I felt really bad missing our PLC Men's Retreat at Spirit in the Desert this past weekend. We had a great speaker sparking our thoughts about God, men, boys, and fatherhood. This is a subject near and dear to my heart as we imagine the passing on of faith and values to the next generation.
Unfortunately, I had already made a commitment (and didn't sync my calendars) to ride as a 'marshal' for the 100 mile Tour de Cure for Diabetes. It is an annual ride I commit to doing in honor of my sister-in-law who suffers with diabetes. It's a great cause, and this year we had a record amount of money donated here in Phoenix... Nearly $500,000! It felt good to be part of such an event.
Nonetheless, I felt bad that I could not be two places at once... and it made me think about the priorities of my life. Living fast doesn't give us much time to reflect upon priorities, which in turn leads toward shallow living. Living fast frequently means that external influences as compared to internal values have far more impact upon the direction of our lives.
I believe that all of us exist with the idea that we want our lives to count. We want to make a difference. We want to leave the world a better place. Too often those ideals are swamped by the demands of getting through the week ahead. The concept of sabbath was intended to give us a moment to rest so we might go deeper, think longer term, and reconnect with meaning and purpose in life. Sabbath is an essential part of our stewardship of soul, community, and our world.
Just recently I heard a report that 12 of the 13 warmest recorded years for this planet have occurred since the year 2000. We know that global warming is real; that droughts, storms, and flooding are a real result of human interaction with our environment. Yet, the new twist on that old saying is, we all complain about the weather, but we are unwilling to do anything to change it. We know that a positive change for the future of our world will require a change in our behavior today.
Our psyche and soul are under the same sort of stress as our environment. The storms are bigger, the droughts are hotter, and we are flooded by our fears. We complain, but again we do little to change it. Perhaps the first thing we will want to do is to create the space for sabbath in our lives. This small change might result in a 'sea change' for our lives.
Creating sabbath moments each day simply requires a bit of intentionality and a willingness to shift the focus from me to 'thee.' It might mean expanding our vision by attempting to see the world and my part in it through the eyes of God. It means a moment to reflect upon the bigger, greater purpose of life and our partnership in this grand adventure.
Maybe this is something we can commit to trying for the remainder of Lent. Taking 10 minutes each day to get out of ourselves so as to enter into the imagination of God.
Peace,
Pal
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Son of God, the Movie
Several people have asked me my opinion of the new Jesus movie, Son of God. I haven't seen it.
I heard several people speak glowingly of it. I haven't seen it.
Many reviewers have given it poor marks for its quality of story telling. I haven't seen it.
I've seen plenty of Jesus movies over the years, and to be honest, most have failed to excite me. Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of Christ, was one I forced myself to watch simply because of all the buzz it fostered, but I could not recommend it to a soul. Some of them were better than others, and others were worse, but for the most part I don't blame Hollywood. They have had to operate within such tight parameters, knowing that the faithful are their primary audience. While we imagine unbelievers will see and be convinced, Hollywood knows it cannot offend those who already believe. In the first century AD the gospel was considered to be a scandal, but in the last century, Jesus is as radical as white enriched bread. As a result Hollywood frequently portrays him as as something like an alien in our midst, missing the complexity of our humanity. It seems to be almost purposely ironic as they present a film version of the gospel message in which God become less complex than our humanity.
So I have not been motivated to see Son of God. I believe the better way to tell the story of the God who is with us is through the complexity of our lives. Your story and my story are far more real and interesting to our friends. When we can acknowledge with all humility, the hand of God at work in our lives, this becomes a far more effective means for communicating the gospel than any movie might offer. In fact I wonder if movies like this one undermine our witness. It seems to provide us an excuse not to tell our story of the God who is at work in our lives. Our story seems so 'low budget' compared to what is up on the screen. Yet, if the truth were to be known, when we share our story, it makes more sense than anything Hollywood can create.
So when people ask me if I've seen The Son of God, I could respond by saying I've already read the book, or I'm waiting for it to come out in DVD. Or maybe, however, I might respond by asking them if they have ever been a part of the faith community. Paul calls the church the Body of Christ, and when we take communion, Jesus invites us to eat of his flesh and drink from his cup. In the midst of this diverse humanity gathered together Jesus promises us that he is revealed. I believe this to be the more accurate portrayal of God at work in our world. Or as the ELCA says, God's Work our Hands.
Peace,
PAL
I heard several people speak glowingly of it. I haven't seen it.
Many reviewers have given it poor marks for its quality of story telling. I haven't seen it.
I've seen plenty of Jesus movies over the years, and to be honest, most have failed to excite me. Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of Christ, was one I forced myself to watch simply because of all the buzz it fostered, but I could not recommend it to a soul. Some of them were better than others, and others were worse, but for the most part I don't blame Hollywood. They have had to operate within such tight parameters, knowing that the faithful are their primary audience. While we imagine unbelievers will see and be convinced, Hollywood knows it cannot offend those who already believe. In the first century AD the gospel was considered to be a scandal, but in the last century, Jesus is as radical as white enriched bread. As a result Hollywood frequently portrays him as as something like an alien in our midst, missing the complexity of our humanity. It seems to be almost purposely ironic as they present a film version of the gospel message in which God become less complex than our humanity.
So I have not been motivated to see Son of God. I believe the better way to tell the story of the God who is with us is through the complexity of our lives. Your story and my story are far more real and interesting to our friends. When we can acknowledge with all humility, the hand of God at work in our lives, this becomes a far more effective means for communicating the gospel than any movie might offer. In fact I wonder if movies like this one undermine our witness. It seems to provide us an excuse not to tell our story of the God who is at work in our lives. Our story seems so 'low budget' compared to what is up on the screen. Yet, if the truth were to be known, when we share our story, it makes more sense than anything Hollywood can create.
So when people ask me if I've seen The Son of God, I could respond by saying I've already read the book, or I'm waiting for it to come out in DVD. Or maybe, however, I might respond by asking them if they have ever been a part of the faith community. Paul calls the church the Body of Christ, and when we take communion, Jesus invites us to eat of his flesh and drink from his cup. In the midst of this diverse humanity gathered together Jesus promises us that he is revealed. I believe this to be the more accurate portrayal of God at work in our world. Or as the ELCA says, God's Work our Hands.
Peace,
PAL
Monday, March 3, 2014
Ukraine! Really?
What is happening in the Ukraine?
First it seems as if a corrupt government is trying to hang onto power with a sweetheart deal with Russia; but now that there has been a change of government, the Russians are back to playing Soviet-style politics. Is this a repeat of Czechoslovakia 1968?
Have we truly returned to this sort of political gamesmanship? This seems more like something that would happen in the Middle East or Sub-Saharian Africa but not in Europe. Just how fragile are the international relations that we depend upon for the sake of this world?
It would seem that there are few options available to those who would want to come to the aid of the Ukrainians. It doesn't seem like anyone wants to commit troops (but we would gladly send our soldiers to Afghanistan). Nor do economic sanctions seem to have much importance because the Russian economy is humming along due to its oil and natural gas exports. So a tit for tat response seems to be of no avail.
What would happen, however, if people all around the world began to protest what the Russians are doing in invading a sovereign nation? What if we all sent emails to the Kremlin telling Putin to stop? What would happen if this became the biggest buzz on Social Media? What would it look like if we were to express our disgust for this action by simultaneously gathering in churches around the world and joining in 10 minutes of prayer for the people of the Ukraine? If we can light a candle, doesn't that make more sense than to curse the darkness?
It seems that the people of this world could make it know one way or another that we do not approve of what Mr Putin is doing. Rather than waiting for the governments of the world to figure out how to respond, can we not use this world-wide web to make our voice known?
First it seems as if a corrupt government is trying to hang onto power with a sweetheart deal with Russia; but now that there has been a change of government, the Russians are back to playing Soviet-style politics. Is this a repeat of Czechoslovakia 1968?
Have we truly returned to this sort of political gamesmanship? This seems more like something that would happen in the Middle East or Sub-Saharian Africa but not in Europe. Just how fragile are the international relations that we depend upon for the sake of this world?
It would seem that there are few options available to those who would want to come to the aid of the Ukrainians. It doesn't seem like anyone wants to commit troops (but we would gladly send our soldiers to Afghanistan). Nor do economic sanctions seem to have much importance because the Russian economy is humming along due to its oil and natural gas exports. So a tit for tat response seems to be of no avail.
What would happen, however, if people all around the world began to protest what the Russians are doing in invading a sovereign nation? What if we all sent emails to the Kremlin telling Putin to stop? What would happen if this became the biggest buzz on Social Media? What would it look like if we were to express our disgust for this action by simultaneously gathering in churches around the world and joining in 10 minutes of prayer for the people of the Ukraine? If we can light a candle, doesn't that make more sense than to curse the darkness?
It seems that the people of this world could make it know one way or another that we do not approve of what Mr Putin is doing. Rather than waiting for the governments of the world to figure out how to respond, can we not use this world-wide web to make our voice known?
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