Child in a Manger-Growing Up Jesus

I had a recent conversation with my 20 year old daughter in which I reminisced about what a fun time it was when her and her brother where little kids. I recalled fondly her ever-present smile and creative energy.

Jordyn, Justin and Dad after building a driftwood fort on Kenai Lake late 90's.

She replied: "I'm glad I was a fun kid for you, dad."

The unspoken sub-text here, from a young lady who is working so hard at adulthood, was: " Is it not cool me being an adult, dad? Did you prefer me as a kid?"

And of course I am very proud of her and her brother as they mature, and enjoy they're increasingly equal company (but darn they were cute kids).

Jordyn and Justin summer 2012

Now, though, we can share so many more things- Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Bach- not just Baby Beluga.

We get to talk literature beyond Harry Potter.

World history, philosophy, politics, religion, spirituality, world views, psychology- so many more ideas to explore.

We can build a house together. Ski at the same pace. Drive separately.

But we also get to talk about navigating college and careers, automobile ownership, travel costs and insurance, taxes and cost-of-living, budgeting, sex, relationships, mind-altering substances and internet safety.

The complexity has increased.

It's the same with Christmas.

We celebrate the birth of a baby full of promise and possibility.

But it gets more complicated.

Christmas is probably the funnest, most celebrative - and in some ways, least complicated - part of the church year.

But Jesus doesn't stay a cute baby in a manger- he can't. None of us can.

He was born for a mission- and a big one at that!

The kingdom of God on earth is a big job! It is realized only through God becoming flesh.

First in Jesus- and then in you and me!

Jesus is growing up - are we with him?

Sing We Now of Christmas

Unto Us a Child is Born
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace

It's that time of year again: we remember the birth of Jesus of Nazareth -  also called the Prince of Peace, the Son of Righteousness, the Anointed One.

It's the perfect time for those of us who seek to follow him to ask ourselves how that's going for us.

The answer may surprise you.

Evidently we live in one of the most peaceful times in world history since Jesus was born. Seriously- and that's including two World Wars, Stalin's Russia and Mao's China. And now's not a bad time to take a look at the broad view.

Noted Linguist Steven Pinker, chronicles the decline in world violence in this fascinating video:

Steven Pinker: The Surprising Decline in World Violence

Given the horrible violence in our own society in just the past year, we may wonder about this. Particularly we might seem curious as to why some countries are doing better than others. Part of the answer might lie in the chart below:

Top 20% > $91,000   Bottom 20% < $19,000
See the full discussion: How Income Inequality Harms Society

What's interesting to note here is that the United States- a Christian nation - is having the most difficulty, while Japan - where less than 1 percent of the population is Christian- is doing the best. Hmmm...

My Soul Magnifies the Lord

Singing along with Mary

Mary starts the seasons' music. How's our harmony as the season goes along?

My soul magnifies the Lord

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;

For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;

Becuase he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name;

And his mercy is from generation to generation

on those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm.

he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He has put done the mighty form their thrones,

and has exalted the lowly.

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent empty away.

Have you ever noticed which part of the Magnificat our beautiful Christmas carols, anthems and songs reflect? The beginning is certainly well reflected- but what of the later part?

The latter part seems to foreshadow Jesus' own sense of why he was born, which he proclaimed in the synagogue in Nazareth:

God's spirit is upon me;
he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind.
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, 'This is God's year to act!"
Luke 4:18-19 The Message

Away in  Manger No Crib for a Bed

Taking the Christmas story literally.

Pope Benedict recently took it upon himself to point out that the Christmas story as we currently remember it is quite embellished  For instance, he relates, there are no animals recorded in the Bible (To which Stephen Colbert retorted: "You know what else isn't in the Bible- the Pope!" If you didn't know Stephen was RC, you'd think he was a Lutheran!)

What if we did take the Christmas story literally- before the embellishments?  What if we read it as the first hearers would have: as a political protest against the religious and governmental powers who were not doing justice, loving mercy and walking in the way God had called them too?

Instead, they were oppressing the poor and putting burdens on them that they were unable to carry- as Jesus would later call them out on. So Rome and Jerusalem were by-passed when God sent the Messiah. Instead, Jesus was born to the poor and powerless-in the little town of Bethlehem (re-designated "The city of David" as that was actually Jerusalem, if you will recall)- that's what these stories literally tell us.

That should probably be a prominent theme in our singing, no?

Ye Who Now Will Bless the Poor...

In Good King Wenceslas' footsteps

What if it is literally true that Jesus came to bring good news to the actual poor - not necessarily the poor in spirit, as we in our affluence would prefer to hear it.

What if he came to pardon actual prisoners- not necessarily just those of us held captive by compulsions, addictions and bad habits?

This last question about prisoners hits incredibly close to home, as in the last 40 years the US prison population has increased dramatically until we now have incarcerated 25% of the worlds prisoners- even though we only have 6% of the population. The reality, too, is that this these are not violent crime offenders- which have steadily been dropping during this same period-  but disproportionately minorities arrested in the war on drugs.

Bryan Stevenson - Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and recent recipient of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award,  makes the case that this is the new Jim Crow- the new slavery. He reports, that 1 out of every 3 black men between the ages of 18 and 32 are either incarcerated,  on probation or have a criminal record.  (How does our voice sound when protesting other countries human rights violations with this board in our own eye?)

Is it really possible that we could make racial discrimination illegal, and then turn around and use the same legal system to remove racial minorities from the larger culture?

This is a stark realization for me as I have a young man I am close to who will be home for Christmas this year, but most likely would be in jail if he had been black- instead of white, with a dad who could afford to hire him a good  lawyer, and professional relatives who could lobby the judge on his behalf. This is a bitter-sweet realization, where the happiness I feel for him and his family is damped by the reality that others are behind bars because of the color of their skin and their economic status.

The  bigger picture is here::

Bryan Stevenson: We Need to Talk About an Injustice

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

And what do our celebrations look like?

Much of our celebration impulses are actually probably older than Jesus (but not Methuselah!) 

We will -as indigenous peoples and our ancestors have done for millennium -  pull our families and friends closer, tell story's that give us hope and encouragement  have potlatches and feasts, and entertain ourselves to make us laugh, smile and enjoy each other's company. There is a compelling need to fill our lives with beauty, light and warmth, as the days grow colder, darker and shorter - especially those of us in the Great White North.

The power of this impulse is especially felt when someone (or you yourself) does not make it home for Christmas.  This year our daughter will not be home for the holidays for the first time (interestingly, she will be in Rome seeing the Pope!) And Bing Crosby not withstanding, dreaming about her being home just doesn't cut it (Skype is much better!)

He is Born, the Divine Christ Child

 We celebrate a possibility

And we sing of salvation:

Be near me Lord Jesus

I ask you to stay

close by me forever 

and love me I pray.

Bless all the dear children

in Thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven 

to live with Thee there.

What kind of salvation are we singing of- and for whom?

We pray every Sunday- "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, ON EARTH as it is in heaven."

Is this salvation for the poor? The prisoners? 

Or do they have to wait until heaven to experience what you and I get to live every day?

Of course, we give to the poor - we provide charity- and probably more so at this time of year.

But as Lutheran Preacher David Lose points out (quoting the song by Jackson Browne):

“if any one of us should interfere / In the business of why there are poor / They get the same as the rebel Jesus.”

(Click to see his blog post on this)

And I would add: why there are so many people in our jails.

If we are followers of Jesus, is it enough to simply provide short-term relief  and not also work to change the dynamics that creates the problem?

Which Shall Be to ALL People

Good tidings, great joy, salvation!

So with our emotional bank accounts full of holiday cheer, good will and energy that we accumulate during this season, can we sing particularly:

Surely he taught us to love on another,

His law is love and his gospel is peace.

Chains will he break for the slave is our brother.

And in his name all oppression shall cease.

Will we then- in his name- be a part of ending the oppression? 

O Come, All Ye Faithful...

God’s Spirit is on YOU;

He's chosen YOU to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent you to announce pardon to prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free.
To announce "2013 is God's year to act!"

    

    

Advent Wraiths Explained

Advent wreath

1st Sunday of Advent Wraiths (4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse)

Tolkiens' Ring Wraiths

Advent Cross Training Practice

Alert: several things to grasp here. Pictorial interludes give space for absorption.

The goal of Christian Cross Training is develop physical, emotional, mental 
and spiritual strength and resilience- loving God with body, heart, mind and spirit in order to love others (see page above)

Do at least three of the four parts outlined below together at a time always starting with the body exercise. This can take as little as five minutes, or 5 to 10 minutes each.

The major religious traditions all emphasize prayer practices at a set time four to five times a day. Set a goal and work up to what works for you.

Body Exercise- stand and hold your hands in  prayer pose at your chest. Slowly breathe in deeply and lift your hands together above your head. Exhale slowly and open and drop you hands to your sides in a circle. Bring your hands back to center and repeat circles for a minute ( or longer)




Mind Exercise- An Advent reflection

We begin in Advent recalling the background stories to what we call "The Christmas Story." The story of the nativity might be the most beautiful, poignant and memorable in all the Bible- and perhaps even English literature.

It is also fantasy- in that it is about realities that are beyond our experience, and not possible in the natural realm.  It is something that can only be seen through spiritual imagination.

David Lose reports J.R.R. Tolkien explaining it this way:
J.R.R. Tolkien, the Cambridge English professor, devout Roman Catholic, and author of The Lord of the Rings, in an essay written half a century ago argued that the gospel story is not only the perfect fairy tale but is actually the root of all fantasy, because it tells the deeply true and ultimately joyful story of humanity – fallen and redeemed – in all of its horror, poignancy, and glory.

We look in this story for that which is beyond ourselves that will save us - from  illness or failure or disappointment or heartbreak or calamity or oppression or depression or burnout... even save us from ourselves.

Sometimes we loose sight of the reality that the Christmas story is in and of itself the gospel- not just the preamble to the Gospels. We are getting the background so that by Christmas we will be fully prepared to hear the story anew.

When was the last time you used your imagination? When did you last imagine things not as they are but as they could be?
Do you day dream? What about?
How can you practice "holy imagining?"
Think about it....and read on...

The first Sunday of Advent's readings are about the Second Coming- that God is working to fulfill that vision which was the Covenant and the prophetic vision - the banquet table spread for all, the oneness of all in God- the Peaceable Kingdom, the Rule and Reign of God on earth.

How does that seem even possible just given the events of this past year?

Are Israelis and Arabs any closer to sitting down at the same table?
Republicans and Democrats? (In Alaska the Republicans have kicked the Democrats out of the room!)
Muslims and Christians?

Here's the reading from Jeremiah:

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness." -Jeremiah 33:14-16

Reflection: How can I be a part of the fulfilling of the gospel story?

Another MENTAL EXERCISE:

Response from Psalm 25 (appointed for Advent 1):

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Memorize this and repeat it.






Heart Exercise-

3 for 1 exchange- for every negative emotion you experience  think of three things you have to be happy about or grateful for.

More directly (and requiring more effort), if you regularly consume news (especially FOX News), for every negative or fearful report, require yourself to find three positive uplifting or hopeful stories from anywhere about anyone. Share these with some else. Completely refrain from sharing the negative reports (don't worry, those words will be spread by others).



Spirit Exercise- 

Gospel Reading:

Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.- Luke 21:29-33

Read the above listening for a word that stands out to you. Sit in silence and hold that word, always bringing your mind back to that word for 1 minute or more.

End with this Advent prayer:

‎"Lord God of hosts, set my experience of present trouble firmly in the structure of your great acts of salvation. And then help me to believe that your way is being worked out even in the chaos of this world I live in, through Jesus Christ. Amen." --Eugene Peterson

The Jewish Prophets and the Axial Age

O.K.- this post is a little bit stuffy, but it's important! Please bear with the quotes.

Isaiah was the first and arguably the most significant of the latter prophets.

"There can be no doubt that the wealth and power of the crown in Judah under Uzziah was exceeded only by Solomon’s reign at its peak. And the Chronicler, who sees only the glories of Solomon’s rule, informs us that Uzziah’s greatness was the reward of faithfulness to Yahweh (v. 5) Be that as it may, at least two Yahweh prophets, Isaiah and Micah, look out upon the life of Judah in the decades following Uzziah’s reign with bitter reproach and with condemnations that must fall, in part, upon Uzziah. We are forced to conclude that, as in Solomon’s day, Yahwists believed that the power, prestige, wealth and apparent security of the crown and the nation were bought at a price too dear — widening economic disparity between rich and poor, the ruthless exploitation of society’s weaker members, a deepening acquisitiveness and an inevitably accompanying disregard of the justice and righteousness of Yahweh, the meaning of covenant, and the true practice of the Yahweh cult."

On a personal note, Isaiah had a wife and two sons: Shear-jashub and little Mahershalalhashbaz (which became a popular Jewish boy name that decade- but then inexplicably never again made the top 1000). Regrettably, no family pictures have survived., except for this:

Apparently, the Isaiah family kept unusual pets.

He was quite eloquent; very gifted in language; giving us some of the most beautiful and elevated passages in world literature.

"We venture the claim not only that Isaiah is central to prophecy but that no prophet stands more nearly in the center of biblical theology nor anticipates in such comprehensive fashion many of the affirmations of the New Testament community. Isaiah’s influence upon subsequent Old Testament theology and ultimately upon Christianity is incalculable."

But is the covenant about political strength or even great literature?

  

Jeremiah follows and carries this exploration further.

" Jeremiah raised the conception of the bond between God and His people far above the conception of a physical relation, and transferred piety from mere objective ceremonies into the human heart (comp. ib. iv. 4, xvii. 9, xxix. 13, and, if Jeremianic, also xxxi. 31 et seq.). {Hey, was he being spiritual but not religious?}

Through this conception of man's relation to the divinity, the idea of the divine universality, if not created by him, was yet  very clearly demonstrated.{Not my god is better than your god- but OUR God}

But in spite of this tendency toward a universalistic conception of God, which later became a firm article of belief, the barriers of the national religion had not yet fallen in Jeremiah's mind. This is shown most clearly by the fact that even he conceives of a final restoration of the tribe of Israel." {Oh well, can't get everything right!}"

This universalism - God as God of all people- would continue to grow in the Jewish prophetic tradition.

This time period is seen as the peak of Jewish culture- and also four other major world cultures: Greece, China, India and Persia. This period between 900-300 BCE is now referred to as The Axial Age- a time period on which human history pivots- a major transition in worldview, religion and culture. 

Map of the Axial Age- in case you'd like to visit!

It is particularly characterized by the capacity to look beyond the experiences that shapes a person, to be able to see the perspectives of others- and to identify those needs and experiences that are shared in common.

You know: 

"We are all a part of God's great big family  

And the truth, you know,

Love is all we need.

We are the world, we are the children..." 

(Yes, that's right, Jeremiah was the Michael Jackson of his day.)

It's taken almost 3000 years and we might just be at another pivotal place where the vision these prophets beheld is being realized. 

Might be.. maybe... we'll see.

Jonah- A Whale of a Story

The story of Jonah might just possibly be your favorite OT story. But maybe not for the reason it should be.

Jonah, it turns out, is wicked satire. This is not so clear in English as most translators seem to miss this and translate it straight- missing the tongue in cheek. Who would expect this kind of writing in sacred scripture? Try readying it as more of a satirical parable, and you'll notice the difference.

Following the heroic "major" prophets, and in the middle of the "minor" prophets,  Jonah is a satirical look at the splendidly absurd life of a prophet. The writer of Jonah probably also wrote for "The Garlic"- a 6th Century BCE predecessor to "The Onion." The book of Jonah actually fits better under The Writings grouping, with Job, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, etc.

It's a thankless job-being a prophet. You are no ones friend. Even Yahweh seems not to care what kind of life-threatening,  precarious, miserable existence it is. In fact, if you notice, prophets aren't the most happy, well-adjusted, mentally stable group of people, are they? Elijah and Elisha had serious anger issues. Jeremiah was bi-polar. Ezekiel was simply mad! But then again, most Holy people in all traditions look like this, don't they? After all, the rational mind just doesn't see beneath and beyond.

And the double-bind with prophets is this: If your prophecy is fulfilled, its gonna be doom and gloom- and you get the credit. And if it isn't fulfilled, well then you are a false prophet, aren't you?! Basically, you can't win!

The satire begins with his name- or rather Jonah's father's name, which was Amittai, which means "to be faithful"- so Jonah was the son of faithfulness. He clearly is out to not live up to this name.

If you read the prayer he prays from the belly of the fish closely, you will see it is not so much a cry for help, but a satirical psalm.

I was in trouble and look what you did- threw me into the ocean. I've been thrown away. But I'm worshiping you God! I'm full of thanksgiving!

And Yahweh spoke to the fish and he coughed up Jonah. This was NOT a rescue. Yahweh was going to see to it that Jonah delivered his message-whether Jonah wanted to or not. So much for Free Will!

So Jonah goes to Nineveh,  that great city- and low and behold they listened to the prophet ( has THAT ever happened  before?). Not only that - the King commands everyone to fast and wear sackcloth- EVEN THE ANIMALS!

Gates of Nineveh in Northern Iraq

This impresses Yahweh (I'll bet it was the animals- no PETA around back then to muck things up!)

And of course, Jonah- the prophet of Yahweh- is NOT happy about this. And why should he be? These people are Israels enemies! He gets depressed and wishes to die (or hasn't he been depressed with a death wish, all along? Why else would you ask to be thrown in the ocean?)

So then there's the story about the shade tree (bush), that grows up and then dies.

Lego my fig tree! Oh, wrong story!

And Yahweh mocks him: "Of course you should be angry about the bush- angry enough to die!"

God said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?” -Jonah 4:10-11 The Message

Assyrians!? Fierce, marauding Assyrians!? Childlike? (You know, first they capture and destroy the Northern Kingdom, before they themselves are overthrown by the Babylonians - so this doesn't last long). 

And right... the poor animals! This from a God who requires burnt offerings!

It doesn't quite come across in the English translations, and we're not expecting satire at this point in the Bible, so we've read this differently and probably missed a really funny read. But then again...

The Narrative Continues

What is this Narrative Lectionary doing jumping from story to story- leaving out lot's of stuff?

Well it's summarizing the Hebrew story of God’s covenants with humankind- particularly the covenant with Abraham- in which God promises to make of Abraham a great nation through which all people will be blessed. 

The covenant with David extends this theme as David becomes the first king of a united nation formed from the tribal descendants of Israel- Abraham’s grandson.

But things are not going so well,

After only two kings, the kingdom splits (but not in half)- Israel (and ten of the tribes) in the north and Judah (tribes of Judah and Benjamin) in the south.

Israel exists as a kingdom for about 270 years until it is conquered by the Assyrians. Those that did not escape to Judah in the south were taken captive leading to the myth of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Judah existed independently for another 200 years before it was conquered by the Babylonians and Solomon’s temple was destroyed.

Side note: Who Gets to Write History?

In the Ancient Near East histories were written by the élites. In the case of 1^st and 2^nd Kings we are reading a history written during the 6^th century BCE – from the southern kingdom of Judah. This was just before the return from Exile and the restoration of the temple. The concern was for restoring the Law of Moses and Yahweh worship centered in the temple.

King Ahab's palace in Samaria

The history understandably reflects this perspective. For instance, archaeological discoveries reveal that Ahab was a great king who built a lot of stuff- evidence of great wealth and power.

The record for Solomon..... not so much!

But Ahab was a man who hedged his bets with the gods, and was beguiled by a beautiful pagan princess into worshiping more than Yahweh. There’s no way for the restorationist-author that Ahab could have been the greatest king in Israel’s history.

Whoever is greatest, clearly one nation as the conveyor of the Abrahamic/Davidic covenants is having difficulty.

And so along come the prophets with words from Yahweh that he is not pleased (jealous actually, of the other-god worship).

Jezebel & Ahab stopping to ask directions from Elijah

Elijah is the first and greatest prophet. He lives in the Northern Kingdom. He speaks angrily against Ahab and his Phoenician Queen, Jezebel, for mixing the worship of Yahweh with Baal and (Yahweh forbid) Asherah- a female deity! 

Asherah circa 800 BCE

[Funny note- the archaeological record is revealing that apparently Asherah was worshiped by the Hebrew people as the consort of Yahweh- Queen of Heaven. Some refer to this as the "charm of Biblical polytheism" Apparently, Yahweh did not like being fixed up this way, and was not amused (although I'm sure he and Asherah made quite a striking couple!).If only people would listen to the clergy, these things wouldn't happen!]

Elijah will later massacre 400 prophets of Baal and 200 prophets of Asherah at Mt Carmel (that whole story of Elijah on Mt Carmel was one of my favorite Bible stories as a kid, but I never really took notice that it ended in an incredible Yahweh-sanctioned blood bath- somehow it just never registered, kind of like the story of Noah being about the extermination of the human race- just missed it!)

This Sunday’s Narrative lectionary reading is about how God sends a famine to punish Ahab and then sends Elijah to live with a widow in Sidon (NOTICE: this is where Jezebel is from) to wait out the famine by miraculously providing food for them.

Elijah will also raise the widow’s son from the dead (the first time this happens in scripture, and later to be an identifying sign of the Messiah). This is in contrast to Ahab and Jezebel who sacrifice their oldest and youngest sons to Baal when building their capital city of Samaria (previous chapter in 1^st Kings).

So what do we make of all this?

I mean, other than being sold into slavery and then becoming a powerful ruler, or being a mighty warrior, or having 100’s of wives, or living in the desert - what does this have to do with me?

It does leave intriguing questions: 

What will happen with the Covenant? 

What will a people "blessed by God to be a blessing" look like?

When will this all come about?

Fortunately the Hebrew prophets are on their way to provide some insight. Stay tuned…