranded and dying on deadly roads.
         The Priest asked the who question,

“Who is that there, is he dead?

Who is he?

Is he Israelite?

Who will ambush me if I try to help him?”
He then decides that he’ll go to the other side, to be on the “safe side.”
         The Levite asks the same questions—the who questions. And he too decides to go to the other side, in order to be on the “safe side.”
         Then—to add insult to injury—the man who helps the injured man—the man who doesn’t ask the who question—is a Samaritan!

         Now, that might not strike us as odd… after all we know this story as “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” But at that time, and at that place, there was no such thing as a “good” Samaritan.
         I could tell you all the historical reasons for Samaritans being considered bad news to 1st century Jews—but I think the startling nature of Jesus’ story can be made in another way—by placing him into our present crisis

—by sticking him here and now.

         The way some people are framing our life together in this country…

Jesus would tell the police the story of “The Good Black Lives Matter Activist.”

and tell the Black Lives Matter Folk the story of “The Good Policeman.”

         The hero of Jesus’ story—the one that doesn’t ask who—is a Samaritan.
And this Samaritan asks a different question, he asks how.

“How am I going to help this man?”
         And his actions answer this question loudly. He becomes personally involved.

He personally binds up wounds, he gives of his oil and his wine, he puts the wounded man on “his own beast” and gives of his own monies.
         When confronted by someone broken by the conflicts and snares of this world

—by banditry and by pain

—he did not ask who is that?

Is that person worth helping?

Is he someone of my religion?

From my nation?

My race?

My social standing?
No!

         He asked, “How can I help him?

What resources do I have, or do I know of, that can help that person!”
         And once Jesus finished up his parable, he asked another question of the Lawyer. Because you see the Lawyer was busy asking who is my neighbor?

So Jesus asked a different question—“Which of these three was neighborly to the man who fell among the robbers? Which one was neighborly to his neighbor?”
         Sheepishly the Lawyer must admit, “The one showing mercy on him.”

That is, the one who is moved in the gut, so that they are forced to move with hands and feet, moved to minister and give aid!

         Jesus isn’t concerned with who the neighbor is

—he’s concerned with how we treat the neighbor.

He is concerned with showing mercy in the midst of death and danger!

         As we light these seven candles for the five officers killed in Dallas and the two men killed in Minnesota and Louisiana, let us honor their lives,

who they were,

but let us also consider in our hearts the how.

How we can love as Jesus calls us to love.

I, for one, will reach out to our local police today, just to let them know our prayers as with them in their time of mourning,

and check-in with my colleagues of color,

and I guess, just try to listen, right?

To ask God for the courage to connect with people whose experience of life is not like my own,

so that I can continue to ask that how question.

How will you love your neighbor as yourself?

A+A

Two years of Read, Reflect, Pray

Greetings all.

It is hard to believe that it was two years ago, but back in 2014 I gained permission from a variety of publishing companies to use quotes, prayers, and bits of liturgy to stitch together a prayer book focused on the seven central things of worship, the readings and prayers of each day pointing toward one of them. I took from A Minister’s Prayer Book and added some diversity in a variety of ways.

Well, tonight my copyright runs out.

It’s been a good run. I’ve sold enough books to recover the money I paid for the copyrights, and RRP has a facebook following of 276 people who receive a prayer or quote daily.

To everyone who was involved in the creation of the book, those who purchased it, and those who participated on the facebook page.

Thank you.

Peace,

Chris Halverson

"All people are created in God's image" a sermon in response to the shootings in Orlando and Charleston

(again, I preached without notes, so I said something like the following)

I began by reading Bishop Eaton's letter:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them." Genesis 1:27

We are killing ourselves. We believe that all people are created in God's image. All of humanity bears a family resemblance. Those murdered in Orlando were not abstract "others," they are us. But somehow, in the mind of a deeply disturbed gunman, the LGBTQ community was severed from our common humanity. This separation led to the death of 49 and the wounding of 54 of us.

We live in an increasingly divided and polarized society. Too often we sort ourselves into like-minded groups and sort others out. It is a short distance from division to demonization. Yesterday, we witnessed the tragic consequences of this.

There is another way. In Christ God has reconciled the world to God's self. Jesus lived among us sharing our humanity. Jesus died for us to restore our humanity. God invites us into this reconciling work. This must be our witness as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The perpetrator of this hate crime did not come out of nowhere. He was shaped by our culture of division, which itself has been misshapen by the manipulation of our fears. That is not who we are. St. Paul wrote, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:17-20).

Our work begins now. We need to examine ourselves, individually and as a church, to acknowledge the ways we have divided and have been divided. We must stand with people who have been "othered". We must speak peace and reconciliation into the cacophony of hatred and division. We must live the truth that all people are created in God's image.

 This morning your churchwide staff came together to mourn and to pray. We prayed for those killed in Orlando and remembered the Charleston Nine killed only a year ago. We prayed for the family of the shooter, for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters and for our Muslim brothers and sisters who now face the threat of retaliation. And we prayed that the Prince of Peace will bring us to the day when we stop killing ourselves.

Your sister in Christ,

Elizabeth A. Eaton

Presiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America”

“All people are created in God’s image”

Because all people are created in God’s image, Luke writes about Christ crossing over to the other side, to be with the Gerasenes—crossing over to a people different than his people in Galilee, crossing over to them, they who too are created in the image of God… Yes, the earliest followers of Jesus, spent a lot of time crossing over to the other side—finding people created in the image of God where they would not expect it!

Heck, look at the Acts of the Apostles, the whole thing is one big catch-up game, the Disciples, the Apostles, catching up to the Holy Spirit, who continually goes and reaches the other side and dwells with people the Apostles didn’t realize were made in the image of God!

“All people are created in God’s image”

This is echoed in Paul’s words written to the Galatians.

Some scholars call this section the earthquake of the antimonies—what does that mean right? It’s two apposite categories which together make a whole… for example Jews and Gentiles—in Paul’s time those two categories would encompass the whole of humanity—you were one or the other…

Until, until Paul recognizes Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as shaking the very foundation of these antimonies… in Christ there are no longer Jews, nor Gentiles. In Christ we are no longer Slave, or Free. In Christ we are no longer male and female. And this list can grow—we can affirm In Christ we are neither black, nor white. In Christ, we can affirm we are neither gay nor straight… yes, in all people, ALL people, resides the image of God!

As I intoned this morning to start the service all of Psalm 22, God explicitly enters into the image of humanity in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who cried the cry of dereliction from the cross—My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

            Yes “All people are created in God’s image” so fully, that God joins in our cries, joins the cries of those caught in the horrific and the tragic…

Christ’s cries joined our own in Orlando at The Pulse one week ago.

Christ’s cries joined our own in Charleston at Emanuel AME one year ago.

“All people are created in God’s image”

--Let us honor the image of God found in The Pulse and in Emanuel AME by lighting a candle for each one of those who died in Orlando and Charleston.

(As we lit the candles Tom played “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know”)

An Opportune Time: A Sermon

An Opportune Time

         Good morning class. I’m professor Faust.

         This is Deviling 102: Temptations. If you are here for Torture 206: Advanced Bagpiping, that’s down the hall on the right, I don’t want another mishap like last week.

         Today we’ll be coving the opportune time.

         I hope everyone has read the primary documents in preparation for today’s lecture, the 4^th Chapter of Dr. Luke’s Gospel

         (point) What, you didn’t… Why not?

(wait) you were busy watching the politicians rip one another apart the last few nights… that’s fair—I’ve always said never let schooling get in the way of your education.

         Today we read of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. He’d just been declared Son of God… This was a powerful day for the Enemy, like a coronation or the start of an invasion

         Satan tried to blunt this attack upon our control of the world in a crafty way, by defining the terms

—if we get to define what “Son of God” means, we’re half-way to victory right there.

         The Christian’s Saint Augustine was right in describing our subtlety

—at our best we misuse the good.

Outright evil is rarely useful, instead taking their weapons and turning them around …

a spiritual jujitsu if you will…

that my pupils, that’s where we can draw real blood.

(point)

Why? you ask. Because humans have some sense of propriety, not much mind you, but when confronted by absolute evil, they’ll stand fast, but dealing with misused good? They don’t have a prayer… I say that in the colloquial of course, prayer is, unfortunately, a mighty, if often unused, weapon of the Christian.

…

Where was I? Yes, defining the terms. Satan takes this powerful name, title, vocation, “Son of God” and tries to hack Jesus away from his Father—dismember that divine relationship.

         Unfortunately, Jesus would have none of it.

         Famished though he was, he did not make bread the totality of his relationship with God,

powerless though he was, he did not see power as an end to be sought,

humbled and vulnerable though he was, he did not see safety and glory as his goal.

         Of course, all that is background. It leads us to today’s lesson, Satan departing “until an opportune time.” This is read as the last temptation of Christ, the betrayal, abandoning, and cross—Satan waiting in the wings for “Good” Friday.

            But, I would suggest, dear little Devils, that there are other opportune times that Satan finds, that each of us as we go about the business of temptation, can find, to tempt all those Children of God, offer a misused good in exchange for their Identities as Children of God!

         Let’s step out of the ivory tower for a second and get practical… Satan comes to Jesus when he’s hungry and offers bread… you all are going to be working in New Jersey when you graduate, right… what might they be starved for?

--No, that’s an ugly stereotype about people from New Jersey.

 --Time! I like that… Let’s assume people from New Jersey are starved for time.

         So, go out there and offer it to them.

         Give them all the time they need. Give them minute rice, machines that wash clothing and dishes, shopping and banks done by phone and on the internet. Tell them to go and enjoy it.

-No… no… Not everyone could hear him. He said “You can’t do that! Imagine what they’ll do with all that free time.” He mentioned how Luther prayed for an hour each morning, two if he was busy.

         Don’t worry. They’ll take time, and kill it. They’ll waste it. They’ll find millions of ways to dump it down the drain, all the while afraid that they’re not making the most of it.

-How?

         Well, time management isn’t ultimately, about efficiency, it’s about choices. It is about seizing a goal and going for it. Having a vision, holding onto values and investing time in those things and not in others…

         These humans, they’re rudderless, give them all the time in the world, I’m almost positive they won’t choose their Baptismal Identity as their goal.

         What else was offered up?

-Yes, Power! And not just a little power, but imperial power. Satan offered Jesus authority over all nations. He essentially offered him Roman power. Offered him the ability to topple nations, and actually change the cultures and values of other people. It’s God-like isn’t it?

         Here’s the trick, we can even inject that kind of hubris into nations that see themselves as Christian—in fact, when a nation state makes a religious claim like that, as if any entity can see itself as completely bearing the image of God—the Church, our great enemy, doesn’t even claim that, when they make such claims, they’re ripe for the picking, so self-assured they won’t even notice we’ve turned them! Imagine the sins that can be ignored if you think you’re doing them in the name of God.

         Yes, taking the good and turning it to its worst… believe me this place is filled with the souls of self-assured, self-righteous, nations.

         And what was that third temptation? ah yes… Safety and Glory… they might seem dissimilar at first, but once you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

A bloodless Christianity is one where there is no risk involved, nothing on the table, one without sacrifice—total safety…

and at the same time, one that revels in it all, so entranced with itself that it doesn’t notice that God has left the building, one that encourages worshippers to say “Thank God I’m not like that sinner over there!”

Our greatest ally is a people who seek easy answers and miracles when God is calling for martyrs and adventurers. Safety and Glory is nothing short of Sin itself, heads shoved so far into belly buttons that there is no coming back!

         I think my time is about up… the big picture of today’s lecture is this: misusing the good is an excellent way to tempt humans,

Satan’s paradigm of tempting Jesus “Pleasure, Power, Safety/Glory” are excellent tools in your toolbox.

        

         Any questions?

-Yes, this will be on the Exam!

-THE opportune time… Bad Friday, or “Good” Friday as the Christians call it—what they’ll be celebrating in 40 some odd days, well, there is that.

I suppose, in a sense, this is impolitic to say… but, I’ll say it anyway

—I have tenure after all, right

—The Last Temptation makes this degree you are working on worthless…

Yes, ultimately, all our victories here are shallow ones.

Ultimately, we’ve already lost, we’re training you for a job here, that can not be won.

Jesus continued to hold onto that Identity as Child of God, through everything we could throw at him,

He multiplied bread, for others.

Was crowned the servant king.

Showed forth God’s glory on the cross.

Even Death itself could not hold him.

Not only that, he ripped the hinges off our front gate, he defeated and bound Satan

and he clothed all these Christians in that damn Identity of his, Child of God.

         They are clothed in God’s love, rooted in that identity, so that they can face us, and all of our temptations, not in fear, but instead led by a passion for their Lord.

Class Dismissed.