Lent Day 17: Thankful for ascribed cleanliness

"Stop!" The funeral process halted, mourners temporarily silencing their wails in shock. Not even the grief-stricken widow was immune from Jesus' interruption. Her only son had died and she had no tomorrow. No one would care for her though she'd strained her resources to provide a decent funeral for her only child.

Jesus walked up to the bier and touched it. "What is the rabbi doing? He won't be around us for at least a week," whispered bystanders. "He's unclean."

"Sit up, lad," Jesus said to the corpse wrapped in linens. As the young man's spirit returned to his body, he sat up. "Here is your son," Jesus smiled at the widow, bestowing God's favor.

By touching a dead body in a culture of ritual cleanliness, Jesus had made himself unclean. Most religious authorities shrank from contact or proximity to death and disease. (Jesus' example of the Good Samaritan proved a surprising exception to listeners, who understood when Pharisees and scribe hurried away from a man who had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead.)

I'm amazed that Luke does not record cleansing rituals following such "contaminating" events. Jesus––touching the uncleanness of humanity––does not himself become polluted or despoiled. Instead, wherever he goes, whatever he touches, however he heals, he brings life while remaining pure and clean.

I want to be like Jesus: uncontaminated while not shrinking away from those who have become filthy by sin, wrecked by bad choices, and stinking from the deathly consequences of brokenness. After all, Jesus touched me when I was ruined and dirty. He does not abandon me nor cast me off even now when I fail him. The hymnwriter says:

Grace, grace, God's grace - grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace - grace that is greater than all my sin.

Thanks be to God for his holiness, ascribed to his children––and to me––today.

Read more:

*Suppose you sin by violating one of the LORD's commands. Even if you are unaware of what you have done, you are guilty and will be punished for your sin. For a guilt offering, you must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value. Through this process the priest will purify you from your unintentional sin, making you right with the LORD, and you will be forgiven. This is a guilt offering, for you have been guilty of an offense against the LORD. Leviticus 5:17—19

*The Lord executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger. Deuteronomy 10:18,19

*We ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth. 3 John 8

Moravian Prayer: God of justice, you are never biased. However, you always notice the powerless, the marginalized, the downtrodden, the hungry, the homeless and the addicted. You call upon us to do the same so we might be co-workers with the truth. Give us courage to face the forces of power and work for justice in every arena of our lives. Amen.

Hi, my name is God

Surprise! Another quirky and wonderful find from scripture this week = how God introduces himself.

When I answer the phone, it's usually, "Hi, Rosemarie here." The kids had to say, "Hello, K... residence," and my husband answers with his full name. We're happy to exchange names when we shake hands and meet new people.

Scriptural names not only identified people by name, but described the character of the person, or the expectations and experiences of their parents. So when God introduces himself, he tells us what he's like.

God promises his servant Moses a visit. Here's the account:

Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out,

"Yahweh! The LORD!  The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.

But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations." Exodus 34:5–7 NLT

When God describes himself, he doesn't say, "Hey, I'm the big one around here. Tah-DAH, look at me!" He talks about his compassion and mercy, his patience, love, and integrity. He LAVISHES love, though to be just, he must punish those who refuse to live by his holy standards. (All of us have paid for the sins of others at some time or another, and God promises to give full justice. What a relief.)

I felt a strange disconnect last night, watching the first three episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show (first time ever). The show was pretty risque, back in the day, tackling issues like the crabby, alcoholic and sexist boss, the swarmy, dumb, but handsome, news anchor, and by-the-book, gone-wrong, parenting by friends and coworkers. 

Something seemed off in the presentation, until I noticed what was making me doubt its comparison to real life. This was it: 

• Mary's housemates popped in and out of her apartment (as did her boss, writing a drunken letter to his wife... the first evening after she started work). Apparently people didn't feel the need to lock their door against intruders in the "big city" of Minneapolis in the 1960s and 70s.
• No one called the police to haul the boss away, or to sue him for sexist behavior. 
• She didn't put a "do not disturb" sign on her door, but listened to the people drifting in and out of her flat. Weird. 
• Her friend dropped her 10-year-old off with Mary, who let the child run out to the corner store for TV dinners ("Put it on my account." There's trust! Plus, I remember how awful take-out food was, and how women who cooked looked down on those who bought instant meals.)

In gaining the "freedom" to do whatever we want, regardless of morals or standards, we've lost our sense of close community and safety. Children live with multiple "parents," sometimes here or there. We drift through relationships without ever finding our heart's home. And we sure can't rely on others to follow through with work or friendships, if they find more convenient options elsewhere.

All the while, God invites us to align ourselves with his nature, rather than to abandon the Great and Good, But Difficult. He promises us his unfailing love and kindness. He introduces himself to us as the faithful One who never changes, whom we can trust without reservation. 

I'm so grateful to be secure, held through the storms of life, regardless of what others do or say. The One who made us knows how to prepare our quiet place of refuge, if we will trust and obey. I want to be someone who is trustworthy and lives with integrity, because the God who introduces himself as Yahweh is boss of me. 

What would your name be, if it described you? I wonder what those around would name me, too. 

Read more:

* O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might! Deuteronomy 3:24

*Set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13

Moravian Prayer: Eternal God, your promises for our future fill us with excitement. We spend this day, tomorrow and the next day with you. You have promised to keep us for all eternity. Your glory fills our hearts. Amen.

Releasing the rules.

"They thought inner holiness would be proved by external separation from the world. So they invented rules for dress, behavior, and relationships that would show their dedication to God."

I'm writing about Evangelicals and early Pentecostals in the first decades of C20. Missionary men and women set standards for converts overseas, too. Sometimes the "Christianeeze" was pure silliness. Lou Page apologized to her family in a letter from Fiji: "Sorry that our toddler is barefooted. Our shoes have worn out and it is very hot here." What?! She feared the judgment of her parents and siblings because her kids were shoe-less, which would have been the sign of an awful or impoverished family in the United States.

When our kids were growing up, they experimented with weird fashions. Our daughter wore black for over a year, when Goth trends were just beginning to appear. We were choosing our arguments carefully at the time, so we stipulated modestly... regardless of color. She wore long-sleeved shirts and dropped her hair over her eyes. But she wasn't un-dressed, so we let it go. We could have had great fights with her, but why? We wanted her to love Jesus, and she seemed to be on shaky spiritual ground for a bit.

Fashion ranked low on our child-rearing priority scale. Our boys have dressed well and poorly. One wore parkas in summer and left the house in T-shirts in winter. Another wore the same outfit all week, though he showered every day. We could have made much ado about nothing. Eventually, they outgrew their quirks.

Families shun each other over disagreements about holiday traditions, furniture placement, and other unimportant things. Churches seem to split over the color of the carpet, the length of the hem, and theological quibbles. Is our Heavenly Father pleased?

Jesus scolded those who made rules to define the faith of others. By the time he grew up, Pharisees and Sadducees and scribes had hundreds of little qualifiers to demonstrate holiness. It's really sad to read about early Pentecostals and 'holiness movements' who thought their rules would make God happier.

We keep trying to help God along with our additions to his grace. Sure, he expects us to align ourselves with his nature in worship, truth, honesty, faithfulness, goodness. (Read the 10 Commandments for basic alignment with him. They're not just laws. They're reflections of what he's like.)

This coming year, I'd like to be open to new ideas about a life devoted to God. I have a few "should" and "could" items to let slide, expectations that are not life-changers and some that may not even be realistic. I want to release my fears and failures to wallow in God's pool of forgiveness, sprinkling his abundance on those around me. Spiritual peace with God expresses itself in righteousness and joy, even if we wear more jeans than dresses, sweep our porch only when we notice the pine needles cluttering it, and wash the front door only when the doggie paw prints catch our eyes.

What are you willing to let go at the end of this year, to hold tightly to God's hands?

Read more:
*Psalm 148:1-6 Zechariah 10,11; Revelation 20:1-10

*From heaven the Lord looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die. Psalm 102:19-20

*Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

Moravian Prayer: As this year draws to an end, empower us to let go of all that holds us down: our burdens, our shame, and our fears. Free us, Lord and Savior, and hear us when we call. Amen.

Center of my own universe

Everyone thinks they're the center of the universe, or wants to be the center. Hence, the "upside-down" world map (to those in the Northern Hemisphere). Yesterday, I saw two headlines for the same story: "Iceberg the size of Berlin forms in Antarctica," and "Major iceberg the size of New York forming in Antarctica."

Seems like each of us naturally looks out for our own interests. For instance, I find myself weaving in and out of traffic when I'm tense or trying to get somewhere quickly. But wait. What makes me more important than anyone else on the road? Sure, if someone is dawdling, pass them. But zig-zag-ing for position at the head of the line, saving a few minutes at best?

"What am I thinking?!" Foot off the gas, relax.

I was fascinated by a song on the radio about a woman getting irritated with "small inconveniences." She mentions misplacing her keys in the same stanza as speeding through at 35mph zone at 45mph and getting caught by the police. 

"Wait," I thought to myself. "Isn't one of those different. Actually breaking the law?" Since when has it become okay to consider laws as general guidelines... if they are convenient for me? I admit the song reproved me with its casual dismissal of obedience as option and punishment as inconvenience. Why? I sometimes am that woman (only I haven't been caught).

We need to be reminded to consider others better than ourselves by parents when we're young, by peers and friends later on, and perhaps by our children and employees as we age. Jesus noted that those who are faithful in little things can be trusted with much.

In my inner heart of hearts, inconsistent and ever wandering, I constantly need to realign my being with God's centering presence. I cry, 

"Oh Lord, create in me a pure heart. Renew a right spirit within me... do not cast me out of your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me again... and uphold me with thy free spirit. The I will teach your ways to those who step over the line, and sinners will turn from their ways to come to you." (Psalm 51: 10-13, paraphrased)

Eternal peace or insecurity?

My husband is writing a paper on the idea of "once saved, always saved," an issue that seems contentious at worst, confusing at best. How nice to have a theologian in the house - his work and passion to know God inspire me to a closer walk with God, too.

I read Scripture this morning, still mulling over last night's conversation about some theologians who want to give us peace in following Jesus. They so passionately want us not to fear that we'll "lose our salvation" that they are willing to say, "If you've ever made a commitment to Christ, you're safe, no matter how badly you behave thereafter." ("Hell be damned, I'm gonna live like the devil because I'm in!") Other teachers are so worried of us sinning that they say, "If we fall away, we deceived ourselves and were actually never saved in the first place." ("Holy insecurity!")

Yet I read in God's Word:
         Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.  So shall it be! Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:4-8 NIV

Here's what I understand:

• God, holy and magnificent above what we can grasp, is utterly terrifying to humanity.
• Our Maker restored the possibility of a relationship between us, based not on our merits or works, but on his amazing provision through a Sacrifice that satisfies his justice and demonstrates his love.
• Woohoo! We are free; we live in harmony and beauty; we are pardoned from anything we have done or will do. (Yeah, my heart is dancing with joy!)
• When he comes back, we will understand the past, present, and future grace and peace he extends to us. THAT will be a celebration unlike any other for those who love him. (In contrast, the realization will be an unthinkable horror for those who rejected him.)
• It's an honor to live as God's kings and priests among our fellows, inviting them by words and by peaceful, moral, exuberant lives, into relationship with our God.
• God will examine how we lived and reward us in absolute justice, according to our choice to live in him or spurn his friendship.

Am I insecure? Can I lose intimacy with God like a letter I drop on the way to the post office? Nope, I'm safe in the hands of a mighty Lord who keeps me. However, he expects me to press in, to align with his character, and to serve him and others as his emissary. He also lovingly allows me to walk away and reject him, even when that means I deliberately choose to end our relationship.

We choose Life! To THE ONE, who was, is, and is to come, be glory, honor, power, dominion, authority, praise... over all, and in you and me... as we worship with right living and joyful retelling of his goodness. AMEN.