Ran across a quote in another blog (Andrew Sullivan's on the The Daily Beast) that I thought was profound.  It speaks to the complicated process of loss, closure and grieving.  Here is the post from Sullivan's blog:

Jody Lynee Madeira unravels it in Killing McVeigh, a new book about the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and the aftermath:

First, closure is most affirmatively not what contemporary culture says it is -- absolute finality, in the sense of such colloquial phrases as "over and done with," "dealt with," "put behind one's self," "let bygones be bygones," "forgive and forget." Closure is not a state of being, a quality, or even a realization. If closure exists at all, it must be as a process, a recursive series of adjustments that a self makes in response to external, often institutional developments. ... At some point in our constant procession through response and readjustment, we come to a state of awareness that can conclude an event in our lives. This point marks are awareness of an ongoing stasis and is an ending of sorts, even if it is not a "happy" one, even if sorrow, anger, trauma persist. From this perspective, one's ability to state that there is no closure is itself a closure.

So you thought Romans was just too theological!

Paul's letters to the Romans has some pretty deep and theologically challenging passages. Grace and works., why the Jewish people of his time of which Paul was one didn't respond as he hoped to the gospel message, just to name two. So it's a book that sometimes scares people off from reading it.

But right in the middle of the book Paul moves from the complicated arguments and theological struggles to a beautiful series of verses that sound more like Proverbs.

Romans 12:9-21 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Simple, straight forward, powerful kingdom ethics. Live life this way and the ripple effect will be tremendous. A high calling for which I know I need abundant grace to even come close.

Take one of these phrases and try living it for a week and see how often it is a struggle but also notice how much difference it makes in your life and the lives of others. Lent is approaching. This makes a great daily set of verses as a companion to take to Jerusalem and the cross.

Why are you cast down my soul?

Psalm 42 has some beautiful imagery. The thirsting soul who is like a deer wandering in the desert seeking water. The thundering river cataracts calling to the deep loneliness of the soul. The overwhelming feeling of despair and the cry for God who is the only rock where there is refuge in the midst of the emotional deluge.

The other lectionary passages for the day remind of reasons and solutiones for our loneliness: Genesis 3 tells of rebellion done for the seeking of pleasure and the inevitable blame game that follows. John 1 sends us a prophet to remind us we need to repent of our rebellion. Hebrews 2 reminds us that we hold a great mystery to whom we can turn when we do feel so alone.

Loneliness can be overwhelming. It can also be a reminder that God does not leave us alone. The Spirit is closer than we realize even when our souls are pierced.

When my soul is cast down, O Lord, remind me of Your Presence.

New beginnings

Psalm 98 tells us to sing a new song to the Lord! The first day of the year brings all sorts of plans in the lives of many for changes and new beginnings. Each morning can even bring hope for a new day and plans to make needed improvements.

God's radical gift of grace to each of us in the ultimate in starting over. It is outlandish. Past sinners are forgiven. We stand loved and accepted fully by God. Too often we don't believe it for ourselves or others, but it is really that amazing.

As you begin 2012, understand that God's love for you is beyond measure. God's grace is overwhelming. This can be a new beginning no matter the past.

Praying for Peace

It's a good season to pray for peace. Those of us who call ourselves Christian serve the one who came to bring peace. Heard recently on an NPR report that research shows that the percentage of life loss to war and violence is declining in the world -- even if media reports don't always reflect that. Our troops are coming home from Iraq. Let's pray Afghanistan is soon as well. And let's pray for those regions.

My son shared a Youtube link with me that I really enjoyed. Matisyahu is a Jewish reggae musician! Good message! Enjoy as you pray for peace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs&ob=av2e

A Patient Advent

I am not by nature a patient person. And yet there it was in one of the lectionary passages this week (2 Peter 3:8-15a) -- God waits on judgement because God is patient and awaits the changing of human hearts. And those words in Peter are not written to the world at large, but to people in the church. God is slow in coming for judgment to give the readers of the letter a chance to repent.

So if God can be patient, I suspect God expects the same of me. God wants me to be patient with others who seem to make the same mistakes over and over (yea, I know, look in the mirror). God wants me to be patient with family, with friends, with the person driving too slow on the highway, with the tired clerk at the store, with the customer rep from the cable company, with the interruptions that delay the sermon being written.

It's very hard to do this time of year -- be patient -- and yet that is what God wants.

An Advent Bucket List

I was reading an Advent devotional last week when I ran across a question that is commonly asked but it struck in the setting of preparing for Advent. "What would you do today if you knew Jesus was coming back in the next 24 hours." I suspect we have all been asked that question. Evangelists love to to use it as a challenge to those who aren't followers of Jesus. But it's a worthwhile question to ask Christians as well.

I immediately thought of the film The Bucket List. The movie centers on 2 men with terminal cancer who set out to do all those things they wanted to do in life but put off. What if we as Christians carried Advent bucket lists -- things I want to do in service to God's reign in the world before either I meet God or Jesus returns?

Many of those items might be very small and that's good -- Jesus spoke of the power of yeast and mustard seeds. Some might be the larger projects that will take consistent time and commitment and that's good also. What would you put on your Advent bucket list?

A Thanksgiving Prayer by Brian McLaren

Brian McLaren shared some thanksgiving prayers on his blog:

I particularly liked this one:

3.
God of my grandparents, I thank you for them.
God of my parents, I thank you for them.
God of my children, I thank you for them.
God of my grandchildren, I thank you for them.
God of my siblings and cousins, my aunts and uncles,
I thank you for them all.
God of my friends, I thank you for them.
God of strangers, I thank you for them.
God of farmers and harvesters, drivers and grocers,
Cooks and dishwashers, builders and makers,
And all to whom I am connected,
I thank you for them all.
God of my enemies, I thank you for them.
God who was, I thank you for the departed.
God who is, I thank you for my companions.
God who is to come, I thank you for my descendants
And all their friends and neighbors.
My God, for the joy of having a place in this expanding family,
I thank you for the chance to be
Me. Thank
You!

What are you waiting for?

Advent approaches. It is the season of anticipation and waiting the 4 weeks before Christmas. William Brown says that "'Waiting for God' is no passive endeavor; it involves painful longing and bold allegiance, in short, a passionate patience'"

So what are you waiting for? Not just your average, everyday waiting, but that deep longing? This kind of waiting is often painful. I can think of things I yearn to see in my life and the life of loved ones. I have deep longings for the nation and world.

Maybe another way of asking the question, is what keeps you up at night. Maybe that's the best time to identify that deep longing, that passionate patience in your life.

Today's Psalm - Leaving It Up to God

David spent several of his younger years on the run from King Saul. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel as a replacement for Saul, when Saul displeased God. Early on Saul actually had him serve in his house. Later as David's popularity with the people grew, Saul became jealous until he tried to kill David. David fled and took up a robin hood existence, largely preying the favorite bad guys of the book of Samuel, the Philistines.

On a couple of occasions when Saul came hunting David, David could have turned the tables and killed Saul. But he refused because Saul had been anointed king before David and David refused to lift his hand against God's anointed. But he certainly prayed about it all. Today's psalm (54) is set in this one the run time when some folks have protected David. David asks for God to be the one to right the wrong and get him the vengeance and justice he is due.

Now David's non-violent ethic was pretty limited. He refused to kill the current king. He was also loathe to kill fellow Israelites unless he could see no other way out. We have another example of a non-violent ethic in the Bible that is even more amazing. Jesus told Pilate he could have called down angels to wipe everyone out. But Jesus did not. He accepted the violence of the world for the sake of the world.

We are still learning what it means to leave vengeance in God's hands. I have never been a pacifist, but I will freely admit that that position is probably as influenced by lack of faith as it is by carefully considered theological interpretation. May God teach me today a little more how to not seek vengeance on my own against my enemies but instead leave my deliverance in God's hands.

I'm back!

Hello to my followers. I was on vacation last week and actually did very little on the computer. Probably a good thing. Oh, I did insure my fantasy football team was up to date and for a change I am giving my opponent a good thrashing. See what one can accomplish with a clear mind?

I will probably post once more before Thanksgiving, but let me say it now, lest I forget.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. If you are bearing extra burdens this year, then I pray that God will also send some unexpected blessings your way!

Today's Psalm - Accountablity

Will you behave yourself if no one's watching? The psalmist doens't think so. Psalm 53, ascribed to David, puts it bluntly. Fools say there is no God and so they do whatever they want. Atheism and anarchy in the view of David will lead to abominable acts. Atheists and anarchist, of course, will disagreed because they see the perversity of power and terrible acts committed in the name of faith. But the biblical view is simple. When people aren't held accountable both now and in eternity, they will do whatever they want to advance their own agendas.

Atheism equals foolishness. Sooner or later, though God will rain down judgment.

It's easy to throw stones at atheism. I was on a pastor's retreat recently and I was introduced to a different term -- functional atheism. That's living our lives as though God didn't exist. And the greatest practitioners? Why Christians, of course. We claim we believe in God, but we go through the motions of our day as though God didn't exist. God will excuse me for being rude, inconsiderate, short tempered, and selfish. Maybe the psalmist saw some of that in his own day and that is why he lamented that there was no one who did good. If those who claim faith act as if there is no faith, then what will become of the world?

Today's Psalm - I am jealous

Psalm 73 brings us face to face with that most human of emotions - jealousy. The psalmist checked out all the rich people and found himself jealous of their status, comfort, and their apparent freedom from the worries of life that plague others. Why do they get away with having life so good? Why do the ones who have gotten their money by deceit seem to get away with it? He was all wrapped up in huge fit of jealousy until he went to the temple and then saw things in the right perspective. In just a moment, the blink of an eye, their ruin can come. And he also realized that despite his bitterness and anger with God over the state of things, God continued to lead him and guide him.

So I started making a mental list of all those folks that make me jealous and sadly I realized how long that list could get. It is so easy to get caught up in the why does he/she have it so good and I have it so lousy. But it is such a waste. God doesn't want to see us throw our emotional energy away on jealousy. We need to rejoice over what we have and enjoy the good things and particularly people that are part of our life.

And isn't it good news that the psalmist realized how close God was even when he was angry and bitter. As much as we might think we can push God away, God always, always stays close by. I am so glad, because there are days I don't live a very faithful life, but God still stays close and guides me. Amazing!

Today's Psalm - Your Basic Leader Worship

Psalm 72 is what is called a royal psalm. It is all about the king (I know I have blogged about this kind of psalm before.) Basically the psalm asks God to bless the king and make everything (and I do mean everything) fantastic for the king and thus for all the people. All our enemies conquered. May he last as long as the sun. May the rivers and oceans obey him.

Hmm, sometimes we still vest this much hope in new political leadership. For that matter some churches have believed the new pastor will somehow save them. Human leadership is never, never perfect. The leaders are part of the problem and those of us who are followers are also part of the problem. Thinking that we can control rivers, oceans, etc is over reaching. Later Christian interpreters reassigned the praises in this psalm to Jesus as the only true king worthy of this kind of trust.

Now, all that being said, there is a poignancy to this psalm. The prescript speaks of it being "of Solomon" which could mean it was written about Solomon perhaps for his coronation. And the last line of the psalm points in that direction also -- "the prayers of David son of Jesse are ended." David has died. Solomon is now king. One era ends. Another begins. Let the new king be prosperous. David is remembered fondly and we hope the new king also does as well.

Today's Psalm - Talking to Yourself

If you thinking talking to yourself is a sign of being crazy well then the psalmists were one loony bunch. Take Psalm 42. It's a running dialogue between the writer and himself about why he is having a bad day. "Why are you cast down, o my soul?" I have been crying night and day, but remember when we had that great time of rejoicing. Trust God, it will get better. God, I can trust you, right? Have you forgotten me? I feel like have been wounded, run through by my enemies. Hope in God and times will get good again.

Talking to yourself and doing it so God can hear you is one form of prayer. Asking God questions like, "Have you forgotten about me?" is not faithless. When we quit asking questions, that's when we really lose touch with the eternal.

If you feel like chattering with yourself about life's troubles. Don't hesitate. If it helps to have a friend listen so you don't feel crazy, well then go right ahead. If you want to ask God all the hard questions of life, go for it.

Today's Psalm - Get 'em God!

Today's psalm, psalm 35 which is one of David's, raises an interesting question. Is it ever okay to pray for God to bring vengeance on your enemies? Certainly it is an an honest psalm. We have all wanted to ask God to get those who are out to get us.

This psalm speaks of a time of suffering when others rejoiced over David's suffering. Evidently those same folks had suffered and David had prayed for them and mourned for them. But now that he is down, they are happy. Wow! We have those times when someone we treated with love and caring turns their backs on us when we are down. Most of us have felt the cold knife of a backstabber.

Turn the other cheek or ask God to bring ruin upon them? I know Jesus calls us a to a higher standard when it comes to dealing with our enemies. He forgave Peter and I am convinced if Judas would have asked, Jesus would have forgiven him as well. Glad to know that David's honest prayer is there. Somedays we probably have to pray Psalm 35 before we can open ourselves up to the deeper commandment that Jesus gave.

Today's Psalm - Are You Sure About the All Times Part?

Psalm 34 is another psalm of David's. He begins with an out there kind of statement. "I will bless the Lord at all times. . . " So now that just sounds like an invitation to trouble right? Can we have a few times maybe, David, when we might just want to gripe and complain and dispense with the blessing God?

What about when we are sick or when we are financially destitute or when our loved ones are suffering or when (fill in the time when life really leaves you down). I mean a statement like, "I will bless the Lord at all times . . " sounds like an open invitation to step into Job's shoes and suffer all manner of trouble while maintaining your faith steadfastly in God.

Oh wait, I guess that is kind of the point. Faith isn't a matter of convenience that I hold onto just cause life is going my way. Hmm. The psalm does go on to talk about good times and bad. Timidly, fearfully, grudgingly, the opening line is to be our statement of faith. "I will bless the Lord at all times . . "

Should I duck right after I say that, God?

My week as a slug

Even slugs get grace, right? So this past week I was laid up with the flu. H1N1 I presume, although I was never sick enough to require a doctor's care. I have been plenty sicker in my life but this particular flu just held on and held on and held on. Relentless. I am still not 100%. So I am preaching today and doing communion and already formulating ideas for how to insure as much space between me and hopefully healthy members of the congregation. Sometime being pastoral means keeping your distance!

I have been told plenty and preached often that God rejoices over all men, women, boys, girls, etc of creation. God rejoices even over those who are ill and unable to do much. Hope God still found something to rejoice over me about as I basically did nothing but breathed (and that not too well at times), coughed, slept (that also not too well), went from sweating to chillled, but enough of the details.

Thank God for supportive members, a patient wife (who was sick herself but managed to rebound more quickly), and a window of opportunity in my life where an illness wasn't devastating. Many or not so fortunate. And thank God it was only the flu!

Today's Psalm - Identifying the Landowner

The first line of this psalm is known to many - "The earth is the Lord's and all that it is in it." That doesn't mean we always act like it. From abuse of the earth through pollution to acting as though we can do anything we want cause, "it's mine and I earned it and my neighbors, government, (insert favorite figure you love to hate) can just go stuff it."

It is interesting after just being reminded that God owns it all the psalmist turns to a discussion about clean hands and pure hearts. Intent seems to matter to God. Falsehood and deceit get a very, very bad review in the scriptures. Lying to God is just not a good idea.

The fact that many of the psalms were actually poetry and likely may have been sung can be seen in the final verses where we get a call/response set of lines. Imagine two choirs (likely all male, sorry ladies but this was definitely a sexist world) singing this back and forth. Wonder if anybody who had been less than honest thought that week suddenly remembered they might have forgotten to tie up the donkey and slipped out?

Today's Psalm - David's Number One Hit

It's still playing on the Jerusalem top 40. Thousands of years and it has maintained it's number one spot. That's right. It's Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, etc. All of us have days when we want someone to take care of us. How many of us as adults when were we sick have voiced, "I want my mommy!" Well this psalm is about wanting/expecting/believing in God's care when we need it the most. Those dark valleys are scary places and knowing the Big Guy is with us with a rod and staff is a good thing.

Oh, do keep in mind that the rod and staff are there to help us along as well. The shepherds crook was in use for grabbing long before Vaudeville discovered it as a tool to pull people off stage. Where you think they got the idea? So with the care comes direction and guidance. With the table full comes some reminders about who we need to listen to. Remember it's a relationship where we need to listen, listen, listen.

And now back to a week full of meetings. Sometimes those have dark valleys. Time to reread the psalm.