The End of the World as We Know It: Thoughts About the Earthquake in Japan and Unrest in Egypt and the Middle East

For moths we have been watching as revolutions change the balance of power in Tunisia, Greece and Lybia.  The implications of these revolutions are far-reaching, affecting the United States in many ways.  We have seen gas prices rise at a time when gas prices usually go down.  We fear how this instability will affect our safety and security in the United States.

Yesterday we watched the fires burning out of control in Japan as a tsunami ripped over parts of the country after the largest earthquake on record hit the island.  As I am writing, Kyodo News Agency is reporting more then 9,500 people unaccounted for in Minamisanriku, Japan.  I've followed the Facebook status of a friend and former classmate in Japan, bringing the situation even closer to home.

My students often ask me if I think 2012 is going to happen, a reference to the end of the Mayan calendar and the idea that with the end of the calendar will come the end of the world.  I always reply, "Yes, it will happen.  And so will 2013, and 2014, and so on."  At times we find our selves living in utter fear of the end of the world.  False prophets take worldly disasters and turn them into apocalyptic signs.  They feed off of fear, misquoting Scripture, telling people the end is near.  One of these false prophets blamed the attack on the World Trade Center on homosexuality in the United States, saying God was punishing us for these homosexual acts.  I find it interesting that Jesus spoke at great lengths against divorce and adultery in the Bible, yet these false profits engage in both, yet Jesus never says a word about homosexuality, and they find this to be one of their hot topics!  I am anxious to hear the response of the false prophets to the devastation in Japan!  What reasons will they give for why God did this, and how do they think we should respond?

I for one do not believe that God causes disasters, natural or otherwise.  I believe that God's desire is for us to live faithful and healthy lives.  We are not to live in fear of tomorrow, but in joy for today.  When people suffer, I believe God pains, too.  I also believe that God has expectations of us in the face of tragedy; we are to find these times as a time to renew our faith and our commitment to God.  These are not signs of the end of the world or of the second coming.  When someone tells us that they know when the world is going to end, they are claiming to have wisdom beyond that of the Son of God.  Jesus said “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Matthew 24:36)  However, when we see these signs, God calls us to remember to live each day as if it is our last!  What does that mean?  It means to make amends with our enemies and with God.  It means to love God and our neighbor with all our heart and mind and soul.  It means to live for today, without worrying about what tomorrow will bring!


So in the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake and the unrest in Northern Africa and the Middle East, I challenge you to live not in fear, but in love.  Consider how you can serve those in Japan as they mourn thousands of their citizens' deaths.  Consider how you can bring hope and good news to those around you.  Do not focus on the fear of the unknown tomorrow brings, but on the hope and joy that is in the present.  Live each day as if it were your last, loving as much as you can, giving as much as you can, and worshiping God as much as you can!  Tomorrow will have its own problems.  Live in peace!

Lenten Sacrifices

Yesterday began the season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays.  We don't count Sundays because Sundays are to be mini-Easters, a time to celebrate, not sacrifice.  The idea of the sacrifice is reminiscent of Jesus's time in the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, and was famished, leading up to his temptations by Satan.  Forty days was also the length of time of the flood which destroyed and purified the world, and the Hebrews wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, again, a time of sacrifice prior to entering the Promised Land.

Lent is preceded by Mardis Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which bothers me.  Why would we overindulge in food or partying as a way of kicking off Lent, a time of Sacrifice.  It reminds me of the story of the preacher who was found drunk in a bar, flirting with a married woman.  When asked how he could do such a thing, he responded, "Hey, I can't preach against sin if I don't know what it is!"

When I was younger, my Lenten sacrifice was always popcorn.  Why, you ask?  Because I don't like popcorn.  I listened to people say they were giving up chocolate or candy or soda for Lent, and when I would ask why, they would say, "I need to lose weight.  The idea of a sacrifice during Lent did not really make sense to me.  After all, why would God want me to punish myself?  However, as I studied Scripture and Church Tradition, I began to understand the Lenten Sacrifice in a new way.  The purpose of the Sacrifice is not to make us suffer.  Rather, the purpose of the sacrifice is to draw us closer to God.  That which we give up, if we give up anything at all, is intended to bring us closer to God, and to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.  So, in giving something up, we find a way to replace the void that it creates with God.  Sometimes the Sacrifice is something that gets in the way of our relationship, altogether, in which case we try to make it a permanent change in our lives.  Other times, we give up something we enjoy, in order to fill the void with God.  Either way, we grow in our relationship with God in the process.

There have been 3 life-changing Lenten Sacrifices I have made in the past.  The first was anger.  I would bottle up my anger, then when I could not control it any more, I would go by a car and let the anger be released with hostility toward the car dealer.  One year I decided to change that.  When I found myself getting angry, I would stop, step away, spend some time in prayer, then reengage in the situation.  I have to admit, it took longer then 40 days to make the change, but now people who know me are amazed when I say that I have had problems with anger.  Anger got in the way of my relationships with other people, and consequently got in the way of my relationship with God.

The second life-changer was when I fasted on Wednesdays.  The intention was not to lose weight, though that should have been a prime motivator.  During the breakfast hour, when I would normally eat, I read one of John Wesley's sermons.  At lunch, I would journal my reflections on the sermon.  At dinner, I would work on my own sermon for the coming Sunday, using Wesley as a guide.  I replaced the times that I was hungry with times that I was studying God's word, as interpreted by the founder of the Methodist Church.  I found Wesley to be fascinating in theology, though dry in delivery.  And I found myself reflecting more on my sermons then I ever had in the past.

The last life-changer was when I gave up shoe leather.  Shoe leather, you may ask?  Yes, that is what I said.  You see, I realized that I had become quick to comment on what people said or did.  I was like Peter in the Gospels:  always first to speak, not always saying the right things.  So for Lent, I gave up putting my foot in my mouth.  I tried to approach situations in a more reflective way, hearing what people said, then considering how I responded.  I found that through reflection I was better able to understand what people were saying, as I was not quick to judge them.  I found that prior to giving up shoe leather, I was already forming a response to what I thought someone was going to say before they finished what they were really saying, which was often not what I thought it was.  This reflective listening helped me to improve my relationships with people, which consequently helped me improve my relationship with God.

I have not decided if I will give something up for Lent this year.  If I do, it will be done to help me to become closer to God.  I would also ask that if you decide that you want to give something up for Lent, you will consider how it will make you closer to God, for that is what the Lenten Sacrifice is all about!  If you do give something up meaningfully and thoughtfully, you will find Easter morning to me much more rewarding, for you will not be thinking about a distant God, but about the Lord and Saviour you are in a great relationship with.

The Form of Worship, Isaiah 58:1-9

Isaiah 58 tells about God's people having the form of faith without the function, something that happens all too often, I believe.  The people cry out to God, asking why God does not see or recognize their fasting or acts of righteousness.  God replies with a great voice that their fasting is for their benefit, not God's.  Their fasting leads to quarreling and fighting, as well as to the oppression of others.  The righteous acts of the people are for show, a measure to make themselves feel better about who they think they are.

The story is the same today as it was back then.  Too many people who call themselves Christian have the form of faith and worship without the function.  I've heard it said that this is "Sitting on the premises, not standing on the promises."  There are many who consider themselves Christians because they go to church, but outside of that, we would have no idea that they were Christian.  I remember, for example, coming home from church one Sunday and stopping by the grocery store on the way.  I parked in the back of the lot and walked across to the store.  As I got close to the store, I came across two women in different cars fighting for the same parking spot.  Both women were dressed to the nines, looking like they were coming from church.  One had a huge Bible on her dashboard, the other with a plastic Jesus on the dash board and a "Honk if You Love Jesus" bumper sticker.  They were honking and shaking fists at each other.  I went into the crowded store, waited in a long line to pay for my loaf of bread, and came back out maybe 15 minutes later, only to find the two women still fighting over the same spot!  The weather was perfect, the parking lot was not completely full, and they could have already both been parked and in the store shopping if they were not fighting over the spot.  They had the form of faith (the Bible, plastic Jesus, bumper sticker, and having come from church), but they sure did not have the function!  There was no love of neighbor in the interaction.  There was no turning the other cheek or giving of one's coat or cloak.  There were 2 self-centered women who felt entitled to a decent parking space.

There are many threats to Christianity today.  I've heard people speak of Islam being the biggest threat to the Christian faith, while others have said it is homosexuality, and still others abortion.  However, the biggest threat to Christianity today is none of these external forces.  If any external force were to be a threat to Christianity, it would only be because the greatest threat had already played out.  This greatest threat to Christianity is those who call themselves Christian while not living that calling!  Those who are quick to condemn others, those who turn their backs on the needy, those who do not love God and neighbor, those who are sitting on the premises!  For Christianity to flourish, we must return to standing on the promises!  Worship is the starting point, not the focal point.  Worship is where we hear what God wants so when we leave we can do God's will.

So where are you?  What will you do to live your faith?  God is not looking for a good show.  God is looking for action.  Do not be like the people of Israel which Isaiah spoke to.  They thought God would look favorably upon them for their worship.  While God does want us to worship, God also wants us to live that worship.  Thanks be to God!

1 Corinthians 1:18-31; The Calling of the Fools

In this passage of Scripture, Paul talks about what we believe:  Christ Crucified.  He explains that this was difficult for the people of his time, both Jewish and Greek.  He says that the Jews want signs and the Greeks want wisdom, and that with Christ Crucified we have neither.We have no sign, only faith, to tell us that Christ Jesus was crucified, and with his Crucifixion there is no secret wisdom.  There is just the knowledge that our sins are forgiven!


Paul then goes on to talk about who God calls.  He tells his audience that most of them are not wise, nor are they born of noble birth or power, yet God called them because they believed in the simple story that Jesus came into the world, lived among us, died at the hands of angry and sinful men, and was raised from the dead.  In addition, they believed that through this they had forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.  This was good news for these who had little by worldly standards.  And the reason God did this, according to Paul, is to shame the wise and the powerful by offering something greater then they have to offer to much simpler people.


"1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 1:29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God."


The worst that God has to offer is much greater then the best that those in the world have to offer.  We would do well to remember this!  Nothing we do is good enough to earn us a spot with the Crucified Christ, yet we are there with him, by the grace of God.  What we have from God is more then we can give to ourselves; it is more then church leaders or national politicians can give.   And it is our for the taking.  All we need to do is have faith in Jesus Christ, and him crucified!  Thanks be to God!

Luke 6:20-31: The Sermon on the Plain

The gospels of Matthew and Luke both have similar sermons referred to as the Beatitudes or The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew) or the Sermon on the Plain (Luke).  While there are subtle differences between the two accounts, they are, in general, very similar.  The purpose is to address suffering in this life, and to help us to persevere until the life to come.  The most obvious difference between the two accounts, in my opinion, is that Matthew tends to "spiritualize" the passage, while Luke sees the human condition amongst the hearers as more concrete.  For example, Matthew says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," while Luke says, "Blessed are you who are poor."  Many biblical scholars believe that Matthew's account was written for a wealthier audience which would not relate as well to the concept of a sermon that blesses the poor and that looks down upon the rich.  Luke's gospel, on the other hand, may have been written for more the working class, as well as women, widows, and those with disabilities.  While I tend to prefer Luke's way of remembering the words of Jesus, I feel they are both equally strong passages of Scripture which offer a message of hope to those who suffer in this lifetime.

This coming Sunday is Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve, a day commemorating the end of summer.  This holiday is the day before the Christian festival of All Saints' Day, a time to commemorate those who have died in the Faith.  According to Roman Catholic tradition, All Saints' Day celebrates the Beatic  Vision of those who have died.  The Beatic Vision is the direct seeing of God, where we no longer rely on faith, but we see God face to face.  Beatic vision--sounds similar in root to beatitudes.  That seems fitting to me.  Beatitude means to have a sense of blessing.  Beatic vision means to see God face to face.  What greater blessing is there then that?  The end of our Christian lives brings us into the presence of God!

Notice that I said the end of our Christian lives brings us into the presence of God.  I did not say that the purpose of our Christian lives brings us into the presence of God.  Meeting God is the end of the journey, not the purpose of it.  Too many times people lose sight of this; they believe they practice and live their faiths in order to come into God's presence.  When that happens, we miss the joy of the journey; we miss the real reason for living our faith.  We are called to live our faiths in order to bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth, as it is in heaven.  If our focus is only on what happens when we die, we miss the opportunity to help people see the presence of God in our everyday lives.  We miss the opportunity to minister, to share faith, to help others grow in God's grace.  Our Christian lives should be about living to create a legacy, in order to help people grow.  The legacy is not one of us, per se, but is the legacy of guiding others to the beatic vision.  That is what it is to be brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.  We offer aid to those who suffer in whatever means we are able to, but more important, we offer hope about what comes at the end of the suffering of the world.  We don't cause people to fear death, nor to come to death too hastily; yet we teach people to realize with joy that their is a beatitude, or blessing at death, which is a new birth and the opportunity to stand in the presence of God.

This All Saints' Day, let us not remember those who have attained the beatic vision with sorrow.  Instead, let us look with joy at how they have written the legacy of Jesus Christ on our hearts and the hearts of others.  Let us celebrate the many who have come to know Jesus Christ or come to know Jesus Christ more fully through the way they lived their lives.  Then let us follow their examples in the way we live our lives, that we, too, may write his legacy on the hearts of others.  Let our goal be to help others find Jesus Christ in this life; for when we do, we will be able attain the beatic vision not just for us, but for those whose lives we allow God to touch.  Then we can truly say, "Thanks be to God!"

More on Prayer

I recently visited a church and found myself both bothered and entertained by the "Minister of Spirituality."  Are not all ministers to be ministers of spirituality?  Isn't that the basis of our faith?  For this man, one of his duties included the pastoral prayer.  His prayer lasted at least 10 minutes, and seemed like even longer.  The theme of the prayer appeared to have little to do with interceding on the church's behalf to offer their petitions to God, and more about correcting the sermon the senior pastor had just given.  It was a showdown in which the prayer was preaching his own sermon based on the theme the other preacher had followed.  He danced and strolled along the stage as he prayed, leading to the entertainment.  I could not keep my eyes closed as I watched him perform, and I felt like he wanted us to see him, anyway. This time had much to do with him, and little to do with God, worship and prayer.

I do not offer a pastoral prayer in my church, in part because I've heard too many prayers that were like the one mentioned above.  The intent seems to be mere performance at best, and sometimes downright gossip at worst.  At times the pastoral prayer sounds more like an excerpt from A Prairie Home Companion then a conversation with God.  Prayer is not intended to be showy.  Rather, prayer is intended to be conversation with God.  The pharisee who bragged about being different from the sinner was not concerned with God in his prayer; he was concerned that people see him and how good he was.  His prayer was a performance intended to make him look good in front of others.  In fact, the best prayers often are the ones that don't have flowery or spiritual words.  They come from the heart with simple, everyday language.  One of my favorite references to prayer comes from Paul, who says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."  (Romans 8:26)

How do you pray?  Are you concerned about what others will think when you pray?  Are you embarrassed by your wording and phraseology?  If so, then you may want to rethink your prayer life.  Don't worry about impressing others with you prayers; worry only about God.  And remember the role of the Spirit in prayer, to interceded on our behalf with sighs too deep for words.  Let your prayers be between you and God only; do not worry about what others think.  When you let go of the human aspect of prayer, then the Spiritual aspect takes over and you commune with God, and you experience God communing with you.

Grace and peace,

Michael

Musings of a Methodist Minister: Luke 18:9-14 Why Bother with Prayer?

Musings of a Methodist Minister: Luke 18:9-14 Why Bother with Prayer?: "What is the purpose of prayer? For some it seems to be a way of getting things. We pray for healing from illness or for the end of financi..."