The Risk in Faith - the Faith in Risk

When making a commitment to life, what risks are involved?

Being mortal, it's a little difficult to know what the future actually holds.

Risking for the larger story. Few people who have not risked have had a meaningful life. It seems to be an integral part of faith - to risk for the purposes of God.
The scripture is replete with those who have risked for God - Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, Esther, Jeremiah.

In our lesson for this Sunday, we look at another person who risked for God, from the book of Matthew, Joseph. The earthly father of Jesus. Just another young Jewish man for most in his day and time who by tradition was a woodworker. Young Joseph found himself in a social and familial dilemma when Mary his betrothed appears to be pregnant, through no apparent doing of his own. What to do?

How does Joseph respond to the risk to his and Mary's dilemma? How is that related to faith in our lives?

Matthew 1:18-25
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

1:20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

1:21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

1:22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

With each child, the world begins anew -The Midrash

The first mitzvah - the first "commandment" - in the Bible is "Be fruitful and multiply," from Genesis 1:28. For Jews, having children is both a religious obligation and the crown of human life, the source of the greatest happiness. The birth of Jewish babies is thus greeted with rituals that are both solemn and joyful.

All parents know that their baby is the center of the universe, a "fact" that is acknowledged by the Jewish view of time. Every Jewish baby is considered a link in the chain that extends back to the birth of Isaac, the first Jewish baby, and extends forward to the day when the world will be peaceful and whole. After all, any baby might grow up to be the Messiah, the person who will lead the world to redemption. The Jewish traditions and rituals...give voice to the powerful feelings that surround the birth of every baby: gratitude, awe, fear, humility, continuity, and hope.
(Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life, 2007)

In our Journey lectionary lesson for December 12, we have the verses from Luke 1:1:46b-55, referred to in gospel critique as the poetically beautiful "Magnificat." My soul "magnifies" the Lord states the frail, but blessed mother to be. And in true Jewish tradition, Messianic hopes were there too.

How does Mary express gratitude, awe, fear, humility, continuity, and hope in the light of news brought to her on the wings of a messenger? 

For today, how does this contribute to recognizing each person as an expression of God, as described in the Latin phrase - imagio dei - as we are said to be created.

Luke 1:46b-55
1:46b My soul magnifies the Lord,

1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

1:50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

1:55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

How is God bringing a new idea to your life?

Today we look at Isaiah 11:1-10.  

A new growth, a shoot is ascending from an older. The promise of new life continues for the people. Isaiah characterizes this new promise as a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, along with the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

What do these characteristics mean? How is God using these characteristics to bring new life in you today?

What are some of the metaphors you can visualize from the image to the left as they apply to our lesson today?


Isaiah 11:1-10
11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

11:2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

11:3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;

11:4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

11:6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

11:8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

11:9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

11:10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Walter Morton for Journay Across the Line

It's That Time Again...for Thanks!

1st Thanksgiving (Street Spring School, West Bridgewater, MA)

"Are you ready to eat, pilgrim?" Said the Indian in the glasses.

As the title of this post states, "It's that time again...for Thanks!

If it's true what they told us in school when we first dawned our construction paper hats and feathers, our November tradition came about during a time of emphasis on survival and the attempt to find a way to survive in the new world.

Traditionally this week is presented as a time when we welcomed those of a completely different faith experience and culture. As peoples having to strive in the same environment together they shared together the gifts of what each had grown and cultivated during a harsh fall. What's that got to do with Thanks?

Most contemporary stories that appear about Thanksgiving today are the psycho-social-centrifuge comedies of screen and print where "survival" is considered making it back home without a lay-over at a connecting hub and with our self-identity not suffering too much from the effects of family-lag. What's that got to do with Thanks?

Today's Lectionary scripture is from the Hebrew scriptures' book of the Psalms:

What are you thankful for?

Psalm 100
100:1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.

100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.

100:5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line 

How do we endure?

Chagall's White Crucifixion

In Chagall's White Crucifixion, Jesus is seen suffering on the Cross in the very midst of overwhelming suffering by all the people around him.

Jesus says to God, "father forgive them for they know not what they do." He then promises his two fellow unfortunates that, "today, they will be with him in paradise."

How do we endure the suffering of life until we reach the goal? How did Jesus' defense of those about him, when he said to forgive them, teach us how to endure our suffering until...?

Luke 23:33-43
23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"

23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,

23:37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"

23:38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

23:41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

23:43 He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

What is the Purpose of our Living?

A Study in Modernist Space

Some would say that first discerning the purpose for which we live then determines the design and behavior of our living. This interpretation can be seen as truly “modernist” in its emphasis. An approach via a linear or minimalist path is constructed from problem (our purpose?) to its resolution, resulting in our design and behavior. This linear approach has often proved to be both powerful and elegant to us in the modern world.

Regarding behavior, the classical Greeks designed four philosophical constructs or “schools” of thought in which human behavior could be expressed. In tongue in cheek fashion, I have added (in parentheses) what I consider their present-day equivalents.

The Stoic – (Minister)

The Skeptic – (Scientist)

The Epicurean – (Playboy)

The Cynic – (Journalist)

While these schools of thought had existed for some time, they supposedly came to their most influence when the earliest attempts at building a perfect democracy had come to stalemate in Greece. Perhaps it was because democracy was never able to adequately fuse these four concepts. As a result, some in the society returned to the factional nature of these four ideologies or mindsets for the modeling of behavior. Sounds a bit close to home.

Near the end of the Fall of Rome, St. Augustine penned his influential De Civitate Dei, “The City of God.” Here again as with democracy in Greece, the political construct of the time, Rome, had crumbled. Attempting to bring fresh purpose or vision to a people possessed of cynical times, Augustine directed their eyes upward to a time to come in a future city. To some degree, the questions of purpose, design and behavior were directed more toward the future.But, some would say with little emphasis on the problems of the present.

Discussion:

What is the purpose of our living?

How is the purpose, the design and the behavior of our lives linked?

Is it a minimalist linear approach?

How do we avoid returning to factionalist behaviors?

What part as partners with God do we play in fulfilling these passages from  Isaiah?

Isaiah 65:17-25
65:17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.

65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.

65:20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

65:23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD-- and their descendants as well.

65:24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line.

The Good Old Days...

On the way to church...in the good old days

What era do we usually refer to when we say church was at its peak in America?

Are the good days of our church or even our own religious experience stalled in the past? 

Have you ever heard it said, "Oh, if only things were like they were when," or can you joyfully anticipate the best is yet to come and work to make it so.

What about the past is valuable to the future? How do we adapt to make that future possible?
In today's lesson, the minor prophet Haggai tells the Jewish people that while their glory days seem to lay in the past, they are actually in the days to come.

Haggai 1:15b-2:9
1:15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month.

2:1 In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying:

2:2 Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say,

2:3 Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?

2:4 Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts,

2:5 according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.

2:6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;

2:7 and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts.

2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts.

2:9 The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.