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Perhaps you've seen the movie "Julie and Julia," an interwoven story of a New York woman who cooks her way through Julia Child's masterpiece "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Meryl Streep plays Julia, and who doesn't love Meryl Streep?
Well, being temporarily without the book I was currently reading over the weekend, I went to the bookstore and bought the book. I like how Julie Powell writes - all slash and dash and pick up the pieces later. She doesn't slide fancy words together like pearls on a string, but flings them across the page like so many marbles, round and smooth and shiny. However, if you are easily offended by the "f" word, then Julie Powell's earthy tome is not for you. If you can get past her language and oft times risque subject matter, then the book is a gem of real life in the real world.
So, what in the world does "Julie and Julia" have do to with "Reading The Bible 2010?"
Just this: In some respects, isn't the Bible the same? The Bible is full of lust and adultery, murder and deceit, mankind screwing up over and over and over again. If the "f" word offends you, then the passage in Psalms where we are told, "Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!" (Psalm 137:9) ought to make you pause. Just what kind of book is this anyway?
I think the Bible speaks to us because it IS earthy, it DOES "speak to our condition," and, God help us, it IS our story. We can be a vengeful and outrageous people, and sometimes I wonder why on earth God puts up with us. If the vast majority of the stories in the Bible are those of greed and envy and sloth and whatever the other deadly sins are, why do we consider it the holiest of books? Why is the Bible the book we turn to when we need comfort and solace? Why has the Bible, in all its forms, last for thousands of years?
Just this - every time we screw up, God is there to catch us. Every time we fall from grace (for most of us, that's probably on a daily basis) God is there with His arms open. Every time we acknowledge our faults and our sin and our shortcomings, God is there to say, "It's okay, I love you, now go and don't do it again, y'hear?" If the story of man is that of violence and dispair, then the story of God gives us hope, because even at His most vengeful, God has our best interests at heart. We live because He wants us to. And sometimes, maybe that's enough. I read somewhere that children are God's opinion that mankind should continue. And if I'm alive today, it's because He has a plan for my life.
So be it. Amen and amen!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
April 11, 2010 - John 20:24,25 "Doubting Thomas"
Here's the "backstory:" Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. He rose from the dead on the third day. He was seen by the women and also by some of the apostles. "But Thomas, (who was called the Twin) one of twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
Poor Thomas. He kind of gets the short end of the stick, doesn't he? I figure Thomas must have been from Missouri (the "Show Me" state)! I have to tell you that I identify with Thomas...a lot. I too, while not exactly doubting, had to be shown the Lord before I became a believer. For some of you, the following account of how I came to Christ may be something you've already heard. For others, it will be new.
This is what happened:
On May 16, 1996, my life changed forever.
I had a dream, and in my dream I was standing on a hillside, green and lush and beautiful. There were animals of every description, giraffes and lions and lambs and dogs and cats, just every living creature known to man was there, all peacefully being together. In the distance, I could see a man that I knew was Jesus. He was dressed in a white garment, and had sandals on His feet. He was making His way towards me, but would stop to talk to other people along the way. And as He spoke with them, their expressions would just be filled with light. In my dream, I knew He was saving me for last, and when He finally came to me, He put His arm around me and looked deep into my eyes. There was such love and acceptance and joy in those eyes. He saw everything there was to know about me, all the horrible things that had happened to me, and all the lousy things I’d done in my life. And He loved me anyway. Then He asked, “Will you follow Me?” And I said, “Yes! I will follow You anywhere!” I remember we talked for a while afterwards, but my conscious mind doesn’t recall what was said. I believe my soul knows exactly what was said, and it shines in my heart to this day. All I knew when I woke up was that Jesus was REAL, and that threw everything I thought I knew about God into utter turmoil.
It's been a journey since then - a journey of ups and downs and wonderings and questions and lots and lots of prayer. How many of us, I wonder, know about Jesus, we worship Him in church, sing songs to and about Him, praise Him even...but do we really KNOW Him? Has Jesus looked into your eyes and said "Follow Me?" Maybe that's what needs to happen before we can truly say we are a Christian. I'm not suggesting everyone needs an experience such as mine. I think I was so far gone, He had to come get me Himself. Maybe its that way for all of us. In whatever way He came for you, did you say "yes?"
So I say, let's ease up on Thomas....perhaps he's not so different from you and me after all.
Poor Thomas. He kind of gets the short end of the stick, doesn't he? I figure Thomas must have been from Missouri (the "Show Me" state)! I have to tell you that I identify with Thomas...a lot. I too, while not exactly doubting, had to be shown the Lord before I became a believer. For some of you, the following account of how I came to Christ may be something you've already heard. For others, it will be new.
This is what happened:
On May 16, 1996, my life changed forever.
I had a dream, and in my dream I was standing on a hillside, green and lush and beautiful. There were animals of every description, giraffes and lions and lambs and dogs and cats, just every living creature known to man was there, all peacefully being together. In the distance, I could see a man that I knew was Jesus. He was dressed in a white garment, and had sandals on His feet. He was making His way towards me, but would stop to talk to other people along the way. And as He spoke with them, their expressions would just be filled with light. In my dream, I knew He was saving me for last, and when He finally came to me, He put His arm around me and looked deep into my eyes. There was such love and acceptance and joy in those eyes. He saw everything there was to know about me, all the horrible things that had happened to me, and all the lousy things I’d done in my life. And He loved me anyway. Then He asked, “Will you follow Me?” And I said, “Yes! I will follow You anywhere!” I remember we talked for a while afterwards, but my conscious mind doesn’t recall what was said. I believe my soul knows exactly what was said, and it shines in my heart to this day. All I knew when I woke up was that Jesus was REAL, and that threw everything I thought I knew about God into utter turmoil.
It's been a journey since then - a journey of ups and downs and wonderings and questions and lots and lots of prayer. How many of us, I wonder, know about Jesus, we worship Him in church, sing songs to and about Him, praise Him even...but do we really KNOW Him? Has Jesus looked into your eyes and said "Follow Me?" Maybe that's what needs to happen before we can truly say we are a Christian. I'm not suggesting everyone needs an experience such as mine. I think I was so far gone, He had to come get me Himself. Maybe its that way for all of us. In whatever way He came for you, did you say "yes?"
So I say, let's ease up on Thomas....perhaps he's not so different from you and me after all.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
April 4, 2010 - Christ is Risen!
From "The Message" - John, chapter 20
"Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."
"Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sittting ther, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"
"They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know here they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.
Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?"
She, thinking that was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."
Jesus said, "Mary."
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"
Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, "I ascend to my Faither and your Father, my God and your God."
Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciple: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her."
The Word of the Lord.
I love the story of Christ's Resurrection! Out of dispair and hopelessness comes the ultimate gift. So much has been written on the Resurrection by people more knowledgeable theologically than I, so I won't even try to compete with those more learned than I. I can only share, as the twelve-step programs say, my "experience, strength, and hope."
Before I met Christ, I mean really met Him, I was lost. I was searching. I had made my own religion, but something was missing. Oh, I knew about Jesus, of course, but I didn't know
Him. Then Jesus came to me in a dream, and my life was transformed. I once was dead, and now I live!
I do find it interesting that Mary didn't recogize Jesus, whom she had spent so much time with, until He called her name after His sacrifice. Me, too. Maybe it's that way with all believers. When Jesus has called your name, and you recognize Him for Who He IS, your life changes forever.
So, on this Easter Sunday, I give praise and honor and glory to the One who pulled me out of the muck and mire, dispair and hopelessness of my human existance, and lifted me on my feet, and instilled in me a Living Hope, and the gift of true Life.
Christ is Risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!!!
"Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."
"Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sittting ther, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"
"They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know here they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.
Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?"
She, thinking that was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."
Jesus said, "Mary."
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"
Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, "I ascend to my Faither and your Father, my God and your God."
Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciple: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her."
The Word of the Lord.
I love the story of Christ's Resurrection! Out of dispair and hopelessness comes the ultimate gift. So much has been written on the Resurrection by people more knowledgeable theologically than I, so I won't even try to compete with those more learned than I. I can only share, as the twelve-step programs say, my "experience, strength, and hope."
Before I met Christ, I mean really met Him, I was lost. I was searching. I had made my own religion, but something was missing. Oh, I knew about Jesus, of course, but I didn't know
Him. Then Jesus came to me in a dream, and my life was transformed. I once was dead, and now I live!
I do find it interesting that Mary didn't recogize Jesus, whom she had spent so much time with, until He called her name after His sacrifice. Me, too. Maybe it's that way with all believers. When Jesus has called your name, and you recognize Him for Who He IS, your life changes forever.
So, on this Easter Sunday, I give praise and honor and glory to the One who pulled me out of the muck and mire, dispair and hopelessness of my human existance, and lifted me on my feet, and instilled in me a Living Hope, and the gift of true Life.
Christ is Risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!!!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
April 3, 2010 - Holy Saturday
In the cycle of the church calendar, today is called Holy Saturday. It is that waiting time between Christ's crucifixion and His Resurrection. It is in this "in-between" place where many of us live our lives.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is a day of hope, of expectation, of "finally, something is happening!" But Jesus makes enemies, doesn't He?
So, on Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the Last Supper, and in some traditions (including my own), the service includes a ritual foot-washing. Maundy is the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.
Jesus is betrayed by one of His own diciples, Judas Iscariot. He is beaten, mocked, tortured, and finally crucified, a barbaric, painful, lengthy process.
Now, Jesus' body was not left to hang for days, as was sometimes the case. His body was removed from the cross and laid in a tomb that had never yet been used. It was before the Passover, so what preperation was done the body was not completed. The women took note of where He lay, and made plans to return to finish the job of anointing His body for the grave.
Which bring us to Holy Saturday. A day of "in-between." A day of dispair, and in the case of Jesus' followers, not even a day of waiting. Even though Jesus told them He would be raised on the third day, I don't think they "got it." This wasn't a day of waiting for the Resurrection for them; it was a day of mourning and of fear. It was a day of hiding out, jumping at every sudden sound, waiting for the authorities to come after them too.
What great courage it must have taken for the women to leave the relative safety of the hideout in order to go to the graveyard that Easter morning! What courage! They knew they could have been arrested anytime, and perhaps share in Jesus' fate, but they went anyway. What bravery!
But, for us, today is a waiting day. A day of waiting for Easter. A day of waiting for Resurrection. A day of "finally! He's back!"
In the church, Holy Saturday is the day in which "Christ decended to the dead." There is much speculation about what He actually DID. Maybe, just to humanize things a little, He went Home and said, "Hey, Dad, I'm finished." But....He wasn't finished. When He said, "It is finished" on the cross, He didn't mean the entire task was finished, only that portion of it. There was still a lot left to do. Including decending to the dead. But the greatest task, from our worldly point of view, was the Resurrection. But...that's tomorrow. Today we are still in Holy Saturday. Today we wait.
I said in the beginning that for many of us, this is where we live our lives. No longer in an excruciatingly painful place, but not yet having realized the joy of our own lives resurrection, we are in that place where we simply have to wait. Holy Saturday is a long day.
And yet, and yet...for us who carry in our hearts the Joy of Resurrections known, it is a day of hopeful waiting, of joyful waiting perhaps. It is a day when we know a better day is coming. It is a day when we can have faith in knowing that "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." Hallelujah!
May you have a blessed and restful day of waiting, and a joyous Easter tomorrow!
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is a day of hope, of expectation, of "finally, something is happening!" But Jesus makes enemies, doesn't He?
So, on Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the Last Supper, and in some traditions (including my own), the service includes a ritual foot-washing. Maundy is the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.
Jesus is betrayed by one of His own diciples, Judas Iscariot. He is beaten, mocked, tortured, and finally crucified, a barbaric, painful, lengthy process.
Now, Jesus' body was not left to hang for days, as was sometimes the case. His body was removed from the cross and laid in a tomb that had never yet been used. It was before the Passover, so what preperation was done the body was not completed. The women took note of where He lay, and made plans to return to finish the job of anointing His body for the grave.
Which bring us to Holy Saturday. A day of "in-between." A day of dispair, and in the case of Jesus' followers, not even a day of waiting. Even though Jesus told them He would be raised on the third day, I don't think they "got it." This wasn't a day of waiting for the Resurrection for them; it was a day of mourning and of fear. It was a day of hiding out, jumping at every sudden sound, waiting for the authorities to come after them too.
What great courage it must have taken for the women to leave the relative safety of the hideout in order to go to the graveyard that Easter morning! What courage! They knew they could have been arrested anytime, and perhaps share in Jesus' fate, but they went anyway. What bravery!
But, for us, today is a waiting day. A day of waiting for Easter. A day of waiting for Resurrection. A day of "finally! He's back!"
In the church, Holy Saturday is the day in which "Christ decended to the dead." There is much speculation about what He actually DID. Maybe, just to humanize things a little, He went Home and said, "Hey, Dad, I'm finished." But....He wasn't finished. When He said, "It is finished" on the cross, He didn't mean the entire task was finished, only that portion of it. There was still a lot left to do. Including decending to the dead. But the greatest task, from our worldly point of view, was the Resurrection. But...that's tomorrow. Today we are still in Holy Saturday. Today we wait.
I said in the beginning that for many of us, this is where we live our lives. No longer in an excruciatingly painful place, but not yet having realized the joy of our own lives resurrection, we are in that place where we simply have to wait. Holy Saturday is a long day.
And yet, and yet...for us who carry in our hearts the Joy of Resurrections known, it is a day of hopeful waiting, of joyful waiting perhaps. It is a day when we know a better day is coming. It is a day when we can have faith in knowing that "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." Hallelujah!
May you have a blessed and restful day of waiting, and a joyous Easter tomorrow!
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