2020 Was Not Only Pandemic

On New Year’s Eve as we reflect back on 2020 we have faced many challenges besides covid-19. Early in the year several incidents of racial tension prompted broad, fresh efforts toward racial justice and reconciliation (with predictable pushback). We had the most bitter presidential election of my lifetime with a post-election fiasco that is still ongoing. An unprecedented number of storms of unprecedented strength brought suffering around the world. We could continue with this disheartening inventory. Each of us and our families has faced our own individual challenges. I begin this way, not to wallow in despair but to encourage us to reflect broadly on 2020.

In doing so, I propose a healthy activity for observing New Year’s Eve 2020 would be to create an appreciation and thanks inventory. Our family has had a four-generation mutual support embracing Wisconsin, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Our family has four educators and three students who have not only kept teaching and learning, but have been growing in new ways. Milwaukee Mennonite Church has used technology and creativity to nourish and expand how we live together as a community of those who trust and follow Jesus. I have had completely unexpected opportunities to write for the Guideposts periodical publication Strength and Grace: Devotionals for Caregivers, which I believe has helped sharpen my caregiving for Candy and her Dad. I hope I have primed the pump enough to stimulate you to generate your own healthy 2020 retrospective inventory.

Looking Forward to a New Year

The annual celebration of New Year’s Day (or perhaps more tellingly Eve) is typically a mix of giving thanks and relinquishing regrets for the past year with a hopeful anticipation and embrace of the new year. With all of the challenges of 2020, this mood seems especially heightened this year. To be sure, welcoming new opportunities and fresh starts is healthy all along our human journey. Nevertheless, we will continue to deal with the challenges of 2020 in 2021.

I have long puzzled over how January 1 was adopted to mark the new year. It doesn’t commemorate any historic event or person, nor is it correlated with any astronomical or agricultural occurrence or season. The Julian calendar of ancient Rome celebrated January in honor of the two-faced god Janus, who looked both forward and backward as gatekeeper of the future. That got carried into the Gregorian calendar adopted in 1582. My tongue-in-cheek sense is that January 1 only has real significance to accountants (though plenty of businesses start their fiscal years at different times) and revelers looking for an excuse for excessive partying.

I started my Psalm prayers this morning with Psalm 30:5,11 and found these lines particularly appropriate as we move from 2020 to 2021.

 Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

 

The Radical Alternative Reality of Contemplative Living

This morning's meditation by Richard Rohr expresses clearly and powerfully why and how a contemplative life is dramatically different from the power driven agendas so typical in politics, business, and even religion, and that those who live contemplatively shape and influence the world much more (and more effectively) than all of the flailing around of the power brokers.

I was reminded of the book by Mark Link SJ that I read years ago and can't remember the exact title, but it presented Jesus as the fixed point in a swirling world. This also called to mind John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." I think the KJV gets at something significant in rendering it "the darkness comprehended it not" Indeed, the reason the power brokers are powerless against authentic contemplatives is that they do not understand (comprehend) living outside of their power swamp.

Just a bit of historical aside, when the early Church confessed "Jesus is Lord," they knew this was a direct repudiation of the Empire's demanded allegiance of "Caesar is Lord," and thus treasonous. For all of its power, wealth, and violence, the Empire was frustrated at its inability to control these people whose hope rested on confidence in Jesus' resurrection, so no torture or even death could get them to comply. They lived in a reality beyond the comprehension and power of the Empire.

Genuine contemplative thinking leads completely away from the dichotomies of liberal-conservative, progressive-traditional in politics and even religion. Neither is contemplative living finding some balance point on a continuum between the poles. It accesses a completely different reality that defies classification in such limited terms.

Well, I only intended a brief intro to get people to read Richard Rohr's meditation and obviously got carried away. Nevertheless, here it is and I hope at least some of you will read it, even if you skip over my discourse.

https://cac.org/standing-still-moving-the-world-2020-12-29/

God's Path Toward Restoration

 The distresses that have converged on 2020, some of them of long standing, have prompted fervent yearning for restoration. Isaiah 58:6-8, 10-12 lays out a path on which the people of God can lead the way by heeding these words from God.

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

This is the greatness Jesus set forth in Matthew 23.11: The greatest among you shall be your servant.

If this evokes responses to politics or government policy, then my question is: have we/I let the world squeeze us/me into its mold (Romans 12:1 Phillips) as defined by the Republicans and Democrats; or are our/my minds being transformed and renewed toward congruence with Moses, the Hebrew Prophets, and Jesus? I am challenged to lead by a personal and communal life of love, justice, peace, compassion, and mercy for those who are weak, poor, orphans, widows, foreigners, strangers, oppressed, excluded, powerless, broken, suffering. As important as practicing those things are to me, I recognize my wife and I (and our family) live very comfortably. No guilt trip here, only acknowledgement of continuing growth on the journey.

Uncomfortable Psalms on the 19th of the Month

I am sure I am not alone in deriving considerable comfort from Psalms 19 and 139. Even their invitations to examen seems gentle and welcoming.

 “Who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. … Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (19:12,14)

 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (139:23-24)

 When I come to these on the 19^th of each month, I tend to linger there and move past Psalms 49, 79, and 109 more quickly, telling myself I have covered them without engaging with them. Today my Psalm prayers were delayed until after taking my father-in-law to the hospital for a CT scan in preparation for (hopefully easy) skin cancer surgery in December. Perhaps by being nudged out of my routine, or perhaps because all of 2020 has jolted all of us out of our comfortable routines, these less comfortable lines evoked prayers of probing deeper into the heart of God than I am accustomed to. I didn’t receive an incisive prophetic word to proclaim. Rather, I offer them as windows that invite us to look past the conventional into the realm in which the Spirit intercedes with groans too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

 I encourage you to take some time with the totality of each of these Psalms, perhaps enticed by these unsettling lines.

 “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?” (49:5-6)

 “Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.” (79:8)

 “For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me. I am gone like a shadow at evening. … May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.” (109:22-23, 29)

 

 

Something wicked this way comes

For many years I have used the Lord’s Prayer (The Our Father) to prompt my morning prayers. This morning when I came to “deliver us from evil” (which can legitimately be rendered “the evil one” legitimately referring to either the devil or an evil human person), I sensed echoes of these lines from Macbeth Act IV Scene I.

 

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes.

            Open locks,

            Whoever knocks!

 

Then Macbeth enters.

 

I am not going to attach any particular meaning to this other than the odd workings of my mind.

Time to Curl Up on God's Lap

In light of the conjunction of so much uncertainty and confusion these days, I found these lines from the first and last of my Psalm prayers this morning helpful prompts for my chat with God.

Q: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

A: The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven.

(11:3-4) The implication is not that the Lord's temple and throne are distant but are accessible. God is engaged with our human anxieties.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

(131:1-2) When troubling thoughts churn in my mind, I know I have raised my sight too high and need the humility to curl up on God's lap as a child with a nurturing mother. I know Van Gogh did not do this drawing (Sien With Child on Her Lap) with that in mind, but I often use it for a focus icon for my centering prayer when I need the peace of God's lap. I will be there later today, as I often am on the 11th of each month.

“Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17.7

 Words for me this week drawn from reflecting on the lectionary passages for Sunday:

You shall know that among you is the living God, the Lord of all the earth. Joshua 3:10-11 Joshua was at a very different place than I am today, but I still need to know that the living God, Lord of all the earth is among people of faith.

"The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12) This countercultural reality permeated Jesus' life and teaching and strikes me as relevant today as ever.

I think the juxtaposition is significant. Only in humility can I recognize God among us, I dare not presume to claim God for myself.

Cautionary Tale of Power Politics

I perceive a cautionary tale in the contrasting Supreme Court nominations of Merrick Garland and Amy Coney Barrett, not about the hypocrisy of the Senate’s confirmation procedures nor of the jurists’ contrasting legal approaches. Rather, I observe raw power at work. The Democrats didn’t have the power to get Merrick Garland even a hearing, and the Republicans had the power to fast track Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation on the threshold of a volatile presidential election. One of the great hazards of such exercises of power, is that they can turn around and hurt those who play such power games. For that reason, I would not suggest that the Democrats pursue court packing should they gain such power in the coming election. It was damaging when Franklin Roosevelt tried it to push through New Deal measures that were his plan for addressing the Great Depression. What I am suggesting has nothing to do with my political preferences, only recognizing the breadth of the principle that those who live by the sword, die by the sword. (Matthew 26:52)

 

Pre-election Wisdom from Psalm 146 Speaks for Itself without My Comment

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God … who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow.

 

 

 

Prayers in Pandemic

 With the momentum of the third wave of the 2020 pandemic seeming to be accelerating, I found Psalm 116 helped me articulate from my heart to God and silently rest in God’s responses.

 Even those who have not been infected and those who have recovered feel that the snares of death have encompassed us and the pangs of Sheol have laid hold on us. Few of us have been spared knowing someone loved and precious who has died.

Who of us has not cried out, “O Lord, save the lives of my neighbors, my friends, my relatives, even my own life!”?

Yet, the Psalm prompts praise and thanksgiving for the Lord who has dealt bountifully with us, before whom we continue to walk in the land of the living, lifting up the cup of salvation.

I recommend taking some time with the whole Psalm up against your own experience and responses to the pandemic, but I found these lines particularly evocative for me.

The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.

 

Not With This Picture

After seeing the picture of Joe Biden kissing his granddaughter on the top of the head at his son’s funeral used as “evidence” of his impropriety, I had to compose a response, even if I never share it beyond my Writing Workshop blog.

I do have concerns that Joe Biden has a reputation for being “touchy-feely” and seems not to always respect personal boundaries. I refuse to get into playing “your guy is worse than my guy” as that says more to me about the depth of the moral morass of our society than any of the “guys.” More importantly, it is a distraction from the point that I feel compelled to make, which I will illustrate with an experience from my pastoral career.

One congregation I served held a funeral for a young person (who had grown up in and still had family active in the church) who had committed suicide after killing an acquaintance and a police officer called to the scene. TV stations sent camera crews who wanted to record the service and reporters who wanted to conduct interviews. We told them they could not record video or audio or conduct interviews on church property. They set up across the street seemingly to record those who were coming and the procession at the end of the service. Since it was not a “private” service, a couple of reporters may have come in with the mourners and taken some notes. None of that indicates any approval of the young person’s tragic behavior, but I continue to believe protecting the privacy of a grieving family, community, and congregation was not only right but imperative.

When one enters public life (entertainment, sports, politics, etc.) a certain amount of privacy is lost. However, regardless of political persuasion, I believe that invading the Biden family’s privacy in this way in their time of grief is highly inappropriate. Regardless of other personal boundary miscues Joe Biden may be called to answer for, using this as “evidence” is reprehensible and unacceptable.

My Prayer for Responding to the Vicious Political Ridicule, Mockery, Insults, Cruel Caricatures, Spiteful Satire that Is Spewing with Greater and Greater Intensity as Voting Has Begun and the Election Approaches

Most churchgoers are aware that Jesus prayed Psalm 22:1 from the cross. Other Psalms echoed in Jesus words as he hung dying. We recognize the prayer from Psalm 31:5 even if we are not aware of its source. Today my Psalm prayers brought me to Psalm 69, which is not often alluded to in preaching and teaching about Jesus’ crucifixion, but when held up against the Gospel Passion Narratives, it sheds incisive light on Jesus’ praying through his suffering.

 I often find verse 6 instructive as I deal with the challenges that come with difficult relationships. Today it prompted me to examine how I respond to some of the political expressions that seem to be multiplying exponentially. Some folk pass on extremely demeaning political expressions along with pleas for courtesy and balance (presumably from those who disagree), seeming to be unaware of the incongruity.

 I do have political opinions that are not secret, but I endeavor to articulate them in a way that prompts thinking rather than argument (though I know I am not always successful). I aspire to have my political opinions shaped by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and Solomon’s Prayer for the King (Psalm 72) rather than being squeezed into the mold of the world’s political parties and categories. (Romans 12:2 – Phillips) I offer this from Psalm 69:6 not so much as instructive for those who proclaim their political opinions with or without malice as a prayer for God to infuse my responses in these turbulent, divisive times.

 

Psalm 69:6

Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of hosts;

do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me.

Looking for the Face of God

 

Today my lectio divina and Psalm prayers collided. I am pondering the space between these paradoxical contradictions.

 

In the lectionary for Sunday from the Hebrew Scriptures in Exodus 33:12-23, Moses asks to see the Lord’s glory, to which the Lord replied (vv. 20, 23).

“You cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live. … Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

 

In the anthropomorphic imagery in this account, God almost seems to be a giant supernatural being who hides Moses behind an oversize hand until he can turn away and let Moses see his backside, almost a cosmic mooning.

 

After contemplating this, I came to Psalm 17 in my Psalm prayer rotation to find this in verse 15.

“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.”

 

A number of Psalms speak of looking at the face of God, but this juxtaposition today prompted me to probe my contemplative yearning for a glimpse of God. I am not seeking a logical explanation to make rational sense of the paradox. Rather I am gazing into the space between for something more mysterious.

God's Voice Roaring Today

I think of my monthly journey through the Psalms as prayer in the sense that they prompt my conversation with God. Many of the Psalms are cast directly as prayer but many might also be considered to be pondering of the Psalmists' side of these conversations with God. Only occasionally do the Psalms record God speaking directly.

However, this morning when I came to Psalm 75 (as I do the 15th of each month) God's words stood out as addressing our present realities in which we are living not only with the most expansive pandemic of our lifetimes but considerable contentiousness about how to respond to it, with reenergized pursuit of racial justice and an increasingly vocal pushback against it, catastrophic climatological crises from hurricanes to wild fires, all in what seems to me to be the most vicious political season of my lifetime. Against this backdrop, God's words in vv. 2-5 roared.

At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck.”

Justice and Peace Kiss

 With the recent renewal of pursuing racial justice, I am reminded of this from the civil rights and peace movements of the ‘60s and’70s.

            No Justice – No Peace

            Know Justice – Know Peace

It is commonly understood as an appeal for justice to achieve the goal of peace, but I believe it also expresses a profound reality of human nature, human society that is evident in all cultures through history.

 

This hope is marvelously expressed in Psalm 85:10. “Righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” I am no Hebrew scholar, so I looked up the word tsdeq which can be translated both as “righteousness” and as “justice.” This is not unique to Hebrew. I know, for example, that in Spanish the word for both righteousness and justice is justicia. Nicholas Wolterstorff explored this in his 1981 book Until Justice and Peace Embrace. So the connection could legitimately be expressed as justice and peace will kiss each other.

 

One of the hazards of our hyper-individualistic culture is that we think of righteousness in terms of personal, individual moral rectitude and miss out on the communal dimensions of righteous living that are embodied in justice. Nothing wrong with personal, individual moral rectitude, but it is only one part of biblical righteousness. Justice is essential too.

Covid-19 and the Trumps

Other than a few affirmations of some gracious responses of some friends (who have openly taken exception to Donald Trump) to the news that the Trumps have tested positive (and seem to be showing some so far mild symptoms), I have purposely refrained from commenting too quickly. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have thoughts, which also does not mean that they contribute anything unique to anyone. Nevertheless, I feel a certain moral responsibility to be clear about my response.

 

Have you ever had an experience so miserable it prompted you to say, “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy”? For those who have dissented from Donald Trump’s words and actions, especially around the response to the coronavirus pandemic, I’m sure the temptation to gloat is alluring. I am thankful I have not seen that in my circle of those who have publically expressed their disagreements. I am also thankful that I have not seen scolding from those who have been Trump’s defenders.

 

That “worst enemy” sentiment reminds me of Jesus expectation for those who follow him to love their enemies. (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-35, which is affirmed by Paul in Romans 12:17-21) Pretty typically, when I ponder this, I recognize an inclination to deny that I have any enemies, even among those with whom I have serious political, theological, and ethical disagreements. In my years of pastoral ministry, I did not consider those who seemed to be complainers and trouble makers to be my enemies. I tried to recognize that their concerns helped identify things that needed attention, even if not the approach they were proposing. Perhaps some of them may have regarded me as an enemy, but I sought God’s help in loving them with respect.

 

I am sure Donald Trump has no idea who I am. Might he consider me to be an enemy if he knew about my convictions? I am not going to presume that. So how do I love him in all of the turmoil of this time? Certainly not by endorsing policies with which I cannot agree. Praying? Certainly! I have written about how Psalm 72 guides my praying for all in positions of public leadership and responsibility. When it comes to praying for the sick, I don’t think James 5:14-16 is relevant (unless the Trumps wanted to call on those they might to consider to be elders of the church). As a pastor I regularly prayed for church members and others who were sick. I didn’t consider that I was telling God what to do, as though my prayers compelled God to heal. I did (and still do) express to God my love and concern for those who are ill, believing God can and does heal, but not that I have some magic power.

 

Especially when people are facing long-term, life altering healthy challenges (such as my mother’s rheumatoid arthritis) or when people are coming to the end of their lives, I invoke Psalm 31:5 to commend them into God’s hands in faith. I think that gives me a clue about how I can be praying with love for the Trumps without political contamination. Especially knowing that what happens with them affects the whole country, I can relinquish them into God’s hands trusting that God can handle this better than I can.

Strength for Our Turbulent Lives

After our evening game and pre-bedtime chores, Candy reads some daily devotionals aloud (I read the associated Scripture texts). The prayer at the end of last night's reading from "Moravian Daily Texts" seemed to be just what I needed, so I am sharing it here.

God, our refuge, you are the anchor that holds firm . When troubles of this world disturb our calm, remind us of your abiding strength in our turbulent lives. Amen.

Struggling Not to Fear as the World Changes

The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg dramatically amplifies the intensity of the months just ahead of us. The incentive to vote has magnified exponentially regardless of political or theological perspectives on the events and issues of 2020. When I saw this news last evening I was immediately immersed in the imagery of Psalm 46. However, still this morning I confess I am struggling to relinquish fear into the refuge of God’s strength and to be still enough to know and exalt in the Lord of hosts who is with us.

 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.

The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

 

Contemplative Reflections on September 11, 2020

Sien with Child on Her Lap

Vincent VanGogh

I sang "For All the Saints" as my lauds hymn this morning. It just came up in my usual rotation but seemed poignantly appropriate on this September 11. If you are not familiar with it, I suggest looking it up on line or even in a hymnal.

Judging from my Facebook and today's news feeds, people are well remembering the horror of 9-11-01. Those who think it may be fading need not fear. Of course, the fresh, raw emotions of 19 years ago have taken melancholy root in our hearts and minds. And for today's college students who were preschoolers at the time and for today's high school students and younger who were not even born yet, this is a significant landmark in history but not a personal experience.

As we who aspire to follow Jesus remember, I trust we will do so in keeping with his clear teaching to love not just our neighbors (yes, our Muslim neighbors) but even our enemies. Matthew 5:43-48 In this way, we reflect the light of Jesus into our world in this time of considerable darkness.

This morning I began my Psalm prayers with Psalm 11. Though I don't recall seeing it recently, for years I have seen and heard people rip verse 3 out of context to bemoan their feeling of helpless desperation at social, cultural, and political changes they find threatening. "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

Nevertheless, I see and hear plenty of that in the emotional reactions in our current contentious environment. It is increasingly invoked in the political noise warning that if the side I disagree with wins, it will be the demise of democracy in the US. I do believe this is a critically important election and that the outcome will make a significant difference in the trajectory for the country (and even the world). I do have my own convictions of which many of you are probably aware, but I am not including them here in hopes of prompting thoughtful, hopeful prayer rather than distracting arguing.

The entirety of the Psalm is not a woeful lament about the irreparable loss of foundations which even the righteous cannot rescue. Rather, it is a resounding affirmation of trusting that God is alive and at work from God's holy temple. It calls out the faithlessness of those who are mired in verses 1-3. It is both an appeal to trust God when our limited perspectives leave us feeling hopeless and it invokes God's justice and the promise of seeing God's face.

My Psalm prayers ended with Psalm 131 with an assurance I definitely needed today. When events and the fear-filled clamber draw my heart into trembling, I can. as it were, climb up on God's lap and quiet my soul like a young child with its mother.

Love 'Em All

 

Just how radical were Moses, Jesus, Paul, and James? Summary: love God, love neighbors, love enemies. I guess that means that regardless of my present political preferences, if I am faithful I am to love my MAGA neighbors and love my BLM neighbors. I must confess I am still figuring out how to do this beyond being polite and respectful, especially for those who seem so angry from a distance. If loving someone you view as an enemy, or who you think views you as an enemy, bothers you, check out this inventory from Hebrew Scripture, Epistles, and especially Gospels.

Leviticus 19:18

Matthew 5:43-44; 19:19; 22:37-39

Mark 12:31

Romans 12:14,20

Galatians 5:14

James 2:8

No Gloating

Jerry Falwell, Jr. and I are different theological and political brands, but I take no joy in his current embarrassment, rather I lament. Nor do I chock it up to “conservative” hypocrisy any more than I blame “liberal” license for the misconduct of others. I must guard my own vulnerabilities. I do not know (and probably do not want to know) the whole story behind the picture that cost him his position of leadership. Perhaps poor judgment to post a picture of some silliness that was wrongly presumed to be innocent. Perhaps the proverbial tip of the iceberg of much deeper issues. I personally carry scars from the wounds of sexual, financial, and power misconduct of some I have respected and trusted, even clergy colleagues and friends. These sorts of things damage the credibility of all who are known to claim to follow Jesus and all who are entrusted with public leadership. A dramatic, tearful confession (reminiscent of Jimmy Swaggart) will not suffice - only fruit worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8). I just can’t resist adding as an aside that is what I expect but have not observed from how Bill Clinton and Donald Trump handled their sexual misconduct/marital infidelity. Yes, these sorts of things prompt the cynical question: how can we know who can be trusted? Perhaps more to the point: how can I cultivate being a trustworthy person? I dare not gloat nor strut any posture of moral superiority.

Why Beauty?

This is my journal entry from July 31, 2020.

Following my afternoon walks, I am sitting on the porch sipping tea and crunching a couple of cookies, just enjoying sun and clouds with a gentle breeze at 77 degrees, I’ve been watching the sparrows come and go at the feeder, remembering the sapphire blue hummingbird at that feeder from Wednesday. I’ve gotten to identify three individual sparrowns: Neck with no feathers on the back of her skinny neck, Tail who has a prominent tail feather about an inch below most of her tail, and Wing who has a feather sticking out below the shoulder of his right wing. Knowing that birds molt, I don’t know how long I will be able to recognize these distinctives. 

Also noticing lots of brightly colored flowers and very green grass and tree leaves against the blue sky in our well kept neighborhood.

All of this reverie has me pondering a question that has flitted through my mind over the years. Why is there beauty?

I know philosophers and a wide variety of theologians (not just from Judeo-Christians traditions) have explored things like beauty, truth, and love. I have neither the intention nor the ability for chasing down those rabbit holes. Nor do I think I have anything to add. I am just following the whims of my reflections on a pleasant mid-summer afternoon.

My recollection of my reflections on this question in years past is that beauty is a sign of some sorts of intelligent design - a God who enjoys beauty and creating beauty. When I say intelligent design I am not at all thinking about young earth proponents or evolution opponents in some Christian circles. In fact, I find those perspectives mar the wonder of beauty.

Yes, culture and context contribute to the defining and understanding of what is beautiful. And those constructs change with time even in a single culture. 

Male appreciation of female beauty (not wanting to get into LBGTQ issues here, so just take this as an older, hetrosexual male in middle class US in the late 20th and early 21st centuries). I just want to explore a bit of the impact of culture on understanding beauty. Well proportioned women with prominent but not excessively large breasts, round hips, tapering to round but not protruding belly, soft (long?) hair, smooth skin, high cheekbones. And so something from the context in which I came of age. I do have memories of the bullet bras of the 40s that have given way to more natural curves. The super skinny of the 20s flappers (and some models yet) have given way to a more healthy “real” proportions. Drawing on other cultures and times, rounded bellies were signs of fecundity that were considered desirable. The Song of Solomon uses some imagery that amuse us today, but I don’t think they were funny to them.

Another example in a different direction is how forests were viewed by the early settlers from Europe in the “new world.” We see them  as places of  exquisite beauty and wonder, but those early European settlers saw the forests as threatening in terms of both wild animals and native populations, and even spiritual menace (witness, for example, the Jersey Devil and other similar legends).

In the Mosaic Law, the cities were considered safe because people were around to come to your aid if needed, while rural roads were dangerous where thieves might attack (for example, in Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan). But we tend to see rural  areas and small towns as safer than cities and urban neighborhoods. 

In my previous reflections on beauty, I posited that color is not essential to the functioning of the universe or this earth, nor are the myriads of shapes of living things. We could have had a functional black and white world and universe with shades of gray and everything in simple, functional geometric shapes. But of course, we don’t, so colors mean much more than their functions. Somehow delight radiates. As Genesis says, God saw that it was good - meaning, I believe, much more than “it works.”

So I am speculating that something about God loves and enjoys beauty, both creating it and beholding it. I don’t intend to be anthropomorphic but only to suggest that beauty is somehow intrinsic to the nature or character of God. Alongside love, which seems even more essential both biblically and from a wide range of contemplative traditions.

Do any of the creatures other than humans recognize and appreciate beauty? I am not suggesting I have any insight into that, but some animals certainly seem to enjoy play. We see that in our pets: dogs and cats. Otters and seals seem to frolic as do sea mammals - whales and porpoises. I’ve heard that horses enjoy running. Is having fun and enjoying play the same as or akin to beauty? Thus, conjecturing that the nature of God is expressed in the beauty of creation (the whole universe, not just our human observation of our earth, sea, and sky.)

Yet clearly we humans consider the observation and appreciation (even artistry and creation of) beauty as essential to our human identity and experience, even though we vary in how we understand and identify beauty from time to time and culture to culture. Theologically, is this an expression of being made in the image of God? Is not beauty a link for humans to the divine, to God?

An Anguished Heart Yearns to Fly Away

I am certainly not the only one who has noted that we are on the cusp of the most vicious US presidential election of our lifetime and anticipate that whatever the outcome, the validity of the election will be challenged and even dismissed. With my priority being on caring for my wife Candy with her Alzheimer’s and her 93 year old Dad, I have intentionally tried to avoid being drawn into the fray. Even though we watch no TV news and do not take a newspaper, I do try to stay informed by accessing a selected balance of news sources on line (please don’t try to vet my selections, I do even sample those well-known for “fake news” to understand their perspectives), I am acutely aware of the multiple tangled threads of turmoil in our country. I am also acutely aware of not just differences of opinions among family, friends, colleagues – people I know, love, trusted, whose faith in Jesus is unquestionable – that go way beyond political disagreements to radically contradictory perceptions of reality. In my prayer Psalms this morning, I resonated with these lines from Psalm 55:4-8, 12-14 and found they gave me a way to articulate to God the present anguish of my heart.

My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.”

It is not enemies who taunt me— I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me— I could hide from them. But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.

The Darkness Shall Turn to Dawning

My lauds hymn this morning is My Life Flows On. I have to confess that in 2020 I have had a hard time hearing “the clear though far off hymn that hails a new creation.” However, as the calls for justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder have persisted and seem to be awakening some openness to addressing deeply engrained violent injustice, I think I am finding “an echo in my soul.”

As I was showering this morning, knowing I would be singing My Life Flows On, I heard the echo of the refrain of We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations from my childhood.

For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright;
and Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.

I looked it up and found the verses speaking powerfully to our present situation in ways I was completely unaware of when I was growing up. So I share them here as an affirmation of the call for the justice of the Kingdom of God springing from the soil of the beginning of my journey with Jesus.

We've a story to tell to the nations,
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
a story of truth and mercy,
a story of peace and light,
a story of peace and light.

(Refrain)

2. We've a song to be sung to the nations,
that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
a song that shall conquer evil
and shatter the spear and sword,
and shatter the spear and sword.
(Refrain)

3. We've a message to give to the nations,
that the Lord who reigneth above
hath sent us his Son to save us,
and show us that God is love,
and show us that God is love.
(Refrain)

4. We've a Savior to show to the nations,
who the path of sorrow hath trod,
that all of the world's great peoples
might come to the truth of God,
might come to the truth of God.

(Refrain)