They were passing around a great picture on the web yesterday, maybe you saw it. It was a picture of the soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the pouring rain. The caption explained that these brave souls were going to stay faithfully at their post no matter how bad Hurricane Sandy got. They risked their safety, probably got completely soaked, for their calling. That is fidelity!
As Christians we are called to be faithful. So why are the pews empty when it rains, or when it's cold, or when there was a big game or party the night before. We could stand to learn something from the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is considered one of the highest honors in the military to be chosen to guard the tomb. We have been chosen by God to represent the body of Christ on earth... Shouldn't that be the biggest honor there is? Shouldn't that make us want to be more faithful?
For the next couple of weeks our lectionary gives us readings from the book of Ruth. This is an amazing little book. If you haven't ever read it, look it up. It is only a few pages long. In the Old Testament there is a Hebrew word, Hesed. It means unending, faithful, love. It is often used for God's faithful love of us. It is not often used for humanity. One of the few times the word Hesed is used to show a human showing God like love is here in Ruth. Ruth gives up her way of life, he country, and her gods to go with her mother-in-law back to Israel. She loved Naomi too much to leave her. How many of us would be that faithful to our Mother-in-law?
Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbors. We are called to show Hesed, faithful, unending, Godlike love. Most of us have trouble showing this kind of love to God, let alone to our neighbors.
The honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier risked way more than just getting wet to show their faithfulness. What do we risk to show Hesed to those we come in contact with every day?
Blessings!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Drowning in Minutia
There is an old story about a college professor that brings in an empty jar and jars with rocks, pebbles, and sand. He asks his class if they think that he can get all three jars full of stuff into the one empty jar. They of course say no way. He lets one of them try it. They put in the sand first and there is barely room for any pebbles, let alone the rocks. The the professor shows them. He puts in the rocks first. They are the important things, God, love, family, education, a job. Then, he asks if they think more will fit. He then pours in all the pebbles. The fall down in the cracks around the rocks. These are semi important things like hobbies. Then, he pours in all of the sand, and it fills in all the cracks between the pebbles. The sand is the unimportant things.
There is room for everything in our lives, but only if we take care of the important things first. I think that our society has gotten so used to focusing on the grains of sand that we are bumping what is important. I look at what the headlines are and shudder. Is what celebrities have speeding or DUI arrests really the most important thing going on in the world today? I know that who gets custody of Michael Jackson's kids is one of the big things to them, but should it be one of our rocks or should it be sand?
I can't wait for the election to be over! This is where I think that we are actually drowning in minutia. After the debate last night they actually counted how many times each candidate insulted or called the other a name. With all the important "rocks" we need to think and decide about, all the media is giving us is "sand." You know what? Both candidates are human. Both candidates are sinful. Both candidates truly believe that they know what is best for the country. Is it more important to know where they stand on the issues or whether or not they color their hair?
Confession time: I color my hair. I consider this to be a grain of sand thing. It makes me happy, but the world would not come to an end if I stopped. The fact that I color my hair doesn't tell you anything about who I am, what I believe in, what is important to me. It is irrelevant to who I really am.
I think we need to start insisting on getting "rocks" first. Remember, that when we start with the rocks, that there will still be plenty of room for pebbles and sand. (Although if there isn't room for Justin Bieber's latest haircut, I think I will live.)
Jesus knew that we were prone to worry about not only big things, but all the silly little things too. Here is his advice from Mathew 6:25-34.
and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they?
There is room for everything in our lives, but only if we take care of the important things first. I think that our society has gotten so used to focusing on the grains of sand that we are bumping what is important. I look at what the headlines are and shudder. Is what celebrities have speeding or DUI arrests really the most important thing going on in the world today? I know that who gets custody of Michael Jackson's kids is one of the big things to them, but should it be one of our rocks or should it be sand?
I can't wait for the election to be over! This is where I think that we are actually drowning in minutia. After the debate last night they actually counted how many times each candidate insulted or called the other a name. With all the important "rocks" we need to think and decide about, all the media is giving us is "sand." You know what? Both candidates are human. Both candidates are sinful. Both candidates truly believe that they know what is best for the country. Is it more important to know where they stand on the issues or whether or not they color their hair?
Confession time: I color my hair. I consider this to be a grain of sand thing. It makes me happy, but the world would not come to an end if I stopped. The fact that I color my hair doesn't tell you anything about who I am, what I believe in, what is important to me. It is irrelevant to who I really am.
I think we need to start insisting on getting "rocks" first. Remember, that when we start with the rocks, that there will still be plenty of room for pebbles and sand. (Although if there isn't room for Justin Bieber's latest haircut, I think I will live.)
Jesus knew that we were prone to worry about not only big things, but all the silly little things too. Here is his advice from Mathew 6:25-34.
25
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you
will drink,or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food,and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they?
27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,
29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we
drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But strive first for the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well.
34
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Musings on the Bacon Shortage
OK, I don't know if you heard the news story that because of this years drought there was not enough pig feed, so that next year there will be fewer pigs. One farmer even went as far as feeding his pigs gummy bears to supplement there feed. (Hey, that would make the part about the Prodigal Son wanting to eat what he was feeding the pigs have a very different twist! But I digress....)
So the news media is predicting a bacon shortage next year. That would not have been a problem for Jesus or his disciples, because of course they were Jewish and forbidden to eat pork products. We , however, are descendants of Gentile Christians, and thanks to Paul did not have to follow all of the Jewish cleanliness regulations to convert. So we can eat bacon to our heart's content, which is very good news to the men in my house.
Our Family eats bacon at least once a week when we do breakfast for dinner, and I was happy to find that bacon really isn't that bad for my diet. Two pieces are only 70 calories. So a bacon shortage is going to make our household very sad. But as I read and heard people whine about the bacon shortage it made me think about how faithful was that response...
There will still be bacon. It will just be more expensive next year. Our family will probably still buy it just as often and "eat" the price increase. We may have to switch from name brand to generic, but we will not go without. But what about those who can't afford bacon or many other foods that we consider staples. There are so many hungry people in the world, even here in our own communities. The DeSoto Food Bank has been desperate. Because of the economy the number of people needing food each week has grown and the number of people donating has shrunk. They run completely out of rice, beans, and peanut butter every week.
Those of us who can afford to put food on our tables shouldn't complain or whine. We have been blessed! We need to be very thankful and not take for granted how much we are blessed. But between the drought and the economy, many of our brothers and sisters are suffering. God created enough food for everyone if we are just willing to share. So, while our budget is still OK, I am trying to pick up something for the food pantry every time I go to the grocery. I get peanut butter, or beans, or rice, or pasta, or canned goods for the food pantry. So often we overlook the fact that we have food, clean water, clothes to wear, and a roof over our head. Many people don't. So in your daily prayers, thank God for what you have been blessed with, and in your daily lives, ask what you can do to be a blessing to others.
Peace.
So the news media is predicting a bacon shortage next year. That would not have been a problem for Jesus or his disciples, because of course they were Jewish and forbidden to eat pork products. We , however, are descendants of Gentile Christians, and thanks to Paul did not have to follow all of the Jewish cleanliness regulations to convert. So we can eat bacon to our heart's content, which is very good news to the men in my house.
Our Family eats bacon at least once a week when we do breakfast for dinner, and I was happy to find that bacon really isn't that bad for my diet. Two pieces are only 70 calories. So a bacon shortage is going to make our household very sad. But as I read and heard people whine about the bacon shortage it made me think about how faithful was that response...
There will still be bacon. It will just be more expensive next year. Our family will probably still buy it just as often and "eat" the price increase. We may have to switch from name brand to generic, but we will not go without. But what about those who can't afford bacon or many other foods that we consider staples. There are so many hungry people in the world, even here in our own communities. The DeSoto Food Bank has been desperate. Because of the economy the number of people needing food each week has grown and the number of people donating has shrunk. They run completely out of rice, beans, and peanut butter every week.
Those of us who can afford to put food on our tables shouldn't complain or whine. We have been blessed! We need to be very thankful and not take for granted how much we are blessed. But between the drought and the economy, many of our brothers and sisters are suffering. God created enough food for everyone if we are just willing to share. So, while our budget is still OK, I am trying to pick up something for the food pantry every time I go to the grocery. I get peanut butter, or beans, or rice, or pasta, or canned goods for the food pantry. So often we overlook the fact that we have food, clean water, clothes to wear, and a roof over our head. Many people don't. So in your daily prayers, thank God for what you have been blessed with, and in your daily lives, ask what you can do to be a blessing to others.
Peace.
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