The Temptation of Indifference

Today I read not only the appointed lesson for the day, but went back and read chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark, from the beginning, through verse 15.

I took us all the way back to the beginning of Mark which is really only eight verses before.  Mark is the action packed gospel- we hear it’s the beginning of the good news and the next thing you know, Jesus is at the Jordan being baptized by John. And that was the reading on my first Sunday with you. Today we hear about the baptism again as Jesus is then sent into the wilderness. And as I read the lesson I thought, “well, we’ve already heard about that baptism and we really don’t need to do that again.” And as soon as I say it though, I wonder if that is our thought about baptism. That we, already baptized have already done that. And then I think about my stole for Lent which not only has purple and black and crosses, it has that third color, the blue. That blue represents baptism and I think it’s so important, it’s in my stole.

And so we really should talk about baptism again. Mark has such intensity about Jesus’ mission and purpose. And when Jesus comes to be baptized, we don’t hear that God the Father just kind of saunters by and says, “Oh, by the way, he’s going to be important.” No! We hear that the heavens are RIPPED OPEN and that the Holy Spirit descends in the form of something like a dove. And doesn’t just hover, but enters Jesus.  God is invasive and intrusive in the world and in us. Life altering!

And I wonder how many of us have thought about our baptism THAT way- that God “invades us” and dwells in us in that kind of life-altering way?

In the days of early Christians, there were men and women who went out to lives as hermits in the wilderness. They purposely chose to imitate Jesus in the wilderness in a life altering way. They were called the desert mothers and fathers. They wrote very insightful things about human nature and challenges in the wilderness. They had the time, and were removed from everything else. The thing about the wilderness, being alone though was, when they were mad, it was their anger and the wilderness.

When they were sad, it was their sadness and the wilderness. And in reading some of what they wrote, they chronicled the various temptations of life, which made me think even more about what Jesus must have experienced in the wilderness. The loneliness, the fatigue, the hunger, the thirst, the doubts. In a place people saw as the most dangerous place around.

But of all the temptations, hunger, thirst, fatigue, these weren’t the greatest according to the desert dwellers. The greatest was another, called “Acedia.” Indifference. They called it the noonday demon- somewhere between the beginning and end you just lose interest altogether. As one New York Times writer noted this feeling “is not a relic of the fourth century or a hang-up of some weird Christian monks but also a modern force that easily attaches” to us.   With the overburdened schedules. While we seem so busy, as we do more, we commit less and less. Think of the ways we allow our “schedule” to alter our living.

As it turns out, Pope Francis, in this year’s Lenten address spoke to this very thing-perhaps the greatest temptation of our age: “Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience.” Because of our networks and distractions, he described the phenomenon he calls the globalization of indifference, Francis writes that “whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.”



He continues that, “We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.” And maybe we even convince ourselves that God is pretty indifferent too. After all, why are there so many struggles and troubles? It reminds me a of cartoon series “Coffee with Jesus” where Jesus is having coffee with a woman who asks why there are so many destructive things happening in the world, and Jesus, coffee cup in hand smirks and replies, “I was going to ask you the same question.”

Indifference is a temptation. The forces of evil are counting upon our belief that nothing will really change.

But the gospel is that Jesus comes to challenge such a world. God has ripped apart the heavens. The Spirit descends and enters. The gospel breaks in with life altering promise!

This is amazingly good news in all our places that seem that the world can’t change or wilderness exists. Since God has invaded and altered the world- it’s not the world we think we see. There is difference. Not indifference. When we turn away from indifference, when we fast from it, then we can feast on God’s love.

Now all battles with evil are altered-the game is changed because God is present. And it comes back to baptism- where we hear we become part of God’s family and mission. And it’s about more than just assuring our salvation as in eternity with God some day. Luther taught that baptism is necessary for salvation- this we believe. What about those not baptized? Will they be saved some day? Is that the only way God will save people? As important for this life I believe, is that baptism is necessary for salvation in this life- that every day we know life, share community and healing, and forgiveness and know we don’t stand alone. God is present and providing and redefining. And today Karlie, who is up here being absolutely adorable, enters this life- baptism is a life changing journey with God.

This weekend some of our youth, years beyond their baptism are experiencing this. They are at Youth Quake and the theme is ReDefine. Being followers of Jesus redefines and alters us- who we think we are and what we can do. This is the change in our conscience we hear of in 1 Peter.  We are changed and given the gift and challenge of serving others. No matter how young we are- no matter who we are. This weekend the youth are packing food for the hungry.

And here we are collecting for Baskets of Promise. These things challenge the world as it seems. Even in something as small as the soap we gather. Because when you are in a wilderness like a refugee camp, a simple bar of soap reminds you that you are human and you are not alone, you are loved.

This is what we can share, living out our baptism as not just once and done- but continually being reshaped in the story that God is here. And in us. This overcomes evil and that great temptation- the myth that tells us God isn’t really present and so we don’t need to care either. It’s exposed. Even in the most challenging place, even when God seems silent, without any doubt, God is present in it all.

So here’s the thing- may we continue to be redefined by this God and in how we respond to the challenges, and may we resist the urge to sacrifice the promises of community in Christ. Let’s bust the myth.

Overcoming the Whispers

So today we catch up with the people who are NOT in a wilderness, they are not really in a bad place. They’re pretty settled. Because God has already done the rescuing. Life’s Ok, and now they’re being asked to remember all the bad stuff they’ve lived through. In Deuteronomy we hear people being told to remember a past they really would rather not. Who wants to remember wandering in a strange land, isolated, confused, unsure? Can’t we just put that behind us? They’re called to come together and remember. Then respond. Told to bring an offering that confirms that God fulfilled a promise. Remember- remember that real moment of vulnerability. When you were really doubting and the Lord heard and responded. Remember your history not so you can be stuck there, but so you can focus upon how God responded. Remember that God has the power to provide, and to deliver and to give a future. Because you will need that. Because doubt will show up again. Remember your past and celebrate your present, you remind yourselves you also have a future with God. Because you’ll need to trust God’s history even more than your own. Your capacity to see that future will depend upon your connection to God. Remember. Strengthening that connection is as important in non-crisis moments as in critical ones.

Because lots of other voices out there will convince you otherwise. And in Scripture, those voices are called lots of names, the devil, the tempter, Satan. In the Hebrew language, the word for devil is Satan. But interestingly there are lots of satans. But there is one Ha Satan. The word satan means “adversary”. Ha Satan is THE adversary. Picture if you will being surrounded by adversaries. Maybe life feels like that sometimes. Like a contest.

Other times thought it might feel more like how the religion of Islam describes the devil. Shaytan, is the whisperer- the voice that when we listen to it, takes us from hearing God. The whisperer.

Maybe that is more like it for many of us. Being surrounded by whispering voices. Times when like the psalms we hope God will keep us free from the trap. Or we hear enemies whisper and suspect the worst before knowing if it is truth. Or fear others will turn against us. Or in Proverbs, a whisper separates friends. All ways of getting at our capacity to trust God and each other. Or not. The whisperer shows up in our doubts.

Who are you gonna listen to?

The people beyond the crisis are told to practice how to respond even when all seems well. Give thanks to God , remember and give the first of the harvest. Not something brought because the harvesting is done and you can see that it’s OK to give God a little. Come before you know the outcome. Because when you do you confront your doubts and meet God. Because if something happened to the rest of the harvest you have now given up your future for God’s in faith that God has you covered. This is where the whisperer starts.

What if a storm comes? You don’t know everything, you don’t have enough, you’re not in charge, you might go hungry. Can you hear the whispers? Who are you going to listen to?

Even if we’re not terribly stressed our world suggests that any threat to our sense of individualism or desires is a potential threat. We cannot be vulnerable. We don’t like the word loss. It makes life sound like a contest. And even God is our adversary. So when God says Come and give thanks like that and then live with everyone. Even those who are not you. Together. It just doesn’t compute. What if they need more? What if I have to sacrifice? They might mess with my tradition, my rights, my money. Or whatever else it is that I hold dear. I need my promises first. I need to fill my hunger first.

Can you hear the whispers? So many challenges where we feel alone trying to decide. Now imagine Jesus, seemingly alone when the whisperer shows up.  Tempted. Since you are the Son of God… go ahead. Do it! What difference does it make? Confronting and whispering to Jesus- you have the power, aren’t you hungry for it?

Jesus faces all our emotions and challenges.  I need to take care of me, I need to have control, I need a thrill. All things we do when we listen to the voices that say our doubts should fuel our decisions rather than our trust in God. Because sin in the end is listening to those whispers, and falling for the trap.

Jesus came and walked our wilderness and conquered to free us from this. For us to live in that belief takes practice. It takes being surrounded by others who support us, and it takes that connection to God in prayer. Jesus not only shows that God gets what it’s like to be us, Jesus shows us how to respond.

What gave Jesus the strength in the wilderness was the power of the Holy Spirit, and the word of Scripture, and the strength of prayer. I imagine him praying those same psalms for support. And it took the care of others, for him, the angels. For us it is each other here. To help each other remember who God has been, who God is and to trust God is our hope and future.  Responding to God and trusting takes community and practice. Lent is a time for us to strengthen our walk with Jesus. Together. By remembering what is really powerful and sustaining. That God’s history and power are stronger than our own.

 

So take a moment and think of something in which you feel life is pretty settled and blessed. A part of life where you feel God’s support- something that matters like love, job, relationship. Whatever you have thought of, this is a place of trust. Now think of a part of your life where it is a struggle. Something in your life that matters but that feels like not within reach. This is your place of doubt. Now ask yourself why you find it easy to trust God is in the one and not the other? And then I invite you this week to take home these lessons and to read them and ask God in Prayer to help you listen and trust that God is present and active. Practice. May you  sense Jesus walking with you in all things and filling your deepest hunger.


( Thanks to David Lose for the exercise at the end, though slightly modified)

Lenten Disciplines

It's that time of year again. Here in Central PA, today is Shrove Tuesday and involves a)pancakes; b) fasnachts ( and the variant spelling fausnachts); or for the trendy, King Cake with purple, yellow and green sugar ( the safest version of NOLA, but a good way to get the Chicks ready for the Lutheran Youth gathering in the "Big Easy" this summer).
Often times people give something up for Lent, as a way of invoking discipline and returning to God, and a way to conjure up the sense of separation from blessedness in this season leading up to Easter. A time of penitence and contemplation.
While I hope to be diciplined, my thoughts are these: First, I should repent of the things that keep me from maintaining relationships, real and virtual. So to that end I hope to be more faithful in nuturing the true sense of my life with God and with those in my midst- be less self-absorbed, and less distracted. I also hope to pay more attention to my physical self which seems a little out of kilter these days. There is a sense of giving up, but it is a giving up of the things which draw me from God and those whom I am blessed to know.
If I am able to be attentive to this, I will not feel like I gave up as much as I gained. For those Lutheran among us, I encourage you to also join me in the Book of Faith Lenten Journey, which focuses our hearts and minds upon the Lord's Prayer. Each day of the journey involves journaling. I hope to do some of that here- and hope maybe a few of you lurkers will join me on the journey. To close, I quote the words of Henry F. French-" May your Lenten journey be an adventure that leads you to Easter and beyond in the grace of God."

"I want it to be Easter or Spring or something"

I cannot change the weather, or the fact everyone is still passing around nasty illnesses. I cannot change the fact I want to be in my garden and can't, or the fact that I am tired of sweaters. I don't want to run the heat anymore- I want to open the windows. I want to fire up the grill not the soup pot.
I can start my seedlings and eagerly await their little green shoots in the starter tray ( I still get a smile when they first poke their heads up out of the potting mix ( this summer they will hopefully be tomatoes and peppers!) I can change my blog template to at least reflect that spring green is one of my favorite colors. Such a simple thing, like moving a chair to a different place in the room. But today - a new outlook! I am tired of the wind and more than a little dismayed that this will undoubtedly be the weather for the 6 AM Easter sunrise service in the cemetery at the country parish on top of the hill.

This past Sunday I practiced with the "Ladies ( and now 2 Guys) Who Sing" - the Easter music. They also practiced music for this Sunday. The song is cheerful, and in the third line the "Alleluias" start, and are pretty much throughout. For Passion Sunday- not so good. After a kind and patient discussion, it is agreed to change the "Alleluias" to " Hosannas." And everyone is pretty much OK, but the truth is- they really just want to get to Easter. If only we could just run by all of the cross and suffering stuff and get to the happy ending. After all, one person said, "Aren't we an Easter people?" And what difference does it make really?

It is a little ironic to me that as a culture we have become obsessed with death, real time news, HDTV graphics, and knowing everything we can about people's lives. But the one story we fear to face, the most important story, we would just as soon not. Luther's affinity for theology of the cross not withstanding, many of those who today worship in the church that bears his moniker would just like an extra helping of grace, thank you very much.

So I talked with the Ladies and 2 Guys and explained what this Sunday is about. Not just Hosanna and kids waving palms. Not just knowing who has what lines in the narrative reading. But that this Sunday we focus on the Passion, the selflessness, the suffering and ultimate love of God on the cross. Do we really want to sing "Alleluia" as a word of praise for the mocking, or the suffering or the humiliation, or the killing of Christ?

We can hear the endless drone of sad statistics about the dead in a senseless war, the dying who cannot get food or medical care or clean water, and we are numb to it. But ask us to imagine the nails, the thorns and the cross. Not so much.

This week I am reading The Crucified God by Jurgen Moltmann for my systematic theology class. Somehow, just in time. May we be brave enough to linger in the tension of Lent, and then as Easter people, be bold enough to proclaim the mission of the church to and for the oppressed, the afflicted and those who desperately need this Christ.

Live Within the Text

"Live within the text" is etched in my mind. I am taking a course on Preaching Matthew, which I thought was wise since, for those using the Revised Common Lectionary, you know it is Year A, and I have to preach in my teaching parish twice, and also three times in my preaching class, and I have a Gospels class, in which I have weekly exegesis and a sermon prep. It will all align perfectly I said. Well, for starters, I am not only bound by the lectionary, but also the assignments from said teaching parish and my preaching class. But I think I see the planets align- I am told I am preaching Palm Sunday in the Country Parish and I am preaching this text in advance, so to speak in my preaching class.
Then it hits- pick one thing from the Passion Narrative, preferably not the focus of the Triduum and preach it- and only that, says my preaching professor. I pick the mocking of Jesus. Matthew 27:27-31 for those who want to see it. There is no grace there, only unanswered questions. ( I will be preaching differently in the country parish) but, now that it is done I realize that confronting this text was a Lenten discipline in itself. How hard to stop...stop and focus on just this passage and live there. It may be one of the darkest things I have ever written. But it allowed me to think of others for whom there is darkness.
So, here it is, my living in this text..in all my years I have never so fully contemplated just these five verses of the Passion narrative read on Palm Sunday:

How quickly the readings for today move away from the parade. Today’s processional verses remind us that before we walk through the Passion narrative, there is the parade- the entry into Jerusalem. Jesus attracted crowds, of supporters, critics and the curious. By the time the crowd reaches Jerusalem from Galilee, they have become a wave of humanity pulsing along, from the countryside to the city. And cloaks and palm branches are strewn on the ground. Crowds ahead of and behind Jesus, shouting, “HOSANNA!” There is this claim of hope for Jesus’ mission. Jesus is riding triumphantly on the donkey. An entry fit for a king, hearkening back to the days of the Old Testament with a procession for a conqueror or liberator. Amidst the whipped up frenzy of the crowd- the appointed time was here! Seemingly the beginning of glory and honor and a challenge to power.
But sitting astride the donkey, Jesus knows what the others do not- where the road will go from here, after the parade. There was such excitement in the air, and people craning to see what was coming. But who is this?
The same question asked over and over again, by the Jewish leaders, by Pilate, by soldiers, in the events of that week in Jerusalem.
Who is this King of the Jews?
As the final drama begins to unfold, Matthew’s story will invert, will turn upside down, the notion of who this King is and how we treat him, and will lead to the cross on the outskirts of town.
The betrayal has occurred and the trial is over. The onlookers and disciples are gone. It is after the sentencing and before the crucifixion in The Passion of our Lord.
“Passion” is defined as “the condition of being acted upon”- of letting others do to you; and also the “endurance of suffering.” Either of these speaks of our Gospel for today, of what Jesus knew would and must come, even as He sat astride the donkey.
And now Jesus stands at the mercy of the soldiers, hardly a figure of power.
Maybe the soldiers were acting on orders. Maybe they got carried away, after all, what is a little excessive force when national security is involved? “They say this guy is the ‘King of the Jews’ – that militant on the list.”
Everyone stands poised to play their roles as the players take the stage.
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters”- the curtain comes up on Jesus truly living out this “passion.” He apparently says nothing, and if he cries out it has not been recorded. He is taken to the governor’s headquarters, located just beyond the temple wall, in the shadow of the Holy of holies.
From his birth, he has been called the King of the Jews, by those who hope that he is not. His mere existence is a threat to the prescribed structure of power. “You want to be a King? We have a way of dealing with Kings here.” Pilate is here because it is the Passover, and we need to keep an eye on these Jews, and their would-be king. He is just in time for the show. He may have even watched the spectacle unfold. This deadly dance happened in the courtyard, not tucked away in some dark dungeon, but publicly in the shadow of the temple.
Just beyond the courtyard, a fence separates the Gentile area ( where the Romans are) from the sacred and holy spaces of the Temple. But a wall of silence allows this macabre drama to unfold..
And “they gathered all of the cohort over him.” A “cohort”, is a type of Roman military unit of as many as 600 men. And with such a crowd for the festival, it was probably close to this number to quell any potential uprising. As many as 600 men--- and one of Jesus. We may have always envisioned a handful of soldiers at most. Not ..600. These men have been fighting the Jewish uprisings. Maybe as writer Tom Wright has suggested, they have seen some of their buddies killed by these rebels. Maybe they are tired of being away from home, and maybe they have been here longer than they thought.
Maybe it is a few who begin, at first, but the number swells as people want to see what will happen with this man who may have been depicted as a dangerous militant, and a rebel. And once the energy of what happens begins, group frenzy takes over. Matthew tells us that these men are not just around Jesus, but over him, both physically and psychologically. The just-flogged Jesus may well have been crumpled and lying in a heap, dragged from one place to another..maybe on his knees before them.. powerless. But, they say he is “dangerous.”
The next thing you know, they are “Stripping him.” This perverse and demented drama includes a costume change. We don’t know if it was immediately that they put a scarlet cloak on him, or whether a part of the sport of it all was the humiliation of nakedness. The king deserving a royal purple robe, forced to wear a scarlet military robe, a symbol of being drafted into service. The king, forced to endure the taunts and jeers he knew there would be.
“Where’s your power now, King?”
“After twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head.” The anguish of this mental cruelty is carried out in a slow, protracted hell that seems to have no end in sight.
“And they placed a reed in his right hand.” Not a stick, or a sword, or even an object of substance. A flimsy, breakable reed, which will be bent to the will of another. Used to inflict the ultimate insult in Jesus’ day- slapping his face. What a great way to settle scores. The common Roman soldier is resentful of the hordes of the occupied. Those Jews are always so full of disdain for the soldiers. Well, who is in charge now? Gifts of honor have been twisted by sick humor. And those in charge- will conveniently have no recollection of the events.
“Kneeling before him they mocked him”, the one to whom kings once traveled, who was worshipped with gold, now reviled and ridiculed in this reversal of how it all began so long ago. Now the soldiers pay a warped homage to their victim. And where did they get the reed, and the crown of thorns, and how long did the drama go on as one by one each added his own tribute to the king?
Saying “hail King of the Jews” A juvenile and cruel take on the honor shown to the earthly ruler- “ Hail Caesar!” Maybe they even forced the King to process and receive their accolades. It is the mockery, the repeated mass mockery that is the focus here. Perhaps as one writer has suggested, Matthew is offering to us a commentary about words being the primary instrument of torture. We don’t know what else may have been said, about Jesus, his appearance, his people, his religion, his family, the threats, the lies, this warfare designed to make a man break, to finish the destruction of his soul. What we can know is that it was not one person making one comment, but a swarm of angry, bullying, men, each taking turns in this pageantry of destruction.
Maybe the soldiers calling out “Hail King of the Jews “ have another sick idea in mind, for “Hail “ can also mean “long live” – “Long live the King- the one we are about to kill.” And at that moment, Jesus may be wondering just how long the torture will go on. And like other torture victims, he might begin praying for sweet death to just come.
Physical taunts unfold- they begin “ spitting upon him.” Once baptized and anointed, now passed from one person to another each inflicting pain, until he may begin to be unrecognizable.
But now this drama is closing – the gifts are taken back-“They took the reed and struck his head-“And when they have finished, they strip him of the cloak. This performance will soon be done.
“They put his own clothes back on him.” He is led away to die.

Who is this King of the Jews? Rejected by the Jewish leaders- “he is not our king”;
refused by the Gentiles- “you cannot be king.”
Who can we see as the curtain falls in this sad and sordid drama? Have you ever seen something horrific and you just had to watch? Have you ever been a part of something the group was doing and you knew it was wrong but you stayed anyway? Have you ever seen someone being mistreated but decided it was none of your business, and turned away? Whose face is in the tale of the bullied, the misunderstood, the tortured, and the ridiculed? How many really watch it all take place? How many would rather be entertained than intervene? We would like to believe that this kind of wicked brutality was limited to this story.
But who is this King of the Jews? Do we see him today?
Who is this King?

Friday Five: What Are You Doing For Lent?

Friday, February 08, 2008
Friday Five: What Are You Doing For Lent?

Ready or not, Lent is upon us!

1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?
I observed Ash Wednesday at Eucharist at Seminary, singing Return to the Lord Your God with the choir, and receiving ashes. Then I went to my teaching parish, The Country Church where I was cantor and assisted, and imposed ashes with my pastor. Both sides of the equation.

2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?
The year my older daughter, who was probably two years old had to be taken out of church shrieking after she saw the Pastor's large black thumb headed for her forehead, and she freaked out.

3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it? I grew up Presbyterian and we did not really celebrate Lent, other than Ash Wednesday. Many of my friends were Catholic or Lutheran and I heard of their practices. And the Catholic Church was next door to mine, so on Wednesdays and Fridays it was obvious there was a lot going on.

4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?
It is a mixed bag.
5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?
I am reading Bread and Wine. I have a Lenten discipline partner at Seminary. We participated in a blessing service where about 30 of us haved paired up to discuss and keep each other accountable as we journey in Lent. She gave up Coca Cola products because their factories create water shortages in the countries where they mass produce. I gave up making excuses - for things like why I did not eat healthy, did not exercise, did not make that phone call.. If the choice is to do it or not, and you cannot justify the action, one of two things will be the focus, discipline and forgiveness. It is good to embrace and accept both.