Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Psalm 22:23-31

Romans 4:13-25

Mark 8:31-38

Have you ever said something and wished you could take it back? For me, it is too many times to count. Like our words, our sin is like a cat out of the bag: once out, it is impossible to get it back in. If we try to make a bad situation better, we seem to mess it up. Paul says in Romans that the law cannot make us righteous. Once the cat of sin is out, no amount of effort can correct the situation. We keep messing it up.

Into this mess that we created, God comes through Jesus and offers a gift of righteousness by faith. How does faith appropriate righteousness? What does faith change? How does it clean up our mess? I can come up with endless anecdotes of people of faith changing the world through good deeds. But the mechanism of faith being our righteousness is harder to describe.

Into this difficult description, Paul proposes a simple, yet profound, answer: Jesus. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can regain the righteousness and wholeness that was intended for humanity. Somehow in the acceptance of what Jesus did, we come back to life. In some ways life is not what we put into it but what we receive from God. True humanity is found in receiving. Living in faith and gratitude releases the power of heaven to change our mess.

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Genesis 9:8-17

Psalm 25:1-10

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:9-15

Sacrificial love: the anti-thesis of human culture is what God has given to us. The hallmark of our great religion is the renunciation of self for the sake of others. Jesus died for our sins that we committed so that He could bring us to God.

At the end of this passage (1 Peter 3:18-22) is a scripture that I have used as an argument for believers’ baptism. The baptism that saves is the turning to God with a clear conscience. But there is more to this than my simple understanding.

First baptism saves. In some way, I have to deal with this fact of baptism. Now what exactly is meant by baptism could be debated: water baptism could be argued from this passage, so could turning to God apart from any physical act.

Second, turning to God seems to be something that we do. I don’t know Greek well enough to say that this is our action but it seems to point in that direction. Yet the reason we turn is pre-emptive: Jesus was raised to life. Since Jesus’ resurrection happens before our action can turning be something that even infants can do? Again, I find myself short of the answers.

Technorati Tags: Genesis, Psalm, 1 Peter, Mark, Sacrificial love, culture, religion, renunciation, self, Jesus, argument, baptism, conscience, life, resurrection, infants

HaitiAnalysis posts an article from the Boston Globe by Paul Farmer and Brian Concannon. Dr. Farmer is Presley professor of social medicine at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder of Partners In Health and Brian Concannon Jr. is director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Together they give a brief but incisive history of the US involvement in Haiti. Our influence has been less than admirable on the whole.

The exiting US administration of George W. Bush re-established our historical contribution to the fall of Haiti. The Haitians are watching to see what the incoming Obama administration will do to help the development of Haiti.

Now my views of Bush and Obama are not clear cut. I tend to be conservative but had problems with some of Bush’s policies. I am trying to keep an open mind about Obama but I don’t like some of his stances on abortion, etc. But when it comes to Haiti, this article adds a new disappointment in Bush.

Technorati Tags: Haiti, Obama, Boston Globe, Paul Farmer, Brian Concannon, Harvard Medical School, history, involvement, administration, Bush, contribution, Haitians, development, problems,disappointment,policies

2 Kings 2:1-12

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Mark 9:2-9

I have not seen Jesus Christ Superstar but if there was an event that made Jesus look like a superstar, this was it. His disciples have come to understand some of the greatness of Jesus. They had seen miracles, heard incredible teaching and lived with His compassionate life.

But nothing in their experience would prepare the disciples for this moment. In a moment of transcendence, Jesus is transformed into something of His glory with His Father. What a statement of Christ’s superiority and worthiness of worship!

Why does Jesus want them to wait? Why is transfiguration secondary to resurrection? Perhaps it would be too much for others to hear.  They wouldn’t understand. Perhaps our focus would be too much on a supernatural figure who isn’t human. Perhaps if others knew about the Transfiguration, they would resist the Crucifixion. perhaps Jesus is to be known in His scars than in His transcendence.

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2 Kings 5:1-14

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Mark 1:40-45

“If you are willing…”

These words ring strongly with me right now. There are people in need of healing, comfort, strength and help. They are looking for someone to be willing. He knows that Jesus is capable of healing but he is not sure that Jesus wants to heal him. Perhaps he has seen others that he thought were capable but unwilling to do anything. I would not be surprised if that were true.

My parents came back from Haiti at the end of January. They said that many people said, “Thank you for leaving your comfortable homes to come help our people”. There is a certain surprise and gratefulness in that comment. The Haitians see the great comfort of Americans and our relative inaction. They see people who are capable but who are unwilling to help.

“I am willing…”

This statement almost slips right by us. Of course, Jesus is willing. But in human experience, finding someone willing to help is rare and surprising. Jesus shows the heart of God to heal and help those in need. How much do we need to have this kind of heart to help others!

Then after stating His willingness, Jesus does the unthinkable – He touches the leper. He enters into the suffering at the risk of religious scrutiny. He does what it takes to bring healing, no matter how it looks. He knows that He has come to bring a change in our thinking – sin does not stain righteousness, righteousness changes sin. The power of healing is greater than the power of disease.

Jesus heals this man out of compassion. Yet He knew that this man would help spread the news too quickly. Love is inconvenient. Love requires willingness, bravery, confidence, and flexibility.

Technorati Tags: Inconvenient, Love, Epiphany, 1 Corinthians, Mark, Jesus, Haiti, Haitians, Americans, human, heart, disease, compassion, bravery

You can hear the new single from U2, Get On Your Boots at their website. I like the intensity of the song – sort of like “Vertigo”. But it also has a different feel in the chorus, like Beetles but not, like middle eastern tuning but only for a second. U2 continues to grow artistically.

I also like the Sugimoto photo for the cover art. I was able to see a collection of his work at the Hirshhorn Museum in DC. In fact I have attempted to recreate some of his ideas once while visiting Lake Erie.

Anyway, good song. I can’t wait for the album.

Get "No Line On The Horizon"

Technorati Tags: Get On Your Boots, Vertigo, Sugimoto, photo, Hirshhorn, Museum, Lake Erie, album, Line, No Line On The Horizon, Beetles

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 1:21-28

We think that things are desecrated because of idols. But Paul reminds us that idols are nothing. Food is food is food. We have a freedom in Christ and we should live in it.
But greater than our freedom is our responsibility to our brothers and sisters. We must not destroy their faith. We must not cause them to go against their conscience.
Again, issues that this raises in my mind: What, if any, are the differences between offending and destroying one’s faith? How do we move the church into the freedom of Christ, if we have to watch for the other’s weakness? How do we stop ourselves from being controlled by spiritual bullies who only want things their way? How do we work to build each other up? How do we help the fragile in faith? What if they are older spiritually/ physically?

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The Miami Herald has an article about the needs of Haiti. After the hurricanes and tropical storm, Haiti is in great need for humanitarian aid. At the same time, America is entering a very difficult time financially. Private donations for the needs of Haiti have dropped as Americans have turned inward to take care of their needs. I understand that most Americans have needed to tighten their belts in these times: we have had to make some cuts personally. But for all of our troubles, I would be hard pressed to find examples in the US that compare to the general situation in Haiti. Even as we are hurting, we need to remember that there are others who need our help more than we need it ourselves.

I have personally seen the situation in Haiti about five years ago during a time of relative peace and stability. I have only seen pictures and video of the current state of crisis. My imagination is not great enough to picture the suffering in Haiti. My parents, who are in their late sixties, are going to Haiti next week as part of a medical mission trip. They are not medically trained but will be serving in support capacities for the doctors and nurses who are going with them. I am proud of them for their willingness to step out and reach out to others in need. Their willingness to help is not something new: it is a part of their spiritual fabric. But this is their first mission trip after a lifetime of local missional living.

My parents are stepping out in these financial hard times, despite a fixed income, to reach to those who are much worse off than they are. Couldn’t we all use a little of their compassion to open our hearts to Haiti at this critical time? If you are not currently offering help to some charity currently or if you have cut back, please consider the needs of Haiti or another trouble spot. Please pray that God will send workers into the field.

Organizations that will get donations to Haiti:

Hands and Feet Project

Hands Together

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Jonah 3:1-5, 10

1 Corinthians 7:1-31

Mark 1:14-20

Growing up Mennonite and continuing with some of their doctrinal beliefs, the Scripture in 1 Corinthians gives  me some special problems. Please note that I expanded this from the RCL text for the sake of my sermon series on sexuality.

First the issue of sexuality was verbotten. There was no talk about marriage relations more than “women submit” and that was in general and not sexual. But Paul here gives a wonderful picture here, although sparse, about the mutual pleasure that sex is supposed to give. Paul is not talking about procreation; he is talking about passion and hormones.

Next there is the issue of the infallibility of Scripture. “All Scripture is God-breathed…” Now, I don’t disagree with that but there is a unique quandary in this passage. In 1 Corinthians 7:6, Paul says that this is not a command but a concession. Then in verse 10, Paul affirms that he is speaking the words of God, not himself. “Pay attention, God is speaking.” Then again in verse 12, Paul does not blame God for what he is saying, he says that these are only Paul’s words. Again in verse 25, Paul speaks, not God, but Paul feels that his counsel is trustworthy. So my question is: when Paul says that he is speaking, not God, is this the Word of God? Do we grey out these sections like the Jesus Seminar? What does it mean that Scripture is inspired by God? How are these passages Scripture and how should they be applied?

The last one is the deepest struggle for me. Growing up Mennonite, I was “submerged” in Anabaptist theology about the nature of baptism and communion. Both are symbolic and baptism is for believers. Since infants cannot make a profession of faith, they should not be baptized. Then as I came to faith through the Catholic church, I had to deal with the issue of infant baptism for the first time. How do I deal with my brothers and sisters in Christ who were baptized as infants? It has been a growing experience for me and hopefully will continue to be.

I have searched the Bible and the early church fathers for examples of infant baptism and have not found an explicit reference (I’m still looking). I know that there is the story of the Philippian jailer and his family being baptized. What if there was an infant or small child who was baptized? What if there wasn’t? We just don’t know. But in the middle of Paul’s sex talk in 1 Corinthians 7, there is an interesting sidelight: children of a Christian parent are holy.  What does that mean? How is holiness transferred from believing parent to child (let alone to the unbelieving spouse)? If the children are holy, why shouldn’t they be baptized? What about that unbelieving spouse? Is this holiness related to salvation? There are many questions in this passage but verse 14 is the most direct and convincing argument for infant baptism in the Bible for this Anabaptist.

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