Ash Wednesday - On Being God's Dirt and Watered Gardens.

Lenten Blessings. 

This is the manuscript from the sermon preached on Ash Wednesday 2014. The sermon is based on Isaiah 58:1-12.

Shout out, do not hold back!
        Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
    Announce to my people their rebellion,
        to the house of Jacob their sins.
2     Yet day after day they seek me
        and delight to know my ways,
    as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
        and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
    they ask of me righteous judgments,
        they delight to draw near to God.
3     “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
        Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
    Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
        and oppress all your workers.
4     Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
        and to strike with a wicked fist.
    Such fasting as you do today
        will not make your voice heard on high.
5     Is such the fast that I choose,
        a day to humble oneself?
    Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
        and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
    Will you call this a fast,
        a day acceptable to the LORD?
 
Is. 58:6     Is not this the fast that I choose:
        to loose the bonds of injustice,
        to undo the thongs of the yoke,
    to let the oppressed go free,
        and to break every yoke?
7     Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
        and bring the homeless poor into your house;
    when you see the naked, to cover them,
        and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8     Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
        and your healing shall spring up quickly;
    your vindicator shall go before you,
        the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9     Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
        you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
 
 If you remove the yoke from among you,
        the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10     if you offer your food to the hungry
        and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
    then your light shall rise in the darkness
        and your gloom be like the noonday.
11     The LORD will guide you continually,
        and satisfy your needs in parched places,
        and make your bones strong;
    and you shall be like a watered garden,
        like a spring of water,
        whose waters never fail.
12     Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
        you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
    you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
        the restorer of streets to live in.

On Being God's Dirt and a Watered Garden

  I have in my hand a jar of dirt. As dirt goes it is ordinary dirt. But it does not come from just anywhere. This dirt comes from my family’s homestead in Fayette County. Since the late 1800s my family has been working this dirt. This dirt has been ground into hundreds of pairs of blue jeans, stuck under countless fingers nails, plowed up, cussed at, and given thanks for, all in the act of planting crops in order to take in a harvest and feed a family. This jar of dirt reminds me of where I have come from, my roots that are buried deep in the rich earth of Texas - and that I am thankful to be back here in Texas after a few years away. This jar of dirt reminds me boldly of one of the clearest facts about life.  One day, this is what I will be - Dirt.

  “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With these words spoken we are drawn into the season of Lent, the forty day march to the cross of Good Friday and the resurrection of Easter morning. Lent always starts with this talk of dust and death. Every year we trudge up to the altar, eyes on our shoes, and receive a little ashen reminder of the truth that our days are numbered. The ashen crosses on our foreheads remind us that we are dust, we are bound to return to this dust and there’s nothing we can do about it.  

  “Remember that you are dust.” This phrase is found all the way back in Genesis chapter three where God is dealing out punishment for the taking of the fruit of the tree that was forbidden. The word used by the author is the Hebrew word “ophr” which literally means soil or dirt. What God tells Adam is a reminder that he is dirt; he was taken from the dirt at creation, and dirt is that to which he will return after death. 

  This same Hebrew word “ophr” is used in Genesis 2:7 to describe the building blocks of all us humans; dirt. God uses the dirt from the ground to create the first humans, the adam, the creatures of the earth. God breathed the breath of life into the dirt figure and gave us life. The heart of our Lenten reminder, “remember that you are dust,” is to remind us of where we have come from and where we are going. We could just as well have said, “Remember that you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return.” We are creatures of the earth. We are dirt. And to dirt we shall return. 

  But this claim is not to be taken lightly; quite the opposite actually. This claim about dirt is to remind us that we are indeed creatures with numbered days. Today is the day when we are confronted with the truth that we are not long for this world. We are human. We are mortal. We will one day die. And while we journey through the world of the living, we are sinners. Ash Wednesday is the day when we are truly honest about who we are as humans. We are confronted by our mortality and our sin. And because of this we embark on the journey of Lent where we turn from our sinful ways and return to God through fasting and prayer.  
 
  The Israelites in today’s story from Isaiah must have been going through an Ash Wednesday moment. Having returned from exile in Babylon, the people are trying to put the community back together again. They were making an attempt to return to the rhythm of the law, reaching out to God through fasting.  

 But community is a muscle that must be exercised. Their time in Babylon had left the people scarred. Reminded vividly of their own mortality, having their own “dirt to dirt” moment in exile, the people’s attempt to restart the heart of their lives grounded in God was not going well. They cried out to God wondering why their fast had not been noticed from on high. God answers. And God does not mince words. 

  Their fasting was self centered. Listen to the critiques from God through the prophet - “Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and you oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist.”  The critique from God is that the people’s fasting is self-centered. It does not acknowledge or live into the community God established through the covenant with Abraham. It does not live out the law given to Moses. The law that establishes how the people are to live as Gods holy ones, examples to the world of God’s hospitality and mercy. God does not want to see selfish acts of humility - a fast turned inward, ignoring the needs around them. God is not condemning the act of fasting, God is condemning the motives behind the fasting. When we are guided by selfish motives, when we act only out of our pride, as if to say, “God, look at how good I am, look what I have done for you.” But we have missed the point. This is not a return to God.  

  Instead, God declares through the prophet, “Is this not the fast that I choose, to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free?!” God points to a fast that reorients the people, that reorients us, to life in relationship with one another; bread for the hungry, a home for the homeless, cloths for the naked, not hiding from the people in our midst - family, neighbors, and strangers alike. Life in God’s community is the sharing of resources so that all have enough. It is making sure that all people’s needs are met. It’s working through the tense moments between family or friends with love and care. This type of fasting builds community and demonstrates the very heart of God. And when this type of fasting is done God’s power moves through the community in amazing ways. Listen to what the prophet says…

“The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; as you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.”

  This is the essence of Lent, that we are reminded of who we are. We are dirt. We are held captive by sin and cannot save ourselves. We are mortal. We will die. We are parched and imperfect and in need of living waters. But we are not along. We are God’s dirt. And through the power and love of God, we are brought to new life and we become like a watered garden. God meets us in the parched places of our journey, where we may very well feel like dirt, and does not abandon us, but waters us back to life.

  The words from Isaiah today help us to remember that the parched dirt of our being is transformed into a “watered garden” through the power of God. We are earth creatures, dirt of God’s own making, turned into watered gardens, cast into vessels that are empowered to give life to the world. Through Christ we have become a community that can nourish and help others to grow. Through baptismal waters, God’s living, moving waters, we have been brought to new life. The days of Lent, the movement towards the cross, are saturated with the powerful waters of God as we are drawn into these baptismal waters of Easter.
   
  This year during the days of Lent we will explore the ways that God works through ordinary water to bring life to the world. We we move through water stories in the Old Testament, reminding ourselves of where we have come from. Of where God has already been at work in our world on our behalf. We will explore the creation waters in Genesis chapter one. The saving waters of the flood. The redeeming waters of the Exodus. The still waters of the 23rd Psalm. The living waters of God’s promised future in Isaiah.  Joins us as we explore where God’s promise meets us in the waters of our story.

  “Remember that you are dust. And to dust you shall return.” With these words we are drawn into Lent. We are reminded of who we are and where we are going. But we are not alone. We are God’s dirt, created and nurtured and transformed into watered gardens. So come to the waters.  God is waiting.

Ash Wednesday - Naming Death. Affirming Life.

I must admit I rather enjoy Ash Wednesday. Probably more than I should.

You see, Ash Wednesday is macabre.  It names the reality of death in our midst. A reality we spend a great deal of time trying to ignore and erase. 

We live in a world full of distractions and solutions and temporary fixes for the reality of death. 

We spend a great deal of time and energy trying to ignore the presence of death in our lives. We sell ourselves out to the idols made of cloths and cosmetics and diets and surgeries and material possessions and visible symbols of vibrant life too many to name. Some of these are important to life, but they can be used as a method of escape. All in an effort to put a mask on the specter of death in our world. We literally become slaves to the power of death because we spend so much time trying to undo its very common and unstoppable effects. At least in the american context.

And this is why I love Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday names and unmasks our tireless efforts to hide from death.   


Ash Wednesday is the day when we who are God’s children are truly honest about who we are. We are dust. And to dust we shall return. 

The ashen mark of the cross on our foreheads stands as a stark reminder of where we are going. Dust.

The ashen mark of a cross on our foreheads stands as contrast to all we do to try and avoid death - the cloths and the make-up and the cosmetic surgeries and the promises of eternal youth present in magazines and on TV and the material symbols of a vibrant life. Ash Wednesday is a reminder of the fact that we cannot outlast the marks of time and we can take nothing with us. 

We are dust. And to dust we shall return. 

Ash Wednesday is the day where we are honest about death. And it is good for us.

The above mentioned litanies are all ways that we try to avoid death. And they hold a great deal of sway over our lives. They distract us from God and our call to follow Jesus. They can be described as the “principalities and powers” - the New Testament phrase that describes those things that attempt to take our attention and lives away from God. In essence they are idols or institutions or ideologies that promise life, but in reality can only give death.

William Stringfellow writes;
   
    “Death is the only moral significance which a principality proffers human being beings. That is to say, whatever intrinsic moral power is embodied in a principality - for a great corporation, profit, for example; or, for a nation, hegemony; or for an ideology, conformity - that is sooner or later superseded by the great moral power of death. Corporations die. Nations die. Ideologies die. Death survives them all. Death is - apart from God himself - the greatest moral power in this world, outlasting and subduing all other powers no matter how marvelous they may seem to be for a time being. This means, theologically speaking, that the object of allegiance and servitude, the real idol secreted within all idolatries, the power above all principalities and powers - the idol of the idols - is death (An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in A Strange Land, pg. 81).”

To lives held captive to the idol of death, Ash Wednesday is a reminder that we are God’s created ones. To God we belong. And to God we will return. 


Ash Wednesday is a counter-cultural message to the world.  We do not belong to that with which we fill our lives - our jobs, our possessions, our consumptive natures. We belong to something greater. 

Ash Wednesday reminds us who we are. And whose we are.

We are dust. And to dust we shall return.

We are dust, but not waste. We are created out of the dust of creation, the nourishing dirt used by God to form us and shape us. The dust/dirt that received the breath of life. The dust/dirt creatures that were called “good” by God. Remember - we are dust!

And to dust we shall return. We are not long for this world. Numbered days. Numbered heart beats.

But all time given to us as gift. To grow. To share. To live. To love. 

To dust we shall return. But not yet.

Ash Wednesday reminds us of who is ultimately involved in our life.  The one who has set us free through Jesus Christ from our struggle with death. Set us free so that we can join in the struggle of God for abundant life for the world. 

Ash Wednesday names death as part of our life. 

Ash Wednesday affirms life as our gift from God. A gift given to us now. And into our future with God. 

Remember. We are dust. And to dust we shall return.

Theology on Tap - God’s Self Revelation: Jesus the Christ

The third round of Theology on Tap focused on Jesus the Christ as God’s self revelation.

The technical term for this topic is Christology.  The premise at the foundation of this conversation is that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. 

Basics of the Christian narrative:
1)  Christ is once and for all.
Romans 6:10, “For the death he died he died to sin, once and for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”
 
2)  Through the Christ event, the whole of creation is reconciled to God.
Colossians 1:20, “… and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace, through the blood of the cross.”

How do we understand Jesus the Christ?

The outline for the remainder of this conversation comes from Dr. James Cone and his book “God of the Oppressed (revised edition, Orbis, 1997).”

Dr. Cone establishes the following triad in chapter six of “God of the Oppressed (pg. 99):

Jesus is who he was.

Jesus is who he is.

Jesus is who he will be.

Jesus is who he was.

Wolfhart Panneberg states “Christology must begin from below.”

To begin to talk about Jesus we begin with the man Jesus of Nazareth. 

A note on the historical Jesus and the search to find him. 

Albert Schweitzer, author of “The Quest for the Historical Jesus,” began the first attempt to rediscover the historical Jesus.  At the conclusion of the study, Schweitzer proposed that the authors who had written about the historical Jesus had really created a Jesus in their own image.  The bottom line here is that we often find what we are looking for in the search for the historical Jesus.  

We must tread lightly here. 

The Gospels are not historical documents in our conception of history text books.  They tell the story of Jesus, from the faith perspective of the author who is writing to a particular community. 

It is difficult to capture the historical Jesus.  Few records outside of scripture. 

Here is what we can say with relative certainty:

Jesus of Nazareth (the man) was a Jewish peasant.  He may have been from the region of Galilee.  His movement began among the common, agricultural folk - particularly I am thinking of Mark’s Gospel.  He was in conflict, and had the most in common, with the Pharisees.  He was executed by Rome. 

Dr. Cone writes, “My assertion that “Jesus is who he was” not only confirms the importance of Scripture as the basis of Christology.  It also stresses the biblical emphasis on Jesus’ humanity in history as the starting point of Christological analysis… The events described are not intended as fiction but as God's way of changing the course of history in the human person. (pg. 109).”

Jesus identifies with the poor and outcasts of his time and place. 

For us - how do we (as privileged people) identify with Jesus who’s ministry was to the oppressed? - Key question.

Jesus is who he is.

Jesus is the Christ - God’s anointed one. 

Dr. Cone - “The crucified One is also the risen Lord (pg. 110).”

“Faith in the resurrection means that the historical Jesus, in his liberating words and deeds for the poor, was God’s way of breaking into human history, redeeming humanity from injustice and violence, and bestowing power upon little ones in the struggle for freedom (pg. 110).”

Jurgen Moltmann was a German theologian who lived through world was two.  He was captured and spent time as a POW.  His experience in the war, his reflection’s on the Nazi party, and his time as a POW had great impact on his theological thinking.  His most important book may be “The Crucified God.”

Moltmann writes, “Christian identity can be understood only as an act of identification with the crucified Christ…(pg. 19).”

Dr. Cone - “Christ's meaning for us today is found in our encounter with the historical Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord who is present with us in the struggle for freedom (pg. 111).”

“Resurrection is a political event (pg. 115).”

The politics of the resurrection are found in its gifts of freedom to the poor and helpless. 
 
Political statements:
Jesus is LORD - subversive statement against powers of the world (emperor, ruler, etc.)

Christ is Risen - Jesus dies a political death at the hands of Rome.  God declares life through resurrection.  World not in control.  

Jesus is who he will be.

Jesus is continually resurrected in our midst where his story is shared and his love enacted. 

This is sacramental in nature.  Baptism and communion - where Jesus promises to be present.  We trust these promises.

 Matthew 28:19-20 - “Baptizing in the name of… and remember I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Luke 22:19 - “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Dr. Cone - “He is not only the crucified and risen One but also the Lord of the future who is coming again to fully consummate the liberation already happening in our present (pg. 116).”

Paul Tillich on Resurrection - “In this way the concrete individual life of the man Jesus of Nazareth is raised above transitoriness to the eternal presence of God as Spirit.  This event happen first to some of his followers who fled to Galilee in the hours after his execution… then to all those who in every period experienced his living presence here and now (Systematic Theology 2, pg. 157).”

Dr. Vitor Westhelle - “To know the whereabouts of the church, one needs to listen for where the truth is being uttered, to look for where the embodied Word exists, which is not only to be found in Jesus of Nazareth but how and where it is embodied today (The Church Event, pg. 159).”

Question for us today - “What if the truth is not being uttered?” 

Our call is to utter the truth today and participate in Christ’ future. 

How We Encounter Each Other; Nonviolent, Direct Action

Here is the manuscript from the sermon preached on February 23, 2014 - the seventh Sunday after Epiphany.  It is the fourth in a series on Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount."  The series is titled, "God's Radical Vision for Community."

Sermon on the Mount - Movement IV - How We Encounter Each Other; Nonviolent, Direct Action.  

Matthew 5:38-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,[h] let him have your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons and daughters of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be complete, as your heavenly Father is complete."

    Today we go back up the mountain with Jesus.  We have been dwelling in the words of the sermon on the mount over the past several weeks and it is to this sermon that we return today.  The sermon on the mount, or as we are calling it, “God’s Radical Vision for Community,” can be understood as the mission statement for the kingdom of heaven.  The kingdom Jesus is ushering into the world through his life and ministry. 
    The first movement of the sermon is the beatitudes.  Three weeks ago we explored the beatitudes and how they demonstrate to us how God encounters the world.  The beatitudes are not entrance requirements or hoops that we have to jump through to get into the kingdom of heaven.  They shows us what God sees when God looks at the world.  And if this is how God encounters the world, then we who follow Jesus ought to follow suite.
    Two weeks ago Pastor Casey led us through the words about being salt and light to the world.  This movement is all about us and how we encounter the world.  Jesus calls us to move out into the world and gives us an example to follow.  We are scattered like salt, giving flavor to the world.  Salt for healing and the preserving of God’s justice for all.  We sent out into the world to be beacons of light in the darkness.  We are like cities on a hill, meant to guide others to the words of the Gospel and the new life we all have in Jesus Christ.
    Last week Pastor Casey explored with us how we encounter each other.  Community guild-lines and statements from Jesus about how we are to get along with each other in the community.  Jesus takes words from the law that people knew well and re-imagined them for contemporary life.  He drew the people in a way of life that valued relationships over rules.  We talked about the radical nature of Jesus’ teachings, how he moves us to the root of the issue - our relationships with one another.  At the heart of God’s kingdom is love.  And that love is grounded in relationship with God and with one another, particularly our neighbors. 
    Today we reach a fourth movement of the sermon and we are met once again with challenging words from Jesus.  “You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, do not resist an evil doer.”  Tough words.  Do not resist the evil doer.  Tough words especially to a culture that is so steeped in violence.  Tough words to a culture that often seeks retribution or revenge or even a pre-emptive strike to deal with so called “evil doers.”  Tough words that come with baggage of being used in situations of slavery and abuse.   Tough words that have long been interpreted by Christians in a passive manner that produces victims of bullying.  Do not resist the evil doer would not make a great bumper sticker and so often it has been used to create doormats.  People who get walked all over in the name of Jesus.  Could that be what Jesus really wants?
    At the center of this statement is the word resist.  If we take the word resist as face value in the English rendering we miss most of the picture.  More often than not in the Greek manuscripts the word that we translate as resist gets used on military circumstances.  Walter Wink writes, “Resistance implies 'counteractive aggression,' a response to hostilities initiated by someone else (Engaging the Powers, 185).” 
    The call from Jesus is not to react in violence.  Violence only leads to more violence.  That’s the truth caught up in the eye for an eye and tooth for tooth mentality.  An eye for an eye only leads to a room of blind people.  A tooth for a tooth leads to bad smiles in family pictures.  Violence only leads to more violence.  What Jesus calls us to is something more powerful - nonviolent resistance.  And this act is grounded in love.  Perhaps a better way to translate this phrase would be, "Don't react violently against the one who is evil (Scholars version).”  We are not to mirror the evil we encounter.  We are called to movement of nonviolent resistance. 
    What follows is the famous trilogy of turn the other cheek, give the undergarment, and go the second mile.  This trilogy demonstrates what is looks like to nonviolently resist an evil doer.  Let’s look at the first one.
    “But if anyone strikes you on the right check, turn the other also…”
    For a long time this verse has been interpreted rather weakly.  It has been used to tell children to turn the other cheek to the bully, women to turn the other cheek to spousal abuse, and Christians to be passive (non-active) against violence of any kind.  This way of understanding turn the other check is submissive and not in line with what Jesus is calling us to do.
    (This is powerful when acted out - visually demonstrating the action) 
    The power of Jesus’ statement is that it calls people to claim their dignity in the face of being humiliated and oppressed.  To be struck on the right cheek, with the left hand (a backhanded slap), was a statement of insult by the one in power.  By offering their left cheek, the one struck in an attempt at humiliation would challenge the oppressor to strike them again with a right hand (literally a punch one would only use with peers), claiming their dignity.  The call to turn the other cheek is about claiming dignity and power in the face of being humiliated and oppressed.
    These words from Jesus are about standing up to violence and being oppressed in a nonviolent manner.  The call from Jesus is to claim your humanity and dignity in the face of someone who tries to belittle or humiliate you.  We are not called to be doormats.  We are called to resist evil through nonviolent force.  We are called to act through love.
    Some in Jesus’ audience may have witnessed this act of turning the other cheek first hand.  In the year 26 CE Pontius Pilate is appointed to power in Judea.  At the outset of his time in office, and in the over of darkness, he introduced images of the emperor to Jerusalem.  The Jewish people revolted these blasphemous images and protested in Pilate’s court for five days and nights.  On the sixth day, Pilate had the protestors moved to the stadium under the guise of giving them an answer.  The protestors were met by soldiers three deep in ranks. 
    Upon being given the choice between life with the images and death, the protestors fell to the ground, exposing their necks, and proclaimed they would rather die than betray their law.  Pilate, wanting to avoid bloodshed, had the images removed.  A violent revolt would have been met with brute force.  The nonviolent resistance, an act of turning the other cheek, brought a peaceful end to the conflict. 
    Jesus own life and ministry lead to the ultimate act of turning the other cheek.  Jesus knew that his life and ministry, the way of the kingdom of God, was in conflict with the way of the world.  The world only had one way of dealing with his message of good news to the poor and the oppressed - death.  On the cross Jesus turned the other cheek to violence and in his resurrection God demonstrated the power of life over death.  The power of the kingdom of heaven versus the fallen power of the world.  This is the kingdom we are born into as followers of Jesus.       
    Let’s fast forward to 1955 and another kingdom moment. Rosa Parks was a disciple of Christ and followed his call to turn the other cheek in an act of nonviolent resistance.  The myth of her story is that she remained seated on the bus because she was tired.  But this is not the case.  She remained seated because she knew the fallen and oppressive system of segregation.  She knew very well the consequences of being jailed and publicly humiliated.  But she claimed her dignity as a human being, turned the other cheek, and remained in her seat.  Her act was the catalyst in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  The power of nonviolent resistance exposed the systemic racism in our nation and served as a foundation for the civil rights movement, displaying the power of turning the other cheek.   
    Some of us here today may hear these words from a place of power.  We may hear these words as people who need to realize when another is turning the other cheek in our presence, claiming their humanity while we try to humiliate them.  We need to recognize our own attempt to dehumanize others, repent, and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.    
    For some of us we hear these words as a call to claim our dignity and humanity in the face of bullying and abuse.  Turning the other cheek in a submissive manner only promotes violence.  To follow the call from Jesus to turn the other cheek it can take the strength of the community.  Exposing the violence can lead to confronting the oppressor and ending the vicious cycle of abuse.  
    Today’s words from Jesus are difficult.  They call us to a radically different way of life than the one proclaimed by the world.  God’s radical vision for community leads us into a love that actively, and nonviolently, confronts systems of injustice and oppression. 
    May God bless us on this journey.  And may God give us the strength to follow Jesus in living out his radical call to community life.

Power and Privilege: Turning the other Cheek

The Gospel reading for this coming Sunday (for those of you who follow the Revised Common Lectionary) contains the movement of the “Sermon on the Mount” where Jesus confronts some of the violent structures or power and privilege in his day. 

We pick up with Matthew 5:38-4.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”

Jesus engages the old “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” practice with a call to “not resist an evil doer.”  It has been pointed out by Walter Wink (Engaging the Powers; Fortress Press, 1992) that this phrase is not as radical in the English translation as it is in the Greek text.  The spirit of the statement recorded in Matthew’s Gospel is more radical.  The call from Jesus is to not act violently to the evildoer, but not to be a doormat either.  Jesus is not calling us to be cowards.  He is calling us to actively, and nonviolently engage the oppressor/wrong-doer. 

With this phrase guiding the conversation, Jesus moves into the triad of turn the other cheek, give the undergarment, and go the extra mile.  It is the first of these that I want to engage.

“But if anyone strikes you on the right check, turn the other also…”

For a long time this verse has been interpreted rather weakly.  It has been used to tell children to turn the other cheek to the bully, women to turn the other cheek to spousal abuse, and Christians to be passive (non-active) against violence of any kind.  This could not be more wrong. 

The power of Jesus’ statement is that it calls people to claim their dignity in the face of oppression.  To be struck on the right cheek, with the left hand (a backhanded slap), was a statement of insult by the one in power.  By offering their left cheek, the one struck in an attempt at humiliation would challenge the oppressor to strike them again with a right hand (literally a punch one would only use with peers), claiming their dignity.  The call to turn the other cheek is about claiming dignity and power in the face of oppression. 

Privileged folk (like me - white, straight, educated, etc….) are the ones who initiate the scenario that attempts to humiliate.  While it may not be a backhanded slap, the metaphorical action can be seen throughout our society.
 

Take our justice system for example.  

On Saturday night, February 15, 2014, the justice system in Tallahassee, Florida delivered a backhanded slap to another African-American family.  Jordan Davis, an African-America teenager, was murdered by Michael Dunn, a privileged man.  The story in a nutshell - an African- American teen was killed and a family was brought to agony over music that was deemed "too loud" by a white, privileged man.

In the trial dubbed the “loud music trial,” the jury was overwhelming made up of people of privilege -four white men, four white women, two black women, one Hispanic man and one Asian-American woman.  The defendant was a white male - a person of privilege.  Yes one could argue for a “jury of his peers,” but when has that worked an the united states when a white man is on trial for killing an African-American?!

Yes Michael Dunn was found guilty on a charge of three counts of second-degree attempted murder and is facing a potential 60 year prison sentence, but let’s be blunt: he got away with murdering an African-American teenager over loud music.  And the privileged folk turned a blind eye. 

There was no justice for Jordan Davis.  There was no closure for his family. 

This event comes on the heels of the also controversial verdict of the George Zimmerman trial where another person of privilege got away with murdering an African-American teenager.  Trayvon Martin's life and character were torn apart and Zimmermann was set free while privileged folk turned a blind eye to the reality of the situation.  



There was no justice for Trayvon Martin.  There was no closure for his family. 
 
Both of these cases involved Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.  A law that seems to be written by the privileged, for the privileged, in an attempt to protect only the privileged. 

I could write for days in an attempt to record cases just like these.  It’s disgusting and heartbreaking.  The justice system in this country, a system of power driven by people of privilege, has continually humiliated people of color in the backhanded slap of a thwarting of justice. 

Over and over again the privileged justice system has dealt left-handed blows to the right cheeks of people of color. 

Over and over again people of color have turned the other cheek, displaying the broken system of justice, driven by power and privilege.  They have peacefully protested - nonviolently resisting the system of oppression.  They have called privileged folk to act to undo the broken system of justice.  They have actively and nonviolently resisted, unmasking and engaging a broken system of privilege.   

And still they wait.  Offering the other cheek.  Claiming their dignity and humanity.  Exposing the fallen power system of privilege in this nation.
 

So when will we privileged people wake up?  When will the church - the white, privileged church - wake up? 

If we claim to follow Jesus - his commands, his call, his radical life of neighbor love and justice - when will we see that his statements do not enforce stable, peaceful life for privileged folk, but a radical reshaping of the community of the kingdom of God where “justice rolls down like waterfalls” and all people are given a place at the table. 

Privileged people - our attempt at humiliation has been exposed for the fallen system of power that it is.  It is time to realize what is happening.  It is time to claim our responsibility for the damage done by a fallen system of power and privilege and to go to work for justice and reconciliation.  It’s time to ask for forgiveness and move forward with dignity - all people together. 

As I struggle with my own privilege, I can now understand the injustice done.  I can now hear the empty echo of a silent white, privileged church when a community in our midst is suffering.  I know there is work to be done.  



I do not have all the answers, but I want to understand the issues and ask the hard questions.  I want to use my power to bring justice and not division. 

The journey can be a struggle - but Jesus calls us forward.

Peace, 

Travis

5 Minute Post: The Death of Myth and Wonder

In case you missed it, there was a debate on Tuesday evening (Feb. 5) between Ken Ham - young-earth Creationist (earth created in 6 literal days, 6,000 years ago - and Bill Nye (the science guy!).  The debate was over the origins of life - bible or evolution. 

I have read numerous posts in the hours leading up to and in wake of the debate - most of them are a critique of Ham’s thoroughly unbiblical approach to the bible and his refusal to listen to reason or be moved on his absurd position.  A great summary can be found here: Ken Ham’s Biblical Interpretation Is as Clumsy as his Science.

In the immediate aftermath of this debate I am struck by one thought - we have lost our sense of myth and wonder.  Myth has been sacrificed on the alter of “fact” - if we can’t provide something empirically, it must not be true.  We teach our kids how to learn facts and not how to dream or imagine.  We create machines to enter the system.

Our ability to wonder seems to be on life-support, or already on its way out the back door in a pine box. 

And this startles me to no end.  In an age where everything has to been measured by fact - I only need point to our culture of standardized testing that is not truly education - we have lost something truly remarkable in our ability to engage myth and wonder. 

In my systematic theology class in seminary, my professor Dr. Vitor Westhelle, began our discussion of theology with a exploration of myth.  Dr. Westhelle taught us that “Myth is a story that never took place, but always happens.”  I think there is great truth in this statement and it sheds light on how we understand where we come from and where we are going.  

The creation stories (and there are multiple) in the bible contain a great deal of myth.  They recount our attempt to understand where we have come from - in a sense they never took place because we can never know when they were first told.   But they always happened because we have passed them down from generation to generation.  They are myth and they help us to wonder.

Dr. Vesthelle described myth in this way:

Myth tries to address where we come from, how old are we, and when did fear arrive (a member of my congregation likened this one to “when did we screw up” - I think this also applies). 

Wrapped up in the questions are a sense of wonder - not a search for facts.  These questions lead us to tell a story - not search for empirical evidence.  Our ancestors didn't know about carbon dating or the 24 hour day.  Neither did they witness the spirit of God moving over the waters.  But they did understand that they had come from somewhere - for Israel it was the divine, creating, sustaining, hands of God.  We who follow Jesus are a part of this story. 

In the creation stories in the bible we can witness the movement of these three questions: where we come from, how old are we, and when did fear arrive?  And they move us to tell a story.  A story grounded in wonder.  A story grounded in God’s love for the world.  A story that we still tell today.  If the bible becomes about facts and trying to prove detractors wrong, then the story dies.  And we all lose.  

So let’s reclaim our sense of myth and wonder.  The journey of discipleship, of following Jesus, would be nothing without these integral aspects of our faith. 

Our sense of myth helps us to recall the great deeds God has done on behalf of the world in our past, so that we can imagine and hope and long for how God will act on the world’s behalf in the future. 

Our sense of wonder helps us to discern how God imagines and encounters the world - and where we are being called to follow.  

Blessings on the journey,
Travis
 

The Blessed - How God Encounters the World

A sermon from the fourth Sunday after Epiphany.

This sermon is the first in a four part series on the Sermon on the Mount.  The series is titled "God's Radical Vision for Community."

The first movement is based in the Sermon on the Mount.

The Blessed - How God Encounters the World

 Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 


When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain.  The movement was already catching on fire.  The preacher who walked out of the wilderness and into the backwater town of Capernaum has gathered quite a following.  Not only does he have disciples, among their ranks the simple fishermen we encountered last week, he is followed by a large crowd.  He sits down on the mountain and gazes out upon an unnumbered mass of people who have come to hear him speak. 
    Perhaps they had heard of the healings he had done in Galilee, the ten cities, Jerusalem, or Judea.  Perhaps the talk of a new kingdom had gotten their attention.  Whatever the reason, there they sit.  Drawn to the power of Jesus they wait for what he has to say next.  Jesus walked up the mountain and sat down.  The mic is checked.  It’s showtime.
    We too gather on the mountain today.  We join the crowd of generations who have come before us to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn where he is leading us.  We gather on this day to hear the words that mark the beginning of what we know as the “Sermon on the Mount.”  For the next four weeks we will hear various parts of this most famous sermon.  Pastor Casey and I will follow the flow of the lectionary as it takes us through the many and various teachings wrapped up in the words of this sermon.  We will explore “God’s Radical Vision for Community.”  Buckle up.  Tell a friend.  And come hungry.  It’s going to be a nourishing ride.  So up the mountain we go.
    The stage is set.  And the stage is important.  The way Matthew describes the setting and the action of Jesus before teaching is important.  Matthew tells us that Jesus goes up the mountain.  For Matthew and his audience this is a nod to Moses.  Moses ascended the mountain at Sinai to converse with God and receive the law.  Matthew wants us to draw this parallel.  Matthews wants us to engage the overtones of Moses and the law on Sinai.
    The law that Moses receives is the way that God encounters the people of Israel.  It’s a vision of how the community created and blessed by God is live out its calling in the world.  The law, and here I speak of more than just the ten commandments, is God’s vision for the way God’s own blessed community will be a blessing to each other and the world.  It’s as if God says, “I am the LORD you God, this is how I encounter the world - you should act accordingly.”  With the law and Moses echoing in our memories we move to the Sermon on the Mount.
    The Sermon on the Mount is the first of five teaching moments in the Gospel of Matthew.  It sets the tone for the life and ministry of Jesus.  It is the platform for the kingdom of heaven.  It points us to where Jesus is going.   
    With these overtones in mind, Jesus begins with what we know as the Beatitudes.  This series of nine blessings invites us to imagine the world with God.  In these blessings God is giving us a glimpse of the community that makes up the kingdom of heaven.  Wrapped up in these statements is a living picture of how God encounters the world.
    I can remember as a child seeing these nine statements written out on many a poster in the hallways of the church Sunday school wing.  I can remember reading in books about how we ought to post these on the lawns of our courthouses.  About how these were the ultimate Christian teaching.  I encountered them so often that my understanding of them began to soften.
    For a long time I saw heard the Beatitudes as a moral code.  I understood them as rules to follow, as if Jesus was saying “if you follow these rules you will be blessed.”  They became another set of statements by which to measure my life - and when I fell short they were another tool for me to judge myself.  But that’s not what these statements are.  The Beatitudes are not rules.  They are so much more.  They are radical statements for our life in the kingdom of God.  Let’s recapture their power today.
    The Beatitudes are not imperative statements, they are not commands or requests.  They are indicative statements.  They point us to a reality that is created by God.  These blessings named by Jesus are not something we are to strive for, they are something for us to look for in this world.  They are not entrance requirements.  They declare who the insiders already are in the kingdom of heaven.  The Beatitudes are a picture of how God encounters the world.  It’s as if God is saying, “I am the LORD you God, this is how I encounter the world - and I invite you to follow.”
    It would take quite a while to work our way through these nine statements about how God encounters the world.  So let’s engage the first to understand the depths of these blessings. 
    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.”  The concept of “poor in spirit” comes from the Old Testament and points to the dispossessed and abandoned ones in Israel.  Matthew takes this further.  Jesus has come to engage the whole world, so we can understand the “poor in spirit” for Matthew to name the dispossessed and abandoned people of the world in general.  These folk named by Matthew are not just financially poor, they are also without hope.  They have lost any sense of hope in the world, having been pushed to the margins of life. 
    To hear these people named as blessed by Jesus was a shock to Matthew’s audience because this is not how the world worked.  The blessed in the community were the wealthy and well-off.  Those who had it made and lacked need for anything.  But here Jesus turns the world around.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit” - not the rich and famous.  If we were to image this statement today, perhaps we would hear Jesus would say; “Blessed are the single moms who work three jobs and still live below the poverty line.”  Blessed are the undocumented, migrant workers who pick the produce for our grocery store shelves.”  “Blessed are the bus boys and construction workers and hospital custodians who work long hours without access to healthcare or insurance.”  These are the poor in spirit in our midst, left hopeless by the world, and yet named as blessed by God.  Quite a shock.  But that’s how God encounters the world.  And if that’s how God encounters the world, then maybe we who follow Jesus ought to get with the program. 
    This is the way of life we are invited to follow.  It’s as if God is saying, “I am the LORD you God, this is how I encounter the world - and I invite you to follow.”  God blesses those we do not expect or even notice and God expects us to follow suit.  The whole of Jesus’ life can be seen engaging the world based on these blessings.  Jesus went to the cross not for those the world honored but for all people.  The whole world.  And we do not get to set the boundaries.  The very table we gather around is a reminder of the expansive grace of the kingdom of heaven.  All are welcome.  All are welcome.  The bread and cup are extended to all people and through the ordinary things of bread and wine and God’s extraordinary promise we receive a foretaste of the feast that is to come. 
    The Beatitudes are a glimpse of God’s radical vision for community.  They show us how God encounters the world.  They change the way we live and how we orient our lives.  It’s as if God is saying, “I am the LORD you God, this is how I encounter the world - and I invite you to follow.”  So let us follow.