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Story re-orders, sifts through experience, and allows others, young children and adults alike, to hear what we think truly matters. We are constituted by the stories we tell ourselves and others. Thus stories serve an ontological purpose. Story connects us with that which lies beyond ourselves and this process makes us ask questions about the meanings of our lives. It is, in fact, a way we can begin to define what we mean when we use the term “spirituality.”

- Barbara Kimes Myers, Young Children and Spirituality
(Quoted in Sojomail.net 5/26/2008 )

While Barabara Myers and I would disagree on the truth of spirituality we do agree about the value of story. Stories in teaching and learning help to communicate in such a way that we do not see it coming. In other words, stories take us by surprise. Jesus used stories frequently to catch his audience off guard. Take for instance the story of the Good Samaritan, nobody in the original Jewish audience saw who was coming as the hero - they were surprised! When people are surprised they’re more apt to listen and learn. When their philosophical and theological carpet gets pulled out from under them they start to look for new ideas and foundations. That’s what story does, it shows a world ordered differently than ours and challenges how our world functions (or dysfunctions). Stories are so important in teaching and preaching, they’re fun to listen to and accomplish more than most realize. I’m often approached about stories I’ve told in sermons, but I’ve yet to have someone say, “Point 2, b was profound!” So, I’ll stick with stories, they worked for Jesus…they might even work for us.

Forgiveness is giving up the right to retaliate. Forgiveness is the willingness to have something happen the way it happened. It’s not true that you can’t forgive something; it’s a matter of the will, and you always have the choice. Forgiveness is never dependent on what the other person does or does not do; it is always under our control. Forgiveness is giving up the insistence on being understood…. Jesus forgave those who crucified him. This is a radically new way of thinking. For those who accept and practice this discipline, there is a release of energy and a sense of freedom.

- Pixie Koestline Hammond
For Everything There Is a Season
Quoted in Sojomail.net 4/15/08

A friend of mine has a blog (www.contend4thefaith.org) and has started a discussion of church doctrine and tradition. His first and most recent post deals with the Trinity, something we don’t talk a lot about in church. We affirm it and accept it, but do we think about it? Is it important to us? The early church fought vehemently over this teaching! They realized how important this doctrine was and it is something that we think so little about.

But why is the Trinity so important? Why is this doctrine essential to us? For a couple of reasons, first it is the only doctrine which is consistent with the Biblical witness. For example, when Jesus was baptized he ascends from the water, the Father’s voice calls down from heaven and the Spirit descends on him as a dove (Luke 3:21-22). This is worth noting for it is the Spirit that enables Christ’s ministry (Luke 4:18-21)and it is the same Spirit that enables the believers’ ministry (Acts 1:8). Without the differentiation between the Son and the Spirit who would come and enable us to do “greater works than these (John 14:12).”

There is another differentiation which is needed. The Son and the Father must be held as one yet separate. As Christ prays in the garden, “Not my will but yours be done (Luke 22:42),” he is pleading with the Father for himself. This is not to say that Christ went to the cross unwilling - he was willing. But, he was willing to submit to the Father’s will. This is important because it was the Father’s will and in many senses the debt was owed to the Father. This debt must be paid, supposedly by the debtor (read as “sinner”), yet humanity was unable to pay this debt. God had to pay the debt but God was owed the debt, this meant a second personage in the Trinity was required to satisfy this debt to the Father. This is where the role of the Son shines out, not that he was made for this purpose (for he has existed from the beginning of time). This is the pinnacle of the Son’s roles throughout eternity, it is the climax of God’s divine mystery. The Trinity is so important because enables substitutionary atonement and the Christian faith.

Garrison Keillor nudged Isaac Watts out of Sunday’s message…I’ll pay for that later. I wanted to share this poem of his as found in Charles Spurgeon’s Treasury of David (Vol 1). It’s inspired by Sunday’s text, Psalm 42 and is a beautiful prayer from a heart desiring to see God.

While I am banished from thy house
I mourn in secret, Lord;
“When shall I come and pay my vows,
And hear thy holy word?”

So while I dwell in bonds of clay,
Methinks my soul shall groan,
“When shall I wing my heavenly way
And stand before thy throne?”

I love to see my Lord below,
His church displays his grace;
But upper worlds his glory know
And view him face to face.

I love to worship at his feet,
Though sin attack me there,
But saints exalted near his seat
Have no assaults to fear.

I am pleased to meet him in his court,
And taste his heavenly love,
But still I think his visits short,
Or I too soon remove.

He shines, and I am all delight,
He hides and all is pain;
When will he fix me in his sight,
And never depart again?

- Isaac Watts from his sermons

Greetings to you who read this blog!  I could probably name you personally but that would ruin the illusion of having a mass readership.  As you can see things look a little different than yesterday or the last time you visited three months ago…  I have changed blog servers and software, upgraded my audio hosting capabilities and have added some pages.  There is still a bit of work to do to get this up where I want it, so look for upcoming changes regularly.  Also, if you had subscribed via the RSS feed you will probably need to resubscribe in order to get the proper updates and feed.  If you have any suggestions or if you see anything that needs a correction please let me know.

Recently the Vatican released an update list of sins one could commit. After scoffing at the thought of more sins, I looked at the list and realized that they might be on to something. As a society we have far advanced from when scripture was written. Our capabilities in science, communication, transportation and a host of other areas has dramatically increased. This means that our capacity for doing good has increased as well as our capacity for harm. Who would have thought 2,000 years ago the dramatic effect humanity has on the environment? Who could have conceived simply two hundred years ago the incredible moral boundaries science would have crossed in regards to genetics?
These are new territories for Christians and ethicists. What is acceptable in certain scientific arenas? What should we do in regards to the environment? How should we act in an age where the wealthy and poor are increasingly separated by financial gains? While we may not really need a new list of sins, we desperately need to understand the morality of our advancing society. We need people who will stand up in the prophetic tradition speaking truth to power and compassion to truth.
There are more ways to exploit people and there are more opportunities to sin. But with these opportunities to sin, there are more opportunities for God’s grace to abound and redeem the broken. Whose side will we be on?

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.

A little bit more, that’s all we need to be happy. If you’ve got a lot a little more would be nice. If you’ve got a little a little more would be helpful. A little bit more, it’s what justifies envy. A little bit more, it’s what causes us to bend the rules in our favor. During this season of lent we confess this to God, and we abstain in order to realize how much we truly have.

“For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people, We confess to you, Lord.

I received the following quote from Sojourners “Verse and Voice” email on February 28th. This quote was so profound I wanted to share it with you without muddling it up:

“In most turning points in life, God’s grace is made known to us not through an intentional relationship with a spiritual guide but through the working of everyday relationships that are a means of grace we might not recognize if we did not ask: How was God at work in this relationship?”