This morning at 10:30 am, my doorbell rang, and I opened it with full anticipation of finding early trick-or-treaters ready and raring to go for the candy that I did not have... when lo and behold, to my astonishment and amusement, I found instead two Jehovah's witnesses.
The irony of it does not escape me, so I thought I would share.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Justice for... all?
I like the environment.
I hate driving.
Driving in my city makes me sin.
Ergo, I ride the bus to work every day.
On that particular evening, the bus was only about half to three-quarters full. There was the usual back-drop of chatter and murmured conversation, but nothing significant. The crowd was pretty tame that night... As we pulled up to the T-stop, from my seat near the front of the bus, I could see that there was a decent-sized crowd queued to get on the bus. So I wasn't surprised when all the seats, including the one next to mine, filled up. The aisles were also full.
I smelled my seatmate before I saw him. His best friends were named Jack and Jim (Daniels and Bean, respectively), and he had clearly spent a good deal of time with them earlier that evening. Standing at about 6'2,'' with Rastafarian-style dreads, huge overcoat, and carrying crazy yellow and orange spider flowers, my new friend loudly self-proclaimed to the bus that he was seventy-six and "having a good time."
He then proceeded to loudly announce to me, and the rest of the bus, that he was scary and he knew it, that he intended to give me nightmares. And then told me how he intended to do that. All the while, inching closer and closer, to a point where, if he had gotten any closer, he would have been sitting in my lap. Leering. Yelling. Laughing. And when I refused to respond, he proceeded to lecture the bus (ironically) on the five principles of keeping your woman happy, which would have been highly entertaining, had the situation been different. And the bus sat silently. No one responded. No one moved.
When I got off the bus, my emotions were all over the board: Angry. Terrified. Sad. Furious. Verbally abused. Fearful. Confused. Mostly, however, I was just angry. I had been treated unfairly. I didn't deserve that treatment. I didn't ask for it. It was not right. Period.
Since then, I have ridden the bus a few other times when this man, who calls himself by a wide variety of different names, has been on the bus. And I've learned a few other facts about him (via his monologues). He is a war veteran. He suffered from PTSD. He is homeless. He's mentally a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but has been dismissed from the local mental hospital. He has no family. He sleeps in Central Square. And he always monologues loudly, in similar situations to mine, and no one ever responds.
So now, I see a second layer of injustice. He was medicated early with heavy medications for a disorder which he obtained in service to his country. When the medication ceased, alcohol was the easy second coping mechanism. He sleeps on the streets, having been dismissed as "unaidable" from the mental institution. And he rides the bus because its warmer on the bus than on the streets. It's not right. Period.
So as I have been processing through this, a few thoughts have kind of spilled out for me...
1) Injustice is never one-dimensionally; it is complex, multi-layered, and similar to a spiderweb in that, if you step on the wrong twisty thread, or look for the simple solution before dealing with the complexity, you wind up in a sticky situation.
2) I am much quicker to deal with injustice when it personally affects me. I am quite willing to be apathetic when it isn't my cause of the week, or personally relevant to me. I talk the talk, but "caring" takes on an entirely different tone when it hits close to home.
3) It's ok for injustice to make you angry. In fact, it should. The question is, where does that anger take you? To bitterness, hatred, judgment, and disengagement? Or to fight for justice, to engage in healthy ways, and towards a great understanding of our fallen and broken nature as humans?
What's the right answer? I don't know. But this much I do know:
1) Running away, giving in to fear, is not the answer.
2) Being foolish and foolhearty, ignoring safety, not thinking wisely, also not the answer.
3) We, each and every one, have an intrinsic and undefinable longing for justice. Something in us screams, "I was made for something better!"
Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:2-4)
I hate driving.
Driving in my city makes me sin.
Ergo, I ride the bus to work every day.
On that particular evening, the bus was only about half to three-quarters full. There was the usual back-drop of chatter and murmured conversation, but nothing significant. The crowd was pretty tame that night... As we pulled up to the T-stop, from my seat near the front of the bus, I could see that there was a decent-sized crowd queued to get on the bus. So I wasn't surprised when all the seats, including the one next to mine, filled up. The aisles were also full.
I smelled my seatmate before I saw him. His best friends were named Jack and Jim (Daniels and Bean, respectively), and he had clearly spent a good deal of time with them earlier that evening. Standing at about 6'2,'' with Rastafarian-style dreads, huge overcoat, and carrying crazy yellow and orange spider flowers, my new friend loudly self-proclaimed to the bus that he was seventy-six and "having a good time."
He then proceeded to loudly announce to me, and the rest of the bus, that he was scary and he knew it, that he intended to give me nightmares. And then told me how he intended to do that. All the while, inching closer and closer, to a point where, if he had gotten any closer, he would have been sitting in my lap. Leering. Yelling. Laughing. And when I refused to respond, he proceeded to lecture the bus (ironically) on the five principles of keeping your woman happy, which would have been highly entertaining, had the situation been different. And the bus sat silently. No one responded. No one moved.
When I got off the bus, my emotions were all over the board: Angry. Terrified. Sad. Furious. Verbally abused. Fearful. Confused. Mostly, however, I was just angry. I had been treated unfairly. I didn't deserve that treatment. I didn't ask for it. It was not right. Period.
Since then, I have ridden the bus a few other times when this man, who calls himself by a wide variety of different names, has been on the bus. And I've learned a few other facts about him (via his monologues). He is a war veteran. He suffered from PTSD. He is homeless. He's mentally a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but has been dismissed from the local mental hospital. He has no family. He sleeps in Central Square. And he always monologues loudly, in similar situations to mine, and no one ever responds.
So now, I see a second layer of injustice. He was medicated early with heavy medications for a disorder which he obtained in service to his country. When the medication ceased, alcohol was the easy second coping mechanism. He sleeps on the streets, having been dismissed as "unaidable" from the mental institution. And he rides the bus because its warmer on the bus than on the streets. It's not right. Period.
So as I have been processing through this, a few thoughts have kind of spilled out for me...
1) Injustice is never one-dimensionally; it is complex, multi-layered, and similar to a spiderweb in that, if you step on the wrong twisty thread, or look for the simple solution before dealing with the complexity, you wind up in a sticky situation.
2) I am much quicker to deal with injustice when it personally affects me. I am quite willing to be apathetic when it isn't my cause of the week, or personally relevant to me. I talk the talk, but "caring" takes on an entirely different tone when it hits close to home.
3) It's ok for injustice to make you angry. In fact, it should. The question is, where does that anger take you? To bitterness, hatred, judgment, and disengagement? Or to fight for justice, to engage in healthy ways, and towards a great understanding of our fallen and broken nature as humans?
What's the right answer? I don't know. But this much I do know:
1) Running away, giving in to fear, is not the answer.
2) Being foolish and foolhearty, ignoring safety, not thinking wisely, also not the answer.
3) We, each and every one, have an intrinsic and undefinable longing for justice. Something in us screams, "I was made for something better!"
Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:2-4)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Step out of the Crowd (IV)
BUT here’s the good news for you…
Relationship with Jesus is life transforming
A few weeks ago, we talked about this picture of Jesus coming to restore, to make all things new… and that that is the picture of the kingdom coming! And the truth for us is that the restoration of all things begins with a restoration of our relationship with God.
Jesus, in perfect relationship with God the Father, came to restore our relationship with God by perfectly living in relationship with God, perfectly fulfilling the law (like we talked about last week) and in the last moments, laying himself DOWN, placing God first above all else.
Where we chose narcissism (self-love), at the crucial moment, Jesus chose God-worship, to restore our relationship with God once and for all. And he invites us into that freedom and that restoration, of all things made new, restored to the wholeness that God intended.
And in the same that broken relationship trickled down to every aspect of our existence, relationship renewed also trickles down to every aspect of our existence.
The final picture of the fullness of this, is found in Revelation 21:3-5:
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
For each individual in the story, when they engage with Jesus, their lives are transformed And the same is true for you today: relationship with Jesus will transform your life! Jesus spoke to each individual in the story… and perhaps his words to them are the same words that you need to hear today.
Jesus speaks to the woman, and says, “Daughter.” Think of gentleness of those words. Daughter. How long it has been since she has heard a voice of compassion and care. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” My child I know you... I see all of your past, all of your sins, and I say to you, by the power of my name, you are free! Go in peace!
Jesus says Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe.” You might think that I have forgotten you Jairus, but I am still coming to your house. My timing is not your timing. I am on my way. Will you believe that I am capable of what seems impossible to you?
He says to the little girl, “Talitha, Koum!” (Little girl, I say to you, get up!”) Even though you might think it is too late, I tell you it is not! I have the power to make what was dead, alive again. Get up! Will you trust me? Will you put your feet on the floor, and trust me for the rest?
And to the disciples, Jesus’ call is to come with him: to be his messengers; to invite others into a place of freedom, relationship with him. And Jesus’ message is this: I have to make all things new. Will you trust me? Or merely be observers to my power? Never truly engaging in relationship with me?
And his question to you is the same.
Relationship with Jesus is life transforming
A few weeks ago, we talked about this picture of Jesus coming to restore, to make all things new… and that that is the picture of the kingdom coming! And the truth for us is that the restoration of all things begins with a restoration of our relationship with God.
Jesus, in perfect relationship with God the Father, came to restore our relationship with God by perfectly living in relationship with God, perfectly fulfilling the law (like we talked about last week) and in the last moments, laying himself DOWN, placing God first above all else.
Where we chose narcissism (self-love), at the crucial moment, Jesus chose God-worship, to restore our relationship with God once and for all. And he invites us into that freedom and that restoration, of all things made new, restored to the wholeness that God intended.
And in the same that broken relationship trickled down to every aspect of our existence, relationship renewed also trickles down to every aspect of our existence.
The final picture of the fullness of this, is found in Revelation 21:3-5:
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
For each individual in the story, when they engage with Jesus, their lives are transformed And the same is true for you today: relationship with Jesus will transform your life! Jesus spoke to each individual in the story… and perhaps his words to them are the same words that you need to hear today.
Jesus speaks to the woman, and says, “Daughter.” Think of gentleness of those words. Daughter. How long it has been since she has heard a voice of compassion and care. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” My child I know you... I see all of your past, all of your sins, and I say to you, by the power of my name, you are free! Go in peace!
Jesus says Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe.” You might think that I have forgotten you Jairus, but I am still coming to your house. My timing is not your timing. I am on my way. Will you believe that I am capable of what seems impossible to you?
He says to the little girl, “Talitha, Koum!” (Little girl, I say to you, get up!”) Even though you might think it is too late, I tell you it is not! I have the power to make what was dead, alive again. Get up! Will you trust me? Will you put your feet on the floor, and trust me for the rest?
And to the disciples, Jesus’ call is to come with him: to be his messengers; to invite others into a place of freedom, relationship with him. And Jesus’ message is this: I have to make all things new. Will you trust me? Or merely be observers to my power? Never truly engaging in relationship with me?
And his question to you is the same.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Step out of the Crowd (part III)
Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
So here's take-home number two:
Jesus sees all of us, not just the parts that we want him to see.
I don’t know about you guys, but there are definitely parts of my life that I don’t really want anyone to know about. We all have those… areas of guilt or shame, deeply hidden brokenness… that we don’t want people to see!
But Jesus listens to this woman tell the whole story… the whole truth… ugly and glaring as it might be… hurtful and painful as it might be… He wants to see everything. The whole truth laid bare. And the best part is… even hearing the whole story, his response to her is a response of freedom and transformation. And then he continues, in the story, to give the same gift to Jarius...
While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said, “Why bother the teacher any more?” Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe…
Have you ever felt like Jesus was so busy taking care of other people that he didn’t have time for you? That your prayers had gone unheard? That Jesus didn’t care about personal relationship with you? My guess is that that's just a little bit of what Jarius is feeling here... but Jesus keeps going...
When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).
Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. (Adapted from Mark 5:21-42)
Jesus intimately sees each character in this story. Not only that, but he speaks to the heart of who they are and what they need. In the same way, he wants to personally speak to and address your need and your heart. So my question for you is, which character would you be?
The bleeding woman: burdened by guilt or shame, feels ostracized because of her uncleanness. Her “dirtiness” affects the way that she views herself and the ways that she interacts with others.
Jarius: the guy who has always been religious, who knows the right answers, always has believed in God, and is asking Jesus for healing, but Jesus doesn’t seem to be coming fast enough. Maybe deep down, you struggle to believe that God cares about you. Maybe you’re angry because it seems like God is not answering your prayers.
Jarius’ daughter: desperately in need of healing, but it seems like Jesus is un-concerned. In fact, now it feels like it’s too late for you. You no longer think that Jesus has anything to offer you and you’ve become apathetic.
Peter, James, John: You are observers to Jesus’ power, you seen personally how Jesus cares for individuals, and now you are beginning to wonder about his calling for you to do as he does and care for others in the ways that he does…
…or perhaps you have become so accustomed to Jesus’ message, his personal pursuit and his power, that they no longer amaze you. You use the words “personal relationship with Jesus” so often that they have lost meaning for you.
Often times, I think I identify most with the bleeding woman. I feel like the ways that I have messed up, the hurts in my past should keep me away from real relationship with Jesus or with others. And I hide as a result. But this is not a new theme...
Way back in time, in the Garden of Eden, God created man and woman. He created them to be in relationship with one another and with Himself. And he said it was good. YOU were designed to be fully known and fully loved. And that’s deeply ingrained in our own personal, human longing for relationship.
But Adam and Eve chose to place themselves above God, to value their own desires above his plan. Ironically, this is the root of narcissism, in the absence of truly being known and cared for as an individual.
Christians sometimes like to use heavy-hitting words, such as “sin” to describe Adam and Eve’s actions. But, sin, at its most basic level, means “broken relationship.” And by disobeying him, choosing themselves over him, they broke relationship with God. They felt the shame of that, and a result, they hid. In the same way that I hide my brokenness from others, they hid by covering themselves with fig leaves.
It wasn’t just a “oh cool, fig leaves! new fashion trend!” move, but an attempt to hide from their shame. To flee from intimacy with God and with one another. To cover themselves. And that sin, or broken relationship is still present in our lives today. We still bear the marks of that damage.
We see it in… broken families… broken relationships… broken racial relationships… abuse and assault… broken relationship with the environment… injustice in the world… broken body image and view of others… eating disorders… wars… hatred... social injustice.
And we hide as a result. Sure, our hiding places don’t look very fig-leafy… but they are hiding places none-the-less. And the truth is, Jesus sees all of that junk… just like he sees each character in this story… not just the parts of us that we want him to see…
So here's take-home number two:
Jesus sees all of us, not just the parts that we want him to see.
I don’t know about you guys, but there are definitely parts of my life that I don’t really want anyone to know about. We all have those… areas of guilt or shame, deeply hidden brokenness… that we don’t want people to see!
But Jesus listens to this woman tell the whole story… the whole truth… ugly and glaring as it might be… hurtful and painful as it might be… He wants to see everything. The whole truth laid bare. And the best part is… even hearing the whole story, his response to her is a response of freedom and transformation. And then he continues, in the story, to give the same gift to Jarius...
While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said, “Why bother the teacher any more?” Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe…
Have you ever felt like Jesus was so busy taking care of other people that he didn’t have time for you? That your prayers had gone unheard? That Jesus didn’t care about personal relationship with you? My guess is that that's just a little bit of what Jarius is feeling here... but Jesus keeps going...
When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).
Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. (Adapted from Mark 5:21-42)
Jesus intimately sees each character in this story. Not only that, but he speaks to the heart of who they are and what they need. In the same way, he wants to personally speak to and address your need and your heart. So my question for you is, which character would you be?
The bleeding woman: burdened by guilt or shame, feels ostracized because of her uncleanness. Her “dirtiness” affects the way that she views herself and the ways that she interacts with others.
Jarius: the guy who has always been religious, who knows the right answers, always has believed in God, and is asking Jesus for healing, but Jesus doesn’t seem to be coming fast enough. Maybe deep down, you struggle to believe that God cares about you. Maybe you’re angry because it seems like God is not answering your prayers.
Jarius’ daughter: desperately in need of healing, but it seems like Jesus is un-concerned. In fact, now it feels like it’s too late for you. You no longer think that Jesus has anything to offer you and you’ve become apathetic.
Peter, James, John: You are observers to Jesus’ power, you seen personally how Jesus cares for individuals, and now you are beginning to wonder about his calling for you to do as he does and care for others in the ways that he does…
…or perhaps you have become so accustomed to Jesus’ message, his personal pursuit and his power, that they no longer amaze you. You use the words “personal relationship with Jesus” so often that they have lost meaning for you.
Often times, I think I identify most with the bleeding woman. I feel like the ways that I have messed up, the hurts in my past should keep me away from real relationship with Jesus or with others. And I hide as a result. But this is not a new theme...
Way back in time, in the Garden of Eden, God created man and woman. He created them to be in relationship with one another and with Himself. And he said it was good. YOU were designed to be fully known and fully loved. And that’s deeply ingrained in our own personal, human longing for relationship.
But Adam and Eve chose to place themselves above God, to value their own desires above his plan. Ironically, this is the root of narcissism, in the absence of truly being known and cared for as an individual.
Christians sometimes like to use heavy-hitting words, such as “sin” to describe Adam and Eve’s actions. But, sin, at its most basic level, means “broken relationship.” And by disobeying him, choosing themselves over him, they broke relationship with God. They felt the shame of that, and a result, they hid. In the same way that I hide my brokenness from others, they hid by covering themselves with fig leaves.
It wasn’t just a “oh cool, fig leaves! new fashion trend!” move, but an attempt to hide from their shame. To flee from intimacy with God and with one another. To cover themselves. And that sin, or broken relationship is still present in our lives today. We still bear the marks of that damage.
We see it in… broken families… broken relationships… broken racial relationships… abuse and assault… broken relationship with the environment… injustice in the world… broken body image and view of others… eating disorders… wars… hatred... social injustice.
And we hide as a result. Sure, our hiding places don’t look very fig-leafy… but they are hiding places none-the-less. And the truth is, Jesus sees all of that junk… just like he sees each character in this story… not just the parts of us that we want him to see…
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Step out of the Crowd (part II)
I'd love to share a story with you, that I heard not so long ago...
There was woman named Maria living in Queens who had a health condition called menorrhagia. This just meant that she had bled continuously for over a decade…and there was nothing that doctors could do. She should know, she had spent every penny that she had trying to finance her medical treatments. All were unsuccessful. Now she had nothing.
Somewhere along the way, amidst the treatments, she thought due to with a dirty needle, she had obtained HIV-AIDS. Her reputation preceded her now. She didn’t have the money to hide her condition. It was not a luxury afforded to her. She described it, saying that in her worst days, there was blood caked and crusted on her clothes and skin.
No one wanted to help her. She slept in a cardboard box on 52nd street. Even among the other homeless, she felt a certain taboo. Everyone maintained a healthy distance. It had been years since she had felt a kind human touch. No one even wanted to allow her a bed at night, because were she to bleed on any sheet, towel, or article of furniture, the other tenants would risk being infected. And she would most certainly bleed.
It wasn’t that people were necessarily unkind, but they had to protect their own health and cleanliness. Certainly some were unkind. She had the remaining bruises to prove it. People stared; there were always whispers about her on the street. How she had gotten that way. What she must have done. Fear was always present in their eyes, even among the most well-intentioned, when they saw the blood caked on her body. All she wanted was to be invisible. She had given up hope of health.
Then one day, everything changed. A great doctor named was coming to town… even she had read about him. He was being urgently shuttled-in, on the mayor’s personal request; apparently the mayor’s daughter was unexpectedly dying of a mysterious disease, and it was urgent that this doctor reach her in time. His train arrived in Penn Station at 5pm, at the height of rush hour traffic.
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, continues this story, which I have begun to re-tell...
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from him.
He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
“You see the people crowding against you,” His disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
The woman would be content to be near him, to experience some of his power, anonymously. But Jesus is not satisfied with a casual encounter in a crowd. He wanted to know her in the same way that he wants to know you. He longs for relationship with you. So, here's take home #1 from the passage:
Jesus sees us even when no one else does
The woman in this story is just one of the crowd. It’s like the end of a winning Red Sox game … everyone is pushing to get out, traffic is crazy. Bodies slamming against one another. If you fall, you’ll get trampled.
And she makes it up behind Jesus. Touches his robe. And he stops and asks “who touched me??” What the heck?? Come on Jesus? You’re in a crowd! Everyone is touching you! But Jesus stops, because he cares intimately about the person, the individual, who has sought him out.
There was woman named Maria living in Queens who had a health condition called menorrhagia. This just meant that she had bled continuously for over a decade…and there was nothing that doctors could do. She should know, she had spent every penny that she had trying to finance her medical treatments. All were unsuccessful. Now she had nothing.
Somewhere along the way, amidst the treatments, she thought due to with a dirty needle, she had obtained HIV-AIDS. Her reputation preceded her now. She didn’t have the money to hide her condition. It was not a luxury afforded to her. She described it, saying that in her worst days, there was blood caked and crusted on her clothes and skin.
No one wanted to help her. She slept in a cardboard box on 52nd street. Even among the other homeless, she felt a certain taboo. Everyone maintained a healthy distance. It had been years since she had felt a kind human touch. No one even wanted to allow her a bed at night, because were she to bleed on any sheet, towel, or article of furniture, the other tenants would risk being infected. And she would most certainly bleed.
It wasn’t that people were necessarily unkind, but they had to protect their own health and cleanliness. Certainly some were unkind. She had the remaining bruises to prove it. People stared; there were always whispers about her on the street. How she had gotten that way. What she must have done. Fear was always present in their eyes, even among the most well-intentioned, when they saw the blood caked on her body. All she wanted was to be invisible. She had given up hope of health.
Then one day, everything changed. A great doctor named was coming to town… even she had read about him. He was being urgently shuttled-in, on the mayor’s personal request; apparently the mayor’s daughter was unexpectedly dying of a mysterious disease, and it was urgent that this doctor reach her in time. His train arrived in Penn Station at 5pm, at the height of rush hour traffic.
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, continues this story, which I have begun to re-tell...
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from him.
He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
“You see the people crowding against you,” His disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
The woman would be content to be near him, to experience some of his power, anonymously. But Jesus is not satisfied with a casual encounter in a crowd. He wanted to know her in the same way that he wants to know you. He longs for relationship with you. So, here's take home #1 from the passage:
Jesus sees us even when no one else does
The woman in this story is just one of the crowd. It’s like the end of a winning Red Sox game … everyone is pushing to get out, traffic is crazy. Bodies slamming against one another. If you fall, you’ll get trampled.
And she makes it up behind Jesus. Touches his robe. And he stops and asks “who touched me??” What the heck?? Come on Jesus? You’re in a crowd! Everyone is touching you! But Jesus stops, because he cares intimately about the person, the individual, who has sought him out.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Step out of the Crowd (part I)
In our culture and our time, it is relatively easy to be swept up in the beauty of the kingdom, of seeing shalom, seeing wholeness and restoration. Right? We’re a social justice culture! We like the idea of the kingdom coming. But it is easier to hold ourselves to a standard of legalism of “do’s and don’ts”, to model our lives after Jesus, to try to transform our own lives, than it is to actually follow Jesus and let him do the transforming. We are fascinated by Jesus, but we don't want to give him any authority in our lives... There were always crowds surrounding Jesus, and often, we are content to be members of those crowds. Observing, but never interacting on a personal level. My senior year in college, I had a cat named Marusia... She was a cute, 3-5 pounds of gray fluff. She looked like a sweet-heart. WRONG. She was MEAN. She had had abusive previous owners, and she had some serious trust issues. She took great delight out of biting, scratching, and climbing you like a tree. But at nights, when I was sleeping… she would slink up onto my bed, doing her little cat turn-around thing, meow meow, and then climb up onto my face. And she would sleep with her belly across my nose and mouth.
So of course, I would wake up unable to breath, choking on large hairballs of Marusia… or would have dreams about suffocating in rooms full of green shag carpets that had suddenly grown arms and were strangling me. It was great. But here’s the deal: Marusia was not interested in relationship with me. Her trust issues were too big. But she wanted to be as close to me as possible …
The sad thing is, often times, our interactions with God are very similar: we want to get as close as possible, without actually having relationship. And here’s the punch-line:
Jesus is not satisfied with a casual interaction in a crowd. He wants to know you. He longs for relationship with you. And you, on an intimate level, were made for relationship with him. In fact, if you look at all of the times in which Jesus heals people or interacts with people, you will not find a single example of a time when he claps his hands, turns around three times or taps his red sparkly magic slippers together, and whole crowds of people are healed anonymously. When Jesus interacts with people, he does so intimately, personally, and relationally. Make no mistake: this is not the same thing as our culture’s narcissism which says, “It’s all about me, yay! Jesus is my own personal God! My own personal Savior!" But rather, as we seek the kingdom, the restoration of all things, it has to begin with restored relationship between us and God.
So of course, I would wake up unable to breath, choking on large hairballs of Marusia… or would have dreams about suffocating in rooms full of green shag carpets that had suddenly grown arms and were strangling me. It was great. But here’s the deal: Marusia was not interested in relationship with me. Her trust issues were too big. But she wanted to be as close to me as possible …
The sad thing is, often times, our interactions with God are very similar: we want to get as close as possible, without actually having relationship. And here’s the punch-line:
Jesus is not satisfied with a casual interaction in a crowd. He wants to know you. He longs for relationship with you. And you, on an intimate level, were made for relationship with him. In fact, if you look at all of the times in which Jesus heals people or interacts with people, you will not find a single example of a time when he claps his hands, turns around three times or taps his red sparkly magic slippers together, and whole crowds of people are healed anonymously. When Jesus interacts with people, he does so intimately, personally, and relationally. Make no mistake: this is not the same thing as our culture’s narcissism which says, “It’s all about me, yay! Jesus is my own personal God! My own personal Savior!" But rather, as we seek the kingdom, the restoration of all things, it has to begin with restored relationship between us and God.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Apple Cinnamon
This past weekend, some friends and I went apple picking in Vermont because we had a hankering (that's right folks, I did just use the word "hankering!" Look it up; it is in fact in the dictionary) for homemade apple pie... it was a fantastic time; I even took the time to perfect my apple pitching ability... and no, we did not eat any worms!
As a result of said apple picking, however, I have found myself up to the elbows in apples for the last day and a half... apple pie, apple butter, apple sauce, raw apples, etc etc... and yesterday, as I was pealing roughly ten gazillion apples, I had a moment of waxing nostalgia to the scent of apples and cinnamon. My mom would always flavor our house with apple cinnamon before company came over. It was her way of providing a welcoming atmosphere...
In fact, I was telling my roommate, one of the things that I really value about my mom is her attention to and appreciation for the little things in life. So, in honor of her, I wanted to take a moment to comment on a few of the little things in life that I appreciate, or that mean something to me...
- I am grateful for the mornings when my roommate makes the coffee for us...
- I love it when my house smells good when I walk in...
- I love it when students ask how I'm doing and wait for an answer
- I love it when strangers smile at me in non-creepy ways
- I love it when people put up quotes in their bathrooms, so you have something to read while taking care of business
- I love watching my dying plants perk up when I actually remember to water them
- I love the smell of apple cinnamon... or lavender and vanilla
- I love seeing my breath when I walk outside on a cold morning
- I love love love the moment when you realize that a stranger has become a friend!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
into the depths
My mom always used to say that "the eyes are windows into the soul" (a statement stemming from an old Yiddish proverb) and that "looking directly into people's eyes is one of the most intimate interactions that you can have, without physically touching."
I think there is some truth to that statement. There is an intimacy in eye-contact that one rarely ever finds outside of physical contact. It is a naked and beautiful depth and warmth, that almost makes you uncomfortable, if you maintain it for too long.
It is also one of the things missing in most casual encounters. Passing on the streets. Walking in the park. Driving in the city. People do not look you directly in the eyes. In fact, at times, it more comfortable to look anywhere and everywhere else.
Intimacy lost. Depth compromised. Anonymity preferred. Life is too fast and too busy for intimacy. We prefer "git her done and moving along." So here's the challenge: take the time today to look someone in the eyes. To see them. To take back, to honor, the depths. To acknowledge, once again, that they do in fact have a soul.
I am now getting off my soap box...
I think there is some truth to that statement. There is an intimacy in eye-contact that one rarely ever finds outside of physical contact. It is a naked and beautiful depth and warmth, that almost makes you uncomfortable, if you maintain it for too long.
It is also one of the things missing in most casual encounters. Passing on the streets. Walking in the park. Driving in the city. People do not look you directly in the eyes. In fact, at times, it more comfortable to look anywhere and everywhere else.
Intimacy lost. Depth compromised. Anonymity preferred. Life is too fast and too busy for intimacy. We prefer "git her done and moving along." So here's the challenge: take the time today to look someone in the eyes. To see them. To take back, to honor, the depths. To acknowledge, once again, that they do in fact have a soul.
I am now getting off my soap box...
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