God As Mother

Hello reader(s),

I know I haven't updated as I would like, but life has gotten in the way.  My sister is contributing this to my blog and I'm afraid after you read her writing that anything I post will just be elementary.  None of the images I looked at to complement the post do it justice, and I would like to mention that if certain language offends you, don't judge this piece based on a couple words you may/may not like.  You could learn something!  Without further ado......

God As Mother

When I was growing up, I distinctly remember the days when I felt sick and needed (or just wanted) to stay home from school. Dad, in true Dad form, would respond with a “you really need to go to school if you can.” In other words, it can’t be that bad, so suck it up and deal. So I always knew who to appeal to for sympathy and understanding: Mom. “Oh sweetie, what’s wrong? I’m sorry. It’s okay to stay home if you need to, and yes, I will go call the school and let them know.” Ahh… and I will lay back down and let her fuss over me a bit….
    Let me clarify, neither of these responses was right or wrong. In fact, I believe they were both out of a place of love and caring (or as close to it as they could be). My dad meant to encourage strength and perseverance in us kids (among other things), and these are good and necessary parts of growth. Some days, I knew his advice probably should be heeded; my “sickness” was more psychological - I wanted to avoid something hard that was coming that day.
    But, when I really didn’t feel good, I just became angry at his response. It felt uncaring. I needed someone to validate. I needed to be soothed and cared for because I felt awful. I wanted someone to reassure me to stay in bed, while she ran to the store for saltines, Ginger ale, and any meds not in the house. I needed my mom.
    My point is this: something inherently changes when I begin to view God as Mother. For the majority of my life, and if I’m not mistaken, for the majority of centuries past, God has been associated with White, male, and dominance. God has been a Father, a Son, and a Spirit… And again, there is something beautiful and wonderful and good about these pictures, but they are distorted and fucked up when the female is not a part of completing a picture (and also when voices of other races and cultures are not present).
    God does not have gender. In God’s image, God created male AND female. Females reveal something of God that males cannot. Why else would God have created both? (This does not mean that men and women are vastly different; indeed, there is much greater similarity between the genders than difference, and making them so different has mainly been a reason for oppression of males over females - since difference in the Trinitarian roles means Father is over Son who is over Spirit, but that’s another fucked up story for another time and place…). In not allowing God to be seen/reflected in BOTH males and females, we have inherently lost something profound and meaningful about God.
    When I think about God as Father, or really God at all (since He has been male in my mind this whole time really) I conjure up images of a judge who has a whole list of do’s and don’ts. He feels distant most often, and even when He’s near, He’s so other to me that I don’t always know how to relate. Yes, some of this “otherness” is necessary as God is God and I am human. But, as a good friend has been talking about lately, the differences that separate us from Jesus are time and culture. That’s a gigantic leap in and of itself. Her husband has never had to think twice about relating to Jesus as a man though. There’s something understood in that identification. But for her and me, and for women in general, that just makes us one more step removed from connecting to and relating with Jesus - and the God of the universe.
    But this doesn’t have to be the case. God is representative of strength and power (concepts typically designated to males), but God is also compassionate and understanding (typically thought of as qualities designated to the “weaker” female sex). When God as Mother is allowed to be this new category in my mind, She is the one who invites and welcomes me with open arms. She spends hours listening to all my emotional ups and downs. She looks like the nursing mother who holds us as infants to her, feeding us, keeping us warm, and delighting in singing over us.
    I’ve been taking this Human Growth and Development class this term, and it is amazing to learn about the bond that is created between a mother and her infant child. In fact, newborns do not know how to regulate their own affect and emotions. They have to look to their mothers to regulate, and in turn, they eventually are able to internalize these patterns. As a mother soothes her baby, so the baby will eventually learn to soothe herself (so just think of what that means for babies whose mothers find other ways of dealing with their babies…). In learning about this relationship, I have been able to symbolically become an infant again, allowing Mother God to care for me. Sometimes, in all this work of learning self-care, I do not know I need or want. I am able to look to Mother God, being dependent on her and starting to internalize the ways She is present with me, so that I can be better present with myself.
    As I was skimming through a magazine recently, I came across this quote: “This is what makes us divine--the possibility of creating another life should remind women that we are made like God in our ability.” This understanding of God as Mother is a breath of fresh air, an opening place, a freedom. It means that instead of looking outside of myself grasping for qualities that are God-like that I have to obtain, I am able to be inside myself, just as I am, a reflection of something beautiful and wonderful and worthwhile.
    For so long, I’ve realized, I have idealized my dad. He is theologically-minded, strong, perseverant, and almost always “right.” He has been passionate about church and visions for God’s people. I strove to be like him, trying to get good grades and be dedicated to all of the same things - small groups, evangelism in a new way, intentional relationship, the importance of connecting with neighbors, etc. Dad was everything that stood for what God is like. I had to become more like Dad to be more like God. And, while this brought out many good things in me (things I don’t want to lose or give up) and helped me to push through things I may not have otherwise pushed through, I kept bumping up against this, “well, what about these other parts of me?” What about the fact that I am female and he is not?
    Working through my “dad issues” meant pushing Mom into the background, and since she is so opposite from Dad, it meant trying to be less like her. In their marriage, Dad has the stronger voice and opinion. I’m coming around to value Mom more and see the beauty and gifts that she has given to me. Seeing God as more of a mom figure means I get to be more playful, and I get to value rest more deeply. I am allowed to be “emotional” and feel what I feel without it becoming a shameful or dramatic thing. It is so good to hold both Mom and Dad in ways that they can balance each other out, instead of pitting one against the other in some way.
    Ultimately, what this wraps around to for me, is that if God represents both “male” and “female” somehow (or really the other way around, since we are image bearers of God), than in being like God, we should all strive to have the male/female balance within ourselves. I am to be strong and tender because God is strong and tender. And, this also means celebrating our diversity in our unity. What I bring to the table is going to be different from the other voices. We all have a uniqueness, and ideally we would let our various voices be heard and represented, knowing that we all reflect God in deep and profound ways.   

What Would Jesus Do?

I try not to get too political on this blog for quite a few reasons, all of which seem obvious to me.  Nothing can start a fight quite like politics or religion, and since I already have a blog that could be associated with religion, talking about politics could turn away the few readers who may pass by from time to time.

However, since I am constantly struggling with the contrast of Jesus' life in the Bible with some of his self proclaimed followers' actions in the political arena, I feel like it's time to spice up the old blog a bit.  How can I not speak about how I feel that Jesus would respond in the wake of several political battlegrounds including immigration, homosexual rights, and culminating in Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in DC last Saturday.  All of these are loaded issues and we all tend to know how we feel, but hopefully no matter how you feel about these issues I can at least grind the gears in your head a little bit.

1) Black and White

One of the biggest failings and shames in our society, and one that directly emerges from a bipartisan government (in my opinion), is that the most intimate, personal, and complex issues get ground down into black and white, one or the other, right or wrong, etc.  The beginning of the end of civil discussion on any topic was when news organizations that were non-profit devolved into giant cable news corporations.  Before we know it how you like your eggs will become a politicized topic.

It is sad to see people lose their rights because their lives became the center of a public debate and the issue at hand is determined by people who are disconnected from the situation, and also people who are just exploiting the situation to earn votes/support/popularity.  This is most tragic when an issue becomes an extreme choice one way or the other, instead of a flexible decision with people on opposing sides of the issue compromising to move forward.

While there are certainly issues to be passionate about, I have yet to see an issue where compromise would not be possible if people would stop fighting for the extreme position.  Why can't we watch news anymore with the option to make our own minds up (we can, but NPR/PBS is unpopular and is considered liberal by people who think everything except Fox News is liberal)?  The last thing I'll say in this section is that there are few, if any, decisions with only two sides, and yet everyday we seem to only hear about a liberal or conservative position on anything.

2) Immigration Reform

Speaking of a polarizing issue, it seems that when it comes to how people feel about immigration they either feel that illegal immigrants should either stay or go.  Everyone wants reform, it's just the how that gets people worked up.  There are many ways that immigration can be reformed, and I hope it would be a more complex process than having an open or closed border.  To form my opinion on this topic I simply ask myself the question:  What would Jesus do?  It's obviously not that simple as people "surprisingly" feel differently about what Jesus would do, but I can at least start there.

I am amazed at the amount of Christians I have interacted with or witnessed that think that the Old Testament is a "Christian" document.  While the Old Testament is absolutely important and absolutely key to the story fulfilled in Jesus Christ, it is important to realize that the Old Testament tells the story of Judaism as much as it does Christianity.  What do I mean by that?  We learn in the Old Testament that while non-Jews could be converted to the faith, it was mostly the faith of a specific people.  While it may be tempting to think that if I, or any other person of non-Jewish descent, would have been a believer in line with Jewish practices, it is not likely (at best) that it would be true.

In fact, I believe it is core to the Christian story that Jesus made it possible for everyone to worship God intimately by serving as the substitute for our sins and the consequence they bring.  The Christian faith is not exclusive to anyone (although some would like to think it is), regardless of ethnic background, and that just wasn't the case in Old Testament times.  So if you consider yourself a follower of Christ, what message does it send when you support keeping people out?  At the risk of sounding hypocritical by summarizing complex viewpoints, I know that it's not that simple for most people, and yet in my daily life I encounter people who are frustrated by "those people" who are "taking jobs," "can't speak English," and are "threatening our way of life."
There is too much scripture condemning that behavior to cite it all (love for enemies, not judging, going above and beyond in response to those in need, etc.).  I'm not saying that an open border is a solution at all.  As Americans, we forget that we are immigrants ourselves inherently, both in our land and in our faith.  As a country we have created the situation we are in.  Perhaps we wouldn't have as big of a problem if we invested in building up other countries rather than constantly throwing money, and more importantly, lives away in never ending wars.

Feel free to comment, and I'll tackle the other "hot button" issues later.  We don't all have to agree, but let's at least try to genuinely ask ourselves:  "What would Jesus do?"  (And as an aside, I'm glad that bracelet fad is over.  When a legitimate question becomes a "fad," chaos ensues.)           

Andy Szymas Part Deux (Not for the Weak Stomached....)

Andy here; thanks for tuning in again… Today is the second part of a series that is all about taking Jesus out of the Box. Without further ado, let’s see what other boxes we can rescue Him from…

Jesus is my Hostage: Some people don’t view Jesus as someone that they serve, but as someone that should serve them. Jesus seems to be in their life simply to inform their political views or beliefs. The Bible isn’t a truth to live to; it’s a weapon to divide with. Verses are ripped screaming from their context and used as a bludgeon over those who aren’t as adept at memorizing scripture.

The most frustrating part about this box is that it isn’t a box that affects the “boxer” as much as the “boxee.” It’s a struggle to wake anyone up from this, and ultimately, we have to balance love and challenge to the people who have put Jesus in this box.

Before we can even do that to others, we also must remove the planks in our own eyes. Think back to your life and when you get most frustrated and want to “prove your point.” What scriptures come to your head? Do you see where they fit in the whole of the Bible, or do you only remember the sentence/phrase that proves your point? If you feel yourself in this trap, I recommend spending some time forcing yourself to listen and not immediately respond to whatever “threat” is in front of you.

Jesus is my Stock Broker: Don’t you know that Jesus gives all the investment tips you need in the Bible? If you’re poor now, that’s because you aren’t serving God properly. God wants nothing to do with the poor – he’s given them all the tools they need to pull themselves out.

Of course that’s absurd, but it’s frightening how often we can use Jesus to promote capitalism. We take verses in the Bible where Jesus says that a worker deserves his wages but ignore Matthew 20, which flies in the face of conventional capitalism. In this parable, the worker does not pay for the amount of work done, but pays everyone equally. What economic system does that sound like? Hint hint… it’s not capitalism.

And that’s not to say that Jesus is promoting communism or socialism. I’m trying to point out that when we prop Jesus up to serve a specific economic model, we lose sight of the idea that all money belongs to Jesus, and that he doesn’t hoard it… So neither should we.

 

Jesus is my Uncle Sam: Jesus invented America and makes an exception to his platform of love for those dirty commies and people not fortunate enough to be a full blooded American. That’s why when you look at a picture of Jesus on the cross, you see red (Jesus’ blood), white (Jesus’ skin), and blue (Jesus’ eyes). That’s red, white, and blue baby…

This is pretty absurd on all levels, and we can tackle it without using the Bible. Pretty much have to, actually, since the Bible says nothing (directly) about America. The U.S.A. is a wonderful country to live in and provides us with many rich blessings that no one else in history is provided. However, this country was founded primarily on the works of John Locke, not on Jesus Christ.

More sobering than the foundation is what America is now. Still a great country, but we have to realize that if Jesus were to come today, we would probably look a lot more like the villainous Roman empire of the New Testament rather than the heroes of the story. I’ll leave you with this quote from Rob Bell’s “Jesus Wants to Save Christians:”

“Most of the Bible is a history told by people living in lands occupied by conquering superpowers. It is a book written from the underside of power. It’s an oppression narrative. The majority of the Bible was written by a minority people living under the rule and reign of massive, mighty empires, from the Egyptian Empire to the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Empire to the Assyrian Empire to the Roman Empire. This can make the Bible a very difficult book to understand if you are reading it as a citizen of the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.”

Andy is a freelance thinker, writer, and giver-of-opinions. Read more of his work at: http://andyszymas.blogspot.com

 

Guest Stars

(The following is the beginning of many posts that will be contributed to my blog by others.  The first contribution is from my brother-in-law Andy Szymas.  Think of him as an evil version of me.  Andy can speak for himself, so without further ado....)

Hello – I’m not Jason. I’m Andy, and Jason is my brother-in-law. Jason asked me to contribute a few posts here and there to this blog, so here I am! I won’t go into a tremendous introduction here – if you would like more understanding of my context and the way I approach life (including scripture) you can visit my blog at Thoughts On Life. I figured a good place to start would be with the title of this blog – Taking Jesus out of the Box. But to do that, we have to figure out what box we put him in.

Jesus is my CEO: A CEO’s job is to maximize profits, and to be honest, Jesus does not exist to maximize much of anything really. Jesus isn’t particularly concerned with getting the most followers – See Mark 10 for at least one example of someone that Jesus “let get away.” Jesus seems to speak in a deliberately confusing way in order to drive at least a few people away. Jesus never shows interest in money or political power for himself or for his “organization.” All in all, Jesus would be fired as a CEO in today’s business world.

To get Jesus out of this box, we have to stop allowing the world to set our goals and metrics. Success in the eyes of Jesus is not measured by how efficiently we can send out church invitations; it is not found in the number of seats used on Sunday morning; and it can’t be found in counting our tithes. Success, in the eyes of Jesus, is found in glorification of His name.

Jesus is my Santa Claus: This seems to be the idea in some churches which preach a prosperity gospel – that Jesus exists to bring gifts (hopefully more than once a year!) But only if you’re nice and not naughty.  Actually, Jesus doesn’t always give much in the way of traditional gifts or wealth, does he? His best friend is called from a life as a poor fisherman to a life as a … poor preacher who is crucified upside down. That’s a great gift, isn’t it?

We must begin to realize that Jesus doesn’t exist to bring us gifts – we exist to bring Him gifts. Jesus isn’t around to make sure that we have summer homes and nice cars and no cancer. We may end up with those things through God’s blessing, but we aren’t to use those for only our enjoyment. In fact, the only reason that Jesus gives us anything is for us to give to others – look at the story of Abraham, who is blessed “in order to be a blessing to all nations.” So to remove Jesus from this box, we have to stop thinking of my stuff and start thinking of Jesus’ stuff.

Jesus is my Superman: Superman swoops down and saves the day at the last minute, against all odds. Superman is known as the Big Blue Boy Scout – he rescues people again and again, even if they’re evil and suffering the consequence of their own mistake. But Jesus seems to be more willing to let people make their choices and take the consequences – Jesus gives Judas some three years to see his ministry, but never seems to take the temptation away or rescue Judas. He lets Judas make his choice and grieves Judas’ decision.

Jesus is in this particular box because of the choices we make that put us in situations that need rescue. In order for us to remove Jesus from this box, we need to remove the need for a box – we must stop putting ourselves in situations where we need a Superman. Rather than expecting Jesus to rescue us from crippling debt, we need to make decisions that don’t put us there. Instead of expecting Jesus to pull us out of crushing materialism, we need to start giving in small ways. You get the point.


I’ll return in a couple of days with a few more “boxes” that we put Jesus in… In the meantime, if you have questions/comments/concerns/ideas, let me know and comment! 
Andy is a freelance thinker, writer, and giver-of-opinions. Read more of his work at: http://andyszymas.blogspot.com

Interesting Blog Post on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral at JesusCreed

Read Scot McKnight's take on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral here: http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/2010/07/the-wesleyan-quadrilateral-ste.html

I think this is a well written post (as usual with McKnight's work), but I also think it is reflective of McKnight's upbringing and his own scriptural interpretation (obviously my post has it's own bias).  I do think that Wesley gave scripture priority, but given the time in which Wesley lived and taught, I wouldn't expect otherwise.  I would however, apply the quadrilateral maybe a bit differently today.  McKnight suggests that we should give scripture priority in the equation and the illustration shown in his post shows scripture, indeed, as the foundation of the quadrilateral.  I hope that one day we can get past these "word games" and realize that scripture is a vital component, but is no more or less valuable than the other components.
To explain myself, I would even echo some of the points McKnight makes himself as he talks about the ways tradition, reason, and experience enhance and work with scripture.  When we throw out tradition, we are basically insulting conclusions and affirmations made over centuries.  This doesn't mean that tradition isn't adapting or being reformed, but without tradition we lose respect for some of the distinctly common aspects to our faith.
Reason and experience are similar, and NT Wright (being an Anglican priest) asserts that experience is an unnecessary leg in the quadrilateral.  With my own "experience" in mind, I couldn't disagree more.  Reason allows us to translate scripture individually and communally with our experiences fueling what is reasonable (not without scripture and tradition in hand, though).
You can see how difficult it is to talk about one without the other three.  We can't possibly interpret scripture properly on our own.  We all have been brought up with a particular approach to the Bible and have reacted to that approach one way or another.  Ironically, the title of my blog is "Taking Jesus Out of the Box," and one of the most frustrating things I've seen is when people practice their faith in a way that chains God, and Christ, to the Bible.  Aren't we engaging the LIVING GOD today?  Are our lives any less important to God than the lives of the saints in the Bible?
I agree with most of what Mr. McKnight had to say, and I bet I'm reading too much into semantics when I challenge the sola scriptura approach as well as others who challenge that approach and yet still seem bullied into deferring to scripture as the primary understanding of God independent of our own lives.  I don't think that's what McKnight is doing, per say, but just the fact that he took the time to mention that scripture is the primary component of the quadrilateral speaks volumes.
To conclude, let me just say that we sometimes forget what we're reading and where it comes from.  In some cases we don't even know where exactly it came from but make an educated guess or conclusion with what we do know.  To me, the Bible is an interpretation of an interpretation of an oral tradition put into writing, and in some cases it is an interpretation of an account of events (interpretation in regard to language).  It is a central component of my own faith, but I always approach it with a bit of humility because to me it is impossible to look at the Bible as a prescription for all of life's events as well as a collection of scientific conclusions.  When people look to the Bible as the end all be all, they give it priority over God and lose the God given ability to think for themselves in some situations.  We need more room for discussion and respect for differences in the church in regard to scripture.  We have more common beliefs with each other as Christians than we do differences, and humanity as a whole has more in common than it has differences.  Let's give scripture it's proper place with the realization that God works outside of scripture as well as outside of the limitations tradition, reason and experience have on their own.

God bless,

Jason   

Rethinking Sin and Holiness (Part Two: Holiness)

Defining Holiness

Ho´ly

a.	1.	Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed; sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels; a holy priesthood.
	2.	Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly; pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God.

Ho´li`ness

n.	1.	The state or quality of being holy; perfect moral integrity or purity; freedom from sin; sanctity; innocence. Who is like thee, glorious in holiness! - Ex. xv. 11.
	2.	The state of being hallowed, or consecrated to God or to his worship; sacredness. Israel was holiness unto the Lord. - Jer.ii.3.

The above definitions are from Webster's online dictionary, and on top of that, in the NIV Bible there are 532 verses that have the words holy and holiness in them.  I would say that the concept of holiness is pretty important in our journeys, especially as Christians.  Sadly, I think certain interpretations of holiness often lead Christians to a way of living that can limit our availability/accessibility to others.
The most dangerous way in which we define holiness, or being holy, is when we interpret it as the freedom or absence of sin, especially in reference to the lives we live on this earth.  If you believe as I do (and as what was covered in my last post on sin) that we live in continual sin and need to be continually in repentance, then it is impossible to see yourself as without sin or in in a state of having no sin.  When we look at ourselves as being holy, we can cause permanent damage in our future relationships with others.  Perhaps of more concern, when we see ourselves as holy beings we often give ourselves power and control over realities in which we have little knowledge and absolutely no control over.  Instead of letting go and letting God work within us, we try to force (most often unintentionally) God into others.  The results of this kind of approach have been catastrophic in my experience.  With that said, it might be a good idea to look at other ways to view holiness.
The last thing I want anyone to do after reading the first couple paragraphs is to lose hope or to wonder, "why bother."  The mistake is not an intentional one in how we apply holiness, and I believe it can be somewhat remedied if we plug a little humility into the concept.  There are two definitions that I like from Webster's: 

Holy- set apart to the service or worship of God
Holiness- the state of being hallowed, or consecrated to God or to his worship

If we set a standard for ourselves of being without sin, we will fail every time.  It is not a matter of what people find out or how good we are at hiding it, even if no one (including ourselves) knows, we can never live up to this standard.  It is akin to listing sins in that we focus too often on not sinning, and in doing so, we either don't live up to the list we've made, or worse, we commit sins that aren't on the list which we may not consider to be important or that we are ignorant to.
The beautiful thing about the definitions above is that it opens up a whole new way to look at scripture and holiness.  The point is that we don't need to be sinless to be set apart in service or worship to God!  In fact, I believe he prefers it if we come as we are and don't try to pretend that we are better than anyone else.  This way of looking at holiness also brings scripture to our level, as intended by the writers of the gospels and Paul.  Maybe Jesus didn't die to free us from our sins in this life, but instead died so we could have a more intimate and personal relationship with God and with others.  Another way to phrase this is to recognize that Jesus died so the sins we continually commit won't be the death of us, but rather his death made the process of confession simpler through means of a more intimate relationship with God.  (Feel free to ask questions in the comments or through email/facebook if you have trouble grasping what I'm trying to say or if you want to explore the topic further.)


Application

To me this is the most exciting opportunity in writing on sin and holiness.  Imagine what we can do when we stop trying to be God, and instead take an honest approach to imitating the example of Christ.  It's amazing what God can open us up to when we stop worrying about what other people are doing and why we should set ourselves apart from them.  It's incredible what can happen when the church stops trying to be perfect and infallible, and this isn't just limited to Catholics.  Churches have been their own worst enemies because of this approach.
Jesus didn't come to save the religious institution which was hell bent on dictating others' lives.  He ate with "sinners" and healed these on the margins of society, people who had been been viewed as "unclean" or "unworthy" to be in relationship with him.  And yet today it is ironic how often we see churches doing their best to dictate others lives as well as being intentional in steering clear of ministry to specific groups of people.
We are more concerned with not becoming like sinners that we cut ourselves off from being in communion and fellowship with the very people we're called to.
You might honestly ask yourselves who Christians are called to.  It might be better if we ask ourselves:  Who didn't Jesus die for?  Make a list of all the people you feel are unworthy of Christ's love and I would argue those are the people you should be most worried about serving/being in fellowship with.  There is NO ONE ALIVE who is not invited by Christ to be in relationship with God.  It is a tragedy that we don't often take that approach, and even as I write this, I have failed many times at reflecting this outlook myself.
In conclusion, let us recognize that we are all sinners.  We need each other and we need God.  In following the example of Christ we will make many mistakes as we try to reach out to people who have been ignored for too long.  Let's stop trying to maintain an impossible state, but instead let's strive to continually be transformed and to never be satisfied with where we are.  I would rather miss the mark trying to follow Christ's example than I would trying to live a perfect life.
I hope this was helpful and thought provoking to those who have read my two part blog series.  Feel free to leave impressions in the comments.

God bless,

Jason
 
 

Books

Below are some books that I have read or am reading that I would recommend.











Feel free to buy anything I've suggested right from this website (shameless plug).  I will update what I'm reading every so often.

God bless,

Jason

Rethinking Sin and Holiness (Part One: Sin)

Intro

I think one of the biggest mistakes many Christians make today is through the misapplication of scriptural teachings on sin and holiness.  I include myself in this and do not intend to instill guilt into people who have done there best to apply scripture in following Christ.  As you who will read this will see, the point is that in striving to follow Christ we all sin;  The key is to be able to acknowledge our part in continual sin even if we don't recognize it.  Without repentance of sin, even sins of ignorance, I believe we handicap our ability to forgive and love others (especially those who many see as unworthy of love or forgiveness, aka people on the fringe).   

Diagnosing the Problem

I would be willing to bet that no matter where you go to church that sin would be acknowledged as a problem.  When contemplating what sin is, you might get tons of differing responses.  Human beings have made it there business to associate a long list of things which we should not do.  This list of "do nots" varies from person to person, church to church, denomination to denomination, etc.  In reading the gospels, it makes me wonder if we are missing the point.
I know the intent of listing sins is to simplify things, and the intention of this is to help people to achieve holiness in some cases.  But if we put aside the good intent of trying to use scripture to list sins, have we really simplified things?  Jesus is constantly redefining sin and judgment throughout his ministry in the gospels.  If we truly take his teachings to heart, we have to ask ourselves how deep the rabbit hole really is.
There are individual sins, group sins, communal sins, governmental sins, physical sins, sins of the mind, and sins of ignorance.  I've only listed types of sins and I think we can all agree it would be a waste of time spending the rest of my life trying to isolate every specific sin onto a list and then using my time trying to avoid those sins.  And yet this is how we often practice our faith.  We walk on egg shells day to day, and even worse, when someone else struggles with something in their lives we condemn them.  I want to mention that this type of behavior is not limited to a specific group of people.  I think we all struggle with this to some extent.  We are either acknowledging this behavior and trying to get better at being judgmental with the help of God and others, or we feel like because we have forgiveness for our sins and don't commit certain sins (which are worse than other sins) that we are set apart from others.  For those of you reading this who don't struggle with sin anymore, you might find this blog post of little use.
For some of us, before we can even take steps to try and "fix" our tendency to judge, we must first acknowledge that we are living in continual sin whether we know it or not.  Jesus likened thinking certain thoughts to committing physical sins.  He also calls us to self examination before we try to solve someone else's problems with sins.  If we are living in continual sin, shouldn't we be constantly examining our own roles in injustice at every level?  If we are to be judged as we judge others, shouldn't we handle our relationships with others in a respectful fashion, especially our enemies who we are called to love?  I know that I have run into problems when I mistakenly think that sin and holiness begin and end with me.  When we become absorbed in our own lives, we shut ourselves off from the beautiful opportunities God places right under our nose:  To serve and be in fellowship with others, especially people on the fringes of society.  
It's not just serving the poor, but doing our best to empower them to join in the service of others.  We can't do this if we don't recognize that we as Christians suffer from the same continual sin as others.  When we label sins, we are mostly setting a standard that no one can live up to as well as putting ourselves, as broken and imperfect beings, in a place reserved for God.  In my opinion and experience, doing so is about power and control.  Ironically, the way Jesus established these things was through service and humility.  I could be the one misreading scripture, but I don't recall Jesus ever belittling a person's right to think for themselves or make there own choices.  He definitely spoke to consequences and results of certain choices, but set an example of forgiveness, to the point that he even forgives the very people who hate him and are nailing him to the cross.  I can safely say that if someone caused me suffering like Christ suffered, forgiveness would not be at the front of my mind.  I have failed many lesser tests in life and therefore am in no position to judge others.


Redistribution for a Solution

I think that I have at least made a point for the fallacy of specifying sin and trying to achieve holiness by not sinning.  I would propose that we unlearn the way we think about sin and put our energies and time to better use.  It is far clearer, in my understanding, what we are called to than what we are called not to do.  Please recognize that what we are called to is still difficult, but it is exponentially easier than trying to avoid all sin (or even some sin; or even one sin).  Our time would be better spent trying to avoid getting wet in a downpour than it would be trying to spend our lives not sinning.  While sin is ugly, without acknowledging it we wouldn't be able to experience repentance, forgiveness and love to the fullness of what God intends.  The bottom line is that sin is a paradox which we will never fully understand, and that while we would probably prefer not to sin, God turns the negativity of our actions into the beauty of our individual and communal stories/testimonies.  Would the parable of the "Prodigal Son" be the same without the son's bad choices and struggles?
Rather than trying to shine a light on our sins, why don't we think of it as a sickness.  An epidemic that plagues all of humanity.  If Jesus invites everyone to follow him, than the only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians continually repent and seek forgiveness for their sin.  I am obviously over simplifying when I type that, but how would people as a whole be different, even transformed, if they analyzed themselves instead of judging others?  What would church look like without walls of any kind?  Even scarier, what would church look like if we truly invited everyone, regardless of identity or credentials, to follow Christ in community of the church?
I would dare any church, local or greater, to invite and build relationships with anyone who would accept that invitation.  We fall into the myth of believing that we have to reach a certain status to help or serve others, especially in Western culture.  For many Christians and people in general, we invest so much time into achieving a certain level of success that we lose the ability to help others.  I myself have become so absorbed in my social status, my financial status, and my spiritual status that I am sure to have missed many opportunities to put my God given gifts to work in spite of my situation.  Even to this day I fear that I spend way too much time feeling sorry for myself.
I want to conclude by saying that I know the processes I have proposed are not easy.  I am also not trying to justify obvious wrongs by thinking of sin as an epidemic instead of a list we can avoid.  If you take anything away from this, I would say that we should redistribute our energy into what we can participate in or what we are called to rather than taking stands against certain behaviors or people.  It is impossible to know why certain people do things unless we truly walk in their shoes.  I'm not saying we would make the same decisions, but it is undeniable that environment and circumstance influence choices.  The sins of the "haves" are not any less to God than the sins of the "have nots."  Rather than isolating certain people for certain behavior and speaking against them, why don't we work together to improve others' situations so it is less tempting to resort to certain behaviors?
We are called to love God and love people above all else, so let's continue to do our best to love people as God intended.

I hope those who read this are moved and I will tackle holiness in part two.  I am open to discussion and suggestions on said topic(s).

God bless,

Jason     
 

Mountains and Valleys

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. I can assure you, the sporadic and inconsistent readers, that I have many good reasons for this. I feel bad about it nonetheless. I no longer plan to use this blog to relate to lectionary studies or analysis unless I get to a point in the future where I may wish to do so. I'm sure I'll get to the point where I am able to do what I intended with exploring different biblical/spiritual themes, but at this point there remain more pressing matters. I will still try to update more often as I have. No promises.

This post will definitely be more transparent as I will try to fill you all in on the busyness (and sometimes lack thereof) in my life. I am juggling quite a few things at the moment, although my burden has been eased a tad lately, and the first is that I am a candidate for ministry in the United Methodist Church. For those of you who aren't aware of what that means, my plan is to eventually become a local pastor (simply put). I have been a candidate for over a year, but for many reasons have not made much progress. The process where it stands has been a process of continual soul searching and self analysis as well as a struggle at times.
My family and I just changed churches, and while that aspect of our lives has improved, many other things have caused much stress.
The second thing I've been juggling is my former employer and the unemployment that I'd been collecting for around a year. I won't go into too much detail here, but my former employer challenged my unemployment and I recently lost the case and have been ordered to pay it all back. My advocate has appealed to the State Board on my behalf but this situation has caused my family and me much stress.
Thirdly, a friend introduced me to the possibility of selling life and health insurance through a network. I have been studying for the last three weeks or so. I failed the licensing exam the first time I took it but just passed the exam last Thursday. I'm hoping this will provide my family with good income and provide some stability for us.
Now you know why I haven't been posting so much. I have a tendency to get down even though I believe a positive attitude is a key factor in dealing with adversity. I can honestly say that that is a principle easier said than practiced. I have struggled with follow through my whole life. I am getting better at it though and passing my licensing exam was a huge relief. I actually started to re-prioritize my life not too long ago following an e-mail my Grandma sent me which focused on not getting down and maintaining a positive outlook.

I promise this blog won't always be about me, but I just wanted to let those that may have been reading a reason why there's been a dry spell. I'll try not to go that long without posting again.

God bless,

Jason

Lectionary: Fourth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Passages

Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

For whomever may check in to see what the weekly passages are, I'm sorry I didn't get them up sooner. I have been distracted with life's happenings. I got a second shift job last week in a warehouse that manufactures nutrition bars. I have been training (and doing) on weighing different liquids which get poured into a mixer that basically mixes nutrition bar dough. The job is physically demanding, but it is an example of God answering to our needs and not necessarily the way we want our needs to be met (at least in my case).
On top of that, there have been other "distractions." My wife is pregnant with our second child and I've been dealing with my former employer challenging my unemployment benefits. I won't go into much detail, but I appreciate any thoughts or prayers from anyone who may read this. I am doing my best to keep my spirits up in trying times. Sometimes I succeed at this but sometimes I can't help but feel a bit down.
Ultimately I have hope for the future and hope that I can achieve what God has set before me. So in case anyone was wondering why the updates have been sporadic, I hope you now have a better understanding of why it has been that way.

God bless,

Jason

Magazine Review- U.S. News & World Report: Secrets of Christianity

I don't know how often I will review external material on this site, but around the time I was beginning this blog, I came across this magazine in a supermarket. It caught my eye, and given the title of my blog I considered it my duty to read the material and relay my general impressions.
The magazine has four themes (Who Was Jesus?, Unearthing The Gospels, Martyrs Heretics And History, and Miracles Faith And Science) in which there are 3-4 articles per theme with discussions about various aspects of the Christian faith. While the magazine definitely takes the "conspiracy theory" route in advertising, I found that it was well rounded in portraying the different perspectives on each issue covered.
In the first section (Who Was Jesus?) the articles delve into the legitimacy of the narrative of Jesus as portrayed in the Bible. This section reinforced for me that we all seem to invent our own truths at some point in reference to periods of time that we are detached from. For example, James Tabor (author of The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity) seems to pick and choose what he deems valid in the Biblical narrative to justify what he's found out about Jesus in his external research. My problem with this is his rejection of certain parts of the same texts which, in my opinion, have always been a vital part of Christian practice.
Don't get me wrong, we all use the Bible at some point to justify our own world views and experiences. It would be wrong for me to belittle Tabor's point of view without admitting to probably doing something similar. I just think Tabor goes too far out of his way to justify his own point of view and I disagree with him on many core points.
The other three topics have similar articles with people who take differing points of view on topics like the Gnostic Gospels, the Crusades, Hitler's view of the church, miracles and the apocalypse. I won't review each section extensively, but I will say that I find this magazine fascinating and well researched (in some places more than others).
I guess the one redeeming thing I got from this book is that it seems at multiple points in history people have done their best to debunk Jesus as the Christ and Christianity as a whole. One of the main points they have made is that the faith seems to change its "rules" with the times (usually citing the Catholic church), but also questioning Christ's very existence. As modern science has confirmed Biblical settings and the characters in the Bible have been shown to exist indeed, the very argument of those who refute Christianity seems to change as much as the Christian faith itself.
That's not to say that the conversation and search for truth shouldn't evolve. While I obviously come to different conclusions than those that don't recognize Christ, I think the path to those conclusions often intersect and often may seem eerily similar. After all, isn't faith somewhat rooted in a process involving skepticism? And doesn't even the most severe critic need some level of faith to justify that skepticism?
This piece definitely does prove that Jesus is still relevant in today's world no matter what you think of him. I would definitely pick this up and read through it if you are interested in Christian history and theology.

God bless,

Jason

Lectionary: Third Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Passages

Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19

Here are this weeks passages. I have had a lot going on in my personal life that has inhibited what I hoped to have accomplished at this point. Bear with me and I will try to have a piece on sin and holiness up soon.

Lectionary: Second Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Passages

Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

Hey folks, sorry I'm late getting these up and I apologize for not having the Easter day scriptures posted. Life has simply gotten in the way. It has been a trying time for my family to say the least, but in spite of my own struggles I have found myself continuing to grow by God's grace. I found myself in a unique situation yesterday that unfolded into a real life story of how we can serve others while being in a tough situation ourselves.
A couple weeks ago I heard a sermon on the story of "The Good Samaritan." I won't rehash the whole sermon, but the story was about a person in desperate need being helped by someone who he would least expect, and probably a person who he may not want help from. There was also an anecdotal story within the sermon about a group of college students who ended up being tested on their real life application of the story and they all ended up ignoring an actor portraying someone in need as they were asked to hurry to another part of campus (I apologize for not remembering all the details).
The point of it all was not that we should demonize others for not recognizing those in need within their immediate vicinity or to demonize ourselves, but I took it as a call to be more aware and active in our response to those needs.
So yesterday afternoon I had agreed to drop a friend off at work as well as pick up my sister in-law from work around 5:45-6ish. As I was heading home I found myself stuck behind a car that was stalled in the middle of the road (two lanes both ways with a left turn lane; the car was in the left lane). I started to switch lanes and my immediate response was that I was a bit agitated. I wasn't upset with the people in the parked car, but at the inconvenience of having to work around the car through traffic to get home.
As I pulled past the car many things came to my mind in a short amount of time. The sermon I'd heard a couple weeks prior came to mind. An opportunity to put my conviction of putting my faith in practice came to mind. Lastly, I felt a bit shamed and embarrassed at my initial reaction given my approach and response intellectually to the gospel.
I pulled into a Meijer (a department store) that was at the corner of where the car was stalled and ventured out into the middle of a busy street to see how I could offer any assistance, if any. To make a long story short, I ran to a gas station and bought gas for the family of five in the car. When that didn't work I was able to call a tow and help drive the family members where they needed to be in two separate trips.
As soon as I finished this task I got a call from my friend and picked him up from work as well as brought him to pick up his car from the person who had fixed it. I didn't get home until 10.
I'm not writing this to make anyone think I am a saintly person, or to instill guilt in anyone. I am the most selfish person I know and in all likelihood I've missed out on exponentially more opportunities to help people than I've been able to take advantage of a situation like yesterdays. It seems to me that we are so focused on what we are doing and where we are going that we miss out on what God is putting right in our paths.
My only intention in sharing this with my few readers (or would be readers) is that I hope it prompts a deliberate intention to open ourselves up to these kinds of "inconveniences." I found that in my service of others yesterday that I was truly the one served.

God bless,

Jason

Holy Week Scriptures

Lectionary Passages for Holy Week

Monday- Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 36:5-11, Hebrews 9:11-15, John 12:1-11

Tuesday- Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 71:1-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, John 12:20-36

Wednesday- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 70, Hebrews 12:1-3, John 13:21-32

Holy Thursday- Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 116:1-4 12-19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26,
John 13:1-17 31b-35

Good Friday- Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1-19:42

In an effort to increase the quality of this blog for the long run, I will be scaling back the content on the site. I will no longer do analysis on every lectionary text. I will post the text still for those who want to study the scripture each Monday. Holy week has texts for each day, and I apologize for having this week's text up late.
Each month will have a topic on which I will put together a post and I have also invited guests to post on the topic on my site. April's topic is sin and holiness, so keep an eye out for different pieces and please feel free to interact.

God bless,

Jason

Randomness

Hey all,

I am new to the blog thing and as you can see, I've added different gadgets on the right side of my blog page. My wife is Haitian and so obviously helping out Haiti happens to be something that affects my family as well as the families in Haiti. Don't hesitate to help through the Red Cross or by donating a tree for reforestation. I want my blog to be a portal for my readers to be able to access a way to do mission and not just hear me ramble. I would also appreciate any ideas for making the blog better.

Rant over,

Jason

Giving Ourselves to the Greater Good

Liturgy of the Passion-
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56

All scripture can be looked up at http://www.biblegateway.com/ for those who may not have immediate access to a Bible.

Analysis- I don't know how many times the story of Christ's death has been told to me, but it is often told with the same meaning implied: That Jesus died for me so that all my sins would be washed away. Often when I heard this story (either in Sunday School or a sermon) the analogy of dirty linen being washed clean would be used. It's amazing to me how the story of the cross has also been made into a success story revolving around our individual salvation. While I don't think this is necessarily always the intent of the person interpreting the story, often times I got the impression that all I had to do was believe in Jesus and that was enough to ensure that I would live forever in heaven. I was told that this decision to believe was easily accomplished with a simple prayer, and often it was implied that I would be set for life, or rather more correctly, beyond life.
While I have no doubts that the many people who present Jesus' death in this way have nothing but the best in mind, I believe that personally many of these spiritual topics were, in fact, not simple or easy to grasp and that they held implications that transcended my youthful understanding of the world. I also believe that looking at the story of Jesus and summarizing it in this way minimizes the gospel and can also stunt our spiritual growth. Keep in mind that I'm not at all saying that Christ didn't die for our sins, or that he didn't die so that he could have an individual relationship with those who are willing, but I'm just saying that we need to ask what that all means for us beyond individual salvation.
For instance, some questions that grew on me from the time I was baptized at a prepubescent age were: What do I do now that I'm a Christian? What does it mean to have a relationship with Christ? If I'm going to heaven anyway, what more should I do? Etc.
Too often, people become Christians and their whole understanding of their relationship is that they are "safe" and their lives become a mission to "save" other people before they die. Obviously I'm leaving out a lot of the steps and theological understandings, but for some, the Christian faith is an ultimatum between choosing God/Jesus/heaven and hell.
While I certainly believe that we are called to invite others into the faith, I don't think Jesus intended for people to make the faith about abstract states of being outside of the realm of this world (heaven or hell). In fact, I think that Christ wanted his people doing his work and accomplishing his will in this world. Why do some Christians try to convert people with limited understandings of the consequences of this life, acting as if we have the final say and not God? Wouldn't our energy be better spent teaching what Christ did in this world and how, as his followers, we wish to act similarly to the best of our ability to honor his sacrifice? In my experience an invitation is more appealing than an ultimatum, especially an ultimatum human beings have no control over and have, at best, a limited understanding of.
I want to close my analysis with a thought about how our faith could be different, a thought that some will likely think extreme if not heretical, but hopefully a thought that will at least prompt others to re-think how they look at their faith.
How would we appear differently to others if we were willing to go to hell for others so that they could taste heaven? I don't necessarily mean beyond our earthly existence, but to gently rephrase the question: What ways can we better give ourselves for others regardless of what others believe, and regardless of the consequences to ourselves?
Didn't Jesus go to hell so we wouldn't have to? Didn't he, as God, experience death so it wouldn't be our ending? I know some have answered the very questions I've asked better than I have and maybe ever will. I don't believe that Jesus walked the path of suffering so I could be comfortable. I like to look at Christ's life and death more as an example of holiness that I can't reach or imitate, and because of that, a relationship with Christ is not only vital, but compels me to imitate that example to the best of my ability within the context of my surroundings. Because of this I invite you to join me however you feel you can.

I'd just like to add that I don't have all the answers (insert obvious joke), and the passages and stories that I analyze are often hard to organize my thoughts in. My intention is never to step on anyone's toes or insult their individual interpretations or understandings. I am perfectly comfortable with the idea that I could be wrong. I have, however, thought very deeply about the things I post or write about, so don't think I do this casually.

If you'd like to write something about a topic that comes up on this blog and would like your thoughts posted here, just let me know via e-mail: jsquiggles23@hotmail.com I will review and make a decision about what gets posted, but I will not decide to not post something if the said piece is in disagreement with something I've written. I actually invite discussion, and since it's my blog I reserve the right to respond and have the last word (HAHAHA {evil laugh} HAHAHA).

Sorry about posting the passion analysis a day later, but it didn't feel right before Palm Sunday.

God bless,

Jason

The Savior We Want Isn't Always the Savior We Need

Palm Sunday Lectionary Passages:

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+118%3A1-2%2CPsalm+118%3A19-29&version=NIV

Luke 19:28-40 link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2019:28-40&version=NIV

(I will be linking scripture rather than posting the verses in their entirety, so if you don't have a Bible you may copy and paste the links to your browser to see the analyzed scripture)

Analysis- We are guilty sometimes, perhaps often, of reading about the story of "The Triumphal Entry" (as it is titled in scripture) and wondering how the same people who were exalting Jesus and celebrating him as the fulfillment of the Torah (literally exclaiming the prophecy of Psalm 118 to Jesus as praise) would be some of the same people calling for his head not a week later. Why do I reference guilt? Because while we have the benefit of "the rest of the story," it is easy to become self righteous and assume that we wouldn't make the same mistakes as the people who witnessed Jesus first hand. In doing so, I think we make the same mistake many people made in that time.
You see, the Jews had a very different idea for what type of savior Jesus would be. They thought he would literally save them from their Roman oppressors and re-establish Israel as a nation. Jesus actually weeps approaching Jerusalem after receiving the people's praises, knowing the truth of what is to come. While the people recognized Jesus as a fulfillment of prophecy, they had the wrong idea of what that prophecy was as well as what their place was within the prophecy. As a result, when Jesus wasn't who they wanted him to be, they gladly joined those who condemned him to the cross as a criminal.

I'd like to think that I wouldn't be among those who did that, but the truth of the matter is I'm sure I would find myself in the same crowds. We do the same thing to Jesus today when we take his gospel and misrepresent it to support our own idea of who he is without realizing that Jesus' reality transcends our own understandings. I'm sure God forgives us for our limited understandings, because belief and faith are most often grown from limited understandings. I believe our spiritual growth is stunted when we allow our limitations extend to our understanding of Christ.
I wish I could be more specific, but there are so many ways that we do this, and we're probably unaware at the time we're doing them. One specific way would be when we claim Jesus for our own benefit and gain. Does the appearance of being a "devout Christian" afford us popularity in the communities in which we live? Does it help the businesses we run? Does it help us get votes? Does it give us influence over people who otherwise would ignore us?
I realize that some of these questions imply some darker things about us, but their are people doing their best to be Christians and their faith becomes something that only comforts and never moves us to compromise or sacrifice. When we use our relationship this way, even our sacrifices or things that we compromise for others become an even greater benefit to ourselves. The work we did publicly for that charity? The money we donated publicly for the good of others. I could probably make an endless list, but I'll spare you the guilt because that's not my intent.
As we prepare for Palm Sunday and the last week of Jesus' life culminating in his death, let's do our best to combat the part of ourselves that would use Jesus and our calling as Christians for our own good. Let's focus our attention on how we can give of ourselves in a selfless way; a way that might even cause us to truly lose so others might gain. Jesus truly gave everything up for the benefit of all. We can honor his sacrifice by doing our best to reflect and imitate that for others. We may want a savior who comes to save us and our immediate family; what we need is a savior who compels us to offer up ourselves for the sake of anyone, especially our enemies.

I'll post my analysis on the passion soon (tomorrow or Saturday).
God bless and let me know what you think,

Jason

Preparing for Palm/Passion Sunday

Hello readers,

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days as I have been under the weather and my son got sick yesterday, which has been more tiring than my own illness.

The lectionary readings for the week are themed in the final week of Christ's life, from palm to passion. I will go over the Palm Sunday section likely tomorrow and Christ's trial and crucifixion on Friday and/or Saturday.

God's peace,

Jason

Not Waiting to Share Love for Others

Mary Washing Jesus' Feet With Nard

4th Lectionary Verse

John 12:1-8 (New International Version)

John 12

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

¹Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³Then Mary took about a pint^a]">[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ⁵"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.^b]">[b]" ⁶He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

⁷"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Analysis- Have you ever wanted to tell someone how you feel about them but didn't because of embarrassment, or busyness, or pride, etc.? Time goes by and then the person we care for passes on and we wish we'd had one last moment to tell them what they meant to us or that we'd loved them. I don't believe we should live in regret, but I'm also sure that this happens more often then we'd like to admit and it can leave a sour taste in our mouths.
In the lectionary passage I'm covering in this post, Mary does the opposite of the situation I've just mentioned. Not only does she do the opposite, but she takes it to the extreme. Giving some depth to the story, we can see that earlier in John that Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Her family was hosting a dinner in Jesus' honor and she takes the opportunity to take a bottle of nard (expensive perfume; see link: http://www.biblefragrances.net/nard.html) and wash Jesus' feet with it using her hair!
Judas Iscariot (the disciple who will betray Jesus) was seemingly disgusted by this gesture. He objects in the guise of righteousness, claiming that the perfume could be sold and the money given to the poor. The text says Judas doesn't object out of any concern for the poor, but because he was keeper of the money bag and would help himself to money that was put into the bag. This was likely money that would otherwise be used to help the poor.
Jesus sees right through this and says something interesting: "Leave her alone.....It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Two things stick out to me in that statement:

1) Without comparing anyone to Jesus, doesn't this make a statement that we shouldn't wait for the funeral to honor someone? I'm not saying we shouldn't respect people as we remember their lives, but should we say something at a funeral about someone that we didn't tell them while they were still living?

2) There are poor people all around us. Not just materially poor, but spiritually poor as well. This passage is a statement about serving others, and not just in charitable ways. In fact, one could argue that Jesus is speaking about honoring the poor as equals. Charity seems to always be about those with helping those without, and often times those offering the charity are unable to see how the poor have as much to give as those who seemingly have more.
Sometimes we give only to reassert our own state of well being and a for a sense of pride and entitlement. Other times we do it to make ourselves look better in front of others. What would the world think if Bill Gates entered a soup kitchen, not to help serve the homeless, but to be served and to eat at the same table as the homeless? I think many would be caught off guard and in fact be speechless.

Charity isn't all bad, but as we go into our different places of worship tomorrow or as we just go about our day, let's remember that serving others doesn't always mean what we think it does. Let's do the best we can to see those with less than we may have as equals and realize that we can be served by them as much as we serve them.

Hope that makes sense and remember to be free to ask questions or comment.

God bless and tune in for next week,

Jason