Lenten Journey- Sunday 1- Trust to the Word

Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic.

Do not defend God's word, but testify to it.

Trust to the Word.

It is a ship loaded to the very limits of its capacity.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In this quote Bonhoeffer was talking about preaching. He said it to his ordinands at the “illegal” seminary he was leading during the war. Over the years he had become convinced of the importance of knowing the Word of God, not a particularly popular topic, especially in that moment of German-based theology. He had studied under the modern critical-thinking theologians and had great respect for them, but he was also a friend and follower of Karl Barth who did not feel the same way. The Bible, the Word of God, needs no defending. It is always relevant.

Perhaps in less demanding times than Bonhoeffer lived in there is the luxury of digging into the Word in different ways, parsing the nuances. But Bonhoeffer had seen in the Black American Church a different way. There was the need to be faithful in the midst of suffering, he discovered, never dreaming in his worst moments that this idea would become so essential in his beloved homeland. To the African American experience of the early 1930s he owed a debt of deepest faith. They taught him the forever relevance of the Bible, even when it may not always seem that way.

I have to be honest about how I look at the Bible. It is, of course, the product of its time. As I read passages about the subservient role of women in the church I know I am hearing only one side of a story- the side that did the final editing. As I read some of Jesus’ words there is a clear disconnect with other teachings of his. It is easy to twist and turn the meaning of words to fit what you need. I remember being at a youth conference where the preacher excitedly made a quote from the Book of Job. I scratched my head since that quote did not fit the book as I remembered it. So I looked it up. It was from the Book of Job, but they were words from one of the false comforters trying to explain to Job why he was suffering. It sounded good when preached, but they were words that God discounted a few chapters later.

Everything I need to know about living a faithful life is in the book- and that, Bonhoeffer would say- is all I need to know.

Even today in this time of division and uncertainty. Even today when some “preachers” seem to say that if you disagree with the president you are following the Devil. You are Satanic. Even today in a world that has such different views of history, creation, government, people than in the time of the Biblical authors. How then can we find the relevance?

1. Be honest about yourself.

Don’t think more highly than you ought to think. Your opinion of yourself will seriously impact my view of what I see in the Word. I may ignore the passages that challenge me- and emphasize how they challenge someone else. But we do think better of ourselves. Research has shown that we often think of ourselves in the top 20% or higher- even when all the evidence says we’re not.

How can I become open to letting my own behavior be the first place I challenge and look to change?

2. Be prayerful!

Bonhoeffer did not see how anyone could preach without having the discipline of prayer. It was inconceivable to him!
Bonhoeffer was not a “Fundamentalist” nor was he a “Liberal.” It is wrong to put opinions from the last 70 years into his thoughts. He was faithful! He knew what the Bible was all about, and that was not necessarily rules and regulations. It was about being in communion with God and others. That starts in and with prayer.

How can I be more prayerful and prayerfully mindful this Lent?

3. Be open to other points of view than your own.

In spite of what some churches, preachers, and others may think, they do not have all the answers. No one does. A quote I’ve heard many times says If I can understand and explain God, than I’m not talking about God. Or, put another way, such a God that I can understand is not worth worshiping. There may be truth found in different opinions, something important to learn, but not everything can be true at all times. That can be confusing, sure. But in a prayerful life, we can learn discernment.

How can I find ways to listen, explore, and seek for insights, even in those with whom I may disagree?

4. Be willing to stand on your convictions.

Being wishy-washy will get us nowhere. Yes, there are broader truths and understandings than I may be willing to admit. Yes, I may even be wrong sometimes in my opinions. But when it is necessary, I must be willing to stand by what I believe.

How (and when) have I been afraid to speak my convictions?

5. Be obedient to God’s word.

When I discover all these things above (and others that I will add to this over these weeks), I then must be obedient. This understanding of The Word is not just (or even) an intellectual exercise. It is a discovery of what I am called to do and how I am called to live in my life. Most of the time this can be quite easy. I am fortunate to live in a time and place where that is possible. Bonhoeffer, in the end was not. The fear of many in this time- and it was a fear of others for the past eight years (see # 3 above!)- is that this could change. I need to learn the discipline of obedience now, when it is safer, so it will be a habit if it changes.

Where is my obedience lacking or less than it can be?

In the end, putting this all together with the world I am living in that has spurred this spiritual journey, I can perhaps look to Bonhoeffer’s mentor for a piece of advice I have heard for over 45 years:

Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. 
But interpret newspapers from your Bible.
-Karl Barth

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to God, my Creator!

Not Obeying Jesus?

A phrase from the Gospel of Mark 7:36 has always intrigued me. Jesus has just finished some of his miracles and, as he often does in Mark's Gospel, informs those around him that they shouldn't tell anyone about what they have seen. But Mark lets us know that this isn't as easy as it sounds. Mark's line is a simple statement:

Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

I point this out for two reasons. For one- how could he hope to get people to follow him if he kept it a secret? Second- and the one that strikes me this week- is how well people obeyed him.
They didn't.

The more he urged them to be quiet, the more they talked. The more miracles he did, the more he asked them to be quiet, and the more they spread the news.

That of course makes sense- if you have just met a miracle worker of the stature of Jesus you would want others to know about it. If this miracle worker had just done something amazing for you, one of your family members or one of your neighbors, everyone in town would know about it with a few days if not a few hours. Even before social media got those things posted before the hour passed.

Maybe I'm in a particular cynical mood today, but my reaction to the quote was as simple and straightforward as Mark:

The more Jesus wants us to do something, the less likely we are to do it!

Take the example of Matthew 25 where Jesus says we should feed the hungry, visit the prisoner and the sick as if we were doing these acts to Jesus. Then there's the call to treat the poor and stranger with compassion and care. When was the last time that either of us gave someone the shirt off our back when they only asked for our coat?

Me neither.

But then I got downright radical.

If Jesus didn't mention something, maybe that is what we should be taking care of!

Now I'm really meddling in things that I shouldn't. Many of you will probably guess what I'm thinking about. The great religious fervor and willingness to stand up against sin- esp. that of same-sex marriage. It is obviously something of incredibly great importance - since Jesus never mentions it. It is obviously something that we need to make sure we stand up against.

If it were something so-so, or a common every day thing- Jesus would have talked about it and told us not to talk about it. But since there is nothing anywhere in the Gospels about homosexuality, we better correct Jesus error- or really obey what he wants us to really do- condemn them.

So remember, if Jesus tells us to do something, it is okay to disobey him like they did 2000 years ago when he told them not to tell anyone.

Be bold- disobey Jesus. He's obviously forgiving to us when we do that.

And be very diligent about disobeying.

Especially when he makes such statements as:

Whoever is without sin, cast the first stone.

Which Kind of Love?
Ever since I first learned that there are three (or four) different words for love in Greek, I usually try to check which one of them is being used in a given passage. Like today's Gospel:

John 14:23 - "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

As you can probably guess, most of the time Jesus uses* what we often describe as that total self-giving love of agape, not brotherly love or erotic love. He's talking about you and me and all who would dare to follow him as having that kind of total attachment, dedication, devotion and discipleship that changes us and those around us.

When we have that kind of love we will "obey his teaching" which has a different ring when you read it- "keep his words." It's more than just doing what he says to do (we don't do that all that well most of the time). It has a more profound meaning. It has to do with holding on to these words. Preserving them in us and in our lives. It means knowing them and making them our guides and watchwords each and every day. Love does not compel obedience out of fear or discipline or disappointment. Love compels doing and living so as to express our love to God, to Jesus, to the world. Such obedience is not drudgery or following the commands of a superior. It is the natural and reflexive response to having that kind of love growing within and surrounding us.

But I am struck by one more thought. God will return the same kind of love. Yes, God will have agape for us. God will give totally of God's whole self for us.

Oh- that's what he has already done!

(*Note: I know that Jesus didn't speak these words in Greek and what we have is a translation of what he said. But think of the fact that John and the others had to reflect on what it was they knew and were given the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the experience of the early church to put these words together. Wow!)