I AM Doing God's Work!

Well, we managed all right today without our fearless leader, but we surely did miss her! We got back to 2 Corinthians reading and discussing chapter 10. Poor Paul, he is defending himself again. Some of our notes pointed out that there is such a change in tone that many people speculate that chapters 10-13 are part of a different letter, possibly even the letter of tears.

At any rate, we see Paul once again defending his authority, pointing out the flaws in the false apostles, the people who have been attacking him and stirring up the Corinthians. It seems that one of the main charges against Paul is that he is wishy-washy when speaking in person, but harsh and demanding when writing letters. We wondered about this, speculating that the false apostles may well have been Greeks, versed in oration and performance but short on substance and understanding. Paul, on the other hand was well schooled, a Pharisee, but physically unimpressive and not the best speaker. But in writing he could be brilliant. Paul points out that the false apostles seek to create followers of themselves and gain for themselves, while Paul receives no monetary benefit and ALWAYS focuses on Christ.

Paul consistently tries to remain humble, deflecting any adoration from himself to Christ. He points out his own suffering, trials, lack of material possession, and focus on Christ. He doesn't want to brag, but is forced to do so - at least a little bit. He gives us a good measure, even today, for looking at church with a critical eye. And it is a simple measure at that. What is the focus - is it God and spiritual reward, or is it immediate gratification in this life? Who is doing God's work?

Simply Known - I See You

Our leader was busy, busy, busy with papers this week, so we looked at one of the topics she was working on to save her some time (and sanity:D). We read and discussed John 4:5-39, Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. First we talked about the stories that come before this section - Jesus teaching Nicodemus, John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus. John was choosing people and situations to demonstrate a point, maybe the one he makes in 3:16?

The juxtaposition of Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman is curious. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, a teacher, someone with standing in the Jewish community, an insider who should know by virtue of all his study and learning just who Jesus is. And yet, he has difficulty comprehending Jesus as the Messiah and really gets hung up on the whole rebirth thing, not able to move beyond a literal, physical understanding. Nicodemus has every advantage in understanding but he just doesn't get it.

And then there is the woman. First all, her gender is a strike against her. And she is a Samaritan. Then we can assume she isn't well though of in her own community because she is going to the well in the heat of the day and alone. She is really an outsider! Yet Jesus initiates a conversation with her. Unheard of! It just isn't done! Jesus reveals that he know everything about her, and when he does she recognizes who he is.

And that brings us back to 3:16 and the word "everyone". It seems that John's point is that Jesus, the Living Water, God's salvation is for everyone - Pharisee and pariah, tax collector and disciple, Jewish man and Samaritan woman. All we need is faith - that is all the woman had when she went back into town to witness. She spread the word more quickly, more effectively and to more people than the powerful Nicodemus - simply because she believed.

So I guess we should remember that in our every day lives. We never know whom we will encounter, how our message will strike them or whether or not it will stay with them at all. In the movie "Avatar" the greeting of the Omaticaya means, "I see you." That is what we are called to do. As Jesus reminded the disciples, others have done the hard work of preparing and sowing. We need to do our part as reapers, by seeing and accepting everyone. Our witness can bring others into relationship with God and help fill our deep-seated human need to be seen, to be known, completely and wholly, and accepted and loved for who we are. That is what God offers all of us.

Giving Until It Hurts... Really?

Again, sorry to be so late in getting this post up. I believe there were some things that were supposed to happen and figure into this post, that is why I procrastinated. (Nice rationalization, eh Cathi? This week we covered chapters 8 and 9 together. Seems like a lot of material, but the theme is consistent and coherent - giving and stewardship.

Boy, those are dirty words and even fighting words in some places, aren't they? Loaded with personal interpretation it seems difficult if not impossible to come to some common, non-confrontational understanding. Paul is addressing the church at Corinth regarding the very specific act of taking a collection to provide for relief of the church in Jerusalem that is suffering because of famine. Their suffering is compounded by the fact that by choosing to follow Christ many were disowned, discredited, and have lost their means of support - both economic and familial. This is real, human suffering and the Corinthians have been distracted by theological arguments within their own ranks. Seems pretty clear to us where the emphasis should be, but better look in the mirror first before we are tempted to condemn the Corinthians...

Paul is pretty consistent in the way he addresses things, seeking to assert his authority, divert any attention from himself to Jesus, sending an advance team of people the Corinthians trust and respect. He has all the administrative stuff down! And then the message, one I still need to hear, consider and understand.

Paul defines the riches we have without ever using the word money. I know I don't always acknowledge how rich I am in other terms. But it is so true, there are so many ways to think about how we are blessed. And - thank you Mr. Einstein - it is all relative. When we look at others who have "less" than we do we may be tempted to feel sorrow or pity, but they probably feel the same when they see people who have "less" than they do. So maybe the answer is that we need to not use others to define our gifts and blessings. We need only consider ourselves, our needs and then be thankful for what we do have. If I do that I know I have plenty, and that I can easily share with others.

It seems to me that we don't always correlate our relationship with personal finance with our relationship with God. Of course, as always, some of us are better at this than others. Why do we not see the relationship between what we give to the church - time, talent, money - and the church being able to God's work. And why do we continue to see our money as a means of control, of voicing our pleasure and displeasure with actions and policies. True, it is the main way we voice concerns in our consumer-driven society. But in church? And if we aren't behaving in church the way we do in society, then is the church relevant? If the church isn't relevant to our society and culture then how can we ever hope to deliver the Message? And if we are immersed in the current culture, how do we keep from being corrupted by it? Paul sees thing very clearly and simply, wish I did too...

Living in the Light

Sorry, this is not the post from Wednesday's meeting. Getting caught up from a trip and getting kids back to college has been eating up my time. I promise, this afternoon. Meanwhile, here is an interim post on the challenge from our pastor to live as people of the light, doing what God calls us to do, and God hitting me up side the head with a 2 x 4....

Last Saturday we had kids coming in town from college and one child had planned a family outing to see Avatar in 3D. She was VERY excited for us to all go together as she had seen the regular version, her sister had seen it in 3D and the other two were... apathetic. We met at the mall theater, they were already in line, and as luck would have it the show sold out two customers in front of us. Well, the apathetic ones were still apathetic, the one who had already seen it was also nonplussed, but the planner was beside herself with disappointment. In fact, for a time she was speechless!! We managed to salvage the evening with some light shopping and an ice cream. All in all some good family time.

Next day our planner wanted to go back, but by then the apathy group had made other plans. I still wanted to see the movie so I went with her, back to the mall. We were cutting the time a little close and the parking lot was a mess with giant piles of snow everywhere, so I dropped her off to go get tickets while I parked the car.

Parking the car was NO FUN. There were people everywhere and giant piles of snow in the middle of the aisles and you couldn't see the lines so cars were parked every which way. As I moved pretty far away from the entrance I came across a little girl in a big car who looked frightened, trying to get out of a parking spot so I let her go in front of me. It was getting really close to time for the movie and I was beginning to get agitated. She headed down an aisle where I could see a parking spot so I followed her. About halfway down she stopped, one of those giant piles of snow on her left, cars parked too far into the aisle on her right. From behind her I could see it was a tight fit, but she had plenty of room. She put her car in reverse, I saw the back up lights and looked in my rear view mirror. There were already three more cars behind me. I sat in my car saying some not nice things, she looked askance, I shrugged, we were stymied. After a few minutes of this I put my car in park and approached in as non-threatening a way as I could (you never know who you are talking to in this day and age, it seems). I explained there were more cars behind me, she needed to go forward. She was really afraid to damage anyone else's car and then it FINALLY came to me! (Man, can I ever be stupid sometimes) I walked in front of her and directed her like those guys on the ground at the airport only I didn't get the cute headphones and flashlight cones :-(. She got through, we all got through, I found a parking place, arrived in plenty of time and thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

So, it didn't hurt me one bit to take a minute, see someone else's distress and do something to help out. Isn't that what we are called to do? In the face of this week's tragedy it makes doing something bigger seem a good and easy goal. Living in the light - easier said than done but well worth the effort!

Godly Grief

Welcome back, and happy New Year. I am a little late in posting, delayed by a snowstorm and cold that diverted my attention. This week we re-read 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 and then forged ahead with 7:5-16. It seemed that Paul was saying I don't want to boast, but let me boast any way. I guess he really was human! This passage refers back to the letter of tears, about which we know very little except that it was precipitated by conflict within the church caused by a group of followers who advocated strict adherence to the Mosaic laws. Paul addresses his grief in writing the letter, the grief the church must have felt in receiving it, the remorse, guilt, on and on. But what is the difference between a "godly grief' and human grief?

Paul points out how the grief and sorrow that the Corinthians felt brought them into closer relationship with God. It brought about change in how they see and do things, in their behavior and beliefs. It seems that is the main distinction between "godly grief" and human grief. Human grief is merely the guilt at getting caught, it brings about no change. It is the difference between regret and remorse. But, maybe we need to experience human sorrow and regret before we can move on to be remorseful and change...

Paul took quite a risk in sending his letters to the church at Corinth. What if they didn't respond as he intended, what if they moved away from God? Paul says that he struggled with many issues, had doubts, questions. So did just about every other major actor in the Bible, the reluctantly called, the persecuted. How much of a risk do we take in the church today? How much room do we allow for people who question? For doubt? For beliefs that don't necessarily line up with what we think should be? And what about seeing conflict within the church as a way of experiencing "godly grief' and moving closer to God and his desires for our lives? It all depends on deep and abiding relationships, where we genuinely care for each other and want to maintain and deepen the relationship. In an era of shallow relationships that can be really scary...

Happy New Year!

Just posting a reminder that we will resume with 2 Corinthians on Wednesday, January 6th. Come join us!