So much need. So much pain.

 I shared this from Jamie the Very Worst Missionary on Facebook then took it down for fear someone in my congregation might decide I was too tired to care for them. Which is most definitely NOT the case.


As I began to contemplate Jamie's writing, this passage came to mind:
While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. ⁴ But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”  Mark 14: 3-9

This passage often poses difficulty for our understanding of who Jesus is. How do we reconcile Jesus' declaration that "the poor will always be with you" with his care for the poor, ill, outcast...? Does this passage excuse us from caring for the least of these? No, it does not. It does, however, speak to how we are called to care for God's people and God's world, and I think Jamie may have nailed it on the head.

Notice what Jesus says next, "She has performed a good service for me...She has done what she could."

We have of late and probably always been bombarded by so many causes, so many needs, so much hurt, so much violence, and so much pain that it is easy to become paralyzed. It is just too much to comprehend. We don't know where to begin, so we do nothing. And then we begin to isolate ourselves from all bad news and need (or at least that's what I'm tempted to do).


Jesus told the disciples that the woman did the ministry that she was called to do - the ministry for which she had the resources.  I believe that is all we are called to do. What we can. What God has equipped us to do.


Now before you heave a huge sigh of relief thinking that means you are not called to step out on a limb or into some place less than comfortable, that is not what happened in either of these stories - the one in Mark or the one in Jamie's blog. What I like about Jamie's story is that even though she felt too tired to care, she opened herself to new possibilities even as she protested that she wouldn't be able to take on another cause, another ministry.


It took great courage for the woman to enter that room full of men to bring her gift to Jesus. I'm pretty sure this wouldn't have been in her comfort zone. She certainly wasn't welcomed by the men at the table. It took great courage to break open the jar and share something so valuable - to give so much of herself.

Perhaps Jesus' answer about the poor always being with us wasn't about ignoring the poor or failing to minister to and with them. Perhaps it was about seeking God's direction and provision for the ministry or ministries to which we are called and about trusting that God calls someone to meet every need. As to whether those calls are answered - I'll keep praying if you will.

What is Faith?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.     Hebrews 11:1

What is faith? There are those who think faith means simply believing in God or in Jesus as our savior. But, James 2: 19 points out even demons believe that much. Others think faith means believing hard enough (can you see the child with fists tightened and eyes squeezed shut) that God will heal an illness or solve a problem of some kind. 

In the last few weeks, I have been given different words for understanding faith. I’ve been reading The Strategically Small Church by Brandon J. O’Brien. As I have read, the book has constantly asked me, “Do you believe that God is at work in and through your congregation?” Well, maybe not in exactly those words, but that’s the gist of it. 

At the same time, I have been exploring the role of anxiety in our lives. It seems to me that anxiety says “I don’t trust God to be at work in this. I don’t believe God’s got this and I had better start making things happen or I’m going to be in big trouble.”

So I began to wonder if a good working definition of faith at any given moment might be: “Do I trust God (through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit) is at work in this?”  Do I trust that God is at work in my life? In the lives of my son and husband? In the lives of my parishioners? In the life of my congregation?  I think I’m going to live with that for a while and see what comes of it.

What about you? Do you have a definition of faith? Do you trust that God is at work in your life? In your family’s lives? In you church?

Complaining and Forgiving

 And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Many years ago with my son was a student at a Lutheran preschool, the teachers taught the children not only to say, "I'm sorry", but to also say, "I forgive you." One day after my son offered a litany of complaints about another boy in his class, I explained that forgiving someone means we don't complain about it any more. Boy did that come back to bite me the next time he did something that displeased me. I heard my own words come out of his mouth, "Mom, 'I forgive you' means we don't complain about it any more."

Lately, I've learned that the connection between complaining and forgiveness goes both directions. You see, I've been working to not complain in the last few weeks. I have discovered that in order to stop from complaining about someone (either out loud or in my internal monologue), I also must forgive them. This has truly been eye opening for me. As I have listened to myself and the things I say or think, I have become aware of hurts and anger I've been holding on to for quite a while. So my journey into less complaining has really become a journey into forgiveness.

What about you? Have you ever explored the link between our complaints and a lack of forgiveness?

Be Still

Last week, I was blessed to participate in the 5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation. After each talk, we were asked to spend time in silent contemplation, usually with an assigned topic. But, one day, the assignment was to take some Sabbath time.; to "Be still and know I am God" (Ps. 46:10).

Know what I did? I took a nap.

Always before, I had understood those words to mean stop, take time to be in God's presence. But on this day, I had a new understanding. I heard God saying, "Be still and know that I am still God even when you are resting. I am still God and you are not God. I will be here when you wake up, and I've got this."

Knowing God is God is more than coming into God's presence. It is about trusting God to be God.

Guess what? When I woke up, neither the world nor my church had fallen apart. Go figure.

Jesus Has Still Got It

I didn't post last week's Prayer Service Message because I borrowed heavily (read directly) from Henri Nouwen. However, I am trying to maintain my commitment to weekly (or almost) blog posts. So instead of last week's Prayer Service, I'm posting a reflection from today's quiet time.

My daily devotional had me read this passage from Acts 3 (following the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate) today:

¹¹ While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished. ¹² When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites,^[b] why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant^[c] Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus^[d] has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

In the past, I have read this as Peter's chastising the Jewish leaders  who served their role in bringing about Jesus' death. Today, I read it as a message of hope. Today, I hear Peter - who should know - saying that in spite of the rejection and denial of by those in his hearing, Jesus still has the power to bring healing, redemption, salvation to their lives.

Peter knows this because he's experienced it. I imagine that the story of Peter's denial (John 18) will be read in many churches and homes this week. The story of his redemption or restoration to relationship with Jesus (John 21) will be read in coming weeks. It is a story with which we can identify. We see ourselves in Peter's failure to claim connection to Jesus, just as we can see ourselves in those who rejected Jesus, who witnessed the healing of the lame man and to whom Peter spoke. "It's not too late," he tells them and across the centuries he also speaks to us. "Even though you have rejected God among us in the person of Jesus Christ, even if you have tried to rid yourself of Christ - Jesus still has the power to bring healing in your life. To redeem you from your past, to offer you salvation."

Even as we travel through Holy Week - remembering the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, we view the journey through post-Easter glasses. We know how the story ends. We know that in spite of death, Jesus still has the power to save - to bring healing to my life, to your life, to our world. Like the man at the Beautiful Gate, we simply need to accept it.

Praying God's Blessing

In her book Adventures in Prayer, Catherine Marshall speaks of a family whose household is full of stress and distress largely caused by a hypercritical, generally irritable aunt who lives with them. Catherine’s advice to the mother of the family is that she pray for God’s blessings upon the aunt. The woman had prayed many times that the aunt’s attitude and behavior be changed, but she had not prayed for God’s joyous blessing upon her. Marshall goes on to remind us that someone who is blessed is someone who is happy. The beatitudes in some translations read, “Blessed are …” Other translations read, “Happy are…”

When we pray God’s blessing upon another person – especially a person with whom we find it difficult to be in relationship – it changes our outlook toward that person. It helps us see them in a more positive (or at least not all negative) light. But I believe the power of this prayer goes far beyond a psychological shift on the part of the pray-er. I believe this prayer opens doors for God to work in both people, to open their eyes to see the beauty in one another, and to plant and nurture the seeds of love. 

I also believe it changes the way we behave toward the other person. In my weekly prayers from the pulpit, I often ask God to show us how, where, and when we are being called to be the Body of Christ in the world. How are we being called to be part of the answer to the prayers we bring before God when we pray for God to relieve suffering or loneliness? When we pray the prayer of joyous blessing for someone, calling God’s blessing upon them we must also pray asking God how we are called to be a part of that blessing.

Now this all sounds pretty and nice and easy. It’s not. It’s not easy to pray for someone who has hurt you or caused you distress to experience God’s blessing. It’s not easy to let go of our own frustration and bitterness and desire for revenge or at least for pay back, and ask God to bless someone who makes our lives difficult. Not only is it not easy, it is often so difficult that it can’t be accomplished by our own power. We must call on the power of God’s Spirit to even be able to think, much less utter words of blessing for some people. The good news is, God is at work. God is willing even when we aren’t.

Three Little Words

My devotional from last night's prayer service:

There are some books I read only for information and others I read a quick escape into a fictional world. For those books, an electronic reading device works fine. But, there are some books I don’t want to simply read. I want to absorb them – as much into my body and being as into my mind. These books I want to hold in my hand – savoring them as if holding an exquisite bite of food in my mouth so that the taste can linger. 

Anne Lamott’s Help, Thanks, Wow: The ThreeEssential Prayers is one of those books. I’m reading it slowly – bit by bit. Reading and re-reading, soaking up the beauty of the language and the richness of the content. Anne (her writing style is so honest and personal, it feels as if we have a first name acquaintance) puts forward the idea that great prayers can be found in these three little words: help, thanks, wow. There is wisdom in this.

What follows is my own meditation on these three prayers. Perhaps you can devise your own meditation around them, too.

HELP. I have cried for help from the bottom of the pit. Like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38) thrown into the cistern – in the dark – alone – nothing and no one left to call on but God. The walls of the well are straight and slick. Climbing out on my own is not an option. I cry out – “GOD HELP ME!”

I have cried, “help” before I enter a hospital room or to pray with a grieving family and many other times when I know I am wholly inadequate for the task at hand. 

Then I think of the many times I didn’t cry, “help” – when I pulled on my own boot straps, gathered my own courage and tried to proceed on my own strength. And, I ask myself, “How’s that been working for you?” 

I cry, “help” when I need guidance or more information or a broader view of the situation. I cry, “help” when I don’t understand the suffering of those I love or strangers half way around the world. I cry help.

And when the suffering is relieved, I cry, “THANKS!” Sometimes the gratitude is deep and explosive – like the teenager after I performed the Heimlich Maneuver on him – “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!”

At other times the gratitude is soft and gentle. Thanking God for my many blessings – daily joys often overlooked. People in my life, a place to live, food to eat.

And then I think of all the thanks not offered – blessings unacknowledged, life taken for granted. I think of the times when I was of the nine who did not return in thanks rather than the one who did (Luke 17: 12 – 19), and in my mind I fall to my knees uttering simultaneously, “forgive me and thank you.”

When I open my eyes again, I see the world anew – full of beauty and wonder. I see the beauty of creation in a tiny flower with intricate design, and in the majesty of the sunset as I cross the bridge over the lake. I am in awe of the one who creates and I simply proclaim, “WOW!”

I see God at work in the world around me – changing lives in both subtle and spectacular ways. I feel God changing me in ways I never thought possible, and I am once again amazed by God’s grace.